Chapter 293: 293
The noise that Xue Wei could hear was the sound of screaming voices, and the air was starting to ripple from the spiritual energy that was being released at the gate .
The accumulation of energy was getting more and more violent the closer to the gates he came, and the screams were also getting more and more urgent .
Accompanying these screams and ripples of energy was a smell of blood and clashing of weapons .
The sound of clashing weapons was new here in Yan Dalu, as everyone previously would focus on their spiritual energy cultivation and thus used mental attacks to end battles, but now a group of experts were rushing into the compound with brandished swords and staves .
Even Primordial Beasts would rarely use weapons, as they would be using their physical shapes when fighting against their opponents . Not many would fight in their human shapes as they would be incapable of withstanding the danger posed by the spiritual energy cultivators .
Experts who cultivated spiritual energy were cultivating faster than the Qi cultivating Primordial Beasts because of the Soul Tower, and thus the Qi cultivators had always been inferior .
Now the opposite was happening right in front of everyone . The Qi cultivators were pressuring the rest of the experts, they were using brute strength to overpower their opponents, and none of them were showing any mercy .
The Baili family’s guards and members were all in disarray; they had been caught off-guard, but now they had no other option than to fight back with relentless ferocity .
Blood was flowing on the ground as more and more wounds were opened up on the two sides that were engaged in battle . As one of the Baili guards was injured, another would step forward and take over their position in the formation . The people who were coming towards the defenders were like a tidal wave, never retreating, only advancing, flooding the family’s compound with people that brutalized them with raw strength .
Xue Wei stood not far from the family gates . He was casually leaning against a tree, and a smile flitted across his lips as he saw the blood running in rivers, and the people fighting for their lives .
These Gu and Yuan family members were here to save him, but he was calm and collected as if it had nothing to do with him .
In fact, this battle would have happened sooner or later, no matter whether or not Xue Wei had appeared on the continent . The Baili family were never satisfied with their lot in life . Although they were the most powerful and influential family in the entire continent, there were still some people above them .
The King was an unshakeable person, and the officials also had the power to go against the Baili family—something that had forced them to submit for a long time .
Things had changed when the previous king abdicated and gave his position to the current king; this king was not as strong as the others before her, and she was only capable of sitting on the throne because of the backup she had in court, alongside the innate potential from her five eyes .
Having understood the Baili family’s aim, Xue Wei was looking at the battle with renewed focus . Although he felt that the Gu and Yuan families should deal with the Baili family on their own, he was ready to jump in at any moment in time .
As he looked around, he noticed that the grand elder was like him, standing at the sidelines observing the battle, but where a small smile hung on Xue Wei’s lips, a grave expression marked the grand elder’s face .
The spiritual energy cultivators were being completely overpowered . Spiritual energy was not to be belittled, but one has to remember that these experts all had cultivated spiritual energy since they were young and thus had a natural defense against it .
On the other hand, the members of the Baili family were all just Heavenly Warriors or beneath in their Qi levels, so while they were generally slightly stronger in spiritual energy levels, the Baili family were much further behind in Qi levels .
As a result, the Yuan and Gu families were steamrolling over the Baili family’s guards and masters . The more they fought, the more their bloodlust was unleashed; the Yuan and Gu families had been oppressed for many many years, and now they had a chance to vent those frustrations .
While killing was not something that happened much throughout Yan Dalu, some people had still used their background to throw their weight around, bullying others, even going as far as to cripple them .
Some were crippled physically while others had their soul or mind irreparably broken so that they would not be able to think straight ever again . The more talented members of the oppressed families had particularly been the victims of such hardships .
The family members of these people were filled with a thirst for revenge, and a thirst for justice .
Xue Wei glanced at the two sides that were battling once again . At the start, the Yuan and Gu families held the advantage because of their surprise attack and their strong momentum, but as the Baili family soon realized that their weakness was that most Qi attacks were fairly short range, it turned into a big chase . The Baili family continued to retreat while the Gu and Yuan families advanced .
It was not until the two families had flooded into the compound that the grand elder started to move .
This was what Xue Wei had been the most worried about . The Gu and Yuan families were easily capable of blocking the rest of the guards and members, but as soon as it came to the grand elder, they would be at a disadvantage .
The grand elder was, after all, an Ordinary Saint . His strength was not something that anyone could look down upon, and although his body was his biggest weakness, he just needed to surround himself in a layer of spiritual energy, and then no one would be able to break through .
At the same time, if he started sniping them with his attacks, no one would be able to fight back against it, their minds would be broken, and their souls might even be ripped apart from the very powerful energy that would tear through them .
Xue Wei sensed that the soul power in the surrounding air was becoming more and more dense as more people started to die; their souls were being ripped apart by the grand elder .
He frowned . He knew that he was no match for the grand elder, but perhaps he could still fight him . If the grand elder was interested in his secrets, he would not kill him, but if he had lost all hope in Xue Wei, stepping up would be the same as asking to be killed .
Still, Xue Wei was willing to gamble . He was the kind of person who would not step back from any challenge, not to mention that these people had come to save him . Even though he had been uninvolved in the fight so far, watching them die one after another was in no way something he enjoyed .
The Gu and Yuan families were also enraged by how their members were being picked off, and they too fought with increased ferocity against the normal members, slaying them without holding back .
Xue Wei sighed and started cracking his neck . He was going to intervene .
He felt the energy within his body being released, his body rapidly undergoing some changes as the body itself started transforming into that of a dragon, and azure scales protruded from his skin . Another set of his clothes were ripped apart, and horns grew from his forehead .
The body was massive, a full fifty meters long, and he coiled up in the square . A few warriors of the Baili family were squashed beneath his enormous body, causing anguished wails to resound throughout the area .
Those who had been fighting were stumped when they saw the sheer size of this beast that suddenly appeared, their eyes widened in shock, and everyone retreated in fear . No one knew where this beast came from nor who it was fighting for, so they were all hesitant and alert .
Seeing the huge beast, Xue Wei’s friends grinned . Hei Gou suddenly growled, and his body also enlarged as he appeared in his mutated Celestial Dog shape .
Lin Xiao was averse to killing humans, but he had hardened his heart and was flashing his staff here and there, bashing anyone who came close to him . Even now, while the other people were stunned, he ran through their most clustered area and simply slammed the staff on their heads, knocking them unconscious with a single hit .
Bai Tianyi was grinning when he saw the massive beast, summoning spiritual energy around himself and coalescing it into the shape of swords which shot outwards and pierced the souls of all the people close to him .
Xue Wei knew they had expected this sight, so he was not too shocked, but when he saw a bundle stuck on Lin Xiao’s back, a gleam of anger appeared in his eyes . Who allowed this dumb monk to bring his cute little sister to such a dangerous place?!
Since Luoluo was here, Xue Wei was even more eager to end the battle as soon as possible . He had to stop or at least delay the grand elder for long enough that they could wipe out the other guards and members, and then they could overwhelm him with sheer numbers .
From the attacks he had seen earlier, Xue Wei could determine that the grand elder specialized in precise but deadly attacks, that pierced through only one person at a time . If he had attacks that could deal with multiple people at once, he would have used it long ago .
Xue Wei’s body moved like waves, roiling towards the grand elder, who was also shocked by the sudden appearance of a beast he had never seen before .
Primordial Beasts were not that rare in Yan Dalu, but for one to have such an overwhelming aura, that was rare—even rarer was it to see one with such strength and momentum .
The grand elder looked at Xue Wei with a shrewd expression in his eyes, before his gaze moved towards Lin Xiao, who was running around knocking out person after person with a smile on his face and constantly blurting out words of apology, and that the victims would praise him later .
The grand elder’s greed was getting the better of him, and he raised his voice, “Capture the staff-wielding monk fast!” he yelled out, and all the Baili members returned to their senses . They did not understand the reason for the order given by their grand elder, but an order from him was unquestionable, so they rushed towards Lin Xiao as he was engaged within a horde of experts .
“Oh no!” Lin Xiao, who had been deep behind enemy lines, felt that something was wrong, and he quickly turned tail and ran . While he had previously moved unfettered and effortlessly through the enemies, he was now being chased by a group of maddened men .
“I am doing it for your own good!” Lin Xiao called out while running . “I will only knock you out; the others want to kill you! Show some love towards a poor monk!”
Bai Tianyi couldn’t help but burst into laughter seeing Lin Xiao and his desperate pleas, he was even laughing so much that he forgot that he should fight, but Hei Gou quickly jumped next to Lin Xiao to assist him in his escape .
“Thank you! I knew you were a good brother!” Lin Xiao said as he looked at Hei Gou with gratitude .
“Wei will kill you if something happens to Luoluo,” the big dog snorted, as if the only reason he had jumped in was for the sake of the child .
Xue Wei had instantly guessed the thoughts of the grand elder when he heard that they were to capture Lin Xiao and his draconic eyebrows knitted together . He was especially concerned when he saw the sleeping girl on his back, bouncing up and down with every hastened step he took .
“I better help them,” he muttered to himself and raised his head high into the sky .
Azure Dragon Roar!
A roar tore through the skies, the ground trembled, space almost collapsed, and everyone fell to the ground in shock as their minds went buzzing, their eyes blackened . Anyone who heard the roar was filled with reverence, and any beasts present could not help but kneel by instinct .