A full armor created from dark flames along with the demon-like visage of the set. Probably it could be considered a nightmarish sight, but his attacker did not react at all, continuing rushing towards him.

Bai Qi lowered himself into a horse stance and prepared to meet force with force. The previous exchange showed that he was slightly superior in physical strength, and he intended to use that advantage now.

The tattoed man's bare fists clashed with the 'Ghostflame' infused fists, and not even the added momentum of his rush prevented him from being stopped on the spot.

"If you don't want to speak and explain anything, then I will beat it out from you" Fueling himself with the controlled fury from being attacked for no reason, Bai Qi roared. And proceeded to launch a combination of punches, kicks, sweeps, and tackles. Pressing the offensive and slowly forcing his attacker back.

After a series of lighter punches, Bai Qi gathered a significant amount of qi in his left arm, feinted with the right, and hit his opponent squarely in the chest.

*Thump*

Such an attack, with the addition of a 'Ghostflame' infused 'Flaming Incarnation' should have been enough to kill, or at least heavily wound a Sage realm cultivator. But as before, his opponent just slightly slid back and appeared as if he had not suffered any damage. Bai Qi's attacks had not managed even to damage the crimson-colored robes he was dressed in!

This could simply not be true, and Bai Qi's mind raced to find an explanation. However talented and trained was his opponent, he still was 3rd level Sage, so how could he simply shrug off several dozens of hits that could have wounded a peak sage? And how did he manage to fully ignore the Yin Spiritual Flame?

Granted, the 'Ghostflame' had not yet reached the level of one, but it was truly close to it, and Bai Qi knew that he could not deal with it without suffering severe damage, so how did this cultivator in front of him, one that had only used a single skill during all the exchange do it?

Deciding that spending even more qi on something that wasn't truly making anything was unwise, Bai Qi decided to change his strategy. "Flaming Impulse" Activating the technique part of his set, he leaped several dozens of miles back, intending to open distance and try to use spells in turn. Or at least he was supposed to, as at the moment he leaped, he did not fly back but directly into the range of the opposing cultivator!

"Explosive Attraction" The murmured words of the latter only entered his ears as he was flung into close range.

Bai Qi did not allow himself to be distracted by the how and concentrated several times the normal amount of qi in his both arms.

"If he wants me to come, then I will not disappoint!" He thought.

***

With each occupied with their opponents, neither Bai Qi nor his two current allies had communicated with each other. But if they did, they would be surprised at the similar situations they faced.

Qiu Zemin had never considered himself a top-tier combatant, barely scrapping in the 300th ranks of any of the martial competitions his sect was so famous for. He knew he was not bad, after all, there were over ten thousand disciples in the last competition and so his rank had been hard fought for, but being able to overpower a similar level cultivator with a single attack like the monsters that always occupied the first ranks? Heavens, that was simply impossible.

But now, he was fighting an opponent of his level as well one weaker, and had been easily managing to brush them aside with every sweep of his harpoon! They did not use anything except their auras, and even the simple rune weapon that the Sect had granted him was enough to deal with them.

Or at least that was how it should be, except that apart from making them retreat, Qiu Zemin had not inflicted any wounds. Even though he has been using piercing attacks aimed at vital points at every opportunity.

"Just what the fuck is going on? Is their body reinforced to such a level that I can not wound them?" He could only think when once again, his qi-covered spearpoint only made the peak Sage Realm slid back - in place of piercing through his spleen as intended.

Wu Ren's thoughts more-or-less were the same. He had been the first to initiate combat, and from the moment they used the talismans to protect themselves from his Lunar Needle skill, his three opponents had done nothing except attack him with bare fists or cover themselves with aura for defense.

Wu Ren knew perfectly how much an aura of a peak Warrior Lord should be able to resist, and so each and every one of his attacks was slightly over that limit. Still, he had been only managing to make his opponents fall back a few steps, without shedding even a single drop of blood.

***

"Explosive Repulsion" Just a moment before Bai Qi's fist connected with the opponent's body, the latter used the same skill, and Bai Qi was sent flying back.

"Oh, you don't! 'Flaming Impulse'!" Resisting invisible force pushing him, Bai Qi roared and infused almost a tenth of his current qi pool into the technique.

*ROAR*

An enormous torrent of flame exploded from behind his back, incinerating even the qi in the air and propelling him forward.

Both fists extended in an explosive movement, Bai Qi landed a devastating hit to the center of his opponent, and this time it was the latter turn to fly.

Although the impact was extremely strong, and probably should have broken a few bones in both the right shoulder and chest he aimed for, Bai Qi failed to sense anything except the hit itself.

"It is like I am not hitting the man in front, but someone else... That's it!"

"Senior Wu, Brother Qiu! Have you managed to wound any of your opponents?" Bai Qi's transmission reached both of his allies just a moment later.

Receiving a negative response from both, Bai Qi was now sure of what they were dealing with. Or at least of the most probable reason for it.

"Senior Wu, your senses are the sharpest, can you somehow find a chance to scan the surroundings again?"

"A chance? I will find it, but what do you want me to look for?"

"A disturbance in the void"

"You mean there is someone else in here?"

"I am not certain, but I felt like if there was foreign qi in their auras. And that serves as an explanation for why they can defend from any attack with their sheer aura"

Even though Bai Qi said that he wasn't certain, it was just to avoid revealing his knowledge more than necessary. The same applied to him supposedly sensing foreign qi, something that he had not done.

His last attack, the one that was supposed to inflict heavy damage and did not, made him, at last, understand what was going on. Some different techniques and manners allowed one to infuse qi into other's auras, and even into the skills and techniques the other would use. Usually, they weren't well-known or spread, mainly on the basis that cultivators fought mainly alone rather than in a group. As well that the one supplying qi would be left vulnerable.

Still, it was exactly this what was happening right at the moment. Another member of the attacker's group had not revealed himself and all and reinforced the auras of his companions at the right moment. In such a way, the attackers would not be wounded or spend any qi, and when Bai Qi or one of his companions was spent, they could easily kill or restrain them, depending on the still unknown goals that they had.

***

Wu Ren wasn't sure if Chen Guang's idea was on the spot, but it was at least something that helped explain the mystery of why none of his attacks have wounded his three opponents. As well as why they have not made any big attacks themselves. Indeed, if their auras were being reinforced, they simply could not use skills freely, as any skill would use their aura - thus breaking the connection if there was one.

Now the question was, how to get himself the few breaths he required to scan the area?

"Seems that I will need to go for a bet" Remembering how the six attackers used talismans to defend against his area attack, Wu Ren decided to use the same skill again. There were only three of them now, and probably a reinforced aura would allow them to stop the attack, but... If it was truly being reinforced by a single cultivator, how much qi would the latter need to spend? Probably enough to allow Wu Ren to locate him with more ease.

"Lunar Needle, Whirlwind!"

________________________________________________________________________

Same time. Falling Leaves Residential District, Phoenix Tear Teahouse.

Deng Guiying was sitting in a carefree manner while sipping on some herbal tea. He had skipped over his usual routine Astral Gate check for today as what was bound to happen here was far more important, and to be sincere, was bound to be more interesting.

He gazed through the window, but in place of observing the shimmering lake in the horizon, or the majestic walls of the Central District that were visible from practically any high-storied building in the district, his gaze fell on a small manor just across the street.

It was none other than 'Purple Haze', the manor that the young interplanar visitor, Chen Guang had bought and now used as his residence.

He did not even need to use his senses to see the several cloaked figures that stood in the shadows of the manor's wall, after all, he was the one that placed them there.

"Hmm, the young man is taking his time. Did he meet someone and they decided to take a drink or something?" He could not help but ponder again. From his calculations, the auction had finished a couple of hours ago, but if something happened, the two men he had sent to tail would have already contacted him, wouldn't they?

________________________________________________________________________

"I can not be sure, but there is definitively something concealed near the west edge" Wu Ren's strategy had worked even better than he expected, as not only the three of his opponents centered on defense right as he released the needles, but they even opened distance, trying to avoid at least some of them. This allowed Wu Ren to both expand his senses and to concentrate on them for almost three breaths, even more than he ended requiring to discover a disturbance in the void, as well a faint and unnatural qi flow from the same spot.

As the qi transmission reached him, Bai Qi was about to counter a tackling rush from his opponent. Instantly changing plans, he simply shuffled from the spot and used that small window of time until his enemy recovered to take a look around the battlefield.

The entire formation covered only a single mile, but still, crossing it without attracting attention or signaling the concealed cultivator of their intent was almost impossible. Especially with each of them having their opponent, or opponents to deal with. Though a stray attack could do, Qiu Zemin's position was on both Bai Qi's and Wu Ren's line of sight... Not to mention that after flying for almost an entire mile, either from the north or the south edges, it would weaken too much.

"Brother Qiu, can you slowly push your opponents to your left?"

"No problem, why?" He immediately transmitted back.

"There is someone, or something, concealed near the west edge. You are the one closest to it, and probably the only one that can approach it without being obvious"

"Understood, and as I approach?"

"Release any skill you want, but make sure it reaches the formation wall in the spot that Senior Wu will indicate"

"Got it"

It would take some time for Qiu Zemin to do it, but he was indeed the only one whose movements would not appear strange. Still, Bai Qi did not trust assumptions, and so decided to make sure that if he was right, and there was a cultivator infusing qi on the attackers hidden there, then this person should be busy enough to miss the unexpected attack.

"Senior Wu, what do you think about changing tactics and becoming flashier? As well test their senses?"

"A flashy distraction, huh? Seems interesting" Qi transmissions did not transmit emotions, but still, Wu Ren's grin, one that crossed him at the thought of being flashy practically could be sensed.

A few breaths later, in a perfect but unplanned unison, both Bai Qi's and Wu Ren's fighting styles changed.

The latter had been using only his qi control and body arts to fight, with the only instances of skill being the two usages of the Lunar Needle. But now, Wu Ren's aura flared and small crystals of ice began appearing behind him. These crystals appeared to be inoffensive, but as soon as he commanded - "Lunar Flowers, Bloom" they began enlarging, only stopping when each of them was the size of a chariot's wheel.

As for Bai Qi, albeit his 'Flaming Incarnation' and skills were flashy enough, they were aimed at his opponent's front, making it easier for the latter and his mysterious supporter to predict and defend.

But now, he was planning to overwhelm the senses of both of them, by attacking wildly from all sides, even at the cost of using a far bigger amount of qi.

He summoned several dozens of throwing knives, the ones created during the refining training. Controlling them with a tendril of qi, one of the abilities that a cultivator obtained during the intermediate Soul Realm, he sent them on a wild dance around himself before activating a double 'Blazing Claw' and launching himself at his opponent.