Upheaval at the Mara Gate

As the Azure Feather Sect's guest courtyard grew increasingly lively, all the major and minor sects of the Immortal Spirit Realm finally gathered here.

Perhaps because of the special location of Swan Courtyard, the later disciples of Taotie Gate and Buddha Sound Temple were all arranged to live in the surrounding area.

The poor cultivators of Ten Thousand Daos Born were surrounded by the aroma of food and the chanting of Buddhist scriptures all day long.

If they weren't all such determined people, who knows what kind of ridiculous things they would have done.

During this time, Elder Gu also summoned Sang Ying and listened to him and Jiulian recount the deeds of these two neighbors.

Most of the culinary cultivators from the Taotie Gate are kind-hearted and generally won't cause trouble as long as they don't compete with each other for ingredients. The Buddhist cultivators, on the other hand, are mostly focused on meditation and enlightenment and have never wanted to get involved in disputes.

Their purpose in coming here was simply to give the young disciples an opportunity to engage in worldly cultivation.

This is also why Jiulian didn't let Sang Ying join forces with them; after all, they were a group of Buddhist cultivators who had no desires or wants!

"However..." Jiulian paused, "This time, the Buddha Sound Temple sent their disciple."

Sang Ying's eyes lit up, showing some interest.

Elder Gu continued, "His Dharma name is Jingshui. It is said that he is a born Buddha with a heart, a talent that is rare even in a thousand years at Buddha Sound Temple. He had been confined to the sect for meditation and contemplation until Jingshui's cultivation was stuck at the Golden Core Late Stage, unable to break through for a long time. Only then did the monks of Buddha Sound Temple have no choice but to release him."

Sang Ying lowered her head, quickly realizing the key point. "Is this Buddhist disciple lacking in moral character?"

Jiulian smiled, which could be considered her reply to her beloved disciple.

Elder Gu chuckled and said frankly, "That's right! That little monk grew up in the Buddha Sound Temple, and all he heard about was Buddhism and Zen. Although his Cultivation Method is fine, his temperament couldn't keep up over time, which is why his cultivation is stuck at the Golden Core stage, and he just can't advance any further."

The Buddha Sound Temple cherishes this rare Buddhist disciple and naturally cannot bear to see him forever trapped in the Golden Core, which is why they sent him to the Grand Competition.

"But you don't need to worry. Buddhist cultivators are all gentle and won't compete with us!" Elder Gu quickly added, as if afraid that this Golden Core Realm Buddhist disciple would dampen Sang Ying's spirit.

Sang Ying nodded in agreement, feeling no fear whatsoever. Instead, she developed a certain interest in this Jingshui.

With all the sects making intensive preparations, the Grand Sect Competition of the Immortal Spirit Realm finally kicked off amidst great anticipation.

Dozens of chairs were placed on the high platform, and the sect leaders and elders of various sects took their seats.

The semi-circular seating area was filled with disciples from various sects, and in front of them were more than a dozen fighting platforms engraved with defensive formations.

This is the individual competition in the sect competition, divided into Foundation Establishment and Golden Core teams. Only the top ten will be selected in the end. The sect of the first place winner will receive 100,000 points, and so on, with the tenth place winner only receiving 10,000 points.

Dong Fuzhu wasn't very lucky; she was drawn as the first to go on stage.

Before she went on stage, she received a lot of encouragement from everyone. Even Sang Ying patted her on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, you've always been diligent in your cultivation. Just compete normally with others, and there won't be any problems."

Sang Ying's calm voice reached Dong Fuzhu's ears, and it seemed to have Demonic Power, instantly calming her restless heart.

She nodded sharply at Sang Ying, then turned and walked onto the dueling platform.

Although Dong Fuzhu drew the first spot, her opponent was hardly formidable. She didn't last long against this seemingly delicate female cultivator before quickly falling to defeat.

Because the competition had rules that it could only stop when the opponent was touched and no one could be killed, Dong Fuzhu didn't even have a scratch on her body when she stepped off the fighting platform, let alone any injuries.

Upon her triumphant return, Dong Fuzhu happily threw herself into Sang Ying's arms, even going so far as to nuzzle her head against Chief Sang's chin.

This scene caught Bai Kejin's eye. When the young swordsman was about to go on stage, he deliberately approached Sang Ying, waiting for his encouragement.

Sang Ying looked at her junior brother, whose face was cold, and only after he hadn't moved for a long time did she belatedly say, "Fight well."

The person in front of him then lit up and leaped onto the fighting platform.

As expected, they won again.

Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples were quite skilled, but the other sects were not to be underestimated. Just as Dong Fuzhu group were winning one victory after another, several of Ten Thousand Daos Born's Foundation Establishment Realm disciples were brutally knocked off the fighting platform.

Sang Ying rushed over upon receiving the news, only to find a large number of Foundation Establishment disciples lying dead inside the house!

With just a quick examination, Sang Ying could tell that these people had suffered considerable injuries, and if they didn't take good care of themselves, their health might be severely compromised.

"Who dared to be so ruthless to you?" Sang Ying was utterly bewildered. Wasn't the sect competition supposed to be a friendly competition that would only end when all hands were drawn?

One of the disciples, who was less seriously injured, endured excruciating pain and answered with difficulty, "It was the people of the Mara Gate. They trampled on the rules and attacked us severely."

The disciple who answered swallowed a mouthful of blood, his internal organs churning with pain.

The female healer in charge of taking care of them quickly found a pill and fed it to him, which slightly relieved the male cultivator's pain.

At this moment, Sang Ying's face had completely darkened. "Your cultivation levels aren't bad either. Even if you couldn't win against a Foundation Establishment Realm disciple, you shouldn't be injured like this. What else is wrong with those Mara Gate people?"

She didn't believe that the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Mara Gate were really that powerful.

The disciple thought for a moment before saying, "I can't see anything wrong, but it's strange that those people all seem to have Single Spirit Root."

"Those Foundation Establishment disciples all have Single Spirit Root?!" Sang Ying asked hurriedly.

The injured disciple nodded, confirming her words.

Sang Ying closed her eyes briefly, asked no further questions, and offered a few words of comfort to the injured disciples. She left some pills before departing from the room filled with wounded.

She should have guessed long ago: what kind of place could the Mara Gate be, capable of elevating Su Fuyun to the position of Saintess?

This time, the Mara Gate brought a hundred Foundation Establishment disciples, and all one hundred of them had Single Spirit Root. If there wasn't something fishy going on, even Su Fuyun himself probably wouldn't believe it.

When did having Single Spirit Root become so commonplace?!

Sang Ying had nowhere to vent her anger, but fortunately, someone soon came looking for her.

"Senior Sister Sang, hurry back, it'll be your turn soon! I heard your opponent this time is the new Holy Maiden of the Mara Gate."

As soon as the young man finished speaking, Sang Ying's eyes lit up instantly.

"Perfect timing, I've been waiting for this long too." Sensing its master's intention, the Floating River Sword instantly flew out of its sheath and landed in Sang Ying's hand.

The female cultivator wielding a long sword walked past the crowd and left, her unconsciously revealed killing intent startling her junior brother who was delivering the message.

Watching her hurried departure, the messenger said helplessly to his junior brother, "Oh no, Senior Sister Sang is angry again."

However, realizing that it wasn't them who were in trouble this time, but the people of the Mara Gate, the junior brother who relayed the message quickly shouted and chased after them, "Senior Sister, don't be angry! We can't afford to pay for the damage to the Mara Gate's Holy Maiden!"

However, the smile in his words revealed not a trace of his concern for the Holy Maiden of the Mara Gate.

The man in the dark river had been drifting for an unknown amount of time. The Demonic Qi in the black water had stained his snow-white robes, making them mottled and tattered, and black spots had appeared on his jade-like face.

He struggled to wake up, but to no avail.

He drifted for an unknown amount of time before he finally heard another sound.

"Look, what's that?" After a gasp, he seemed to have been dragged ashore by something sharp.

He was filled with confusion again, and the sounds around him gradually became more and more chaotic.

"How could anyone survive in this underground river for so long?!"

"This person is no ordinary individual. His Dantian is completely destroyed and useless. We should just throw him into the underground river!"

The man frowned slightly, seemingly displeased.

Fortunately, the group that found him couldn't reach an agreement in the end. A slightly aged voice suggested, "Since we don't know where he came from, why don't we hand him over to his owner?"

The man had no choice but to remain conscious amidst the turbulence.

He didn't know where these people were taking him, nor did he know the identity of the "master" they were talking about.

Just as he calmed down again, a hand slowly brushed aside the wet hair on the side of his face, and a very familiar voice slowly rang out, seemingly with a hint of surprise:

"Ah, it's you."

He struggled to open his eyes, but to no avail. Through the slit he opened, he could only see a white light.

But soon, something new entered his field of vision—he tried hard to see it clearly, and the cool fabric brushed against the corner of his eye; it seemed to be a section of a garment embroidered with Red Lotus?

A note from the author:

Sorry, I was a bit busy today, so this is the only chapter I have.

Three chapters will be back tomorrow, I believe in Sparrow! (High five)

See you tomorrow! Love you all~