Bai Jie lay between the pit holes, his pure white clothes stained with dust.
There was a very clear mark of a stick on his face, like a bloodstain etched on his features. A gentle touch would reveal the deep imprint.
The flying sword trembled.
His eyes were filled with anger, his face twitching and trembling, clearly consumed by extreme fury.
A tremendous and terrifying sword intent exploded, directly shattering the entire pit. Bai Jie held the slender flying sword at his waist and stared fiercely at Chen Xia, speaking with a tone of hatred.
"No matter how extraordinary your alchemy skills are, you won't escape death today!"
He raised the flying sword, preparing to unleash the full force of a Sea Inversing Realm sword cultivator—a sword strike capable of instantly killing a lower realm cultivator and resulting in a draw against someone of the same realm.
This is what it means to be a sword cultivator!
Bai Jie's roaring sword intent swung down, but the sword never left its scabbard.
Because a pure white hand had already grabbed onto the blade, seemingly effortlessly, just like picking up an ordinary roadside branch. However, an aura that terrified him emanated from it, as if it came from someone superior.
It was not only a contempt for his strength but also a disdain from his bloodline!
He heard a familiar whistling sound in his ear, which seemed like he had just heard it a moment ago, but it was different this time.
Because this time, it was aimed at his left cheek.
Boom!
Bai Jie's head tilted, and his entire body shot into the ground. Even the flying sword in his hand couldn't be held, crashing into the ground and creating a crater that extended hundreds of meters deep.
Both sides of his face bore obvious marks of a stick, symmetrically engraved as if they were intentionally added.
Chen Xia held the blade of the slender flying sword, gave it a casual turn, and threw it towards the ground, where it firmly embedded. He said,
"You stay here and don't move."
The slender flying sword remained motionless, not daring to make a sound.
Chen Xia bent his finger and flicked towards the curved part, correcting the crookedness of the cane, then beckoned into the pit.
"Continue."
There was no response this time, and no sword intent surging forth. After a while, Bai Jie slowly crawled out of the pit, looking disheveled.
Chen Xia began to twirl his cane.
Bai Jie hurriedly shouted, "I was wrong, bro, I was wrong."
His attitude began to change.
Chen Xia frowned and pondered for a moment, suggesting, "How about you endure a little longer? I still think it would look better if I leave another mark in the middle of your face. That way, it would be symmetrical on both sides. What do you think?"
He considerately asked for Bai Jie's opinion.
Bai Jie quickly shook his head. "I know I was wrong, bro. I immediately agree to your three-to-seven ratio. Please don't hit me..."
He hadn't finished speaking when he once again heard the familiar whistling sound and saw the familiar figure, except this time, it was face to face.
First, his nose caved in, followed by his entire body flying backward, skimming over the grooves and slowing down until he came to a stop right under the Thousand-Zhang Flying Shuttle.
The hundreds of Mahayana Peak cultivators were filled with shock and dared not go to Bai Jie's aid. They could only watch from a distance.
Chen Xia walked out slowly with a cane, still a little unsteady on his feet. He finally stopped in front of Bai Jie and planted his cane firmly on the ground before asking, "Thirty-seven percent?"
"Twenty-eight, twenty-eight," Bai Jie nodded quickly, enduring the pain on his face.
"Not bad," Chen Xia nodded and continued, "You should also compensate me for the damage to my house. Each brick will be counted as a spiritual stone. I won't swindle you; just give me twenty thousand spiritual stones."
"Alright, bro, I'll send them to you right away," Bai Jie nodded hastily, no longer displaying his previous arrogance. He was truly convinced and had completely changed his attitude.
It turned out that Chen Xia's treatment was indeed effective.
The cultivators who were watching from afar were astonished by this scene. They never expected that this crippled man who used to chat with them would be so formidable.
And he was always in close proximity to Zhang DaoMing, that old man.
What was going on here?
Was the old man his personal expert?
The onlooking cultivators couldn't figure it out, but they knew that Chen Xia was an exceptionally powerful individual.
To be able to treat a Sea Inversing Realm sword cultivator from the Starry Sky Pill Sect like a dog, he must be at least at the ninth level of the Sea Inversing Realm, or even at the Heaven Mending Realm.
At the thought of the Heaven Mending Realm, they couldn't help but gasp in disbelief. It was truly unimaginable.
"Yeah," Chen Xia nodded and continued, "After we go back, we can discuss the conditions with the Starry Sky Pill Sect. I can also refine medicinal pills, and if the materials are sufficient, I can even attempt to refine high-grade pills. Twenty-eight percent is not taking advantage of you."
This was the truth. The more experienced an alchemist, the higher the cost of refining pills. If one could truly refine high-grade pills as a grandmaster alchemist, even ninety-one percent wouldn't be excessive.
This was about prestige.
Bai Jie got up from the ground, dusted himself off, hesitated for a moment, and suggested, "Brother, why don't you come with me? We can refine the pills face-to-face, and then discuss it with the Sect Leader. If you can really refine high-grade pills, with your formidable strength, as long as you're willing, you can secure a position as a Taishang Elder in the Starry Sky Pill Sect."
"In the Realm Competition of the Realms, if you represent the Starry Sky Pill Sect and can truly refine high-grade pills, the sect's ranking will directly rise!"
"Let's go," Chen Xia didn't mind; he wasn't afraid of this so-called "capturing turtles in a jar." If things got out of hand, he could just shake them off.
"Stop fooling around, everyone!" Bai Jie quickly shouted to the others, "Why are you all still standing there? Hurry up and form a ladder!"
The hundreds of Mahayana Peak cultivators rushed over, kneeling and bowing to Chen Xia, forming a crimson ladder from low to high.
"Brother, please," Bai Jie extended his hand.
Chen Xia glanced at him, shook her head, and still didn't like stepping on others. With a step, she arrived at a high position on the flying shuttle and said softly, "Let's go."
Chen Xia didn't take the artificial staircase, and Bai Jie didn't dare to either. He followed swiftly, greeted with a call, and set the flying shuttle in motion, heading quickly towards the middle layer of the domain.
The shuttle disappeared in no time.
Creak.
The door of the house opened slightly.
A big yellow dog walked out of the house with a bewildered expression. It watched the flying shuttle go far away and opened its mouth, as if mumbling in a dream, uttering a word.
"Vast?"
At this moment, the sky thundered, densely packed, but quickly ceased, as if it had never appeared before.
At the border of the domain, the chaotic land, known as the Fifth Forbidden Zone, rippled. A distorted figure emerged from it, bearing millions of patterns and countless magical arts, murmuring softly.
"Vast Boundless Quasi-Emperor!"