Chapter 111: The top three on the team genius list are all together, plus a troublemaker...

Bei Qianxue tightened her grip on the sword slightly, a hint of confusion on her face.

"...Northern Third Brother?"

“That’s right.” Bai also nodded. “Bai Qingji is Bai Lao Er, Ming Wushuang is Ming Lao Yi, and you’re Bei Lao San, right? It sounds so much better!”

"......"

"Do they know that you call them that?" Bei Qianxue asked calmly.

"Currently, only two people know," Bai chuckled. "As for Ming Wushuang, she'll find out when I meet her."

In the fiery city of Xizhou, Bai Duanhong, who was watching the live stream, laughed heartily, spilling the wine she was holding all over the ground. "Oh dear, how could she be so annoying, giving someone such a nickname and calling them that to their face? She's going to get beaten up now, isn't she?"

Above the Dragon Python Rock, Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but chuckle as well.

Liu Xianyue said cheerfully, "Now it's not just two people who know, it's everyone in the entire Kyushu. I wonder if this little white-haired guy will get beaten up by Elder Ming after he comes out."

......

Beyond the heavens, on a floating island.

"Are you looking for a beating?" Bei Qianxue's voice remained emotionless.

“Actually, you should have attacked me just now.” Bai also drew his sword. “If you attacked me, I would only bleed a little, but if you attacked my talismans, that would be a huge waste. Explosion talismans are very precious.”

"......"

Bei Qianxue fell silent again. She said no more, and her hand holding the sword moved slightly, producing a clear and melodious sound.

The moment the sword was drawn, its intent soared into the sky, and a neat gap appeared in the thick clouds above, allowing sunlight to stream through and fall on the two of them.

As Bei Qianxue unleashed her sword strike, the surrounding clouds instantly vanished, leaving only a dark sword beam sweeping across the scene.

Before the sword's edge even arrived, Bai already felt a layer of goosebumps rise on his neck. This person's sword was full of killing intent; it was terrifying.

She gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands and cleaved down with the force of splitting a mountain. The sword energy burst forth, whistling as it met the black sword light.

The moment the two sword beams collided in mid-air, the sword energy that Bai Ye unleashed instantly shattered into countless points of light.

The dark sword light continued its relentless attack.

Bai Ye's expression remained unchanged. As he retreated rapidly, he swung his five fingers forward in a claw-like motion.

The golden claw light collided with the sword light in mid-air, and Bai swung his claws several times before finally shattering the sword light.

She looked at Bei Laosan across from her with some surprise and doubt. She hadn't expected his sword to be so powerful. How could he only be ranked third?

"You are no match for me with a sword," Bei Qianxue said calmly. "Your sword intent is impure."

The moment she finished speaking, her sword stance changed again.

Centered on her, thousands of sword beams shot out, sealing off all the space around Bai Ye, like a high-speed rotating meat grinder, overwhelming Bai Ye and tearing her apart.

Bai also gazed at the sky filled with sword shadows; this was the purest and most exquisite sword she had ever encountered.

The moment Bei Qianxue drew her sword, she abandoned all defense, displaying only murderous intent. With her sword drawn, death was inevitable!

"You're right, my swordsmanship is indeed inferior to yours. I've learned a bit of everything." Bai chuckled softly, "But in other areas, I'm no worse than you."

Before she could finish speaking, her figure had already vanished from the spot. Sword intent could not restrain someone who had mastered the laws of the void.

The instant the target disappeared, Bei Qianxue seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, and without hesitation, she thrust her long sword into the empty space behind her.

"laugh!"

Bai Ye had just stepped out of the void when a sharp sword pierced straight at her brow. Startled, she once again vanished into the void, narrowly avoiding the attack. Only a strand of silver hair, severed by the sword energy, slowly fell from the void.

Bei Qianxue reached out and caught the strand of silver hair in her palm.

Bai teleported a hundred meters away and shouted, "Hey, Third Brother Bei, your reaction is strange. What do you usually do? Are you some kind of top-ranked assassin from an assassin organization?"

"Yes," Bei Qianxue admitted readily.

"Huh? You just admit it like that? Can an assassin just tell everyone they're an assassin? Don't they need to maintain an air of mystery?"

"No need." As Bei Qianxue spoke, the long sword in her hand did not stop. The sword moved with her body, and she and the sword became one. Every slash was made the instant Bai Ye appeared.

"Xiao Wang, does she have a system too? I suspect she's using a cheat code to pick locks. How come she could spot me the moment I peeked out?" Bai muttered under his breath.

She's an assassin, right? Assassins are definitely good at fighting.

Bai also flashed away, disappearing directly from the floating island, and shouted from a great distance, "Third Brother Bei, stop for a second, how did you find me?"

“Your eyes, your scent, your murderous aura can all reveal your location.” Bei Qianxue rarely spoke at length.

"Alright, you're a killer, you're good. That's it, I have to go. I have things to do." Bai said, then turned and left. This tough nut couldn't be cracked in a short time, so she decided to find another target.

Bei Qianxue stared intently in the direction Bai Ye had gone, and with a "whoosh," a pair of black wings sprouted from her back, catching up with the fleeing Bai Ye at an extremely fast speed.

A whooshing sound came from behind. Bai turned around and saw Bei Qianxue flapping her wings and chasing after him. "How come you can fly too?"

"Um."

Bei Qianxue's response remained the same, her sword swings were monotonous.

Bai Ye flapped her wings to dodge her attack, and called out in confusion, "No, I already said I wasn't going to fight anymore. Your island is still perfectly fine, isn't it? Why are you chasing me?"

"You didn't go all out." Bei Qianxue's voice was muffled, with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"...Are you unhappy?"

"Um."

This answer left Bai speechless. While dodging the sword light that was attacking her, she explained, "You are a sword cultivator, and a penniless one at that, who makes a living by killing people. You don't seem like the type to bully others, so I don't want to hit you."

"If I really go all out and hurt you, it won't be good. What if it affects your business and you can't get orders? What if you get hurt by me and then get killed in return when you're killing someone later?"

"Although I think you should not be an assassin, since killing too many people will always lead to disaster, I really don't want to fight you anymore. Your sword is a killing sword, not a duel sword."

Bai Ye's long-winded explanation was met with a faint "hmm" from Bei Qianxue.

She flashed to Bai Ye's side, forcing her to stop, and said out of the blue, "I'm not a poor sword cultivator, I have a lot of spirit stones."

Bai rubbed his temples, looking helpless: "I wasn't saying you're poor."

“You care about me.” Bei Qianxue’s tone was certain, her dark eyes fixed on Bai Ye.

"Huh?" Bai's eyes widened in surprise. "Who cares about you? What did I say that showed concern for you? Why would I care about you? Don't talk nonsense, I already have a Daoist partner!"

While she hurriedly tried to explain herself, she kept glancing nervously upwards, afraid that Zhong Jiuli, who was watching the battle, would misunderstand her.

Zhong Jiuli was indeed watching the battle, and she was secretly feeling jealous.

“You’re very strong!” Bei Qianxue completely ignored Bai Ye’s words and only followed her own logic. “My sword can’t hurt you, I’ve already lost.”

"Fine, interpret it however you want." Bai waved his hand helplessly. "You'd better go back and guard your island, or your flag will be cut down and you'll be eliminated. I'll find you to fight again when I'm done with my work."

"Um!"

Bei Qianxue responded, turned around and transformed into a black streak of light, flying towards the island she occupied, leaving Bai Ye alone in the same spot.

Bai watched her departing figure, shook her head, too lazy to ponder this sword cultivator whose thinking was different from ordinary people. She randomly chose a direction and sped away into the distance.

I still have nearly two hundred explosive tags in my hand, so my immediate priority is to get rid of the opponent.

What happened next was truly outrageous. Wherever Bai went, explosions followed.

Throughout the entire outer heaven, the roar of explosions was incessant, flames shot into the sky time and time again, and one floating island after another was shattered into pieces by her hands.

She especially liked bombing islands with large numbers of cultivators, eliminating a large group of cultivators with a single bombing, with incredibly high efficiency. The cultivators in various states cried out in despair, hating her with a vengeance, yet they were helpless against this elusive and destructive cultivator.

Most importantly, she changed her identity every time she bombed an island. Sometimes she pretended to be a sword cultivator from Jianzhou, sometimes a ghost cultivator from Youzhou, or sometimes a cultivator from Zhongzhou. In short, she was dedicated to stirring up trouble.

Outside, the cultivators watching the battle through the light screen were equally itching with envy and their hearts were bleeding. They could only watch as their own continent's points continued to decline at an irreversible rate, and the sense of powerlessness made them feel so suffocated that they wanted to vomit blood.

While Bai was busy causing trouble, deep within the outer heavens, a huge island floated quietly, and at the island's core, a spatial rift silently appeared.

As soon as the crack appeared, countless dark, inky, writhing shadows surged out of it like a burst dam. Once inside the outer heavens, they began to rapidly change shape.

In just a moment, those writhing black shadows transformed into countless soft, white clouds. They blended perfectly into the omnipresent sea of ​​clouds in the outer heavens, drifting in all directions with the strong winds, just like a real white cloud.

These drifting white clouds, once they sense the presence of cultivators on the island below, will slowly descend and attach themselves to those cultivators who are focused on fighting or meditating, gradually entering their bodies.

The cultivators were completely unaware of this. They had long been accustomed to the ubiquitous sea of ​​clouds in this place and would not care at all if a white cloud occasionally drifted by.

Even the powerful figures watching the battle intently on the light screen outside, including Zhong Jiuli, did not notice this strange change.

All attention was focused on the geniuses in the midst of the chaotic battle.

Time passed quietly, and a few days later, the explosions in the outer heavens became more and more frequent.

Many cultivators who were originally cautiously observing and defending their own strongholds now seemed to have collectively gone mad. They pulled out the explosive talismans and flying talismans they had collected, rushed out of the island with bloodshot eyes, and launched attacks on any floating island they could see.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another, and flames burst forth in the clouds, plunging the entire outer heaven into complete chaos.

Bai was naturally pleased with this, and even wanted to applaud. If she were to do the bombing by herself, it would take forever; this arrangement was just right.

We can only be eliminated together happily if we all go crazy together!

In the clouds, Bai looked at the three explosive talismans he had left in his hand and thought to himself, "This is all the stock I have. I have to use them wisely."

She felt that the current situation was not chaotic enough. It would be best if the two states of Zhongzhou and Guzhou started fighting each other, so that they could take advantage of the chaos and gain the upper hand.

Without hesitation, she transformed herself once more, becoming a cultivator from Guzhou, and began traversing the sea of ​​clouds.

Along the way, she saw many floating islands with the flag of Zhongzhou flying around them. They were very small, and there were only a handful of cultivators stationed on them.

Bai didn't mind the small number of people at all. As soon as she arrived on the island, she immediately posted three messages: "The royal family of Guzhou is here! I'm here to seize the flag! Zhongzhou is no match for Guzhou!"

After shouting, he punched someone to the ground, then cut the flag and left.

She would always deliberately leave one or two islands untouched, allowing the news of Guzhou's targeting of Zhongzhou to spread quickly.

Such instigation had an immediate effect. The cultivators from Zhongzhou were thoroughly enraged, and instead of guarding the island, they rushed out of the floating island to search for the ancient cultivators.

Friction between the two sides escalated rapidly, eventually leading to their involvement in the chaotic capture-the-flag battle. The entire Outer Heaven was thrown into complete chaos, with various forces locked in fierce combat.

Even the strongholds in the Wilderness State were not spared, suffering several attacks. Fortunately, Li Shoumo had made preparations in advance, and all the cultivators of the Wilderness State banded together to defend their positions. With the fortifications they had set up in advance and their numerical advantage, they successfully repelled the enemy and held their ground.

However, just to be on the safe side, Li Shoumo still arranged for a few people to leave the stronghold and occupy a few small islands nearby as a backup, so that if the stronghold fell, they wouldn't all be eliminated.

Outside, above Dragon Python Rock, many eliminated geniuses gathered. When they saw who the culprit was, they were so angry they almost vomited blood.

"White!!!"

An uncontrollable roar of anger erupted from the crowd. It came from a member of the royal family of Guzhou, his eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at Bai Ye on the light screen.

This lawless white-haired cultivator in the light screen killed their Wang family patriarch many years ago, causing the Wang family's status in Guzhou to plummet.

And now, she actually dares to use the Wang family's name to do such a despicable thing.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous! I will fight her to the death!" another member of the Wang family roared hoarsely.

Like the previous man, he was guarding the stronghold when the Central Continent cultivators suddenly rushed onto the island and seized his flag.

It was only when they came out that they saw that Bai was also stirring up hatred for them, which naturally angered these people.

There were many others like the Wang family members. Many people watched Bai Ye, who was sneaking around in the Outer Heavens, in the light screen, wishing someone would come out and teach her a lesson.

"Wait, isn't that Chief Ming? She's taken people to find Bai Ye. This is going to be interesting." A voice exclaimed from the crowd.

Everyone focused their attention on the light screen and, sure enough, saw Ming Wushuang leading a group of people headed straight for Bai Ye, who was hiding in the sea of ​​clouds, with a fierce and clear purpose.

Everyone was looking forward to it, hoping that Ming Wushuang would rush up and beat Bai Ye up.

......

Beyond the heavens.

After committing her misdeeds, Bai secretly hid in the sea of ​​clouds, happily watching the cultivators from various states below being beaten to a pulp because of her.

She felt the time was right; it was time to retire gracefully, return to her stronghold in the Wilderness State, and wait until the last moment to reap the points and overtake the competition.

She had just emerged from the clouds and hadn't flown far when she felt a powerful aura lock onto her.

Bai paused slightly and looked back.

As if the sea of ​​clouds behind them had been cleaved open by a sharp blade, nearly ten disciples of the Sanqing Sect, dressed in sky-blue disciple robes and wearing standard spirit wings on their backs, quickly broke through the air and arrived.

The leader, with a tall and straight posture like a pine tree, was none other than Ming Wushuang, the chief disciple of the Sanqing Sect.

"Bai Ye." Ming Wushuang's voice pierced through the clouds, calm and undisturbed, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Hmm? Chief Ming wants to see me about something?" Bai asked, puzzled. She was a little worried. She hadn't given herself away when she did something bad before, so she shouldn't have been discovered.

"There's something I'd like you to come with me to investigate," Ming Wushuang said, getting straight to the point.

Bai was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. "You didn't come here to fight me?"

"Fighting is a matter for individual arena matches," Ming Wushuang said calmly. "Now it's a team competition, there's no need to waste energy on private duels."

"Oh, then what does Chief Ming want with me?" Bai Ye's curiosity was piqued.

“There seem to be some unusual fluctuations in the depths of the outer heavens. I sense something is amiss and would like to ask you to come with me to investigate,” Ming Wushuang said, gazing into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds.

"The number one genius of Kyushu has come to ask me for help personally, I have to give him face."

Ming Wushuang nodded and said to the junior sisters following behind him, "You all go back and guard the island."

"Yes, Senior Sister." They responded in unison, then turned and left.

"Let's go." Ming Wushuang nodded to Bai Ye and flew ahead to lead the way.

Bai also flapped its wings and followed behind her. Ming Wushuang led her through the sea of ​​clouds, winding and turning until they arrived at the isolated island occupied by Bei Qianxue, where they summoned the cold-faced assassin who could only utter "hmm".

After wandering around for a while, the group found Bai Qingji, who was in the middle of a group fight.

A team consisting of Ming Wushuang, Bai Ye, Bei Qianxue, and Bai Qingji, which can be described as the strongest team in this competition, was thus formed.

Bai, who had been holding back her doubts all the way, finally couldn't contain herself any longer. She flew to Ming Wushuang's side and asked, "That's strange. How do you know their locations so well? Did you use a map cheat?"

"The Outer Heavens is the core training ground of my Three Pure Ones Sect," Ming Wushuang said calmly.

The implication is that since you people are guests in my house, it's easy for me to find someone.

"Okay, can you tell me now what we're going to do?" Bai asked again.

"Just follow." Ming Wushuang clearly had no intention of explaining further, and simply led the way in silence.

Outside, people across Kyushu watching the live stream were very puzzled, whispering and discussing among themselves:

Where are they going?

"My god, the top three geniuses on the genius list are all together, plus the troublemaker Bai Ye. Is this lineup going to sweep through the entire Outer Heaven?"

"What's the point of comparing them? Even if all the geniuses from other states were combined, they wouldn't be enough to beat the four of them."

Discussions like these echoed across the light screens throughout Kyushu, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the four people, wondering what they were up to.

Above the Dragon Python Rock in the Three Pure Ones Sect, the senior leaders from various states were also watching these four people, wondering why they had suddenly gathered together.

"Sect Leader Zhong," someone in the crowd asked, "forgive my bluntness, but where did your esteemed disciple take them? Why can't the Heavenly Mirror track their movements anymore?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to Zhong Jiuli, hoping she would come out and explain.

But her gaze remained fixed on the light screen, even though Bai Ye's figure was no longer there.

Knowing that she didn't want to speak, Liu Xianyue coughed lightly and explained on her behalf, "Fellow Daoists, please be patient."

"To ensure the smooth progress of this competition and avoid unnecessary casualties, Sect Master Zhong had already used his great supernatural powers to set up a restriction deep within the Outer Heaven before opening it, dividing the Outer Heaven into two areas, inner and outer."

"The outer layer, as you can see, is the stage for geniuses to compete and vie for supremacy, while the inner layer is the dwelling place of cloud beasts. Ordinary cultivators cannot enter or sense it."

"What are Chief Ming and the others doing in the inner area?" someone asked.

Liu Xianyue shook her head and smiled helplessly: "Everyone, in order to ensure the fairness of the competition, even our Sect Master Zhong cannot enter the Outer Heaven during the competition. Therefore, I don't know what Wushuang is doing bringing people into the inner layer."

Seeing that they couldn't get any information, the group had no choice but to give up. At least their disciples were still safe and sound in the Outer Heavens, and nothing unexpected had happened.

......

Beyond the heavens and beyond the heavens.

Ming Wushuang led the group as they flew deeper into the sea of ​​clouds, and several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Bai also noticed that the floating islands around him had become much denser and larger. The islands were covered with exotic flowers and plants, as well as various rare and exotic beasts.

She thought to herself, "It seems the Sanqing Sect hid the good stuff beforehand. Otherwise, it would be quite heartbreaking to see these islands full of spiritual herbs blown up."

Bei Qianxue cleaved a cloud leopard that was trying to ambush her with a single sword strike, frowned as she looked at Ming Wushuang, and asked, "Why are there so many cloud beasts here?"

"This place was originally a training ground for the disciples of the Sanqing Sect, so naturally there would be cloud beasts. It was only for the sake of the Grand Competition that these powerful cloud beasts were driven to the depths of the Outer Heavens," Ming Wushuang explained.

"So you brought us here to wipe out these cloud beasts?" Bai Qingji asked.

Ming Wushuang shook his head: "Some time ago, I sensed an abnormal fluctuation deep in this area. The fluctuation was very slight, but there was an ominous aura permeating it. I was a little worried, so I invited you all to come and investigate the source together."

As they talked, they flew forward for more than half a day. Ming Wushuang, who had been rushing on his way, finally stopped. "We've arrived. This should be the place."

Bai also gazed intently ahead, where an enormous floating island stood. Perhaps it should no longer be called an island, but rather an ancient continent suspended in the heavens. Mountains rose and fell, waterfalls cascaded down, and the island was shrouded in spiritual energy and glowing light.

"Good heavens..." Bai exclaimed in surprise, "There was such a huge thing hidden in here?"

"Um."

Ming Wushuang's expression was solemn. "The abnormal fluctuations I sensed originated from here. Let's go down and take a look."

After she finished speaking, her wings flapped behind her, and she soared towards the mysterious continent below.

Bai Ye and the others did not hesitate for long and followed Ming Wushuang, landing on this somewhat mysterious continent.