Chapter 48: Headmaster, quick, dodge!

Nascent Soul stage?!

These three words caused the expressions of the disciples to change drastically.

To put it bluntly, this was the first time in their lives they had ever laid eyes on a Nascent Soul expert. Previously, despite the existence of the four major sects, even the sect masters were merely at the Golden Core stage.

Yet now, they had retreated as far as they could; today, a life-and-death struggle was completely unavoidable!

"The Nascent Soul stage? No wonder you dared to come here all by yourself!"

Liang Chuan simply stared straight at him. Although this exceeded his expectations, it did not mean there was no way to deal with him.

"I never imagined that a fellow like you would actually think of using such a method to acquire spirit stones. If you submit to me, I can promise to spare your life!"

Huang Lian was immensely curious about Liang Chuan, because Liang Chuan had performed far too many incredible feats after becoming the sect master.

In truth, his initial plan had been to directly swallow the entire White Sword Sect. However, at that time, he still had the corpses of other sects on his hands, so he was in no rush to make a move, intending instead to fatten them up before slaughtering them.

As it turned out, so many Foundation Establishment practitioners had unexpectedly appeared here. If all of them were used to cultivate his arts, his strength would undoubtedly advance even further.

"There has only ever been the precedent of others acting like dogs for me; I could never stoop to being anyone else's dog!"

Liang Chuan raised his head, looked at Huang Lian floating in mid-air, and said with a mocking smile, "Why don't you kneel down and kowtow to me instead? I might reluctantly allow you to become my slave."

At these words, Huang Lian instantly flew into a rage!

"Once I capture you, I'll see if your tongue remains as stubborn as you are!"

Meanwhile, without waiting for Liang Chuan to give the order, the disciples armed with firearms pulled their triggers without the slightest hesitation.

Huang Lian calmly dodged in mid-air. Even though a dozen or so rounds struck him, he sustained zero injuries.

The strength of the Nascent Soul stage was equivalent to ten Golden Core practitioners. Although the handguns could consume a fraction of his spiritual energy, it was completely inconsequential to Huang Lian.

That dense spiritual power continuously circulated across the surface of his body, flowing swiftly through the air, which only made the disciples feel even more anxious.

"It seems these magical artifacts are nothing special after all!" Huang Lian let out a maniacal laugh in the sky.

When he had dodged initially, it was only because the firing speed of these artifacts was simply too fast. But after experiencing them firsthand, the heart hanging in his chest finally settled back down.

And now, his goal was to instill absolute despair in these disciples!

The more aggrieved and stifled the corpses used for cultivation felt right before their death, the stronger the effect when converted into his own flesh and blood.

Precisely for this reason, many demonic cultivators would not finish their captives off immediately upon capturing them.

Instead, they would endlessly torture the victim, squeezing out every last shred of value.

Right now, he wanted to show them what true terror really was—that insurmountable gap in strength, no matter how hard one struggled.

He abruptly halted his flight and plummeted directly from the high altitude down to the ground.

Bang!

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the impact of his descent even shattered the bluestone bricks beneath his feet.

Bracing against the bullets, he strolled casually like walking in a courtyard as he advanced toward the disciples ahead.

With every single step he took, the disciples' fear deepened by another fraction.

"Why? How can he possibly shrug off bullets!"

"Is this the Nascent Soul stage? We're dead for sure!"

"Don't give up! Everyone, keep firing! I refuse to believe we can't kill him!"

As Huang Lian advanced, the expressions of the disciples twisted into masks of extreme terror and hideous dread.

Yet at this moment, apart from shooting, they had no other options left!

Liu Ruyan drew Cangxue, its silver blade emanating a chilling glade.

Since firearms were ineffective, they had no choice but to try close-quarters combat!

Carefully skirting around to Huang Lian's flank and rear, she gripped Cangxue tightly in her hand.

Cangxue was, after all, a magical artifact. Although it was merely of the second grade, it was the finest treasure her master had ever given her.

Moreover, the reason Cangxue was a second-tier artifact lay in its minor property of piercing through defenses.

At this juncture, she had no choice but to give it a desperate try!

"Hah!"

Taking advantage of the fact that he was paying her no heed, she charged directly from his direct rear.

This would not only create a crossfire with the bullets, but also ensure that the enemy could not react in time.

Yet just as she was about to rush behind Huang Lian, she noticed him turning his head sideways with a mocking sneer plastered across his face.

"You actually tried to sneak attack me? Unfortunately, the Foundation Establishment stage and the Nascent Soul stage belong to completely different worlds!"

With a flick of Huang Lian's index finger, the red gas lingering around him instantly transformed into a blood-red barrier, its churning surface looking as though it were formed entirely of fresh blood.

When the second-grade Cangxue slashed down upon it, it merely caused the crimson barrier to ripple slightly.

"Oh?" Huang Lian swept a glance of amused interest over the Cangxue in Liu Ruyan's hand. "It actually turns out to be a second-grade magical artifact. It seems that old bastard treated you quite well!"

Just as he finished speaking, a crimson spike abruptly thrust outward from the blood-red barrier.

Had Liu Ruyan not been on guard, she likely would have been impaled straight through. Even so, the spike was too fast, leaving her with no alternative but to block in front of her with Cangxue.

The tremendous force wrapped around the spike sent her flying backward through the air.

Managing to balance her body with great difficulty, she landed steadily on the ground.

Yet instead of feeling any sense of relief, she was gripped by utter despair, for she realized she couldn't even breach the opponent's protective barrier.

"Senior Brother, let's run!"

Liu Ruyan cried out to Liang Chuan in bitter reluctance.

Against a powerhouse of this caliber, they were simply no match at all!

However, Liang Chuan merely shook his head. "He is in the Nascent Soul stage; we cannot outrun him."

While the others had never witnessed a Nascent Soul expert, he came from the modern world and had naturally seen plenty of similar entities.

To a Nascent Soul cultivator, ordinary Foundation Establishment practitioners were nothing more than sitting ducks.

"It seems you are quite smart!" Huang Lian spread his arms wide, the flesh on his face shifting and contorting until it restored Huang Lian's original appearance.

"Give up, all of you. Becoming a part of my body is your supreme honor!

"Liang Chuan, given your aptitude, had you obediently submitted, you could have entered the Blood-Thirst Cult and very well might have surpassed me in the future. What a pity that the only thing awaiting you now is a fate worse than death!"

After all, given Liang Chuan's talent, he certainly would have been appreciated and heavily groomed. It was simply a shame that he was stubborn to a fault!

Liang Chuan merely looked him up and down. "No way, you lot are too ugly, and even your cultivation techniques are utterly disgusting."

"You're still running your mouth even now!"

Huang Lian's last shred of patience was completely exhausted. Moving from his slow pace, he abruptly surged forward.

The barrage of bullets struck his protective shield, kicking up tiny ripples.

"A bunch of Foundation Establishment ants—lasting this long is already something to be proud of!"

Huang Lian sighed inwardly; after all, he hadn't managed to fully execute his plan.

If he had successfully reclaimed the position of sect master, he could have slowly tortured them to death. As things stood, letting these fellows die like this made it all too easy for them!

Watching Huang Lian charge toward them ferociously, everyone could clearly see that his primary target was Liang Chuan!

"Sect Master! Get out of the way!"

Panic seized everyone present!

Yet Liang Chuan stood firm and unmoving, simply watching the rapidly approaching Huang Lian with a tranquil gaze.