The young man let out a cold, sinister chuckle at the sight.
"Now that I've taken your attacks, it's my turn to strike, isn't it?" As he spoke, he dropped his protective barrier, brought his palms together, and then pulled them apart to either side. A massive crescent-shaped arc of azure light materialized between his hands.
"Try my Azure Arc Slash!" the young man said with a sinister grin. The arc of light immediately shrieked through the air toward the two youths.
This attack drew gasps from the onlookers. Everyone could see that the Murong brothers were completely spent—unable to cast any spells, let alone mount a defense.
The boys panicked. After casting desperate glances in every direction, they split up and bolted toward the crowds on either side.
"Split!" the young man barked sharply.
The flying azure arc obeyed his command, cleaving into two pieces midair. With a flick of his wrist, the young man directed the halves to follow their respective targets.
As fate would have it, one of the boys had noticed that Han Li's spiritual power was among the deepest of anyone in the crowd. Without a moment's hesitation, he made a beeline for Han Li, giving him quite a start.
Han Li had absolutely no intention of getting involved in this affair. He knew that no matter how arrogant this young man acted, he would never dare harm the Murong brothers openly—he would just try to scare and toy with them a little. Han Li refused to play the role of hero.
Besides, this kid was cunning enough to clearly want to use him as a human shield. No way was he going to let that happen. With a subtle sway of his body, Han Li vanished from the spot, leaving the boy to lunge at empty air. The furious boy cursed loudly before scrambling onward.
A thunderous boom shook the ground in the direction the other boy had fled, kicking up a cloud of dust. A man's angry shouts rang out from within—it was clear that someone else had not been as shrewd as Han Li and had failed to shake off the role of living shield.
When the dust settled, a thick earthen wall several zhang high stood across the path. A crescent-shaped groove several chi long was carved into its surface. Behind the wall stood a stocky young man in his twenties with a strange wooden crutch strapped to his back, one hand pressed against the breach in the wall as he cursed furiously. Tucked safely behind him was the other grinning Murong youth.
"Lu! What's the meaning of this? Can't you see there are other people here? You still attacked! Were you planning to slice through me too?" the stocky young man demanded, his voice a mixture of shock and rage.
Senior Brother Lu snorted, ignoring the stocky youth's accusations. With a dark expression, he focused his full attention on guiding the remaining half of the Azure Arc Slash, suddenly accelerating it toward the boy fleeing on Han Li's side. By the look of its trajectory, he genuinely intended to leave a mark on the lad.
"Stop!" A young woman's sharp cry rang down from the sky. A moment later, a blazing firebird dove from the heavens, swallowing the arc of light chasing the boy in a single gulp before dissolving into a burst of flame and vanishing.
"Who? Who broke my technique?" the Lu surnamed youth roared, snapping his gaze upward.
High above the crowd, a woman in blue had appeared at some point—a vision of porcelain skin and radiant beauty, almost otherworldly in her grace. Her slender willow waist, her elegant jade neck, her flowing blue palace dress, and the towering hairpin crowning her updo—all combined to give her an ethereal air that made it hard for anyone to look her straight in the eye.
"Oh, it's Junior Sister Nie! I was wondering who had such powerful cultivation!" The previously furious Young Master Lu's expression immediately softened into refined courtesy upon seeing the woman in blue, and he cut a rather dashing figure.
"Senior Brother Lu, for my sake, why don't we call this contest here and now?" the palace-robed woman said coldly, standing atop her flying artifact.
"Ha ha, of course. Since it's Junior Sister Nie's wish, I'll do as you say," the young man replied with a broad smile.
The palace-robed woman nodded without another word and descended from the sky, walking toward the Murong brothers.
"Senior Sister Nie! Your timing is perfect—we would have been in real trouble!" The boy who had just escaped disaster beamed and ran over the moment he saw the woman in blue. The other one came grinning around the earthen wall as well.