The Fourth Calamity: My Sect Has Countless Prodigies

Chapter 54 Clever Plan

At the edge of the dense forest, morning light filters through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows.

Just as the three of them had taken a few steps, two figures emerged from behind the tree and blocked their path.

The leader was a middle-aged man, dressed in a blue robe, with a thin face and a steady gaze.

Behind him followed a woman in red, with a beautiful face but a sharp look in her eyes, and a long sword hanging at her waist.

Both sides stopped simultaneously.

Qianlong instinctively gripped his sword hilt, turning his body slightly to the side, entering a state of alert. Qunxing tilted his head, scrutinizing the newcomer with a hint of curiosity on his face.

Crouching Tiger silently took a half step back, his gaze quickly sweeping over the two men—

The man's aura was restrained, making it impossible to discern his strength; the woman in red's cultivation was approximately at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, slightly higher than theirs.

"Young friends, please wait a moment."

Zhou Qinghe spoke first, his tone gentle, even with a hint of a smile.

"Stop right there, my foot!"

Qunxing chuckled and his legs shot out like arrows, with Qianlong and Wohu reacting immediately and following closely behind.

The opponent's strength is unfathomable; only a fool would dare to stay and die.

"Hmph... How ungrateful!"

Zhou Qinghe snorted coldly.

He formed a hand seal, and a tiny mountain materialized in his palms. In a short moment, a deadly barrier appeared not far in front of Qunxing and the others.

This is the Zhou family's secret technique, Fangcun Mountain.

Legend has it that Foundation Establishment cultivators who master this technique can transform it into a mountain in their palm to suppress enemies. The power of this secret art is terrifying; even a Qi Refining cultivator should not underestimate it.

Qunxing frowned, drew his Frost Sword, and the sword energy transformed into a chilling light, slashing towards the barrier in front of him.

However, when the sword's cold light struck the barrier, it only managed to create a tiny, narrow crack.

"Rising Dragon Slash!"

Qianlong roared, and the sword light, like a dragon in flight, instantly slashed vertically along the crack.

The two sword energies actually caused the barrier to loosen slightly, creating an exit that was just big enough for one person to pass through.

But before the three could even catch their breath, a fatal scene unfolded!

The next moment, the crack in the barrier began to slowly heal.

"Grass!"

Qunxing roared angrily and was about to quicken his pace when a silver longsword shot towards him like a viper's tongue.

Caught off guard, Qunxing could only draw his Frost Sword again to parry, but this very action halted his progress.

"Damn it, you guys run first!"

Qunxing roared, and the Frost Sword in his hand burst forth with intense cold air, instantly freezing the surrounding flowers, plants and trees.

"Hmm? Interesting."

Zhou Yunqiao sheathed her silver longsword, looked at the stars with a playful gaze.

Both of them used ice-attribute sword techniques, and she wanted to see who was better.

But Zhou Qinghe, standing to the side, was somewhat surprised. He couldn't understand how a cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining could release such a level of cold energy attack.

On the other side, Qianlong and his companion rushed forward at top speed, but the healing of the crack was accelerating. If they continued running like this, they would surely perish.

Crouching Tiger, having thought things through thoroughly, took out the Frostbeam Blade and unleashed the "Three Styles of Frost" sword technique, forcefully tearing the crack that was about to heal back open.

But this pause cost him his chance to escape.

Qianlong glanced back at Wohu, his eyes filled with reluctance, but he quickened his pace. He knew that retreating to find the sect leader was the only way for him.

"Qianlong, you silly boy, wait a minute. This equipment is too valuable; I can't bear to destroy it."

Crouching Tiger shouted and threw his Frostbeak Blade toward Hidden Dragon.

The dragon turned around and caught it, then quickly escaped outside the crevice.

"One of them got away, but it doesn't matter, they're just a bunch of rogue cultivators anyway."

Zhou Qinghe smiled coldly, but did not rush to take action. Instead, he chose to reinforce the crack and took the initiative to walk to the side to help Zhou Yunqiao set up the formation.

"Hey, you two were running pretty fast just now, weren't you? What's wrong, can't run anymore now? Want me to make way for you?"

Zhou Yunqiao walked up to the two of them, a playful smile on her face, and stepped aside to let them pass.

"I'll fuck you..."

Before Qunxing could finish speaking, Zhou Yunqiao had already presented him with her sword.

With a flash of cold light, Qunxing dodged to the side, and his Frost Sword slashed upwards, the tip of the sword carrying a chilling aura, aiming for Zhou Yunqiao's wrist.

This move was fast and ruthless, without any fancy moves whatsoever.

Zhou Yunqiao exclaimed "Eh!", sheathed her sword, and took half a step back, barely avoiding the attack.

The playful smile on her face faded slightly, replaced by a hint of seriousness.

"He's got something."

The stars did not answer. The first sword missed, and the second sword followed immediately. Cold air condensed on the sword, turning into an ice blade, aimed straight for Zhou Yunqiao's throat.

"A trivial skill."

Zhou Yunqiao snorted coldly, and her silver longsword drew a semicircle in the air, from which a chilling aura more intense and pure than the stars burst forth.

The two streams of cold air collided in mid-air, making a crisp "crackling" sound.

Not long after.

The chilling aura of the stars retreated steadily, quickly falling into a disadvantageous position and facing a fatal threat.

But at this crucial moment!

Suddenly, Crouching Tiger made his move, rapidly wielding his other spare broadsword and unleashing three sharp sword energies to meet the attack.

Zhou Yunqiao was clearly caught off guard by this sudden attack and, unable to dodge in time, was stabbed directly in the chest.

She groaned, took a half step back, and looked down at the knife wound on her chest armor. Her face turned pale, and she was horrified.

If it weren't for the fact that the ancestor had given her this mid-grade first-tier Xuanbing Scale Armor, she would probably have been seriously injured and collapsed by that strike.

As for the stars, they let out a cold laugh:

"You bitch, you think you can mess with me? One of my simple moves and I can take your life!"

"You're asking for it!"

Zhou Yunqiao cursed loudly.

It was obvious that she had lost her temper and her reason had been consumed by anger.

Upon seeing this, Crouching Tiger smiled at the stars.

Don't tell.

That brat's talkativeness actually works quite well when it matters.

A Qi Refining mid-stage cultivator who is in top condition, rational, and strategic is truly difficult for Crouching Tiger to exploit. However, a Qi Refining mid-stage cultivator who is completely out of control and only attacks blindly is a completely different story.

The two exchanged a smile, not in a hurry to use their trump cards, but instead used various methods to distract Zhou Yunqiao and buy time.

This method is most effective when dealing with monsters that have lost their minds.

As for Zhou Qinghe, who was still watching from the sidelines, he could naturally see through their tricks. However, since the conditions were right, he still wanted to make Zhou Yunqiao suffer a little more.

You can't learn something just by being taught; you can learn it after just one lesson.

If Zhou Yunqiao needs to grow up under his protection in the future, that's not a good thing.

In addition, given the vast difference in strength between the two sides, and the fact that Zhou Yunqiao now possesses the Xuanbing Scale Armor, the conditions for her training are quite favorable, so there's no fear of any unexpected events.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qinghe decided to go all out, took out a cup of spiritual tea from his storage bag, sat down beside it, and slowly began to savor it.

"Wo Hu, what's up with that old guy over there? He's in such a critical situation and he's still calmly drinking tea."

The stars seized the opportunity and asked in a low voice.

"I don't know, but judging from his behavior, he probably wants us to be the whetstone for his juniors."

Wo Hu swung his longsword with all his might, blocking Zhou Yunqiao's attack once again, and spoke as she retreated.

Qunxing frowned, drew his Frost Sword, and thrust it forward, whispering, "Brother Crouching Tiger, this is the last straw!"

"Anyway, we're both just scraps of life. At worst, we'll find a chance to explode at her."

Crouching Tiger nodded, a chilling killing intent suddenly flashing deep in his eyes.

In this situation, they can neither escape nor win a fight. They might as well go all out, find an opportunity to perish together, and show this old guy the treacherous nature of the cultivation world.

"Okay, hold on for now. It seems her scales don't cover her whole body. Her neck is the fatal spot. Find an opportunity to trade blows."

After saying this, Wohu swung his long sword again, working with Qunxing to entangle Zhou Yunqiao, leaving her in a dilemma and making her feel extremely frustrated.

Zhou Yunqiao's bangs were now disheveled, and her face had lost its usual liveliness and composure.

She admitted that she was now really anxious.

"Dad's still watching, I can't lose, I absolutely can't lose!"

"No, not only can we not lose, we have to win beautifully. If I, a mere Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator, have to rely on attrition to defeat two useless Qi Refining Level 3 cultivators, it will surely become a laughing stock in the family."

The scene from half a month ago suddenly flashed into Zhou Yunqiao's mind.

Foundation Establishment Ancestor Zhou Xuanming sat in the main seat, looking at her with a smile:

"Yun Qiao, you are one of the best among our Yun generation. Keep up your cultivation in the future, and you may become the second Foundation Establishment cultivator in the family."

After saying that, Zhou Xuanming waved his hand and personally handed her the Xuanbing Scale Armor.

Let's get back to the present.

Zhou Yunqiao's eyes turned bloodshot as she looked at the Xuanbing scale armor, which already had a scratch.