Chapter 468: Sword Cultivator, Celestial Being, The Old Six Who Strikes First

Boom!

Vast magic power pressure erupted outright, forming a howling gale that swept in all directions, and the silver ribbon binding his long hair fell loose along with it.

"Lin Changsheng, ever since I lost to you at the last Xian Sect Grand Tournament, I have thought of you every waking moment!" Wu Zhongfeng's gaze burned.

His long hair whipped wildly in the howling gale, two distinct tones—one deep, one clear—interweaving and echoing back in layered waves.

Lin Changsheng: (_)……

Just come out and say you want to reclaim your face, will you? Could you stop making it sound so ambiguous!

Ever since he had defeated this extremist at the last Xian Sect Grand Tournament, the guy had clung to him every single day, insisting on another match.

At first, Lin Changsheng gladly accepted the challenge.

He was a dignified sword cultivator—why would he fear anyone's challenge!

Three matches in a row, he defeated Wu Zhongfeng with absolute, hard power.

Only then did this extremist finally recognize the gap, stopped pestering him, and returned to his sect to cultivate.

But every so often, he would come back to challenge him once more—one could say he was extremely persistent……

And it was during this process that things gradually started to go awry.

Originally, as the leading figure of this generation of the Lin family of the Xiang Jianzong, and on top of that the first place in the Soul Transformation division of the Xian Sect Grand Tournament, his popularity was still very high, and he was not without a few little fangirls and the like……

Ahem!

In any case, during that period right after the Xian Sect Grand Tournament had ended, his popularity was still very high.

So, as the number of times he and Wu Zhongfeng clashed grew, some bored people also spread some outrageous rumors on the Spirit Net.

In the end, even that female cultivator of his generation whom he had always held some fondness for grew disheartened and stopped associating with him.

He was completely dumbfounded.

He later found a chance to explain, but that female cultivator frankly admitted that she felt tremendous pressure facing Wu Zhongfeng, a Celestial Being cultivator……

In short, she felt utterly inferior.

Emm……

Although this matter didn't really mean much to Lin Changsheng himself—at worst it was just a bit of a pity.

His own main focus at present was still on cultivation.

But then again, he had also realized that he was spending too much time on Wu Zhongfeng.

So, after that, he deliberately refused Wu Zhongfeng's invitations to fight.

Better safe than sorry.

What if someday he really met a female cultivator who made his heart skip a beat?

He had to be careful, to avoid people actually thinking he had some strange, weird fetish!

Besides, fighting Wu Zhongfeng didn't feel like it brought any progress either……

"Want to fight me? Then you'll have to get past Old Chang first." Lin Changsheng decided to redirect the trouble, "After all, you're only third; Old Chang is second."

At this point in time, starting a fight with this extremist Wu Zhongfeng was far too unwise—even if he won, he himself would be injured, and Old Chang might just swoop in for the bargain.

And under normal circumstances, the goading tactic worked very well on Celestial Being cultivators.

However……this time was different.

"No need." Wu Zhongfeng refused very decisively. "Before I came looking for you, I met with Chang Xiao. He admitted to my face that he is not my equal."

Lin Changsheng: "……"

This Old Chang really has no bottom line at all!

Damn!

"He might have been lying to you."

"So what? Whether it's true or false, after fighting him I would no longer have the strength to fight you." Wu Zhongfeng said lightly.

He did not care about ranking at all; the reason he participated in this Xian Sect Grand Tournament was more to have another bout with Lin Changsheng.

A fight without restraint, forgetting life and death!

Such an opportunity would be hard to come by again!

But he saw that the magic power pressure around Wu Zhongfeng grew ever more terrifying, the void congealing as if solid, visible distortion appearing, and the surrounding earth and stone all crumbled into tiny particles under this outward-radiating violent aura.

He looked calmly at Lin Changsheng: "Or perhaps, you also admit you are not my equal?"

Admit he was not His equal?

It sounded like a good choice.

Bluffing Wu Zhongfeng first, and only fighting him at the very end, was undoubtedly the wisest move, but……

"Sigh~"

Lin Changsheng sighed softly, the long sword in his palm slowly rising, held horizontally before him.

He flicked a finger lightly against the autumn-water-clear sword body.

Rumble!

Blazing sword intent surged skyward, like a bolt of Lei Ting tearing through heaven and earth, easily ripping apart that congealed, stagnant magic power pressure.

The helplessness in his eyes vanished at this moment, leaving only resolve!

"Come!"

Admit that he was inferior to someone who had lost to him time and again?

Absolutely impossible!

Humming~!

Sword qi shrieked, sweeping across all directions!

The boundless clouds and mists all dispersed at this moment, revealing ten thousand miles of clear blue sky.

……

……

The battle between Lin Changsheng and Yue Zhongfeng could almost be considered the highest-level match between contestants since the Grand Tournament began.

Not only were the Return-to-Void cultivators within the Profound Manifest Realm paying attention.

Even the sect masters of the various Gedaxian Sect outside the world, as well as the chairman of the Orthodox Alliance and others, had all turned their attention to this battle.

"That's more like it. Shrinking back, hesitating, not even daring to accept a challenge — what kind of behavior is that!" Du Ruoheng nodded slowly.

Cheng Junming's eyes flickered.

That old thing is probably not talking about me, is he?

"To achieve victory, a reasonable tactical arrangement is also a key part."

"Heh!"

Du Ruoheng did not reply, merely laughed once.

The other sect masters were long used to it; after all, these two had been at each other's throats for far more than a day or two.

Shen Qingjun also, at this moment, rarely roused herself.

After all, the performance of the Hehuan Sect's contestants was, as always, with only a few worth watching.

Moreover……

If Master found out about this year's results, she would fly into a rage again, and I myself would likely not escape a scolding……

Complaining endlessly in her heart, Shen Qingjun's exterior remained that composed, unhurried appearance.

But if one were to speak of the most serious, it would have to be the Orthodox Alliance chairman Chen Shang.

With cultivation at the Tongxuan realm, everything occurring within the Profound Manifest Realm — apart from a few Xian Sect ancestors — could be said to be laid out in every minute detail before him.

He could not help but compare the performance of these many Xian Sect contestants with his own family's youngest Soul Transformation cultivator, the former number one on the Prodigy Ranking — Chen Yuanlin.

But he sorrowfully discovered that even Chen Yuanlin, who had now begun to value and make up for his foundation, placed among the Xian Sect contestants of this Profound Manifest Realm could at best only rank at the bottom……

If it were the Chen Yuanlin from before he had yet to make up for his foundation, he would not even have qualified to participate.

Sigh~

The task is heavy and the road is long.

……

……

At this moment, the spectator stands below were already filled with quite a few eliminated contestants.

Three enormous screens were projected before them, playing three timelines — that is, the footage of the three divisions: Jin Dan, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation.

After all, with the contestants' Current Realm, they could not see through a single world, let alone observe the scenes within.

"Remember this: the Taixuan Immortal Net is still in testing. You must not reveal anything about it after you leave, or your memories will be erased and you will lose your qualification to participate in future tests."

Although the relevant information had already been transmitted directly into their consciousness through the Taixuan Immortal Net when they were eliminated, the Return-to-Void team leaders still repeated it tirelessly, over and over.

They were also worried someone might later let something slip and lose their qualification.

This qualification could be considered one of the greatest opportunities of this era!

Perhaps because there were more people in the spectator stands, Zhou Kongming and Qi Ling also took some notice.

Although they still stood together, they were not overly intimate.

As for Ji Shi Valley's Gao Wuwang and Supreme Dao Sect's Master Xiao Yu……

The two, having learned the truth, finally breathed a sigh of relief, and were now continuing to hover around Lin Ziyue.

Of course, Lin Xingyue, who served as the 'elder brother-in-law,' was also present.

As for Ling Yin Fang's Chen Xuanqing……

She, who fancied herself the protagonist, still stood alone to one side, hands clasped behind her back, gazing into the world.

Even with the live broadcast, she did not look at it.

The several Return-to-Void team leaders each behaved differently, but in truth they were all secretly comparing notes in their hearts, rubbing their fists and palms in anticipation.

Since they had all come, the ancestors surely would not really only let them serve as team leaders, would they?

There would definitely be a chance to act!

So the question arose.

Just what technique should one use to deal with those Return-to-Void cultivators to look cool?

This was a question worth deep consideration.

As for combat strength……

A bunch of watered-down goods who couldn't even compare to the Return-to-Void cultivators of the previous Three-Day Realm — dealing with them would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?

Each of the several Return-to-Void team leaders had their own thoughts.

And among the eliminated contestants, the majority looked toward the projection screen of the Soul Transformation division, watching the earth-shattering battle between Lin Changsheng and Yue Zhongfeng within.

As for the result……

Apart from the eliminated contestants of the Soul Transformation division who could see it clearly, those of the Nascent Soul division could understand a small portion of it.

For the eliminated contestants of the Jin Dan division, it was completely incomprehensible.

So they simply returned their attention to the projection screen of their own division.

Although there were differences in the flow of time, after adjustments, seeing the major events occurring within was still no problem……

'Go for it, Xiao Zhang.'

A seat toward the back of the spectator stands.

Lin Xuanxuan clenched her fists, silently cheering Zhang Yunlu on in her heart.

However, with fellow disciples all around, she was too embarrassed to shout it out directly.

However, at the very next moment!

Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from within the world, transforming directly into a human figure in the spectator stands.

Hmm?!

Another person has been eliminated?

Everyone looked over and saw that the Xiang Jianzong's elimination zone had abruptly gained one more person.

Tall and slender, long hair tied into a high ponytail falling to the waist, an icy-crystal translucent longsword in hand — it was none other than…

Xiao Zhang?

Lin Xuanxuan: "…"

No way, she had only just been cheering Xiao Zhang on — how had she already been eliminated?

…………

Returning to Lin Changsheng and Yue Wu Zhongfeng.

Although there had been some gap between the two of them before, that gap had not been all that large.

Added to the fact that over the past two years Wu Zhongfeng had come up with some new tricks specifically targeting Lin Changsheng, for the moment the two were locked in a stalemate.

And so, while the two were clashing, three hours gradually passed, and a new round of coordinate display activated once again.

The border region between the Tianling Sect and the Canglan Sword Palace.

A figure was currently carrying a sword, walking through the dense forest on the mountainside.

Every now and then she would pause, looking toward the sword Qi shrieking across the distant horizon, and the red threads crisscrossing between heaven and earth.

An overwhelmingly powerful aura sealed off the void, cutting off everything.

The sky was perfectly clear — not even a wisp of cloud to be seen.

Just looking at it with the naked eye made one's brow center sting, as if the soul itself were being sliced into countless pieces.

"That is seriously freaking exaggerated…" Chi Jiuyu muttered.

That blazingly bright sword intent pressed down on all directions, like the king of swords, and it made her own sword intent ring out, eager to compete with it for superiority.

But she still suppressed the fighting impulse in her heart.

Although she was very reluctant to admit it, the actual combat power of that sword Qi's owner was indeed above hers now.

And far, far above hers at that!

It seemed that even within the early Soul Transformation stage, she still had a long way to go…

Her Hehuan Laozu absolutely could not be greedy for merit and rush in recklessly!

After all, doing so would turn her into a 'wild dog,' and then she'd be kicked to death on the roadside like some stray.

【Notice! Precise coordinates of remaining contestants have been marked】

The announcement that suddenly popped up on the Immortal Net made Chi Jiuyu's heart jolt!

Here it comes!

On the real-time map, red dots kept appearing one after another, densely packed around the two red dots at the very center.

Counting carefully, there were already more than ten just in the surrounding area.

And there was one more, not far to her right!

"Shit!"

Not good!

There's a dog!

Chi Jiuyu's scalp went numb, and she raised her hand and slashed out with a sword.

Boom!

The terrifying roar rose high into the clouds, shattering the silence of the mountain forest in an instant.

A single sword slash toward her side — the dazzling sword light drowned out everything around her, and countless towering ancient trees were torn apart.

The dust and debris kicked up swirled together with fallen leaves and wood chips, roaring like a dragon, only to vanish in an instant within the vast sword light.

In a flash, it was as if the firmament itself had fallen, parting ten-thousand-acre great waves; as the mountains shook, the dust waves blotted out the sky, like an approaching calamity.

"What a pity."

An extremely faint voice reached her ears from beneath the sword light, indistinct, impossible to tell if it was male or female.

But she could see a hazy figure, wrapped in a hundred miles of spiritual energy, wind and thunder at its side, neither dodging nor evading, raising a hand to meet the sword light head-on.

"Suppress!"

The voice was calm and vast, as if carrying boundless mighty power.

Rumble—!

Wind and thunder rolled, erupting with a terrifying might no less than that of the sword light.

Moreover, under the resonance of their auras, the celestial phenomena shifted — thick, dark clouds gathered, with Lei Ting coursing within, obscuring all light.

Only the places where sword Qi shrieked and red threads crisscrossed remained completely unaffected.

Accompanied by surging, blasting currents of air, the entire mountain was nearly flattened; amid the swirling dust, one could make out a hazy figure wearing a gray Daoist robe, whose specific features could not be discerned.

"Sure enough, it's one of those sneaky bastards from the Taishang Dao Sect!" Chi Jiuyu cursed loudly, raised her sword, and charged forward.

"Calm down, someone has been drawn over here," that person transmitted coldly.

The commotion from their clash was not small — the contestants already gathered in the surrounding area had noticed and were heading this way.

Lin Changsheng and Wu Zhongfeng carry too much risk.

But over here, that's not necessarily the case!

Chi Jiuyu had actually also seen the image displayed on the real-time map — red dot after red dot was closing in on this location.

"We can cooperate; after repelling the outsiders, then we fight."

With a tap of his toe, his figure retreated while he swiftly transmitted his voice.

Given the current situation, his proposal was the best way to resolve the present crisis.

"Calm your *!"

Amid the cursing, the billowing dust suddenly churned once, and a thread of extremely fine sharp edge tore through everything before it, streaking at high speed toward that hazy figure.

Its momentum was far inferior to before, but he did not dare show the slightest contempt.

Chi Jiuyu's spiritual sense was far more acute than he had estimated; this attack had been too ill-conceived.

"Die for me—!"

As the sharp edge reached him, Chi Jiuyu also arrived up close at the same time.

The blade of the long sword in his hand was covered with a layer of white radiance, chilling the heart. (End of chapter)