Chapter 035 - Primordial Birth of Heaven and Earth, Divine Sea Steadies the Vast Lands! (3)
A wave of anticipation surged through the gathered masses, each participating disciple's heartbeat thundering in their chests.
Yao Manxue's gaze swept across the crowd before settling on the one hundred and twenty talented individuals of the First Sword Peak.
"The first round of battles will see last year's Eight Swords Conclave champions facing the eighth-place contenders. Representatives from the First Sword Peak and the Sword Pavilion, please make your way to the battlefield for the Grand Conclave!"
Her declaration echoed ominously, a stark reminder of the clash that had once been the pinnacle of the Eight Swords Conclave three years ago, now seemingly reduced to a farcical spectacle. Regardless, traditions held strong, and the ceremonial duel had to proceed.
Urging his fellow disciples with a flourish, Ye Tianyuan cast aside the gloom that had clouded his spirit the night before, exuding an energetic vibe and a predatory desire for battle, mirroring the grandeur of the First Sword Venerable.
"Junior Sister Jiang, after you!"
"Yes!" Jiang Yue replied.
Ye Tianyuan and Jiang Yue, together with one hundred and twenty disciples from the First Sword Peak, descended onto the battlefield with a synchrony that bespoke of power and grace.
Young Sword Cultivators, effulgent and gallant, stood together. Dressed in billowing robes that danced with the gentle breeze, they radiated a sharp aura that intertwined and pulsated like the beating heart of the earth. Adorning their backs was the embroidered character One—a bold statement proclaiming their superiority over all others.
"Present and accounted for, one hundred and twenty disciples of the First Sword Peak!" Ye Tianyuan announced with vigor, his voice reverberating across the mountains, a testament to their valiant spirit and soaring ambitions.
Grandiose! Heroic! An embodiment of dreams and envy, they stood there as luminous as the noonday sun, the quintessence of the First Sword Peak's splendor.
Then, Yao Manxue's voice sliced through the charged atmosphere like a blade, her words tinged with a scorn that was as palpable as it was visible in her disdainful glance towards Zhao Xuanran, "Disciples of the Sword Pavilion, you have twenty breaths to enter the battlefield, or automatically be disqualified!"
A sudden hush enveloped the gathering, an oppressive silence that echoed louder than any words.
"Over the past three years, the Sword Pavilion's ranks have dwindled, leaving only Senior Sister Zhao to compete last year."
"And this year, there's no one!"
Within the seven Sword Peaks, many had once been disciples of the Sword Pavilion. Yet now, they stood on the Conclave Mountain, fighting for other Sword Peaks. Remaining in the Sword Pavilion seemed a path leading nowhere, a cruel and harsh reality that left many sighing in resignation, helpless but to lament the passage of time.
At this moment, the only sounds to be heard were the cold, aloof laughter from the disciples of the First Sword Peak, interspersed with the occasional sighs of regret.
Yet, just when the reality seemed to settle, the heavens split open, giving way to a streak of azure light that descended from the sky!
Yun Xiao arrived, riding his sword!
HUM! Dressed in flowing white robes, he descended gracefully, a solitary figure accompanied by his sword, stirring up a tempest as he landed before the one hundred and twenty proud disciples of the First Sword Peak. With the might of the Divine Sea Realm, he transformed the battlefield into a maelstrom of flying sands and pebbles.
As all eyes widened in shock, the young man in white danced in the wind, his long hair fluttering like a banner of defiance. His eyes shone with the brilliance of the brightest stars, his face mirrored the celestial grace, and his presence exuded the ethereal beauty of clouds drifting in the highest heavens.
"The Sword Pavilion enters the fray! Expected, one person. Present, one person!" Yun Xiao announced, his voice booming like a dragon's roar, echoing through the Conclave Mountain, resonating in every individual's very soul.
"So cool!" From among the First Sword Peak's ranks, a young girl couldn't contain herself. Her eyes twinkled with stars as she yelled from the depths of her being.
SWOOSH! Heads turned towards her in unison. Feeling the piercing gazes, she hurriedly stammered an explanation, her voice tinged with fear, "Err... I-I meant Senior Brother Ye Tianyuan..." Before she could finish her statement, the Conclave Mountain erupted into a tumultuous uproar.
"Holy smokes!"
"Damn, this guy's truly a divine beauty!"
With godly looks accompanied by an equally godly entrance, even many of the men present found their hearts stirred, swept up in the undeniable charisma that seemed to resonate with everyone who beheld the sight. It was a scene that captured hearts, transcending barriers, uniting them all in awe and admiration.
"In terms of looks alone, this young man single-handedly overshadows those one hundred and twenty from across the field."
Though appearance often held little merit on the path of immortality, the striking visual impact it could occasionally offer was, indeed, soul-stirring. Yet, even more astounding was Yun Xiao's valor.
Announcing himself as the sole participant, Yun Xiao exhibited a mettle akin to one willing to face countless adversaries alone, dwarfing the prowess of the one hundred and twenty elite Sword Cultivators of the First Sword Peak with his mere presence and a single sword.
The whole venue quaked with excitement! A year ago, Zhao Xuanran had done the same, her bravery earning the respect of many. To die defending one's dignity sounded simple, yet who could truly achieve it?
People had assumed that no one from the Sword Pavilion would dare to risk death like this again. Yet at this moment, the young man in white stood tall with an even grander demeanor, effortlessly suppressing the formidable cultivators of the First Sword Peak. His face radiated confidence, as if he commanded an unseen army of thousands behind him.
"Did he realize the thousand-year-old demon bone was too good for him and decide to hand-deliver it to Tianyuan instead?" Yao Manxue couldn't help but laugh after a brief moment of shock.
Yao Manxue glanced back to find Ye Tiance sharing her astonishment, before he broke into a grin, remarking, "Interesting."
"Indeed, a thousand-year-old demon bone is quite a valuable item." Yao Manxue nodded.
"Yeah, now that the meat is delivered to our doorstep, we won't let it slip away," Ye Tiance's cold eyes flickered menacingly.
At this point, every Sword Cultivator on Conclave Mountain was still marveling at Yun Xiao's bravery.
The buzz of conversation grew louder. Though everyone knew he was headed for a tragic end, defending the honor of the Sword Pavilion like a moth to a flame, his courage and determination had already won the admiration of many Sword Cultivators.
Ye Tiance observed all this, a growing irritation festering within him. What he despised the most were the unyielding spirits within the Sword Pavilion. First, it was Zhao Jianxing and the seven prodigies of the Sword Pavilion, followed by Zhao Xuanran, and now, this young and seemingly naive Yun Xiao. Though he was smiling, his anger was palpable.
"Begin!" Ye Tiance moved to the rear of the stage, where a stone pillar stood.
BANG!! With a forceful strike, he smacked the stone pillar. As the pillar sunk, the entire Conclave Mountain began to tremor.
HUM! Suddenly, intricate sword patterns appeared on the battlefield, intertwining and forming a semi-spherical array that encapsulated the combat zone.
Yun Xiao and the one hundred and twenty prideful disciples of the First Sword Peak found themselves trapped within.
"The Sword Sealing Formation!" The crowd gasped in shock. With the formation in effect, no one outside could intervene in the battlefield. As for who had activated it, everyone's eyes turned unanimously towards the stage. There stood Ye Tiance, a smug grin on his face, hands held behind his back in a relaxed manner, the picture of cruel amusement etched onto his features.
"But that's not right, is it? The Sword Sealing Formation can only be initiated with the agreement from both sides, and the Sword Pavilion hasn't consented!" a spectator cried out, the raw frustration in his voice echoing in the space, a stark contrast to the sneers of those who supported the formation's activation.
"Exactly! How could the First Sword Venerable take such unilateral action...?" another chimed in, their voice carrying the collective disbelief of many who gathered there. All gazes converged on the members of the Sword Pavilion, finding them as stunned as the rest.
Ye Tiance! What do you think you're doing?" Grandpa Qin thundered, the veins on his temples throbbing ominously.
Ye Tiance merely leaned in, his smile widening with faux innocence. "Doing what? Wasn't it your request to activate the Sword Sealing Formation?" he asked, his voice dripping with mockery.
Grandpa Qin's face turned a furious shade of red, contrasting vividly with his white hair. "You're talking nonsense! We said no such thing!" he retorted, the anger bubbling within him threatening to explode.
The crowd seemed to be caught in a whirlpool of lies and deceit as Ye Tiance cast a sly glance at them, fueling the flames further. "Oh, that can't be right. I clearly heard you request it. Could it be that I misheard?" he asked, an infuriating grin still playing on his face. "After all, it seems many here heard the Sword Pavilion request the formation's activation, didn't they?"
"You're right! I also heard that blind fool requesting the Sword Sealing Formation be activated," Yao Manxue said, a cruel laugh playing on her lips.
"Nope, I heard it too!"
"That blind old fart's already gone senile. I clearly heard him."
In an instant, many people from the First, Third, and Sixth Sword Peaks started chiming in.
"Those from the Sword Pavilion, stop stirring up trouble. I heard it too." the Seventh Sword Venerable, Zhang Jian, added fuel to the fire with his indifferent agreement.
Grandpa Qin's face alternated between shades of purple and white, and with a choked sound of sheer outrage, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Grandpa Qin!" Qin Tong and the other younger disciples around him panicked, their faces reflecting their mounting fear and frustration.
Amid the chaos, Cai Maomao's eyes filled with tears as he turned to Zhao Xuanran. "Senior Sister Zhao, what do we do now? Yun Xiao is trapped inside!" he cried, his voice tinged with desperation. It was a repeat of last year. Except this time, the First Sword Peak was even more shameless.
"It's fine..." Zhao Xuanran stood, frozen, her eyes fixed on the spectacle inside the formation where the fate of the brave Yun Xiao hung in the balance. Within the barrier, the young man in white seemed momentarily stunned before his gaze met Zhao Xuanran's. A smile blossomed on his face, a radiant grin that seemed utterly harmless.
But Yun Xiao wasn't the only one smiling. The one hundred and twenty arrogantly confident prodigies from the First Sword Peak were also smiling, their laughter echoing ominously within the sealed arena. Their mirth was unbridled, a wild display of hubris and cruelty.
"Yun Xiao, do you know? On this very day last year, your Senior Sister Zhao met her defeat right here inside this Sword Sealing Formation. Each one of us landed a blow on her, she was covered in blood, her sword robe stained entirely in red..." Ye Tianyuan spoke with a sinister chuckle that echoed ominously around them.
"I remember too, I even struck her twice, hehe..." The Sword Venerable's sixth disciple, Xia Huai, shrugged with a sly grin.
"She was too arrogant, daring to fight one hundred and twenty of us all by herself. If it weren't for our Sword Venerable's order to spare the Sect Master's daughter, she wouldn't even know how many times she would have died, you get me?"
"And you, Yun Xiao, are not the son of the Sect Master!"
"So, I'm afraid your pretty skin is about to be peeled off, hahaha..."
But amid the hyena-like laughter and the waves of cruelty, one figure remained silent. Jiang Yue alone refrained from joining in the disgraceful display, her face a portrait of solemnity in a sea of gloating smiles. Her gaze, cold and detached, settled upon Yun Xiao, as if dissecting him from the throng with surgical precision.
With a resonant sound that sliced through the mounting cacophony, she unsheathed her Ice Moon Sword Soul, a blade that gleamed with a chilling luster under the open sky. Pointing it towards Yun Xiao, the depths of her eyes flickered with a murderous intent so profound, it seemed to darken the surroundings momentarily. In her mind, Yun Xiao was but a stain on her grand journey of cultivation, a blemish that marred her otherwise immaculate path to immortality.
Behind Yun Xiao stood the Rank Four Sword Inheritance Stone, an emblem of glory and ascension. She envisioned herself stepping over his lifeless body, an act that would symbolize her meteoric rise, her transcendence, free from the haunting specter of past failures. A perfect launchpad to the stars, purged of nightmarish memories, cleansed in the most ruthless manner possible.
She refused to allow Yun Xiao, the young man who had cast a shadow over her brightest moments not once, but twice, to breathe even a moment longer. He was a specter, a recurring nightmare that needed to be extinguished without mercy.
And so, her voice cut through the raucous crowd, a clarion call that resonated with the weight of her hatred, the vehemence of her anger, echoing like a death knell in the charged atmosphere. The vow that escaped her lips promised not just death but a bounty for it, a contract sealed in blood and vengeance.
"Whoever kills him will receive one hundred Divine Sea Pills from me, Jiang Yue, within the next five years!" she proclaimed, her voice ringing out, a harsh contrast to the roaring laughter that filled the air moments before.
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