Taiyi in Peril

Yellow Dragon stood amid the clouds, concealing his aura. He plucked a spirit melon from the Mysterious Yellow World, split it into several pieces, and leisurely ate while watching the situation unfold below.

Opposite Taiyi, more than a dozen figures stood suspended in the air.

They came in all shapes and forms. Some bore mottled immortal radiance, while others had savage features—they were disciples of the Sect of Interception.

At their head stood a man with a lion's nose and broad mouth, his eyes gleaming viciously. He was Qiu Shouxian, one of Tongtian Saint's Seven Attendant Immortals.

With more than ten Sect of Interception disciples behind him, Qiu Shouxian clearly did not regard the lone Taiyi as a threat. "Taiyi! How can you occupy several spirit mountains all by yourself? Yield these mountains to my fellow disciples and me, then go find another spirit mountain."

Taiyi glared furiously at Qiu Shouxian. "In your dreams!"

Seeing that Taiyi remained stubbornly unyielding, Qiu Shouxian threatened him.

"This mountain is unclaimed. You merely found it first; you have not occupied it. In the primordial wilderness, the strong have always been revered! If you can defeat several of my fellow disciples and me, then what harm is there in letting you have it?"

"Hahaha, exactly! Senior Brother Qiu Shouxian speaks true!"

Upon hearing Qiu Shouxian's words, the Sect of Interception disciples all burst into loud laughter.

Behind Qiu Shouxian, Lingya Xian stepped forward as well. He was fat, with a pair of huge tusks protruding from his lips, glinting with a ghastly pale sheen. In a muffled voice, he said, "Exactly! Who says this spirit mountain was discovered by you, Taiyi? Clearly, we fellow disciples found it first. It is you, Taiyi, who wants to seize our spirit mountain."

"What twisted logic!" Taiyi said coldly. "You want to steal a spirit mountain, yet you still have to invent so many excuses!"

"So what if we steal it?" Qiu Shouxian sneered. "The rules of the primordial wilderness are that the victor is king! If you refuse to accept it, then let us settle it with our hands! Let us see whether the immortal arts of the Sect of Elucidation that you, Taiyi, have learned are stronger, or whether the wondrous methods and divine abilities passed down by our Patriarch are superior!"

Before his words had even faded, Qiu Shouxian had already produced several treasures. Black winds swirled all around, poisonous miasma filled the sky, and enormous claws gleaming with cold light came crashing down upon Taiyi like a canopy blotting out heaven and earth!

"As expected of a wet-born, egg-hatched lot—utterly shameless! You dare launch a sneak attack!" Taiyi roared. With a sweep of his whisk, countless silver threads surged outward and transformed into a barrier around him.

Taiyi's cultivation was not weak, and the power of his Dao arts and divine abilities surpassed that of all the newly initiated disciples. Faced with Qiu Shouxian's sneak attack and ensuing offensive, whose realm was not far from his own, he effortlessly blocked them all.

As the barrier formed by True Person Taiyi's whisk protected him, Taiyi threw out a small bowl-like cover. It abruptly transformed in midair into nine fire dragons that spiraled around Qiu Shouxian, trapping him within. All nine dragon heads simultaneously spewed divine fire capable of melting mountains and refining seas at Qiu Shouxian.

Seeing Qiu Shouxian scream miserably beneath the divine flames, the other Sect of Interception disciples hurriedly unleashed their divine abilities and techniques, producing one treasure after another as they charged to kill Taiyi.

Under the barrage of divine abilities and techniques descending from the Sect of Interception disciples like a torrential downpour, the barrier formed by Taiyi's whisk shook violently. Its silver threads gradually dimmed, and he struggled to hold on. With one moment's carelessness, a sinister black Sha Qi struck his shoulder. He cried out miserably and staggered back, forced to recall the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Cover.

"Taiyi, die!"

The instant Qiu Shouxian escaped, the searing agony from the divine fire burning his body sent his savage nature flaring up. He opened his mouth and spat out a miserable green beam of wind that swept straight toward Taiyi's face.

The divine abilities, techniques, and treasure-light of the Sect of Interception disciples followed close behind, drowning Taiyi from sight.

A streak of spiritual light flew over at high speed and hovered above Taiyi's head, casting down a thick shield that protected him and blocked every attack.

Looking at the treasure pagoda radiating the light of the Five Elements as it firmly shielded Taiyi, "Which senior brother is present? Qiu Shouxian of the Sect of Interception offers his greetings."

The clouds in the sky slowly parted, and a figure descended at an unhurried pace, landing beside Taiyi. He revealed himself as a yellow-robed Daoist, handsome of face and vast in presence. His eyes remained fixed on the Sect of Interception disciples led by Qiu Shouxian as he said mildly, "We are all disciples of the Three Pure Ones. Why strike with such ruthless hands?"

When the two sides began to quarrel, Yellow Dragon had concealed himself among the clouds and watched the situation develop below. Ordinarily, he would not have intervened, but when he saw Qiu Shouxian and the others beginning to strike with lethal intent, he had no choice but to act and save Taiyi, lest his foundation be harmed.

Seeing that it was Yellow Dragon, Qiu Shouxian cast him a sidelong glance and gave a cold, sinister chuckle. "So it is Senior Brother Yellow Dragon. What, Senior Brother? Do you intend to rely on having entered the sect a few days before us, and on your cultivation being higher than ours, to lecture us?"

Yellow Dragon swept his gaze across the scene. Seeing that Taiyi looked disheveled but was otherwise unharmed, he said slowly, "Matters of the Sect of Interception are for Senior Brother Duobao to decide. I will not overstep my bounds. But here on Kunlun Mountain, beneath the Saint's very eyes, you seize the possessions of a fellow disciple and bully the few with numbers. If you do not give me a satisfactory explanation, I will go to Upper Pure Palace and ask Martial Uncle Tongtian to render judgment."

Qiu Shouxian returned to human form and snorted heavily. "Senior Brother Yellow Dragon, you arrived late and do not know the cause of this. Taiyi wished to monopolize the spirit peak, and he was the first to speak vilely, insulting the origins of the disciples of our sect!"

"In our spar, he even used a treasure and nearly burned me to ash. Had my fellow junior brothers not saved me, I fear I would already have perished, my Dao scattered. Now that he sees he cannot defeat us, you come out to mediate? How can there be such a convenient bargain in this world!"

A wave of agreement immediately rose from the Sect of Interception crowd, their indignation fierce.

Seeing Qiu Shouxian and the others still spouting lies, Yellow Dragon shook his head. "I arrived here before all of you."

Hearing that Yellow Dragon had already been present, Qiu Shouxian exchanged glances with the other Sect of Interception disciples, their savage natures gradually rising.

Yellow Dragon was merely a dragon. He had only entered under the Saint a thousand years before them, yet his name had never stood out on Kunlun Mountain. He was surely nothing more than an ordinary Golden Immortal. They held the advantage in numbers—today was the perfect time to test the depth of this Golden Immortal?

"Since Senior Brother insists on interfering,"

A sly, vicious gleam flashed through Qiu Shouxian's eyes. "I fear words alone will not convince the masses!"

Yellow Dragon looked at Qiu Shouxian, Lingya Xian, and the more than ten eager Sect of Interception disciples behind them. Each of them radiated hostility, Sha Qi permeating the air.

He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled faintly. "You junior brothers truly do not know whether you are dead or alive!" There was an unfathomable chill in that smile.

"Very well."

Yellow Dragon spoke again. "Since you junior brothers are in such high spirits, I shall exchange a few moves with you."

He paused, then continued calmly beneath the vicious gazes of Qiu Shouxian and the others. "I will not bully you for having only recently entered the sect and possessing shallow cultivation. You may attack together. I will give you three moves!"

The moment these words fell, the entire scene fell silent.

At the side, Taiyi stared blankly at Yellow Dragon. Senior Brother possessed such tremendous bearing.

"Arrogant!" After his brief daze, Qiu Shouxian flew into a towering rage, feeling a contempt unlike any he had ever suffered. "Senior Brother Yellow Dragon! How dare you hold me in such contempt!" He had attained the Dao as an azure-maned lion, vicious by nature, and now he was utterly enraged.

He spat out a mouthful of white breath. "Senior Brother! Be careful the wind does not make your tongue stumble!"

With a roar, Qiu Shouxian's Sha Qi surged skyward. He revealed his original form, transforming into the phantom of a colossal lion, and opened his mouth to spew a gust of wild wind.

The wind was blue-black. As it howled, it gnawed at bone and eroded the soul. It was his innate divine ability, forged from earth-fiend yin wind, and it rushed straight at Yellow Dragon!

The other Sect of Interception disciples also deployed their methods. Some produced poisonous banners, some released flying needles, and some recited incantations. In an instant, deadly attacks of every color converged into a torrent of divine abilities carrying destruction itself, completely swallowing Yellow Dragon's figure!

Taiyi could not help crying out in alarm, "Senior Brother, be careful!"