The Next Round

Silence fell. The many Nascent Soul cultivators present were actually stunned by Ink Bamboo Mountain's ruthless ferocity, none daring to step forward.

Even if the three rogue cultivators who came to join the fun didn't know the full story, they could probably figure it out by now.

This wasn't about stalling for time; they were going all out, willing to trade one life for another.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, Little Yao just took one down, and everyone was shocked. He could have seized the chance to escape, but he stayed to fight head-on. What a stubborn mule!

If it were me, I'd have fought my way out, shouting, "You touch one of me, and I'll wipe out your whole clan!" See if they'd dare to attack.

Host, don't learn from him. Killing is just killing, don't be so stubborn... Speaking of which, you're a bit too reckless in this regard. You even thought of something like Golden Juice...'

Profound Heaven Sword Intent nagged for a while before Li Fan reacted. He was so shocked his mouth felt dry.

It had started so brutally. He had underestimated them too. That swift sword strike from Zheng Hua, combined with his lightning magic, was something he himself probably couldn't block! Seeing that golem shatter so completely, even with a Golden Core, was useless!

And indeed, judging by Yao Xuanzhou's methods, taking lives with flying swords was as easy as picking something from a pocket. If not for the disciples on the ship, he could have carved a bloody path to escape.

However, he could understand Master Yao's choice. Yao Xuanzhou could escape, but Master Yao couldn't. After all, he was the Dean, destined to be the next Abbot or The Mountain Lord. If he fled, what face would he have to lead the disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain?

Even if he sent all the disciples below to their deaths, even if they all perished, as long as he didn't abandon them and flee, he wouldn't be disqualified.

Perhaps this was why, at his command, those disciples had bravely leaped out to their deaths.

And to be fair, looking at it this way, the fellow cultivators Lu Xing had invited and the friends Lu Qi had made were indeed quite different.

However, pressured by Ink Bamboo Mountain's imposing aura, the attacking Nascent Soul cultivators hesitated. Losing disciples was one thing, but to be counter-killed by the opponent if they retaliated would be a joke, wouldn't it?

Zhou Sheng also seemed to have not anticipated that these Foundation Establishment disciples of Bamboo Mountain would have a way to greatly boost their power and break through to Golden Core. His brow furrowed, clearly having miscalculated and lost face, his expression displeased.

During this awkward silence, it was the one from the Nangong family who raised his Fire-Tipped Spear and leaped out, shouting angrily, "Bamboo Mountain's Devilish Dao! How dare you harm people in front of this Prince! Yao Xuanzhou! Come out and fight this Prince!"

Yao Xuanzhou raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

The three divine flames behind the female general roared, and the hot wind made the two red-crowned cranes on her helmet sway wildly. "Listen! This Prince is the ninety-ninth princess of the Immortal King Nangong! Nangong Wushuang! Today, I am the one who will take your life! Don't hide behind a bunch of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, come out and fight this Prince!"

Li Fan glanced at her sideways. So, was this how it ended? He had thought there would be an entrance poem or something...

"Wushuang?" Yao Xuanzhou frowned. "Are you bluffing me? Didn't Nangong Crown Prince Wushuang break through to the Spirit Transmutation Realm? And wasn't he a man?"

That was true. The opponent's pectoral muscles were quite prominent, and the curves of her armor were exaggerated. Did she really need that much space? It wasn't that he didn't believe her, they just wanted to see...

Nangong Wushuang was furious. "Didn't I say I'm the ninety-ninth princess, Wushuang! Shuang, like frost and snow, not like Crown Prince Wushuang... Enough nonsense! Come and fight this Prince!"

Yao Xuanzhou nodded. "Oh."

The entire place fell silent.

Nangong Wushuang was practically burning with anger. "Why aren't you attacking!"

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, this is a battle of life and death, is this woman a bit brain-damaged...'

Even Zhou Sheng glanced over, coughed twice, and said, "Princess Wushuang, Bamboo Mountain's heretical cult has already sent disciples to the stage for the duel. According to the rules of sword dueling, we must wait until the disciples below have decided the outcome before we can act, otherwise, we will incur a killing tribulation and greatly damage our fortune. Moreover..."

He probably swallowed the latter half, 'As soon as Yao Xuanzhou makes a move, your head will be gone.'

However, with Nangong Wushuang's interruption, her plain-faced best friend beside her smiled and said to the extremely effeminate and handsome young man beside her, "Lian'er, you've also reached Foundation Establishment Perfection. It's rare to be out for a stroll, so it's a good opportunity to gain some experience. Let the fellow Daoists here appreciate the methods of our Yan Province immortal families.

Oh, right. The one using Devilish Dao below seems to know some Five Thunder Magic. This Seventeen-Treasure Ziwei Star Canopy, worn on the head, is a precious treasure from my master's wife to protect herself. I'll lend it to you for defense."

The plain-faced woman smiled and raised her hand, summoning a round canopy umbrella, a magical treasure that looked like an imperial crown or canopy, truly conspicuous and magnificent. The umbrella had nine layers, inside and out, covered with colorful silk ribbons and adorned with seventeen treasures of agate, jade, pearls, coral, bright jade, and gold beads. As the umbrella turned, it generated five energies and seven mists, nine-colored clouds and mist, steaming and pervading. The seventeen treasures on the canopy flashed with golden light, like celestial stars.

"Thank you, Mistress, for the treasure," the brocade-clad, sharp-faced young man smiled slightly, bowed elegantly, and waved his sleeve, conjuring a whirlwind from his robe. It rolled out and summoned a small leopard with fur as white as snow. Riding the leopard for transport, with the canopy above protecting him, he floated onto a piece of bright red jade.

He neither dismounted nor bowed. With a slight smile from his phoenix eyes, he said, "Yan Province's Lü Daolian."

Ink Bamboo Mountain's second disciple, Wang Tanzhi, looked at the treasure-radiating, ostentatious canopy that completely shielded Lü Daolian. His expression was solemn as he cupped his hands and stood still, holding his sword.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, his heart sinking to the bottom. It was over. A pay-to-win player. This canopy magical treasure looked anything but simple. Even if Senior Brother Wang had used elixirs to reach the Golden Core realm, he might not be able to break it with just a wooden sword.

But the awkward part was this: these Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators attacking Tiantai Mountain weren't unprepared, nor did they lack magical treasures. However, they had just fought a major battle not long ago. Judging by the fragments of magical treasures scattered all over Tiantai Mountain, even a narrow victory would have caused damage. And Tiantai Mountain itself wasn't a blessed land. They could only recover some true qi by resting in the alchemy furnace for a while. Where would they get the confidence to fight head-on?

That golem earlier had shattered after just a few jumps. It was unclear if it hadn't displayed its full power or if its bedroom techniques were simply that potent. In any case, it was just trash easily disposed of.

But this effeminate young man now relied on a pile of magical treasures for protection, and his true qi was indeed not weak. He could actually activate such a flashy protective magical treasure in the Foundation Establishment Realm.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, Hmph, just flashy junk... But it seems to have integrated the Zhou Tian Star Array, likely designed to absorb attacks like Five Thunder Magic and other trashy magic tools. If one had a ranked magical treasure, it wouldn't be worth mentioning. But if not... then the next one, no, the next three should be given up directly. It's a death sentence.'

The sharp-faced Lü Daolian clearly thought the same. He didn't even bother to dodge or move, just watching the Bamboo Mountain disciple holding a wooden sword, who looked exceptionally poor, as if watching a joke. He said with a half-smile, "If my friend is not willing to give up, you can try."

Since the other party had requested it, Wang Tanzhi naturally wouldn't be polite. "Fellow Daoist, please witness my incantation! Drive thunder and summon lightning, govern spirits and subdue demons, ward off locusts and cure plagues, refine and guide netherworld demons..."

He wrapped the wooden sword in his sleeve, freeing his hands to form hand seals and chant incantations. A rapid whisper, and he was preparing some incredible ultimate move, his body's Dao energy surging as if gathering power.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent says, I already said it's useless to attack, and you're still using Five Thunder Magic to blast it... But, it's actually a righteous technique? How does Ink Bamboo Mountain even possess the Five Thunder Magic of the Shenxiao Sect? Was the Shenxiao Sect also destroyed, and their techniques scattered? Huh!'

Huh what?

"Lian'er, be careful!"

"Hah!"

"How dare you, villain!"

"Yaaah--!"

"Aaaah--!"

Distracted by Profound Heaven Sword Intent, a sudden change occurred. By the time Li Fan snapped back to reality, the outcome of the match had already been decided.

In the blink of an eye, Lü Daolian was drawn by Wang Tanzhi's incantation right before him, waiting for his lightning spell to finish so he could counter it with his artifact, showcasing his sect's Spiritual Power.

He never expected a blood-red sword to shoot out from the puddle beneath his mount, aiming straight for his jaw!

It was a near miss, almost piercing his skull! But a jade pendant on Lü Daolian's chest flashed, deflecting the blood sword. It grazed his face instead, slicing a gaping wound from his lower left jaw down to the bone, narrowly missing his eyeball!

Thus, Wang Tanzhi was defeated. His sneak attack, disguised by the lightning spell, had missed. The bystander master's wife, who had been carefully watching Lü Daolian, saw her beloved disciple disfigured and, in a fit of rage, threw her embroidered ball, smashing him into a pulp.

Yao Xuanzhou naturally drew his sword as well, severing the master's wife's hands, flesh and bone included. He had intended to slice through her upper body with his sword light too.

But in the end, he didn't kill her on the spot. Fortunately, Zhou Hao had been watching, and with a roar, unleashed a sky-piercing sword energy that blasted towards the treasure ship.

So, Yao Xuanzhou's Ink Feather Sword, which had been inches from the master's wife's throat, retreated and instead swept away the sword energy that the disciples on the treasure ship had unleashed.

As a result, this round of combat ended. Only then did Nangong Wushuang, jolted by the screams of her best friend beside her, who had fallen over, finally react. She flung her arms, splashing hot blood onto her face, and trembling, cursed in disbelief, "How dare you, villain!"

It almost made it seem like she had performed a great service... she even took a step back, distancing herself from her best friend...

Lü Daolian was also reminded by the master's wife's scream, realizing he had almost been decapitated by the sneak attack. Simultaneously, the sword wound on his face began to sting intensely. Shocked, terrified, and in pain, master and disciple let out a unified, agonizing scream.

But he didn't have time to scream, nor did the surrounding Nascent Soul cultivators have time to be shocked again.

"Ink Bamboo Mountain disciple Yu Danian requests a match!"

The third sword of Bamboo Mountain, sword drawn expressionlessly, rose to meet the challenge, his feet planted firmly on the jade slab splattered with his comrades' blood and flesh.

Yao Xuanzhou wiped the blood and flesh from his Ink Feather Sword, his expression devoid of a smile. "Continue, next match."