The middle-aged man was already half a notch stronger than him, but his strength had suddenly increased significantly. How could he withstand it!

"Crack!" With a crisp sound, Qian Guanyu's defensive talisman crumbled like paper under that force, and his magical artifact was sent flying by the middle-aged man.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a loud noise, a strong shockwave sent Qian Guanyu flying, blood gushing out as his face turned deathly pale.

"Fellow Daoist Qian!" Zhao Tianquan and Li Huachan were shocked, their hearts tightening.

Even Xu Ping's expression slightly darkened, thinking to himself, 'Looks like we need to escape!'

In a situation where it was inconvenient to reveal his true strength, his group was undoubtedly no match.

However, he still had to rescue these people. They were useful for maintaining stability in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Just as the middle-aged man was about to deal a killing blow to Qian Guanyu, Xu Ping made his move.

Spiritual Qi erupted, and a blade light suddenly blossomed, slashing toward the middle-aged man like raging flames.

"Tricks of the trade!"

The middle-aged man sneered, and the ten black rings on his hand exploded with immense spiritual pressure as he unleashed a punch without hesitation.

Bam!

The blade light was instantly shattered by his punch. But he hadn't expected that two faint blue talismans were hidden behind the blade light.

Rumble!

The talismans were activated in an instant, and two purple lightning beams seemed to descend from the sky, striking straight at the middle-aged man!

The defensive spiritual light around the middle-aged man shattered like paper, and the spiritual glow of his robe dimmed, turning into flying ash!

After the lightning, his upper body was charred black, and his aura quickly weakened, clearly severely injured!

"Second-stage Upper Grade talisman--Purple Lightning Talisman!"

His gaze fixed on Xu Ping, knowing that the attack from such a talisman ranked among the strongest of all Second-stage Upper Grade talismans.

"Quickly, go!" Xu Ping shouted.

The seriously injured Qian Guanyu wasted no time in using his Escape Light to flee, and Zhao Tianquan and Li Huachan, seeing this, also chose to escape without hesitation.

"You want to leave?"

The middle-aged man roared, his powerful spiritual power surging around him as he prepared to give chase.

The other two also made ready to pursue.

"Go!"

However, Xu Ping sent out two more talismans, transforming into two giant firebirds. The firebirds, carrying scorching heat, traced a fiery arc in the air, heading straight for the middle-aged man and his companions.

"Disperse!" The middle-aged man shouted angrily, clapping his palms together to summon a phantom tiger shadow, whose powerful aura dispersed the firebirds, scattering sparks.

At this moment, the other two also dispersed the firebirds again.

But in the time it took them, Xu Ping and the others had already fled far away.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, should we pursue them?" one of them asked.

The middle-aged man tightly watched as the group disappeared into the distance without saying a word, only exhaling a deep breath once they were out of sight.

As he exhaled, his aura suddenly weakened, and his complexion turned extremely pale.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, are you alright?" The two were instantly startled.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth as he slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze icy as he said, "I'm fine. Once my injuries recover, I will definitely kill them all."

Qian Guanyu's injuries were even more severe, making a quick recovery difficult.

Without this Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, they couldn't stop him.

Especially Zhang Yu, who would definitely not spare him!

...

...

The group didn't know how long they had been fleeing.

At that moment, Qian Guanyu's injuries flared up, and he could no longer hold on, falling from the sky.

Fortunately, Xu Ping was quick-witted and caught him. Otherwise, the injuries would have worsened.

"Please... please, fellow Daoists, help me guard as I heal!" Qian Guanyu weakly said, his face deathly pale, devoid of blood.

With that, he swallowed a pill with difficulty and began meditating to heal his injuries.

Although Zhao Tianquan and Li Huachan were uninjured, their expressions were extremely grim.

Now that Qian Guanyu was seriously injured, and the other side's Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was so powerful, how could they resist next?

Relying on Zhang Yu?

Both of them looked at Xu Ping simultaneously but quickly shook their heads.

Even if Zhang Yu was strong, he was still lacking compared to the middle-aged man. In a head-on battle, the other side would be on guard, making another talisman surprise attack difficult.

However, both were astonished by Zhang Yu's successive use of Second-stage Upper Grade talismans and couldn't help but speculate, 'Seems Zhang Yu gained quite a bit in Qiu Xuan Immortal City.'

Xu Ping naturally didn't know what they were thinking.

He sat silently to the side, seemingly worried about what to do next.

But in reality, he was pondering how to obtain the Secret Technique the middle-aged man used.

He was quite envious of this Secret Technique.

Its boost wasn't much less than 'Heavenly Demon Solution,' and it didn't seem to have such terrifying side effects.

If he could acquire this Secret Technique, it would significantly enhance his strength.

And who knows, maybe these two Secret Techniques could be stacked. If they could be combined, it would be a massive boost to his power.

Everyone had their own thoughts, and they remained silent, a heavy atmosphere hanging over them.

...

Unknown how much time passed.

The soft morning light filtered through the forest, the golden rays shining like silky threads through the dense foliage.

"Huff!"

At this moment, Qian Guanyu exhaled a long breath, awakening from his healing session, his previously deathly pale complexion regaining a hint of redness as his aura stabilized.

"Fellow Daoist Qian, how are your injuries?" Zhao Tianquan asked with concern.

"Barely not worsening further, but it will take at least a few months to fully recover," Qian Guanyu said with a bitter smile, a look of helplessness in his eyes.

He had underestimated that person, not expecting him to boost his strength so significantly.

"Does it really require that long?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianquan and Li Huachan felt a sinking feeling, fearing that the enemy's Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could wipe out their clan several times over within a few months.

"So, Fellow Daoist Qian, what should we do next?" Zhao Tianquan asked with worry.

Qian Guanyu remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I have a friend who is also a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. If I offer significant benefits, he might agree to join us in our struggle."

"Then we rely on you, Fellow Daoist Qian!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Tianquan and Li Huachan were overjoyed. If they could get another Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator to help, their chances of winning would increase greatly.

"Once I've rested for a few days, I'll go to find him."

Qian Guanyu nodded, turning his gaze to Xu Ping with genuine gratitude, "Thanks to Fellow Daoist Zhang today, otherwise, we would have struggled to escape."

"Indeed, we are truly grateful to Fellow Daoist Zhang today!" Zhao Tianquan and Li Huachan also bowed to Xu Ping.

"You are too kind, Fellow Daoists. I merely did my best," Xu Ping humbly replied.

If it weren't to conceal his identity, he would have already dealt with that middle-aged man, perhaps obtaining the Secret Technique.

After expressing his gratitude, Qian Guanyu continued, "In the coming days, it's best for the three of you not to return to your clans. Speak again once I return."

"Why is that?" Zhao Tianquan asked, puzzled.

But Li Huachan and Xu Ping had their own thoughts.

"I think those people have backing. If we don't show up, even if they attack our clan, they won't dare to harm our clansmen.

After all, they fear us going down together, indiscriminately killing their juniors or clansmen," Qian Guanyu explained slowly.

"I see, then I'll find a place to hide during this time," Zhao Tianquan realized.

"Then, Fellow Daoists, we part ways for now. If I get help, I'll notify you with a long-distance Sound Transmission Talisman." Qian Guanyu took out three grey-white talismans and handed them to the others.

"Farewell!"

"Farewell!"

After discussing some details, they all used their Escape Light, flying off in various directions.

"It's better that you've left, making it easier for me to act."

Watching them disappear completely, Xu Ping used the Thousand Illusion Mask to transform into a youthful appearance with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, heading toward the Xu family's location.

Now that the Xu family's array was broken and their only Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was injured, it was the perfect time to strike.

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