A Familiar Feeling
"Wang Wenqing and Hu Wenchang of the Immortal Court are willing to admit defeat!"
Before the water curtain of Kunlun Ruins, Li Jing had no choice but to bow his head and admit defeat.
The Immortal Court does not have the concept of Holy Sons and Holy Daughters; the people selected to participate in the Hundred-Year Agreement are young experts who have fought their way up through the ranks.
Wang Wenqing and Hu Wenchang performed exceptionally well, but they both made a mistake that most cultivators would make.
In their eyes, the contents of the bottle that Zhang Xuezhou took out were considered rare and heavenly materials and earthly treasures. The low price of the exchange made it difficult for them to suppress their greed, especially since Zhang Xuezhou had even demonstrated it.
Seeing the two writhing on the ground clutching their stomachs, Li Jing had no choice but to admit defeat.
"Ling Xiao's elimination this time was a bit early!"
The emperor and empress chuckled softly. With a gesture, a long rope descended from the mirror, binding the two of them together.
However, this time the emperor and empress did not make an announcement mentioning the elimination of the Immortal Court cultivators, but instead repeatedly urged Li Jing to use his methods to save them.
"I hope Your Majesty can advise me on how to cure this poison."
Li Jing repeatedly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His sweat was partly due to being eliminated too early; he came with the goal of winning the championship, but unexpectedly ended up with a third-to-last place.
On the other hand, Li Jing genuinely didn't know how to detoxify.
While the poisonous fumes from Ronggeerjia and Zhu Qiaoqiao could be largely dissipated by spraying water, Wang Wenqing and Hu Wenchang had already soiled their pants. Seeing their trembling bodies, Li Jing had no way of stopping their diarrhea.
"These symptoms seem to be the same as the eternal poison we have there," said the Daoist Randeng with great interest. "If the Heavenly King is willing to try, he can take eight ounces of ash from the furnace and have these two drink it!"
"Thank you so much, Teacher Randeng!"
Li Jing should be skeptical of what others say, but he had once studied under the Daoist Randeng Deng.
Although time has passed and the two belong to different factions, their affection for each other still remains.
As long as it doesn't involve major issues of right and wrong, Li Jing and the Daoist Randeng will have a very close relationship.
The two whispered a few words to each other, and after Li Jing inquired about the Emperor and Empress, he quickly ran towards the brewery.
"They look so alike!"
No different from Ao Li, Hongku also felt that the old immortal who harmed people was very familiar.
Unlike Ao Li, who distinguished the poisons by their physique and flying Technique Method, Hongku distinguished them by their low-grade poisons. He felt that the poisons used by the other party were exactly the same as those he had in the past, including even the most eye-catching container.
Hongku's uncertainty stemmed from two simple reasons: firstly, the old immortal's appearance was rather aged, and secondly, the bottles and jars looked quite professional.
He pursed his lips, then looked at the two Venerable Ones Hongyi and Hongye, who appeared in the water curtain almost exactly at the right age for their training.
Hongyi and Hongye can identify poisonous smoke and water, but their Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation were damaged during the attack on the Great Han Dynasty palace. Their trip to Western Kunlun was also motivated by the desire to profit from repairing their Yang Corporeal Soul Incarnation and advancing their cultivation.
After entering and exiting the secret place, the two went in different directions, but they kept observing the flowers and plants everywhere, their desire for the heavenly materials and earthly treasures of Kunlun written all over their faces.
Greed makes one easily deceived, Hongku could already foresee the fate of these two when they encountered the 'old immortal'.
With a quick glance, Hongku saw the 'Old Immortal' wearing Hu Wenchang's new clothes with a delighted expression.
"Another one is doomed!"
Hongku looked at the old skin that had appeared on his thin body and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
Good people are all the same in their goodness, while bad people are all different in their evilness. It's absurd that the world's villains are so similarly wicked.
But he dared not make a complete judgment at the moment, and could only sit and watch the show.
"If he really is that scoundrel, could it be that he caught the Emperor's eye when he was trapped in the Kunlun Sacred Land last time?"
A complex expression appeared in Hongku's eyes.
He was momentarily hesitant to believe the true face of the 'old immortal,' but upon closer examination, Zhang Xuezhou did indeed have a chance of becoming the Holy Son of Kunlun.
It's worth mentioning that he was able to come to the Kunlun Sacred Land thanks to Zhang Xuezhou. If it weren't for the help of the Black and White Twin Horses, Hongku wouldn't have been qualified to lead the team here.
In the past, such travel arrangements were mostly handled by the two Venerables, Black and White. The two Venerables often complained about their hard-working lives, but they said one thing and did another.
In the past, Hongku would have genuinely thought that these two Venerable Ones were working hard, but after he came out, he realized that he represented the face of the Dao Lord and was enjoying the treatment of the Dao Lord.
The fruits from the secret land of Western Kunlun, which used to require theft and beatings to obtain, are now displayed on the stone table, along with the Nine Treasures Wine that Hongku had once stolen and drunk.
These are the privileges afforded to Daojun, Hongku is now enjoying.
If he hadn't been afraid of vomiting from drinking alcohol, or falling into a coma from eating too Drunken Peach, Hongku would have swallowed these rare and precious fruit-infused medicinal wines long ago.
What Hongku could only enjoy through his status as a Dao Lord, would most likely be commonplace for the Holy Son of the Western Kunlun Holy Land.
Zhang Xuezhou in Chang'an City is one thing, Zhang Xuezhou, the Holy Son of Western Kunlun, is another.
Hongku until someone touched his arm, at which point he quickly raised his head.
"I give up! I give up!"
The old immortal donned the outer robes of Immortal Court cultivator and stumbled as he traveled to other secret locations.
This time, it was Hongye who ran into him. The old immortal ran away in a panic, shouting all the way. Before Hongye could fully react, the old immortal bumped into him and launched a close-range attack.
This exploited Hongye's weakness in close combat, leading to his swift defeat.
Most spellcasters are powerful because of their stealth and ability to cast spells over extremely long distances. Few can match a Dao Lord in a direct confrontation, and Hongye clearly doesn't have any means to turn the tide.
Hongku called out twice before the Emperor and Empress nodded.
Tongtian rope descended again, and the news of Hongye's elimination spread far and wide.
"Is this old immortal the holy son of the Kunlun Sacred Land?"
Zoroastrian leader Zarathustra asked in a low voice, which left everyone speechless. Some even looked to the Emperor and Empress for answers.
The emperor and empress remained silent, showing no intention of answering the question.
The century-long agreement did not end with its meeting at the Kunlun Sacred Land; it also involved the Western Sect's Spirit Mountain and the Immortal Court. Only with the confirmation of the top leaders of the three major powers could a final answer be reached.
As for other small and medium-sized forces, they are not responsible for hosting the venues. Instead, they only take what they can and give up what they can. They take the advantages they are entitled to and hand over the winnings in full.
The struggle is not over yet. Wang Wenqing and Hu Wenchang, who suffered a crushing defeat in the Immortal Court, have not yet removed their masks. The Empress and the Emperor would not casually discuss the true identity of the Kunlun Holy Son, and she allows everyone to speculate.
"This holy son of Kunlun is skilled in poison and close combat. It is truly rare for someone to reach this level after a hundred years of cultivation," Daoist Randeng Ran Deng, stroking his beard.
While others worried that their own players would encounter the 'Old Immortal,' the Daoist Randeng was completely unafraid.
It takes a series of attacks to defeat a Incantation Technique, so the Kunlun Holy Son's close combat skills are clearly far inferior to Rulai of Buddha Son Shigong. Rulai, Tathagata is immune to poison, which is almost a perfect counter to the Kunlun Holy Son.
"We came to Kunlun to gain an advantage. If we accidentally win this round, will we deliberately lose back at Spirit Mountain or deliberately throw the game at the Immortal Court?"
The Daoist Randeng was even a little worried that the Western Sect would take the lead.
With the threat from the Immortal Court eliminated, the already formidable Tathagata Rulai sweep across the land. Even Rulai Tathagata held back and took a beating, ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to break through Rulai's protective golden light.
Just thinking about that situation gave him a headache.
"He encountered that hairy Buddhist disciple from the Western Sect in Taoyuan!"
When the King of Ten Thousand Foxes spoke up to remind him, Daoist Randeng also quickly turned his gaze to the water curtain, looking at the 'old immortal' and the Buddha Son Shigong whom he had encountered in Peach Garden.