Chapter 188: Wanting to Return to the Xiang Jianzong

After a while, Chen Yuanlin completed his meditation and gazed toward the Cloud Platform.

"It's my turn!"

The burly man from the Long Xiang Qing Tian Sect rose to his feet; he had no puppets, and his transformation technique was not particularly refined, so he decided to fight personally.

He leapt down from the Cloud Platform.

Boom! A wave of scorching heat surged, instantly dispersing the mist clinging to the jagged peaks with its vast blood qi.

The crisp scent of wine grew thickened by the sudden rise in temperature.

The chairman raised a finger, and a clear light rippled outward, blocking the torrent of blood qi and isolating the rolling heat.

Thud! As if a crimson meteor had crashed onto it, the floating arena shot upward, half of it plunging into Jiuhu Lake, sending up towering waves.

Chen Yuanlin stood straight as a green pine, utterly motionless.

The spiritual material used for the arena was of exceptionally high quality; this single impact alone would not damage it.

Soon, the nearly inverted arena began to right itself.

Hss—! Rolling heat, steaming wine vapor.

"Hahaha!" The giant roared with laughter, his robes billowing as he exuded great magnanimity.

"Not a punch, not a spell! Your methods are too scattered, kid."

"Dare you compete with me in bare-handed combat?"

The giant's eyes glinted with sharp light.

How shameless!

You're a Return to Void cultivator, and a body cultivator at that—how could you possibly say something like that? Those watching the broadcast couldn't help but think.

But Chen Yuanlin raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Good lad!" The giant turned toward the Cloud Platform, "Elder, please seal my cultivation level and my tongue."

Otherwise, once we start fighting, I fear I won't be able to control my instincts.

So many people are watching—if I start cursing, it'll be too embarrassing! "Alright!"

The chairman tapped a finger, and with a mysterious ripple, the giant's terrifying aura rapidly diminished, finally settling at the same level as Chen Yuanlin's Soul Transformation early stage.

He tried to speak, but could only produce "Ooh-ah" sounds.

Good enough! The giant turned back to Chen Yuanlin and beckoned with a finger.

Golden light flared across Chen Yuanlin's body: "Elder, please instruct me!"

Thud! The arena shuddered violently; both men moved simultaneously, stomping the ground and charging toward each other.

Bam! Bam!

Fist met fist, each collision emitting dull thuds; crimson blood qi intertwined with golden light, sending shockwaves through the air with titanic force.

Combat between body cultivators was never flashy, brimming with brutal beauty.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged hundreds of punches and palm strikes—so fast that ordinary cultivators couldn't even track them with their eyes!

"Tsk tsk! Throw any same-level spell cultivator in there now, and they'd probably be dead already." A Jin Dan cultivator beside Jiuhu murmured.

Judging by his bulky frame, he was likely a body cultivator too.

But his remark immediately irritated a nearby spell cultivator.

"Spell cultivators aren't fools—we don't just stand there and let you hit us without using our spiritual arts!"

"Forget him—someone with nothing but muscle in his head can only think of this."

The body cultivator glanced at the two, saying nothing.

As a body cultivator, one must have a big heart—he wouldn't bother arguing with such common cultivators! "I wonder if the Hehuan Sect will send someone down to teach today." Someone suddenly spoke with eager anticipation.

The seduction arts of a Return to Void charm cultivator—even if you're not the main target—are truly…

Sss~ "Don't even think about it—the Hehuan Sect's observer this year is only a Nascent Soul cultivator, so they won't be entering." Someone doused the hope with cold water.

"…."

The restless hearts instantly cooled.

"How do you know!" Someone asked, unwilling to accept it.

"Look! She's still streaming right now."

The man raised his phone—the screen showed Jiang Yujiu's live stream.

…………

On the Cloud Platform, Xu Xing watched the two exchange blows; Chen Yuanlin's Golden Body gradually grew denser and more refined.

The body cultivator's intent was clear—he was merely using his fists to temper Chen Yuanlin's Golden Body, pushing it toward perfection. It was, in fact, a fortunate opportunity.

He withdrew his gaze and scanned the surroundings.

Among the next few participants, someone else would likely descend to offer instruction; after the martial demonstration, higher-level cultivators above Return to Void would display the Alliance's newly created spiritual arts.

But he was no longer particularly interested.

He had joined this martial demonstration solely to observe Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan's performance.

He had seen enough—it was time to leave.

After returning once more to the Xiang Jianzong, he still needed to hurry to Ling Yin Fang.

He raised his hand and sent a streak of red light into Jiang Yujiu's storage ring, where it transformed into a crimson jade shaped like a drop of blood.

He had encountered her twice now—in Xuanjian City and the Righteous Alliance, two utterly unrelated places.

Such karmic connection warranted him giving her a small gift.

This crimson jade was an improved version, more effective than the one given to the Zhang siblings; at her current realm, it would last for a long time—at least until she reached Return to Void.

"The stream ends here," he murmured casually.

Xu Xing closed the livestream and put away the Xuanguang Stone and his phone.

Then he looked toward Yuan again — the Elder Lingzu still had a message for him to pass along.

"Yuan, I'm about to leave. The Elder Lingzu also wants me to tell you: her disciple Sister Wan Zhu is waiting for you. She wants you to reach Ling Yin Fang within three days, or you'll face the consequences yourself."

Yuan was a little puzzled at first, but upon hearing the second half, the corner of his eye twitched involuntarily.

Within three days, Sister Wan Zhu is waiting for him?

He felt a sudden throbbing in his head and instinctively glanced at Ming Yu beside him.

Ming Yu happened to notice and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"Emm…" Yuan gathered his words.

One second, two seconds…

Fine, he couldn't gather them. He could only say it straight.

"Within three days, I have to set out for Ling Yin Fang."

"In such a hurry?" Ming Yu asked softly.

It was clearly a very gentle tone, yet Yuan felt a creeping chill in his heart.

"It was Senior Xiang Jianzong who passed the message to me — this is Senior Elder Lingzu's request," Yuan said in a low voice.

Meaning, this was an irresistible force.

Sure enough, Ming Yu's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly calmed herself.

"Then let's set out as soon as possible."

No matter what, she was going to follow along. Even the legendary Elder Lingzu couldn't change her resolve!

"It's perfect, actually — I haven't seen Sister Wan Zhu in a long time either."

"But on Senior Elder Lingzu's side…"

"What sort of person is Senior Elder Lingzu? She wouldn't make things difficult for a junior like me." Ming Yu's tone was gentle.

"Otherwise she would have slapped you dead back then, wouldn't she?"

Sister Wan Zhu had also said back then that her master considered it a matter between their juniors and let them settle it themselves.

Yuan: "…"

Just as Yuan was explaining the news he'd just learned to Ming Yu—

Xu Xing had already asked Xiang Yuanjun.

"Yuanjun, I'm preparing to return to the Xiang Jianzong. Before I leave, I'd like to pay a visit to Daoist Gu Mo. Will you come with me, or stay here and watch the second half?"

"Naturally I'll leave with you, Dao Brother."

Daoist Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan's performance had ended; she had never had much interest in these martial displays to begin with.

"Good, then let's go."

The two rose from their seats and vanished soundlessly from the cloud platform.

But this scene fell only into Yuan and Ming Yu's eyes, and the two immediately stopped their conversation.

They exchanged a glance, then gave no outward sign.

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