The arrival was none other than Qu Fei, the Grand Elder of the Overlord Saber Sect. He was a cultivator of the same era as Song Mingqin, and they had known each other since before the new year, having sparred many times with mixed results.
"Song Mingqin!" Qu Fei exclaimed in shock upon seeing Song Mingqin.
"Old Qu, your aura?!" Song Mingqin was astonished by the aura emanating from Qu Fei.
"Hahahaha, before I set off this time, I had a vague feeling that I was on the verge of a breakthrough. I was planning to stay at the hotel under the Overlord Saber Sect's name to break through to the Core Formation stage before joining them. I didn't expect to receive a message from Ying Yao last night saying our sect was under attack, so I rushed here as fast as I could," Qu Fei explained. "But it's good, breaking through in battle is always better than staying cooped up in seclusion for half a day."
Qu Fei turned to look at Song Mingqin and said, "Don't talk about me, I see you've been stuck at the Half-step Core Formation stage for a long time. Why haven't there been any signs of progress?"
Song Mingqin was slightly taken aback, then smiled mysteriously. Seeing this, Qu Fei immediately pointed at Song Mingqin and exclaimed, "Oh! I understand! Keep it a secret, I'll keep your secret for you!"
"Damn it, are you two done chatting and catching up? Do you think the four of us from the Earth Fiend Hall are air?" Ma Toutuo watched the two of them getting engrossed in conversation, feeling that they were not taking the people from the Earth Fiend Hall seriously, and couldn't help but curse.
Qu Fei turned to look at Ma Toutuo and couldn't help but laugh.
"I say, you surnamed Ma, do you remember how you begged me to spare you back then?" Qu Fei said. "Although my Overlord Saber Sect is not what it used to be, it's still easy for this old man to deal with you."
"Heh! Old man Qu Fei, fortunes change. Thirty years east, thirty years west. Don't bring up those stale matters. You're old too, and the two of us, Niu Feng and I, are no longer who we were..."
Before he could finish speaking, Qu Fei vanished from his spot.
"Not good!" Niu and Ma Toutuo exchanged glances and leaped up immediately. Unexpectedly, Qu Fei appeared directly from the sky, a massive phantom saber manifesting behind him, instantly separating the two of them.
"Senior Qu's temper is indeed quite volatile," Ye Bufan walked up to Song Mingqin and remarked.
"I used to be quite hot-tempered too, until I met your master."
Song Mingqin chuckled and also vanished from his spot.
"Black and White Fiends, I'll have a go at you too."
Song Mingqin soared into the air and appeared before the Black and White Fiends. Bai Wushuang and Hei Wuyan exchanged glances and were about to join forces when a sword energy descended from the sky, forcibly separating the two of them.
"Kill!"
Seeing their leaders engaged in battle, the people from the Earth Fiend Hall also began to attack the three sects.
Ye Bufan took a deep breath, and the Broken Sword appeared in his hand. With a thought from Ye Bufan, the Broken Sword roamed among the disciples of the Earth Fiend Hall.
Wherever the Broken Sword went, an Earth Fiend Hall disciple fell. On the other side, the Core Formation cultivators who were fighting the elders of various sects also noticed this phenomenon.
"A master!"
The people from the Earth Fiend Hall became vigilant. Only the members of the Crimson Sword Sect, seeing this, looked towards Ye Bufan's direction with a sigh.
"As expected of the person Elder Song brought back, he truly has skill." Song Xinghai felt more confident seeing this.
"It's him!"
Soon, many disciples of the Earth Fiend Hall also finally noticed Ye Bufan's presence, shouting to the disciples with higher cultivation levels and pointing in Ye Bufan's direction.
Before long, an Earth Fiend Hall disciple in the late Core Formation stage appeared before Ye Bufan.
The opponent was about to attack, but upon seeing Ye Bufan's eyes, his vision began to spin, and then he saw the vengeful spirits and ghosts he had killed charging towards him.
"Mental Power Spell!" The opponent was shocked. As soon as he closed his eyes to gather his senses, he felt a chill at his neck, and then felt his blood gush out. When everything before his eyes returned to normal, Ye Bufan was already standing before him, looking at him calmly.
And before him was a large pool of blood, the source being his own neck.
"Hiss—"
Lin Houdao, who had been scolded by Song Mingqin earlier, felt a chill run down his spine upon witnessing Ye Bufan's methods. The more intense the battle, the slightest lapse in concentration could cost one's life. Moreover, the Earth Fiend Hall disciple had struggled for several seconds within Ye Bufan's mental power spell. Lin Houdao thought that if he encountered such a situation, he would likely be doomed too.
Ye Bufan looked at the unfolding situation. The Earth Fiend Hall disciples were more numerous in that area, so he headed that way, with the Broken Sword ready at any time.
"Hmm?" The Black and White Fiends and Niu Ma Toutuo, who were fighting Song Mingqin and Qu Fei, soon noticed the rapidly decreasing number of Earth Fiend Hall disciples below and also noticed Ye Bufan's presence.
"A master!"
The Black and White Fiends and Niu Ma Toutuo communicated telepathically.
"Retreat!"
The four of them simultaneously yelled at the Earth Fiend Hall disciples on the ground and prepared to leave.
"What? Do you really think Song Mingqin and I are just decorations? You come and go as you please? Want to leave just like that?" Qu Fei angrily shouted at the two of them. "If you want to leave, you must pay a price!"
With that, Qu Fei's speed suddenly increased, blocking Niu Ma Toutuo's path.
"Qu Fei, the two of us are not pushovers. Don't push your luck!" Ma Toutuo cursed at Qu Fei.
"Heh? When I came before, I didn't hear you say I was pushing my luck?"
As Qu Fei's voice fell, his entire demeanor changed. The saber energy behind him transformed into countless flying sabers. Then, a long saber appeared behind Qu Fei. The blade of this saber was dark red, exuding a chilling aura of bloodlust.
"Fu Tian Blood Slash."
Suddenly, the area where Qu Fei and Niu Ma Toutuo stood changed color, as if they were in a sea of corpses and blood.
"Ghost Chain Nether Lightning!" Niu Ma Toutuo immediately stood together, intending to use their combined technique.
Faint lightning flickered around the two of them.
"Slash!"
Before the two could fully prepare, Qu Fei seized the opportunity. Countless sabers, like the wails of vengeful spirits and the march of a hundred ghosts, slashed towards Niu Ma Toutuo.
"Charge!"
The combined technique of Niu Ma Toutuo surged out and collided with Qu Fei's strike. In an instant, the two were sent flying backward.
"Your combined technique is only equivalent to a blow from the Core Formation stage. But I am almost at the Core Formation stage, equivalent to quasi-Core Formation."
With a flash of saber light, Qu Fei directly severed one of Ma Toutuo's hands. Seeing this, Niu Tou Tuo conjured his weapon, blocking in front of him, but he ultimately spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Bang—"
A cloud of bloody mist obscured their vision, and the two of them instantly vanished from their spot.
"Blood Escape!"