Daoist Competition

After Zhang Yan cleared the Dharma Platform of the Lie Xuan Sect, he entered the earth gully passage.

He found a square stone to sit down and then brought out the long-bearded Daoist. Without much effort, he understood the details. It was then that he realized that he became a wanted individual by the various sub-platforms of the Lie Xuan Sect.

He didn’t care at all about this. Even without this incident, passing through this Dharma Platform today wouldn’t have ended peacefully.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a slight tremor on the ground and glanced to the side, only to see a group of robust, single-horned five-colored fierce bulls coming around the corner, snorting heavily. Upon seeing someone here, their eyes glinted with ferocity, and with a roar, they charged forward with their heads lowered, aiming their single horns ahead.

The long-bearded Daoist looked horrified and wanted to escape, but his body was restrained and couldn’t move, sweating in his urgency, only saying, "Run, run, these are Five-Colored Earth Bulls!"

Zhang Yan remained calm. Just as the earth bull was about to reach him, he casually extended his hand and firmly grasped the single horn. No matter how much strength this massive beast exerted, accompanied by its low growls, even as the mud beneath its hooves turned over, it was still unable to advance a single step in his hand.

The long-bearded Daoist, lacking much insight, was also stunned by Zhang Yan’s display of might. Then, with a shiver throughout his body, he realized Zhang Yan’s power, thought of his own predicament, and became fearful. He forced a smile and said, "Fellow Daoist, that was just a misunderstanding. If you let me go back, I will no longer pursue this matter, and even the pursuit order from the sect, I can find a way to have it withdrawn."

Zhang Yan ignored him entirely. Glancing over, he saw the single-horned fierce bull’s eyes were blood-red and its mind unclear, clearly under an evil curse. If it were an ordinary mountain spirit monster, it would have collapsed to the ground in front of him, not daring to charge at all.

He turned the bull’s head aside and saw a copper needle inserted beneath its neck, hidden beneath the fur, impossible to detect without close inspection.

Upon this realization, he couldn’t help but sneer.

So that’s how it is. What mythical beasts causing trouble? This is clearly the Lie Xuan Sect deliberately using these Five-Colored Earth Bulls to harm people, seizing the opportunity to draw in followers. Such despicable means, deceiving the world, how could they still be called a Xuanmen sect?

Zhang Yan cast a sidelong glance, seeing the divine statue in the arms of the long-bearded Daoist, he sneered coldly in his heart: "Your disciples and grandchildren are unworthy, yet you have no fault? Your disciples are disrespectful to my Mingcang Sect’s ancestor, so don’t blame me for showing some color."

With a sweep of his sleeve, as the wind passed by, only a "crack" was heard as he shattered the divine statue.

The long-bearded Daoist stared at the wood fragments and dirt powder in his hand, dumbfounded. After a while, he began to tremble all over, pointing at Zhang Yan in disbelief, "You, you dared to shatter the Ancestor Master’s divine statue?"

He looked crazed, his face turning beet red, shouting, "This is a divine statue personally bestowed by the Sect Hierarch. Seeing this statue is like seeing the Ancestor. You dared to act against it; it is disrespect to my Lie Xuan Sect. No matter if you go to the heavens or the earth, my sect will surely execute you!"

Zhang Yan laughed heartily and said, "Then I will be waiting for you all." He stood up, wrapped the Water Element True Light, and took the long-bearded Daoist and the Five-Colored Earth Bull inside,

Now, as a solitary person, with the Sword Escape Technique at hand, capable of stepping out at any moment with the God Contract Technique, and carrying the Star Pivot Palace, even if the Lie Xuan Sect was even more powerful, what was there to fear?

He motioned once more, collecting the Yu Gu True Spirit and the Mountain and River Child into the Dharma Treasure, and then mounted the sword light, swiftly flying away.

The light flew like electricity beneath the earth’s surface, unhesitant in the face of any hard stones or rocks obstructing the path, breaking through directly with the sword light, advancing quickly.

At this point, he could genuinely appreciate the benefits of Lady Wang’s secret map. The underground pathways were vast and complex, and for ordinary people, even if they recognized a few routes, they wouldn’t recognize those leading thousands of miles across. Only such a Great Clan had this kind of background.

Though the Mountain and River Child also knew the way, when he first arrived here, the previous owner was a Nascent Soul True Master, unafraid of the Extreme Sky Gang Wind, hence traversing from above Yun Tian without going beneath the ground, having no ability to navigate the underground pathways.

However, after Zhang Yan went through it once, the Mountain and River Map would remember, so if disciples came here in the future, they wouldn’t need to seek guidance from the island’s residents.