Chapter 318: Two Hundred Mediocre Years

The sky cleared, the rain stopped.

All the oppressive pressure vanished as if it had been an illusion, leaving only a host of Foundation Establishment cultivators gasping for breath, greedily gulping down every mouthful of air, their souls still unsettled.

A flash of fear passed through the eyes of Princess Princess Chiyan and General Brother Brother Moyu.

"Haha, Brother Kong Que!"

Zhou Zhou Sanyan laughed heartily, stepped forward and pulled the Kong Que Demon King into an embrace, exceedingly intimate: "I thought you'd take a little nap after drinking, so I didn't call you along — that's on me, brother."

"Come, come, come — these are all your juniors. Today, accompany me to see which talents the sect has worth shaping, so we can nurture them later. Afterwards, you and I shall drink ourselves blind."

He pointed to the Foundation Establishment cultivators below.

"Brother Zhou, you've spoken right to my heart…"

The Kong Que Demon King was overjoyed, threw an arm around his shoulder, and sat down beside Zhou Zhou Sanyan.

On the other side.

"Kong Que is used to being plain-spoken — same in the Demon Kingdom, no ill intent behind it." The ruler of Princess Chiyan said apologetically: "Please don't take offense, Supreme Elder."

"Whatever are you saying, Your Majesty."

The white-browed old cultivator put on a look of displeasure: "I don't know Brother Kong Que's character? He's just fond of a bit of roughhousing on ordinary days — how could I possibly take it to heart?"

"It was my needless worry."

……

In an instant, the great hall was once again filled with laughter and merriment, leaving only a group of juniors exchanging uneasy glances.

"…The Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Fruit I promised Your Majesty is already prepared. Once I've had a bout with Xuetudian, I'll deliver it with both hands."

The white-browed old cultivator chatted a few more lines, then turned his attention back to the disciples in the hall and gave a soft cough.

"All disciples."

"In accordance with the Patriarch's teachings, the Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Fruit shall be bestowed upon the disciple within the sect who has performed Li Xia Da Gong and possesses the strongest aptitude and combat ability."

The Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Fruit!

Blazing, covetous light shone in the eyes of Foundation Establishment cultivators like Lei Lei Linghe and Zhou Zhou Kunlong.

This spiritual fruit, taken raw, could raise the odds of forming a core by half a measure; add to that the dozen-odd rare auxiliary spiritual medicines the sect had gathered and verified over the years, and it could boost the hope of core formation by a full measure!

If the favor of the immortal Dao were to fall upon one as well,

one's magic power would surge, one's lifespan extended by six hundred years — one would become a terrestrial immortal among men!

"Combat Platform — activate!"

The white-browed old cultivator tapped his foot.

Streaks of spiritual light crisscrossed. Amid a rumbling boom, four stone pillars some ten-odd zhang in size thrust up from the ground, revealing a stone platform at the center. Faint ripples of spatial power emanated from it; surrounding it were carved symbols that expanded space, so that its interior was far larger than its exterior.

"The victor of the combat shall, on the sect's behalf, receive the Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Fruit from the Patriarch."

"Bear in mind, all disciples — once victory and defeat are decided, you must not deliberately harm others, or do not blame the sect's disciplinary laws for being merciless."

The white-browed old cultivator's pressure spread outward as he cast a warning glance at the crowd.

"Yes!"

A chill ran through the hearts of the many Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"In that case, if any disciple wishes to claim the Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Fruit, step onto the Combat Platform."

The white-browed old cultivator nodded.

The many Foundation Establishment cultivators fell silent. Their gazes drifted toward Zhou Zhou Kunlong, Lei Lei Linghe, and the others, then toward the blue-robed youth who sat composed and at ease.

Their hearts sank at once; none made a move.

In past years, by this point there would already have been endless recruitment, countless deals, and the carving up of interests.

Although a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator was powerful, they were not invincible after all. Under a war of attrition, their magic power would inevitably be greatly depleted, and being toppled by a later challenger was no difficult feat.

Therefore, every peak Foundation Establishment cultivator with designs on the prize needed to build up their following, to gather adherents — this, too, was something the sect was happy to see.

But at this moment, all that seemed to be of no use.

"Reporting to the Supreme Elder — this disciple has a question."

Zhou Zhou Kunlong clenched his teeth, dropped to both knees, and said through tears.

"Speak."

The white-browed old cultivator was not surprised.

When the path to Jin Dan was at stake, no peak Foundation Establishment cultivator would shrink back — not even before a Jin Dan.

"The Patriarch declared that he who performs Da Gong for the sect shall contend for the Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Fruit."

"This disciple, from his youth onward, has fought and bled for the sect for two hundred and sixteen years — slaying one late Foundation Establishment cultivator of Xuetudian, nineteen at mid-Foundation Establishment and below, and countless Qi Refining demonic cultivators. I have given my all, not daring to slacken in the slightest."

"Not only I — among my senior and junior brothers, there are also many who have toiled without complaint."

"Those who fell in battle are beyond counting, giving their lives without stint for the sect. It is by this that our sect has achieved its great enterprise of dominating the Yue Kingdom for three thousand years."

Tears streamed down Zhou Zhou Kunlong's face. Before the Jin Dan, he was like a child — unwilling to accept it: "If there is one person who, since entering the sect, has never set foot beyond the mountain gate, who has performed no merit at all — may he contend for the Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Fruit left by the Patriarch?"

"Is this fair?"

"Does it accord with the Patriarch's teachings?"

His voice broke into sobs; his forehead kept knocking against the ground, blood gushing forth like a spring.

The other Foundation Establishment cultivators fell silent.

Reflecting on their own nearly two hundred years of cultivation and slaughter, and on the many senior and junior brothers who had died in that slaughter, they could not help but feel a kindred sorrow.

"Sigh… foolish child…"

A trace of gentleness appeared in the white-browed old cultivator's eyes; he did not, in fact, blame him.

These Foundation Establishment cultivators — he had watched them grow from babes in arms. Their merits and their hardships were all engraved on his heart.

How could he possibly feel nothing for them?

Alas, the Cultivation World was cold and cruel; such sentiment was useless.

Numerous gazes—some jealous, some resentful, some unwilling—turned toward one spot.

Jiang Ding's expression remained flat.

Spreading his divine sense, he easily located the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the past seventeen years since the Nine Heavens Ruins.

Quite a few, actually—twelve still alive now, all early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

It must have been the war and military merits that accelerated the exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills.

A cold sword intent spread out, carrying a warning, and fell into the divine souls of these twelve people.

Some people's faces turned deathly pale.

Some looked uneasily at Zhou Zhou Kunlong, this peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, not daring to do anything.

After waiting a moment, still no one spoke up.

In the sword intent, there was now more explicit killing intent, especially toward those Qi Training disciples from back then who had appeared on the Nine Heavens Ruins and Xuetudian battlefields.

I saved you once back then.

Now I need repayment, or else you die.

The former second on the Dragon Phoenix List, 'Half-Ghost' Wu Ma Kong, his body trembling, finally could not bear it any longer. He stepped forward, steeled his heart, and said with passionate fervor:

"Do you have battle merits?"

"Little Martial Uncle personally slaughtered hundreds of Xuetudian Qi Training cultivators in the Nine Heavens Ruins back then, personally slaughtered the three sons of Xuetu—Hua Dong Xue Zi, Du Jiang Zi, and Bai Gui Zi!"

"If these three sons had not died, they would surely have become mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators by now. How many Foundation Establishment cultivators' deaths and injuries would those three have caused on the battlefield?"

The many Foundation Establishment cultivators imagined the scene of the three sons of Xuetu appearing together on the battlefield, and their scalps went numb.

"Furthermore, where have all the Foundation Establishment Pills used by your sons, nephews, and disciples over these years come from?"

The more Wu Ma Kong spoke, the less unease he felt in his heart. By the end, he simply ignored the peak Foundation Establishment cultivator's cold, sinister gaze, suppressed all distracting thoughts, and said loudly: "For nearly two hundred years of bloody battle for the sect, killing thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators—how does this merit compare to slaying the three sons of Xuetu?!"

"Nearly two hundred years, and only this much?"

Zhou Zhou Kunlong's face alternated between green and white. He stared at Wu Ma Kong with eyes full of killing intent, his lips twitching, yet unable to say anything.

The three sons of Xuetu!

These were Jin Dan seeds carefully cultivated by Xuetudian, invincible among those of the same rank, destined to become powerhouses among Foundation Establishment cultivators. How could mere thirteen ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators compare to them?

"Not to mention!"

Wu Ma Kong took a deep breath, caught a whiff of opportunity, and decided to fully side with the sect's half-step Jin Dan combat power: "One battle obtained the Foundation Establishment Pills the sect would use for over a hundred years; one battle blessed the sect for over a hundred years."

"Such a great undertaking—has the merit and hard work of nearly two hundred years accomplished it?"

"For an ordinary person like this, let alone two hundred years—even given two thousand years, running about for the sect, fighting bloody battles without rest, what could they accomplish?"

"The Ancestral Master's last command."

"Talent, merit, and combat prowess—none can be lacking. We juniors must keep this firmly in mind!"

Wu Ma Kong bowed respectfully to the Supreme Elder and to Jiang Ding respectively, then slowly retreated.

"How dare a junior humiliate me…"

Zhou Zhou Kunlong's killing intent surged. He stared at him with cold eyes and transmitted his voice sinisterly.

Wu Ma Kong's body trembled, and he did not respond to his words.

"Zhou Kunlong."

"Do you still have questions?"

The old cultivator Bai Mei sighed softly and asked again.

"Supreme Elder, this disciple… dares not have any more."

Zhou Zhou Kunlong said in a hoarse voice.

His face was ashen, as if a wisp of vital essence had been drained from him. Hunched and frail, he stood up and returned to the crowd.

Same

(End of this chapter)