Layla barely made it a step forward when countless shadows blocked her escape path. She turned to the left and another barrage of shadows materialised.
Ast was shocked as well. At first, he thought that the MPDS had caught up with them but that thought was dismissed once he saw the attire of the shadows wall once their technique wore off.
"Don't move all you'll regret it," A man dressed in red and purple robes said.
On the other side, Jiang wiped the blood off his blade.
"Things would have been simple if y'all simply coughed up the pathstones," Jiang shook his head. "Now we're going to have to make you guys... disappear. Tsk. To warn those faces poking their heads out the window."
The crowd was frozen in place. They hadn't expected someone they'd seen so many times to die such a tragic death. They could still see the smile on their heads. Some of them gained the courage to step back. And some tripped over a pile of rocks.
Jiang moved his thumb across his throat, signalling their fate.
Layla calmed down a bit once she understood that the men and women before her were nothing more than Qi-Gathering weaklings. Her Foundation-Establishment cultivation base would be enough to destroy them. But that meant they were losing precious time to escape. She didn't understand why these guys weren't afraid of the MPDS coming now. She pouted and thought of a possibility. Maybe the MPDS was bought out. That'd also explain why crime rates were higher here. Or that they were simply lunatics. They couldn't stay long enough to figure out which is which though.
Ast wondered if his current level of strength was enough to take in these guys. Under normal circumstances, he should be able to. But he still couldn't get that itch out of his mind. There was no way he should have drawers with Jotire let alone get injured. He was just worried that something similar would happen.
He tightened his core and inhaled. The next bag of problems was the mere humans that hadn't stepped onto the path. Two decisions clashed against each other. Should he work hard to protect them or should they create an opening and flee.
"Layla," He whispered.
"We need to leave, Ast," Layla clenched her fists. "We can't afford to save everyone, especially now. We simply tear a hole through them and run. The MPDS will be here soon. Once you are caught, you are dead."
"Surely My parents won't allow that," Ast tried. He didn't want to let innocent people die under his watch. That would leave a bad taste in his mouth. It might even birth a demon in his heart. Wait... He could not cultivate anymore.
"Ast!"
Layla made a throwing motion. Her ring lit up and a simple long blade flew out into Ast's grasp. She dropped her hand and a sword fell into her hands as well.
"We cut through them and leave," She slipped into one of her most favourite sword forms. At least it used to be. She had to graft the technique with her understanding to create her unique path.
Her form used to be called: Fluttering Snow Sword. Now it has become something different and unnamed. It became something solely hers.
Snow slowly fell from the skies around. She littered the brown ground with patches of white fluff. Small specs coated the course buildings. The breeze picked up as well.
The people that surrounded them took a few steps back. They now understood that they may have kicked a massive clump of metal.
Jiang noticed the snow. He gazed up and noticed that only a single cloud hovered above his men a few meters in front of him. He squinted and gathered his mind to focus. He felt the slight shift in natural laws as well as the aura of dread permeating from a girl wielding a sword. He instantly knew that the girl was in the Foundation Establishment.
They had fucked up this time. Why didn't he think of that when he was busy pushing these people around. Foundation-Establishment Wayfarers seemed like mortals when they held in their aura. And when they let it slip out a Qi-Gathering wayfarer wouldn't notice it until they are focusing. This would be tough. He should have come with Elijah.
"Everybody, Attack that girl!" Elijah screamed, waving his sword.
The air solidified, forming a massive blade that tore through the mortals. Blood splattered and their intestines spilt into the ground. The stench of their blood was carried over by the wind.
The people watching the commotion from their house immediately closed their windows once they saw what happened. They didn't want to be next.
Ast's eyes twitched once he saw the last of the people die under the bearded man's sword. Why did he have to kill them?
Layla got pissed the moment she saw Jiang kill the people. She didn't want to get involved but the sucker killed them after she revealed herself. That was utter disrespect.
She flicked her blade, and a little dust cloud formed. The patches of snow that had formed on the ground became alive. They morphed into massive spikes that tore through the air, reaching before them in one quick burst of Qi.
Most of them were caught off guard. The spikes punctured their hearts killing them on the spot. The ones that dodged the attack by a hair's breadth, realise that their chances of escaping were null. Adrenaline and desire to win overtook them. Relying on the instincts and teamwork they learned over the years, they made their moves.
One of their men drew his sword and twirled it around. A massive barrier erupted in front of his group. A man behind Layla did the same creating another barrier.
Layla flicked her sword once more. Another burst of ice spikes shot toward the men. This time the barrier acted as a buffer. Her spikes simply dissolved the moment they touched the barrier.
Layla's eyes popped when she saw that her attack was blocked so easily.
"What was the barrier?" She thought as she channelled more qi to the tip of her blade and toes. She tapped the ground. And like a bullet, she shot toward one of the barriers. A layer of frost covered the blade's tip. Underestimating the simple first layer would be a simple mistake for any opponent. The simple layer carried with it enough coldness to freeze an entire lake within a few seconds.
Just as the tip was about to touch the barrier.