"Sonic spell!" Everyone present turned pale, not expecting the Grim Scholar to launch an attack so abruptly.
"Whoosh—"
A deafening sound of air being torn apart echoed near the Grim Scholar's ear. He felt sharp sword qi surging from all directions, cutting short his sonic attack before it could even begin. He turned vigilantly to survey his surroundings.
"Who's there?" the Grim Scholar roared.
"Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—"
Before the Grim Scholar could even comprehend what was happening, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Though his clothes remained intact, blood began to well up from beneath.
"Who dares to ambush this venerable one?" The Grim Scholar's face changed dramatically. He circulated his true qi, and Ye Bufan quickly noticed a thin film covering the Grim Scholar's green robe.
"I didn't expect this green robe to be a magical artifact," Ye Bufan murmured in admiration.
"This green robe has been passed down through generations of Grim Scholars, a true treasure," Ye Qingyi chuckled lightly. "I estimate it to be at least at the late Earth-grade level."
Seeing that no one responded for a long time, the Grim Scholar continued to shout into the surroundings, "Who exactly are you? What kind of hero hides in the shadows and ambushes others?"
"Did I hear that right? A member of the Demonic Sect is complaining about being ambushed and calling for honorable combat. The word 'hero' coming from his mouth is truly an insult to the term itself," Yan Se said, not bothering to hide his mockery.
The Grim Scholar's mouth twitched slightly. Ye Bufan also ceased his attack. That move was most effective when catching an opponent by surprise; now that the opponent was on high alert, its effectiveness would likely be greatly diminished.
Ye Bufan stood below, observing the Grim Scholar's disheveled state.
"We, the disciples of the Flying Scorpion Sect, are willing to temporarily obey the Grim Scholar's command?"
"We, the disciples of the Earth Fiend Hall, are willing to temporarily obey the Grim Scholar's command?"
"Please, Grim Scholar, lead us to break through!"
The Demonic Sect disciples cried out one after another. Yan Se frowned. He had hoped to weaken the Demonic Sect's forces with this opportunity, but then the Grim Scholar appeared.
"Taste this!" Yan Se suddenly leaped up. A long spear appeared in his hand, and he thrust it towards the Grim Scholar's heart from behind.
"Bang—"
A dull thud. The Grim Scholar slowly turned his head, looking at Yan Se.
"I never thought you so-called righteous path practitioners would resort to sneak attacks from behind. I overestimated you," the Grim Scholar chuckled. With a sweep of his hand, a meter-long calligraphy brush flew from his sleeve and struck towards Yan Se.
One spear and one brush intertwined. The Grim Scholar gave a sinister smile and suddenly spat ink from his brush towards Yan Se. This ink exuded an aura of death.
"Backward Horse Spear?" Yan Se cried out in his heart. He pushed back, retracting his spear in an arc. The spear was then pulled from Yan Se's grasp and sent flying towards the Grim Scholar.
The Grim Scholar hadn't anticipated such a move from Yan Se. He raised his brush to block, but the force of the spear sent him flying back several meters.
"Kill! Brothers, let's fight our way out together!"
With that, the Demonic Sect disciples began to scatter and engage in individual combat. Seeing this, Yan Se instantly moved to the Grim Scholar's front.
The Grim Scholar's brush split its tip into five petal-like shapes. From the brush handle, ink arrows shot out towards Yan Se, crackling with energy. They collided with Yan Se's spear, igniting with explosive sounds.
"One Brush Seals the Heavens!"
At this moment, the Grim Scholar seized the opportunity to gain some respite. He leaped into the air and drew a stroke in the sky with his brush. The ink transformed into the character "一" (one), which floated towards Yan Se. Yan Se circulated his true qi, scattering the character, and intensified his assault.
The two became locked in a fierce, indecisive battle.
"I have practiced the spear since childhood, swinging it five thousand times daily. Come, let me show you the power of my long spear."
Yan Se took a deep breath and thrust his spear fiercely at the Grim Scholar. This time, the surrounding air seemed to solidify, and the sound of the air being broken was like an explosion, drawing the surrounding spiritual energy into its flow.
This strike not only involved Yan Se's true qi but also drew upon the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which rapidly converged and compressed at the spearhead. In an instant, Yan Se concentrated the power of this strike into a single point. The moment this point touched the Grim Scholar, it exploded.
"Boom—"
With a deafening roar, a figure was sent flying backward. The Grim Scholar coughed up a mouthful of blood in mid-air.
Witnessing this, Ye Bufan took a deep breath. The strike, though seemingly simple, was incredibly profound, possessing a taste of the ultimate simplicity. It deepened his understanding of the way of the sword.
Yan Se pressed his advantage, descending from the sky. His spear plunged downwards again. The Grim Scholar's face contorted with difficulty. With a frown, his entire body dissolved into a bloody mist and vanished from the spot.
"Damn it! Blood evasion?" Yan Se landed, furious.
Behind him, the Demonic Sect disciples, seeing the Grim Scholar's hasty retreat, also seized the opportunity to flee in all directions.
"We won?" Lin Houdao exclaimed, standing up from the floor.
Yan Se remained in place, took out a scroll, and said, "Let's hurry and leave here."
Ye Bufan, Ye Qingyi, Ye Qingcheng, and the others gathered around. Yan Se took a deep breath, his expression changed, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Disrupted meridians. Were you injured during the fight?" Ye Bufan stepped forward, took Yan Se's pulse, and found his meridians in disarray. He quickly took a Heart Protection Pill from his pocket for Yan Se.
"It's likely from the ink in the Grim Scholar's brush," Ye Qingyi immediately identified the problem. Ye Bufan examined Yan Se and finally discovered that ink from the Grim Scholar had stained his neck. This ink, upon invading the body, disrupted the internal true qi, causing the body's organs to malfunction.
Ye Bufan swiftly retrieved a set of silver needles from his spatial jade pendant and inserted them into various acupuncture points on Yan Se. He then slowly channeled his true qi into Yan Se's body.
Gradually, Ye Bufan concentrated the toxin into one area. One of the silver needles quickly turned black. Ye Bufan signaled for everyone nearby to step back.
Following that, Ye Bufan used his palm to draw out the silver needle, along with the expelled toxin. In Ye Bufan's hand, the Purple Nether Cold Fire burned the toxins to ashes, which then vanished into nothingness.
Yan Se took a deep breath, looked at Ye Bufan, and managed to utter a grateful word.