Chapter 48 Notifies the Male Lead of Showing His Face
The observers were abuzz with discussion, and the leaders were secretly astonished.
What happened? How did she get directly to the canyon entrance from here?
How could someone who only cultivates Qi possess such abilities?
A faint, pleasant fragrance filled the air. As if sensing this, the leaders looked towards the cloud ladder, where a wisp of bluish-green figure slowly appeared.
"The Peak Master of Dingsheng Sect, Donglu, has come to observe the test."
Nascent Soul cultivator.
The team leaders exchanged glances; no wonder they were able to send that Qi Refining girl away so quickly.
......
At the mouth of the Wanli Gorge, the participating disciples stood solemnly, gazing into the distance, holding their breath and concentrating intently, carefully listening to the changing cries of the phoenix.
The cry of the phoenix signifies the complete opening of the secret realm, allowing participating disciples to enter the canyon and compete for a spot to enter the secret realm.
The Wanli Canyon, true to its name, is narrow and long, allowing only two people to pass side by side. Participating disciples rushed in, often fighting from the canyon entrance to the exit. This meant that the later one entered, the more likely they were to be blocked, or even caught in the crossfire of the fighting cultivators, forced to stay halfway.
Therefore, they must enter the valley first; if they lose the initiative, the chances of everyone passing through the canyon will be greatly reduced.
The opportunity was fleeting, and they had to concentrate fully, so no one noticed the Dingsheng Sect in the corner, let alone the extra person in the Dingsheng Sect's group.
Shen Qingluo, Guan Wangzhen, and Zhu Shibai had already surrounded Ji Mingran, who had just arrived.
"I wanted to tease them a bit more, but the secret realm is about to open, and if we delay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to examine and treat Jin Yu and Jin Lu in time. So I had to tell them to make their requests quickly. I didn't expect them to want to replace me." Ji Mingran shrugged. "That's simple. Let Jin Yu and Jin Lu have more time to recuperate."
Although the two of them appeared unharmed, they had been imprisoned by Venerable Chongjue for a night, and their consciousness was suppressed by the Mahayana spiritual pressure. If they were not recuperated, their spiritual power might directly damage their spiritual consciousness.
Zhu Shibai said, "After hearing that you said they were captured, I informed Senior Brother Yuanliu of the situation. The peak masters decided to send Senior Sister Donglu instead. She is skilled in pharmacology and can examine and treat them."
Ji Mingran had just transmitted his voice to the three of them through the sect's jade tablet, so the three of them had a clear understanding of the situation on the observation platform.
Shen Qinglu: "In the end, Senior Sister Donglu still came."
"The spiritual cultivation competition cannot be separated from medical cultivators." Guan Wangzhen said to Ji Mingran, "Our sect does not have any medical cultivators. On weekdays, we can only rely on the medicinal cultivators who grow spiritual plants on Lin Peak to help heal injuries. Senior Sister Donglu is proficient in spiritual plants and is considered the most skilled in pharmacology in the sect. The old man said that considering the possibility of the participating disciples getting injured, the sect originally wanted her to lead the team and treat everyone at the same time. But after seeing that you can use the Spirit Healing Array and the Spirit Return Array, he decided to have you lead the team."
At the other end of the canyon, the melodious phoenix cry suddenly stopped.
Five sword lights, imposing and powerful, shot out and plunged into the canyon with lightning speed. Dozens of sword energies were unleashed, repelling a group of cultivators who were approaching the entrance.
It is Hong Qizong.
The cultivator who used the speed-enhancing talisman to rush into the valley was caught off guard and struck by the sword. His figure faltered, and he was overtaken by more than ten cultivators.
Several sharp bird cries rang out in the air. The cultivators looked up and saw five blue birds flying over in an instant. Their flowing blue feathers reflected a metallic luster in the sunlight. As their wings fluttered, the falling blue feathers shot out like arrows, blocking all the remaining sword energy left behind by the Hongqi Sect.
With a sharp beak, the bluebird pecked, cracking open the narrow canyon walls and sending mud and rocks flying everywhere, striking the other sect disciples who were following closely behind. The latter used their magic to dodge, and by the time they managed to escape, the bluebird had already flown away thousands of miles through the widening gap.
"What are those?" Ji Mingran asked, his eyes wide with amazement, pointing to the five bluebirds that flashed into the valley one after another.
Just as she was speaking, the last bluebird at the rear swept its tail feathers across, and the participating disciple who had already dodged the flying stones was slammed into the ground by the tail feathers and suffered a severe blow.
Zhu Shibai said, "It is the Azure Phoenix Spirit Bird from the Beast Taming Valley."
Beast Taming Valley, one of the ten major sects of Daoist cultivation, is a renowned ancient sect in the spiritual cultivation world with a history of thousands of years. The sect has a large number of spiritual beasts, and even cultivates rare spiritual beasts that inherit the bloodline of ancient divine beasts. The sect's strength should not be underestimated.
Guan Wangzhen, with his keen ears, told his companions what he had heard: "They came in a great rush, bringing several rare and exotic beasts. They said they wanted to capture the only Qilin beast that their great-great-great-great-great-ancestor had released into the secret realm. They said that anyone who dared to obstruct them would be pecked by their birds."
"What a powerful bird." Ji Mingran stroked his chin. "The Qilin beast they want is probably powerful too."
The mud and rocks swept down by the bluebird rolled down, piling up heavily to block the entrance to the canyon. Several cultivators were about to use their magic to break through the road, but they were attacked by cultivators who caught up from behind, and a fierce battle broke out at the entrance. More and more cultivators arrived, and everyone was caught up in the battle and could not get away, so they had no choice but to join in. All kinds of spells, talismans, and sword energy flew and bombarded the entrance to the canyon.
One after another, cultivators successfully broke through the encirclement, using methods such as burrowing underground, flying, or becoming invisible, and entered the valley to continue the battle.
Only Ding Shengzong remained standing in the same spot.
Zhu Shibai withdrew his gaze and asked, "What do you think?"
“Not difficult.” Shen Qingluo raised her arm, and the storage ring on her finger glowed. She drew a long sword from the air and casually tossed it upwards. The sword flew through the air, and she flipped and leaped onto it. “It’s time.”
"Same as always, you just charge forward, I'll clear the way for you." Guan Wangzhen then leaped onto the blade, stood on its tip, and stood in front of Shen Qingluo.
"I'll guard the rear." Zhu Shibai flew to the end of the blade, his toes almost touching the hilt, his back to the three men.
The long sword towered several heads above Ji Mingran. She looked up; the blazing sun hung high in the sky, its scattered rays should have been dazzling, but the shadows of the three people perfectly shielded her from the blinding light. She stretched out her hand: "What about me?"
"Same old rule." Shen Qingluo lowered the long sword, grasped Ji Mingran's hand, and pulled her up: "Stand still and hide."
Guan Wangzhen turned around and grinned wickedly: "Then launch a sneak attack."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Shibai's eyebrows curved into a smile, but he remained silent.
Ji Mingran climbed onto the blade, stood in front of Zhu Shibai, and hugged Shen Qingluo's back, protecting her securely. As a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator wielding a sword, she, only at the Qi Refining stage, had to be careful not to be thrown off.
“Let’s go,” she said.
On the observation platform, a projection stone projected the image of the four members of the Dingsheng Sect standing on a long sword.
The strange-looking scene quickly attracted the attention of the observers.
"What kind of sword control technique is this? Four people can stand on one sword, and they don't even feel crowded."
"Is the Dingsheng Sect really that lacking in weapons? Or do the others simply not know how to control swords?"
In the scene, the long sword rises shakily, seemingly struggling to support the weight of the four people.
"This gives me a strange feeling of an old ox pulling a cart..."
"Carrying four people, this weight will only slow down the speed. It's really tough for the person controlling the sword, and the spiritual energy consumption will be at least four times higher!"
"They won't crash, will they?"
Amidst the roar of laughter from the cultivators, the longsword in the image suddenly sped off at incredible speed. The cultivators only saw a silver light pierce through the billowing smoke on the projection stone of the chaotic battle at the canyon entrance, breaking the deadlock.
Chaos reigned at the mouth of the gorge, but the longsword charged straight in as if it were empty, forcefully breaking through the group of cultivators, rushing towards the giant stone wall, and speeding into the valley.
The stone wall collapsed with a deafening roar.
Everything happened so fast that there was no time to react.
Attacks whistled through the air, but they were all deflected when they landed on them.
In the blink of an eye, the Dingsheng Sect had passed through the canyon.
"Go!" One of the cultivators reacted first, shouting loudly, and rushed into the entrance where there was no longer a stone wall to block the way.
The cultivators filed in, relentlessly pursuing the Dingsheng Sect ahead.
Countless attacks came from behind, but Zhu Shibai made a hand seal with one hand, and an invisible stream of energy condensed and blasted out, silencing the first wave of attacks.
Shen Qingluo focused her mind and accelerated, her long sword carrying the four of them so fast that they became a blur, and even the projection stone could no longer capture their image.
Sword energy, talismans, poisons...
"Rise." Guan Wangzhen made a hand seal in a deep voice, and the stone wall shattered into mud, shooting out and colliding with the sword energy. The airflow from the collision ignited the talismans, and lightning bolts carrying flames fell all at once, leaving no poisonous creatures hidden in the shadows alive.
Explosions and lightning struck simultaneously, turning the canyon passage into ruins. Amidst the thick smoke and flames, a long sword's afterimage shot out, enveloping four figures on the blade in an invisible aura, golden light flashing by in an instant.
Faster! Faster! Faster! Speed up!
Shen Qingluo focused all her attention on flying with her sword, pushing her speed to the limit. Ji Mingran held her tightly, barely managing to keep from falling.
The participating sects behind were not to be underestimated; cultivators had already caught up within a hundred meters.
Just as they were about to reach the end, the valley walls ahead connected, blocking their path. Shen Qingluo had already pushed her speed to the limit and could not stop directly. The cultivators behind her were in hot pursuit. Zhu Shibai swept away one wave of attacks, and another one arrived.
"Charge! Charge! Charge!" Guan Wangzhen shouted excitedly.
He made a hand seal, and a huge hole was ripped open in the stone wall a thousand meters away. Shen Qingluo reacted quickly, swooping down, swinging his tail, and then braking sharply to shake off the pursuing cultivators and rushing into the cave.
Guan Wangzhen cleared a path through the stone wall, pushing forward along the rocks, sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes left, sometimes right, while Chen Qingluo flew with the momentum. The two cooperated with each other, disrupting the speed of the cultivators behind them.
The four walked a thousand meters through the wall, where more and more mud and rocks accumulated until they reached a point where Guan Wangzhen couldn't push them away in time, and Shen Qingluo was unable to slow down. The four of them crashed straight into it with a "bang".
Boom! The mountain rocks split open, and amidst the thick smoke, the faint light of the Vajra Array appeared, as boulders and clods of mud bounced off and fell.
The four members of Dingsheng Sect forcefully broke through a hole in the mountain and fell down, creating a spectacular scene that attracted many participating disciples who were waiting for the secret realm to absorb the essence of the challenge.
Ji Xingyang was looking around boredly when he saw a group of people lying on the ground and came over with great interest.
The girl in the gray robe lying on top of the human pile also looked up in confusion at this moment. Their eyes met, and Ji Xingyang's pupils dilated, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.
This, this, this...
Those who happened to get up and witnessed this scene looked at each other and sized each other up.
Ji Xingyang was clearly shouting in their direction.
Guan Wangzhen looked at Ji Mingran suspiciously: "Why does he call you 'mother'?" This person is quite heartless and has the qualities to be a scumbag woman.
Ji Mingran squinted suspiciously: "Is he referring to you?" This person's androgynous appearance and strange red hair suggest he might have some hidden potential.
Shen Qingluo: "The first person to suspect others is more worthy of suspicion. But the one who remains silent..." Her bright eyes fixed on Zhu Shibai.
Zhu Shibai was too lazy to get involved. He smiled but didn't mean it, waved both hands in denial and farewell, and then his figure became ethereal and disappeared.
“Alright,” Guan Wangzhen said, “I will prove that I am not the mother, I am still the father!” He stomped his foot, and the illusory figure disappeared.
As the disciples who participated in the trial through the canyon were absorbed into the secret realm one by one, the projection stones gradually dimmed, leaving only half of them waiting to be repaired and connected to the secret realm.
On the observation platform, cheers rose and fell, and the cultivators watching the test clapped and cheered!
"The disciples sent by Dingsheng Sect this time are truly capable; no wonder they are so eager to participate in this competition."
"That stunningly beautiful cultivator's sword control technique is even more powerful than that of Venerable Chongjue's closed-door disciple!"
"I heard that among the new disciples, one is Zhu Shibai, the heir of the Zhu family, another is from the Shen family, and there's that red-haired guy who looks like a member of the Fire Phoenix Clan. It's amazing that this down-and-out sect has managed to gather such a group of geniuses. Dingsheng Sect is really lucky."
"That's not entirely true. You should know that the Dao Sect's Ten Masters also took in many excellent disciples, and they were the ones who passed the exam first."
"No wonder the Qi Refining prodigy of the Dingsheng Sect isn't worried at all; he's got someone to carry him through it all!"
"Hongqi Sect is not bad either; they were the first sect to pass through the secret realm."
"Yeah, I barely blinked and they approved it! Oh my god, I missed the exciting part in the blink of an eye!"
Some insightful cultivators have already offered their congratulations to Venerable Chongjue: "Congratulations, Venerable! The new disciple of Hongqi Sect is so outstanding. I think the winner of the competition has already been decided."
"However, those who were fortunate enough to pass the test still need to undergo trials." Venerable Chongjue responded to the congratulations from those around him who had successfully entered the test, but his heart was filled with gloom.
It was only natural that Hong Qizong would be the first to pass through this mere canyon; those who congratulated him were simply being irresponsible. But they, they actually passed through too.
Like all the cultivators on the observation platform, he watched the competition among the disciples, but no one noticed that his gaze was fixed on the images of the Dingsheng Sect members, staring intently at Ji Mingran.
Hong Qizong was undoubtedly the most outstanding among the participating disciples, without exception. But who was behind this suddenly appearing little girl from Dingsheng Sect—Li Sanyang... or Jiang Xiaoyi?
What if, what if they continue to take their chances...
The Hongqi Sect must obtain the Hidden Stone; there can be no chance of anything going wrong.
Below the canyon, disciples from sects who had lost their eligibility to participate due to the impassable gorge had gathered and returned to the observation platform. Their respective sect leaders had also left their seats in the highest tier. Amidst the mingling crowd, Venerable Chongjue quietly rose and joined the throng heading towards the cloud ladder.
"Won't Venerable Chongjue continue observing the test?" Xiuhe Zhenren asked with concern, his eyes sharp.
His words drew the attention of the remaining team leaders.
Venerable Chongjue smiled gently and said, "The sect has important matters to attend to, I will be back soon."
Venerable Chongjue was the head of the Hongqi Sect, so handling sect affairs was perfectly normal for him. The leader of the group didn't notice anything unusual and continued to wait for the projection stone to display the image.
......
In the forbidden area of Hongqi Sect, at the bottom of the deep pool at the foot of Qianchao Cliff, a few rays of light stubbornly pierced through the pool and fell into the secret chamber at the bottom of the pool, landing on the man hanging in mid-air.
Thirteen fist-thick iron chains intertwined and coiled in the air, tightly binding the man's body. Each chain pierced straight through the man's palms, elbows, arms, knees, and legs, with two of them piercing through his collarbone from front to back and firmly anchoring to the cave ceiling.
From a distance, the black iron chains appear to be intertwined in a disorderly manner, but the chilling light they emit forms complex and indistinguishable shapes and patterns.
A flash of cold light, and blood dripped from the man's collarbone, staining the thick, dark iron stained crimson. A pool of blood formed on the damp, muddy ground. The man's long hair was disheveled, his head drooping, motionless, as if dead.
Suddenly, the man said in a low, hoarse voice, "Speak."
The voice was cut off before it could be finished.
The light and shadow seemed to freeze, and the cave returned to a suffocating silence. The man had not moved at all, and the scene just now seemed to be nothing more than an illusion.
After a long while, footsteps were heard coming from the bottom of the secluded cave.
"I thought this Soul-Locking Array would completely lock you up here." The one who arrived here was none other than Chong Jue, the Sect Master of Hongqi Sect. His eyes were fixed on the man hanging in mid-air. "I didn't expect you to still have the strength to let the Nameless Sect participate in the competition."
The man hanging in mid-air remained motionless.
The chains tightened sharply, and the bones inside the man's body cracked with a chilling sound, causing his body to tremble violently uncontrollably. After a long while, he finally uttered a low sound as a response: "Heh."
The man's voice was weak and hoarse due to being suspended for a long time.
Venerable Chongjue's face darkened. "You must do everything you can to help our sect win the championship. You know how to escape the maze, and you also know what we want."
The man chuckled softly: "Are you scared?"
"Enough with the nonsense."
“After this is done, I may consider letting you go. Otherwise, your little disciple will die in the competition. Don’t think I can’t see through your petty tricks. Apart from him, the other four cultivators are nothing but puppets. Soul splitting, isn’t that your specialty? I’ll release a soul-locking chain so you can split your soul and participate in the competition.”
"Okay." The man finally looked up, his long, black hair revealing striking features and a captivatingly beautiful face.
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