Yanyun looked at Chu Xingchen, who still wore a relaxed expression, and reminded him with a stern tone:
"The ones we're up against are elites from the Eighteen Immortal Sects, not the rogue cultivators you casually slaughter out in the wild."
Chu Xingchen nodded slightly to show he understood. He wasn’t the type to underestimate his opponents—whenever he fought, his first move was always to test the waters with a powerful strike.
But something felt off here.
Chu Xingchen waved his hand and remarked, "The space here has been stretched..."
"Of course. Otherwise, how could such a small area accommodate the clashes of Nascent Soul cultivators?"
Before Yanyun could finish, she noticed Chu Xingchen’s uncomfortable expression and asked curiously, "What’s wrong with you?"
"Nothing. It just feels like being tangled in yarn underwater, and you have to be careful not to break free of it," Chu Xingchen said with a frown.
"Tsk... sounds like something a masochist would say."
Chu Xingchen gave Yanyun a strange look. "You don’t feel it? Or have you just gotten used to it?"
Yanyun was momentarily speechless.
How was she supposed to respond to that? Admitting she was used to it would be like admitting she’d grown accustomed to being tortured.
With a serious expression, she said, "Enough nonsense. Prepare for battle."
Chu Xingchen, still puzzled, asked, "This space has been stretched at least tenfold. If we conceal our auras, they won’t find us easily. Two against ten—our best bet is to split them up..."
He trailed off as he noticed Yanyun’s gaze fixed intently ahead, her spiritual energy condensed to its utmost limit.
The next moment, an overwhelming surge of spiritual energy erupted in the distance.
A fiery, phoenix-like plume of crimson energy unfurled its wings, blotting out the sky as it swooped toward them. With every beat of its wings, torrents of spiritual energy swept outward, leveling the surrounding forests and hills into flatland.
Sparkling embers, like scattered stardust, fell from its tail, igniting endless flames that spread in all directions.
With such a search method, hiding wouldn’t last long.
Chu Xingchen froze for a moment. He was used to being the one with the upper hand—so why was the enemy now cheating right in his face?
He immediately raised his hand and declared,
"I call foul! Since when is this Nascent Soul realm?!"
"It’s a combined formation," Yanyun replied calmly. "Be careful. Don’t get beaten too badly and embarrass yourself."
Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen summoned Wanban. The scene was simply too absurd. He asked,
"Are you sure this is something a Nascent Soul cultivator can handle?"
"Of course not. But two of me might stand a chance." The sword in Yanyun’s hand emitted a faint hum as she glanced at him.
"I just wonder if you can match up to the other ‘me.’"
Chu Xingchen transformed Wanban into a spear. "I have a feeling you’ll be the one dragging us down."
Yanyun let out an ambiguous chuckle in response.
Chu Xingchen pretended not to hear and ordered,
"You’re weaker, so go test the waters first. I’ll cover you."
In matters of command, whoever spoke first took charge.
But to Chu Xingchen’s surprise, Yanyun didn’t argue. Instead, she agreed without hesitation.
Yanyun gave a slight nod. "Fine. Then I’ll rely on you this time."
As soon as she finished speaking, countless points of light shimmered behind her, forming a celestial illusion.
Then, the phantom of a coldly gleaming star emerged, vast as a full moon.
Chu Xingchen recognized it instantly—this was the Nascent Soul Manifestation.
Mysterious Dao Rhymes flickered like stars behind Yanyun, and the flaming phoenix locked onto its target, charging straight for that radiant celestial body.
Gripping her spirit treasure sword, Yanyun lunged forward, the phantom star trailing behind her as she met the fiery phoenix head-on.
The white light from her sword erupted in a dazzling burst:
"Star Array of a Hundred Constellations..."
Yanyun swung her blade from a distance.
Instead of shooting toward the incoming phoenix as one might expect, countless motes of light scattered from her sword, spreading outward in all directions.
They dispersed around her before rising into the sky, transforming into minuscule stars suspended high above.
The flaming phoenix’s wingbeats appeared slow, yet its speed was terrifying.
Even with the stretched space, it closed the gap in an instant.
Yanyun didn’t wait idly. She pressed forward, sword in hand, her gaze locked onto the phoenix’s every movement—the rhythm of its wings, the sway of its blazing feathers—until a flash of white spiritual energy flickered in her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the two clashed.
The phoenix raised its right wing, sweeping a devastating wave of fire toward Yanyun.
Undeterred, Yanyun’s sword gleamed with azure light as she advanced through the flames without retreating.
Her chance—
She had seen it three seconds ago.
The faint azure glow seemed insignificant amidst the inferno, but in the next instant, it pierced through the crimson flames like a blade through clouds.
"Sever the Wing!"
Yanyun’s sharp cry rang out.
The azure light exploded in brilliance, surging upward from the phoenix’s wing like a blade rending the heavens.
The violent shockwave even pushed back the encroaching flames.
The phoenix’s left wing suddenly faltered, its fiery feathers scattering into embers before dissipating entirely.
Yanyun’s expression remained solemn. The raging flames couldn’t touch her as her bound hair fluttered slightly in the wind. She retracted her sword’s energy, and the azure light swiftly returned to her.
As the severed wing dissolved, two disciples of the Xiaoyun Sect were revealed.
Without hesitation, they retreated, rejoining the phoenix instead of engaging Yanyun.
She had no time to pursue them—the phoenix’s remaining wing had already risen, unleashing a storm of fire feathers straight at her, with two more Xiaoyun disciples hidden within.
Yanyun didn’t hesitate. She retreated at full speed.
If she got caught, elimination was inevitable. As a member of the Eighteen Immortal Sects, she knew exactly how skilled her fellow disciples were.
They fought with absolute trust in their comrades—and their comrades never let them down.
Top-tier sects trained their disciples in all aspects, and trust was one of them.
But Yanyun’s retreat was no match for the Xiaoyun disciples’ assault.
Though she had created distance, the fire feathers were already upon her, mere breaths away from striking.
Yet, in the next instant—
Yanyun’s figure vanished without a trace.
A moment later, from one of the suspended motes of light above, another azure slash descended upon the one-winged phoenix.
The phoenix reacted swiftly, blocking with its remaining wing.
Flames clashed with azure light.
The two hidden disciples immediately turned back.
But before they could act, Yanyun disappeared again.
Another azure strike erupted from a different mote of light.
Chu Xingchen gripped his myriad blades as azure light flickered from all directions, slashing toward the phoenix bathed in flames.
The speed of the blazing phoenix wasn’t exactly slow, but against Yanyun’s ability to warp space, it seemed utterly sluggish.
Moreover, Yanyun’s combat instincts and skills were formidable.
At first, it seemed like Yanyun was just showing off—claiming that two of her could take it on…
But now, it appeared… two of her might actually stand a chance.
Yanyun’s power level seemed a bit too broken.