...greeted them before in a similar calm manner. Then with a small bow introduced himself. And even as the four pulled out their weapons, Bai Qi did not react in any way.

To say that the four Ke clansmen were surprised would be to say nothing. Someone had entered their concealed base and then revealed himself as if he had come here to chat.

And they were not the only ones, as the Gao siblings and Sheng Feng's eyes went wide in surprise as well. They had met Bai Qi and knew who he was, at least in the identity he was using currently. Still, they never expected him to appear here.

"Before the lady there tries to attack, I would like to try and speak with you four" Noticing that Ke Xiuying was about to shoot her first arrow, Bai Qi spoke up while raising his hands.

"Cheng Guang, they are not participants! They captured us to kill the young lord!" Gao Heng shouted an explanation while wiggling, trying to get the sealing rope loose a little.

"I know, and that's why I am trying to speak with them" Bai Qi glared at him and the other two captives, indicating for them to remain still. Then he repeated his previous words about speaking with the Ke clansmen and added that he knew about them from Ke Xiang.

"Ke Xiang? What did you do to him? Did you kill him?!" The spiky-haired, mace-wielding Ke Luoyang yelled while grasping his weapon with two hands.

"He is still alive. At least for now" Bai Qi coldly answered, and then inquisitively looked into Ke Liuxian's eyes. The latter was their leader, and so was the main candidate to try and reason with.

Regretfully, Bai Qi had a very low amount of information about anything other than their identities and strength. He did not know that Ke Liuxian was known for a trait. One that made any talks impossible. At least without having him restrained.

"Attack!" Ke Liuxian screamed as his eyes darted from side to side.

*Twack*

An arrow was set loose, aimed at Bai Qi's heart.

*Thump*

Ke Luoyang jumped while bringing his mace overhead, and roaring something.

*Swoosh*

Ke Chun's figure distorted as he launched towards Bai Qi, extending both of his hands, attempting to skewer the opponent with the sharp blades extending from what appeared to be a pair of guai.

*Shake*

As for Bai Qi, he silently shook his head while hiding a small smile. He had revealed a normal, 4th level Sage aura, but even that should have been enough for them to understand. Probably not enough to scare them, but at least to give them an idea of his strength. And even though it would be easy to suppress them with his maximum aura, Bai Qi was unwilling to do so. If they did not want to negotiate without a fight, then he would give them one.

*Crack* *Grip* *Smash*

Three moves were all that Bai Qi did.

His left arm caught the arrow and snapped it in two.

His right arm, covered with black flames caught the spiked mace.

And his left leg, kicked Ke Chun's shin, making him fall on the ground while his guai passed just an inch from Bai Qi's robes.

The reason for his earlier smile was Ke Liuxian's conduct. The latter had taken his weapon, a long and slender sword, right as Bai Qi had appeared. He then commanded the attack, but himself did not move forward but on the contrary, retreated for a few hundred feet.

"If anyone of you tries to attack me again, I will not hold back" Bai Qi said while glaring and pushing both the mace and its holder away. He then glared down, directly into Ke Chun's eyes. And at the end, his gaze moved to the only actual threat, Ke Xiuying. But she quickly averted her eyes.

At that moment, there was only one thought that crossed the mind of the three as the strange eyes of the youth in front, ice-cold and with traces of a black flame inside landed on them... "He will kill us if we don't obey!"

In truth, Bai Qi's gaze contained the entire weight of his consciousness and he even allowed a few traces of killing intent to seep into it. Not enough to scare one of his normal opponents, but people that had barely any experience?

A fact that he had learned from Ke Xiang's memories was that they had not even trained seriously for these years, preferring to spend time simply dwelling in their memories! Or lamenting their fate, as Bai Qi felt more likely.

Killing kids, like the ones they themselves were five years ago, was one thing. But fighting someone stronger than them? Risking limb and life for reasons that they were doubting just a few minutes ago? Not to mention their absolute lack of improvement over five years... This four were hardly a threat even to the Gao siblings, at least in the open.

"Keep put and don't move" Bai Qi again glared at the three frozen cultivators and added some pressure from his aura, making his words clear even if they did not listen to them.

Then he slowly turned his head towards Ke Liuxian.

"You are their leader, and from what I can sense the highest level amongst them. So why do you stay back? Why you do not attack me? I doubt that you are unable to sense that I am just a 4th level Sage like you" As he spoke, Bai Qi slowly, step by step approached the statue-like still young man.

He did not know of it, and he could have not guessed it from Ke Liuxian's previous secure of himself conduct. But now, Bai Qi was absolutely sure. Ke Liuxian was a weakling. A coward that tried to hide it by appearing resolute, but who would freeze before any danger.

*Clank* *Plop*

"Don't kill me, please!" The supposed leader dropped his weapon and went down to his knees.

"Pleading for your life without even trying to fight? Disgraceful" Bai Qi stopped and could only shake his head in disappointment. He had expected a lot of things. From negotiation to a savage fight. From an attempt to explain their actions to outright lies. Indeed, there had been a lot of options for the situation. But this?

Bai Qi's experience did not allow him to relax even when everything appeared solved, and correctly, as it was proved just a moment after the pleading. With senses and aura constantly keeping an eye on the surroundings, when Ke Liuxian made a seemingly unnoticeable movement with his hand, Bai Qi immediately grew alert.

"Unyielding Plum, Blossom Rites!" Ke Liuxian bellowed as his aura suddenly erupted and the image of a plum tree emerged behind him. Thirty or so feet tall, and almost the same in width. With each branch and leaf, bud and flower being both beautiful and lifelike.

But Bai Qi's attention was not on the details, but on the pressure that the tree irradiated. It was definitively dangerous!

"Don't just stand there!" Ke Liuxian shouted as he jumped on his feet and his hands began moving in a complex set of seals.

"Do you think that I will allow you?" Bai Qi shook away the illusion, as it was nothing more than one, and darted forward.

"Leaf and Petal dance!" Ke Liuxian's hands wildly lashed at the air in front of him as the plum's leaves and flowers separated from the branches, flying forward.

Bai Qi had only a single moment before the skill reached him. "The tree itself is an aura illusion, so the leaves and flowers should be the same. But I sense danger, so there is definitively something hidden beneath it!" He thought, but without enough time to fully analyze it, he acted on instinct.

*Swoosh* *Swoosh* *Swoosh*

Utilizing short and unpredictable movements, he sidestepped some, dodged others, and even jumped over some. All while not decreasing his speed in the slightest, and continuing his approach to his target.

But just as the distance shortened enough for Bai Qi to grab at Ke Liuxian, he felt unable to continue, like if he had been caught in a net.

"You fell for it!" The cowardly expression that had resurfaced just a moment before disappeared from Ke Liuxian's face. In place, it was now crossed by a smile, and his eyes gleamed with contempt as he continued "You thought that we were dumb and inexperienced as the usual participants? You are wrong! Our clan would have never assigned such a mission to us if we weren't good!"

Bai Qi remained impassive. He had noticed the invisible strings of qi hidden beneath the illusionary skill just a little too late.

And even though the qi strings, probably another martial skill, were a good move, the inexperience that he thought about still showed. After all, who would even allow an opponent time to examine such a skill? A time that would be used to find a way to break off, not to mention allow the opponent to find a countermeasure.

"Heh" Bai Qi lightly smirked and before his opponent could even ask, not to mention react in some way, activated 'Flaming Impulse'.

The technique had been outdated and could be hardly even used for either movement or combat. Expensive and now too slow for the first, and too weak for the second. Still, its effect of creating an explosion to propel the user was exactly the right measure against the qi strings.

*Boom*

Even a single wisp of 'Ghostflame' would have been enough to destroy the bindings that held him, but Bai Qi used a bigger amount. The entire explosion consisted of 'Ghostflame', destroying not only the qi strings holding him but also the entire setup along with the illusionary tree.

*Slam*

Bai Qi tackled his opponent, and both fell to the ground. Ke Liuxian tried to fight back, but after receiving a barrage of punches grew limp.

As Bai Qi rose up, holding his half-unconscious opponent by the scruff of his neck, he heard a shout.

"Leave him alone or we kill them!"

He slowly turned towards the direction from where the three captives were and saw the two Ke clan male members holding their weapons over Gao Heng and Sheng Feng's heads.

"Harm them and I guarantee that all of you will die right away. Or release them and I will only seal you for now" Bai Qi used his consciousness pressure and killing intent to reinforce his words, and noticed how both of them shuddered.

***

Ke Xiuying knew that they had met an opponent that they had no chance to beat. For that reason, she had not even tried to act after her first arrow was caught with absolute ease. Now, seeing how Liuxian's surprise assault had failed, she only reaffirmed her thoughts.

And she had hoped that Chun and Luoyang would be reasonable and not attempt anything. In truth, she assumed it to be like that. But as she was observing Liuxian's attempt, the two fools had to go and provoke the enemy again!

"You two, stop it! Don't make him truly kill us!" She sent a qi transmission and seeing no reaction shouted the same words.

___________________________________________________________________

Half an hour later, all the previously present people in this concealed glade were still there. But the roles had changed.

The Ke clan members, the five of them, as Bai Qi had sent Gao Heng out to bring the previously seized one as well, were now the captives.

While the ones guarding them, none other than the previous prisoners, Gao Heng and Gao Ping.

As for Sheng Feng and Bai Qi, on the latter's suggestion, both had reactivated the shielded spot and were discussing the next steps. To avoid more questions than the ones he was prepared to answer, Bai Qi revealed that his mission was to prevent a similar incident and to find the culprits if able. And that the mission had come from Lord Sheng.

Initially, Bai Qi wanted to just send the three rescued participants away, but he found that Sheng Feng had an obstinate streak. And a commanding one as well.

More because of the deeds from five years ago than from his capture, Sheng Feng was advocating for killing the Ke clan members and being done with it.

As for Bai Qi, he considered it to be a mistake. He wanted to interrogate them and find about their connections in Shuomen, thus truly completing the task he was assigned. After all, what use was the death of one or even the five of these already doomed youngsters, if both the Elder that had organized it, and the true mastermind were still shrouded in mystery?

"You were sent here on a mission by my uncle, and so I am telling you, just kill them! They have the blood of my clans on their hands, they do not deserve to live!" Sheng Feng obstinately repeated for the third or fourth time.

"I will question them. If I have to promise their lives in exchange for the information, then so be it. They can not leave the formation, and can not even cultivate. A simple oath to make them avoid attacking participants, and they can be left here imprisoned until they die, or break the oath and die" Having listened for half an hour, and after trying to explain his position twice, Bai Qi decided that this was the last time he did it.

Before Sheng Feng could continue arguing, Bai Qi raised his hand and cut the conversation short "I will not discuss it further. If you do not agree, then you can go say so to the City Lord outside. Now, you should take your two guards and leave"