Chapter 53 You Are Trespassing...

Bai Qingling felt her heart stir a bit looking at the mesmerizing sight in the distance.

It wasn't like the mortal over there was powerful or anything. She could easily wipe him out with a single finger. But, there was something about that sight that made her heart twitch.

Whether it was from excitement or from fear, she didn't know. And it was something new to her. She knew that it couldn't be from fear as the mortal was not a threat to her at all.

But, even if it was excitement, it didn't make sense to her. She had seen scenes that were even more spectacular and wondrous. She had seen men annihilate entire village in a bid to impress her of their prowess. She had seen beautiful sceneries that simply took her breath away.

Yet, the scene of that mortal standing in front of a rising sun with a demonic beast at his feet, sword dripping blood, seemed to stir her heart. And it confused her to feel her heart stir.

Meanwhile, Peng Xiaoli, who was beside her, was also feeling something in his heart. The battle lust that constantly accompanied him due to his cultivation technique seemed to rear its head again seeing the mortal standing over there.

He too was confused as to why such a thing happened.

Normally, his battle lust only stirred when he came across powerful opponents. And this mortal wasn't one. Sure, he had killed a demonic beast while still being a mortal. But, that was it.

Peng Xiaoli knew that he could kill this mortal ten times over within a moment without even lifting his entire hand. Such was the disparity between them. And yet, his battle lust was stirring.

"Was that sword beam at the end?" Peng Xiaoli asked in confusion.

A sword beam was unique to sword cultivators. It took a long time for a sword cultivator to produce something like that. A sword cultivator needed to attain a certain state of mind and be one with his sword before a sword beam could be produced.

So, he was really confused to see a mere mortal executing it.

"No," Bai Qingling said softly as if she wasn't sure either. "At least, I don't think so. Do you know how difficult it is to produce a sword beam even if one was a sword cultivator? You think, that mortal over there could do it?"

"If it isn't, how was he able to cleave the beast into two?" Peng Xiaoli asked scratching his head.

"I don't know either," Bai Qingling shook her head. "I don't think it is a sword beam. But, I am sure it had something to do with the slaughter aura that was emanating from the sword."

"I reckon, it needs certain conditions to activate as well. It can't be produced easily. If you were to ask him to perform it again, he wouldn't be able to do it. More like a pinnacle attack of a certain state."

"Hmmm, that makes sense," Peng Xiaoli nodded knowing that certain attacks required a lot of prerequisites to be able to be executed.

"So, what do we do now? Can we go after Liu Kong now? The mortal is safe, and your help wasn't needed at all. So, your plan to rope him in would be difficult to realize. It is time we concentrated on our actual task instead of wasting time on this mortal," Peng Xiaoli said looking at Bai Qingling.

"Not yet," Bai Qingling said frowning a little.

She was upset that her perfect plan hadn't been of use. The mortal had killed the beast on his own and there were no other beasts in the surrounding. They had all been frightened away by the transformation the mortal experienced.

So, her plan to save him and make him indebted to her was now a bust. She needed to do something else. And she wasn't willing to let go off this mortal either. Something about him was different.

Her gut was telling her that the mortal over there could be a great ally or a fearsome foe. She had always relied on her gut to make such critical decisions in the past and she wasn't going to stop now.

"We need to rope him into our alliance. We can't let someone else get their hands on him. Something about him is different. You can feel it, right? Despite being a mortal he was able to kill a demonic beast. And he is also powerful beyond reason for a mortal."

"There must be some secret to him. Not to mention that slaughter aura and killing intent he emanates despite having no cultivation at all. It is not normal. We need to know his secrets. We can't let someone else take him in," Bai Qingling said with a serious look in her eyes.

Peng Xiaoli had to admit, he was curious about this mortal as well. There were secrets probably on the mortal's body. Either a special physique or a certain body mutation. He wanted to know what it was as well.

"Alright," he nodded looking towards the mortal who was still standing near the dead beast.

"I am afraid, I can't allow that, my children," a soft voice sounded causing both Bai Qingling and Peng Xiaoli to turn around in alarm.

In the distance a lean man with average looks was standing nonchalantly looking at them dispassionately. His eyes often trailed towards the mortal in the distance and Bai Qingling could see a desire in them.

She realized that his person too had the exact intentions as them. However, she didn't recognize who this was. She knew all the geniuses in the continent. Her status made sure of that. But, she had never seen this person.

However, with cultivators trying to determine one's age was always a foolish quest. Cultivators could keep their bodies in their prime for a long time. It would only change if they went through a tremendous change in their dao heart.

So, this person could also be an old monster.

Was he the one secretly protecting the mortal? Was he linked to the special phenomenon that the mortal was exhibiting? If so, what was the background of the mortal?

While her mind raced with questions, Peng Xiaoli had prepared for an attack beside her. His pose was defensive and he was watching the newcomer warily. The newcomer glanced towards him, but didn't react in any way.

It told Peng Xiaoli that the newcomer didn't put the two of them in his eyes. He probably considered them not to be a threat to him. It also made him aware that there would probably be old monsters roaming around in the Grasslands during this time.

However, neither Bai Qingling nor Peng Xiaoli were afraid of the newcomer. They knew if push came to shove, they could always escape and they had enough treasures to ensure their lives at the minimum.

"Who are you?" Bai Qingling asked the newcomer in a hostile tone.

"What a disgraceful young brat? Have the standards for the younger generation fallen so low these days? Whatever, I am afraid I can't allow you to harm or coerce that mortal over there. I need that mortal, my sect needs him, so if I were you, it would be high time to activate your escape treasures," the newcomer said nonchalantly looking at them.

The disrespect in his voice irritated Bai Qingling a lot. She almost lashed out. While this man might be an old monster, she was confident that she could atleast injure him and escape this place. However, reason prevailed and she bit her tongue before she could utter something that would initiate a fight.

"May I know who you are senior? And what sect you hail from?" Bai Qingling asked sweetly. "I am sure that the powers behind us can compensate you handily for allowing us to take this mortal. Something could be arranged between us if senior accommodates our request."

"Neither your Blue Wind Society Hall nor the power behind him can give me anything that could equal someone like that mortal. No need to waste our time little girl, it is time you left this place," the newcomer didn't budge.

Bai Qingling's face turned unsightly.

"While you know who we are, you haven't introduced yourself senior. Is this the manners of the old generation?" Peng Xiaoli spoke challengingly at last unable to hold it any longer.

The newcomer squinted his eyes and looked at them. While Bai Qingling didn't want to start a fight, the way the newcomer dismissed her and the power behind her irritated her a bit.

Normally, she would try to smooth things over. But, the newcomer had made it clear that no accord could be reached between them. So, she didn't mind Peng Xiaoli challenging the newcomer.

"Youngsters these days," the newcomer sighed. "It seems that my name has been forgotten in the world as of late. No matter, let me tell you who I am. My name is Liang Tianye. I am the Vice-Sect Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect. And currently, you are both trespassing in my sect's territory."

*****

A/N: Hey folks!

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