From Pu Jingwans tone, it was clear that Ye Zichens wounds were severe. They couldnt afford to delay treatment.

Furthermore, tending to his wounds required an absolutely safe environment, as if they were interrupted part way through, it would only make things worse.

Thats why they couldnt treat his wounds here and now, in the Bai Family estate.

The Yao-Sealing Pagoda would have been the perfect place, except Ye Zichen was its master, and they couldnt enter without his help. Their best choice was to leave the Bai Family estate as quickly as possible and rush to the Profound Pavilion.

Xuan Ji had run the Profound Pavilion to the full extent of her abilities for ten thousand years. Even if the God Emperor wanted to break the appearance of harmony between them, hed have to think twice first.

Thing is, given their circ.u.mstances, they couldnt leave just because they wanted to.

Someone needed to stay back and cover their escape.

You two. Pu Jingwan pursed her lips. It would have been best for all of them to escape forever, but they couldnt turn the situation here around just like that. After all, the Bai Family outnumbered them, and their ranks included numerous experts.

But if the yao servants of the Yao-Sealing Pagoda and the Outsider rulers all left, even the likes of Yang Jian and the Great Sage would struggle to escape this predicament.

She couldnt deny it: both of them were strong. But the Bai Family was no soft persimmon either!

Nevermind the others, just the man floating before them would be a troublesome opponent.

Leave! Yang Jian roared, eyes bloodshot. He and the Great Sage had made their decision, and they were ready to throw themselves to their deaths if need be. Besides, they were strong enough that the result wasnt certain doom. Pu Jingwan had already said that they couldnt afford to delay Ye Zichens treatment, so there was no time to waste talking things over.

Lets go. Pu Jingwan took a deep look at Yang Jian, then at the Great Sage, before lifting Ye Zichen with her divine power. Xiao Yumei and the Profound Pavilion Divine Generals formed a protective circle around him and prepared to break through their encirclement.

The rapier-wielding man floating overhead arched his brows, and his expression shifted slightly. Are you trying to leave?

Dont even try it. With us bros here, theres no way well let you stop them from leaving.

There was no wind, yet Yang jians robes fluttered about. He raised his lance and cut a silver streak in the air. The faint, illusory pattern of the starry sky appeared in his pupils.

His aura, dark as night, billowed around him, and his entire figure started to distort.

Bam!

The middle-aged man tossed Bai Yulong into the dirt, stirring up a wave of dust.

Even though Bai Yulong coughed up blood on impact, the man didnt so much as look at him.

Although hed saved Bai Yulongs life just now, from his performance afterward, it seemed Bai Yulongs life or death wasnt all that important to him.

Otherwise, he wouldnt have used Bai Yulong to block the Great Sages staff, nor would he have tossed Bai Yulong so casually to the ground.

The man ignored Bai Yulong, but in stark contrast, he seemed quite interested in Yang Jiang and the Great Sage. He glanced first at one, then the other, evaluating them.

Brilliant light on one side, pure darkness on the other. The sight was so strange, the man laughed in bewilderment. The Star of Slaughter and the Victorious Fighting Buddha? The man recognized them both at a glance. Clearly, he was no ordinary person.

It wasnt so strange that he recognized the Great Sage; the Buddhist Domain was famous, and the middle-aged man had lived in the God Realm his whole life. However, the Star of Slaughter served the North Star, the Emperor Star. It was rare for someone who wasnt a star bearer to know of him, especially since the Star of Slaughter was an auxiliary star, and the least well-known of the bunch at that.

None of them made any sudden movements.

Although the man only stood there, seemingly casually, he had no openings whatsoever.

From the middle-aged mans perspective, Yang Jian and the Great Sage were the same. Furthermore, they were the Star of Slaughter and the Victorious Fighting Buddha. He wasnt absolutely sure he could take them, either.

Time dragged on, bit by bit

A long time had passed, but none of them took action. They merely remained on high alert. Yang Jian and the Great Sage were perfectly content to accept this.

The longer they delayed him, the better.

Forget it. After a lengthy stare down, the middle-aged man was the first to break the stalemate.

He put his sword back in its sheath. Seeing this, Yang Jian and the Great Sage couldnt help but knit their brows.

We cant do anything against each other, and since youre content to keep me here, Ill happily oblige. My name is Bai Haoyu. Might I ask your names?

Yang Jian and the Great Sage remained silent.

If you dont wish to speak, thats fine. But theres something I dont quite understand. One of you is the Star of Slaughter, the other, the Victorious Fighting Buddha. How on earth are you standing together so harmoniously? The last Master of the Stars Star of Slaughter was bitter enemies with the Buddhist Domain, as was the Star of Slaughter before him.

This was the truth.

The Star of Slaughter was of the darkness, and he was tasked with taking care of business too unrighteous to see the light of day on the Emperor Stars behalf. The Buddhist Domain, meanwhile, was holy. They detested this sort of behavior more than anyone. The two of them were opposed on a fundamental level, their attributes in direct conflict. The Star of Slaughter always detested the Buddhist Domain.

And the Buddhist Domain had always detested them right back.

Yang Jian was working so harmoniously with the Great Sage despite his intense yang aura. Bai Haoyu simply didnt get it.

You still dont want to talk? Bai Haoyu sighed and shook his head. He was a man of few words, and in order to pry for an explanation, hed practically used up an entire years allowance of words. Yet all hed gotten in return was silence. He couldnt help but feel it wasnt worth it.

Yang Jian and the Great Sage didnt deny it.

If Im not mistaken, you two are the strongest of your group. Yet in order to stall me, youre both staying behind. Is that well-advised?

Why wouldnt it be? asked Yang Jian.

Bai Haoyu was the strongest expert in the entire Bai Family. Although there were quite a few rulers outside, if Xiao Yumei and the others wanted to force their way out of the estate, those ruelrs werent enough to stop them. The only one truly capable of posing a threat was this Bai Haoyu. Staying here to delay him was a good deal, no matter how they looked at it.

Bai Haoyu, naturally, knew exactly what they were thinking.

But he still seemed calm and unhurried. Based on his expression, he was in no hurry to intervene in what was going on outside.

Could it be that he wasnt interested in the Bai Familys affairs, and that those clansmen fighting and dying outside didnt matter to him? Could it be that he was just here to protect Bai Yulong?

That was possible, but the odds of that seemed low.

But if that wasnt the case, why was he so willing to stay here and let them stall him?

Wine and Revelry! Before they could respond, they heard the God of Wines shout, followed by a massive explosion.