Power of Wu Ming
Listening to Lu Qing's unreasonable demand, Mo Qingkuang naturally couldn't agree!
Before he could even refuse, Wu Ming, standing in front of him, decisively said, "Impossible! Why should our Imperial Academy's students answer to your Yuan Sword Sect? Mo Qingkuang will not go back with you, don't even think about it!"
Wu Ming's face was cold. Lu Qing was being too presumptuous, thinking the Imperial Academy feared the Yuan Sword Sect so much that they could even dare to ask for their student.
"We're leaving! Ignore them!" Wu Ming waved his hand, signaling the students of the Imperial Academy to leave.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qing blocked their way again, sincerely saying, "Marquis Yingzun, please don't make this difficult for me."
Seeing Lu Qing still trying to obstruct, Wu Ming raised his hand and formed a black staff from true qi.
"Move aside! Or don't blame me for being rude!" Wu Ming pointed the black staff at Lu Qing, forcing him to retreat a few steps, and shouted sternly.
Everyone understood Wu Ming's reaction. Lu Qing's demand was utterly unreasonable. Repeated provocations against the Imperial Academy's authority were intolerable, even for the most patient.
No matter how powerful the Yuan Sword Sect was, the Imperial Academy had the Empress backing them!
If things truly escalated, the Empress alone could flatten the Yuan Sword Sect!
Seeing Wu Ming's forceful approach, Lu Qing involuntarily stepped back a few steps.
Wu Ming, a seventh-rank Martial Venerable, was stronger than him. If they fought, he wouldn't stand a chance.
However, letting the Imperial Academy leave was something he couldn't accept. Beyond the Zhenyu Mountains was the Western Fortress of the Central Province.
The West Fortress was guarded by an army. Even a Martial Emperor wouldn't dare force their way through.
But yesterday, Lu Qing had secretly sent a message to the sect requesting reinforcements.
Initially, he thought Lin Yang would kill Mo Qingkuang and seize the opportunity.
With the Yuan Sword Sect isolated in the Zhenyu Mountains, having killed Tianxuan's top martial scholar and taken the opportunity, the Imperial Academy wouldn't let it slide.
They might even try to detain them.
So, Lu Qing had secretly requested the sect's support, just in case.
Even though the final outcome was far from what he expected, he decided to go with the flow.
As long as he could delay until the sect's reinforcements arrived, Mo Qingkuang wouldn't be able to leave!
Wu Ming, however, was furious. He swung his staff and shouted, "Get lost!"
Lu Qing quickly drew his sword to block but was sent flying dozens of feet away due to the difference in strength.
Everyone thought Lu Qing had gone mad. In a one-on-one fight, he wasn't a match for Wu Ming. It was obvious to all.
Several Grandmasters from the Yuan Sword Sect gathered around Lu Qing.
Wu Ming's face was dark, leading the Grandmasters under his command to press forward slowly.
"Lu Qing, are you determined to stop me?"
Lu Qing, panting for breath after Wu Ming's strike, gripped his sword with both hands and said solemnly, "I'm not stopping you; I'm stopping Mo Qingkuang!"
"Mo Qingkuang is the Dean Zheng Tao's personal disciple! The Martial Champion of this year! How can you say you're taking him away? If you don't move, I'll make sure you stay buried here forever!" Wu Ming's voice was icy, his killing intent palpable.
People seemed to have forgotten that Wu Ming, who had been acting as a shadow beside Zheng Tao, was once a renowned powerhouse.
Against someone like Lu Qing, whose power was built on pills and materials, Wu Ming could easily handle him despite their similar cultivation levels.
Seeing Lu Qing remain silent and unmoving, Wu Ming's face showed a cruel expression.
The emergence of two new spiritual body geniuses in the Imperial Academy had delighted him greatly. In the near future, they would surely support Tianxuan's future!
But some didn't want to see Tianxuan's rise to power and were trying everything to hinder it!
Now, as an old guard, he would clear the path for these hopes of the empire!
With a shout, the black staff in his hand expanded rapidly, growing to dozens of feet! It exuded black energy and emitted ghostly wails!
This was due to Wu Ming's peculiar cultivation technique, and the black staff was infused with his pure true qi! The power it emitted shocked everyone!
Especially Lu Qing!
Wu Ming was not just a seventh-rank Martial Venerable! He had always concealed his strength and had actually reached the peak of Martial Venerable, just one step away from becoming a Martial King.
Even Yuan Kuang in the distance was astonished. Wu Ming, a peer, had silently surpassed him so much over the years!
He lifted the massive black staff and swung it down towards Lu Qing and his companions!
A full-force strike from a peak Martial Venerable could split mountains and rivers! If Lu Qing and the others didn't dodge, they would surely perish!
But the Yuan Sword Sect wasn't to be underestimated!
"Sword Formation!"
Lu Qing shouted, and the Grandmasters swiftly drew their swords, forming a peculiar formation with Lu Qing at the center.
The men simultaneously pointed their swords to the sky, causing the sky to crackle with lightning. Each sword attracted a bolt of lightning.
They brought their sword tips together, merging the lightning into a rapidly growing mass of electricity.
Lu Qing raised his sword and stepped into the center, drawing an even more terrifying bolt of lightning from the sky.
Wu Ming's strength exceeded Lu Qing's expectations; he alone couldn't stop him.
Fortunately, all the stewards present had practiced the 'True Essence Lightning Sword' technique. Using the special formation of the Yuan Sword Sect, they combined their strength, exponentially increasing their power!
Seeing Wu Ming's determined stance, Lu Qing knew he had to use this to resist Wu Ming's attack.
With a loud shout, "Break!"
He swung his sword down forcefully. His sword, like a magnet, drew the other swords with it, and they all struck together.
The resulting lightning sword light, many times larger than the one produced when Lu Qing, Yuan Kuang, and Wu Ming previously broke the formation, shot straight towards Wu Ming's giant black staff!
The sword and staff collided mid-air with a thunderous explosion!
Electricity coursed through the black staff, trying to destroy it from within.
But they underestimated Wu Ming!
The black staff, made of true qi and fully controlled by Wu Ming, couldn't be destroyed by the lightning.
Unknown to others, Wu Ming's cultivation technique was a heavenly-grade technique obtained in his youth from a serendipitous encounter.
Apart from the slow cultivation speed, this technique combined stealth, finesse, and brute force!
It wasn't something a formation of a few Grandmasters and a Martial Venerable from the Yuan Sword Sect could withstand.
The black staff, unharmed, continued its path, pressing down on Lu Qing and his companions.
Lu Qing and his group were horrified.
Could they not even withstand one strike from Wu Ming despite their combined efforts and formation?
Seeing the staff descending, Lu Qing thought in despair, "My life is over..."
But just then, a blinding sword light descended from the sky, striking Wu Ming's black staff!
The black staff, an indestructible construct of true qi and the combined power of several Grandmasters and a Martial Venerable, was sliced through like tofu!
The staff split in two, dissipating into nothingness mid-air.
Wu Ming's face changed as he suffered a severe backlash, spitting a large mouthful of blood and flying backwards.
A domineering voice echoed from the sky, "Who dares to touch my Yuan Sword Sect's people?"
***
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