Mu Yangchen nodded and said, "Very well, you shall make the move and capture the two of them!"
"Thank you, Palace Master, for granting my wish!"
Mu Qianyi quickly bowed in thanks. Ever since he had heard how formidable Ye Yun's two disciples were, he had been extremely displeased and had longed for a fight.
In his eyes, the Four Sects Grand Competition in the Eastern Region was merely child's play. Yet, people praised them so highly, which he found utterly unreasonable!
If it were him, wouldn't defeating them be a simple matter?
This was the pride expected of the foremost young genius of the Xuanming Immortal Palace!
Then, Mu Yangchen looked at Lin Xueyan and Bai Xiaoxiao and said with a cold sneer.
"I have always heard that the two of you possess considerable strength and are top geniuses of the Eastern Region. Let us proceed as follows."
"Mu Qianyi here is a disciple of my Xuanming Immortal Palace. If you two can defeat him together, I will consider letting you go this time!"
The main reason for saying this was that he believed Mu Qianyi was unlikely to lose, and by capturing them in this manner, it would also prevent others from gossiping.
It was a perfect plan to both establish Mu Qianyi's reputation and avoid public outcry, a strategy he was quite pleased with.
This decision caused the eyes of hundreds of cultivators nearby to light up. To witness such an exciting spectacle here was certainly not a wasted trip. Clearly, more than the treasures of the Sage's tomb, people preferred the immediate drama!
Upon hearing this, Lin Xueyan and Bai Xiaoxiao were both startled. They exchanged a glance, and a smile appeared on their faces, as a battle between equals was precisely what they desired.
"No problem. If we lose, we will go with you."
Given the circumstances, they had no choice but to agree.
Immediately, Mu Qianyi flew out from the crowd, conjuring a short blade in each hand. He spun them stylishly in his palms.
Mu Qianyi stabilized himself, looked down at Lin Xueyan and Bai Xiaoxiao, and beckoned them with a provocative flick of his fingers.
"Since you agree, then the two of you, come at me together!"
In his impression, the two women were both at the first level of the King Realm. Even if they had improved recently, the extent of it should be limited.
With his fifth-level King Realm cultivation, a one-on-two situation still gave him the advantage!
Seeing this, Lin Xueyan snorted and was about to make a move when Bai Xiaoxiao stopped her.
"Senior Sister, you can wait here. Let me try this time!"
"Alright… if you insist. Be careful."
Seeing the fighting spirit on Bai Xiaoxiao's face, Lin Xueyan pondered for a moment before agreeing. She was aware of her junior sister's strength, which had improved significantly since the Four Sects Grand Competition.
Mu Qianyi, hovering in the sky, sneered, "What? The two of you, aren't coming together?"
At this, Bai Xiaoxiao looked up and said coldly, "Defeating you is enough for me alone!"
Her confident posture deeply displeased Mu Qianyi. He had intended to show off by fighting them both, but it seemed he would have to defeat them one by one now.
"I'd like to see what gives you the right to be so arrogant!"
Mu Qianyi snorted, and his figure suddenly descended like a gale. The dual blades in his hands flashed through the air, attacking Bai Xiaoxiao in a crossed motion!
He was indeed a genius from an immortal palace, launching a cunning attack from the outset. His speed was like a swift wind, closing the distance of over a hundred meters in an instant.
From afar, Wu Tiankuang frowned as he saw Lin Xueyan remain utterly still.
"Does this fellow truly believe Bai Xiaoxiao can take down Mu Qianyi alone?"
It was evident from the previous Four Sects Grand Competition that Lin Xueyan's strength far surpassed Bai Xiaoxiao's. For her to let Bai Xiaoxiao face the enemy at such a critical juncture was incomprehensible.
However, his thought didn't last long before he realized something was amiss.
Facing Mu Qianyi's swift assault, Bai Xiaoxiao's expression was calm. A pair of crystalline ice wings suddenly appeared behind her, and with a flap, she soared into the sky!
Her speed was so astonishing that she instantly evaded Mu Qianyi's attack. Concurrently, ice crystals condensed from the chillness around her, and the profound energy fluctuations emanating from her were, remarkably, at the fourth level of the King Realm!
This surge of profound energy almost made Wu Tiankuang choke.
"Damn it! Is this woman this monstrous? She's already at the fourth level of the King Realm!"
It hadn't been that long. Even with the Soul Strengthening Pills they had taken then, such a massive increase shouldn't have occurred.
Back then, Bai Xiaoxiao was only at the first level of the King Realm and already possessed considerable strength. Now, at the fourth level, she might indeed be able to contend with Mu Qianyi!
Elder Wu Chuan, however, was not overly optimistic.
"Mere cultivation is insufficient; it depends on the profound techniques practiced. Mu Qianyi hails from an immortal palace, so the quality of his profound techniques is likely beyond Bai Xiaoxiao's reach."
Indeed, under normal circumstances, this would be the case. But these were Ye Yun's disciples!
After evading the attack, Bai Xiaoxiao moved her fingers, and a sky full of ice crystals shot towards Mu Qianyi below.
Dense ice cones poured down, causing Mu Qianyi's expression to change slightly. He quickly circulated his profound energy to its fullest, dodging incessantly, while simultaneously using his blades to shatter the ice cones he couldn't evade.
Logically, to deal with Bai Xiaoxiao, it would be best to close the distance, preventing her from condensing profound energy for attacks.
"She's a bit capable, but only a bit. Watch me catch you!"
Mu Qianyi gritted his teeth. After enduring a wave of ice cones, he used his movement technique to launch successive surprise attacks towards Bai Xiaoxiao.
Bai Xiaoxiao, floating in the air, was like a snow sprite. Every time he felt he was about to capture her, her figure would gracefully vanish without a trace.
Their figures flickered continuously in the air. Mu Qianyi's multiple pounces all ended in failure, as Bai Xiaoxiao completely outmaneuvered him, treating him like a kite.
"Elder, are you sure Mu Qianyi's practiced profound techniques are all better than Bai Xiaoxiao's?"
Wu Tiankuang stared blankly, looking at Elder Wu Chuan behind him with suspicion.
"Uh… this… that shouldn't be the case."
Seeing Mu Qianyi being completely outclassed in movement techniques, Wu Chuan was also bewildered.
Clearly, the last time he saw her, her movement techniques were still ordinary. In just half a month, the change was too drastic!
Everyone else watched with astonishment, thinking that Bai Xiaoxiao was quite something. Although her cultivation wasn't exceptionally high, her movement techniques were truly marvelous!
As for Mu Qianyi himself, he was being so thoroughly outmaneuvered by Bai Xiaoxiao that he felt utterly depressed.
"Damn it, what kind of movement technique has this woman practiced?"
Mu Qianyi's face darkened. With his mid-tier Earth-grade movement technique, he couldn't even touch Bai Xiaoxiao?
No, he couldn't continue fighting like this!
He had initially believed that only Lin Xueyan among these two women posed a threat to him. But now, he had to admit that he had seriously misjudged Bai Xiaoxiao's strength!
Several consecutive failed breakthroughs had put him in a highly disadvantageous position in the battle. If he didn't find a suitable opportunity to counterattack soon, he might genuinely lose this battle!
Before long, Mu Qianyi seemed to have assessed the situation. He simply stopped trying to outmaneuver Bai Xiaoxiao.
"You're good at dodging, huh? Well, this next move, I'll let you dodge!"
Mu Qianyi let out a cold laugh. A blood-red light erupted from his body, and his dual blades were imbued with nearly tangible blood-red edges.
As this red light appeared, Mu Qianyi's aura began to surge, and his combat power could be felt climbing steadily.
With a slight flash of red light in his eyes, Mu Qianyi let out a cold roar.
"Blood Prison Kill Array!"
In an instant, a vast expanse of red light surged out, enveloping a space with a diameter of a hundred meters. Bai Xiaoxiao was within this area.
"Huh?"
Bai Xiaoxiao sensed that something was wrong and realized she couldn't directly break through the red light. Even her ice cones couldn't pierce it.
"No need to waste your energy. This Blood Prison Kill Array can lock down anyone whose strength is within double my own. You can't escape!"
Mu Qianyi didn't forget to explain to her. Around him, dozens of short blades formed from red light also condensed, each emitting a bloodthirsty aura.
"Alright, now it's my turn. I won't let you dodge anymore!"
Mu Qianyi sneered and shot out instantly, his terrifying killing intent making one's heart palpitate. He attacked Bai Xiaoxiao with overwhelming force.
Sharp blade lights also appeared around Bai Xiaoxiao almost simultaneously, each seemingly capable of cleaving space and all locked onto Bai Xiaoxiao's vital points, with no restraint whatsoever.
Bai Xiaoxiao indeed lacked close-combat methods. The Cloud Piercing Shuttle technique couldn't be used, not to mention she hadn't even learned it yet.
Bai Xiaoxiao's brows furrowed slightly. She had no choice but to switch from offense to defense, drawing her chilling energy to her body. Only then could she barely withstand Mu Qianyi's barrage of attacks!
The situation completely reversed. Having lost the advantage of movement techniques, Mu Qianyi completely suppressed Bai Xiaoxiao.
"Top genius of the Eastern Region? After you can't dodge, you're nothing more than this!"
With the situation under his control, Mu Qianyi felt a surge of vindication and began to taunt.
Even Mu Yangchen, watching from afar, saw his tense expression relax, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"After all, they are just cultivators from a small place. Once their advantage is gone, they lose the ability to fight back."
Only Lin Xueyan, who had truly sparred with Bai Xiaoxiao, couldn't help but shake her head with a smile upon observing some of her actions.
"This girl, it seems she's going to use that move."