Chapter 242: The Assembly Begins

Ying Xue glared at Ying Feng, dissatisfied, and said, "If you can't speak, then don't speak. How could I be old? I'm in the prime of my youth, okay?"

Ying Feng was speechless.

He couldn't help but say, "Do you know how old Qin Yang really is?"

"How old?"

Ying Xue asked.

"Twenty‑two, twenty‑three after the New Year."

Ying Feng explained.

Ying Xue let out a light cough.

It seemed she indeed had a hint of taking a younger lover.

But making her admit she's an old bull is impossible.

"So what? I'm only a few years older than Qin Yang."

"Hehe."

Ying Feng sneered.

Without waiting for Ying Xue to speak, Ying Feng said, "Enough, stop dragging those useless things. Since you've already settled with Qin Yang, I'm relieved."

"Add another good omen tomorrow," Ying Xue said.

Ying Xue said.

"What?" Ying Feng asked.

"Jiuzhou Ding."

Ying Xue spoke it out.

Ying Feng's expression shifted slightly; he glared at Ying Xue. How could the Ying family casually reveal that they possess the Jiuzhou Ding?

If a schemer learned this, they'd surely storm in and seize the Jiuzhou Ding.

Just the blows from the Hunt God alone, they cannot endure.

The Hunt God, a colossal being, has only ever suffered a loss at the hands of Baiyun.

They know very well how astonishing the Hunt God's performance is against other forces.

It's not that the Hunt God is weak; it's that Baiyun is too strong.

"The Jiuzhou Ding is of no use to us, and now Qin Yang is confronting the Hunt God; giving the Jiuzhou Ding to him is actually the most suitable, for with his strength he can also protect the Jiuzhou Ding," Ying Xue said.

Ying Xue said.

Ying Feng hesitated a moment; after all, it is one of Jiuzhou's ancestral artifacts, and its meaning differs.

Sending it out like that, he naturally felt some unwillingness.

"Keeping it in our Ying family serves no purpose; we cannot activate the Jiuzhou Ding, it would only invite disaster. If the Hunt God comes to kill, how could we stop them?" Ying Xue asked.

Ying Xue asked.

Ying Feng thought for a moment and said, "Fine, as you propose; this way the conflict can become a bit more intense."

Ying Xue nodded.

The next day, the Xiūshì Assembly finally officially began.

Not only were there Eastern cultivators, but also foreign strongmen.

There were masters from Tianzhu, ascetics from Sheng Ting, and several strongmen clad in golden Zhànjiǎ.

People from Daoguo also arrived, a few so‑called Shénmíng, but their strength was not great; the strongest was merely a returning void.

The Beautiful Country's Superhuman Alliance had no representatives.

There were also Dark Guild masters; Qin Yang saw Daniel and Chris.

Other foreign masters were also not few.

Some, in their own realms, were even god‑like beings.

Chris, upon seeing Qin Yang, was very excited and almost ran over.

But she thought for a moment and restrained the impulse.

Running up to Qin Yang in front of so many people would definitely not be a good thing for him.

"Master, why not go greet Mr. Qin?" Daniel asked.

Daniel asked.

Chris shook her head and said, "There are too many people; it would easily cause him trouble."

"Still, the master thought it through."

Daniel said respectfully.

Chris was unimpressed by such flattery; she just smiled and said nothing.

Qin Yang sat on the VIP seat, even occupying the chief seat.

This made others turn pale, feeling uneasy.

He was just a junior; why could he sit in front of them?

But, thinking of Qin Yang's tactics, they all laid down their arms.

They all knew Qin Yang's methods well.

The cultivation world, bluntly put, is a law‑of‑the‑jungle realm.

If Qin Yang didn't sit in the foremost position, others dared not sit down.

Ying Feng took the stage, said a few simple words, then told the crowd that this time's reward was increased, adding a Jiuzhou Ding.

Whoever could claim first place at the Xiūshì Assembly would simultaneously receive the Imperial Jade Seal and the Jiuzhou Ding.

Some were originally indifferent, but after hearing Ying Feng, their eyes all lit up.

The National Jade Seal does not hold much allure for cultivators.

After all, the National Jade Seal represents imperial authority and the nation's destiny.

If it can aid cultivation, it is only by merging with the nation's destiny; there is no other way.

But dynastic changes occur only once every few hundred years.

For cultivators, that span is too brief, entirely unnecessary, and not worth the cost.

However, the Jiuzhou Ding is indispensable; it is a true Jiuzhou ancestral artifact, a priceless treasure capable of subduing Jiuzhou's mountains and rivers.

If one can obtain the Jiuzhou Ding, it is equivalent to possessing an extremely powerful treasure.

With the Jiuzhou Ding, they are determined to secure it.

Nevertheless, some argue that Ying Feng presenting the Jiuzhou Ding is indeed rather unusual.

Such a fine item, once obtained, is usually not displayed.

Could there be something wrong with the Jiuzhou Ding?

At this moment, Ying Feng seemed to perceive the crowd's doubt and explained directly: "Everyone, don't misunderstand; I have no other intention, I just want to add some good omen, and there is another reason: the Jiuzhou Ding is with us Ying Jia, and none of us Ying Jia can activate the Jiuzhou Ding to recognize a master. If word gets out, we'll be targeted by hunting gods, which would be unprofitable."

Upon hearing Ying Feng's words, the crowd was enlightened.

However, they had no intention of giving up.

If they could obtain the Jiuzhou Ding, perhaps they could activate it.

Xiǎng dào zhèlǐ, everyone rubbed their fists in anticipation.

Ying Feng and Ying Xue exchanged glances, each seeing excitement in the other's eyes.

Thus, they could achieve their goal.

Qin Yang was not far from Zi Changsheng, and at this moment Zi Changsheng sent his voice: "What exactly do they mean?"

Qin Yang retorted: "Are you planning to join the fray?"

"No one dares to settle scores with my Shu Mountain; my Shu Mountain is also uninterested in any National Jade Seal or Jiuzhou Ding."

Zi Changsheng said.

"Then there's no need to overthink it; let it be."

Qin Yang laughed.

Zi Changsheng gave Qin Yang a slightly surprised look.

Wasn't he here for the National Jade Seal?

Seeing Qin Yang's demeanor, he was not at all anxious.

At this moment, Ying Jia announced that the time to settle sect grudges had arrived.

They set up nine arenas atop the mountain, guarded by powerful formations; as long as one is not yet at the Great Ascension stage, fighting there will not destroy the arenas.

In an instant, some people rushed onto the arenas.

They were to engage in life‑or‑death battles.

Resolving this at the Cultivators' Assembly, the sects were thereafter forbidden from causing trouble; regardless of win or loss, the matter would be considered settled.

This has always been the rule, established by the cultivation world to prevent sects from affecting their masters, dictating that any sect blood battles be settled on the arena, where many personal grudges are also resolved.

Qin Yang had expected few participants, but in fact nearly a hundred pairs of cultivators showed up.

The strong ones from the West were also left gaping in astonishment.

Only then did they realize that Eastern cultivators' methods were so Nìtiān, some almost comparable to Shénmíng.