Sword Gate Mirage Dragon

"This time, disciples from all ten great clans are taking part in the Unrestricted Duel. Why isn't the First Clan here?" Ting Lanyue asked curiously.

Zhong Yue's heart stirred as well. Li Xiuniang had just introduced the core disciples of the nine great clans, but had never mentioned the First Clan. Logically speaking, the First Clan was the most powerful clan in the Great Wilderness and should not have failed to send a disciple to participate in this Unrestricted Duel.

"The First Clan is the Feng Clan—the clan our Sword Gate Sect Master comes from. Their bloodline is innately powerful. I've heard that they possess the Human-God Bloodline."

Li Xiuniang shook her head. "The Feng Clan is indeed powerful, but unfortunately, they have too few people. They didn't send any disciples to compete this time. However, though the Feng Clan is small in number, every one of them is an extraordinarily formidable figure. For example, Feng Wuji, one of the four great young experts of our Sword Gate, was born into the Feng Clan. And our Sword Gate Sect Master is an existence unparalleled in the Great Wilderness!"

"The Feng Clan?"

Within Zhong Yue's sea of consciousness, Xinhuo was both startled and delighted. "The Feng Clan was the greatest surname in the era of Fuxi, and also the earliest surname to appear. It was known as the greatest surname under Heaven! Back then, the Feng surname belonged to the direct descendants of the first-generation Fuxi and Nuwa. I wonder whether the Feng Clan of the Great Wilderness is connected to the Feng Clan of the Fuxi era... Yue lad, I want to meet someone from the Feng Clan. Perhaps we can find the pure-blooded Fuxi Divine Clan!"

Zhong Yue's heart stirred. Li Xiuniang had just said that the Feng Clan's bloodline was innately powerful, and now Xinhuo said that the Feng Clan were direct descendants of Fuxi. Perhaps they really could find the pure-blooded Fuxi Divine Clan among the Feng Clan of the Great Wilderness.

"The Feng Clan is in the Great Wilderness, and there are also people from the Feng Clan in Sword Gate. You only need to meet our Sword Gate Sect Master or Feng Wuji. But with my current status, how could I possibly be qualified to meet them? I'll probably have to become a Sword Gate qigong practitioner before I have a chance to meet them, right?"

All the Upper Court disciples had gathered at Five Pine Peak, while the qigong practitioners who taught the disciples in Scripture Hall had also arrived one after another, standing behind the various elders. Great parasol canopies floated in the air, with many elders seated beneath them.

Before long, an elder rose to his feet and looked down at the several thousand Upper Court disciples. In a deep voice, he said, "Today's Unrestricted Duel allows Upper Court disciples to attack without restraint. Soul weapons, Totem Pillars, and all manner of offensive techniques are permitted. However, you are fellow disciples, after all. Stop once the point is made; victory is enough. You must not take anyone's life. Junior Brother Lu, come and explain the rules to them."

Another qigong practitioner stepped forward and explained the rules of this Unrestricted Duel.

Sword Gate's Unrestricted Duel was very simple: seize the elevated platforms. There were a hundred platforms in total, and all one had to do was occupy one alone and hold off the others.

Those who occupied a platform would face challenges from everyone else. As long as they held the platform for two hours, they could become one of the hundred strongest in the Upper Court.

After the battles over these hundred platforms, the hundred strongest Upper Court disciples would be selected, determining who qualified to enter Spirit Void Hall.

There would also be a major battle among those hundred disciples to determine the strongest of them all. Once the strongest entered Spirit Void Hall, they would receive the greatest share of resources!

"Is it really that simple?"

After hearing the rules, Zhong Yue was slightly stunned. Wouldn't this kind of duel fail to test the disciples' true abilities? After all, some disciples cultivate flight techniques, and a battle over elevated platforms can't display the subtlety of those techniques. Besides, there are several thousand Upper Court disciples. With so many people at a place like Five Pine Peak, the hundred platforms will inevitably be packed until not even water can pass through...

After the qigong practitioner finished explaining the rules, he turned around to seek the elder's instructions. The elder nodded and said, "Bring out the Mirage Dragon."

The qigong practitioner nodded and shouted, "Bring out the Mirage Dragon!"

"Yes!"

More than ten qigong practitioners answered in unison. Then they shouted loudly, "Bring out the Mirage Dragon!"

Whoosh—

Near the Golden Summit of Sword Gate Mountain, the sea of clouds churned. One qigong practitioner after another was seen tugging on thick chains. There were over a hundred people and over a hundred chains, with the other ends fastened deep within the sea of clouds.

The hundred-odd qigong practitioners pulled with all their might. The sea of clouds surged like a real ocean, waves billowing as cloud formations rose and fell like mountains. After a moment, a colossal creature was forcibly dragged out of the sea of clouds!

The enormous creature had a rooster's head, a tortoise's back, and a dragon's tail. Its claws were razor-sharp. It had been dwelling in the sea of clouds, bound by chain after chain, and as it was dragged out, it let out an enraged roar. The roar sounded like a rooster's crow, echoing through the mountains.

Zhong Yue raised his head and gazed upward. The Mirage Dragon was over a li long, like a mountain range floating in midair, struggling with all its might and refusing to descend.

"Sword Gate actually has such an exotic beast hidden away. Its foundations truly run deep. But what are they planning to do by bringing out the Mirage Dragon?"

Beside him, Ting Lanyue muttered, "So the rooster crowing I hear every morning is this Mirage Dragon's cry. I was wondering how this Holy Land, Sword Gate, could possibly be raising chickens..."

The Mirage Dragon was led over by the many qigong practitioners and continued struggling. When it heard this, it angrily turned toward Ting Lanyue. "You're saying I'm a chicken?"

Ting Lanyue stuck out her tongue and hurriedly hid behind Zhong Yue.

A Sword Gate elder rose and shouted, "Stop fooling around. Mirage Dragon, Sword Gate has supported you all these years. Now it is time to put you to use again."

The Mirage Dragon spoke in a deep, booming voice. "Little brat, I'm old enough to be your grandfather. At the very least, say the word 'please' when you want to use me."

The elder was helpless. He lowered his voice and said, "Please."

Only then did the Mirage Dragon stop struggling. Suddenly, spiritual power surged forth. Zhong Yue's heart trembled as he saw a hundred mountain ranges suddenly appear atop Five Pine Peak, rising and rolling without end. Mountain foothills layered over one another and spread in every direction around Five Pine Peak!

Within the span of several breaths, a hundred mountain peaks appeared all around them. They were astonishingly formed from the Mirage Dragon's spiritual power. Mountain ranges rose and fell, trees grew into forests, and wild beasts roamed across the hills. Even birds flew through the sky, their cries clear and bright!

Hundreds of li of mountains had appeared in an instant, just like something real!

An Upper Court disciple stepped forward and lightly touched a mountain. He couldn't help crying out, "It feels just like the real thing!"

The Mirage Dragon's spiritual power had turned illusion into reality. The mountains, trees, wild beasts, and birds created through its visualization were all lifelike. Even if one stepped on them, they felt entirely real, and one's foot would not sink into empty space!

The so-called mirage was born from the Mirage Dragon's innately powerful spiritual force. And the Mirage Dragon raised among the sea of clouds of Sword Gate Mountain was an exotic breed among exotic breeds. Once its spiritual power surged forth, it could even envelop the entire Sword Gate Mountain and transform it into an illusionary realm.

Moreover, its spiritual power was so powerful that even when it created an illusionary realm, the realm appeared as real as reality itself, without the slightest abnormality.

Sword Gate had once suffered several invasions by foreign races, and this Mirage Dragon had participated in those battles as well, rendering great service with its illusionary realm. It was only because the Mirage Dragon was unruly and often tried to slip away that it had been tied up.

Its seniority was extremely high. Even when an elder encountered it, the elder had to lower his head and yield out of respect for seniority.

In the air, several elders nodded lightly. The qigong practitioners from Scripture Hall each released their spiritual power. One elevated platform after another rose into the air, roaring away toward the various mountain peaks.

Before long, all the elevated platforms had been sent to different mountain peaks.

"The duel begins!"

As soon as these words were spoken, countless Upper Court disciples sprang into motion, racing toward the various mountain ranges. Some stirred their spiritual power, transforming it into wings, and flew with flapping wings, striving to reach the elevated platforms one step ahead of everyone else.

As long as they reached an elevated platform and immediately set up Totem God Pillars, they would seize the initiative and gain a tremendous advantage!

Zhong Yue did not hurry to move. Instead, he stood where he was and waited quietly. Apart from him, Ting Lanyue also did not move at once. More than a dozen others likewise remained where they were, showing no intention of attacking.

"These dozen-odd people are quite composed. If they recklessly charge forward, even if they are the first to seize an elevated platform, they'll face wave after wave of attacks from those who come later. They'll have to fight constantly, exhausting their cultivation, and won't be able to hold out in the end."

An elder stroked his beard and laughed. "Although these dozen-odd people aren't the strongest, they are the cleverest. They're probably waiting for the right moment, searching for the weakest mountain peak, and then fighting a weak opponent. That way, they can smoothly enter the top hundred."

The other qigong practitioners and elders nodded one after another. "If one's strength is sufficient, there's no need to wait. Just charge over and hold the platform."

Zhong Yue looked around, and sure enough, he saw neither Li Xiuniang nor the young experts of the other great clans. Shui Qingyan had also already left, and he did not know which mountain peak she had gone to.

"Xinhuo, did you notice which mountain peak the Heavenly Phenomenon Mother went to?"

Xinhuo was slightly stunned. "I see the surroundings through your eyes. If you didn't see her, then I couldn't have either. You want to challenge the Heavenly Phenomenon Mother? Yue lad, that's the soul of a demon god, not an ordinary Upper Court disciple! Her strength is probably so great that even a nobody like Shui Qinghe wouldn't be worthy to tie her shoes!"

Zhong Yue looked toward the various mountain peaks. Some people had already arrived, occupying the elevated platforms and using Totem Pillars to set up formations, battling the disciples who caught up with them.

After another moment, every elevated platform had been occupied, and one fierce contest after another began!

At Zhong Yue's side, the dozen-odd Upper Court disciples soon selected their targets and ran off in different directions. Ting Lanyue also left on her own, suddenly turning around and snarling fiercely, "Junior Brother Zhong, don't choose this path of mine, or Senior Sister will bite you to death!"

Zhong Yue was speechless. He also rose and walked toward another path, thinking, The Heavenly Phenomenon Mother is so powerful. Even if I don't encounter her this time, I'll definitely run into her during the battle among the hundred. There's no need to rush!

He walked forward along the way without encountering many disciples. Most of the disciples heading toward this mountain peak had already reached the vicinity of the elevated platform.

High in the sky, the various elders and qigong practitioners saw him set out and were all astonished. They exchanged glances and whispered, "Is this young man's judgment really that poor? After choosing for so long, he picked this one path?"

"On this path is Shui Qinghe, the core disciple of the Shuitu Clan, one of the ten great clans. He's someone qualified to compete for the strongest disciple in the Upper Court! How could he choose this path? Isn't he deliberately making trouble for himself? What terrible judgment!"

"His judgment is probably just too poor."

The elders and qigong practitioners shook their heads one after another, both amused and exasperated by Zhong Yue's choice.

Zhong Yue walked leisurely, as though strolling through a courtyard. Before long, he reached the mountain summit. Before him, vast waters surged into the heavens, shrouding the elevated platform. Water dragons coiled around the platform, while Totem Pillars stood in dense rows. Water dragons, water swords, and ice swords crisscrossed in all directions, forming a tightly woven sword formation that blocked the attacks of the Upper Court disciples below.

An Upper Court disciple had just flown into the sky and was preparing to launch an attack from above when a Water Sword Qi suddenly shot out and blasted him from the air.

Shui Qinghe stood alone in defense of the platform, and no one could breach it!