Behind the academy, towering cliffs rise, shrouded in mist, and swaying trees in the wind, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.
On a clearing at the edge of a cliff, Zhuge Changdeng and Li Jiang stood facing each other, each holding a sword in one hand.
The young talents and masters' martial arts competition attracted many academy disciples to watch. When Qing and the other two arrived, Mu Dong and Shen Xun were already in the crowd.
Passing through the crowd of disciples to the front, Qinghe saw the two protagonists standing in the center of the arena, swords in hand. One was handsome and elegant, with a breezy air, while the other was strong and muscular, with a touch of ruthlessness.
Qinghe has always been confident in Li Jiang's strength, but her opponent, Zhuge Changdeng, is no ordinary person either. In a duel between people of equal strength, the two will definitely go all out, and it is impossible to predict who will win or lose.
With a slight twitch of his brow, Qinghe nudged Shenxun, "Who do you think will win?"
She had thought that the Heavenly Book, which possessed the power to foresee the future, could give her a definite answer, but Shen Xun simply watched the show silently and did not give any reply.
Qinghe, realizing she had made a fool of herself, fell silent. But from an angle she couldn't see, a white light flashed in Shen Xun's eyes, disappearing in an instant.
He frowned slightly, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at the direction behind him.
Migratory birds fly by, their clear calls piercing the sky.
The wind blew up Li Jiang's robes, her green dress fluttering and her ink-black hair curling. As the wind subsided and her hair fell, she flicked her wrist, and a cold glint flashed from her sword. In the next instant, she moved swiftly, pointing her sword at Zhuge Changdeng.
Zhuge Changdeng stepped backward with one foot on the ground, and with his right hand, he drew the Huanque Sword from behind to meet Li Jiang's sword.
Daoist cultivator versus sword cultivator, Jun Yan versus Huan Que – this battle was destined to be spectacular from the very beginning.
The clash of swords and fluctuations of spiritual energy continued to emanate, causing everyone to retreat in order to avoid disrupting the fight.
Someone exclaimed, "Our senior brother has made great progress in his cultivation during his travels. Look how brightly the Huanque Sword shines in his hand, and the red light on it is even brighter than before."
Someone replied to him, "That's right. Sword cultivation is inherently difficult. Senior Brother has already reached a level that is outstanding. Not to mention that he also has a good sword to help him cultivate. It's only a matter of time before he proves his Dao with the sword."
Another person said, "However, I'm afraid Senior Brother will not be able to win today's battle. That Young Master Li's moves are fierce and his strength is solid. Although his weapon is not as good as Huan Que's, he has the advantage of being extremely fast. If this continues, I'm afraid Senior Brother will lose."
Some agreed, some disagreed, but these words had no effect on the two fighters.
Li Jiang moved like lightning, the Junyan sword in his hand emitting a faint cold light. When Huan Que pressed down again, he raised his sword to block it.
He frowned slightly, sensing something was amiss, and said, "Brother Zhuge, we agreed to stop here."
Zhuge Changdeng was engrossed in the fight and didn't care much when he heard this. He said, "What do you mean by 'stopping when you've reached the point of no return'? Once the sword is drawn, it must draw blood. I don't want to lose to you again!"
Li Jiang said in a deep voice, "You want to kill me?"
Zhuge Changdeng grinned bloodthirstyly. "You're my friend, how could I kill you? But in battle, there are always sacrifices. Huan Que has been unleashed, and swords have no eyes. You'd better watch out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the phoenix shone brightly with red light. Zhuge Changdeng turned around gracefully, raised his wrist, and the phoenix flew away, hovering in the air behind him.
He clasped his hands together, fingers touching, and silently chanted an incantation. Under his control, the Huanque Sword transformed into countless blades, and under the red light, the outline of a bird spreading its wings faintly appeared.
This change prompted onlookers to exclaim, "It's the Sparrow Spirit! I never expected that Senior Brother would actually cultivate the legendary Sparrow Spirit!"
Qinghe suddenly looked at the red light behind Zhuge Changdeng. Although it was far away, she could still feel the powerful force within the red light.
Her gaze darkened as she looked at Li Jiang.
Li Jiang is no longer his match.
Just as Huan Que reached the peak of his power and charged towards Li Jiang, Zhuge Changdeng suddenly opened his eyes wide, his blood and qi reversed, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Brother Zhuge!"
Li Jiang rushed forward and supported Zhuge Changdeng's swaying body.
Zhuge Changdeng glanced at him, but before he could say anything, he lost consciousness.
"Senior Brother!"
The disciples watching wanted to step forward, but since the Sparrow Spirit's power was still intact, no one dared to approach easily.
Upon seeing his son injured, Zhuge Hongming disregarded everything else and quickly walked to Zhuge Changdeng's side to check his pulse.
"Fortunately, his primordial spirit wasn't injured." He lifted Zhuge Changdeng's arm and flashed towards his residence.
The red light did not dissipate after Zhuge Changdeng left. Centered on the Huanque Sword, it clung to the left and right, with a huge bird suspended in mid-air, gradually taking on a physical form.
A surge of powerful spiritual energy suddenly pressed down on the ground, and someone shouted, "Watch out!"
Li Jiang was still standing where Zhuge Changdeng had been. Before she could turn around, her hands moved with lightning speed, instantly gathering spiritual power to block Huan Que's attack.
Overwhelmed by the overwhelming red light, Li Jiang was forced to retreat. The next moment, he felt someone pressing against his back, and a continuous stream of spiritual energy flowed into his body.
He turned his head and said, "Qinghe, you should leave quickly. Its target is me. If it sets its sights on you, it's no joke."
Qinghe countered, "Given my personality, do you think I could just sit idly by?"
Li Jiang insisted, "The power of ancient artifacts is boundless, beyond our reach. If something happens to you, how can I explain it to my master!"
Qinghe: "I can't care about any of that. All I know is that if we leave Qingyun Sect together, we must all return together, not one of us can be missing!"
Behind him, Qi Rong took a step forward, intending to use her palm to resist the red light. Qing He keenly noticed this and suddenly turned around, shouting, "You are not allowed to make a move!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Rong stopped in her tracks and silently lowered her hand under Qing He's gaze.
He then looked behind him and said, "You brat, aren't you going to help?"
Mu Dong, who had been standing there in a daze, suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly ran behind Qing He, raising her palm to channel spiritual energy.
Shen Xun remained standing in place, looking behind him and then at Mu Dong, as if deep in thought.
A moment later, he seemed to understand something, stepped behind Mu Dong, and grabbed his belt.
Mu Dong thought he was there to help, so he was completely unprepared. But in the next moment, he was suddenly lifted up by Shen Xun and then struck into the red light with a palm!
Mu Dong floated into the air, passing Qing and Li Jiang, and flew into the red light with a shrill scream.
The red light was invaded, and the Huanque Sword was instantly triggered. The sword trembled and immediately withdrew its attack on Li Jiang, turning to attack Mu Dong instead.
"Are you crazy! He'll die!" Li Jiang shouted angrily, and hurriedly reached out to pull Mu Dong away, but it was too late.
Shen Xun, however, remained unmoved, and even a smile appeared on his lips.
Just when everyone thought Mu Dong was doomed, a turning point appeared in the next instant.
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