Saint's Trial, Li Yun Disrupts

"What a sight!"

"This is a full-on melee."

Perched atop a treetop, Li Yun took in the scene below, his heart stirring with endless emotion.

What had started as scattered skirmishes had, with the sudden appearance of San Xiao and Nanjixianweng, escalated into an alliance between the disciples of the Chan and Jie Sects against outsiders. Though there were no shortage of True Immortal Realm cultivators among the rogue cultivators, they were clearly unable to hold their ground against the combined assault of the orthodox Xuanmen disciples from both sects and had begun to retreat.

Not only that, but Li Yun vaguely sensed this might be an opportunity.

After all, the Chan and Jie Sect disciples were fully occupied dealing with the rogue cultivators, leaving the fully ripened gourd vine and its gourds completely unguarded.

"Interesting!"

"Since a fortuitous encounter has delivered itself to my doorstep, I'd be a fool to pass it up."

"Transform~"

Having made up his mind, Li Yun activated the Seventy-Two Transformations with a single thought. The next moment, his form shifted into that of a sparrow. Suppressing every trace of his aura, he spread his wings and soared toward the mountaintop.

Before long, Li Yun's figure reached the summit. He could see the relentless exchange of spells; the rogue cultivators' defeat was all but sealed. The Chan and Jie Sect disciples had begun to separate into distinct camps, clearly already planning their next round of conflict.

But after just a few glances, Li Yun averted his gaze and focused instead on the gourd vine.

In that instant, he sensed something was off.

The three gourds themselves seemed normal enough, but the vine was not. Though it appeared rooted in the soil, he could faintly make out special divine runes in the root area. These runes were minuscule, yet they radiated a terrifying power that did not belong to the vine itself—it felt like residual fluctuations left behind by someone else.

"Could this gourd vine have been planted here by someone?"

"If so, how could the barrier have been broken? Such powerful runes would require at least a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, or even a higher-level cultivator, to leave behind."

In that moment, Li Yun's heart churned with uncertainty.

He had planned to play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, but now that he clearly sensed the gourd vine's abnormality, he found himself torn over whether to get involved.

Just then, a chill ran down Li Yun's spine. He vaguely felt two immensely powerful, unfathomable divine senses sweep over him.

Though they vanished in an instant, Li Yun caught them. The vastness of those two auras rivaled that of his own master, Laozi.

"Could this be—"

His pupils contracted as he abruptly turned his gaze toward the main vein of Kunlun Mountain in the distance.

If his perception was correct, those two divine senses belonged to none other than Yuanshi Tianzun and Sect Master Tongtian.

Combined with the divine runes on the gourd vine, the conclusion was obvious.

The gourd vine had been set up by Sect Master Tongtian and Yuanshi Tianzun themselves. They had deliberately let the Chan and Jie Sect disciples discover this place, even luring in some rogue cultivators. Their goal was likely the conflict between the two sects' disciples. Though an agreement had been reached to hold the Three Teachings Exchange Conference, Yuanshi Tianzun and Sect Master Tongtian clearly had not let the matter rest—or perhaps they had orchestrated this to force their disciples to fight, thereby honing their strength.

If that were the case, then the three gourds before him were the true fuse.

Whichever sect's disciples ended up with more gourds would claim victory. And perhaps even more...

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"Interesting!"

"So this is a Saint's Trial?"

"That's quite a surprise. But if two out of three gourds mean victory, then why not leave one to decide the final outcome?"

With that thought, Li Yun made up his mind.

Though it was a Saint's Trial, as long as he didn't break the trial's outcome by seizing something, there was no harm in it.

Having resolved himself, Li Yun hesitated no longer. With a thought, he activated the Seventy-Two Transformations once more, his entire form shifting into that of an old eagle.

Without pausing, he flapped his wings and used the escape art within the Seventy-Two Transformations to dive downward. Before the Chan Sect disciples, Jie Sect disciples, and rogue cultivators could settle their battle, his figure had already appeared at the spot where the gourd vine had borne three gourds.

With a sweep of his gaze, Li Yun snatched the golden and black gourds, then soared upward, wings beating as he fled outward.

"Beast, how dare you!"

"Beast, you seek death!"

At that, the Chan and Jie Sect disciples and the rogue cultivators on the mountaintop all went red-eyed.

None of them had expected someone to swoop in as the oriole—and in the form of an old eagle with no discernible aura at that.

"No, that eagle is no ordinary creature!"

In an instant, the rogue cultivators did not hesitate. They pulled back, widening the distance between themselves and the Chan and Jie Sect disciples, then rode clouds in pursuit of Li Yun's retreating figure.

"This—"

"Senior Brother Weng of the South Pole, what do we do?"

In the Chan Teachings' area, a group of Chan disciples exchanged bewildered glances, instinctively turning to Immortal Weng of the South Pole to await his decision.

After all, only one gourd remained on the mountaintop, while the other two had been snatched away. If they gave chase, they'd have to abandon this last one, but if they didn't, there was no way to reclaim the other two.

"Calm yourselves!"

With a slight squint of his eyes, Weng of the South Pole was also seething with rage, yet he could sense that the Old Eagle was no ordinary being.

Pursuing now would likely bring more loss than gain, and might even cost the Chan disciples casualties. Thus, the best choice was to stay put. Moreover, he had a faint feeling that this whole affair was deliberately orchestrated by his Master, so securing this remaining gourd was paramount.

"Big Brother, what do we do?"

On the other side, San Xiao was equally stunned by the scene, then turned her gaze toward Zhao Gongming.

After all, staying or leaving was indeed a dilemma, and they too vaguely understood that these three gourds held the key to victory or defeat between them and the Chan disciples.

"You three give chase!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Gongming looked toward San Xiao and said, "Go together, all three of you. Leave this place to me. I'll lead the other Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters to defeat Weng of the South Pole and the Chan disciples, and secure the last gourd."

"When you three pursue, be careful—that Old Eagle is no simple character. I suspect he might even be a cultivator. Seize the chance to reclaim the gourd if you can, but if there's no opening, don't act rashly. Put your own safety first in all matters."

"Understood!"

Hearing this, San Xiao exchanged glances and raised no objection.

Without further hesitation, the three sisters turned and mounted their clouds to give chase.

At the same time, Zhao Gongming and Weng of the South Pole locked eyes. Battle intent erupted between them as they both roared: "Fight!"

"Kill!"

The next moment, the Chan disciples led by Immortal Weng of the South Pole clashed with the Jie Teachings disciples led by Zhao Gongming, and the battle between Zhao Gongming and Weng of the South Pole gradually edged closer to the area where the last Red-Skinned Gourd lay~