Grandmaster.
A realm that surpasses Grandmaster.
Though separated by just one word, the difference is like heaven and earth, one in the mountains and wilds, the other in the sky; one in mud, the other in an abyss!
It is a realm countless people dream of.
Yet, Grandmasters are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns; Bai Zihe had only encountered one in his journey so far.
Hearing Bai Zihe's words, the clone's expression changed drastically.
His deeply sunken eyes stared intently at Bai Zihe, trying to see through him, while a tempest of shock raged within.
This youth, seemingly so young...
Yet his strength was so formidable that he crippled his clone with a single punch.
His insight was so sharp that he instantly saw through his clone's identity and even spoke of the main body's power...
Such discernment already qualified him as a prime amongst Grandmaster-level cultivators.
Just who was this Bai Zihe?
The question lingered in his mind.
"And if I am?"
The Gu cultivator suppressed his shock and sneered, "Even if you can see it, does it mean... you don't have to die?"
Insight is one thing.
Combat ultimately comes down to strength.
Bai Zihe could discern his power, true, but that didn't mean he possessed the strength to contend with a Grandmaster.
This was the Gu cultivator's profound confidence!
Bai Zihe crouched down and smiled faintly, "Your unbridled arrogance stems from your belief that as long as I cannot find your main body, you are invincible."
"Then what if I say..."
"Your main body is about five li to the southwest."
"Can you still be so brazen?"
Bai Zihe's voice was soft.
Yet, it struck the Gu cultivator's ears like a thunderclap, making his scalp tingle and his head buzz!
How did he discover it?
The Gu cultivator looked at Bai Zihe with disbelief, his heart already in turmoil.
"Shu!"
Gritting his teeth, the Gu cultivator hurled a handful of blood-red powder towards Bai Zihe.
He wasn't afraid that Bai Zihe could kill his main body.
Rather, this clone at the Grandmaster realm had also cost him considerable effort, and it would pain him deeply if it were truly lost to Bai Zihe.
After scattering the crimson powder, the Gu cultivator vanished in a streak of blood-red light, choosing to flee.
"Trying to escape..."
Bai Zihe narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them, "Can you escape?"
The next moment, he extended his right hand and clenched it in mid-air!
The blood-red powder before him was all drawn into his palm and dissipated into nothingness.
Then, Bai Zihe unleashed a punch towards the ground!
RUMBLE—
The immense power struck the earth, like mountains colliding, shaking the heavens and earth instantaneously.
At the same time, not far away, a figure convulsed and fell from the void onto the ground. It was the Gu cultivator who had just fled.
Blood trickled from his lips, and he weakly raised his head, pointing at Bai Zihe as if to say something.
He opened his mouth, but instead spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, then slumped to the ground, devoid of any breath.
Dead!
After killing the clone, Bai Zihe sped directly towards Jiangdong Provincial City.
He wasn't afraid of a Grandmaster.
But with the Martial Arts Competition imminent and the Zhou family coveting him, if Bai Zihe were absent, he feared the Zhou family's ancestor might vent his anger, putting Long Qinglian and his second senior sister in danger. This was something he did not wish to see.
In a hidden cave far away.
Sat a burly man with red hair and white eyebrows.
Gu worms occasionally crawled across his neck and the cuffs of his sleeves, clearly indicating he was also a Gu cultivator.
However, this man's skin was full and ruddy, brimming with vitality.
He was vastly different from ordinary Gu cultivators!
This was the power of a Grandmaster!
The instant Bai Zihe killed his clone.
"Pfft—"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, a backlash!
Then.
The man's eyes snapped open, like a lightning bolt streaking across the night sky, instantly causing thunder to rumble and the heavens to churn, bathing the cave in a brilliant light!
Lightning flickered within, terrifying.
"Bai Zihe..."
"You killed my clone, injured my soul..."
"If I do not kill you, I shall be devoured by ten thousand Gu worms, dying a miserable death for three lifetimes and seven generations!"
His hateful words echoed.
Everything within the cave exploded into dust.
Dust billowed outwards, and only after a long while did it settle, covering the ground in a thick layer!
Then.
His mouth opened wide, and he inhaled sharply, like a colossal abyss unsealing itself, ready to devour all existence!
The flowers, grasses, trees, and plants on the entire mountain withered visibly, quickly turning to ash on the ground.
The snakes, insects, birds, and beasts on the mountain shriveled rapidly, their life essence instantly drained, leaving behind shriveled corpses.
In mere moments.
The once vibrant mountain wilderness transformed into a land of death.
This, was the power of a Grandmaster!