Ancient trees soared into the sky, lush and verdant.
A winding river roiled with violent waves as it flowed out of the Southern Wilderness, racing toward the thousand-mile wasteland in the territory of Red Crow City.
Chen Xuan followed the flow of people here, his gaze sweeping around as he observed the situation.
"Every major force has sent people."
Several hundred people had gathered here, roughly divided into four factions.
One was the Azure-robed cultivators from Green Deer Mountain, and the other was the Ascetic Monks from the Hanging Temple.
The remaining two were Qi Refining Aristocratic Clans from Red Crow City.
One was the Wang Household that Chen Xuan belonged to. The other was the Xie Family, which cultivated Water Virtue Black Qi. The foul-tempered old Daoist they had encountered while capturing the treasure fish some days ago was among them.
"Yan Yushu actually joined up with the Qi Refining Aristocratic Clan, the Xie Family."
Chen Xuan was stunned. In the area where the Xie Family had gathered, he spotted Yan Yushu. Her bearing was cool and clear, empty and bright like a fairy. Standing amid the crowd, she was like the moon surrounded by stars, dazzling enough to make it impossible to look away.
Several handsome and distinguished direct descendants of the Xie Family, along with other young Qi Refiners, surrounded the peerlessly beautiful Yan Yushu as they chatted and laughed, as though they were figures in a painting of talented men and lovely women out on an excursion.
"I heard that after Yan Yushu entered Red Crow City, she deliberately passed by the entrance of a Qi Refining Aristocratic Clan to attract bees and butterflies. So it was the Xie Family she was referring to."
Chen Xuan muttered to himself.
Far away, over a hundred Ascetic Monks from the Hanging Temple sat with their eyes tightly shut and heads lowered, quietly reciting Buddhist scriptures. They did not look toward where Yan Yushu stood.
Chen Xuan could not understand it. Since these Ascetic Monks could not capture Yan Yushu, why did they not leave? Why had they come here to join the excitement?
"Miss Yushu, rest assured. With our Xie Family here, how could we allow the Hanging Temple to run rampant? We will definitely protect you."
Chen Xuan vaguely heard a young prodigy speaking with complete confidence, repeatedly assuring Yan Yushu not to worry.
"Many thanks to Young Master Xie and all the heroes for your concern. Yushu is deeply grateful."
Yan Yushu's voice was clear and melodious. She inclined her body slightly and gave a small curtsy, an almost perfect lady's courtesy. Beneath the dawnlight, she was as graceful and beautiful as water, stirring the heart.
Was she seducing them?
Chen Xuan thought to himself. He clearly sensed the breaths of those young cultivators from the Aristocratic Clans pause for several beats. Then their breathing quickened, and their hearts pounded as though they were about to leap from their chests.
Chen Xuan only glanced a few times before looking away. With so many eyes around, this was not a good time to seek out Yan Yushu. He could only wait until the negotiations were over.
"The great demons and monsters of the Southern Wilderness are here!" someone suddenly cried out. In the distant sea of forests, the grass and trees swayed. A figure appeared, drawing closer and gradually becoming clear.
"Whoosh!"
A snow-white turtle, its four limbs soft and flabby, slowly emerged from the mountain forest. Its steps swayed like tides moving through deep water.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, his deep eyes gazing at the human Qi Refiners across the river.
Behind him, one bizarre and grotesque demon after another appeared in succession.
"Bang!"
From among the Xie Family, an old man in black robes suddenly stepped out of the crowd. He knelt and began kowtowing to the old white turtle, each impact booming like thunder.
"The Xie Family Head, a Dao Repository Realm cultivator, is kowtowing! That white-shelled old turtle cultivates Water Virtue Black Qi!" someone shouted in terror, his face filled with utter horror.
A great cultivator of the Dao Repository Realm, an Aristocratic Clan leader who normally stood high above others and held immense authority, had been instantly moved by Immortal Qi. Like a puppet, he knelt before the demon.
"The Southern Wilderness is giving Red Crow City a show of force."
Wang Zhenyang's expression was ugly. His six palms suddenly crushed the armrests of his chair. But the old white turtle was a level above him. He was an ant before it now; the instant he dared to attack, he would be slapped to death.
"This is a true top-tier great power."
Chen Xuan's expression grew solemn. Not long ago, he had witnessed Wang Zhenyang's might. Now he saw the Xie Family Head, also in the Dao Repository Realm, directly kowtow to the old white turtle. The sight was astonishing... The old white turtle should be a being at the third stage of the Qi Refining Path. Yet he had not made things difficult for the lowest-level Feather Transformation cultivators, deliberately showing mercy.
"A top-tier great power from Green Deer Mountain has arrived!" Everyone immediately brightened, looking toward the distance.
Far across the sky, azure radiance blotted out the heavens and earth, covering half the sky. It swallowed the sunlight and blue heavens as it approached. At the end of the horizon, a dignified figure in azure robes slowly emerged.
"The sect master has arrived!" The Qi Refiners of Green Deer Mountain dropped to their knees in a vast, rumbling mass.
Qing Yazi was tall and broad, appearing to be in his forties. His features were upright and refined, but his eyes were terrifying, as though a thousand kinds of azure radiance churned within them. He held up a three-legged, two-eared alchemy furnace.
He appeared before the people of Green Deer Mountain, his hands clasped behind his back as he coldly stared at the old white turtle.
Azure Cauldron Dao, Qing Yazi!
"Qing Yazi, you grow more useless with every passing day. You show off your might against Feather Transformation novices, yet still dream of refining an immortal pill? You will never have the chance in this life to be Hidden in the Mortal World and attain the Dao to become an immortal."
The old white turtle cast Qing Yazi a sidelong glance, his tone extremely hostile.
Behind him, a large group of Demons and Monsters who cultivated Green Qi were kowtowing with great force. Some had already smashed their foreheads open, blood streaming across the ground.
"The debt from last month's Yellow Millet Dream has yet to be settled with you. Today, we will decide everything in one battle!"
Qing Yazi gave a cold snort. His great sleeves fluttered as he spoke with calm confidence. "Where is she? Call her out to see me."
"This is... are they about to fight?" someone whispered. Qing Yazi was extremely forceful. As one of the few top-tier great powers in the territory of Red Crow City, he had immediately confronted the demons and monsters of the Southern Wilderness the moment he appeared.
Moreover, they were horrified. Had Qing Yazi actually suffered a great loss in the Southern Wilderness's Yellow Millet Dream incident last month?
Chen Xuan's gaze lightly swept past Qing Yazi before immediately shifting elsewhere, worried that his keen senses would detect him.
At this moment, the several great hands that did as they pleased in Red Crow City and toyed with countless cultivators had finally begun stepping onto the stage.
"Hmph!"
Suddenly, a heavy roar rang out between heaven and earth, and the sky darkened.
A pair of enormous, pure-golden eyes rose from the mountains of the Southern Wilderness. They were like two vast lakes, unfathomably deep. At the summit of the sky, a majestic character for "king" filled the entire heavens.
"Qing Yazi, what are you supposed to be? You think you are worthy of seeing her true appearance with your own eyes? Call the Fire Emperor of your Chu Kingdom here!"
The voice was like a tiger's roar, shaking heaven and earth and making people's chests feel tight. Some Qi Refiners of low cultivation had blood seeping from their ears and collapsed onto the ground.
"It's him!"
Chen Xuan's heart shuddered. He recognized this incomparably enormous demon. When the first group of Qi Refiners had arrived in the Southern Wilderness, those golden eyes had risen from the Southern Wilderness Mountains and patrolled the land beneath the night sky.
Its pressure and might had spread over a hundred miles, so heavy that it made breathing difficult.
"There really are tigers in the mountains..." someone thought with a chill in his heart. The Southern Wilderness had deep foundations, and yet another top-tier demon had appeared. With two against one, the human side immediately fell into a disadvantageous position.
A pair of golden tiger eyes stretched across the sky behind the old white turtle, watching Qing Yazi with contempt. Their oppressive presence made everyone tremble in fear.
"This tiger-eyed demon has pushed the path of physical cultivation to its limit. Its body is so enormous that its boundaries cannot even be seen." Someone sighed, while also feeling that it was far too arrogant. How dare it shout for the Fire Emperor of Chu to come here and meet her?
Who was she? Was a third top-tier demon of the Southern Wilderness about to appear?
"What use is there in flaunting your tongue? If she does not dare come today, then forget the Peach Blossom Garden—even the Southern Wilderness will be forcibly entered!"
Qing Yazi's immortal aura drifted around him, but his tone was exceptionally cold. He continued, "A cycle occurs once every twenty years. This time, it is four against three. Your Southern Wilderness has acted recklessly and brought this upon itself. It is time you learned a lesson."
Four against three?
"Are three more top-tier human great cultivators coming?" Everyone was puzzled.
After all, the top-tier great cultivators of Red Crow City could be counted on one hand.
The City Lord of Red Crow City would certainly come, since both the Wang and Xie Families had arrived. But who were the remaining two top-tier great cultivators?
"The Hanging Temple..." someone whispered speculatively, looking toward the silent Ascetic Monks of the distant Hanging Temple.
The Ascetic Monks never joined in the excitement. They must be connected to this somehow, or they would not have come.
"Qing Yazi once invited a top-tier great cultivator from the Hanging Temple who had crossed over secretly to Green Deer Mountain to discuss scriptures and the Dao. What if he did not extort him, but instead cooperated with him?"
Someone muttered, feeling that he had grasped the key point. "What if City Lord Lu Zhuan of Red Crow City also turned a blind eye and allowed other top-tier great cultivators from the Hanging Temple to pass through? Then they could use four against three and overwhelm the Southern Wilderness..."
"Something is not right..."
Chen Xuan's expression was grave as he looked at Yan Yushu, who was surrounded by the Xie Family. He felt that her situation was extremely subtle.
Yet her expression showed no anxiety. She seemed unconcerned by the speculation around her. When a young man took the opportunity to comfort her, she responded with impeccable courtesy.
"City Lord Lu Zhuan of Red Crow City is here!" someone suddenly shouted, pointing toward the end of the great river between the two factions and gazing into the distance.
"Whoosh!"
The river surged. A figure rose and fell amid the waves, traveling upstream against the current, riding the wind and breaking through the waves. The figure gradually became clearer.
"Gasp, it's a little Daoist!"
Chen Xuan stared in amazement. The figure amid the rolling waves was clearly a five- or six-year-old child Daoist!
City Lord Lu Zhuan was less than a meter tall, with bright eyes, red lips, white teeth, and skin as crystalline as jade. He held his head high and thrust out his chest, his chubby, delicately carved face wearing a cocky and arrogant expression.
He wore an oversized black Daoist robe, as though a stubborn child had forced himself into an adult's clothes. His tender little feet were bare, while several azure-purple talismans were concealed within his spacious sleeves, their brilliant radiance spilling out.
Rain Master Dao, Lu Zhuan!
With his appearance, the entire land strangely fell silent. Everyone nervously held their breath.
Because Lu Zhuan was the nominal number-one Qi Refiner in the territory of Red Crow City.
In the distance, the old white turtle and the figure with the tiger eyes fell silent.
"City Lord Lu Zhuan has also brought the human body's Dao Repository and the path of physical cultivation to their limits..." Wang Zhenyang muttered. When he had been young, Lu Zhuan's body had already looked like a child's. Now that Wang Zhenyang was old and decrepit, Lu Zhuan remained the same—and had even shrunk somewhat.
Chen Xuan also sensed that this person had taken a path entirely different from the figure with the tiger eyes that blotted out the sky. It seemed that every inch of his flesh had transformed, releasing a fragrance a hundred times richer than that of a great medicinal supplement of flesh and blood.
"Daoist Friend Lu Zhuan, in this joint expedition, the Six Desires Heaven will belong to me and the Hanging Temple, while the Southern Wilderness and Peach Blossom Garden will belong to Red Crow City. How about it?"
Qing Yazi's posture was composed as he softly voiced the plan they all understood, clearly intending to share the benefits of cooperation.
At those words, the little child Daoist glanced at Qing Yazi, then waved his sleeve.
"Rumble..."
In an instant, the surging river overturned its banks. A Black-Scaled Jiaolong with five claws and a body as thick as a house lifted the little child Daoist hundreds of meters into the sky. White mist coiled around them as torrential rain poured down, and the fierce dragon head looked down upon the earth.
Little child Daoist Lu Zhuan stared at Qing Yazi. The corners of his mouth slowly stretched into an exaggerated arc, and a clear, childlike voice came from his throat as he sighed, "Qing Yazi, you are a jumping clown, and not a clever one... Some people can live for a thousand years, ten thousand years, and all that changes is that they grow older, not smarter."
He paused, then asked, "You want the Six Desires Heaven, yet this Daoist does not?"
Qing Yazi's expression froze. He stared blankly. "You are Rain Master Dao, a member of the orthodox Daoist sect. What do you want the Six Desires Heaven for? Besides, the Hanging Temple..."
The little child Daoist's face instantly became ferocious. He shouted, "Fool! Do you think Yan Yushu grew wings and flew out of the Hanging Temple to reach Red Crow City?"
"Boom!"
The next instant, the Black-Scaled Jiaolong threw back its head and roared. Then its several-hundred-meter-long body suddenly plunged downward, like a massive chain spanning the heavens, smashing Qing Yazi and more than half of Green Deer Mountain's encampment deep into the earth.
The earth trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
"The immortal pill this Daoist chose eight hundred years ago—you actually dared to stick your nose in for no reason!"
Lu Zhuan's furious roar shook everyone's hearts, leaving them deeply astonished.
"Yan Yushu had already been targeted by Lu Zhuan. No wonder she fled to Red Crow City!"
Chen Xuan's thoughts raced. He had not expected such an unforeseen turn of events. But he reacted quickly, darting away from the crowd to avoid being caught in the aftermath of the battle.
"Rumble!"
The entire land shook. Mountains collapsed, the earth split, and the sky darkened. A shocking battle erupted with overwhelming suddenness.
"City Lord Lu has betrayed us!"
Everyone looked terrified and hurried away from the battlefield. They had originally expected peaceful negotiations, but before the talks had even begun, the factions were already fighting. Lu Zhuan had turned on them outright and struck Qing Yazi viciously.
"Lu Zhuan, the people from the Hanging Temple will arrive in a moment. Do not go mad!" Qing Yazi's voice echoed from deep underground.
"Qing Yazi, are you worthy of sitting at the table? By the time you finish plotting, the pot will already have been scrubbed clean!" Lu Zhuan's childish voice was exceptionally sharp.
"You are counting on the Hanging Temple? You people see something good and want it, but can you hold on to it once you take it? I will make sure you fail to obtain what you seek. The Hanging Temple is finished!"
The old white turtle and the figure with the tiger eyes shouted as they joined the battlefield. They did not attack Qing Yazi alone; they also searched for opportunities to ambush Lu Zhuan, trying to wipe them all out in one stroke.
The old white turtle swung his divine fist, his feet treading on a Bagua diagram as his fists danced in a Taiji circle. Like a blazing sun, he charged straight into the underground battlefield. Behind him, the figure with the tiger eyes rose from the Southern Wilderness, lifted a towering mountain over a thousand zhang high, and furiously hurled it over...
"Terrifying. So this is the power of top-tier great cultivators. I'm leaving first."
Chen Xuan's heart pounded in terror. He had finally witnessed just how high these people's cultivation truly was. He had been schemed against by people of this level... Yet he did not feel dispirited. The fact that enemies of this level were constantly watching him from behind only made his fighting spirit soar.
Moreover, he discovered that great cultivators were not invincible. Although they possessed all kinds of supreme might, they were still human at their core... A high realm only meant better talent. As long as he was cautious enough, he could completely avoid the probing of most great cultivators.
But he also knew his own limits. This was not a battle he could take part in at present. He rapidly withdrew from the battlefield, and soon the forest of the Southern Wilderness appeared before him.
"Hey!"
Suddenly, someone lightly tapped his shoulder.
"Who?"
Chen Xuan whipped around. Yan Yushu smiled sweetly, an unnatural flush staining her fair face. She seized Chen Xuan's hand and pulled him into the dense forest where no one else was around.
"Come with me."
Chen Xuan stood there blankly. He was not the only one who had seen Yan Yushu—she had also spotted him among the crowd and followed him amid the chaos.
In the distance, several handsome direct descendants of the Xie Family, along with many distinguished young masters of Aristocratic Clans, were sweating profusely as they anxiously searched for Yan Yushu, like ants on a hot pan.
"Where is Miss Yushu? Hurry and search."
They were distraught, as though the peerless treasure they had held at the very center of their hearts had suddenly been stolen, leaving the sky to collapse around them. They were utterly heartbroken.
Chen Xuan pointed at them and asked, "Them?"
Yan Yushu looked disgusted. "They are irrelevant people. They have nothing to do with us."
Chen Xuan blinked. "Us?"
"Don't pretend you don't know!"
Yan Yushu rolled her eyes at him. The seductive charm in her gaze was almost pulling into threads, and she urged him impatiently in a delicate voice.
"Lu Zhuan is my master. He will come looking for me after the fight... I do not have much time. Hurry up and do it!"
Before you continue