Daoist Competition

Upon hearing Yang Bingqing speak this way, Ding Daoist’s first reaction was disbelief. He shook his head and said, "I see that person is merely at the Hua Dan Realm. It’s true that he has some skills, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to come here. But to say he can defeat these people of the Lie Xuan Sect, how is that possible? Daoist Yang, do you know who leads the Lie Xuan Sect?"

Yang Bingqing asked in surprise, "Who is it?"

Ding Daoist stroked his beard and said slowly, "Fellow Daoist, as you haven’t been in the Central Pillar Continent for long, you don’t recognize him. He is one of the five disciples under Master Pang of the Lie Xuan Sect, named Bai Kechuan. This person possesses a Dharma Treasure personally bestowed by Master Pang, called the ’Chenhu Card’. Once activated, it emits Four Lights and Four Qi, making him undefeated in battle arrays. He dares to enter our Zhenluo Alliance’s territory with some confidence."

Yang Bingqing sensed a subtle mockery in his words, as if mocking his lack of knowledge, which made him a bit unhappy. However, he also understood that because Central Pillar Continent cultivators have not seen anyone achieve Ascension, they do not place much value on cultivation prowess but rather on Dharma Treasures. This mindset, however, is quite normal for them. Thus, he restrained himself and said, "Brother Ding, such is the conventional wisdom. But this one is indeed different. He excels in the Flying Sword killing technique, and even without using Dharma Treasures, he’s extremely formidable."

"Flying Sword? A Sword Cultivator?" Ding Daoist was taken aback, his face growing pale. He instinctively asked, "Could he be a Shaoqing Sect disciple?"

The location of the Shaoqing Sect is separated from the Central Pillar Continent only by the Age River. Over the past millennia, there have been multiple incursions into the Central Pillar Continent.

During these times, the Central Pillar Continent often needed to rally the strength of the entire continent to contend against them. However, each time it resulted in significant depletion of Primordial Qi, causing sect shifts.

Over a thousand years ago, during the height of the East Splendor Continent, the Mingcang Sect, under the leadership of Sect Leader Qin Qinggang and his junior brother Zhuo Yuming, suppressed the Eight Great Demon Clans of the Beiming Continent. Only the Snake, Turtle, and Carp clans of the Demon Race Ancestral Court remained with some residual strength.

The Yuxiao Sect even extended its influence to the north of South Cliff Continent and the Southern Sea Islands.

The Shaoqing Sect, not to be outdone, dispatched over sixty disciples to the Central Pillar Divine Continent, at one point even reaching the depths of Zheping Mountain.

At that time, all the sects of the Central Pillar Continent joined forces, using the mountainous terrain to lure most of them into a peerless battle array for a struggle, barely managing to repel them.

This battle was especially fierce, with the Shaoqing Sect losing over thirty disciples and more than ten elders, gravely wounding their vitality. The Central Pillar Continent cultivators also suffered heavy casualties, with fewer than one in ten surviving. Consequently, the Golden Ling Sect, Lie Xuan Sect, and Qingshi Temple later rose to prominence.

Even so, to prevent the Shaoqing Sect from attacking again, every Jiazi, they would send a large amount of cultivation external objects to the East Splendor Continent to aid their disciples’ cultivation and nurturing of Flying Swords. This allowed the Shaoqing Sect to reclaim its position as the foremost sect within just a few centuries.

When the Three Sects heard that a great calamity was impending in the East Splendor Continent, they were initially anxious, fearing the Shaoqing Sect might seek refuge in the Central Pillar Continent and initiate another war. However, after gathering information, they realized their fears were unfounded.

The Shaoqing Sect, from top to bottom, was not only undaunted by this great calamity but was eager to engage in a good fight with the Six Great Demon Sects. They were temporarily preoccupied elsewhere, which reassured them to continue enjoying themselves with ease.

Thus, upon hearing Zhang Yan was skilled in the Flying Sword technique, Ding Daoist immediately associated it with the Shaoqing Sect.

Yang Bingqing quickly explained, "This person is not a Shaoqing disciple, but a disciple of the Mingcang Sect."

Relieved to hear he was not a Shaoqing disciple, Ding Daoist relaxed. Though he had heard a bit about the Mingcang Sect, in his view, only its disciples could truly be called Sword Cultivators. The others were not worth fearing.

He glanced at Yang Bingqing and said, "Daoist Yang, as members of the Zhenluo Alliance, now that the Lie Xuan Sect has entered our territory, how can we just avoid them? Miss Situ just sent a signal, and the alliance’s senior brothers will likely arrive soon. If they see us doing nothing and staying away, what would they think?"

Yang Bingqing furrowed his brow and said, "Brother Ding, do you not believe me? I am not speaking nonsense or being cowardly. This person is indeed formidable. If he harbors murderous intent, our lives would truly be at risk."

Situ Rong’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Daoist Yang, is this person truly a Sword Cultivator?"

Yang Bingqing responded earnestly, "There is absolutely no falsehood in my words."

Situ Rong’s expression held a touch of longing, and she mused to herself, "So that’s sword escape, is it? No wonder it’s so swift. I’ve only heard how formidable Sword Cultivators are in the past but have never witnessed it. I ought to take a look."