Chapter 149: Plundering
In a small courtyard within Zhang shi's residence.
The wind howled as a fierce aura surged back and forth, accompanied by the sounds of panting and sweat hitting the ground.
"Mingyue, take a rest. You've practiced for more than 10 hours a day, and if we add up the time for eating and resting, it's less than two hours in total. If this continues, I'm afraid your body won't be able to handle it!"
The courtyard door opened, and Yu Xiaoyu and Hong Yi walked in, both with looks of concern in their eyes.
The Liu Mingyue before them used to be a pampered young miss in Baiyan City, prone to crying when things went awry, but now, she practiced for over ten hours each day like a tireless machine.
A month ago, her face was somewhat plump, but now her cheekbones were slightly emaciated, and her brows filled with determination, a complete change from before.
"Right now I'm just an auditing student, not even a direct disciple of Zhang laoshi. I have no time to rest..."
Liu Mingyue shook her head.
Back in Baiyan City, due to her own cleverness, she caused Zhang Xuan to not yet accept her as an inner disciple, meaning that even though she had arrived at the Zhou Yi Dynasty, she was still just an auditor. In terms of status, she couldn't even compare with Zhao Ya and other direct disciples, let alone Dao Li.
Therefore, whenever she had the time, she practiced desperately, hoping to prove herself through hard work.
"Practice requires a balance of work and rest; practicing like this will only make you more exhausted. I'm afraid it might hinder your progress..."
Yu Xiaoyu frowned.
"Don't worry, I'll watch myself. My goal is simple: to become a true student of Zhang laoshi, just like you all..." Liu Mingyue said with a faint smile, knowing their good intentions. "Alright, I need to continue practicing. You all should hurry as well! The teacher's progressing extremely fast. Some of our fellow senior brothers and sisters have already been taken by powerful clans, and becoming a strong practitioner is just a matter of time. If our cultivation is too low, it would be a shame for our teacher!"
"That's true!"
Yu Xiaoyu and Hong Yi nodded in unison.
In the past, they might have thought their own cultivation speed wasn't slow, but compared to senior brothers like Zhao Ya and Zheng Yang, they realized they weren't even in the same league.
Not just them; even the chicken and the horse were making rapid progress, astonishingly fast.
With mediocre talent and resources, if they didn't put in the effort, when would they ever catch up?
"Since Zhang Xuan is your teacher, that couldn't be better..."
Just then, a cold snort came from the dark.
Yu Xiaoyu, Liu Mingyue, and the rest quickly turned their heads, only to see two tall figures slowly walking towards them.
It was none other than the leaders of the Mo Blade Sect who had stealthily approached—Mo Baiye and his Senior Disciple, Mo Hong.
"Who's there?"
Hong Yi's expression darkened as he positioned himself in front of his two senior sisters.
"I advise you to obediently come with us, to avoid unnecessary pain!" Mo Hong said indifferently, waving his hand dismissively.
"Senior sisters, run fast and find the teacher. I'll hold them off..."
Hong Yi's expression turned stern, and with a low shout, he rushed forward. Before he even reached them, a hefty fist thundered down.
His progress during this period of practice was quite remarkable; he had reached the Spirit Soul Realm, Eightfold Realm of Source Pool, only half a step away from the Dharma Form Realm. Such cultivation would be considered pinnacle in Baiyan City, but in front of the two strongest of the Mo Blade Sect, it meant nothing.
Mo Hong flicked his finger, and a glint of the saber shot out from the tip, making Hong Yi grunt and fly backward, blood spurting from his mouth while still in the air.
"Hong Yi!"
Seeing that their junior brother couldn't even withstand a single move before getting injured, Yu Xiaoyu's and Liu Mingyue's expressions both turned grave. With a sharp cry, they too stepped forward to meet the attack.
The strength of the two women wasn't much different from Hong Yi's; they had just broken through to the Dharma Form Realm, and their basics were solid. Every move they made was imbued with strength. However, compared to Mo Hong, who was at the Galaxy 3-dan Peak, they fell far short, and after just two flicks from Mo Hong, both were forced to retreat continuously.
"Fools who court death..."
Mo Hong snorted lightly as he repelled the three of them. Just as he prepared to capture them, Liu Mingyue flipped her wrist, and a Mo Blade unexpectedly appeared in her palm, turning into a grim blade wind that she cleaved towards him.
"Mo Blade Technique?"
Mo Hong was taken aback, eyes full of astonishment: "You're also practicing Mo Dao Destiny?"
The girl's swordsmanship was extremely refined. Although her power wasn't incredibly strong due to her limited strength, the fierce aura emitted from the blade wind made even him feel a palpable terror.
This was entirely different from the techniques taught by his teacher; it seemed even more forceful and powerful.
That a girl could execute a saber art more forcefully than a big man like him... proclaiming such a thing would simply beggar belief.
"She's practicing Mo Dao Destiny, which I didn't teach. Even I can't sense it," he murmured. "Capture her alive. We must interrogate her thoroughly..."
Mo Baiye noticed the girl's swordsmanship and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes!"
Mo Hong dared not waste words. With a flick, he knocked Liu Mingyue's Mo Blade away, then a palm strike hit the girl's shoulder.
Boom!
Liu Mingyue was sent flying backward, blood spewing from her mid-air form before she landed on the ground, unable to move.
"Save me..."
Seeing how formidable the enemy was, that all three of them had been seriously wounded within just a couple of breaths, Yu Xiaoyu could not afford further thought and yelled for help. However, as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt an oppressively powerful force bearing down, followed by a thud in her abdomen.
Boom!
Then, she too was sent flying straight backward, her body rigid and her face pale. A single blow from the oncoming blade light inflicted a fatal wound to her lower abdomen, the injury shockingly severe.
"Senior Sister Yu..." Stay tuned for updates on empire
Hong Yi's eyes were bloodshot with rage. Struggling to ignore his own pain, he charged forward, but Mo Hong flicked his hand again, sending a blade wind slicing through the air and into Hong Yi's chest, penetrating clean through.
Thud!
After sustaining a heavy blow, Hong Yi could no longer hold on. He fell heavily to the ground, blood spewing unchecked from his mouth, now completely unable to move.
"Just taking this girl with us is enough..."
After landing two moves that left the pair critically injured, Mo Hong was about to move forward when Mo Baiye's voice called out.
"Yes!"
Mo Hong nodded, reached into the air, and lifted Liu Mingyue onto his shoulder.
"Let's go!"
Mo Baiye turned to leave.
"Teacher, should we leave a message?" Mo Hong said, lowering his voice.
"No need. The martial skills you just used were Mo Blade Martial Skill. Zhang Xuan will surely notice upon his return. As long as he's not a fool, he should be able to figure out what happened."
Mo Baiye waved his hand dismissively, "By the time he realizes, we will already be in Zhilan Valley. Even if he has a powerful background and has hidden his true strength, he'll have no advantage there and will still be at our mercy, won't he?"
"Teacher's wisdom is unparalleled!" Mo Hong had a sudden realization.
As they spoke, the two men, carrying Liu Mingyue, walked out of the courtyard and disappeared into the thick night.
"Xiaoyu, Hong Yi..."
The assailants hadn't been gone long when Sun Qiang heard the commotion and rushed over. Seeing the two bloodied figures, his face turned ashen.
He hurriedly took out recovery pills, fed them to the two, and stabilized their worsening injuries.
"Quick, save... Mingyue, she's been taken by the Mo Blade Sect!"
Struggling to explain, Yu Xiaoyu immediately passed out.
"Harming the young master's disciple and kidnapping his student... The Mo Blade Sect is digging its own grave!"
After sending people to move the severely injured pair back to their rooms for urgent treatment, Sun Qiang clenched his fists, his gaze icy and intense.
He knew the young master's personality very well. Zhang Xuan typically didn't care about trivial matters, but if someone dared hurt his people, he would surely turn the world upside down.
It seemed the Zhou Yi Dynasty was on the brink of an upheaval.