I'm Targeting You!

An extremely faint yet unmistakably clear click of the tongue suddenly sounded in an empty spot less than a few dozen paces from Yue Rong.

The sound was quiet, yet it struck Yue Rong's heart like a thunderbolt.

He whipped his head around, his bronze pupils instantly shrinking to pinpoints as he stared incredulously toward its source.

There was clearly nothing there.

The next instant, a sudden change erupted!

Countless currents gathered and took shape in that empty air.

A figure appeared without warning, with utter clarity!

His cloth robes hung neatly, his figure stood straight, and his expression was calm, even carrying a trace of... a faint smile.

With both hands tucked into his sleeves, Qi Yun looked at Yue Rong with a smile.

His appearance was effortless and relaxed, forming the starkest contrast with Yue Rong's wretched state, drenched in blood, leaning on his saber, and on the verge of collapse.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. A trick the Holy Sect has worn threadbare, yet you managed to make it work today."

After his initial surprise, Yue Rong's expression instead grew composed.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it, but behind the oriole, there may yet be a boy holding a slingshot.

"I won through a shortcut today. It wasn't a particularly glorious victory." Yue Rong's willingness to accept his loss made Qi Yun think even more highly of this prodigy who had towered over the other Outer Mansion disciples.

Defeated but not broken, he still retained his bearing.

"That's not right."

Waving a hand, Yue Rong braced himself against the ground and sat cross-legged, exhaling a breath of turbid air.

"We of the Holy Sect judge the heart, not the deeds.

"A win is a win. What's all this talk of glory?"

As he spoke, he actually reached out, unfastened the jingling string of nine Crystal Keys at his waist, all stained with his own blood, and casually tossed them at Qi Yun's feet without so much as a glance.

The Crystal Keys landed with a crisp clatter, gleaming brightly.

"This year's champion title is yours." Yue Rong's voice was hoarse, yet carried a loser's decisiveness.

Looking at the nine gleaming Crystal Keys at his feet, Qi Yun's eyes flashed, and he instinctively moved to bend down and pick them up.

But the moment he moved, he stopped and resumed his original posture.

"What, you don't want them?"

Qi Yun's strange behavior brought a hint of puzzlement to Yue Rong's eyes. Had this man not lain in wait for so long for the Crystal Keys?

Qi Yun shook his head, his expression utterly sincere.

"I still need to wait a while."

"Wait for what?"

"For you to die."

After a stretch of silence, a deep, powerful laugh rose from Yue Rong's throat.

"Hahahaha! Interesting! You truly were born to be a seedling of the Holy Sect!"

His tone was clearly complimentary, yet the meaning of his words brought a strange look to Qi Yun's face.

He was praising me... right?

"So be it. The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit. A wager lost is a loss accepted. I've learned a lesson today." Yue Rong cupped his fists toward Qi Yun, straightened his back, and half-closed his eyes. The next second, his figure abruptly burst apart, scattering into countless black feathers.

Standing quietly where he was, Qi Yun stared at the black feathers strewn across the ground. Only after confirming there was no response whatsoever did he silently take a stack of [Evil-Dispelling Baleful Intent-Breaking Talismans] from his robes.

"Caution keeps a ship sailing for ten thousand years..." he murmured, his tone filled with the prudence of an old hand.

He activated the talismans, and an unbroken flood of vast magical light washed over the nine Crystal Keys, erasing every last trace of any hidden tricks left upon them.

Only after washing the Crystal Keys three times, front and back, inside and out, with the [Evil-Dispelling Baleful Intent-Breaking Talismans] did Qi Yun pick them up.

At last!

All nine Crystal Keys belonged to him, Qi Yun!

Rumble-

The instant the nine Crystal Keys entered his hands, a pillar of light a hundred times brighter and more dazzling than before erupted from the ground into the heavens.

Its boundless radiance shone in every direction, nearly illuminating the entire [Mirage Thousand-Faced Realm]!

Under that irresistible light, the surrounding indestructible, ever-changing crystal labyrinth began rapidly melting and disintegrating like ice and snow beneath the sun.

Everything before his eyes rapidly faded and flattened.

Within just a few breaths, the vast, intricate labyrinth with its countless twists and turns visibly transformed into a boundless, empty, level wasteland.

At the end of that plain stood a white jade gateway that seemed to reach straight into the sky.

Gazing at the gateway at the edge of his vision, Qi Yun remained composed. Gripping the nine Crystal Keys tightly, he swept his sleeve and strode toward it.

With every step he took, the ground beneath his feet seemed to contract of its own accord, carrying him far ahead.

The gateway, which appeared to be over a hundred li away, rapidly grew larger before his eyes as Qi Yun advanced. After nine steps, he stood firmly beneath the immense gateway that resembled a gate to heaven.

Standing beneath that gateway that seemed to lead to heaven, Qi Yun raised his head slightly.

Hmm?

A trace of surprise entered his eyes. In some unseen way, he seemed to sense a faint, elusive gaze falling upon him.

The sensation came quickly and vanished just as quickly.

It even left Qi Yun wondering whether he had imagined it.

In that brief moment of distraction, a suction force surged from the top of the heavenly gate and drew away the nine Crystal Keys in his hands.

Crack, rumble-

The instant the Crystal Keys merged into the gateway, the entire gate slowly opened amid a thunderous rumbling.

Was it finally time to reap the fruits?

The corners of his lips rose slightly. Qi Yun was already beginning to look forward to what reward he would receive as the Human Origin Champion.

The next second, he took a great stride and stepped through the gate.

Whoosh-

The radiance faded, and an arm he could not resist suddenly settled across Qi Yun's shoulders.

"All of you, take a good look.

"This is this year's Human Origin Champion."

True Person Ling's voice echoed above the immensely spacious Jade Blood Hall plaza, reaching the ears of everyone present with perfect clarity.

In an instant.

Those gazes were incredibly complicated, holding curiosity, scrutiny, and jealousy, but more than anything, undisguised "friendly gazes" that longed to swallow him alive and flay him whole.

And almost all of them belonged to victims of Qi Yun's earlier tactic of waiting by the stump for rabbits, ambushing and killing them.

The sudden turn caught Qi Yun completely unprepared, and he tried to break free of True Person Ling's arm.

But how could he possibly budge a great demon at Foundation Establishment?

"True Person, what are you..." Qi Yun frowned in confusion.

"Don't blame me. You tricked Black Mountain True Person's legitimate son and snatched away his Human Origin Champion title.

"This is the lesson His Eminence has given you.

"You like hiding in the shadows, so he insists on exposing you to everyone's eyes.

"Boy, count yourself unlucky."

True Person Ling's indifferent voice reached Qi Yun's ears.

He had never expected that after painstakingly plotting out the entire game, this would be the outcome. Black Mountain True Person was putting him over the fire to roast!

Making him a thorn in the eye and a spike in the flesh of every Outer Mansion disciple!

Even though Qi Yun had always been broad-minded.

At this moment, a flame of indignation could not help rising in his heart.

Especially when he saw Yue Rong below the platform, his expression calm, a glaring smile now flashing in those bronze eyes.

Why?

Was this Outer Mansion the Black Mountain True Person's private estate?

Unable to suppress his anger, Qi Yun opened his mouth to denounce this targeting!

But True Person Ling secretly exerted force through the right hand around his shoulders. A cold, overbearing surge of Demon Power froze his vocal cords, preventing him from making a sound.

"Calm down. Failure to endure a small grievance ruins great plans.

"You're merely an Outer Mansion disciple, not even a true cultivator of the Inner Mansion. You think you can demand justice from a Foundation Establishment True Person?"

True Person Ling's words extinguished Qi Yun's impulse like a bucket of ice water.

Indeed, he was only at the Qi Refining Realm. Even if he poked a hole through the heavens, could he possibly shake a Foundation Establishment True Person?

"Thank you, True Person. Why are you helping me?" Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down, Qi Yun thanked True Person Ling beside him.

Removing his arm from Qi Yun's shoulders, True Person Ling's expression remained as cold and indifferent as ice.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand."

His expression shifting slightly, Qi Yun looked at the stern-faced True Person Ling beside him, lowered his eyes, and slowly opened his right hand.

There, in his palm, a cold, slender black feather had silently appeared at some unknown moment, faintly giving off tiny gleams of light.