Chapter 422: Bright Moon in the Sky, Old Shadows of the Past (6000)

February 25th.

The heavy snow that had lasted for nearly two months finally stopped, and the sky was rarely clear.

In the inner city of Lanling City, on Xuanwu Street, a duel was about to begin.

The backgrounds of both sides of the duel were not small.

One side was a true disciple of the Daluo Sect, and the other was a high monk of the Mount Pudu Temple!

Ning Tang Chuan, who had just broken the historical record, and the "previous record" holder Ming Qi were both present.

However, the two sides of this duel were not these two, but their senior brothers.

The person appearing from the Daluo Sect had the Daoist name Ning Qing, and the person appearing from the Mount Pudu Temple had the Dharma name Minghui.

Ning Qing and Minghui were not martial artists but sorcerers, both Great Sorcerers of the Possession Realm.

The cultivation speed of the sorcery path was slower than that of the martial arts path, consuming more time, energy, and resources.

The fastest record for breaking through to become a Martial Arts Master in martial arts was 25 years old, while the fastest record for breaking through to the True Spirit Realm in sorcery was 37 years old!

Ning Qing and Minghui were both over 40 years old and were currently at the peak of the Possession Realm.

The Buddhist and Daoist sects had actually always been dominated by sorcery, and those in charge were also True Persons and Buddhas.

It was just that the Mount Pudu Temple had just taken advantage of the National Martial Arts Exchange Competition to make a name for itself and took the opportunity to let Ming Qi stand at the forefront.

Plus Ming Qi had broken the martial arts cultivation record before, and it was during a national live broadcast, so his reputation soared. The Mount Pudu Temple felt that such a "spokesperson" was very suitable, so this time they also let Ming Qi represent them to run for cabinet member of the Blue Patrol Pavilion.

As for the Daluo Sect, it was entirely because the Profound Void True Person rebelled, implicating the sorcery lineage, with the dead dead and the escaped escaped, directly falling into a slump!

Now the Sect Master of the Daluo Sect had been replaced by the Martial Saint Tai Yu; this time participating in the cabinet member election of the Blue Patrol Pavilion, naturally, disciples of the martial arts lineage came out to represent the Daluo Sect.

That was why Ning Tang Chuan was pushed out.

The other two sects of the Daoist lineage, the Shangqing Sect and the Yuhua Sect, sent representatives who were all True Persons.

However, the Buddhist and Daoist sects had been dominated by sorcery for so many years; even if the Daluo Sect and Mount Pudu Temple sent martial artists as representatives, they still sent disciples of the sorcery lineage to follow them.

Ning Qing and Minghui were the ones who came along.

Today's duel was initiated by Ning Qing; he boasted that he wanted to see the sorcery of the Buddhist sect, so he publicly challenged the Mount Pudu Temple.

The current Daluo Sect urgently needed to restore its prestige. After Ning Tang Chuan broke through the realm, Ning Qing intended to further build momentum.

And the Mount Pudu Temple, having been silent for many years, was also unwilling to show weakness.

Both sides could be described as "dry wood meeting raging fire," ignited at a touch!

Thus, this duel came to be.

Xuanwu Street was already surrounded by people, leaving a large open space in the center of the street for the two Great Sorcerers to duel.

The people of Lanling City, although well-informed and having seen many martial arts duels, rarely saw sorcerer duels.

So they were all looking forward to it at this moment.

The two Great Sorcerers did not disappoint them; two sword lights flew out from their sleeves almost simultaneously.

The magic treasures refined by Ning Qing and Minghui were both flying swords!

Amidst a burst of exclamations, a red and a green sword light collided together.

Boom—

The sound was like a great bell, making the thousands of people on Xuanwu Street feel deafening!

Immediately after, the two sword lights collided continuously at an extremely fast speed; Ning Qing and Minghui stood opposite each other, less than fifteen meters apart.

A red and a green flying sword pulled out streams of light in this narrow space between the two, crisscrossing, with countless sparks splashing!

The sharp sound of air being torn apart rose one after another, making the nearby onlookers cover their ears, showing painful expressions.

The howling strong wind was enough to directly flip an adult man!

Ming Qi, standing behind Minghui, put his hands together and chanted a Buddha's name.

The next second, all the noise and *jinli* wind were confined within this narrow space.

Ning Tang Chuan, standing behind Ning Qing, saw this, and a strand of *jinli* also surged out silently, forcibly pushing away the barrier constructed by Ming Qi, bearing half of the defense.

Duels between sorcerers were often more dangerous than duels between martial artists.

Especially for two sword cultivators, life and death could be decided in an instant!

Precisely because of this, Ning Tang Chuan and Ming Qi had to stand behind their own senior brothers, facilitating timely rescue.

Seeing that the two Martial Arts Masters had already built a "defense circle," Ning Qing and Minghui were no longer polite.

The next second, the red flying sword bloomed with monstrous flames, and the green flying sword brought up a howling hurricane!

Relying only on unparalleled speed and indestructible sharpness, flying swords could rank among the first-class lethal magic treasures.

And this was just ordinary flying swords.

As true disciples of the Daluo Sect and Mount Pudu Temple, Ning Qing and Minghui's flying swords would certainly not be ordinary flying swords.

Apart from speed and sharpness, their flying swords also carried sorcery effects.

Flames and hurricanes collided violently; a fire tornado with a diameter of more than five meters rose into the sky, stretching straight into the high sky of more than ten meters!

People on several nearby streets saw this spectacular fire tornado and issued exclamations one after another.

In the center of Xuanwu Street, Ning Tang Chuan looked up at the crisscrossing sword lights in the sky and frowned slightly.

Senior Brother Ning Qing's flying sword attainment was firmly in first place among all Possession Realm disciples of the Daluo Sect!

Even because of specializing in sword arts, Ning Qing delayed his own cultivation; otherwise, he could have broken through the realm a few years earlier.

This time, taking the initiative to provoke the Mount Pudu Temple was because he had the certainty of victory.

As a result, he didn't expect this Minghui, who was previously unknown, to have such superb flying sword arts?

Ning Tang Chuan had already made up his mind that regardless of the win or loss of this flying sword duel later, he would challenge Ming Qi!

Back then, in the semi-finals of the National Martial Arts Exchange Competition, he lost to Ming Qi.

At that time, he had incorporated one less implant than Ming Qi, and his realm and cultivation were both a level lower, so losing was normal.

Now that he and Ming Qi were both single-supernatural Martial Arts Masters, he had the confidence to win it back!

Although he had broken through the realm for less than a month, Ning Tang Chuan's heart and mind power had long reached the "God-Connecting Realm" and he had mastered the "As You Wish" level Dao strength.

Plus the world-class Dao foundation 【Ten Thousand Thunder Command】, Ning Tang Chuan had just broken through the realm, and his combat power was already above the vast majority of single-supernatural Martial Arts Masters!

Hum—

A sword sound like a silver bottle breaking rang through the sky.

In the sky, that fire-red flying sword belonging to Ning Qing bloomed with a strong life aura, as if it had suddenly come alive, turning into a fierce tiger covered in flames!

The soul-stirring tiger prestige made the thousands of people nearby feel terrified!

"Natal magic treasure?"

In the restaurants around, the *jianghu* figures who came to watch the battle also included some sorcerers, all of whom changed their expressions.

Because the flying sword of Ning Qing at this moment bloomed with the aura of a natal magic treasure!

This kind of intense life force unique to an individual could absolutely not be faked.

After the aura of the natal magic treasure bloomed, the speed and power of Ning Qing's flying sword were raised by a level, and the temperature of the flames released also instantly increased by several hundred degrees!

"It's True Power!"

Someone exclaimed.

Turning void intent into True Power, the power would no longer be limited to affecting other people's mental consciousness but could directly affect reality from the material level.

This power would become similar to a martial artist's *jinli*, only the intensity was far inferior to a martial artist's *jinli*, requiring operation through sorcery methods to summon wind and rain, call thunder and release fire.

Ning Qing's flying sword first released the natal aura, then displayed True Power, and its power rose two levels!

"Building the Life Bridge, Condensing True Power, Refining True Soul," he had already completed the first two steps, only one step away from stepping into the True Spirit Realm and becoming a True Person of the current era!

Seeing Ning Qing display such a realm, many people felt that the winner had been decided.

However, the next moment, Great Sorcerer Minghui put his hands together and chanted a Buddha's name.

In the sky, that flying sword belonging to him also bloomed with a powerful natal aura and True Power!

In terms of realm, he was not weaker than Ning Qing!

Two powerful sword intents stood across the sky, making many strong people look sideways.

Just as the two intended to unfold the strongest duel, a sword intent suddenly rose into the sky in the distance.

Immediately after, a strong, unimaginably powerful life aura bloomed and swept across the surroundings!

Ning Qing and Minghui changed color in shock.

If their flying swords' blooming life aura was like a long-burning lamp in the dark night, making one see it at a glance from far away.

Then the life aura that suddenly erupted in the distance at this moment was—

Bright moon in the sky, announcing to the world!

Such an intense life aura, let alone a True Person, even a top-tier True Person, or even the natal magic treasure of a True Person, could not reach this degree!

This had completely exceeded the concept of "natal."

Or rather, this aura interpreted to the world what is the true "natal"!

Within the inner city, all sorcerers who perceived this sword intent were stunned, their brains blank.

Ning Qing and Minghui, these two Great Sorcerers who had obtained the true teachings of the Buddhist and Daoist sects, were also swaying in heart and mind, unable to control their own flying swords for a while.

Those who understood sorcery all knew how deep the secrets here were!

The higher the realm, the more one could understand how incredible this life aura, like a bright moon in the sky, was!

In a restaurant on Xuanwu Street, a Daoist wearing a Daoist robe directly performed sorcery to jump onto the roof and looked toward the direction where the sword intent bloomed:

"Who is refining a natal magic treasure?!"

At the same time, a few hundred meters away, another Daoist wearing a Daoist robe also jumped onto the roof like him.

These two were a True Person of the Shangqing Sect and a True Person of the Yuhua Sect, each representing their sect to run for cabinet member of the Blue Patrol Pavilion.

The two were originally here to watch the fun, but at this moment, their Dao hearts were almost lost!

In a courtyard in the inner city, a woman wearing a white gauze dress, with an elegant temperament and beautiful appearance, was drinking tea.

When that terrifying life aura swept across the sky, the teacup in her hand fell directly and shattered on the ground.

Her face changed drastically, and she stood up abruptly.

"Elder Shen?"

Several martial artists in the courtyard looked at her one after another.

She was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Nightmare Sect, Shen Zhen.

"Protect the law for me."

Shen Zhen said quickly, walked into the room immediately, and performed sorcery to enter the "Dream Realm."

Xuanwu Street.

Ning Qing and Minghui both retracted their respective flying swords in a somewhat dispirited manner.

At this moment, they had no intention to fight anymore, just wanting to know what was going on with that life aura just now?

A moment later, news came back:

That aura just now came from the Jing'an Marquis Mansion.

"It was created by that Jing'an Marquis?"

"His sorcery cultivation has actually reached such a level?"

"It is rumored that he is also trying dual cultivation of law and martial arts; is this the result of his cultivation?"

For a time, Ning Qing and Minghui had thousands of thoughts.

"Is it him?"

Ning Tang Chuan also had a moment of distraction after getting the news.

He looked up at Ming Qi not far away, and suddenly lost the thought of having a fight with the other party.

"Junior Brother Ning."

"Hmm?"

"I heard you are very familiar with that Jing'an Marquis?"

"Can't be called familiar, just know each other."

"Then can you help Senior Brother introduce him?"

"..."

On the other side, similar conversations were happening between Minghui and Ming Qi.

Inside the Jing'an Marquis Mansion, Li Fei, who had just finished his cultivation, did not know how much movement he had created.

He had just completed "Building the Life Bridge."

Once the Life Bridge was formed, the dozen or so sorcery-type implants in his body finally completely merged into his body.

He had finally refined himself into his own natal object!

The physical fitness of a sorcerer was originally similar to that of an ordinary person; even if refined into a magic treasure, borrowing the resonance of the magic treasure, the final natal aura formed would not be too powerful.

But Li Fei was different; his life force was too strong!

Although the Ten Thousand Blood Pearl was in a "half-blood" state, it also had more than 900 blood souls, nearly a hundred times stronger than the life force of an ordinary person!

Plus the blood souls stored in the Blood Spring.

Having not fought with anyone for such a long time, the blood souls stored in Li Fei's Blood Spring reached 3000!

This was the time Li Fei had stored the most blood souls in the Blood Spring, and it had also reached its own limit.

Previously, Li Fei had never stored the 【Blood Spring】 to the limit, so he didn't know how many blood souls the 【Blood Spring】 could store at most.

Now he knew.

This was also the reason why he didn't make the enhancement immediately after getting another chance to enhance the blood soul technique.

The most cost-effective 【Blood Spring】 didn't need enhancement for the time being.

With the 3000 blood souls in the Blood Spring plus the 900+ blood souls in the Ten Thousand Blood Pearl, Li Fei's total life value was close to 4000 blood souls!

Even Grandmasters didn't have such powerful life force, let alone sorcerers?

Refining a natal object with such life force, and then conducting deep-level resonance, created the scene of "Bright Moon in the Sky."

In the secret room, Li Fei carefully felt the changes in his body.

After "Building the Life Bridge" was completed, sorcerers could conduct deeper-level resonance with their natal magic treasures, thereby triggering the stronger power of the magic treasures.

Li Fei's natal magic treasure was himself, so what he enhanced was not only sorcery power but also martial arts power!

The final result was that his "Sword State" was enhanced in all aspects!

"This feeling..."

Li Fei clenched his fists, having an urge to find someone to fight.

He felt that he was terrifyingly strong now...

Suppressing the urge in his heart, Li Fei activated the enhanced sorcery power to pull the Heavenly Water Soul Bone in the Dao Foundation.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again.

"Still a bit short."

A look of regret appeared on Li Fei's face.

After "Building the Life Bridge," although combat power was enhanced in all aspects, the improvement of sorcery power was not that great, still a bit short of completely pulling the Heavenly Water Soul Bone in the Dao Foundation.

"Then continue!"

Li Fei's gaze condensed.

Taking advantage of his good state now, he simply didn't rest, intending to continue breaking through in one go!

Next was "Condensing True Power," which required staying in deep-level resonance with the magic treasure through the "Life Bridge," and then constantly condensing one's own virtual intent, turning void into truth.

Li Fei himself was his own natal magic treasure; there was no sorcerer in the world whose connection with their natal magic treasure was tighter than his.

So the difficulty for him to condense True Power was also very low.

Just like this, Li Fei continued to stay in the secret room for closed-door cultivation...

This kept the Marquis Mansion's butler and Lu Lu Wenxing and others busy.

After that natal aura alarmed half the city, people ran to the Jing'an Marquis Mansion one after another, all proposing to visit the Jing'an Marquis.

Lu Lu Wenxing could only decline on Li Fei's behalf, claiming that the Marquis was in closed-door cultivation at this time and it was inconvenient to see guests.

Busy until late at night, the gate of the Marquis Mansion could be considered quiet.

Suddenly, the Marquis Mansion butler ran quickly into the hall:

"Official Lu!"

Lu Lu Wenxing looked exhausted: "Who came again?"

"It, it's someone from the palace!"

The butler had also seen some big worlds, but he was still a bit nervous at this moment.

Upon hearing this, Lu Lu Wenxing also immediately regained his spirit and stood up quickly, rushing toward the gate.

Soon, he saw a eunuch at the gate and couldn't help but be shocked:

"I have seen Eunuch Feng! Eunuch, please come in."

The person who came was none other than the Imperial Eunuch Feng Cheng!

"Official Lu, no need to be polite; I'll just ask two questions and leave."

Feng Cheng said with a smile.

Lu Lu Wenxing didn't dare to be negligent and asked carefully:

"Is there any instruction from His Majesty?"

He could decline others, but if the one in the palace spoke, he had to disturb Li Fei no matter what.

Feng Cheng said in a gentle tone:

"Official Lu, no need to be nervous; His Majesty just sent me to ask a few questions."

"Please speak."

"Was the movement today created by the Jing'an Marquis?"

"Yes, it was caused by the Marquis during his closed-door cultivation."

"Is the Jing'an Marquis still in closed-door cultivation?"

"Yes."

"Is his cultivation going smoothly?"

"Smoothly."

"That's good."

Feng Cheng nodded with a smile, intending to leave.

"Eunuch Feng!"

Lu Lu Wenxing hurriedly opened his mouth to keep the other party.

He knew that after Li Fei came out of closed-door cultivation last month, he had been actively applying to see the Emperor, but had been rejected.

Now that he had finally waited for the one in the palace to take the initiative, he had to help Li Fei probe the tone no matter what:

"May I ask if His Majesty is willing to see the Marquis now?"

Feng Cheng smiled slightly: "I dare not speculate on His Majesty's thoughts. However, after receiving news of the Jing'an Marquis today, His Majesty had a smile on his face."

Lu Lu Wenxing was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately saluted Feng Cheng:

"Thank you, Eunuch Feng!"

If it weren't for knowing that this Great Internal Superintendent in front of him was an unfathomable Grandmaster, and he couldn't take out anything that could move the other party, otherwise Lu Lu Wenxing would have taken out something to bribe him.

"Official Lu is too polite; then I will go back first; His Majesty is still waiting for me in the palace."

"Eunuch Feng, please go slowly."

After seeing off Feng Cheng, Lu Lu Wenxing walked into the mansion with a look of joy.

He was even floating a bit while walking.

On the same night, the outer city of Lanling City.

The outer city was a city area expanded later, with many more Western-style buildings than the old city area of the inner city.

There were actually more high-rise buildings.

However, the population density of the outer city far exceeded that of the inner city, and it was mixed with fish and dragons.

Not only were there people from all over, but also grassland people, desert people, and even Westerners.

In a small three-story villa, two tall men wearing Western formal wear walked to the second floor and met two men wearing black robes in the hall.

"Did you bring the things?"

A man wearing a black robe asked.

His voice was low, and there was a scar on the back of his right hand; a fierce aura faintly emanated from his body, clearly a martial artist with not-bad strength.

The two tall men wearing Western formal wear sitting opposite him were clearly Westerners, with blue eyes, brown hair, and white skin.

One of the Westerners with a high nose bridge said word by word in stiff Great Lan Dynasty official language:

"What about the things we want?"

The man with the scar turned to look at his companion, who picked up a metal password box from the edge of the sofa and placed the box on the coffee table.

After dialing the password, this person didn't rush to open the password box but flashed light in his eyes and injected a strand of virtual intent into the box.

The next second, he slowly opened the password box and showed the things inside to the two Westerners opposite:

Stacked together, at least thirty or more secret manuals!

"I demand to verify the authenticity."

The Westerner with the high nose bridge said.

The man with the scar on his hand sneered: "The oath sorcery has already been established, are you still afraid of fakes? Besides, how can you verify the authenticity of these martial arts manuals in a short time?"

The Westerner with the high nose bridge looked into the eyes of the man with the scar. There was strange light flickering in his blue eyes.

"What do you want to do?!"

A murderous intent flashed in the eyes of the man with the scar, and he became vigilant.

"You, look into my eyes and say once: the manuals in the box are all real."

The Westerner with the high nose bridge said word by word.

The man with the scar sneered upon hearing this, but still did as he was told, looking into the other party's eyes and repeating the other party's words.

A mysterious aura permeated the room; the Westerner with the high nose bridge seemed to have suddenly turned into a distant star.

After the man with the scar finished speaking, he nodded: "Good."

The aura like a star vanished.

"What about the things we want?"

The man with the scar asked while signaling his companion to close the password box again.

"We didn't bring them."

The Westerner with the high nose bridge said calmly.

"What did you say?"

A shocking murderous intent bloomed from the man with the scar, and he looked at the two Westerners in front of him hideously:

"Playing black-eating-black? Just relying on you two? Believe it or not, you won't even be able to walk out of this building?!"

"No, no, no."

The Westerner opposite shook his head calmly, "It's not black-eating-black; the transaction can continue, it's just that we learned today that the Marquis has created amazing phenomena again, and it seems he is not far from breaking through the realm."

"What do you mean?"

"Using your words—you have to add money."

"..."

The man with the scar didn't expect this to happen.

He soon flew into a rage: "The price was already agreed upon in advance; you dare to play me?!"

"You don't have to act; we already knew that the things were not for you, but for the person behind you, with the purpose of preventing the Marquis from breaking through the realm."

The Westerner with the high nose bridge said with a smile, "We are also considering it for you; the target's current strength and realm are much stronger than that person named Hao Yi back then. If you want to prevent the target from breaking through the realm, it is best to use many times more 'materials' than back then."

"So, you have to add money!"

Seeking monthly tickets.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 423 =====

The high-nosed Westerner said with a smile, "We are also considering things for your sake. The target's current strength and realm are much stronger than that person named Hao Yi back then. If you want to stop the target from breaking through their realm, it's best to use many times more 'materials' than you did back then."

"Therefore, you must pay more!"

Seeking monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)