Chapter 223: Chapter 222: Fight Again Tomorrow
All around the Ancient City were ruins and dilapidated houses. What few inhabitable places there were had been firmly occupied by people from the Sixteen Countries.
Wen Qingye searched for a long time before finally finding a house in a corner. He tidied it up a bit.
"Brother! Long time no see!"
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind him.
Wen Qingye turned his head and saw Guann Xuan smiling heartily, a woman standing beside him.
The woman had fair skin and bright eyes that held a hint of allure. Her lips were thin and blood-red, and she had a slightly pointed chin. All in all, she was quite beautiful. Seeing Wen Qingye, the woman smiled and nodded.
Wen Qingye smiled. "I’m surprised you found me so soon after I arrived in the Ancient City."
"Hard to find you? Please. Didn’t you kill two Refining Spirit Fourth Layer experts from the Divine Wind Country the moment you arrived?" Guann Xuan immediately pointed to the woman and chuckled. "This is Luo Xue, from the Luo Family of the Snow Country. We’re already engaged. We’ll head back and get married once the Thousand Rivers Secret Land opens. You’d better be there to celebrate with us!"
A trace of joy was visible in Guann Xuan’s expression, and he seemed to be in much higher spirits.
"Of course," Wen Qingye nodded. He then cupped his fist toward Luo Xue and said, "Wen Qingye, from the Celestial Martial Country."
Wen Qingye had heard Ling Xiao mention Luo Xue’s name once. Rumor had it that her delicate hands were incredibly nimble, and her greatest skills lay in dealing with mechanisms and in the art of theft.
Luo Xue laughed charmingly. "I never thought the Celestial Martial Country, for all its weakness, could produce someone like you. I’d say your strength is on par with your country’s own Wen Tongyu."
Guann Xuan boomed with laughter beside her. "Of course he is! My brother’s strength is incredible, and his Swordsmanship is simply divine."
After speaking, Guann Xuan turned to Wen Qingye. "You have five Talisman Seals now, right?"
Wen Qingye nodded. ’In truth, he had more than five. Wang Chong had given both his and Wang Jie’s Talisman Seals to him.’
"That’s good. Now all you have to do is wait for the Array Disc to appear," Guann Xuan said. "But it’s not just the Array Disc that will show up in this Ancient City—there will be Secret Treasures, too. These are all extraordinary, thousand-year-old artifacts that have been lost to time. If you manage to get just one, even some people in the Celestial Profound Sect will be green with envy."
"Oh?" Wen Qingye hadn’t expected Secret Treasures to appear in the Ancient City. ’They must be lost Magical Artifacts,’ he thought.
’The One Thought Sword was technically a Magical Artifact as well, just a relatively low-grade one.’
Luo Xue nodded, adding, "Most of these Secret Treasures are King Grade or higher, which is why so many people are waiting for them to appear. It’s like the Ancient Dao—there are Demon Beasts, but there’s also no shortage of precious medicinal herbs, like that Snow Lotus you and Guann Xuan found."
Wen Qingye was very interested in these Secret Treasures. ’If I could get my hands on them,’ he thought, ’my Yang Fire would have reached the Seventh Grade long ago. Then I could extract some of their materials and use them to strengthen the One Thought Sword.’
After a moment, Guann Xuan seemed to remember something. "Oh, right. The people from the Celestial Martial Country are all in the southern part of the city."
"Mm, I know," Wen Qingye nodded.
’After all, he was from the Celestial Martial Country, and he owed a debt of gratitude to Qig Mountain Academy. He would help them out a little if he could.’
Guann Xuan and Luo Xue exchanged a few more words with Wen Qingye before leaving.
.........
In a simple, clean, and tidy courtyard.
Yann Xiangyang looked at the single Talisman Seal in his hand and smiled bitterly. "To think we couldn’t even gather five Talisman Seals. It seems entering the Celestial Profound Sect is impossible for us."
Yann Chuxue’s eyes were calm, her beautiful face revealing no emotion.
Yann Chuxue had been cultivating almost frantically as of late, and the results were plain to see: her cultivation had already reached the Refining Spirit Fourth Layer.
Yann Chuxue’s eyes were deep, her cool gaze holding a trace of determination. "Nothing is impossible if you truly want it."
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
The sound of clapping suddenly echoed in their ears.
"Well said!"
Yann Xiangyang turned to look, his mouth falling slightly open in surprise. "Wen Qingye!?"
Yann Chuxue’s cool eyes suddenly lit up. ’His cultivation has improved again.’
"Where is everyone?" Wen Qingye asked, glancing around. "Why is it just you two?"
Yann Chuxue said slowly, "They’ve all gone to duel other people."
"Duels?" Wen Qingye asked, confused.
Yann Chuxue explained, "For the Talisman Seals. It’s a way to compete without necessarily fighting to the death. The winner gets the seal. Today, the people from our Celestial Martial Country are facing off against those from Hua Country. Hua Country’s Seventh Young Master is at the Refining Spirit Sixth Layer Heaven, but he’s already announced that he won’t interfere, so..."
Wen Qingye nodded in understanding. Although there had been killing on the Ancient Dao, many still hadn’t collected all the Talisman Seals. So, while waiting for the Array Disc in the Ancient City, they arranged duels to avoid the brutal slaughter.
Just then, several voices drifted in from outside.
"Damn it! That Seventh Young Master from Hua Country went back on his word!"
"What can we do? The Seventh Young Master from Hua Country has already reached the Refining Spirit Sixth Layer Heaven."
"Sigh, it’s so infuriating. No one from Hua Country at the Refining Spirit Fifth Heaven is a match for Brother Tongyu."
As the group from the Celestial Martial Country entered, they all looked dejected and disheveled, their expressions grim.
Wen Tongyu’s brow twitched when he saw Wen Qingye. "Wen Qingye?"
Behind Wen Tongyu stood several people from Purple Sun Prefecture and Celestial Academy. Each one of them had tattered clothes and looked to be in a sorry state.
Wen Tongyu mulled it over for a moment, then said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Wen Qingye, you’ve come at a good time. Tomorrow, our Celestial Martial Country will be fighting Lan Country for Talisman Seals. Your skills are decent; you can lend your strength."
Nie Shuang frowned. He thought of the person from Lan Country, and a shiver ran through him. ’Wen Tongyu is sending Wen Qingye to his death!’
The faces of everyone behind Wen Tongyu changed, and they stared at him in disbelief.
Everyone had always known the two didn’t get along, but only today did they realize their relationship was like fire and water—completely irreconcilable.
"Oh? Lan Country?" Wen Qingye smiled. "I suppose I could. But why should I listen to you?"
Wen Tongyu strode forward. "Because I’m stronger than you!"
The words had barely left his mouth when boundless Primordial Qi surged from his body, pressing down on Wen Qingye.
A gale slammed into Wen Qingye, but his expression remained impassive. The hem of his robes and stray locks of his hair fluttered, but before the surging Primordial Qi could even touch him, it vanished into thin air.
"Stronger than me?" Wen Qingye retorted. "You really think so?"
Wen Tongyu tilted his head back, looking at Wen Qingye with arrogance. "That’s right. If you won’t submit, I can give you an opportunity."
After speaking, Wen Tongyu’s eyes were locked on Wen Qingye, glinting with a mix of wild arrogance and self-assurance.
The Puppet Bird in the sky recorded everything, projecting it directly into the Imperial City of the Celestial Martial Country.
"Wh-what are those two doing? Are they going to settle the score right here in the Thousand Rivers Secret Land?"
"They’re both from the Wen family. Wen Tongyu’s talent is astonishing, but I feel like Wen Qingye is no slouch either."
"The Wen Family of Phoenix City is truly remarkable to have produced two such figures at the same time."
The confrontation between the two of them had captured everyone’s attention.
.....
Wen Qingye glanced at Wen Tongyu and gave a faint, casual smile. "You’re injured today. We’ll fight tomorrow."
With that, Wen Qingye moved past the crowd and walked toward the entrance.
Wen Tongyu watched Wen Qingye’s departing figure, a sneer forming on his lips. ’Hmph. If you want to stall for time, fine. Tomorrow, under the watchful eyes of all, I’ll show you the true gap between us.’
