Four men attacked Wu Jian before he could even think of helping Zhou Lihua. Each wielded a guanddao. They thrust their weapons forward, launching lightning from their blades. None of these techniques was powerful enough to kill him on their own, but he would likely not survive if every one of those techniques hit him. At the same time, four other men surrounded Zhou Chao and the remaining dozen went after Zhou Lihua and Master Wong Jiu.

[Black Hole]

Wu Jian clicked his tongue as he waved his hand. Black holes appeared before him, sucking up the techniques. Another four black holes appeared behind the men who attacked him, and the attacks they had launched flew out and struck them instead. The bolts blasted a hole through his enemies’s chests. No blood emerged from the wounds, which had been cauterized by the lightning. He had made sure the attacks struck their heart, so each one collapsed to the ground, dead.

Once more manipulating the dao of space, Wu Jian summoned Pale Moon and folded space around it. Black chi gathered along the edge. The space around it warped. Then he swung it down, unleashing a crescent so powerful it tore the earth asunder.

[Spatial Severing]

The enemies who had been attacking Zhou Lihua from one side were forced to retreat. One of them did not make it in time. Wu Jian’s attack engulfed him, tearing him and the surrounding space apart. He didn’t even have enough time to scream as he was wiped from the face of existence.

“What the hell was that?!”

“This guy is so powerful!!”

“Shit! This isn’t what we signed up for!”

Now that they were no longer able to attack Zhou Lihua, Wu Jian planned to take out the others who had been trying to hem her in with a pincer manuver, but he found out that wasn’t needed.

Zhou Lihua stood before Master Wong Jiu, tessen in hand. She used the tessen to deflect attacks from her six enemies. The way she gracefully danced along the ground as she gently redirected her opponent’s swings was incredible. Her ability to manuver around her enemies was also worthy of praise. She made sure to constantly force her opponents to get in each other’s way, making it impossible for more than two to attack at any given time.

Unlike his enemies who had wielde guandao, which was a polearm with a heavy blade at the back, they were using kangxi dao--a single edged sword with a thick, curved blade and a long handle meant for a two-handed grip. Each person wielded the blade with expert skill. While they were unable to attack her at the same time, they were not helpless. Zhou Lihua was only able to maintain her current state because she they were holding back.

They’re trying not to kill her. No, it’s more than that. Every time it seems one of them might strike her down, they back off. That’s the only reason she’s been able to maintain this current state… but that won’t last for long. They may be weaker than her, but she has to protect Master Wong Jiu. She cannot stay to far from him, lest they capture him to use as a hostage, and yet she can’t bring her full power to bear without risk of indiscriminately injuring him.

Knowing this, Wu Jian focused on the six--now five--people he had forced back. He did not bother closing the distance. Focusing more chi into his blade, he swung Pale Moon horizontally.

[Spatial Severing]

Wu Jian used the same attack that he had last time, but this time he attacked horizontally, giving his attack more reach. A wave of darkness swept out from his blade, expanding in an arch like a ripple expanded upon the water of a lake. His attack was so fast that none of the five men could respond in time. The crescent passed through them and their lower halves separated from their torsos. Wu Jian did not pay attention to them as they bled out on the gound and focused instead on the two other fights.

Zhou Chao had already slain his four opponents and was making his way over to Zhou Lihua. Wu Jian had never seen him fight before, but it seemed he was a lot better than he’d given the man credit.

Zhou Lihua had narrowed her eyes as she continued to defend both herself and Master Wong Jiu. He thought she was still struggling at first, but he soon noticed the silver flames dancing along the edge of her two tessen. His eyes widened seconds before the woman opened her tessen and swung them upward. Her attack sliced off two of the six swords aimed at her from the hilt. Another swipe of both tessen and the two men suddenly found themselves without a head.

Perhaps the other four men had panicked after seeing their own die, for they retreated several steps, but that was a mistake.

“Fools. I am an alchemist. Do you think gaining distance will keep you safe from me?” asked Zhou Lihua. “Those who pick a fight with an alchemist but do not understand how we fight are courting death.”

Zhou Lihua waved her tessen forward and the silver flames from her Heavenly Ghost Flame billowed forward in a wave that swept over her opponents. The four men screamed, but that was a mistake. The flames entered their bodies and quickly consumed them from the inside out. They flopped to the ground as smoke poured from their nose, mouth, and ears. After spasming on the ground, they suddenly went limp like a puppet without strings.

“Young Miss, are you all right?” asked Zhou Chao.

“I am fine.” Zhou Lihua took a deep breath. “This is my first time using the Heavenly Ghost Flames in combat. I was uncertain about whether or not I could use them efficiently. Master, how are you holding up?”

Master Wong Jiu clambered to his feet, placed a hand on his chest, and took a slow, shuddering breath. “I am okay, though quite shaken. Alchemists like myself are not used to violence.”

“Mmm. It’s a good thing I haven’t slacked off on my martial arts.” Zhou Lihua’s gaze turned sorrowful as she stared at the bodies of her guards. “I would not have been nearly as fortunate were that the case.”

Zhou Lihua was an alchemist, so she did not practice martial arts as much as she used to, but she still kept at it insomuch as she could. She sparred with both him and Hou Jingshu semi-regularly. He even heard that she sparred periodically with her bodyguards. That was why she’d been able to utilize the Heavenly Ghost Flames in combat despite only just assimilating them.

Wu Jian was about to suggest they take stock of the situation when, once more, his instincts warned him of danger. His eyes widened and he only had a split second to react, raising Pale Moon above his head, spinning around, and swinging it.

[Spatial Severing]

What appeared before his eyes was a creature made entirely of lightning. A single horn rested upon a head shaped like a dragon, though it’s body was that of a deer and it possessed the tail of an ox. Glimmering yellow eyes set upon a pale blue body slammed into his technique and was sliced in twain. The two halves dispersed as they passed him by. He thought that was the end of it, but a scream alerted him to another problem.

“ZHOU CHAO!!!”

Wu Jian turned around to find Zhou Chao standing in place, a silvery double-bladed sword sticking out of his chest. Someone stood behind him. It was a woman dressed in a dark blue gown. Blood gushed from Zhou Chao’s mouth and the wound on his chest. Even as he watched, the woman removed her sword and, as the man staggered forward, impaled him six more times in rapid succession.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

Wu Jian was too late to save Zhou Chao, but he reacted quickly to prevent anymore deaths. He warped space to stand before Master Wong Jiu, sword already raised in a high guard. He was just in time to intercept another lightning qilin. It slammed into him from above. The power behind the attack was impressive enough to make his knees buckle, but it was not enough to harm him.

But this was just a distraction.

He did not know how, but the woman who had killed Zhou Chao suddenly appeared right in front of him. His eyes widened as she thrust her sword toward his left eye. Gritting his teeth, he created a black hole before himself. The blade disappeared into it and re-emerged from another black hole behind the woman.

The blade stopped just before piercing her. Then it retracted.

The woman jumped back. She was joined by another woman.

Both women were a study in contrast. The one who attacked him had dark hair, dark eyes, and skin like snow. She wore a dark blue gown with voluminous sleeves and no shoes. Beside her stood a woman with bright blonde hair--a rarity--and luminous green eyes. Her skin was supple and fair, and the dark hanfu with no sleeves and bands around both arms. She didn’t appear to be wielding any weapons, but he couldn’t discard the possibility that she used hidden weapons to attack.

The blonde one must have released the lightning qilin. That other one seems to have an affinity for wind…

“Who are you people?!” demanded Zhou Lihua. The two remained silent.

“I don’t think they’re going to answer you,” Wu Jian said, stepping in front of her and Master Wong Jiu.

“Jian…?” Zhou Lihua gave him a questioning look.

“I want you to take Master Wong Jiu and head north-west. I’ll catch up to you once I’m done here,” said Wu Jian.

Zhou Lihua was a smart woman. She knew there was little time to argue. Their situation did not allow for it, and she also understood that among the three of them, he was the strongest.

“I’ll be waiting for you to catch up,” she said.

“This shouldn’t take too long,” he nodded.

Zhou Lihua grabbed her master’s hand and, with a jerk, hauled him over her shoulder. The old man squawked, but she didn’t give him time to protest. She pushed off the ground and began running faster than even a horse could run.

The two women moved to give chase.

“As if I’d let you!!!”

[Spatial Severing]

Wu Jian roared as he swung Pale Moon and unleashed a crescent blade that embodied the darkness of space. The pair dodged, but Wu Jian made a seal with his hands and manipulated his attack to bend. Space warped as the attack that should have moved past them suddenly appeared in front of them. Their eyes widened, but the blonde one was quick to erect a shield of lightning. His attack sliced right through it and continued on.

But the women he had been attacking were no longer there.

Wu Jian directed his sword behind him. The loud clang of metal on metal echoed around the grassy roadside as he braced his legs to remain still. The dark-haired woman had attacked him from behind and was pushing her sword against his.

If that was all he had to deal with, it wouldn’t have been so bad, but the blonde leapt into the air and descended toward him. Her hand was covered in lightning. She came down and thrust her hand forward to impale him.

[Black Hole]

But a black hole appeared just as she was set to skewer him. Its exit appeared behind him. His hope was that her attack would impale her companion, but both women were already wary of his techniques. The dark-haired one leapt away before she could be hit. He tried to attack the blonde before she could get away, but she redirected his sword swing with a simple palm thrust.

And now he was trapped between the two.

These two are very strong. I’d say they’re at least peak Human Limit Realm cultivators. However, they’re not so strong that I can’t take them. I could kill either of them one-on-one but not when they team up on me like this. What makes them so dangerous is how well they work together. Their teamwork is flawless. It’s like they can read each other’s intent and perfectly coordinate their next move.

Wu Jian honestly had no idea if he could beat them together. He didn’t think he could, which meant he needed to split them apart and fight them separately, but if they were as used to working together as they appeared, then separating them would be an exercise in futility.

Should I use my trump card? No, if they counter it, I’ll be little more than a sacrificial lamb on the chopping block. I need to first analyse how they fight and come up with an appropriate counter. They were obviously watching the battle from afar, but I didn’t show them all my moves, so I can still tip the battle in my favor.

The pair didn’t attack him right away. He assumed they were wary of his unique powers. It was hard to counter someone who could manipulate space like he did. Like him, they were most likely trying to think of a counter to his spatial techniques.

Wu Jian took a deep breath as he prepared for what was likely the hardest battle he’d fought yet.