Accept or Refuse?
Sang Ying and the other two participated in the competition voluntarily. They didn't do it for any other reason than to make the Moonless Household suffer.
Gu Wangchuan, in particular, took the initiative to ask before the Yin Mountain Sect even extended an invitation, "I've heard that the Yin Mountain Sect will soon be competing against the Moonless Clan. I wonder if we would have the honor of participating and exchanging skills with the talents of the Moonless Tribe?"
Their initiative naturally delighted the Yin Mountain Sect's leader and his son, who readily agreed.
Their sect has many disciples, and several outstanding ones have even broken through the fifth level of the trial grounds. However, compared to the cultivators from other worlds who grow up in a world with abundant Cultivation Resources and Spiritual Qi, they are still somewhat lacking.
Furthermore, since they cultivate the path of raising corpses to ward off calamities, they are indeed much inferior in combat against humans.
With the addition of Sang Ying and the other two, their chances of winning are much higher than before, so everyone is more confident in gaining control of Moonless City.
"Once we win the competition and become the acting city lords, the first thing we'll do is change Moonless City into Liu Household City!" Liu Duanyue's junior brother was still spouting his bold words when both teams had already packed up and were ready to head to the competition arena.
On the way to the arena, Liu Duanyue reminded Sang Ying and the others, "As you all know, there are rules for the competition: each person can only participate in one event. This time, the Moonless Household has even invited a rogue cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm Rogue Cultivator. So whether or not you participate in the first event is entirely up to you."
All three of them knew this information, and it was for this reason that Sang Ying became interested in that hidden little secret realm.
Seeing the slight worry on Liu Duanyue's face, she explained, "Please rest assured, Young Sect Master, we are aware of our strength and will not act recklessly."
Knowing that Sang Ying understood his hint, Liu Duanyue was relieved of his worries.
The Yin Mountain Sect's team moved quickly, and soon the large arena in the center of the city appeared before everyone's eyes.
This arena was built jointly by the two families, and it used a lot of precious materials back then. The previous Moonless Household Head insisted on building it in the center of the city, saying it in a grand and noble way, but in reality it was just to save face for the Yin Mountain Sect in front of everyone.
Five years ago, the Yin Mountain Sect disciples suffered a great loss in the competition due to the strength of those outside cultivators, which also affected the Yin Mountain Sect's reputation.
Liu Duanyue had harbored deep resentment towards the other party for an unknown period of time, never expecting history to repeat itself today.
The magnificent and towering arena captured everyone's attention, its exquisite patterns so dazzling that it was impossible to look away.
"Those are all formations," Sang Ying whispered in their ears. "It seems these two families really spent a lot of good stuff when they built this arena."
The array formations themselves were depicted with such exquisite patterns; one can only imagine how much effort the array masters of that time put in.
But apart from the three of them, none of the others paid any attention to the brightly colored patterns.
They just stared intently at the group of people opposite the ring, their eyes barely able to contain their resistance and hatred.
Sang Ying looked up and saw Wuyue Qing leading a group of people approaching. The male cultivator following closely behind her was the one who had almost fought with Gu Wangchuan in front of the Severed Vitality Mystic Realm that day.
That person seemed to genuinely like this Miss Wuyue, so in the blink of an eye, he was recruited into the Moonless Household as a guest retainer.
The male cultivator had clearly noticed Sang Ying and the others as well. Wuyue Qing could even speak, he secretly cast a provocative glance at the three of them.
But when the person met Jiang Zhuoxue's gray eyes, he subconsciously shrank back.
After realizing his reaction was inappropriate, the male cultivator glared at her again, but all he saw was a mocking smile on Jiang Zhuoxue's lips.
It's rare to see two forces vying for control of Moonless City, so as soon as the news broke, the people of the city rushed over to join the excitement.
Such a momentous event naturally required the presence of the Moonless Household Head and Sect Master Liu. However, given their extraordinary status, they chose to remain neutral and leave everything to the two children.
However, delegating authority does not mean that the two are without resentment.
They had barely sat down, and before they could even exchange a few pleasantries, the Moonless Household Head preemptively said sarcastically, "In previous years, those who stood at the very end of this arena were all from the Moonless Household. I wonder what the situation will be like this year."
"Yes, in previous years, the Moonless Household Head would bring your son to watch the competition, but this year your son is nowhere to be seen. It's truly disappointing." Sect Master Liu's reply was equally blunt.
Listening to their own family heads/sect leaders arguing with each other, the disciples of both families, who were also seated on either side, felt a surge of worry, fearing that the two of them would eventually fight without regard for their reputations.
Fortunately, the two of them remained somewhat rational; at most, they only spoke rudely and didn't escalate to a public fight.
Both sides secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The commotion in the stands had little effect on the crowd below. Perhaps knowing how sharp Liu Duanyue's tongue was, Wuyue Qing didn't dare to say anything provocative today. She only exchanged a few perfunctory words with Liu Duanyue before announcing the start of the first match amidst urging from the two organizers in the stands.
Below the arena, a dense crowd of people were packed together, seemingly having been looking forward to today's competition for a long time, and had been waiting there for a long time.
Sang Ying glanced at the crowd watching the spectacle below, and when she met Wuyue Qing's eyes, which were full of fake smiles, she had a bad feeling.
"With so many cultivators watching the competition today, why don't we try something new?" Wuyue Qing suddenly suggested.
Liu Duanyue frowned subconsciously, but still asked her, "What are you planning to do now?"
"Don't say that, Fellow Daoist Liu." Wuyue Qing blinked her beautiful eyes. "I just wanted to add some novelty to this competition."
Following her words, five people stepped out from the Moonless Household's group.
Their faces were solemn, their auras extraordinary, and their Spiritual Qi was almost overflowing, clearly indicating that they were cultivators from other small worlds.
The five people stepped onto the arena in unison, their breathing synchronized. Sang Ying only glanced at them briefly before realizing that these people were from major sects and had considerable tacit understanding. They were not the so-called Rogue Cultivator they claimed to be!
These people had probably practiced some kind of formation before. Even if it was just five of them, the strength they displayed was definitely not something that could be easily resisted by just five cultivators.
This is clearly a conspiracy targeting the Yin Mountain Sect!
"So?" Wuyue Qing revealed a smile remarkably similar to that of the Moonless Household Head in the stands. "Will Fellow Daoist Liu accept this challenge, or not?"
In front of all the cultivators in the city, Liu Duanyue and Yin Mountain Sect were once again put on the hot seat.
A note from the author:
Sorry, I'm not feeling well today. I need to get myself together.
Thank you everyone, love you all~