Chapter 134: Face (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Xiaoliyada 2)

"Greetings, Second Senior Brother!"

A group of young disciples all hurriedly cupped their hands in salute, and quickly put away their Magic Treasures.

Lan You, however, remained motionless, her Flying Sword still suspended above her head, emitting a fierce aura directed at this young male disciple.

The young male disciple, conversely, had a calm expression and even revealed a gentle smile, saying, "Junior Sister, this is the main hall of the mountain gate; no one can bully you. Could you please put away your Flying Sword first?"

Lan You said coldly, "I can put away my sword, but can Second Senior Brother take charge and have everyone step aside, allowing me to take Daoist Friend Xu to visit a few Elders first?"

The young male disciple's gaze rested on Xu Chen for a brief moment, the corners of his mouth curling slightly into a playful smile as he said, "Junior Sister, I fear you have misunderstood. The fellow disciples have no intention of making things difficult for Daoist Friend Xu. However, Yuqing Hall has its own rules. To come and pay a visit to the mountain, one must demonstrate one's own strength. Yuqing Hall has been established for thousands of years, with a long heritage and countless treasures; it is not a place where just any stray dog or cat can come as they please. If one wishes to see the Elders, one must naturally produce one's own strength. Otherwise, meeting us disciples is already giving you enough face. Even if this reached the ears of True Monarch Xuan Chen, he would have nothing to say."

"You..."

Lan You was so angry that her willow-leaf eyebrows stood on end. Just as she was about to speak, Xu Chen gently patted Lan You on the shoulder and smiled, "Many thanks for your protection, Daoist Friend Lan. However, since Yuqing Hall has its rules, I cannot break them. You should put away your Magic Treasure first, so as to avoid damaging the harmony and making the few Supreme Elders angry."

Lan You hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. With a pinch of her sword gesture, the Flying Sword turned into a streak of light and returned to its scabbard.

Although the atmosphere of the martial confrontation subsided instantly, the intimate actions of the two just now and Lan You's obedient behavior made many people even more furious. Their hearts felt as if they were being pricked by needles, and one by one, they clenched their fists tightly, staring fixedly at Xu Chen.

Even Second Senior Brother's eyes suddenly shot out a cold glint, and an aura that could not be suppressed surged toward Xu Chen.

Xu Chen, however, remained motionless with a smile on his face, similarly releasing a powerful surge of Qi to protect his body.

"Boom—"

A clap of thunder in a silent place.

The two surges of Qi collided violently, instantly erupting with a sound that made everyone's Soul tremble. The crackling Qi, like two colliding tides, suddenly stirred up a fierce whirlwind that whistled and vibrated between the two.

Neither of them changed their expression; their figures stood as straight as mountains, remaining as motionless as reefs amidst the surging Qi.

Xu Chen's heart was without a ripple, but Second Senior Brother's heart felt as if thunder had exploded; his eyelids, however, could not help but twitch violently a few times.

His strength, among the fourth-generation disciples of Yuqing Hall, was absolutely top-tier. Even the Eldest Senior Brother was not half a point stronger than him. His cultivation had already reached what was called the Half-Step Danyuan Realm. Placed in the entire Great Song Immortal World, apart from the dozen or so cultivators in the Danyuan Realm, there was no one else who could contend with him.

But right now, this piece-of-trash cultivator whose cultivation was only at the late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm was actually able to resist at least forty percent of his Qi and Divine Sense pressure. This was simply inconceivable.

Therefore, some news regarding Xu Chen quickly surfaced in his mind.

Ever since Yulong Zhenren was injured in Jingshi and sent back to the mountain gate, news regarding the three Taiyuan Sect disciples, including Xu Chen, had emerged one after another. Of course, the one with the most resounding reputation was naturally Xu Chen.

After Liang Feng was killed, it was followed by the Second Elder of Longmen Mountain, the Danyuan Realm mid-stage Qingyunzi, being beaten into a coma at the Taiyuan Sect. Subsequently, the Longmen Mountain Supreme Elder, True Monarch Taiwu, went to settle the score, but did not expect to happen upon True Monarch Xuan Chen undergoing Spirit Transformation, and could only flee back to his mountain gate in disgrace to avoid suspicion.

Immediately following that was Xu Wen and Lan You, who had gone to deliver the mountain-visiting congratulatory post, getting trapped in the Black Wind Ridge caves for a month after making a bet with Xu Chen, only to suddenly emerge alive during True Monarch Xuan Chen's Spirit Transformation Ceremony.

After that, Xu Chen's reputation rose like the morning sun, instantly spreading throughout the Great Song Immortal World. The things he said and did were even more mind-boggling, especially the matter of bringing back news from beneath the Black Wind Ridge caves to the netherworld, and encountering the Ancient Fierce Beast and the Immortal Wuyazi, which shook the entire Great Song. This led to the Immortal Alliance acting together to suppress Spirit Fox Valley and Black Wind Ridge, which also spared the Great Song's immortal and mortal worlds from a catastrophe.

However, these matters could only be considered fortuitous encounters; Xu Chen's cultivation, on the other hand, had been overlooked by everyone.

Because everyone who had met Xu Chen knew that he only had Kaiyuan Realm cultivation.

What was seen right now was no different; at most, it was the late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm. Placed among the group of inner disciples of Yuqing Hall, although not bad among the younger generation, it was definitely not stunning. In the eyes of these geniuses who had already cultivated to the Great Perfection of the Zhenyuan Realm, he was still a piece of trash.

But what Second Senior Brother could not understand was why a piece of trash at the Kaiyuan Realm could block forty to fifty percent of the Qi and Soul Impact from him, a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Zhenyuan Realm.

If Xu Chen were replaced by any other fellow disciple of the same generation in Yuqing Hall, or even a mid-stage Zhenyuan Realm disciple, they would absolutely be unable to contend with him.

But words spoken are like spilled water; the rules he had already set could not be easily conceded. Furthermore, if he had initiated the move but was unable to force Xu Chen back, then not only would he lose today, but the entire Yuqing Hall would lose all its face.

Thinking of this, the coldness in Second Senior Brother's eyes grew even more intense. As his Qi and Divine Sense continuously increased, pressing toward Xu Chen, his expression also became increasingly gloomy.

Feeling the opponent's increasingly powerful aura, Xu Chen's expression also slowly became serious. His Divine Sense, carrying his Qi, rolled out from his dantian like a bursting river, firmly holding back Second Senior Brother's impact.

Under the violent impact of the Qi, the white mist flowing on the plaza was swept away, forming a complete vacuum between the two. The clouds and mist churned all around, whistling and crashing back and forth like waves.

Amidst the exclamations of the group of Yuqing Hall disciples, they retreated again and again. Soon, a space of a hundred zhang was cleared around the two.

Everyone watched, dumbfounded and mentally shaken.

Especially the group of Kaiyuan Realm disciples who had been shouting the loudest just a moment ago; their mouths were dry, their hearts were pounding, and they were gripped by lingering fear.

If they had truly attacked Xu Chen just now, they would likely be lying on the ground right now.

What kind of cultivation did Second Senior Brother have? Yet Xu Chen was actually able to stand toe-to-toe with him.

At this moment, everyone could see the range and situation of the Qi vibration; Second Senior Brother definitely did not hold back much, having used at least fifty percent of his power. This kind of pure Qi and Divine Sense impact confrontation was far more capable of reflecting true strength than using Magic Treasures.

In other words, Xu Chen currently possessed the level to contend with a late-stage Zhenyuan Realm cultivator.

The young male disciple who had had his Flying Sword severed by Lan You earlier had a pale face, with cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

He was at the mid-stage of the Zhenyuan Realm, but he could not even defeat Lan You, who was at the same level.

If he were to face Xu Chen, he understood at this moment that he did not have a single shred of certainty of winning.

Being defeated by Lan You could at least be considered a spar between fellow disciples, and at most, he would be laughed at by his peers. But if he were defeated by Xu Chen, a disciple from another sect who was only at the Kaiyuan Realm, then that face would never be recovered, and it would inevitably become the shame of the entire Yuqing Hall, which he would never be able to wash away in his entire life.

However, the pressure now fell upon Second Senior Brother.

Although not a single fourth or fifth-generation disciple of Yuqing Hall present believed that their powerful Second Senior Brother would lose.

But the situation before their eyes was very clear.

It would not be easy for Second Senior Brother to win, unless he brought out his full strength.

But even if he won that way, in reality, it would be Yuqing Hall that lost.

Lan You stood alone behind Xu Chen. Although she appeared to be caught in the Qi, in reality, no Qi touched her.

In this invisible battle between Xu Chen and Second Senior Brother, both had coincidentally used their super-strong Divine Sense to control the range of the Qi confrontation, avoiding Lan You.

Of course, to achieve this required extremely strong Divine Sense control, which meant needing an extremely powerful Soul.

But both of them had indeed achieved it.

Lan You was not at all surprised that Xu Chen could do it, because Xu Chen possessed a True Immortal Magic Treasure; any inconceivable behavior he exhibited could be understood.

But Second Senior Brother's precise control also made her very surprised, and even filled her with admiration.

She currently had Divine Sense strength equivalent to the late stage of the Zhenyuan Realm, but she reckoned she still could not achieve such large-scale, precise Qi control. Therefore, the difference between the two was still very large; she still needed more time to cultivate and hone her own Divine Sense and Qi control.

To the southeast near the summit of Cuihua Peak, there was a huge palace suspended above the white, hazy clouds. Under the reflection of the warm noon sun, it emitted colorful Array light and shadows, looking like an immortal palace.

Inside the main hall, five cultivators were currently seated; they were the five Danyuan Realm Elders of Yuqing Hall.

The one in the center, with silver-white hair and a ruddy complexion, was the Sect Leader, Longyang Zhenren.

The other four looked either old or robust. Among them, Xu Chen recognized two: one was the Third Elder, Huayang Zhenren, whom he had saved within the Five Elements Array at Black Wind Ridge; one was Yulong Zhenren, whom he had knocked unconscious; and the other two were the Fourth Elder, Qingfeng Zhenren, and the Fifth Elder, Yuxuan Zhenren.

At this moment, the five Elders were all releasing their Divine Sense to watch the duel between Xu Chen and the other person on the plaza of the hall halfway up the mountain, though none of their expressions looked very good.

Although they were all a group of Danyuan Realm powerhouses who had cultivated for one or two hundred years, with unfathomable Daoist attainments and Dao hearts that had long since become as steady as old dogs—the type who would absolutely not change their expressions for anything short of a life-threatening matter—looking at the situation before them, each and every one of them found it difficult to remain calm.

Having cultivated to their level, it would be one thing if they could not defeat Xuanchenzi; after all, times were different now, and Xuanchenzi had already achieved Spirit Transformation to become a Great Cultivator.

But if they were to have their faces slapped by such a small Kaiyuan Realm cultivator from the Taiyuan Sect who had come to their doorstep, the Yuqing Hall would likely become a laughingstock throughout the entire Great Song Immortal World.

Although face might seem unimportant, it was the most difficult aspect of cultivation to let go of.

Some people can see through life and death, but they are not necessarily able to let go of their face.

Let alone this group of Elders, even the three Spirit Realm Supreme Elders were the same; otherwise, Yuyang Zhenjun would not have run off to Longmen Mountain to have a fight with Taiwuzi last time.

Furthermore, this concerned the reputation of the entire Yuqing Hall, so they were even less able to let it go.

But even so, there was no possibility of them intervening.

Xu Chen had come at the invitation of the three Supreme Elders, and he had to return in one piece just as he had arrived.

Xu Chen could be injured by his peers among the Yuqing Hall Disciples, but he absolutely could not be harmed by a single hair by this group of old fellows; moreover, they had to guard against Xu Chen being too severely injured and needed to be prepared to rescue and protect him in time.

However, it was clear that they were well-prepared, but the situation was the opposite of what they had thought.

Right now, it might not be Xu Chen they needed to save, but rather they were worried that the Second Senior Brother, the strongest among the fourth-generation Disciples of Yuqing Hall, would be defeated or even injured by Xu Chen.

If that happened, they would have failed to preserve their face and failed to protect their person, which would be a colossal joke.

(End of this chapter)