Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

"You think you can save him just because you say so? Who do you think you are?" Ruan Ying of the Sun and Moon Sect glanced at Wen Qingye and scoffed.

Liang Qing’s imposing gaze bore down on Wen Qingye. "The Daoist School of Non-action and the Celestial Profound Sect have always stayed out of each other’s way," he said, his tone pressuring. "I hope you won’t set a bad precedent."

Seeing the crowd’s reaction from the side, an idea sparked in Jiang Wu’s mind.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Hearing Liang Qing’s words, Wen Qingye couldn’t help but burst into laughter. "Are you threatening me?"

Liang Qing’s eyes were incredibly cold, devoid of any emotion. "If you take it as a threat," he said slowly, "then it is one."

Suddenly, Jiang Wu stepped forward and shouted, "Elder Gu of my Taiyi Pavilion has said that whoever kills Wen Qingye will receive a Taiyi Order!"

"The Taiyi Order!?"

Hearing this, everyone in the crowd stared in astonishment.

"You mean *the* Taiyi Order? The one that grants access to the Taiyi Pavilion’s Martial Arts Tower?"

"The Taiyi Pavilion is so tyrannical. Wen Qingye killed Wang Hai on the Qinglan Platform, and their retaliation has already arrived."

"They’re actually offering a Taiyi Order. The Taiyi Pavilion must be truly furious."

The Taiyi Order was a token the Taiyi Pavilion used to build connections with powerful experts. Legend had it that obtaining one granted access to the Pavilion’s Martial Arts Tower to peruse their collection of Martial Arts. But for Wen Qingye, a disciple of the Celestial Profound Sect, was the Taiyi Pavilion truly willing to offer such a reward?

Liang Qing, Ruan Ying, Li Da, and everyone around them stared at Wen Qingye with fanatical looks in their eyes. The Taiyi Order was an incredible opportunity. It would not only allow them to curry favor with the Taiyi Pavilion but also grant them access to its Martial Arts. With such a prize right before their eyes, how could they not be tempted?

This was especially true for the Asura Sect and the other powers that held a grudge against Wen Qingye. They were all trembling with excitement, a bloodthirsty red glow in their eyes.

’The Taiyi Pavilion is really sparing no expense to kill a genius from the Celestial Profound Sect,’ the Ring Spirit couldn’t help but frown.

Standing behind the crowd, Tu Bai couldn’t help but shake his head. ’This is going to be messy,’ he thought. ’That kid is more than he seems. I’d better not get involved.’

"Brother Fangg, is Senior Brother Liang really going to fight Brother Wen?" Fang Yu asked the slightly chubby Fangg Xin beside them.

Fangg Xin shook his head. "Everyone has their own thoughts, and I know what Liang Qing is thinking. However, I will not fight this Wen Qingye. I can’t see through him."

Fang Yu nodded, their eyes darting around before locking onto Wen Qingye and the group opposing him.

Ruan Ying suddenly chuckled. "I have no interest in this Taiyi Order. Besides, the Sun and Moon Sect has no quarrel with the Celestial Profound Sect. Please, feel free to do as you wish."

After speaking, Ruan Ying took a small step back, her mind slowly calming. ’I don’t know how strong Wen Qingye is, but I’ve fought Li Xingyun before. Even someone as powerful as Li Xingyun was killed by him. If I were to fight him, I’d have almost no chance of survival. Why risk my life for an impossible prize?’

Ruan Ying’s withdrawal was like a bucket of cold water dumped on the crowd. ’She’s right. Even Li Xingyun fell to Wen Qingye’s sword. Can any of us be certain of victory?’

’Besides, this is just Jiang Wu’s scheme to sow discord. Why should we become his pawns?’

Such was the power of a reputation.

Wen Qingye hadn’t said a single word, yet the crowd was already hesitating, unwilling to move.

"SHING!"

A soft hum vibrated through the air, and a sharp longsword was suddenly pressed against Gan Ziyuan’s neck.

Jiang Wu looked at Wen Qingye, a cold smile in his eyes. "Wen Qingye, you want to save him? That’s exactly why I refuse to let him live."

"Don’t!"

Seeing this, many in the crowd cried out, trying to stop him.

SPLASH!

Without a shred of mercy, Jiang Wu slashed his sword. Blood sprayed high like a fountain. In an instant, a head flew from its shoulders, rolling several yards before coming to a stop at Wen Qingye’s feet.

Gan Ziyuan was dead!

Wen Qingye stared at Gan Ziyuan’s head on the ground. His eyes were as tranquil as an ancient well, calm as still water, but it was a calm that terrified anyone who knew him.

Ruan Ying frowned deeply at Jiang Wu. "Brother Jiang, that was unwise. You killed him? What about the Five Pattern Qiu pelt?"

"Patience, everyone. I know where the Five Pattern Qiu pelt is," Jiang Wu said with a confident wave and a smile. Then, his smile vanished. He pointed his sword at Wen Qingye and said, "Just wait a moment. I have to kill Wen Qingye first."

"You’re the first to dare challenge the authority of my Taiyi Pavilion," Jiang Wu said, glaring at Wen Qingye. With a flick of his sword, his Primordial Qi surged forth like a raging dragon.

At that moment, Jiang Wu seemed to become a sharp sword pointing to the sky, his aura rocketing into the heavens.

"Today, whether you flee to the heavens or the earth, you will die!" With a sharp SHING, the One Thought Sword left its sheath. Wen Qingye fixed his chillingly cold eyes on Jiang Wu.

Yan Yuhuan asked nervously, "Jingwen, do you think that kid... Wen Qingye, is he a match for Jiang Wu?"

Seeing that Pei Yuan’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, Liu Jingwen breathed a sigh of relief. Her gaze then shifted worriedly to Wen Qingye. "He’ll be fine," she said, "but Jiang Wu is an outstanding disciple of the Taiyi Pavilion. He’s a genius who has even slain a Destruction Realm expert. I’m afraid..."

Liang Qing narrowed his eyes at the scene ahead and sneered. "Wen Qingye is done for this time. Apart from those few peerless prodigies of the Taiyi Pavilion, the Seven Dignitaries, this Jiang Wu is exceptionally formidable. He’s ranked twenty-ninth on the Cyan Cloud List."

"I wouldn’t be so sure," Fang Yu said, shaking their head. "Senior Brother Liang, from what I can see, Brother Wen’s strength is far from simple."

Liang Qing didn’t argue with Fang Yu. Crossing his arms, he watched the two fighters gathering their power. "Then we’ll just have to wait and see."

"Wen Qingye! I, Jiang Wu, will gladly take your head!"

With a great shout, Jiang Wu condensed a massive amount of Primordial Qi onto his blade. It transformed into a crystalline, cold light that spiraled toward Wen Qingye, intent on tearing him apart.

SLASH!

The beam of cold light was instantly sliced apart. It hadn’t even come within thirty feet of Wen Qingye before he cleaved it in two with a single slash.

"Not bad. You have some skill. Though your cultivation is only at the Yin-Yang Realm Eighth Heaven, your actual strength is quite impressive."

Jiang Wu showed no sign of panic. Instead, his sword began to dance, its movements tracing the shape of a flower. Moments later, two blossoms formed from pure Sword Qi shot toward Wen Qingye.

Li Da exclaimed, "What incredible sword skill! That’s at least the First Layer of Tunnel Swordsmanship."

The onlookers were also secretly shocked.

This sword technique was truly wondrous and unforgettable.

As the sword-blossoms danced toward him, Wen Qingye remained perfectly calm. He retreated with small, extremely clever steps. No matter how nimbly the blossoms twisted and changed, they could not get near him. After taking three more steps back, Wen Qingye suddenly swung his sword at them.

A wave of sword light surged upward. With a single slash, Wen Qingye disintegrated the sword-blossoms back into raw Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, which then reversed course and shot madly toward Jiang Wu.

No matter how fast Jiang Wu was, he couldn’t match the speed of the returning Primordial Qi. He had no choice but to furiously brandish his sword, creating flashing arcs of light to shield his vital points.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

The sound of explosive impacts was relentless. Jiang Wu retreated rapidly, the blood roiling in his veins.

Just as Jiang Wu regained his footing, he abruptly shot backward again. A massive gash appeared in the ground where he had just been standing, left by a Sword Aura from Wen Qingye’s previous attack.

’Too close,’ Jiang Wu thought, a lingering fear in his heart.

Wen Qingye held the One Thought Sword flat in his hand. He suddenly turned it, pointing the blade to the sky. A stray strand of hair, before it could even land on the blade, was bisected by the Sword Qi and fell to the ground.

"You’re not very strong, but you sure talk big."