Chapter 85: First Battle a Success

Chapter 85: First Battle a Success

Seeing that the two had been taken away and the matter was over, Lou Yuqing was about to close the gossip panel when she accidentally touched the audio-visual interface.

On the dueling platform, the huge light screen suddenly changed, and a sinister scene appeared before everyone's eyes.

Xiao Siwen and Gu Qinghong stood one in front of the other, their bodies emanating an ominous black aura, coldly watching Shao Qiuyan being tortured in front of them.

Trapped in a nightmare, Shao Qiuyan's consciousness was clouded, and she mistook the enemy fighting against her for a frenzied attack on her own flesh and blood. Before long, her face was unrecognizable, revealing the white bones beneath.

Her treasured spirit sword has now become the weapon that slaughtered her, and her proud swordsmanship has become the means to slowly torture her.

A rising star in swordsmanship died suddenly before he could fully mature.

"Can't bear to part with him?" Xiao Siwen tilted her head to look at him, her eyes flashing with a crazy malice, as if Gu Qinghong would be killed by her the next moment if he said something inappropriate.

Gu Qinghong's expression remained unchanged: "Sisi, I am your nightmare slave. What do other people have to do with me?" Ever since he voluntarily signed the servant contract with Xiao Siwen, he has been branded with a mark that belongs exclusively to her.

"hiss!"

Upon witnessing this scene, everyone gasped in shock, gaining a new understanding of the ruthlessness of these two individuals. Xiao Siwen spoke of revenge yet brutally murdered innocent people, while Gu Qinghong, the murderer, shifted blame to others and even willingly became a slave in order to survive.

Who else could do what they did!

Some disciples were shocked, but also filled with rage. To harm a fellow disciple like this was utterly despicable! These two had committed the same crime and were unforgivable!

Looking at their expressions of shared hatred, Gu Bugai's eyes showed satisfaction. At least these disciples were not heartless scoundrels.

As the saying goes, "A large forest has all kinds of birds." With such a large and powerful family, it's inevitable that there will be some bad apples. Therefore, we must strengthen our assessment and screening processes and eliminate unqualified disciples.

Shen Lijun looked at the woman cautiously, his face filled with nothing but heartache: "Qiuyan." When he first learned of her death, his emotions hadn't fluctuated as much as they had now.

Shao Qiuyan stared intently at the screen until she saw herself reduced to a skeleton and breathed her last. Only then did she say to Shen Lijun, "I'm fine."

When she first entered the path of swordsmanship, she honed her skills for a long time under her master's sword energy. Each sword energy was as sharp as a knife, sometimes stabbing, sometimes scraping, sometimes cutting... It was very painful at first, but over time, she got used to it.

She thought that if she ever regained consciousness in the future, she wouldn't care about this punishment.

However, when she saw the pale face of her master when he found her in the scene, only to discover her skeleton, she felt a dull pain in her heart.

She, Shao Qiuyan, was worthy of everyone except her master.

Death and tomorrow, you never know which will come first. She once thought she could grow old with her fiancé, but who knew that his soul lamp would go out after he went out for a trip.

One day in the future, she tragically perished in the Wraith Mountains because she became entangled in other people's emotions.

Perhaps she shouldn't dwell on the deceased anymore.

"Don't you want me to find a 'substitute' to remember you?" Shao Qiuyan murmured to herself, then revealed a relieved smile. "That's true, with your pride, you probably wish you could come back to life and beat me up."

Shao Qiuyan took off the sword box from her back, stroked it for a moment, and put it into her storage bag. The spirit sword flew back to her dantian to be nurtured. In the past, she couldn't bear to leave the sword box he gave her empty, but now she finally understood.

"Shen Lijun, you don't need to avoid me when you see me in the future." She said this as if it were just a casual remark before she left.

Shen Lijun was taken aback at first, watching her figure disappear from sight. He then looked up as if waking from a dream, his face filled with ecstatic joy. Qiu Yan was no longer resisting his approach. This was wonderful news!

He didn't know that Shao Qiuyan had actually gained a new understanding of how people get along. Since everyone would die someday, it was better to let nature take its course.

Shen Lijun was, after all, someone she knew. As long as he didn't disturb her life, there was really no need for her to avoid him when they met in public.

Of course, if Shen Lijun were to secretly investigate her whereabouts and happen to encounter her, that would be a different story.

The light screen in the sky rippled, and in the next instant, it vanished into thin air.

The disciples of the two sects appeared calm on the surface, but were actually engaged in a heated discussion. Lou Yuqing sensed an unusual atmosphere spreading, which she attributed to the appearance of a Nightmare Clan spy that had disturbed everyone.

After all, the Nightmare Clan is on the Wendao Sect's kill list, and now that a spy has infiltrated the sect, the disciples naturally have many questions that need to be answered.

Unfortunately, the person had already been taken away by the Enforcement Hall, so even if they wanted to know the outcome, they would have to wait.

The crowd dispersed.

At the same time, Gu Bugai looked towards the mountain gate and thought to himself that another sect had arrived ahead of schedule. With such a powerful sword aura, it must be the Yunxiao Sect.

Xuantian Peak.

Sect Leader Qingxuzi's eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled, "I need to go out to greet the guests. The accommodations have all been arranged. Fellow Daoist Minghan, why don't you go and rest for a while?"

Master Minghan declined his suggestion: "No need. I haven't seen Sword Master Chengfeng for a long time. I'll take this opportunity to exchange pleasantries. You know, it's not easy for this person to come out."

Upon hearing this, all the Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall burst into laughter. Sword Master Chengfeng was known for his inactivity, spending most of his time honing his swordsmanship within his own sect. If it weren't for the fact that he made a name for himself with a single sword strike years ago, who knows how long he would have remained so low-key.

The group rode the clouds and arrived at the mountain gate in the blink of an eye.

As soon as they approached, a powerful sword aura swept over them, enveloping an area of ​​several miles. Cultivators with weaker strength would probably not even be able to stand at this moment.

Sect Leader Qingxu and the others remained unmoved, silently deflecting the incoming sword force.

The disciples guarding the mountain were deeply shaken as they looked at the colossal sword that stretched for thousands of feet in the air, almost obscuring half the sky. In particular, the powerful pressure seemed to form a phantom image, pressing heavily down on the ground.

"Fellow Daoist Chengfeng, I have long admired your name!"

With a wave of his wide sleeves, Sect Leader Qingxuzi sent a gentle breeze of spiritual energy swirling around the disciples below, waking them up and relieving the pressure from the Yunxiao Sect.

Sword Master Chengfeng replied succinctly, "Hmm."

Sect Leader Qingxu was slightly taken aback, and the conversation almost fell silent.

Elder Kui Tu and Zeng Xuangan exchanged a glance, both seeing a mixture of amusement and exasperation in each other's eyes. This Sword Master Cheng Feng seemed to lack understanding of human nature.

Surrounding Sword Master Chengfeng were several fellow Nascent Soul cultivators from his sect. Seeing how brief his words were, a hint of helplessness flashed in their eyes. If it weren't for the sect leader's great effort to persuade him to represent the Cloud Soaring Sect and show off their power, they would have really wanted to change their leader.

Master Minghan glanced at the Yunxiao Sect disciples behind them. The disciples were dressed in tight-fitting clothes, heads held high and chests out, their imposing aura surging like a raging torrent, sharp as a drawn sword, as if they could cut through any obstacle at any moment.

“These disciples are truly remarkable.” Master Minghan appeared surprised. “Although our Hundred Spirits Sect has more disciples than the Cloud Soaring Sect, their quality is far inferior. The Cloud Soaring Sect truly deserves to be the number one sword cultivator sect in this region.”

Sect Leader Qingxuzi smiled without saying a word. Anyone who believed that would be a fool; the Hundred Spirits Sect was among the top three in strength among the Seven Sects. The members of the Cloud Soaring Sect naturally didn't believe him and all looked at Sword Master Chengfeng, urging him to be more modest.

Sword Master Chengfeng thought for a moment, then solemnly said, "We will not show any mercy."

Yunxiao Sect: "..."

Bailingmen: "..."

Wendao Sect: "..."

This Sword Master is really not polite.

Sect Leader Qingxuzi broke the silence with a smile, saying, "Then we shall wait and see. It is inconvenient to communicate outside, so please come in with me for a chat."

"good."

Everyone responded in unison.

Sword Master Chengfeng instinctively knew he had said the wrong thing, so he shut his mouth, feeling annoyed. If it weren't for his senior brother, the sect leader, offering him the sect's elders' sword techniques as a lure, he really wouldn't have agreed to this.

At this moment, Sect Leader Qingxuzi said, "Disciples may go to the guest rooms to rest and recuperate." He waved his hand, and immediately someone stepped forward to lead the Yunxiao Sect disciples to their destination.

Sword Master Chengfeng looked at his disciples: "Go."

In mid-air, the disciples of the Cloud Soaring Sect flew out on their swords. The original giant sword gradually became ethereal, and finally only a faint shadow remained, which merged into the body of Sword Master Chengfeng.

A look of surprise flashed across everyone's eyes. This giant sword was not a physical entity, but rather a separated force.

While pondering, he saw Sword Master Chengfeng following behind his disciples, seemingly wanting to go to the guest rooms together: "..."

Sect Leader Qingxuzi rushed to stop him: "Fellow Daoist Chengfeng, please wait."

Sword Master Chengfeng paused, speaking sparingly, "What is it?"

"It's rare to have so many like-minded people come to my Wendao Sect. I thought it would be better to have a discussion on the Dao with each other. Perhaps we can resolve any doubts we may have. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Chengfeng?" Sect Leader Qingxuzi was determined to keep him here. If the person in charge left, what would be the point of their conversation?

Chengfeng Sword Master: Trouble.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Long streaks of light flew across the sky, creating quite a spectacle.

The news quickly spread throughout the entire sect. After the closely related Bailing Sect, the Yunxiao Sect, one of the seven sects, also arrived. It was unclear whether they had planned it in advance. Following them, Yaowang Valley, Haotian Palace, Xingchen Pavilion, and Suyin Sect arrived one after another.

The already bustling Wendao Sect reached an even higher level, with all sorts of flying magical artifacts shuttling between the palaces, and the market town nestled in the valley was overflowing with people, with all kinds of small-scale transactions taking place one after another.

But the most lively place had to be Xuantian Peak. Loud noises, flashes of light, and wild laughter filled the air, keeping the participants on the edge of their seats all night.

There are probably very few people who can sleep so carefree as Lou Yuqing.

The next day.

Lou Yuqing woke up exceptionally early, stretched and walked out of the cave. She saw the purple aura rising from the east on the horizon and couldn't help but take a second look.

Suddenly, a paper crane floated in front of her. She tapped the crane's head, channeling her spiritual energy into it. The next moment, Si Nidie's voice rang out: "Junior sister, come quickly!"

Lou Yuqing thought she was early enough, but she didn't expect her senior sister to be even earlier.

The venue for the Seven Unions is the central square, a rare flat area in the Yuelin Mountains, which is about a hundred miles in circumference.

When Lou Yuqing arrived, many disciples from various sects had already arrived, scattered around the square, each in their own territory, and did not feel crowded at all.

The most eye-catching group is the Su Yin Sect, whose members are almost all women with beautiful faces and fair skin, making them a stunning sight.

Lou Yuqing noticed that disciples from other sects would occasionally cast glances at them, both men and women, demonstrating the power of beauty. However, she believed that no one would hold back during the formal competition.

"I attended several trade fairs yesterday, not expecting to make any purchases, but I ended up finding a Hundred Flower Vine at a low price," Si Nidie said excitedly, pulling Lou Yuqing along. Although she lowered her voice, her tone couldn't hide her pride.

Lou Yuqing exclaimed in surprise, "Senior Sister was searching for spiritual plants to refine pills, saying that she was missing one spiritual herb. Could it be this Hundred Flower Vine?"

"Yes, it's a pity you didn't come." Si Nidie looked at her with regret. "Not only me, my brother also got some good stuff. If it weren't for the competition today, I would have liked to keep shopping."

Si Nidie stayed up all night, but her condition not only did not deteriorate, but she also showed a tendency to become more and more excited.

Lou Yuqing thought to herself, this must be what it feels like to find a treasure.

"They're here! They're here!"

Just then, the crowd began to stir.

Lou Yuqing looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of Golden Core cultivators, led by Captain Wei, approaching together. Their auras were many times more powerful than those of the Foundation Establishment disciples.

If the Qi Refining disciples' exhibition match was merely an embellishment to the Seven Sects Joint Competition, the Foundation Establishment disciples' match was an appetizer, and the main course was obviously the Golden Core disciples' competition.

Kui Houming separated from the disciples of the other sects and led his own people to the front of their sect. Like a pillar of strength, he immediately calmed the emotions of the Wendao Sect disciples. He surveyed the area and said in a deep voice, "Silence!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lou Yuqing and the others immediately fell silent. Behind Captain Wei, she saw a familiar face, none other than Song Li, who had awakened the Fire Poison Physique.

"The competition is about to begin. Calm yourselves down and stay vigilant once you enter the small world. As long as you unleash your true strength, this trip will not have been in vain," Kui Houming said, looking into their eyes.

Everyone tensed up and replied in unison, "Yes!"

Kui Houming's voice was not quiet. The other six sects heard the noise and turned to look. They were shocked by the Wendao Sect's strict discipline, and their discussions immediately quieted down.

In the void.

Upon seeing this, Master Minghan smiled and said to Elder Kui Tu, "Fellow Daoist Kui's disciple has considerable prestige in our sect. Many of our Bailing Sect's leading disciples are not as good as him. It seems we should learn more from him."

Elder Kui Tu's eyes lit up with undisguised joy upon hearing praise for his disciple. He said, "Fellow Daoist Minghan is too modest. Ming'er has only spent a few more years in the Enforcement Hall and has achieved some success. I heard that your disciple will be participating in this exhibition match, so I would like to offer my congratulations. Each sect will only send its ten most outstanding Qi Refining stage disciples to the exhibition match. I believe that given time, your disciple will surely achieve great things."

Fellow Daoist Minghan was overjoyed: "Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. Shuer still has much to learn." As she spoke, she looked at the red-clad female cultivator beside her: "Hongyan, you recently sent word that you've taken on a disciple. Aren't you going to introduce her to me?"

Madam Hongyan glanced at her: "What's your hurry? Li'er is right next to Junior Nephew Houming right now. I'll introduce her to you after the competition is over."

Minghan is well-informed and probably already knows that the disciple she took in is the sect leader's daughter. She wants to take this opportunity to find out about Li'er's abilities, but she won't give her that chance.

Master Minghan thought to himself: You stingy fellow.

The Nascent Soul cultivators from the seven sects engaged in mutual flattery and exchanged witty remarks, except for Cheng Feng, the Sword Master of the Cloud Soaring Sect, who remained silent throughout, his eyes fixed on the spot, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

Yesterday's discussion had exhausted him, and now he didn't know how many more days he would have to stay. He really wanted to go back to the sect. He had heard that there was a deadline for the first level of the small world. How long was it again?

"The rules of the small world stipulate that participating disciples can only stay for seven days. During these seven days, your first priority is to save your lives, and then complete the tasks as much as possible to gain points!" Kui Houming emphasized this point after everyone had arrived.

"yes!"

Lou Yuqing looked at the crowd. She recognized many of the Foundation Establishment disciples participating in the competition. Ling Yunxiao and the Si siblings were standing next to her, Shao Qiuyan and Shen Lijun were not far away, as were the Nangong sisters and Chen Mujian.

Ruan Qingzhu and Yuan Shenxing also came, but Ruan Qingzhu, like Wu Fengshu, came to participate in the performance competition for Qi Refining stage disciples.

As for Senior Brother Gu, Tan Sheng, and Junior Sister Xiu Xiu, the disciples who were watching, they all went to the designated viewing area. In fact, Senior Brother Gu was qualified to participate in the competition.

There are two requirements for registering for the Foundation Establishment competition: you must have reached the Foundation Establishment stage and be under thirty years old!

Perhaps Senior Brother Gu was afraid of his old illness flaring up, after all, it's quite frightening for his face to suddenly crack open for no reason.

"Thump!"

The tolling of the clock at Chenshi (7-9 AM) struck everyone's hearts, and ripples of light swept across the entire square, instantly silencing all other sounds.

Seven tall, illusory figures appeared before the crowd: Sect Leader Qingxuzi, True Person Minghan, Sword Master Chengfeng… each a representative figure from their respective sects.

The moment these phantoms appeared, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

The Sect Leader Qingxuzi's indifferent gaze carried unparalleled intimidation: "This time, the Seven Sects Alliance has gathered the power of the seven major sects. Based on the sect's Heart-Questioning Formation, it has been transformed into countless small worlds by True Person Lingzhu and others. You all know the rules, so I will not go into detail."

"I hereby declare that the seven-match league has officially begun!"

Amplified by the sound amplification technique, his voice resounded throughout every corner of the square and then clearly reached the ears of each disciple.

Upon hearing this, the disciples immediately cheered and jumped for joy, as if a spoonful of water had been added to a boiling oil pan, causing it to boil endlessly.

Ruan Qingzhu and nine other Qi Refining disciples stepped out of the crowd and gathered with the other disciples from the six sects who were participating in the competition. They then drew lots to determine their opponents.

With a flash of golden light, the referee appeared before everyone's eyes. She had a gentle face, and a single braid hung down in front of her, outlining her delicate features.

However, when he opened his mouth, it was a rough voice that didn't match his appearance at all: "Alright, the draw is over. Number one and number two, come up!"

Everyone was stunned: "..."

No, is this the right sound?

Lou Yuqing suppressed a laugh; she had the same thought when she first heard about Master Lingzhu.

Indeed, the referee was none other than Lingzhu Zhenren. Seeing her disciple holding the bamboo stick without moving, she shouted again, "Hurry up, don't waste my time!"

After she, Zao Mo, and the array masters of the Six Sects created the new Heart-Questioning Array, they stayed together to prevent the questions from being leaked until today when they finally came out.

The disciples trembled slightly. Number One and Number Two quickly stepped forward and, within the area enclosed by Master Lingzhu, first introduced themselves and then began to fight.

After all, leaving an impression in front of so many big shots would be enough to make them eager to do so.

"Bang bang bang!"

The clash of spells heralded the start of the Seven Sects' Tournament.

Lou Yuqing would occasionally glance at the seven illusory figures when she saw something interesting, but she didn't know if it was because they were acting too well, but she hardly saw any fluctuations.

Perhaps the powerful figures look down on the duels of low-level cultivators?

In fact, Qingxuzi and the others gave very positive comments. Although these disciples were weak in cultivation, they were the future pillars of the sect. Whenever a disciple had a brilliant performance, the sect leaders behind the disciple would jump out and praise them.

However, those phantoms are manifestations of spiritual energy. As long as they are not manipulated, the phantoms will remain motionless and appear to be quite ordinary, but this is not the case.

Two hours later, the exhibition match came to an end.

A burst of cheers erupted from the Wendao Sect. The reason was simple: the sect's disciple had won first place, which greatly boosted their morale!

Although Ruan Qingzhu did not win the championship, she was still very happy for her sect.

Wu Fengshu, who came in second, gritted her teeth, glanced at the Wendao Sect disciples with resentment, and then retreated to the territory of the Bailing Sect.

Upon returning, he heard Luo Buqi say shamelessly, "Losing is no big deal. I, Luo Buqi, will earn back the face of the Hundred Spirits Sect!"

Wu Fengshu sized him up and said coldly, "With your abilities, be careful you don't run into the Southern Border Wizards inside. You won't be able to move and will be eliminated immediately!"

Luo Buqi was speechless; he couldn't refute this taunt even if he wanted to.

"Your disciple is truly remarkable." Master Minghan sighed regretfully as he watched his beloved disciple suffer a narrow defeat.

The other sects didn't look much better, especially the Haotian Palace, which was at the bottom.

Sect Leader Qingxuzi was beaming with pride. He was truly proud of the achievements his disciples had made. He smiled and stroked his long beard, saying, "On behalf of this junior, I thank Fellow Daoist Minghan for his praise."

The first place winner was a male disciple with an honest-looking face. As soon as he returned, he was surrounded by his fellow disciples. He scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

Lou Yuqing saw many disciples rubbing their palms together, as if trying to share in his good luck. Thinking this, she had an idea and wanted to rub her hand along with him.

Just then, Master Lingzhu shouted into the void, "Come out and activate the formation!"

Swish, swish, swish!

A dozen or so figures appeared in the square. Lou Yuqing didn't know where they came from. After looking around, she only recognized Lingzhu Zhenren's Daoist partner, Zao Mo.

They each held an array plate in their hands, their hand seals constantly changing. With each seal they cast, the light on the array plate would shine even brighter.

Once the array plate was completely enveloped in white light, they tossed it into the air. The array plate flew into the air and formed a regular pattern. With the infusion of their spiritual power, it began to spin rapidly.

Finally, the light of the magic array was as dazzling as the sun, and with a deep start-up sound, countless white rays shot down.

Lou Yuqing's vision blurred, and she entered the small world.