"Since you put it that way, I'll come find you again in a couple of days!" Xia He said, leaping backward before quickly vanishing into the forest.
"Crazy as ever. She dragged us out in the middle of the night just to talk about this!" Dou Mei sighed helplessly. "Staying up late is a woman's greatest enemy. I'll need to take proper care of myself when I get back!"
"Indeed, we need to restore our spirits. There's still a big show waiting after the ritual ends... Hm? Who's there?"
The sound of grass being trampled came from nearby, instantly raising the three of them to maximum alertness!
"Heh, weren't the three of you just discussing me?"
A shadow stretched beneath the moonlight gradually entered their view. It was Shen Ye, dressed in magnificent priestly robes.
"Shen Ye! Why are you here?" The three immediately formed a back-to-back triangle, scanning their surroundings for a possible ambush.
"Relax, I came alone!" Shen Ye chuckled softly. "If I'd brought anyone else, that young lady's subordinates wouldn't have led me here!"
"Hehehe, we were actually set up by that crazy girl!" Dou Mei's eyelids twitched wildly.
"What exactly was she trying to accomplish? If she had betrayed All-Consuming, you shouldn't have been the only one here!" Shen Chong narrowed his eyes. "Could it be because of tomorrow's match?"
"Young benefactor, since you heard those words, make your choice. Think carefully now—this is a choice concerning your life!" Gao Ning said with a smiling face.
The three did not take Shen Ye seriously. Though he had proven his strength during the Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual, the Four Maniacs had not built such a fearsome reputation on strength alone!
Wine, lust, greed, and rage—the four poisons of the heart directly corroded one's mind. No matter how strong one was, they would still be affected. Keeping even thirty percent of one's full strength meant one's will was exceptionally steadfast!
Though there were only three of them here, their opponent was merely a child.
Great strength could be explained by talent, but mental fortitude had to be tempered through experience!
"A choice? I've always been the one giving others choices. Since when was it your turn to give me one?" Shen Ye's voice was indifferent.
"How domineering! Anyone who didn't know better might think you were the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain!" Gao Ning pressed his palms together, a vicious gleam in his eyes. "Since you have some misunderstandings about us, young benefactor, we can only invite you back as our guest. Attack!"
All three were seasoned fighters. Once they made a decision, they naturally acted without hesitation.
Gao Ning unfolded the Twelve Laborious Emotion Array. Dou Mei released pollen carrying the fragrance of wine, while Shen Chong rushed forward and engaged Shen Ye in close combat with the power gained through "usury."
After only a few exchanges, Shen Chong had already been forced into an absolute disadvantage.
Though his power was greater, most of it came from the interest of his "usury." His qi was chaotic and tangled, which was fine against ordinary opponents, but before Shen Ye, it left nothing but openings.
However, Gao Ning and Dou Mei did not care. Instead, they smiled. "Such combat talent is indeed terrifying. But young benefactor, the Twelve Laborious Emotion Array doesn't feel too pleasant, does it?"
"The Twelve Laborious Emotion Array? Heh, it really is somewhat interesting!"
Gao Ning's expression changed slightly. "You can still laugh inside my Twelve Laborious Emotion Array? How is that possible?"
Dou Mei's expression changed as well. "Something's wrong. My ability doesn't seem to be affecting him!"
"If you had fought me fairly, you might have caused me some trouble. But you actually thought you could shake my state of mind? How laughable!" Shen Ye gently shook his head. His Dao heart had not weakened because of his rebirth. "And besides, hasn't anyone told you that battles of the mind are very dangerous?"
The Twelve Laborious Emotion Array used Gao Ning's qi as its medium to influence the twelve meridians of those within the array.
But it was like a tug-of-war. While he pulled against Shen Ye, he also handed one end of the rope to Shen Ye.
Given the steadfastness of Shen Ye's Dao heart, turning the tables was effortless.
Realizing the change, Gao Ning's face drastically changed. "Not good! He's seized control of my Twelve Laborious Emotion Array!"
Dou Mei and Shen Chong were both horrified. "What? Isn't that your ability?"
Gao Ning gritted his teeth and shouted, "I don't know either! This guy is too strange. Given the situation today, I think we should retreat for now!"
"You're only talking about retreat now? Too late!" Shen Ye said with indifferent eyes. "One Hundred and Eight Laborious Emotion Array!"
"One hundred and eight? You're joking, right?" Gao Ning's heart lurched. He knew just how dangerous the Laborious Emotion Array was. If its effectiveness were amplified further, even the controller would be affected.
Before he could think further, the Twelve Laborious Emotion Array, originally flickering with crimson light, suddenly expanded its radius ninefold, engulfing all three of them as they tried to flee.
The red light flashed and pulsed at an astonishing frequency. All four within the array were affected, but Shen Ye remained unmoved amid the interference, while the other three instantly succumbed to madness and slaughtered each other like lunatics.
In just a few minutes, all three died miserable deaths.
"On the path of cultivation, one's state of mind matters most!" Shen Ye sighed faintly as he looked at their corpses. In his previous life, he had dealt with that inner demon for a hundred years. Had his Dao heart not been firm, he would have long since been corrupted.
"Still, these three souls can be put to some use!" Shen Ye murmured, collecting their remaining souls into his sleeve.
The next day.
Before the match had even begun, the spectators in the stands were already eagerly discussing today's outcome.
"The Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain's closed-door disciple against the biggest dark horse of this Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual. Today's going to be a great show!"
"I'm betting on True Person Lingyu. As long as he doesn't give Shen Ye a chance to build momentum or summon spirits, more than half of Shen Ye's abilities will be restricted!"
"I'm more optimistic about Brother Shen Ye. Who says those are the only two abilities he has?"
"Exactly! A genius like him could know any number of techniques without it being surprising!"
Listening to the heated arguments around her, Xia He, disguised with a different appearance, could not help sneering inwardly. Hmph, whether he can even show up today is another question!
Suddenly, the voices around her fell silent for a moment before erupting even more fiercely.
"They're here, they're here!"
"It can finally begin!"
Xia He's heart jolted. She hurriedly looked down at the arena, only to see Shen Ye appearing on the field completely intact. Not only was he uninjured, even his complexion had not changed in the slightest. Could it be that they didn't fight yesterday?
While Xia He's thoughts ran wild, Zhang Lingyu's heart was equally unsettled. After I fight him, only Zhang Chulan and Miss Hua Yue will remain. With that young lady's strength, Zhang Chulan has no chance at all. Although most people who came to the Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual came for the Heavenly Ascension Talisman, if they truly came for the position of Celestial Master, Master will surely be placed in a difficult position! To prevent that possibility, I must win today's battle!
Thanks to reader 20200415223730227 for the 104 reward.
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