Chapter 115: Chapter 111: Certain to Die
The crowd of onlookers was abuzz with discussion, sizing up Du Youqian.
"What a dashingly handsome young man! So young, and already successful in Foundation Establishment. I heard he was raised as a reserve Furnace Cauldron, achieving Foundation Establishment despite having his resources strictly controlled. That’s no small feat. Let this old man perform a Divination for him and see if he can win today."
A Cultivator with a salt-and-pepper beard but skin as smooth and delicate as a young man’s said this loudly, making no attempt to hide his admiration.
His forehead was deeply sunken, as if someone had struck him with a hammer. However, those who knew him understood it was a result of his Cultivation of a special Cultivation Technique.
Many people wondered silently, ’Why is this old ancestor here too?’
After taking out a set of Divination tools and manipulating them with a dazzlingly complex series of movements, the old ancestor exclaimed, "Oh no! It’s an omen of certain death! Is this heroic and handsome young man truly fated to perish here today?"
Hearing the old ancestor’s words, many people’s eyes lit up. They rushed toward a handsome man with a long, narrow face and phoenix eyes, who was wearing a True Inheritance Dharma Robe. They shouted one after another, "Brother Lao! Brother Lao! I’m betting 10 Spiritual Jade on this Yu Fei to win!"
"5 Spiritual Jade on Yu Fei!"
"My whole fortune, 13 Spiritual Jade, all on Yu Fei!"
The old ancestor who had just performed the Divination was stunned. Then, his white beard trembled with anger. "This old ancestor clearly calculated that this person is doomed to fail! Why are you all betting on him to win? Do you not trust my Divination?"
"This is infuriating! You, get over here and explain yourself!" The old ancestor casually reached out, and a Foundation Establishment Disciple who was waving his Spiritual Jade to place a bet was suddenly flailing in the air, pulled over from a distance.
This Foundation Establishment Disciple didn’t dare to resist, let alone complain, and could only curse his luck inwardly.
’Old sir, don’t you have any self-awareness? Nine out of ten times, the results of your Divination are wrong.’
’Anyone who knows this bets the exact opposite of your Divination results, and their fortunes have all skyrocketed tenfold by now.’
"Heheheheh..." A soft chuckle rang out, the kind that could make a man’s heart itch just by hearing it.
"Brother Chen, what has you so angry? To think you’d pick a fight with a junior."
Amidst the laughter, a beautiful woman in a floor-length, bright red dress gracefully approached.
Her smiling face could rival a hundred flowers in bloom, and her curvaceous, full figure, like a ripe fruit, was tightly wrapped in the long dress.
Just looking at her, it seemed one could almost smell a tantalizing fragrance with their eyes.
The nearby Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation Disciples wished they could glue their eyes to her body, but after a few glances, they would force themselves to look away with immense willpower—everyone knew this stunning woman was not to be trifled with, as her temper was impossible to predict.
If male disciples dared to stare at her, sometimes she would be pleased, but other times she would fly into a sudden rage and gouge out their eyeballs.
Being capricious was a characteristic of most Kun Cultivators in the Holy Blood Sect, but it was rare to see it to her extreme.
The Core Formation Cultivator surnamed Chen quickly put down the young disciple in his grasp and let out a hearty laugh to dispel the awkwardness. "Xiaoyi, you’ve come to watch this life and death duel too?"
"That’s right. The Sect hasn’t had a life and death duel between Foundation Establishment Disciples for a month. Besides, I’m on good terms with the female disciple’s master; he’s one of my favorite men. Though we didn’t spend much time together, I still can’t forget him," the beautiful Feng Xiaoyi said. She wasn’t deliberately striking seductive poses; in fact, her movements could be called graceful and poised, perfectly in line with the so-called etiquette of the Mortal World’s nobility.
However, her voluptuousness that seemed ready to burst through her clothes, and the flirtatious charm that filled her eyes, made her every move seem like a blatant provocation.
"Meng Xiao, right? I remember him. Xiaomeng is a decent fellow. Xiaoyi, who do you think will win today?"
Feng Xiaoyi’s gaze swept over Du Youqian, and she parted her red lips to say, "This young man is so handsome. I hope he wins."
"Heh," the Core Formation Cultivator surnamed Chen said with a bitter smile, "I also hope he wins. Unfortunately, I just cast a divination. The hexagram shows this young man has no chance of winning today. He will surely die."
Feng Xiaoyi smiled faintly. "Is that so? That’s wonderful!"
The Core Formation Cultivator surnamed Chen stared at her with wide eyes, not understanding why she said "That’s wonderful." Didn’t she just say she hoped the young man would win?
’Sigh, a woman’s heart is truly a needle at the bottom of the sea. I’ve cultivated the Dao for three hundred and eighty years. I can learn any Magic or Secret Technique with a single glance and master it with a single try. I can grasp the fundamentals and innovate when cultivating any Cultivation Technique.’
’Only women... I still don’t understand them.’
As the two were talking, they saw the disciples gathered at the foot of the Life and Death Arena’s mountain part to form a path.
A woman with a dignified appearance and a pair of bright, large eyes walked in. She was wearing the goose-yellow Dharma Robe of an Inner Disciple.
She glanced at Du Youqian, who was busy striking a pose in the wind, but didn’t approach him to talk. Instead, she walked straight to the base of the Life and Death Arena’s peak, released a Flying Spiritual Artifact shaped like a blooming flower, and stepped onto it.
The flower spiraled upwards, her robes fluttering. She looked like a Fairy riding the wind.
Soon, she reached the flattened arena at the mountain’s peak and announced in a clear voice, "Inner Disciple, Xi Mengran, has come to answer the challenge!"
Du Youqian smiled faintly. He also stepped onto a Flying Sword—one specifically used for flying around and looking cool—flew up to the arena, and hovered at the same level as Xi Mengran, observing her.
This was the first time he had ever seen Xi Mengran.
No joke.
It really was the first time.
Back during the sect entrance examination, Xi Mengran hadn’t appeared.
Later, when he was taken to her residence, she had arranged for a few Miscellaneous Tasks Disciples to do it; she hadn’t shown her face at all.
In the years that followed, she lived in seclusion, while Du Youqian was confined to a small courtyard. The two never had a chance to meet.
After taking a good look at Xi Mengran’s pretty face, Du Youqian realized he didn’t hate her.
’It wasn’t that I was suddenly overcome by lust.’
’In terms of beauty, she’s more than a notch below Lin Sha. It’s just that she possesses a noble, reserved air that gives her a unique charm.’
The reason Du Youqian didn’t hate her was that he felt this sort of thing was simply all too normal in the Holy Blood Sect.
’If I were to hate her for this, my heart would probably be filled with nothing but negative emotions.’
’No need for hate, no need for any emotion. I just need to cut her down, clean and simple.’
"Yu Fei is ready."
At this moment, a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator from the Bright Law Hall flew over on a Flying Spiritual Artifact. He first took out a mirror and shone it on each of them in turn.
Then, he said in a cold voice, "Outer Sect Disciple Yu Fei joined our Sect five years ago and was claimed as a Furnace Cauldron by Inner Disciple Xi Mengran. According to sect rules, Yu Fei may initiate one life and death duel against Xi Mengran. The duel has no restrictions on methods. The victor may possess everything belonging to the loser, including but not limited to their status, all their possessions, their body, and their soul. Do either of you have any objections?"
"No objections."
"I have no objections either."
The Bright Law Hall cultivator continued in his cold tone, "I, in my humble position as Vice Hall Master of the Bright Law Hall, have verified the identities of these two on behalf of the Bright Law Hall. Let the duel... begin!"
