Chapter 678 Winged Dynasty
No one knows how Xue Ding managed to break through the Immortal Forest Formation and appear there.
Several senior experts hired by Xianlin appeared one after another, looking over warily.
One of the elders said in a low voice, "Martial arts are forbidden in the Immortal Forest."
"If it's broken, I'll pay for it," Xue Ding said confidently and firmly.
"Whoosh! Whoosh..."
All defensive formations around the ancient tree were activated.
The gates of Qiongyu Residence opened.
Li Weiyi and Zuoqiu Hongting could see that Hongyuju on a distant branch and Xue Ding further away both looked very interested.
In the Immortal Forest, all the young powerhouses who were preparing to go to Xiaoyao Capital to participate in the grand announcement ceremony came out of their rooms, looked up, and began to discuss among themselves.
"The Wing Dynasty is a medium-sized habitat ranked fourth. It is unified by the crown prince of the Xue family and is extremely powerful. It wants to expand and develop into a country. Xue Ding is said to be the strongest in the habitat, but I don't know if he is just a name."
"In the Longevity Realm, it is very rare to have four wings on one's back, but he actually has six wings."
"Six-Winged Xue Ding is renowned. Is he aiming for the top spot on the 'Land of Immortality' list, or is he trying to prove he is a chosen one of the 'Destined Ones of Immortality'?"
...
Wenren Tinghai's voice, tinged with laughter, drifted from inside the house: "I have long heard of the fame of Six-Winged Xue Ding. There is no need to challenge Tinghai; Tinghai is ashamed of his inferiority. Brother Xue may not know, but tonight in the Immortal Forest there is another peerless talent whose reputation is unmatched, the successor of the Daoist arts of the Crown Prince Yu Yaozi, the Southern Dragon Li Weiyi. If you defeat him, you will surely become famous and renowned, surpassing even the true disciples of ancient sects and the top scholars of various countries."
Many young powerhouses from various habitats only realized that Li Weiyi was also there at this moment, and they exclaimed in surprise, searching in all directions and secretly inquiring.
"Where is Nanlong? I must cut off his path northward."
A true disciple of the sect, with a mysterious light and a scripture above his head, strode out of the gate surrounded by his fellow disciples. His magical energy surged forth, transforming into a sea of clouds.
“Although Li Weiyi has a great reputation, he is too young and lacks experience. He has no top-level achievements. When he killed Chu Yutian, it was mainly the top scholars of the two countries who were the main force, with him and the Saintess of Time as assistants. They also used the Ancient Immortal Whistle Arrow. He should be the easiest one to challenge.” A senior sister from the Yi Clan was hidden in a purple mist, her figure appearing and disappearing.
Her loud comments were an attempt to provoke the mysterious Southern Dragon into revealing himself.
Schrödinger stood on a yellowish-brown branch as thick as a water vat, his strong arms crossed over his chest. He was tall and imposing, his skin gleaming with a metallic sheen, and his six wings spread out on his back, each feather shimmering with ancient runes.
His gaze was piercing, still fixed on the Red Jade Residence where Wenren Tinghai was: "How old is Li Weiyi? He's probably not even a Great Immortal yet. If I defeat him, not only will I not gain face, but I might also get dragged into your conflict. Do you think I'd be as foolish as your Demon Kingdom?"
"He is simply a pawn placed in the open by the Grand Master of Lingxiao Palace. The one who holds the Jade Book of Life Spring must be another expert."
"Lingxiao Realm is no ordinary place; it has a glorious history. In the age of fifty alone, there were prodigies like Tang Wanzhou, Li Weiyi, Ge Xiantong, and Zuoqiu Hongting. And what about the previous fifty years?"
Upon hearing this, Wenren Tinghai, Chang Yujian, and other cultivators from the Demon Kingdom all showed thoughtful expressions.
Everyone felt that it wasn't impossible.
"I, Chi Yuan, grandson of Fei Feng, will take on the challenge on behalf of Wenren Tan Hua."
With a loud bang, the wooden door shattered.
A figure enveloped in crimson flames flew out from the Red Jade Residence and shot straight toward Xue Ding.
The speed was so fast that few below the Great Longevity level could clearly see Chi Yuan's appearance.
"Sizzle!"
An old man with white hair in the immortal forest flicked his fingertips and sent out a beam of spiritual light, tearing open the array of light in front of Xue Ding and Chi Yuan.
Two top experts at the fourth realm, one after the other, burst out of the array crack in an instant, shooting straight into the night sky like beams of light.
As Chi Yuan was new to the area, he naturally wanted to fight to prove his strength and gain more benefits from the Wenren family.
"Whoosh!"
Chi Yuan spread a pair of broad wings on his back, shaking off a rain of scriptures that floated around him.
Crimson flames, like a long river, surged from the ancestral field and converged into a cloud of fire, setting the sky above the city ablaze with immense power.
Schrödinger, his fighting spirit boiling, swooped down.
"boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Both the human and the demon were known for their speed. In the span of a single breath, they collided fourteen times in the sky, unleashing a torrent of magical energy. The sound was deafening, like fourteen thunderclaps exploding in succession.
Xue Ding's laughter echoed through the sky: "Grandson of Fei Feng, is this all you are capable of? You are a disgrace to the Demon Queen's reputation and a disgrace to the ancient immortal Yu Jia. The second and third generations of Yu Jia both have powerful experts who can reach the heavens, and the fourth generation will probably have to wait and see how Luan Sheng Lin is born."
"presumptuous."
Chi Yuan roared, feeling utterly humiliated, and a sharp cry of a phoenix rang out from within his body.
The cry of the phoenix was piercing, and many low-level martial artists in the city below felt pain in their eardrums.
A crimson phoenix emerged from the fiery clouds, its wings spreading and casting a massive shadow on the street below.
"Bang!"
A claw-shaped Taoist technique shook the space, piercing through the air as it struck.
Xue Ding stood beneath the massive crimson claw print that was rushing towards him, his body small yet calm and composed.
"call!"
With six wings on its back, thousands of ancient runes flashed, transforming into a raging wind that emitted a deafening howl, shattering all the clouds above Night Demon City.
"It's the Five Fiends Heavenly Wind!"
Li Weiyi, sitting in the Qiongyu Residence, and Yao Qingxuan, sitting in the carriage outside the Immortal Forest, recited this sentence at the same time.
The Five Fiends Heavenly Winds were incredibly powerful. Li Weiyi failed to collect them from the Yaoli tribe, so he had to settle for collecting two Four Fiends Heavenly Winds instead.
If Xue Dingyu had acquired the Five Fiends Heavenly Wind from his wings, its power would be unimaginable. If he had cultivated it himself, it would be even more extraordinary.
"boom!"
Chi Yuan's claw mark technique was shattered into pieces by Xue Ding's wind-force technique using the Five Fiends Heavenly Wind.
The storm and torrent of the heavenly wind blew Chi Yuan away for more than ten miles.
The fiery clouds floating in the sky were scattered into a rain of fireballs, which fell downwards. At the same time, several crimson phoenix feathers accompanied them.
"rustle!"
The array that enveloped the Immortal Forest complex was rippled by the Five Fiends Heavenly Wind.
In the immortal forest, countless martial arts practitioners gasped in shock, feeling utterly horrified.
Those who dared to attend the results announcement ceremony were no ordinary people; they were at least among the top figures in their respective regions, dominating their areas and naturally possessing discerning taste.
"I've only ever seen their level of power in the fifth realm of Great Longevity cultivators. And this is a battle between people under a hundred years old? That's terrifying! Do we even have a chance to climb the Earth Ranking? I've lost all confidence!"
"That's Fei Feng's grandson, and he actually lost!"
"There's nothing he can do. Who told him to encounter such a heaven-defying figure who controls the Five Fiends Heavenly Wind?"
The people inside Qiongyu Residence had already left their rooms to peer at the fiery clouds and wind in the sky.
A martial artist from the Chang family at the third realm sighed with emotion: "With this battle, Xue Ding has become a legend, his reputation has soared, and no one questions his strength anymore."
Chang Yujian said, "A mid-stage fourth realm, fifth-level mastery of an imperial technique—in previous years, he would have been a contender for the top three. This is the number one person in the Wing Dynasty!"
Chang Yuqing held her breath for a long time before finally exhaling softly: "I heard that Senior Brother Shen Ji only broke through to the fourth realm more than a year ago after returning from the Ancient Kingdom of Time Ruins. It's unlikely that he could have reached the mid-stage of the fourth realm. And Second Senior Brother Qi Jianru only recently broke through to the fourth realm, so it's even less likely that he could have reached the mid-stage of the fourth realm. Doesn't this mean that no one in the Crossing Calamity Temple is a match for Xue Ding and Chi Yuan?"
Zuoqiu Hongting smiled slightly and said, "Not necessarily! Do you think that Senior Brother entered the Ancient Kingdom of Time Ruins at his advanced age just to cultivate imperial techniques and search for Time Stones? As far as I know, he has found extremely precious cultivation resources and may have already reached the mid-stage. Besides, the difference of one small realm is not insurmountable."
The "Longevity Ranking" is actually unfair; martial arts practitioners in their nineties have a huge advantage.
That is why younger martial artists pay the price of decades of their lifespan to enter the Ancient Kingdom of Time Ruins to catch up, but they can only catch up for a maximum of ten years.
As the ripples of light from the defensive array of the Immortal Forest dissipated, everyone discovered that a golden Buddhist light had appeared in the sky, with rosy clouds like cotton, ethereal and dreamlike.
Before anyone knew it, Shan Xianzhi was already standing in the Buddha's light, facing Xue Ding.
His left hand is in a mudra in front of his chest, and beneath his feet is an ocean of Sanskrit characters.
Layers of humanoid light shields were superimposed on him.
The outermost layer was several meters high, depicting a Buddha figure with a topknot and riding a white elephant. The image of Shanxianzhi stood on the back of the white elephant, inside the Buddha's belly, extremely sacred.
"Goodness arrives first, that's wonderful! I've long wanted to fight you, and then go to Xiaoyao Capital to challenge the ancient truth, fighting my way to the top of the 'Land of Immortality' ranking." Xue Dingxin was overjoyed, his long hair flying in the wind like wild grass.
"Your Five Fiends Heavenly Wind is formed from the Six Paths Four Fiends Heavenly Wind, and it is still two or three points short of perfection. If you can cultivate it to perfection, this humble monk may not be your match."
Shan Xianzhi's peaceful voice entered Xue Ding's body directly, as if it were resounding in Xue Ding's heart.
"Why did his voice appear inside my body? Did he break through my protective aura and mental defenses? But how is that possible?" Xue Ding's mind was disturbed, his brows furrowed, and he felt that the Buddhist teachings of Shan Xianzhi were strangely frightening.
"Thump!"
There's no clock!
But then, a loud bell rang out from the sky.
Golden ripples spread outwards from Shan Xianzhi's body and struck Xue Ding.
Xue Ding took nine steps back to regain his footing. He then narrowed his eyes, stared intently at Shan Xianzhi, and without a word, spread his six wings, turned and left, disappearing into the city lights deep in the night.
Chang Yuqing frowned, utterly confused: "What's going on? Why didn't they fight? They just left? Weren't they supposed to have a battle?"
In the Immortal Forest, many martial arts practitioners share the same confusion and are baffled.
Li Weiyi looked at Zuoqiu Hongting and Changyujian beside her: "Have you noticed anything?"
Changyu Sword said, "To be honest, I don't think Xue Ding is necessarily weaker than Shan Xianzhi. It's really puzzling that a single bell rang and he was startled away."
"I'm only at the first stage of the Longevity Realm in martial arts, what can I possibly see? Brother Daoist successor, you are so knowledgeable, why don't you explain it to us?" Zuoqiu Hongting said.
Li Weiyi saw through the mystery: "At their level of cultivation, no one dares to say they have a 100% chance of winning. At best, it's 20/80 or 10/90. They will always have a chance of winning and won't retreat without a fight."
“Mental state, magical artifacts, Taoist techniques, celestial phenomena and terrain, etc., can all have a subtle influence on the outcome of a battle.”
"I think Xue Ding's momentum and fighting spirit suddenly decreased just now, which must be because his state of mind was affected! The bell that followed was not actually a bell, but a Bodhi Heart Seal."
"This palm print was invisible, but it directly struck Xue Ding's mind."
"In this state, Schröding would be defeated if he fought again, and would have no choice but to retreat."
Li Weiyi had read countless Buddhist scriptures and had seen the "Bodhi Mind Seal," a Buddhist practice from the Western Buddhist Kingdom.
"Doesn't that mean that Shan Xianzhi is quite insidious and cunning?" Chang Yuqing said.
(One more chapter)
(End of this chapter)
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