Wang Qingshan vs. Chen Cheng

As Lin He's domineering and arrogant words fell, the Wang Household's expressions all turned ugly. Even the most good-tempered person couldn't stand being threatened like this by their old rival.

Wang Qingshan snorted coldly, "Lin He, isn't your Lin Household a bit too domineering? You demand the entire mine right off the bat, and expect my Wang Household to mine for you for a month? Impossible!"

After saying this, Wang Qingshan's expression softened, and he looked at Spirit Sword Master of the Yi Sword Sect, "Fellow Daoist Friends Spirit Sword Master, you should know the relationship between the Lin Household and my Wang Household. Why are you acting as a tool for Lin He? How about this, I will offer half of this mine to you both, and you two will remain neutral?"

Hearing his words, Lin He scoffed and looked at Spirit Sword Master.

The latter's cold, hard face remained unmoved; he simply uttered, "Hand over the Elder Token, and I'll leave immediately!"

"Elder Token?" Yang Tianyou's heart skipped a beat.

Speaking of which, the nine most important tokens in the entire Secret Realm are one Sect Master Token and eight Elder Tokens.

Among these, the Sect Master Token allows entry into the core location of any treasure land.

Elder Tokens can only be used to enter the core area of the corresponding treasure land. For example, the Elder Token of the Spirit Beast Hall in Yang Tianyou's hand can only be used to enter the Inner Hall of the Spirit Beast Hall, but not the Pill Hall.

As for the Sect Master Token, its greatest function is to allow access to the Inner Treasury of the Three Blazing Flame Palace Sect Treasury, while the other eight Elder Tokens can only access the Outer Treasury.

Of course, such a precious Sect Master Token is naturally in the hands of the Luochuan Sect.

In addition, they also possess two Elder Tokens.

In other words, the remaining six Elder Tokens are the key to the struggle among the many Golden Core Force.

Today marks the sixth day since we entered the Secret Realm.

With only nine days left until the opening of the Nine Great Legacy Grounds, many Golden Core Forces are getting restless. For example, the Lin Household and Spirit Sword Master have already joined forces to compete for resources and plunder Elder Tokens.

Thinking of this, Yang Tianyou realized that he could no longer remain uninvolved, because the Yang Household Member also possessed an Elder Token.

Previously, no one came to compete for it, probably just observing. But as the battle in the Secret Realm intensifies, someone will definitely set their sights on the Yang Household.

Instead of waiting passively, we should take the initiative and help the Wang Household drive away these people in front of us.

In this way, they can both befriend the Wang Household and establish the Yang Household's reputation, making other forces hesitant to provoke them.

Then, taking advantage of this time difference, I frantically collected materials for the Purification Talisman.

Yang Tianyou never forgot that the greatest threat in the Secret Realm was actually these strange and unpredictable unknown forces.

The further you go, the greater this force's impact on people's emotions becomes.

It's hard to say that Lin He's eagerness to come here right now isn't influenced by this force.

"Brother Wang is right. The Lin Household is indeed quite domineering. They painstakingly Detection and discovered the mineral vein, and you just want to take it away with a single word, and even demand that the Wang Household serve you for a month. Isn't that beneath the dignity of Golden Core Force?"

Yang Tianyou controlled the Warrior Puppet, soaring into the air. Looking at Lin He and Spirit Sword Master outside the Formation, he spoke loudly.

Upon hearing this, the two men's expressions changed, and they realized that there were more than just Wang Household in the Formation.

Wang Qingshan, to Yang Tianyou's left, felt a surge of gratitude.

Regardless of Yang Tianyou's purpose, the fact that he was willing to stand up for the Wang Household at this moment made him Wang Qingshan, worthy of being his friend.

"Heh, so it's the Purple Moon Yang Household. What, you want to get involved in this mess too? Perfect, I heard you also have an Elder Token, hand it over now!"

Sensing the aura emanating from the Warrior Puppet, Lin He recognized Yang Tianyou's identity and immediately felt relieved.

Like Shangguan Hong, he also disregarded the Yang Household Member. At this moment, he looked at Yang Tianyou with a clear contempt on his face.

Feeling slighted, Yang Tianyou wasn't angry. Instead, he turned to Wang Qingshan and asked, "Brother Wang, how about a collaboration between our two families?"

"I couldn't ask for more!" Wang Qingshan nodded quickly.

"Alright, let's show these people today that honest people aren't easy to bully!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Tianyou's Warrior Puppet dissipated in the wind, ten miles away, atop a mountain.

He turned to his clansmen, his expression serious, "If a fight breaks out, your safety is paramount. I will defeat the enemy as quickly as possible. In the meantime, do not act rashly!"

"Yes!" Several Foundation Establishment from the Yang Household nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Yang Tianyou smiled faintly, released four Spirit Beasts, and put Zhiming, who was not good at fighting, back into the Spirit Beast Bag.

Yang Tianxue and the others also released a Tier 2 Purple Moon Wolf each.

The thirteen Foundation Establishment warriors made no attempt to conceal their whereabouts and flew straight towards the Lin Household and the Yi Sword Sect members not far away.

In reality, concealment is useless; given the chaos in this Secret Realm, the probability of a sneak attack is actually very low.

For example, right now, four Golden Core Forces— Wang and Yang's side, the Lin Household, and the Yi Sword Sect—are in a standoff.

The oppressive aura of sixty or seventy Foundation Establishment caused the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within a radius of dozens of miles to begin to fluctuate.

One by one, cultivators were drawn by the undeniable commotion. Among them were spies from powerful forces, members of small Lineage, and mostly Rogue Cultivators.

They observed the battle from nearby, and if the opportunity arose, they would tear off a piece of flesh; otherwise, they would quietly retreat.

Under these circumstances, the four major Golden Core Force dared not act rashly.

On the surface, the Lin Household and the Yi Sword Sect seem to have a significant advantage.

However, if a battle breaks out, they will certainly suffer heavy casualties.

It would be unwise to engage in a bloody battle with the enemy before the Nine Great Legacy Grounds have even emerged.

Although Lin He was arrogant, he was not stupid; on the contrary, he was very good at assessing situations.

Seeing that things were not going well, the Yang Household quickly changed their tone after arriving to help.

"How about this, since we can't reach an agreement, let's follow the conventions of the Cultivation World and have a duel?"

"Your side has lost; hand over an Elder Token and this mine. Our side has lost; this piece of Third-Tier Middle-Grade Dark Nether Iron, worth 70,000 spirit Spirit Stones, is yours."

Lin He took out a fist-sized, dark blue iron block with densely distributed Spirit Mark on its surface and said with a smile.

"How do we compete?" Yang Tianyou asked.

"How about each side sends out three players, best two out of three?"

"Okay!" Yang Tianyou nodded without hesitation.

Wang Qingshan, who was standing next to him, wanted to say something, but Yang Tianyou gave him a look and made him swallow his words.

"However, Daoist Friends's offer seems a bit insufficient, only a piece of Dark Nether Iron, which is not even worth the value of this mine. I think you should also add an Elder Token!" Yang Tianyou spoke again.

"An Elder Token?" Lin He hesitated.

Their side only possesses one Elder Token. If they hand it over, they will be at a disadvantage once the Nine Great Legacy Grounds open.

However... after glancing at the opponent's strength, Lin He felt reassured.

Even if Yang Tianyou has some strength, he's just a False Core Formation cultivator. At worst, we can send a Foundation Establishment cultivator to exchange for him.

They have two False Core cultivators on their side, and both are stronger than Wang Qingshan, who is not good at fighting. It can be said that they are already in an invincible position.

"Good!"

After discussing it with Spirit Sword Master, Lin He nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, the two placed their bets together and each made Heart Demon Oath before setting up their stances to prepare for the duel.

"Daoist Friends, I am no match for Lin He, let alone the renowned Spirit Sword Master. Even if you could win a match, under these rules, we would definitely lose!" Wang Qingshan said anxiously.

As for blame, there was none.

After all, the Elder Token used as a wager this time was the one in the Yang Household's possession, while the Wang Household only contributed a mine, which was inferior in value to the Elder Token.

There are many mineral veins, but the Elder Token only has a few sides, each representing enormous profits.

That's not just tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, but at least hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of Spirit Stones in profit. Losing it would be a huge loss.

"Brother Wang, don't worry. As long as you follow my plan, we will surely win!" Yang Tianyou confidently in a soft voice, trying to comfort him.

"Alright then!" Wang Qingshan nodded helplessly, but he still didn't hold out much hope.

The fight began a quarter of an hour later.

According to the pre-arranged rules, the Lin Household would send out their people first.

This was something Yang Tianyou fought for; you could say that once this rule was set, they had already won half the battle.

Lin He and Spirit Sword Master, believing they had the upper hand, disregarded these details, unaware that this was precisely the root cause of their defeat.

"Let's send one person out to test the waters first!" After discussing it, Lin He and his companion decided to send out a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection stage, whose strength was second only to the two of them.

This person is a cultivator from the Yi Sword Sect named Chen Cheng. He is at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection and has also comprehended Sword Intent. However, his Sword Intent is only at the peak of the [Intent Realm] Peak Beginner Stage, which is even lower than that of his Sixth Brother, Yang Tiankang. Therefore, his contribution to combat power is very limited.

However, Chen Cheng's strength does not lie in his Sword Intent, but in his Law Artifacts.

He has a set of four Life-Bound Flying Swords.

Two are Water Attribute, and two are Fire Attribute; both are top-quality Second-Tier Upper-Grade Law Artifact.

The four swords are also engraved with special Array Mark. When activated by a special Secret Method, they can form a set of Tier 2 Supreme-Grade Formation, the "Water-Fire Two Principles Origin-Returning Sword Formation", which can release 36 Returning Origin Sword Qi, which is extremely powerful.

In the past, Chen Cheng relied on his Flying Sword to defeat no fewer than five Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, and could even exchange more than a hundred blows with False Core Cultivator, earning him a formidable reputation.

"Let's make it clear beforehand that in this duel, unless you are Talisman Cultivator or Artifact Cultivator, you are not allowed to use Talisman, Forbidden Artifact, or the like!" Lin He announced loudly.

Yang Tianyou and Wang Qingshan nodded. This was the consistent rule of the contest, and they had no intention of violating it.

"Brother Wang, I'll trouble you to take the stage for the first match. If you can defeat this person, we'll have a 90% chance of winning this fight!" Yang Tianyou said confidently.

"Alright, since Brother Yang is so confident, then I will certainly live up to your expectations and defeat Chen Cheng!" Wang Qingshan nodded emphatically, then leaped up to face Chen Cheng, who was carrying four swords on his back.

"The battle begins!" Spirit Sword Master announced loudly after a moment.

Boom!

Wang Qingshan took the initiative, flipping his right hand to reveal a small white mountain in his palm.

Tier 2 Supreme-Grade Law Artifact, from White Stone Mountain!

He raised his hand and sent White Stone Mountain soaring into the wind, instantly growing to a height of twenty zhang. It broke through layers of air and airflow, creating a thunderous roar as it pressed down on Chen Cheng, who was not far away.

Upon seeing this, the latter showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he appeared eager to try.

Chen Cheng was renowned in the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection circle; his only regret was that he had never defeated a true False Core Cultivator.

This is a great opportunity. The Wang Household has never been good at fighting, and Wang Qingshan is the worst among the False Core Cultivators. There is no better chance to make a name for himself than this.

Thinking of this, Chen Cheng shouted, "Behold the sword formation!"

Chant--

A crisp Jianming resounded through the sky. Azure and fiery red intertwined to form Sword Gang several dozen feet long. Propelled by four Flying Swords, it surged towards White Stone Mountain like a dragon soaring from the abyss, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

Thump!

The two collided, unleashing a violent surge of Spiritual Qi that stirred up waves in the sky and whipped up clouds of dust on the ground.

Thump! Thump!

The sounds of collisions rose and fell, and both of them stared wide-eyed, their hands constantly forming hand Mudra. Dense Spirit Mark, accompanied by surging violent Spiritual Power, surged out, controlling the Law Artifacts to collide.

Soon, the two had exchanged seventy blows.

Chen Cheng's expression was solemn. The purity and depth of the Spiritual Power of False Core Cultivator were far beyond what he could compare to.

Not to mention that Wang Qingshan cultivates Earth-attribute Cultivation Method, with a thick and powerful Spiritual Power energy. In a prolonged battle, he would definitely be no match for him.

"Since that's the case, let's settle this with a single sword strike!" Chen Cheng murmured to himself, his hand Mudra changing.

Chant--

A thunderous Sword Cry, accompanied by exceptionally sharp Sword Qi, sliced through the sky.

Amidst the changing winds and clouds, the four Flying Swords of different shapes swirled and danced, instantly arranging themselves in the four cardinal directions.

With the sword tip pointing downwards and the hilt upwards, intricate and complex Array Mark emerge from the blade, arranging and combining along some mysterious and predetermined trajectory.

Seeing this, Wang Qingshan knew that Chen Cheng was going to decide the outcome with a single strike, and that disrupting the opponent's sword formation was no longer an option.

That was, after all, Chen Cheng's signature move that allowed him to dominate the Foundation Establishment Realm, so it couldn't possibly have such obvious weaknesses, and I didn't have such keen insight either.

Therefore, Wang Qingshan decided to take a steady and methodical approach, choosing to overwhelm others with force.

The "Wu Earth Kun Origin Scripture" he cultivates is least afraid of prolonged battles. As long as he can withstand the opponent's fatal blow, he has a 70% chance of winning the battle.

With that in mind, he took out another Law Artifact.

Second-Tier Upper-Grade Law Artifact, the Sovereign Emperor Shield!

This was a rather thick, square shield, engraved with nine towering mountains. Once activated, it transformed into a ten-zhang-high mountain wall, blocking Wang Qingshan's path.

At the same time, his life-bound Law Artifact, White Stone Mountain, also exerted a heavy force, pressing down on Chen Cheng and sluggishing the latter's Spiritual Power, giving him time to defend.

The change of tactics by both sides seemed slow, but in reality, it didn't even take three breaths.

Chen Cheng, having completed his preparations, pointed into the air and involuntarily uttered in a long, slow chant, "The Two Principles Origin-Returning Sword!"

Zheng--

Four Flying Swords circled around, forming a sword formation diagram thirty feet wide.

At the center of that array, thirty-six hazy Sword Qi formed.

Brush!

The Returning Origin Sword Qi was instantly unleashed, its beginning and end connected, like a mighty river flowing across the east and west, surging and crashing forward.

"Stop!"

Veins bulged on Wang Qingshan's forehead as he clasped his hands together and pushed forward.

Boom!

The explosion resounded throughout the surrounding area!

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was constantly fluctuating, and White Stone Mountain was like an ancient reef standing in the ocean tide, unmoved by the Sword Qi.

Boom! Boom!

Chen Cheng's face flushed red, and beneath his skin, the rapidly circulating Spiritual Power caused his meridians to swell, as if insects were scurrying about.

Bang!

Finally, with all his might, White Stone Mountain was sent flying, his spiritual light dimming.

However, most of his thirty-six Returning Origin Sword Qi also shattered, leaving only seven, which shot towards the final mountain wall with undiminished momentum.

Bang! Bang!

Sword Qi shot towards them, the Sovereign Emperor Shield remained unmoved. Although its spiritual light dimmed, it ultimately succeeded in blocking the last seven Sword Qi.

"Call--"

Chen Cheng's face was filled with deep resentment. This was the closest he had ever come to defeating False Core Cultivator, but that mountain wall blocked all his thoughts.

I surrender!