The Science of Cultivation

Chapter 234: Numerically Superior

“This…” Xie Zhi and Yuan Tao were at a loss for words.

Facing three opponents may have posed a challenge to them, but it was one they believed they could still handle. The two could tell the intruders were inexperienced, and they knew how to exploit that to their advantage. They had them figuratively against the wall, so they disregarded their bluffs about reinforcements.

However, they never expected to be proven wrong within the next moment. They really did have backup, and they arrived immediately as well. Just as Xie Zhi taunted his foes about how his fellow deviators were more likely to arrive first, half a dozen figures suddenly appeared and surrounded him.

The fight quickly turned into a nine-on-two. From their aura, they could tell none of them were mortals. No matter how inexperienced they may be, against such odds, the chances of victory were slim for the deviators. Both parties knew that.

“I’ll give you a chance to surrender,” Li Lang offered. “We’re not here to take your lives.”

It was a fact that they were in the heart of a deviator base, but they were only here to rescue Wei Ping. Wasting time fighting would only endanger them needlessly.

Li Lang and his students slowly tightened their encirclement as they waited for a reply. Contrary to what they expected, the two men didn’t say yes or no. The older gentlemen stayed stoic, but the younger Xie Zhi burst out laughing maniacally.

“You, offering us a chance to surrender? Hahaha.”

Xie Zhi covered his face with both hands as he tried to contain his laughter.

Li Lang’s group exchanged glances and was just about to take action when the ground suddenly trembled. Thick roots shot out from the ground, splitting the earth apart. There were dozens of them, each as thick as a human adult.

The wooden tendrils shot out in all directions, causing the inexperienced group of cultivations to hastily cast their Qi arts in defense. Unlike Li Lang and Wei Ping, their students had selected and practiced an Earth-grade technique.

Various techniques of different attributes were unleashed. The presence of so many Qi arts combined with the confined space resulted in a chaotic scene. The powerful moves ricocheted around when they collided, causing multiple techniques to crash into each other. It was plain to see that Li Lang’s group wasn’t used to cooperating.

It couldn’t be helped. Li Lang was focused on re

With their students now safely returned to the pocket realm, the tunnel became a lot less crowded. It gave the trio more room to maneuver, which was vital for them to slip away.

Just as they steeled themselves to get past this new enemy of theirs, a bright light appeared in the distance. Within the next second, a huge hole had opened up in the chest of their foe. He tilted his head to inspect his wound, only to fall down face first into the ground.

“This way!” a familiar voice shouted.

Having seen the display of power, the trio already knew who it was. It wasn’t the first time the Nightmoon Valley disciple, Ma Kong, had showcased his deadly Qi art. It was almost invincible at their current cultivation level. Perhaps the only shortcoming that could be observed was its lack of coverage, unable to target multiple foes at once.

The trio ran down the main corridor of the underground stronghold, straight toward the figure of their ally. A sense of safety spread among them as they spotted the reliable late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

From what they saw, Ma Kong and Zhu Yi were some of the most powerful people in the Foundation Establishment Realm. One specialized in single target attacks while the other in area of effect. They complimented each other so well that they literally took on an army of deviators of the same rank by themselves.

This sense of comfort made their astonishment all the greater when their supposed ally shone with light once more while staring straight at them. It was the precursor to his deadly Qi art. It caused the trio to stiffen as they came into the crosshair of such a powerful technique. There was nothing they could do. They could only stare, like a deer caught in the headlights.

Ma Kong finished casting his Qi art quickly, leaving the trio wondering who the target was. They inspected their own bodies for wounds before turning to each other.

“What are you doing? Hurry up!” Ma Kong shouted.

It was only then that the trio realized the target of his attack wasn’t one of them. Looking behind them, they found the two deviators they had been fighting, Xie Zhi and Yuan Tao, leaking out fresh blood while they remained motionless on the ground.

Hmm, we need a technique to sense if a cultivator is really incapacitated or not, too. Maybe techniques for low-visibility situations can do that as well. I need to talk to more cultivators at this level to find the means they use to deal with these issues.

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