Chapter Sixteen: The Four Friends Meet for the First Time

Outside Yunzhou City, deep within the dense forest.

It was already the third watch of the night. Shi Qi and Bai Qiu sat cross-legged atop two trees, meditating and resting.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past, and both opened their eyes at once.

Shi Qi said, "Something's happening."

Bai Qiu replied, "There's a heavy scent of blood coming from the east."

Shi Qi said, "Let's go and take a look."

Drawing their weapons, the two soared from the trees, facing due east and pausing in midair.

Just then, a flash of white sword energy shot toward them with a sharp sound. Shi Qi raised a hand, instantly summoning a curtain of water, but the sword energy shredded it and continued its relentless charge.

Shi Qi and Bai Qiu frowned, parrying with umbrella and sword.

A metallic clang echoed as they were knocked back several meters.

Bai Qiu exclaimed, "Such powerful sword energy!"

Shi Qi said, "Whoever it is, their intentions aren't good. Xiao Bai, get ready!"

With that, Shi Qi's five fingers curled into a claw, blue light beginning to gather as he formed the Water Spirit Scatter Pills.

Bai Qiu pulled out a talisman from behind, gripping it in readiness.

Moments later, a figure flew in from the east—hair wild, white garments stained red with blood. It was Bai Yunxin, the senior disciple of Yunqing Sect.

Bai Qiu frowned. "He has a strong aura, but there's a touch of evil to it."

"Evil sect?" Shi Qi recalled what Master Bai Lu had told him: "If you encounter someone from an evil sect, run, no matter whether you can win or not."

But curiosity compelled Shi Qi to stay, eager to see what made such people different.

Bai Qiu shouted, "Who goes there?"

The newcomer said nothing, responding only with two blasts of sword energy.

The two dodged, left and right. Shi Qi, on the left, launched five Water Spirit Scatter Pills at Bai Yunxin's chest. Bai Qiu, on the right, tossed his talisman, sending a fire dragon tornado at Bai Yunxin's lower body.

Bai Yunxin blocked with his sword but was knocked dozens of meters back.

At that moment, Sun Fanbai and Yuanwu arrived from behind in hot pursuit.

Bai Qiu frowned, "Reinforcements?"

Shi Qi said, "Buddhist and Daoist—hardly allies."

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Bai Qiu said, "Then they're our allies."

Seizing Bai Yunxin's unstable footing, Sun Fanbai stepped into position and used the Art of Disarming, binding Bai Yunxin's sword.

Shi Qi unleashed a Water Spirit Pill, its blue glow striking Bai Yunxin's chest.

The blow sent Bai Yunxin flying once more, his grip slackening—his sword was instantly sealed, and he plummeted from the sky.

Yuanwu, the young monk, flashed to Bai Yunxin's side and struck his back with a palm.

Bai Yunxin spat blood, his inner energy scattered, wind-riding technique vanished, sending him crashing to the ground.

With a heavy thud, Bai Yunxin landed straight below.

Bai Qiu followed up, producing a yellow talisman inscribed with a bold "Seal" character. With a shout, he sent it flying onto Bai Yunxin's forehead.

Bai Yunxin lay still, unmoving.

The four landed and stood before Bai Yunxin.

Sun Fanbai bowed. "Thank you both for your help. I am Sun Fanbai, disciple of Yunqing Sect."

Bai Qiu and Shi Qi returned the gesture.

Bai Qiu said, "Baixiaosheng—Bai Qiu."

Shi Qi said, "Freelance cultivator from the Southern Sea—Shi Qi."

The three turned to Yuanwu.

Yuanwu replied, "Travelling monk—Yuanwu."

They exchanged bows. It was their first meeting, none of them imagining that, years later, they would change the fate of Central Continent. But that is a story for another time.

Bai Qiu asked, "Daoist Sun, I see this man is powerful, but steeped in evil. The evil sects haven't appeared in Central Continent for ages. What's going on?"

Sun Fanbai replied, "Honestly, I don't know. He's the senior disciple of Yunqing Sect, Bai Yunxin. On this journey, he, myself, our junior sister, and fifth junior brother undertook our sect's trial. When we finished, Bai Yunxin disappeared. My junior sister and I came to Yunzhou City to search for him, only to find him confused, overwhelmed by evil energy, and... possibly he even killed fellow disciples."

Bai Qiu frowned. "Yunqing Sect is an ancient righteous school, always upholding justice. There must be more behind this."

Sun Fanbai nodded. "Yes, frankly, I'm at a loss. I'll take him back to Yunqing Sect and leave it to our master."

Just then, Shi Qi's inner demon core began spinning rapidly, a sense of danger rising within him.

Shi Qi exclaimed, "Something's wrong!"

The others turned to him as Shi Qi looked up to the sky.

Bai Qiu sensed something, a familiar power.

Suddenly, black clouds gathered overhead, immense energy converging above the four.

Bai Qiu suddenly shouted, "This is bad! Use every life-saving technique you have!"

He pulled a talisman box from his dimensional pouch, condensed essence blood on his fingertip, and tapped the box.

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The box sprang open, releasing earth-toned talismans that swirled above the four.

"Talisman Gate's Escaping Arts! Black Tortoise Talisman!"

Black Tortoise, god of the north, half turtle, half serpent, famed for its unmatched defense.

The talismans formed a massive Black Tortoise in the sky, encasing the four within its shell.

Shi Qi and Bai Qiu moved in perfect harmony; as Bai Qiu acted, so did Shi Qi. He pressed his palm to the ground, one knee bent.

"Command Technique! Super Draw-a-Prison!"

A huge water sphere appeared inside the Black Tortoise shell, true energy flowing ceaselessly within, forming an extra barrier beneath the talismans.

"Amitabha," Yuanwu chanted, his brocade monk's robe flying up to form a golden shield beneath the water barrier.

Sun Fanbai stamped the earth, activating a Bagua formation. He took out a Bagua disk, biting his finger to mark it.

"Heaven, Earth, Thunder, Wind, Water, Fire, Mountain, Lake! Shift and Exchange!"

The Bagua formation moved until the Earth trigram settled beneath Sun Fanbai's feet.

Earth trigram, southwest, number eight, element earth.

"Earth! Earth Defense Wall!"

The ground beneath them shook, as a massive ball of earth rose overhead, enclosing them.

All four activated their spiritual sight, peering outside.

Suddenly, green light burst forth from the depths of the clouds, turning the night sky emerald.

Then, from the clouds above, something shot out—

It was the head of a green dragon!

No, more precisely, a green dragon formed from countless talismans, its head alone stretching over a hundred feet.

Bai Qiu's pupils widened. "How... How is this possible... This... This is the Escaping Arts of the Talisman Gate! Green Dragon Talisman!"

No wonder Bai Qiu had sensed a familiar aura—he had felt the immense pressure of talisman arts. But to his shock, it was his family's secret technique, one of the ten legendary arts: the Escaping Arts of the Talisman Gate!

Bai Qiu muttered, "Such a powerful green dragon—only my father could manage this. Yet this aura isn't his..."

The green dragon slowly emerged from the clouds, intensifying the pressure on the four, who strained every ounce of inner energy to reinforce their defenses.

With a thunderous roar, the green dragon lunged downward...

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