"Are you Jiang Yun?"
At the moment when Jiang Yun acknowledged his identity, Xia Qing's face turned pale. His aura locked onto Jiang Yun like quicksilver, instantly filling the air with a dominating pressure that was so powerful it seemed to ripple through the very atmosphere.
Jiang Yun immediately sensed an overwhelmingly strong presence locking onto him. Cold sweat broke out on his face as he felt the pressure compressing the air around him. In less than a breath's time, the space around his body became a vacuum, making even breathing difficult.
Feng Lun and Liu Yi witnessed everything. As Xia Qing's aura began to change, Jiang Yun's complexion grew pale, and his breath started to quicken.
Jiang Yun's lips moved slightly, as if he said something, but in the vacuum that surrounded him, sound couldn't travel. The three present could naturally not hear what he was trying to say.
As an outer disciple of the Sky Sword Sect, facing the pressure from Xia Qing, Feng Lun couldn't just stand by. He took a step forward, releasing his own aura, which collided with Xia Qing's.
Bang!
Jiang Yun seemed to hear a muffled collision sound. The vacuum around him was finally breached, and air rushed back into the enclosed space. His mouth opened, his nose twitched, and he immediately breathed in the air in front of him.
Though Feng Lun's strength was only at the pinnacle of the Ninth Layer of the Xuanwu Realm, there was still a significant gap between him and Xia Qing's Third Layer of the Empty Martial Realm. However, Feng Lun had comprehended the Sword Intent, allowing him to instantly break through Xia Qing's aura when he wasn't prepared.
"Elder Feng? Are you standing up for him?" Xia Qing's face remained grim. His aura still hadn't receded. Within about ten seconds of Feng Lun breaking the vacuum, he had repaired the air around Jiang Yun.
"Elder Xia, I've made it quite clear. The matter between your disciple and Jiang Yun has been resolved through mutual discussions between the two factions. Your disciple was in the wrong initially, and Jiang Yun was punished as a result. He was confined to the library for three months. If you continue to pursue this, it'll be seen as provoking our Sky Sword Sect."
Feng Lun wasn't particularly good-tempered either. Seeing Xia Qing's aggressive stance, he was only focused on venting Jiang Yun's frustrations. Moreover, with this unfolding right under his nose, if he allowed Xia Qing to take action while he remained passive, it would damage his reputation.
"Feng Lun, don't think I don't know the tricks your Sky Sword Sect plays. Keeping someone in the library for three months is considered a punishment? Hmph, I'd say it's a reward. Today, I must seek justice for my disciple..."
"Having said this, Xia Qing's confinement of Jiang Yun's space held him immobile. Inside the vacuum, Jiang Yun couldn't move a finger, but he divided a portion of his focus to resist against Feng Lun's aura.
"Elder Xia, you're a guest from afar, and I shouldn't lay hands on you, but if you insist on making things difficult for Jiang Yun, don't blame me for being impolite to a guest."
Within the vacuum, Jiang Yun's body was motionless. He couldn't breathe, and he couldn't hear what Feng Lun and Xia Qing were saying. His eyes were the only senses capturing the scene unfolding before him.
After Feng Lun spoke, his clothing fluttered despite the lack of wind. A three-foot-long sword appeared in his hand seemingly out of nowhere. While the sword appeared unremarkable, its power in Feng Lun's hands was formidable.
Feng Lun held the sword and made a sweeping motion towards the restriction in front of Jiang Yun. A visible tear opened up in the vacuum, and air rushed in, restoring Jiang Yun's senses.
However, Xia Qing was determined to teach Jiang Yun a lesson and wouldn't let him off that easily.
"Hmph, it seems Elder Feng is forcing me to take action against you."
Xia Qing snorted. Though Feng Lun's sword had shattered the restriction Xia Qing had placed around Jiang Yun, his expression hardly changed. He knew Jiang Yun's abilities went beyond just this.
Following Feng Lun's sword swing, Jiang Yun regained his senses. He tried to move within the vacuum, but at that moment, he saw Xia Qing casually point a finger towards his chest. In an instant, he felt a surge of energy enter his body through his chest, locking down all of his internal energy.
As his internal energy was locked, a tickle formed in Jiang Yun's throat, and he coughed up blood. His legs weakened, and he would have fallen if Liu Yi hadn't swiftly caught him.
Feng Lun witnessed it all, his expression growing uglier. Xia Qing was disciplining Jiang Yun right in front of him. This was akin to ignoring his presence. As one of the top experts in the Sky Sword Sect, he felt as if he had been slapped in the face.
"Xia Qing, you're pushing it too far."
As the words fell, Feng Lun's aura surged. His sword trembled in his hand, and the energy on the blade intensified. With a swift movement, he closed in on Xia Qing, sword aimed at him.
Xia Qing's body sank, and his feet stomped on the ground. Ripples appeared in the air beneath his feet, and he instantly disappeared from where he had been standing, avoiding Feng Lun's sword.
Xia Qing was, after all, a martial artist of the Empty Martial Realm. His mastery of space manipulation far exceeded Feng Lun's. In a real confrontation, while Feng Lun's sword intent was formidable, reaching the Fourth Layer of intent, he still had no chance against Xia Qing. The difference in their cultivation levels was just too pronounced.
Of course, their lightning-fast exchange was too quick for Liu Yi and Jiang Yun to fully follow. They saw two different-colored auras chasing each other. Feng Lun's aura was a sharp, crimson-colored streak, while Xia Qing's was a deep, circular green. Although the red aura appeared to be actively pursuing the green one, it was clear that Xia Qing had the upper hand.
However, Jiang Yun understood that as a practitioner of Sword Intent, Feng Lun's kind focused solely on offense. Their approach was to attack relentlessly, as offense was the best defense.
After observing, Jiang Yun noticed that Feng Lun's red aura was gradually losing its momentum after a few exchanges, indicating that even after just a few rounds, Feng Lun was falling behind. The speed of the red aura was clearly slowing down.