Otherwise, Shi Qingyun would have embarrassed himself just like the people who had fallen beside him.
Only after steadying himself did Shi Qingyun have time to look around.
He suddenly noticed a sturdily built young man dressed in pale blue beside Shi Yi, who had cast him a hostile look the moment he appeared.
Shi Qingyun was baffled. He did not recall offending this person. Earlier, seeing him standing behind Shi Yi, he had assumed he was Shi Yi's servant.
He had paid him no mind, so why was the young man showing him hostility now? Could this be Shi Yi's doing?
Yet Shi Yi did not seem like someone who would incite his subordinates to do such things.
Just as Shi Qingyun was wondering whether he had met and offended that person somewhere before, someone spoke up.
A disciple of the Martial King Manor standing beside him was the first to voice his confusion.
"Is that person beside Shi Yi, the double-pupiled one, from the Martial King Manor? How come I've never seen him before?"
"Could he be another genius secretly nurtured by the Martial King Manor?"
At these words, everyone turned curious gazes toward the blue-robed youth.
A chubby disciple of the Martial King Manor stepped forward and gave a feigned cough, drawing everyone's attention.
The little fatty seemed to enjoy having all eyes on him.
He straightened his collar and said with an inscrutable air, "You don't know who he is? My grandfather told me his identity. Want to know?"
Naturally, everyone played along and eagerly said yes.
Their reaction satisfied the little fatty, Shi Yan, so he stopped keeping them in suspense.
"That fellow is called Yu Tian. He's a prodigy of the Rain Clan, and he'll be joining us on this expedition!"
Shi Qingyun understood at once. Shi Long's mother seemed to be from the Rain Clan, so Yu Tian had most likely been invited to deal with him.
Still, when soldiers came, he would meet them with generals; when floods came, he would dam them with earth. Shi Qingyun put the matter aside and focused instead on this expedition.
With fierce winds howling past his ears and mountains, rivers, and lakes racing beneath his feet, Shi Qingyun felt the exhilaration of roaming the North Sea at dawn and lodging in Cangwu by dusk.
As time passed, waves of beast roars rang out, and the clan elders guarding them began preparing for battle.
Looks like we've entered the Ten Thousand Mountains. Shi Qingyun slowly readied himself for battle as well. He had to prepare for the worst.
Fortunately, the journey passed without incident, and they finally arrived at a place where all manner of strange beasts had gathered.
The moment Shi Qingyun and the others arrived, the people around them, bearing various traits of exotic ferocious beasts, directed their hostility at them.
Among the crowd, a disheveled man with untidy clothes unleashed a wave of pressure toward Shi Qingyun and the others. A treasured sword hung at his waist, and he exuded an air of wild arrogance.
Fortunately, the clan elders had prepared in advance and blocked the hostility surging from every direction. Even so, Shi Qingyun and the others still felt an immense force weighing down on them.
Then a rugged, powerfully built man with pointed horns on his head and a thick beard stepped forward.
He broke the tense deadlock between the two sides.
"All right, since the people from the Martial King Manor are here, let's begin! Stop wasting time!"
The others present agreed with him.
The man who had first unleashed his pressure quickly reined in his aura.
"Those fellows from Demon Spirit Lake went to such lengths to get the Martial King Manor involved. I was just curious!"
"So this little fellow is the pillar of the Martial King Manor's new generation! Not bad, not bad. Those eyes in particular are truly delightful! Hahaha!"
The man stared straight at Shi Yi as he spoke with a hint of excitement.
The clan elders all moved in front of Shi Yi and drew their precious artifacts, seemingly ready for a full-blown fight.
Yet Shi Yi, the subject of their attention, showed no expression, as though he had heard nothing.
Only Shi Qingyun, standing to one side, noticed Shi Yi's face growing increasingly gloomy.
Seeing Shi Yi's reaction, the man seemed to lose interest. He said listlessly, "Let's begin. I'm sick of waiting!"
As he spoke, he raised a hand and yawned.
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Chapter 19: Entering the Qilin Cave
The man floated in the air and walked slowly forward. With every step, ripples spread through the void beneath his feet.
The wild, unrestrained man reached an open patch of ground and slowly drew the treasured sword at his waist. The instant it left its sheath, fierce winds swept up, and countless streams of essence surged toward it.
Cold glints shone along the blade, and golden runes circled its sides. The man swung it toward an enormous rock wall below.
A huge crescent of sword light flew toward the wall. Their collision unleashed a deafening boom, sending countless fragments of stone flying from the blast.
The others nearby were swift as well. The moment the man acted, they followed, unleashing their precious techniques against the rock wall.
After a round of fierce attacks, the enormous wall gradually split apart. A pitch-black fissure appeared at its center, releasing a suction force that tore at everything around it.
Countless rocks and plants were shredded by that suction and swallowed into the fissure. Had the guardians from the various factions not raised shields beforehand to protect the younger generation present, they would have been swept away.
Shi Qingyun and the others would have been sucked inside long ago. After they waited a while, the rock wall seemed to have eaten its fill. The suction emerging from the fissure gradually weakened, and at last the fissure settled down.
Even so, the scene left Shi Qingyun and the others deeply shaken. They had never expected such an ordinary rock wall to conceal a spatial fissure.
They stared fixedly at the fissure, but all they could see was unfathomable darkness, as though it would swallow them whole.
Shi Qingyun's senses told him that the fissure was exceedingly dangerous. A faint, ancient and sacred pressure emanated from within, its terrifying might making him feel as though a hand had seized his heart in a crushing grip.
The image of an immense, sacred beast appeared in Shi Qingyun's mind, surrounded by a multicolored halo and radiating a mysterious light.
Its piercing eyes shone in the darkness like two bright moons hanging in the sky. Thick scales covered its body, and its long, curved horns seemed poised to pierce the heavens.
As though sensing Shi Qingyun, the divine beast roared toward the sky. Pain stabbed through Shi Qingyun's head, leaving him dazed and on the verge of fainting.
Shi Qingyun no longer dared extend his senses into that pitch-black fissure. That heart-clenching terror was simply too much to bear.
Shi Qingyun glanced at Shi Yi standing ahead of him and saw a faint glow emanating from his body, with streams of golden essence flowing around him!
They slowly poured into Shi Yi's eyes, sustaining the energy required to activate his double pupils.
Chains of order danced wildly within his double pupils, and countless intricate runes appeared. Shi Yi's face had also turned somewhat pale.
The guardian beside him hurriedly sent a stream of divine power into him, replenishing his energy while also interrupting what he was doing. His complexion quickly returned to normal.
The others, who had been watching Shi Qingyun's group the whole time, naturally noticed Shi Yi's unusual state. Meaningful expressions crossed their faces.
Looks like this boy saw the qilin's image. Who knows what treasures he'll gain from it? They shouldn't be anything poor, though. Those who saw the qilin's image in the past all reaped considerable rewards.
Thinking this, they considered having their juniors keep watch on Shi Yi so they could seize his opportunity. But after checking his cultivation realm, they abandoned the idea. Everyone would simply have to rely on their own abilities.
Seeing that the spatial fissure had stabilized, one of the clan elders standing around Shi Qingyun's group hurriedly called out, "Get inside quickly! It will open again in ten days. Be ready to come out then. If you're trapped inside, you'll have to wait until the next opening!"
Shi Qingyun and the others dared not take this lightly and nodded firmly in acknowledgment. While they were still listening to the elder's instructions, the Primordial Divine Mountain, Demon Spirit Lake, and the other factions had already sent their juniors leaping inside.
As the Martial King Manor's representative, Shi Yi took the lead and flew inside. Shi Qingyun and the others naturally followed him, jumping into the enormous fissure.
Once all the juniors present had entered, the fissure slowly sealed itself, leaving nothing but devastation behind.
As the dust settled, the atmosphere gradually grew oppressive. The surroundings were utterly quiet, with only the occasional beast roar echoing through the area.
Yet those ferocious beasts dared not approach. Both the tremendous might unleashed here earlier and the pressure still hanging over the area filled them with dread.
Two invisible auras collided in the air.
The Spirit Transformation ferocious beast beneath the Martial King Manor's elders growled softly. Its aura rose ceaselessly, building like gunpowder ready to explode at the slightest touch.
The people from the Primordial Divine Mountain all released their pressure together, directing it toward the Martial King Manor's clan elders.
The Martial King Manor's elders could only resist with all their strength. But outnumbered as they were, their aura steadily lost ground.
The man who had shown interest in Shi Yi earlier watched their invisible clash with folded arms, looking thoroughly entertained.
The sword at his waist trembled and hummed softly, as though eager to join the fray. But a light pat from the man immediately quieted it.
Just as the mounting pressure was about to force the Martial King Manor's people to draw their weapons and fight, the Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators from Demon Spirit Lake also unleashed their pressure and joined the struggle.
At once, the two opposing forces returned to an even balance, neither yielding an inch.
A Spirit Transformation Realm elder of the Azure Luan stepped forward and demanded aggressively of Demon Spirit Lake's elders, "Are you taking the Martial King Manor's side? Do you intend to help outsiders?"
The Spirit Transformation elder from Demon Spirit Lake replied unhurriedly, "After all, it was Demon Spirit Lake that proposed inviting the Martial King Manor. We can hardly stand by and watch something happen to them! Besides, we paid a steep price for their place here!"
"Could it be that you intend to go back on your word?" the Spirit Transformation Realm expert from Demon Spirit Lake retorted, giving no ground.
Just as an argument was about to erupt, the sword-bearing man watching from the side with folded arms saw matters heading in such a boring direction and casually addressed an empty spot nearby.
"Your clansmen are being bullied, and you still don't intend to show yourself? How much longer are you going to stay there?"
That cryptic remark immediately silenced everyone who had been arguing. They all turned to look at the spot the man had addressed.
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Chapter 20: The Martial King
Under everyone's gazes, the space in that empty spot suddenly distorted, and an immense pressure spread outward.
Everyone felt their shoulders sink. As they wondered what was happening, a middle-aged man dressed in red and black appeared there, with long black hair and a black beard.
His face was expressionless as he swept an indifferent gaze over everyone present.
The elders from the Primordial Divine Mountain, who had been so imposing a moment before, stiffened at the sight of him. In an instant, the pressure weighing on them seemed to grow heavier.
By contrast, the tense expressions of the Martial King Manor's people immediately eased upon seeing him, and they breathed sighs of relief.
After what had just happened, they had genuinely feared a fight would break out. With so few people on their side, they would certainly have suffered unless they staked their lives on it!
Smiles immediately appeared on the faces of the Martial King Manor's clan elders. They hurried forward and bowed. "Lord Martial King!"
The Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator from Demon Spirit Lake had naturally met the Martial King before. He bowed slightly and said with great respect, "Greetings, Martial King!"
Once the others sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the newcomer, none dared act recklessly. They withdrew their pressure and cupped their hands toward the Martial King. "Greetings, senior."
In this world where strength was king, one had to show respect upon meeting someone stronger to live a little longer.
Seasoned veterans that they were, the elders of the various clans from the Primordial Divine Mountain were naturally no fools. They all showed the Martial King the respect he was due.
The Martial King merely nodded slightly at them and took a step. Space rippled beneath his foot, and in the next instant, he appeared a short distance from the sword-bearing man who had spoken earlier.
Only an illusory figure remained where he had stood, slowly dissipating with the ripples in space. Yet even though it was an illusion, a close look would reveal that it was identical to the man himself.
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