Chapter 542: A Sword Light from Shaoqing

Under the oppressive aura of the Long Gong's elder, Han Fei opened her mouth, wanting to speak several times, yet she could not utter a word! It was unclear whether she was preparing to argue a point or struggling with whether to betray He Qilang.

The Long Gong expert in the tent, Qian Chen on the seat, and Feng Xian in the mirror all waited in silence for her choice.

After the Qiongquan Sect lost to Changming in the gambling match, the two sects merged. Although the Qiongquan branch was nominally considered the direct lineage, its actual status had already fallen to that of a subordinate sect.

With the elders of the Han clan having been secretly plotted against by Changming, and the Qiongquan Sect having almost no great cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage to hold the fort, Han Fei had relied on her wits and schemes—even going so far as to use the Sixth Prince's covetousness toward her—to maneuver and maintain Qiongquan's independence within the Changming Sect. Even if her temperament had become somewhat skewed because of this, Feng Xian could not bring himself to blame her for anything!

Now, with two Core Formation, three Yin Spirit, and one Soul Transformation cultivator on the Dragon race's side, and even a vicious character like the White Deer Daoist—who was actually Qian Chen in disguise—present, even if she were to shrink back,

Feng Xian would never blame her!

Feng Xian in the mirror sighed and said, "It seems we cannot wait for Fellow Daoist Qian. Qilang, later, if that Dragon Prince demands this mirror from you, just hand it over!"

He Qilang, however, stubbornly replied, "While it is true that those who understand the times are heroes, how can there be a principle in this world where a disciple hands over their master's primordial spirit? Even if this mirror is a small matter, Master, your primordial spirit is entrusted within it; this disciple would rather die than hand it over!"

A sense of determination had already appeared in his gaze. Feng Xian in the mirror could only smile bitterly, racking his brains on how to negotiate with the Dragon race later.

The Sixth Prince also sighed slightly and said, "Fei'er, this object is not something you can keep..."

The Dragon race elder's expression gradually turned cold. The Sixth Prince could not help but turn back to persuade him: "Uncle Zangwu..."

Ao Zangwu merely raised his hand slightly, pressing his other hand onto the Taiyin Treasure Mirror that Han Fei had handed over. As he channeled his magic power, the seals that the successive generations of the Qiongquan Sect had placed upon the Taiyin Treasure Mirror were broken through by two or three layers in the blink of an eye.

Han Fei's body trembled slightly, and she finally turned to look at He Qilang. Her maid, Cai Ling, unable to withstand the suppression of the Dragon might, pointed at He Qilang and screamed, "The item is on him! Don't make things difficult for my mistress!"

Ao Zangwu merely glanced at He Qilang and said coldly, "Can an ant like this really seal the aura of a spiritual treasure? Do not try to deceive me!"

"He is the only disciple of the late True Person Feng Xian. Even if the item is not on him, he is the only one who knows its whereabouts!" After the defenses in Cai Ling's heart were shattered, she no longer held anything back, revealing everything she knew, including the fact that He Qilang had once carried a 'great treasure' and had been hunted by the main family.

Ao Zangwu laughed heartily: "Feng Xian... that is the person who was crippled during a duel years ago, right!"

"In that case, he risked damaging his foundation back then to cast a forbidden technique to win a match, all to divert our attention. Changming sent people to hunt him down, and hearing that he was completely crippled when his foundation was damaged, we were slow to suspect him. So, he is the lineage of the protectors within the Qiongquan Sect!"

His gaze was sharp as he pointed a finger at He Qilang: "Hand over the item! I will spare your life!"

The people in the tent were as silent as cicadas in winter, and no one dared to step forward to persuade him. Although Ao Zangwu was not of the direct Long Gong lineage—born from a mixed-blood flood dragon—he had repeatedly performed meritorious deeds and had long been granted the opportunity by the Dragon King to enter the Dragon Transformation Pool, shedding his variegated scales to become a pure-blooded True Dragon.

Not to mention that the Dragon race was born with innate divine abilities, always far stronger than human cultivators of the same realm; just Ao Zangwu's fierce reputation and current cultivation were unmatched by anyone in the tent!

He Qilang rose to his feet with ease. Although he was struggling even to stand under the pressure, his gaze was untamed and lacked a shred of fear. He felt several powerful and terrifying auras locking onto him; just a sliver of aura from a Soul Transformation monster was enough to force him to his knees.

Seeing this, Feng Xian in the mirror sighed: "Since you do not wish to kneel, as your master, I will certainly ensure you stand!"

The fragment of the Dew-Receiving Plate in his bosom suddenly emitted a faint light, drawing down a beam of moonlight from the sky, which relieved the heavy pressure on He Qilang.

This moonlight ignored the heavy seals in the tent, radiating an aura that had remained unchanged since ancient times.

Qian Chen gripped the Ruyi in his sleeve, his expression turning slightly cold. He was now prepared to transform into the Water-Fire Taiji Diagram and borrow the magic power of his true body.

Seeing that beam of mirror light, the Fourth Prince was slightly stunned, then laughed heartily: "Good! Good! I thought this woman was still lying to us, but I did not expect that treasure to really be in the hands of this ant."

Having said that, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He waved his sleeve and reached out toward the treasure mirror in He Qilang's bosom. A dense, bloody, malevolent aura accompanied his incomparably powerful magic power. He made no attempt to hide his momentum, suppressing all directions. The cultivators in the tent all changed color, feeling as if a giant boulder were pressing on their chests; even their breathing became intermittent and difficult, let alone launching an attack!

Feng Xian in the mirror was already prepared to burn his primordial spirit and cast a forbidden technique, allowing the treasure mirror to wrap around He Qilang's primordial spirit and send it away.

At this moment, a jade sword in Qian Chen's bosom was vibrating faintly. Immediately after, a sword rainbow from afar crossed the sky, descending toward the place where the moonlight was. Then, a clear sword cry rang out, and another, slightly weaker sword light, like a fleeting shadow, slashed over urgently.

The sword light arrived first, and only then did the sound of thunder tear through the void!

The newcomer merely flicked the sword light, and several sword lights split off, severing the giant hand formed by magic power. Ao Ding's expression was furious, yet he carried a hint of hesitation, howling: "Shaoqing Sword Sect!"

Only then did the people around notice that a young girl had appeared in the tent at some point. She looked clear and moving, her Dao body glowing like jade, and her cultivation was clearly not weak. Her beautiful hair was simply coiled into a Daoist bun with a bamboo hairpin, and she wore flowing Daoist robes, standing barefoot on a point of sword light.

Han Fei, who was beside her, stood up in surprise and said happily, "Sister!"

The sword light that had forced back Ao Zangwu retracted. A middle-aged female cultivator with a sharp expression—though her features were beautiful, there was a deep mark like a sword between her brows, and her expression was cold and sharp, making it impossible for anyone to harbor any romantic thoughts—put away that brilliant sword light and stepped down from the void outside the tent, step by step.

Although she was a great beauty, her face was cold and icy, filled with killing intent; she was more like a sword than a person.

Ao Zangwu's expression changed drastically, and he said solemnly: "This is the territory of my Long Gong. You Shaoqing are so arrogant; isn't this overstepping your bounds?"

"This place is still thousands of miles away from the lair of you bunch of mud-loaches. Moreover, the fact that you can temporarily reside in the Four Seas is due to the grace of our ancestor. This world is also the world of the human race; where is it your territory?" the middle-aged female cultivator said coldly.

She reached out and summoned, retrieving the Taiyin Treasure Mirror from Ao Zangwu's side. Just now, a sharp sword intent had locked onto the three Dragon Princes behind him, forcing Ao Zangwu to rise and protect them, allowing her to easily take away the Taiyin Treasure Mirror.

He could be certain that others would never dare to touch the Dragon Princes and Princesses of the Long Gong, but he could not guarantee that for the Shaoqing Sword Sect.

Although Shaoqing should also have no intention of going to war with the Dragon race.

But those sword maniacs—if they went on a killing spree, heaven knows what they might do!

The middle-aged female cultivator glanced at the Taiyin Treasure Mirror in her hand, and a sword light flashed across her palm, severing the aura Ao Zangwu had left behind. Then, with a wave of her hand, the Taiyin Treasure Mirror was wrapped in a glowing radiance and sent back into Han Fei's hands.

Only then did Han Fei's expression relax slightly, and she hurriedly put the Taiyin Treasure Mirror back into her bosom.

The female cultivator merely sneered: "To be unable to even protect a family heirloom treasure, you are truly a waste. This mirror should never have been carried by you!"

The sword-cultivating girl beside her hurriedly stepped forward and said coquettishly, "Master!"

"Hmph! That sister of yours is truly incompetent. It was you who insisted on leaving this item with her; did you not see if she could protect it?" The female cultivator wanted to say more, but after being shaken by the girl holding her arm, her brows finally relaxed, and she stopped scolding Han Fei. Han Fei, whose clothes were somewhat revealing, hugged her bare arms pitifully, her gaze toward the female cultivator filled with caution.

The girl took off her Daoist robe, draped it over her, and comforted her in a low voice.

The middle-aged female cultivator's sharp gaze swept across the tent. The crowd of cultivators felt as if they had been doused with cold water; a chill penetrated their hearts and souls. Cai Ling, the maid beside Han Fei, trembled like chaff; she hadn't been this scared even when she saw Qian Chen devouring human brains earlier, with his monstrous demonic power!

The female cultivator's sword light captured a sliver of the aura here, and with a sweep of her divine sense, she understood the cause and effect.

She looked at Qian Chen with a strange expression, then turned to scold the koi demon Cai Ling: "A disciple who betrays their master, what use is there in keeping you?"

Hearing this, Han Fei hurriedly pleaded: "Cai Ling is as close to me as a sister! And she had no intention of betraying me!" The girl beside her also hurriedly went up to persuade her master, but this time, even with the girl speaking, she could not save Cai Ling.

The female cultivator merely pointed her fingertip, and a sword light severed Cai Ling's head, killing her along with her primordial spirit.

She said coldly: "Your own sister is here; where did you find a wild sister to acknowledge?"

"She is a demon soldier raised by our human race. To be coerced by the Dragon race and betray our human cultivators—that is a death sentence!" Having said that, she nodded toward He Qilang, seemingly very approving of his earlier act of refusing to yield even in the face of death.

Han Fei hugged Cai Ling's corpse in a daze, speechless for a moment. Han Xiang could only sigh helplessly, accompanying her by her side.

After dealing with this, the female cultivator cast another look filled with killing intent toward the Dragon race, looking at Ao Zangwu and saying coldly: "When I took in my disciple earlier, I told you that the Qiongquan Sect is under the protection of my Shaoqing! The Taiyin Treasure Mirror and the Dew-Receiving Silver Plate are also items protected by my Shaoqing! If you dare to covet them, you will have to discuss it with the Shaoqing sword!"

Ao Zangwu's face was as black as charcoal as he shouted sternly: "Presumptuous! Jiayue, back then it was your Shaoqing's True Person Canyan who used the excuse of the Qiongming Loose Immortal's entrustment to interfere in the dispute between Changming and Qiongquan. Seeing that you were in the wrong, you forcibly made an agreement with us to have three duels to determine the ownership of True Person Qiongming's Daoist lineage. After you lost, you made another agreement with my Dragon race that my Dragon race would not plot against the Taiyin Treasure Mirror, and you Shaoqing would not block the merger of Changming and Qiongquan! There was never any mention of other fragments of the Dew-Receiving Silver Plate!"

"So you were plotting against this mirror after all, is that right?" The female cultivator's expression grew even colder.

Ao Zangwu was choked by her words, merely sneering: "How could we break our word? I came this time for the fragment in that boy's bosom, not the one from the Qiongquan Sect!"

True Person Jiayue turned back to look at He Qilang, her expression revealing a hint of softness, and she smiled: "You are Feng Xian's disciple, right! Your master Feng Xian was a man of great backbone; I admired him very much years ago. I heard his foundation was damaged, so I sent Xiang'er to deliver the Solid-Essence Spirit Glue. It is a pity that I was ultimately a step too late. I heard he was ambushed and his whereabouts are unknown; it is truly regrettable!"

"I let Xiang'er leave the Solid-Essence Spirit Glue at Qiongquan, hoping he would return safely!"

"You have much of your master's backbone. Now that Qiongquan has declined and lacks any atmosphere, it is not a place for cultivation. Come back to Shaoqing with me! If you wish to continue your cultivation, I will introduce you to study under my senior brother. If you wish to maintain your master's Daoist lineage, there are naturally scriptures in Shaoqing for you to choose from."

She probed He Qilang with her divine sense, frowned secretly, and said in a low voice: "Your constitution has been altered by the Dew-Receiving Silver Plate. There are not many Daoist techniques in Shaoqing that are suitable for you... It should have been most suitable for the Daoist techniques of the Guanghan Palace, but our sect's relationship with the Guanghan Palace is not good."

"Who let the love tribulation of the Guanghan Fairy from two generations ago be a member of my Shaoqing? Several elders suppressed the Guanghan Palace, allowing them to become a couple."

True Person Jiayue snorted coldly, seemingly quite disdainful of the Guanghan Palace.

Having said that, she prepared to take them and leave by sword.

But Ao Zangwu shouted: "Wait! My Dragon race only promised not to plot against the Taiyin Treasure Mirror; the silver plate fragment in this boy's bosom is not included. You can take him, but leave the fragment of the Dew-Receiving Silver Plate!" ===== CHAPTER 543 =====