The whole sky carried the scent of gunpowder, smoking and tense as the dust cloud created by the explosion covered the air. This eerie mood continued right up to the point when the powdery substances cleared up, but what it showed was something most wouldnât have expected.
Standing across from the proud woman was none other than Keeper Ling, but unlike before where heâs arrogant and conceited, heâs a ragged mess with his clothes mostly torn and ripped in all corners. Thereâs blood slowly spreading out from the corner of his mouth and a look of horror along that old face.
How can it be......
She couldnât have made the breakthrough all that long ago, how can she wield so much power in one attack?
Of course, the idea of Bai Ning forcibly enhancing her own strength through underhanded means did occur as well, but considering Keeper Lingâs experience and awareness, the old fella was confident he would be able to pick up the unstable factor of someone going down that route.
In other words, the power shown was the real deal in his view!
âKeeper Ling, do you now believe Iâm no longer the same person as I was back then?â Smiling in the face, Bai Ningâs aura continued to grow as she spoke, âNot only can I deal with you now, I do it with ease! As for the Celestial Palace.... Just wait, I will go settle the debt sooner or later!â
The old Keeperâs heart trembled at the threat, causing his hands to tighten into a ball.
âNow you can scram! By the way, go back and tell your peers to tidy themselves up for me. I, Bai Ning, will personally settle the score with each and every one of them!â The womanâs voice may be mild and indifferent, but itâs strong and powerful to the ear like a drumroll to the other side.
Thatâs all Keeper Ling needed to hear though. He didnât argue, nor did he leave a sinister remark before leaving, he merely turned and left in silence. The old manâs ashamed, ashamed of himself for fearing for his own life despite all the moral values he kept spouting...
âMadam,â Winger mutters from the side, âwhy are we letting him go?â
The question was good, a reasonable one at that; however, it was First Elder who spoke up to answer it instead of the woman herself.
âMadam Bai Ning, if Iâm not mistaken, you mustâve taken a special drug to forcibly enhance your powers, didnât you? And that drug, itâs only viable for one attack, is that why you let him leave?â
Thatâs to say, the raging storm of an attack Bai Ning did just now was indeed done at the help of outside materials, just that itâs very special and unique to the point where Keeper Ling didnât realize it due to his stunned mindset. If the old grumpy Keeper had insisted and had a stronger spirit to fight, he wouldâve immediately exposed the deception.
âYes First Elder, I did take a special Dan pill for that attack I used. Iâm like that Keeper Ling, both at the middle stage of the Demi Divine Lord level. He canât break through my defense, nor hurt the people behind me if I insist on blocking him.â
Naturally she wouldnât have done this if she could kill in one blow, but thatâs simply too hard....
âAlso, I took into consideration of the current fighting force we have. My daughter is not around and my son-in-law is wounded as you can see. In that case, I feared my prolonged battle with Keeper Ling would draw out the other Keepers in the Celestial Palace. By then the tide would change and we would be on the defensive again and likely unable to cope with the other sideâs reinforcement.â
Then smirking mischievously like sheâs a fox as well, Bai Ning clearly felt proud at what sheâs achieved: âSo, I took advantage of his mindset and offered him a retreat. I knew he would be shocked by my incredible growth and would waver. Itâs a gamble and it worked.â
âI understand now Grandmother!â Di Ling Yan starts giggling like a little child, âGrandmother is so smart, scaring that scary old man away!â
âLing Yan is so clever.â Bai Ning also starts to chuckle at the sight and went ahead to pinch her grandchildâs nose as a tease.
Proudly cocking her head high, the praise was definitely working on the princess: âThat is of course, I am Motherâs daughter so of course Iâm clever.â
In the mind of this little pipsqueak, Bai Yan was the smartest human being out there. As the genetic heir of said being, sheâs bound to be smart as well!
Bai Ning kept smiling, but it didnât stop her from sighing deeply at the mention of her own missing daughter: âBut my plan wonât last for too long. Those Keepers from the Celestial Palace are going to come back sooner or later, it will only delay the inevitable battle. So, we need to first wake my son-in-law up and help recover, then the issue wonât be a issue anymore.â