Chapter 158: Blossoming in an Instant

"Wan'er, take Ying'er and go ahead. Qian'er probably cannot handle Xie Wenyuan, so go and take charge of the overall situation first. Junior Brother Mu, Sun Yang, you two follow as well. Zisu, do you have the confidence to face a being at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment together with your master?"

As Jiang Yan handed Yunying to Tang Wan, he gave low instructions for Tang Wan and Mu Yun's next steps.

A faint blush appeared on Zisu's pretty face, and she spoke in a rather relaxed tone, "To be able to fend off the enemy alongside Master, this disciple will die without regret."

Jiang Yan instinctively patted Zisu's shoulder, speaking in a tone full of ease, "Silly girl, Master only wants you to observe from the side how I make my move; there is no need for you to die without regret."

Feeling Jiang Yan's palm patting her shoulder, a crimson flush flew across Zisu's cheeks. She lowered her head slightly, looking at her master with a rather peculiar gaze, her heart filled with strange thoughts.

"Swish..."

Tang Wan lightly took a step forward, her figure instantly reaching a dozen zhang away. Mu Yun followed closely behind, his figure also shifting to chase after Zisu. Sun Yang's figure flickered, turning into a golden streak of light as he prepared to pursue them.

"Whoosh..."

Ximen Nayan suddenly made a move. The Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword planted in the ground turned into a stream of light, heading straight after Tang Wan ahead.

"Stinking girl, this old man came here specifically to capture you; stay right here!" Ximen Nayan's fierce words instantly resounded across the mountain path.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Jiang Yan abruptly stretched out his hand, and fifteen cyan arrows turned into a cyan stream, rushing straight toward the Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword. After a series of clanging sounds, the Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword carved out a golden streak of light and embedded itself into the rock wall on the side of the mountain path.

"Elder Ximen, if you want to avenge your grandson, you must first pass through my barrier." Jiang Yan's heroic voice rolled like thunder, exploding halfway up the mountain and scattering along the cliff walls. In the distant valley, echoes of this statement reverberated continuously.

"Boom..."

An aura of spiritual pressure, as if tangible, suddenly radiated outward with Ximen Nayan at the center. His cyan robes billowed without wind, and the two cultivators standing beside Ximen Nayan were forced back a long distance by this pressure.

"Brat Jiang Yan, if this old man does not reduce your bones to ashes and slaughter your entire Mount Hua sect today, I am not Ximen Nayan of the West Ravine Sect."

Ximen Nayan's irritable and angry curse instantly echoed across the mid-mountain. Filled with rage, his white beard fluttered without wind, his old face turning completely to the color of pork liver, hair and beard bristling, pointing a finger at Jiang Yan, who stood with the high-raised Green Wood Vine behind him.

"Whoosh..."

With a casual beckoning from Ximen Nayan, the Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword embedded in the cliff suddenly burst forth, tracing an arc and plunging straight toward Jiang Yan, who stood quietly with narrowed eyes and gathered focus.

"Master, be careful!" Seeing the golden giant sword plunging down from high above, a trace of worry flashed in Zisu's eyes as she opened her mouth to remind Jiang Yan.

"A sword coming from the west—it is merely the lowest-grade form among the golden stream sword techniques. To use this move shows that the opponent holds me in great contempt. Zi'er, watch closely and see how Master breaks this move, 'A Sword Coming from the West'." Jiang Yan said faintly, his right hand clasped behind his back.

Illuminated by the radiance of the golden giant sword, Jiang Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and his left hand, held level across his chest, suddenly lifted forward.

"Swift!" A soft shout abruptly escaped his lips, directed straight at the distant Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword.

"Swish, swish, swish..." Behind Jiang Yan, the Green Wood Vine trembled violently, and fifteen cyan wood arrows connected end-to-end, rushing straight toward the oncoming attack.

"Clang, clang..."

A continuous series of weapon-clashing sounds echoed through the arena. Blinding sparks erupted continuously from the Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword. As successive cyan wood arrows struck the blade, its golden radiance gradually dimmed...

"Clang..."

The final cyan wood arrow struck the edge of the blade, and the Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword was finally knocked flying into the air.

"Swift..."

Ximen Nayan's drawn-out voice rang out at the appropriate moment. The Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword flying in mid-air paused abruptly and hovered flatly in the sky.

His body twisted backward abruptly, his right hand raised high in the air drawing a large circle before his chest, and with a fierce stamp of his feet on the ground, Ximen Nayan soared into mid-air. Bringing his palms together in front of his chest, he pushed forward horizontally, and a dazzling golden radiance shot out of his hands, heading straight for Jiang Yan in the distance.

"Swift!"

Suspended in mid-air, Ximen Nayan let out a cold snort. The Golden-Goose Five-Elements Sword trembled violently, its radiance flaring brightly once more. Its hilt swung, emitting a wailing sound of piercing through the air as it plunged directly toward Jiang Yan.

Seeing the sharp attacks closing in from two directions, Jiang Yan furrowed his brows. The hands clasped behind his back suddenly twisted, his wrists flipped, and gripping the cyan Green Wood Vine in his hand, a trace of solemnity surfaced on his face.

"Hum, hum..."

Brilliant light flowed over the Green Wood Vine, and in the blink of an eye, it grew to the height of a man.

Holding the Green Wood Vine in his hand, Jiang Yan forcefully pressed it downward. The lower end of the vine, glowing with a faint radiance, lit up brightly as a small portion of it sank into the rocky mountain path.

"Boom..."

Jiang Yan's robes billowed without wind, and a faint spiritual pressure instantly permeated the space in front of him, enveloping the three members of the West Ravine Sect within it.

Light flowed across the surface of the Green Wood Vine, and in the span of a single breath, the vine—originally less than half a person's height—suddenly shot upward, transforming into a towering ancient tree that sheltered Jiang Yan and Zisu behind it.

"Flowers Blooming in an Instant!"

In a mountain col not far behind Jiang Yan, Ximen Shang, who had been poking his head out to watch the battle between the two, stared dumbfoundedly at the towering ancient tree in front of Jiang Yan, his voice trembling heavily.

"Flowers Blooming in an Instant? Is it very powerful, Senior Brother?" Ximen Luo turned his head, looking at Ximen Shang with a puzzled expression.

"Heh heh, it's not all that powerful at the Foundation Establishment stage." Ximen Shang plucked a wild grass crushed beneath him, bit the blade of grass between his teeth, and spoke with a look of lingering fear.

When a Foundation Establishment cultivator executes "Flowers Blooming in an Instant," its power at most allows a spiritual herb or flower possessing sentience to bloom and bear fruit. However, once a cultivator's realm is elevated, this technique can age an infant into a white-haired old man in the blink of an eye, killing invisibly.

Ximen Shang glanced at Ximen Nayan, his inner approval of their sect master rising yet another notch. After Mount Hua was designated as a fourth-tier sect in the East Wood Region, the Sect Master had not dispatched the disciples to annihilate Mount Hua—which had ruined the West Ravine Sect's plans. Instead, he remained silent, allowing the outer sect elder Ximen Nayan, whose grandson had been killed, to vent his anger by descending the mountain and seeking trouble with Mount Hua.

If Ximen Nayan won and Mount Hua was destroyed, the vast East Wood Region would naturally belong entirely to the West Ravine Sect. If Ximen Nayan were killed—Ximen Shang glanced at Ximen Luo beside him; this kid had been tasked with carrying the news of Ximen Nayan's victory or defeat back to the sect. Once further news arrived, they could decide whether the West Ravine Sect should advance or retreat, making things much more convenient.

Glancing at Ximen Nayan, whose figure leaped into mid-air with hair and beard bristling, Ximen Shang pulled Ximen Luo along. "Stop watching. Ximen Nayan is finished; let's retreat."

Ximen Luo's dark face froze, and he said somewhat reluctantly, "But Senior Brother, their fight isn't over yet..."

Ximen Shang's eyes narrowed, shifting over Ximen Luo's body a few times until he saw the latter break out in a cold chill with timidity rising on his face. Only then did Ximen Shang speak gently, "As long as the Sect Master knows about 'Flowers Blooming in an Instant' and that Mount Hua possesses two cultivators at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, that is enough. Let's go."