Battle between friends

[Updated, rewritten]

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"Of course, it's me - Yichen!" The voice boomed, echoing through the dense white fog.

Rong Yuan winced, hoping against hope that the voice wasn't the one he dreaded hearing at that moment.

"Yes, it's me! How have you been, Sect Master?" The voice taunted him from within the shroud of mist. "Oh no, I misspoke. I should say, my former sect master. The person who exiled me from the sect, don't you remember me?" 

"So it's really you, Yichen," Rong Yuan replied, his voice cold and filled with anger. His face contorted with rage at the realization of who was responsible for his disciples' injuries.

"What did you do to my disciples? Answer me!" Rong Yuan demanded, his anger palpable. 

Usually, he would be always calm in any situation. But whenever he talked with this person, he would always lose his calm. It was as if something interfering with his mind.

"What did I do to your disciples?" Yichen feigned confusion, a mocking glint in his eyes. Rong Yuan's rage surged to new heights at the sight of Yichen's derision.

"Why are you so angry, Rong Yuan?" Yichen goaded him, relishing in the opportunity to provoke his former sect leader. He emphasized Rong Yuan's name, his voice filled with a sickening joy.

Rong Yuan's fury reached a boiling point at Yichen's taunts, his patience at an end.

"I should have killed you back then, instead of listening to my disciples. It was a foolish mistake." 

"But it's not too late to correct it. I can still kill you, even now," Rong Yuan declared, striding purposefully toward Yichen. He also calmed down slightly.

Yichen managed to evade the sword, and he laughed mockingly at Rong Yuan. "Well, without your spirit power, you can't do anything to me. You can't use your spirit techniques to fight, right? Ha-ha-ha!" he taunted.

Rong Yuan's face remained stoic, but his eyes burned with a fierce determination. "You underestimate me, Yichen," he replied coolly. "I don't need spirit power to defeat you."

With that, Rong Yuan launched himself at Yichen, his movements fluid and graceful.

Rong Yuan drew his sword in a strange and unfamiliar manner as if he were tracing the outline of a dragon. Then, he charged toward Yichen, his sword flashing with blinding speed.

The two swords clashed in a shower of sparks, creating a cacophony of sound that reverberated throughout the area.

"Clang!"

"Clatter!"

Yichen struggled to block the ferocious attack, his hands trembling under the force of the impact. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he barely managed to hold his ground against Rong Yuan's relentless assault.

Without hesitation, Rong Yuan launched another attack, his sword singing through the air. But to his surprise, the blade stopped midway, as if hitting an invisible barrier.

"Hahaha! You really thought I came here to fight you alone, Rong Yuan?" Yichen taunted, holding the hand of a figure who just parried Rong Yuan's attack.

As the figure emerged from the mist, Rong Yuan recognized her with a gasp.

"Xiaoling!" he exclaimed, his face contorted with disbelief and anger.

"So you decided to betray us, huh." Rong Yuan asked calmly, but a trace of anger could be seen in his eyes.

Xiaoling was a beautiful woman with lustrous black hair and a curvaceous figure. She carries herself with confidence and poise, her piercing gaze betraying shrewd intelligence and cunning. Despite her alluring appearance, there was a coldness to her demeanor, suggesting a ruthless nature beneath the surface.

  Xiaoling, the Sect Master of the Heavenly White Lotus Sect, was a close friend of Rong Yuan. However, it now appeared that their friendship had never been genuine from the start.

"Don't get me wrong, Yuan. I didn't betray you or your sect. In fact, I never considered you a friend." Xiaoling declared, her voice dripping with disdain and contempt.

Xiaoling's voice was frigid as she pointed her sword at Rong Yuan. "If you want to kill Yichen, you'll have to face me first. Even though I'm at the Spirit Monarch Stage, I still have the power to injure you!"

Rong Yuan gritted his teeth, realizing the extent of Xiaoling's betrayal. "I was delusional to think she was my friend," he thought, analyzing the situation. "Well, it doesn't matter now. I need to deal with her first and help my disciples before reinforcements arrive from the sect." Surprisingly he dealt with it quickly.

After Xiaoling's betrayal, Rong Yuan resolved to be more cautious in his dealings with others and not trust too easily.

"What are you thinking, Yuan? Don't tell me you're hesitating to attack your precious friend?" Yichen's taunting voice interrupted his thoughts.

Rong Yuan's only response was a resolute "No," before he launched another attack. In this world, the strength was only that mattered. 

He targeted Xiaoling with his sword, striking her weak spots with precision and ferocity. His mind was focused solely on defeating his opponent and saving his injured disciples.

"You can't defeat me without your spirit power, Rong Yuan!" Xiaoling taunted as she defended against his attack.

The two of them continued to exchange blows, their swords ringing out in a symphony of clashing metal.

-Slash

-Scatter

-Clang

The sounds of their swords filled the air as they fought with equal intensity and skill. It was clear that neither of them had the advantage, and the fight could end in a stalemate.

Sensing the stalemate, Xiaoling smiled and taunted, "I think we are evenly matched, Rong Yuan. You can't win against me."

"It wasn't my aim to win in the first place," Rong Yuan replied calmly before disappearing in a blur.

Xiaoling sensed danger behind her and turned, but it was too late. Rong Yuan's powerful kick struck her abdomen, sending her flying through the air. She crashed into the floor with a sickening thud, coughing up blood.

"I'll deal with you later," Rong Yuan spoke in a cold voice, his gaze filled with bloodlust as he turned toward Yichen, who wore a shocked expression.

Rong Yuan did not spare Xiaoling; he was not a hypocrite who would forgive someone who had tried to kill him. He just wanted to deal with the root problem first.

"After I have dealt with this scum!"

Yuan spoke again, his eyes fixated on Yichen as if he were prey that should be hunted.

But before he could make a move, Xiaoling's voice rang out, filled with desperation. "Oh no! Stop, Yuan! If you touch him, I will kill you!"

Rong Yuan did not listen to her plea and walked towards Yichen, his sword raised and ready to strike. He never hesitated to kill if it was an enemy, and he was determined to solve the problem that had originated from his mistake. If he had killed Yichen earlier, none of this would be happening right now.

But as he approached Yichen, he heard the sound of footsteps and voices in the distance. The fog made it difficult to see, but it was clear that someone was approaching.

Rong Yuan lowered his sword and turned towards the sound, his senses on high alert. He did not know who or what was coming, but he was prepared to face any challenge that came his way.

{Reinforcements must have come,} Rong Yuan thought to himself. But to his surprise, Yichen's mood had suddenly shifted. After hearing the voices, Yichen breathed a sigh of relief and began to grin.

Seeing this, Rong Yuan asked in a cold tone, "What? Have you gone crazy? Why are you grinning like a monkey? Or are you that ready for your death?"

"Why do you think so, Yuan? I'm not grinning because I'm about to die. I'm grinning because...hah, it's better if you see for yourself. Look!" Yichen said, his smile growing wider as he gestured toward the newcomers.

Rong Yuan turned to look and a wry smile appeared on his face. The newcomers were definitely not on his side.

"Well, well, well. Look who's here, esteemed Sect Master of Thousand Swords Sect. I must say, you look nice, but it seems like you're planning to kill the head disciple of my sect. And if that isn't enough, you've already put our Sect Master in that state," the newcomer said, her voice dripping with sarcasm and contempt. She was the Vice Sect Master of the White Lotus Sect.

Unfortunately for Rong Yuan, these were not the reinforcements he was waiting for. Instead, they were reinforcements from the White Lotus Sect, under the command of their Vice Master, Luo Li, who was a Peak Spirit King Stage cultivator. There were also four elders from the sect, all of whom were Spirit King Stage cultivators.

"Huh, nice to see you too, Little Luo. So, you're in on this too, huh?" Rong Yuan spoke with a hint of regret and sarcasm.

Luo Li had been a maid of Xiaoling's when Rong Yuan first met them. She was a very beautiful woman, though not as much as Xiaoling, but she had her own charm. She also had a very grateful personality... But when she was a maid.

Rong Yuan discovered her talent for cultivation while helping Xiaoling rise to the position of Sect Master. He helped her become a powerful cultivator, and later, Luo Li had become Vice Master of the Sect. Rong Yuan had only heard this from the reports of the elders in his own sect.

It seemed like her character had changed after gaining power. 

Wise words once he read from a book came into his mind. "As individuals gain power, they often become blinded by their own ambitions and desires, leading them to forget their principles and values. The allure of power can change even the most well-intentioned person, turning them into someone unrecognizable from their former self."

"I'm sorry for this, Sect Master Yuan, but I will have to stop you from attacking our successor any further," Luo Li spoke, her voice stern and arrogant.

"Huh? Successor? I thought only females could be the successor of your sect. Don't tell me..." Rong Yuan trailed off, laughing as it was clear what he meant.

"Attack him!" Yichen shouted, feeling insulted.

The members of the White Lotus Sect immediately obeyed and began to attack Rong Yuan from different directions. Some delivered powerful physical blows to him, while others attacked him with their weapons, such as swords, spears, and whips. The combined assault was relentless, and Rong Yuan was forced to use all of his skill and training to fend off the attacks.