This divine ability drew upon the Power of Stars, and its upper limit was unimaginably high.
Right now, she was merely in the Qi Refining Realm and could at most draw upon some weak stars. But one day in the future, if she could draw upon the power of the Sun Star that illuminated the boundless starry sky, what earth-shattering might would that possess!
After comprehending Daytime Star Manifestation, Xiao Minghuang increasingly suspected that the Ziwei Imperial Dao Scripture and the Big Dipper Seven Stars Sword Technique came from the same source. The two complemented each other perfectly; when used together, there was not the slightest hindrance, and their power instead multiplied.
However, Xiao Minghuang had no time to ponder it carefully. Sensing the auras emanating from the people outside, she immediately rose to her feet and pushed open the door.
"Have you all been waiting long? We have not missed the appointed time for the competition, have we?"
Xiao Minghuang cupped her hands.
Lin Zhengquan waved his hands repeatedly and said:
"No, no. We only just arrived as well. Your Highness emerged from seclusion at exactly the right time!"
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang smiled and said:
"Since that is the case, let us depart!"
Lin Zhengquan made a gesture.
"Ah... yes, Your Highness. Please follow me."
The Savage Forest stretched for tens of thousands of miles, with layer upon layer of mountains and luxuriant greenery. Towering ancient trees stood everywhere, so dense that even the bright sunlight could not pierce through.
Xiao Minghuang's group traveled through the dense forest for roughly two hours before reaching the agreed-upon site of the contest, located just outside the spirit vein mine.
By the time they arrived, the people from the Golden Elephant Kingdom had already been waiting there for quite some time.
Several hundred soldiers clad in golden armor surrounded several burly young men, who were presumably the younger generation of martial artists from the Golden Elephant Kingdom.
Among those young martial artists stood several more warriors dressed in short yellow shirts. One elderly man and several young martial artists among them all wore haughty expressions.
The Golden Elephant Kingdom's martial artists also regarded these six as their leaders.
At a glance, Xiao Minghuang sensed the aura of the Spring Gushing Peak Realm from the yellow-clad elder. It bore down on her head-on, seemingly intending to suppress them and give them a show of force, forcing them to kneel.
At that very moment.
A powerful aura surged forth from behind them, directly knocking the yellow-clad elder's pressure back.
Feeling his pressure rebound, the elder shook his shoulders. His expression remained unchanged, wholly unafraid of the pressure, as he said flatly:
"City Lord Lin, what imposing prestige. Are you refusing to show my Dragon Tiger Sect any respect?"
The moment these words fell, everyone present changed expression. This elder was actually a martial artist of the Dragon Tiger Sect!
The Dragon Tiger Sect!
One of the Three Great Sects of the Southern Border!
Its Sect Master was a Primal Embryo Realm expert. Across the entire Southern Border, only Sword True Person, Sect Master of the Spirit Sword Sect, and Giant Elephant True Person, Sect Master of the Beast Taming Sect, could stand on equal footing with him.
In the northern region of the Southern Border, the Dragon Tiger Sect was an existence that covered the sky with one hand!
Moreover, of the Dragon Tiger Sect's eight subordinate factions, more than half bordered Great Xia.
It could be said that the Dragon Tiger Sect was a sword hanging over Great Xia's head, capable of falling at any time and ending the fate of the Great Xia Dynasty!
Faced with such a provocation, Lin Zhengquan, the strongest among them, said nothing. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the young girl standing in the center, dressed in a scarlet gown, his eyes carrying a trace of inquiry.
At this sight, even a flicker of confusion passed through the yellow-clad elder's eyes.
"Lin Zhengquan is the Beiyang City Lord and governs all of Great Xia's north. Why would he obey the orders of a little girl whose hair has not even fully grown?"
At that moment, the peerlessly beautiful girl in a scarlet dress, with raven hair cascading like a waterfall, skin whiter than snow, an elegant and ethereal bearing, and a noble air beyond the mundane, parted her pink lips. Her voice was like heavenly music as fragrant words spilled forth.
"If you want to fight, then fight. Why all this nonsense!"
Dragon Tiger Sect? Mere chickens and dogs!
The people of the Golden Elephant Kingdom were all stunned, before furious expressions surfaced on their faces.
Several hundred golden-armored guards stepped forward in unison, their long halberds smashing down fiercely. It was as though they could topple mountains, causing the earth itself to tremble.
"Insolence!"
The yellow-clad elder roared in fury and slashed out a streak of golden light with a wave of his hand, shooting straight toward Xiao Minghuang's face as if to kill her on the spot.
At this sight.
Xiao Minghuang neither dodged nor evaded, allowing the golden light to rush toward her face.
Just as the golden light came within ten feet of her, a long spear suddenly thrust forth and pierced the golden light apart with a single strike.
"You audacious old bastard, are you courting death?!"
Lin Zhengquan let out a thunderous roar. Golden light burst brilliantly from the long spear in his hand, fully displaying the might of a High-grade Yellow Tier Magic Treasure. The sharp spear aura nearly condensed into substance; its mere presence seemed ready to pierce through the yellow-clad elder's protective true spirit.
Yet facing the razor-sharp Gold-Breaking Spear, the yellow-clad elder's expression remained unchanged. Golden light shone all over his body, accompanied by what seemed like the thunderous roars of tigers and leopards. Crackling sounds rang out without end as he forcibly pushed the spear aura back.
The yellow-clad elder sneered.
"My Dragon Tiger Sect's Body Cultivators battle heaven and fight earth! City Lord Lin, you and I are merely at the same realm. If we truly fight, who wins and who loses is still unknown..."
In truth, if he had not feared the High-grade Yellow Tier Magic Treasure spear in Lin Zhengquan's hand, there would not have been any so-called contest agreement at all.
As he spoke, he looked again at Xiao Minghuang, a hint of amusement in his gaze.
"Little girl, are you the genius who caused the Five-Colored Divine Light phenomenon the other day?"
Xiao Minghuang's gaze was calm as she replied evenly:
"You say the Dragon Tiger Sect's Body Cultivators battle heaven and fight earth, but why do I only see a few mere chickens and dogs?"
Upon hearing this.
The yellow-clad elder was so furious that he laughed instead, then said coldly:
"Little girl, you are merely at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining Realm. Do you know that this old man could crush you to death with a single finger?"
Xiao Minghuang's expression remained unchanged in the face of his threat, and she ignored him.
But Lin Zhengquan's eyes flashed coldly as he said in an icy voice:
"Old thing, try touching even a single hair on Her Highness's head!"
Hearing this, the yellow-clad elder furrowed his brows and unexpectedly did not immediately retort.
"Lin Zhengquan calls this little girl 'Your Highness.' Could she be the Ninth Princess of Great Xia?"
As an elder from the Golden Elephant Kingdom, Great Xia's mortal enemy, he knew the Great Xia imperial family very well. He knew Emperor Xia had eight sons and one daughter. Could this little girl be Emperor Xia's youngest daughter?
"If this little girl truly is Emperor Xia's daughter, then I really cannot simply kill her like this..."
At that very moment.
An aura of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer Realm suddenly appeared, rapidly rushing over from the depths of the dense forest.
The aura was solid and heavy, filled with a forceful and vigorous intent, domineering beyond compare.
In an instant.
A figure radiating golden light all over his body flashed before the crowd. He wore a yellow robe, had a burly build, looked to be in his twenties, and possessed an extraordinary heroic bearing.
At the sight of this person, delight appeared on the yellow-clad elder's face.
The newcomer was Wang Bao, an inner disciple of the Dragon Tiger Sect.
Though he was only an inner disciple, he was on excellent terms with Xue Wushang, the chief true disciple, and had already been designated as the Grand Elder's final disciple. His status was extremely high.
Wang Bao's arrival was truly timely aid in a snowstorm. The elder hurriedly called out, "Martial Nephew Wang, you came at exactly the right time!"
Wang Bao landed on the ground but ignored the yellow-clad elder completely, directing his gaze straight at Xiao Minghuang in her red dress.
A flash of amazement appeared in his eyes as he said:
"This young lady, you must be the genius who triggered the Five-Colored Divine Light phenomenon the other day, correct? Your talent is quite good. I will give you an opportunity: join the Dragon Tiger Sect, and you will become a true disciple of our sect. In the future, you may even succeed as Sect Master!"
The yellow-clad elder had held great expectations for Wang Bao, but when he heard him immediately invite Xiao Minghuang to join the Dragon Tiger Sect, an awkward look instantly appeared on his face.
With Xiao Minghuang's talent, it would likely not take long before she left him far behind. Even if she could not become Sect Master, becoming an inner sect elder would be as certain as a nail hammered into a board.
And he was merely an outer sect administrative elder.
Facing the olive branch Wang Bao had extended, Xiao Minghuang said flatly:
"So what if I am? So what if I am not? Dragon Tiger Sect? Never heard of it."
Then she looked toward the yellow-clad elder and said calmly:
"I came here today only for the matter of competing over the spirit vein. Yet you people have dawdled and wasted much time. If you will not compete, then leave at once and yield the spirit vein to Beiyang City!"
Wang Bao had been left to one side and ignored, but he did not grow angry. He merely shook his head slightly and said indifferently:
"Young geniuses ought to have some pride, but if that pride goes too far, I fear you will ruin yourself!"
Seeing the pressure return to the yellow-clad elder, he turned his gaze to Wang Bao and pleaded in a low voice:
"Martial Nephew Wang, could you lend us a hand and help us win this contest?"
Although the yellow-clad elder's realm was higher than Wang Bao's, he was only an outer sect administrative elder. His status was far inferior to the immensely popular Wang Bao's.
Thus, aside from pleading, he had no other way to ask Wang Bao to act.
Hearing this, Wang Bao said lightly:
"Oh? This is the Golden Elephant Kingdom's affair. Why should I act?"
The yellow-clad elder had met with a rebuff, but he still did not want to give up.
After all, today's contest concerned the ownership of the spirit vein.
The yellow-clad elder wore a fawning expression, an ugly smile appearing on his wrinkled old face.
"If Martial Nephew Wang is willing to act, I am willing to give you thirty percent of the spirit vein's proceeds... no! Fifty percent! A full three hundred spirit stones every year! What do you think, Martial Nephew Wang?"
Upon hearing this.
A mocking curve rose at the corner of Wang Bao's lips. Three hundred spirit stones a year?
His monthly stipend alone amounted to a thousand spirit stones. How could he possibly care about such a paltry three hundred spirit stones?
His target was merely that genius girl with the Five Elements Spiritual Root.
As long as he could bring this genius girl with the Five Elements Spiritual Root into the sect, setting aside the sect's reward, his senior brother alone would not treat him poorly.
The other day, a Five-Colored Divine Light phenomenon had appeared in the Savage Forest. The moment his senior brother Xue Wushang heard of it, he issued an order to find this genius with the Five Elements Spiritual Root.
If it was a man, kill him directly.
If it was a woman, bring her into the sect and have her become his Dao Companion.
Wang Bao had accepted his senior brother's order and traveled to the Savage Forest, never expecting to encounter this genius here.
Wang Bao swept his gaze across the people of Beiyang City. Aside from one Spring Gushing Peak Realm martial artist, the rest were not worth mentioning.
As an inner disciple of the Dragon Tiger Sect, not only was his status noble, but the divine abilities and magic treasures he possessed were simply not something rogue cultivators outside the sect could compare to. Even if he proved no match for them, no one could stop him if he wished to flee.
Before this, he had escaped from the hands of Spring Gushing Peak Realm martial artists many times, so he did not fear Lin Zhengquan.
Having suffered two consecutive rejections, the yellow-clad elder looked embarrassed and turned back to glance at the Golden Elephant Kingdom's young martial artists.
All five were from the Golden Elephant Kingdom and had entered the Dragon Tiger Sect to cultivate. They were now all outer sect disciples.
Their talents were considered top-notch within the Golden Elephant Kingdom, but placed within the vast Dragon Tiger Sect, they were utterly unremarkable.
Among the five, only one had reached the Qi Refining Realm, while the rest were all in the Body Tempering Realm.
Against the original Beiyang City, they naturally would have had certain victory.
But if the Ninth Princess took the field, then who would win and who would lose would be difficult to say.
Yet at this moment, they were riding a tiger and could not dismount. Other than forcing themselves onto the field, they had no other choice.
Besides, they were from the same sect after all. Could Wang Bao truly stand by and watch them suffer defeat?
The yellow-clad elder looked at the five disciples, his expression dark as he said, "Follow the original plan. Go up and compete!"
Hearing this, the five disciples looked at one another. The disciple with the highest cultivation, at the Qi Refining First Level, spoke up:
Before you continue