Chapter 705: Chapter 704: Demon Door Genius Gathering
"Zong Yue, what brings you here?"
Seeing Zong Yue, the group was all surprised.
They had already heard about his remarkable achievement of toppling the Right Sect of Purple Beauty Hill, so their gaze at him was inevitably different from before.
"On my way back to the sect, I happened to hear about this, so I came in. How are you, Miss?"
Shi Xiaole grinned, ruffled his hair, and his smile held a hint of laziness.
He saw the six individuals with a joyous look on their faces, especially Yun Chuoxi, who looked livelier than before. He guessed that they must have gained the inheritance of the Thousand-Handed Poison King.
"Zong Wei, how did it go?"
Yun Chuoxi’s cold voice was laced with a hint of gentleness, her question apparently filled with concern.
It was then that everyone remembered that Zong Yue had realized the Illusion Martial Way, the same as the Shadow Illusion King, so they all turned their gaze toward him.
Shi Xiaole shrugged, "I got a bit of something, just got out from the center of the Illusion Sea."
Yun Chuoxi seemed a bit disappointed to hear the first half of his sentence, while Xiao Yujian, the head of the Ghost Guards, inexplicably heaved a sigh of relief.
During the event at Purple Beauty Hill, Zong Yue was too conspicuous. When the news got back to the headquarters, many elders praised him. Xiao Yujian didn’t want him to steal the limelight again.
But hearing the latter half of his statement, he couldn’t help but startle, asking with a smile, "What do you mean, Zong Wei?"
"I’ve gathered five pieces of Illusion Stone, but I arrived too late. A guy named Tang Jintear had already gotten there first and received the martial arts inheritance."
Shi Xiaole looked helpless.
The six people opposite him were all thunderstruck.
He spoke nonchalantly, especially his tone of regret at missing the opportunity. It appeared as if even the top Illusion talent Tang Jintear was just lucky. This left them all speechless.
However, it was most likely true that he had gathered five pieces of Illusion Stone. Lying in such matters was easy to expose.
Yun Chuoxi’s eyes changed in an instant, an additional flicker in her gaze as she looked at Shi Xiaole, saying, "Congratulations, Zong Wei. You must be tired from your frantic travels. Let’s head back together."
"With your words, Miss, no matter how tired, Zong Yue is always willing."
Shi Xiaole merely chuckled.
...
After stepping out of the gates of the Tri-Pole Palace, Shi Xiaole immediately sensed that he and his group were covered by several horrifying auras that bore no ill will, most likely the escorting elites from the Left Sect.
As she needed to digest her gains, Yun Chuoxi did not rush on her journey, but led the group to a secluded mansion instead. The mansion was obviously protected externally and internally by a sophisticated Array System, ready to respond to any unexpected situations.
"I just happen to be practicing the new martial arts I’ve obtained as well."
In the room, Shi Xiaole began to study the Mountain Character Scripture since he didn’t dare to practice Thousand One just yet.
Under the influence of the Illusion Martial Way, the air around him suddenly became like dough, pulled into strange shapes. Sunlight came in through the window frame, refracting hundreds of facets.
Shi Xiaole’s body loomed to a height of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), then shrunk to the size of an insect, his head fell off, and his limbs were separated. These weird scenes followed one after the other, making it hard to discern reality from illusion.
In the end, the dough-like air flattened out, and everything returned to normal.
Opening his eyes, Shi Xiaole looked thoughtful.
The Mountain Character Scripture was rather like a blank sheet of paper, whether to paint flowers, birds, fish or insects, or tall buildings and pavilions, was all up to the drawer. Even the depth of the painting was closely related to the person.
This was a martial art that tested potential and creativity.
And Shi Xiaole was not lacking in either.
Hiding his exhilaration, he immersed himself in free-spirited imaginations, letting his thoughts run wild, integrating his mental ideas into the Mountain Character Scripture, and evolving varying picturesque scrolls.
His comprehension was improving each day, and his application of the Mountain Character Scripture was getting more proficient.
Time flew by and ten days passed in a blink of an eye.
That day, a wave of illusion energy fluctuated in Shi Xiaole’s room.
"My Illusion Martial Way has reached the initial stages of forty percent."
Shi Xiaole clenched his fists. He had originally estimated that it would take at least two months to get to this stage. It seemed that it was the stimulation from the Mountain Character Scripture that accelerated it.
"My Illusion Way’s strength probably surpasses my swordsmanship now."
Both the Wind Sword Way and Illusion Martial Way were at forty percent in their initial stages, but the level of the Mountain Character Scripture undoubtedly exceeded the Wind Extreme Sword Technique a lot. Moreover, as his cultivation deepened, its power would continue to grow and could soon surpass the Divine Wind Movement.
"Zong Wei, the young lady requests your presence in the main hall."
Halfway through the month, a maid came to call.
Are we getting ready to hit the road?
Shi Xiaole had to stop his cultivation, dress up, and arrive at the main hall of the side house.
The other five Ghost Guards had already neatly stood behind Yun Chuoxi, and seeing him arrive late, Xiao Yujian scolded, "Zong Wei, you’re too slow!"
Just as Shi Xiaole was about to respond, Yun Chuoxi gestured dismissively, unexpectedly not reproaching him, but instead she chuckled, "No worries! Zong Wei, have you digested what you’ve gained?"
"Thank you for your concern, Miss. My progress is like a thousand miles in a day with great advancements. What a pity that there are no worthy opponents."
The completely different attitudes from Yun Chuoxi alerted Shi Xiaole that she intended to curry favor with him due to his performances in the Purple Beauty Hill and the Tri-Pole Palace.
Thinking that he still had some time to stay in the Ghost Lethal Sect, Shi Xiaole intentionally put on a pleasing smirk, like a boy with no romantic experience would show off in front of a girl he fancied.
"Humph!"
Xiao Yujian, Han Sen and others snorted coldly under their breaths.
A fleeting trace of disgust flickered in Yun Chuoxi’s eyes but quickly dissipated.
However, Mo Wan smiled and said to Shi Xiaole, "You’re looking for an opponent? You may get your wish today."
Shi Xiaole was momentarily taken aback.
Yun Chuoxi explained, "Among the six paths of the Demon Door, my Ghost Lethal Sect, the Left Sect, has always been in good terms with Dreamy Sect and Langyao Sect. Fortuitously, I am acquainted with Saintess and Yuan Zi, so it’s been agreed that we gather once a year to exchange and learn from each other."
She then solemnly added, "You all must honor us in a while, win more matches."
Where there’s competition, there’s comparison. Since these gatherings started, the young leaders of the three sects would always add a wager to their victories and losses.
Unfortunately, in nine tries, the Ghost Lethal Sect never won. Consequently, Yun Chuoxi lost several treasured possessions. Despite her dreams of turning the tide, she had to admit that the chances were slim.
The foundation of the Left Sect was ultimately incomparable to that of the Dreamy Sect and Langyao Sect, especially the gap in martial arts which is unbridgeable.
Although she had received the inheritance of the Thousand-Handed Poison King, it was too brief a time, and she only digested a tiny part.
Looking at the six Ghost Guards, whose strength was led by Xiao Yujian, reaching the top twice-tier level, the rest fell a bit short. Unfortunately, even Xiao Yujian held no advantage against the young experts of the two sects.
With this in mind, Yun Chuoxi suddenly looked at Shi Xiaole.
A warrior with illusory techniques was often good at defeating the strong with the weak. According to the information from Purple Beauty Hill, it seemed that this man in front of her had defeated a top twice-tier Earth Immortal using illusion techniques. She wondered if these techniques would come in handy this time.
If his illusory skills could reach the level of Zhou Fengping, there might be a big chance...
What am I thinking, how is that possible!
Yun Chuoxi laughed to herself, yet her gaze lingered on Shi Xiaole for a moment longer. Shi Xiaole rubbed his palms excitedly, but he secretly wondered: The saintess of the Dreamy Sect, could that not be...?
As he was pondering, a maid came to report that the people from Dreamy Sect and Langyao Sect had arrived.
Yun Chuoxi immediately led the six people to greet them.
"Sister Yun, I hope all has been well."
Under the shimmering sun, the swaying Sophora tree glowed with specks of light. Stepping out from beneath it was a group of people. Accompanied by that enchanting voice, the gaze of the seven people from the Left Sect was instantly fixed on a young girl in a black veil.
Does the world really have beauty capable of overthrowing a city?
Seeing her, you would believe it.
Ren Mengzhen’s smile was captivating. Xiaoyujian had seen her before and remained composed, but for Han Sen and Dong Tianxi, it was their first time. They blushed and took a moment to regain their composure.
Yun Chuoxi went forward warmly and took Ren Mengzhen’s hand, but few noticed that Ren Mengzhen’s gaze passed over Yun Chuoxi and landed on Shi Xiaole behind her.
Shi Xiaole inwardly cursed.
He had the Blood Sun Talisman inside him. No matter how clever his disguise, he was still likely to be sensed by her. However, he immediately calmed down. The Blood Sun Talisman was greatly beneficial to Ren Mengzhen; she had no reason to expose him.
Sure enough, after a hint of amusement flashed in Ren Mengzhen’s eyes, she quickly moved them away and started chatting with Yun Chuoxi.
Two handsome men approached the two women. The one on the left remained silent with a smile, his gaze particularly affectionate when looking at Ren Mengzhen.
The man on the right, however, blurted out, "You two, save your catch-up time for when we’re seated. I’ve been preparing all year, and I can’t wait to exchange ideas with all of you."
His words were full of eager anticipation.
Daring to approach the two exceptional women of the Devil Path fearlessly, the identities of the two men became obvious. They were none other than Yuan Zi of the Langyao Sect, Helian Yong who is ranked thirteenth on the Small Earth Immortal List, and his brother, Helian Ba.
