Chapter 126: Chapter 124 Qingzhou Martial Immortal
“Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”
A round-faced, cute female cultivator asked in surprise.
Liu Xingyu shook her head and said, “It’s… it’s nothing, just got distracted for a moment.”
“Oh?”
Another cultivator from the Star Moon Pavilion teased with a smile, “Is there actually something that can distract our great Senior Sister? Could it be that you’ve taken a fancy to some handsome young man in Qingzhou City?”
“Naughty girl, don’t talk nonsense!”
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Liu Xingyu chided with a smile, but at that moment, she saw Ning Daoran playfully wrestling with the neck of a White Deer.
Suddenly, Liu Xingyu fell into deep thought.
This person seemed unremarkable and was accompanied by a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Beast; he didn’t seem like her type.
But why did his silhouette seem so familiar?
Indistinctly, she even felt a slight palpitation in her heart.
“Yo, it’s a Fellow Daoist from the Star Moon Pavilion.”
Zhao Lichen coughed and beckoned everyone to go over and greet them.
Everyone exchanged names.
‘Damn, why is it her?’
Ning Daoran felt apprehensive in his heart.
‘So his name is Ning Daoran…’
Liu Xingyu stared at Ning Daoran for a long while, firmly imprinting that name in her memory.
She had already planned to find out more about this man when she returned – his background, his age, whether he was married…
‘Ah? Wait a minute…’
Her cheeks suddenly grew warm – why did she suddenly think about whether he was married?
“Senior Sister Liu.”
Han Bing’s expression was off; she frowned and said, “Why do you keep staring at my Senior Brother Ning? Does he have flowers on his face?”
“There’s… there’s none…”
Liu Xingyu quickly replied, “Sister Han, don’t misunderstand; I was just distracted by the lanterns over there.”
“I see.”
Zhao Lichen said with a smile, “Liu Xingyu, when we first met, we were both at the Early Stage of Qi Refining. It’s been dozens of years, and now we’ve both reached Foundation Establishment. I never expected you to become the top Senior Sister of the Purple Mist Peak in the Star Moon Pavilion.”
“Yes.”
Liu Xingyu exchanged pleasantries with a smile.
Ning Daoran had no interest in eavesdropping and continued to enjoy the lanterns with Han Bing and the White Deer.
Lin Sheng and Lin Zhuojun discussed the insights of the True Yang Furnace Technique as they walked along.
It was rare for the two of them to travel together and they did not want to miss this opportunity to improve their cultivation.
Zhao Lichen was like a torrent of words, reminiscing without end.
Liu Xingyu couldn’t find it in herself to interrupt and could only covertly glance in Ning Daoran’s direction from the corner of her eye.
…
The next day, the Qingzhou Competition.
It was a grand gathering of cultivators, and even ordinary folks joined in the excitement.
The exterior was filled with stalls selling fruits and pastries, bustling with activity.
In the inner city, a grand arena sprawled in front of the City Lord Mansion, with each major Sect occupying their own seating area.
Members of the Chaotic Sect arrived early and sat in the southeast corner under Gongyang Yan’s lead.
Soon after, various Sects began to enter.
However, as a group of cultivators in blue garments stepped into the arena, Gongyang Yan’s expression suddenly changed.
It was the people from the Jiuyun Sect.
Although the Jiuyun Sect had a hand in the Qingzhou Cultivation World, they still belonged to Kuizhou.
The fact that the Jiuyun Sect sent people to participate in the Qingzhou Competition was quite telling.
“Is that Late-stage Foundation Establishment Disciple possibly Zong Tianxing, the True Disciple of the Jiuyun Sect?” someone suddenly said.
“Zong Tianxing is the top-ranked True Disciple of the Jiuyun Sect. By sending Zong Tianxing here… could it be for that Dust-falling Pill?”
An Elder from the Star Moon Pavilion showed a look of displeasure.
Gongyang Yan’s gaze began to turn icy.
Originally, the Chaotic Sect had a good chance of coming out on top in this competition.
A battle between righteous and evil caused Qingzhou’s two top Sects, the Sea Burning Sect and the Soul Devouring Sect, to fall into a slump, and as a first-class Sect, the Chaotic Sect was supposedly the only one qualified to pick the fruit of victory.
Who would have thought that the Jiuyun Sect would unabashedly send a core True Disciple like Zong Tianxing to participate in the Qingzhou Competition, all for that Dust-falling Pill?
This pill, jointly funded by the Ten Great Immortal Sects and the Court, was exceedingly rare.
Now, the Jiuyun Sect’s actions were tantamount to seizing a top resource that originally belonged to Qingzhou.
“Master.”
Meng Xiao said with a cold gaze, “Rest assured, even if Zong Tianxing has come, the championship may not necessarily be theirs.”
“Either way, you all need to be extra careful.”
Gongyang Yan’s eyes were stern, full of concern.
The Jiuyun Sect, having dominated Kuizhou for many years, had an incredibly deep foundation.
They sent a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Disciple and three Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Disciples to participate in the Qingzhou Competition, seemingly determined to win the Dust-falling Pill.
Lin Sheng, Lin Zhuojun, Zhao Lichen, and others also had grim expressions.
Everyone understood the significance and none had expected the Jiuyun Sect to be so ruthless.
Ning Daoran stood with his arms folded.
His gaze swept over to the main seats in the distant stands, where one was an Elder of the Jiuyun Sect, and the other was the Qingzhou Martial Immortal Chen Li, whom he had met once.
Clearly, the Jiuyun Sect’s ability to send people to participate in the Qingzhou Competition had something to do with this Qingzhou Martial Immortal.
There might be numerous ties of mutual benefit between them.
Of course, these were not things he, a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Chaotic Sect, could influence.
…
Before long, the competition was about to begin.
The lineup was extremely unfavorable for the Chaotic Sect; most of their matches were against the Jiuyun Sect.
Even Meng Xiao, who held high hopes, encountered Zong Tianxing in the second round.
A Mid-stage Foundation Establishment against a Late-stage Foundation Establishment – the odds of winning were slim!
In the first match, Lin Sheng faced a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment disciple from the Jiuyun Sect.
After only three rounds, the opponent brought out a Second-Order Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact Magic Sword with fierce and rampant Sword Qi.
‘Lin Sheng, concede immediately.’
From the stage, Gongyang Yan sent a telepathic message.
If the fight continued, Lin Sheng might die; the opponent’s eyes were already filled with killing intent.
As a result, Lin Sheng still fought three more moves, each time finding himself at a disadvantage, suffering an injury on his shoulder, and his sleeve turning a bright red.
The second match, Meng Xiao against Zong Tianxing.
In the martial arts arena, various magic artifacts and spiritual artifacts flew about, with both contenders being the number one true disciples of their respective sects; naturally, both aimed to shine in this grand Qingzhou competition.
As a result, although Meng Xiao had a profound understanding of magic and did not lose in terms of the quality or quantity of spiritual artifacts, he still fell short by a minor realm.
After more than a dozen rounds, Zong Tianxing brought out an ancient cauldron, directly smashing Meng Xiao until he spat out blood.
“It’s actually a magical treasure!”
An elder from the Star Moon Pavilion exclaimed in shock, “The Jiuyun Sect really spares no expense, even granting their true inheritor a third-tier magical treasure!”
“Meng child, concede immediately!”
Gongyang Yan bellowed unarguably.
Losing in the grand Qingzhou competition was acceptable, but Meng Xiao could not die—he was the hope of the Chaotic Sect’s future.
The mood of the crowd gradually became more subdued.
This grand Qingzhou competition seemed to have turned into a one-act show by the Jiuyun Sect.
Afterward, Lin Zhuojun and Zhao Lichen also succumbed to defeat one after another.
Fortunately, Han Bing faced a junior brother from the Steel Gate Sect and defeated him after a dozen moves, salvaging some face.
In the last match, Ning Daoran faced an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Jiuyun Sect.
“Junior Brother Ning.”
Lin Sheng furrowed his brows, “You’re not adept at magical combat, so if you find yourself at a disadvantage later, concede immediately. Don’t try to be a hero.”
“Understood.”
Ning Daoran floated down, dressed in second-order Profound Flame Armor, wielding the Qiushui Sword in his hand.
“Tsks tsk, wearing second-tier top-grade spiritual armor inside…”
The opponent, a lean cultivator, sneered, “This junior brother, I heard you possess the skills of a third-tier spirit farmer, isn’t Chaotic Sect too unimpressive? Sending even a third-tier spirit cultivator into the fray, really got no one else?”
Ning Daoran didn’t speak but took direct action.
Instead of immediately wielding his spiritual artifact to attack, he pulled out a bunch of talismans from his chest.
“Talismans?”
The lean cultivator tensed slightly: “You dare show off mere first-tier talismans? How laughable.”
Ning Daoran started throwing the talismans.
He threw ten in one go!
“Holy shit!”
The lean cultivator was startled. Can you even play like that?
In the blink of an eye, the platform was filled with flying talismans, a heap of first-tier talismans hounding his opponent relentlessly, giving no chance to strike back.
“This…”
In the stands, a Golden Core elder from the Jiuyun Sect and Qingzhou’s Martial Immortal Chen Li both frowned—was he planning to kill his opponent with spirit stones?
Soon, the pale complexion of the lean cultivator grew even more ghastly.
Although he also wielded a defense spiritual artifact, it couldn’t withstand his opponent’s barrage of talismans!
Throwing over a hundred first-tier talismans in a single breath—who could withstand that?
Eventually, with an indignant look on his face, he leaped out of the competition arena himself: “I lost, junior brother is truly wealthy!”
For a moment, the disciples and elders of the Jiuyun Sect wore mocking expressions.
A third-tier spirit farmer elder from the Chaotic Sect, winning by throwing talismans, what kind of skill was that?
The first day of the competition ended.
Chaotic Sect nearly faced complete annihilation, only Ning Daoran and Han Bing managed to keep their flames alive.
However, the possibility for Ning Daoran and Han Bing to vie for that Dust-falling Pill was practically non-existent.
That night, Martial Immortal Chen Li held a banquet in the City Lord Mansion, entertaining the elders of the various sects.
Unexpectedly, the banquet was far from pleasant, with everyone on edge.
In a heated exchange of words, Gongyang Yan’s thunderous rage exploded, and he dashed his wine cup to the floor.
He cursed at Chen Li, claiming that if not for Immortal Chen’s nod of approval, how could Jiuyun Sect’s disciples from Kuizhou participate in our grand Qingzhou competition?
He even had a conflict with a Golden Core cultivator from the Jiuyun Sect named Daoist Yun Yan, and they almost came to blows.
Thankfully, elders from Star Moon Pavilion, Steel Gate Sect, Purple Cloud Sect, and other sects broke up the fight, or else the banquet might have turned into a Golden Core battle.
Gongyang Yan was inherently hot-tempered and couldn’t stand such humiliation.
Late at night, an irate Gongyang Yan returned to the hostel.
The moon shone brightly, casting a myriad of luminous beams throughout the city.
Hostel.
By the windowsill, Ning Daoran sat with closed eyes, emitting a faint power of the Evergreen Technique from his body.
On his waist, a vine ball trembled.
Within that vine ball, another Ning Daoran was seated at the front of a wooden hut, scrutinizing a handbook, still engrossed in the mysteries of the White Feather Flowing Sound Array’s inheritance.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, he slowly lifted his head.
Behind the hostel lay a dense forest, where his several double-eyed spiders, placed in the woods, seemed to sense a swift breeze passing by—someone was rapidly approaching the hostel from the forest.
Then, an overwhelmingly powerful blood qi exploded within the hostel!
“Swish!”
A streak of silver-white blade light burst forth, instantly splitting the back wall into two, followed by a surge of strong Golden Core energy within the hostel!
“This is bad!”
Ning Daoran’s heart sank. Someone was trying to assassinate Gongyang Yan!
Without a second thought, he instantly flew out of the Spirit Garden Cave Heaven, changed into a dark robe, disguised as a svelte young man, grasped the Azure Dragon Spear, and wore a fighter’s hat as he slipped into the Earth Tunneling technique.
Meanwhile, the Class A Paperfolk alter ego swiftly traversed the area, straight toward the Great Elder’s residence.
“Nephew Ning, be careful!”
Inside the hostel was chaos; the Great Elder clutched his blood-drenched chest, while several swirling spiritual artifacts protected him and he frowned, “This man is a Baodan Realm martial artist, not to be underestimated!”
The paperfolk quickly summoned two spiritual artifacts to shield the side.
“Hmph!”
In the shadows, the martial artist, wielding a bloody blade, had a cold gaze.
He seemed to realize that the failure to kill his enemy in one blow had cost him the best opportunity, flipped over and turned into a phantom, sweeping into the forest and vanished in a flash.
Under the starlight, the man raced for dozens of miles, entering a desolate mountain.
He impatiently tore off his mask, and the skin and muscles on his face continually reshaped, becoming another face—it was none other than Qingzhou’s Martial Immortal Chen Li!
“That Gongyang Yan actually has a magic treasure-level inner armor to protect himself, today you’re lucky!”
Chen Li’s eyes were cold, filled with immense regret.
He had been so close to beheading Gongyang Yan with a single slash!
“Rustle…”
But at that moment, a figure holding a long spear emerged from the forest. The man was slender, wearing a fighter’s hat, cloaked in a dark robe.