Daoist Competition

As the two were speaking, there was a sudden loud noise from the clouds. A beam of starlight flew down from the sky and stopped above them.

The light appeared like a silver river spanning the sky, brilliant and dazzling. At this time, the starlight split to both sides, and from it emerged Zhou Huang, looking down with cold eyes like blades. After a moment of silence, he said in a deep voice, "Zhang Yan, Shen Yinfe injured my junior brother. Why did you stop me? Are you going against my Yuxiao Sect?"

Without any expression on his face, Elder Shen recalled that during the Sword Fighting Conference, Zhang Yan had killed Zhou Qingyun in front of everyone, which did not violate the rules, leaving the Yuxiao Sect helpless. But the killing of Xie Ke Ming was a different matter, and no one could clearly explain the reason behind it, giving the Yuxiao Sect leeway to cause trouble in the future.

Even if Zhang Yan was a disciple of the Mingcang Sect, he probably wouldn’t want to get entangled in such trouble. Therefore, he speculated that although Zhang Yan would protect him, he wouldn’t reveal the true reason for the incident.

Zhang Yan smiled slightly, clasping his hands behind his back, and said generously, "Xie Ke Ming was killed by me, Zhang Yan, and has nothing to do with Elder Shen. Master Zhou, what do you intend to do?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Shen couldn’t help but turn his head to look over. He never imagined that Zhang Yan would dare to openly admit it without any evasion whatsoever.

Zhou Huang’s expression changed several times as he stared intently at Zhang Yan.

It was no longer the time when they first entered the Star Stone. Back then, he had the assistance of fellow disciples, but now that Xie Ke Ming had already perished and with Demon Sect disciples lurking nearby, Zhang Yan and the other man were together. Even if he thought he could kill the two of them, it would likely come at a great cost, possibly benefiting the Demon Sect.

After a moment of calm consideration, he said nothing and turned his head, activating the starlight to escape. In an instant, he had disappeared into the sky.

Seeing him leave, Elder Shen couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief and said, "True Master Zhang, if this man were to insist on making things difficult for us, it would undoubtedly be a fierce battle."

Zhang Yan said lightly, "That would be just what I wish for."

Elder Shen was taken aback, then burst into laughter, cupping his hands, "If that’s truly the case, this Old Daoist would not hesitate to fight to the death."

Hearing his hoarse laughter, Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow involuntarily. As he turned his head to take a closer look at Elder Shen, he noticed that although his face showed spirit, there was a hint of fatigue in his eyes, and his complexion was gloomy. He asked, "Is Daoist Shen perhaps injured?"

Elder Shen shook his head, "It is not so. The ’Golden Luo Earth Axis Talisman’ is the Sect Leader’s token in our sect and has several prohibitions. The First Realm of prohibition is manageable, but the subsequent ones require Mysterious Skills to be combined. Just now, this Old Daoist forcibly broke the prohibition to unlock a constrained Divine Skill, suffering considerable damage to my Primordial Qi, and requires some recuperation."

Zhang Yan pondered briefly and said, "There is abundant Spiritual Energy here. Daoist Shen, why not find a place to cultivate in seclusion? As long as you don’t wander randomly, I reckon no one will seek you out. If you truly encounter a crisis, you might as well use the token talisman."

Elder Shen nodded silently, which was the best. He needed at least an hour to recover. Zhang Yan still needed to search for Junyang Essence and couldn’t stay here to watch over him. Only when his Mana was fully restored could they meet up again.

Just a few miles away from the two, Yan Huixin was hiding behind a high hill. Watching Zhou Huang fly away in tunneling light, he felt a twinge of regret.

Earlier, Lu Muqiu had called him to retreat, hoping to take advantage of the enmity between Zhang Yan and Zhou Huang and let them clash. If one of them died or both were seriously injured, that would be best.

However, seeing that the two had not fought, he became greatly disappointed.

Now he faced a dilemma: to continue delaying Zhou Huang or to stop Zhang Yan?

Neither of these two was easy to deal with. Not to mention Zhou Huang, just through a round of fighting, he could only rely on the Demon Spirit to tangle with him. Zhang Yan was even more difficult, as even Gao Ruowang had been killed by him. The thought of such an adversary made him feel fear and trepidation.

After pondering, he remained undecided and mentally called upon Lu Muqiu, seeking a method.

Moments later, Lu Muqiu responded in his mind with urgency, "Brother Yan, by all means, you must stop Zhang Yan. Zhou Huang can be temporarily ignored."

Yan Huixin frowned in reluctance and asked, "Why?"

Lu Muqiu patiently explained, "The Yuxiao Sect is far south of East Splendor, usually having little interaction with all sects and shallow relationships. Even if we let Zhou Huang leave temporarily, he won’t immediately join other Xuanmen Sect Disciples and will more likely seek the Junyang Essence first. But Zhang Yan is different. He is from the Mingcang Sect and is originally with Huo Xuan, Luo Qingyu, and Zhong Muqing. If they end up responding to each other, we will have no chance of victory in this swordfight!"

Yan Huixin was startled, understanding that Lu Muqiu’s words made sense. It would be fine if the four Mingcang Sect disciples were scattered, but together, even with five of their own, it would be difficult to deal with. However, he still hesitated at the thought of confronting Zhang Yan, remaining silent for a long time.

Seeing that he was unwilling to agree, Lu Muqiu grew anxious inwardly. If Zhang Yan were let go, it was likely he’d come their way. This was a matter of life and death, with no room for delay. He pleaded, "Brother Yan, in such a critical moment, we Spirit Sect Disciples must work together to overcome the crisis!"

Yan Huixin, shifting his thoughts, said, "It’s not that I’m unwilling. Zhang Yan’s sword escape is swift. How can I pursue him?"

Lu Muqiu immediately responded, "It’s not difficult. I will assist you with the ’Inch Map Thousand Miles’ technique, allowing you to keep up."

As soon as his voice fell, Yan Huixin felt a surge of mana. After hesitating for a moment, his body began to move.

Before he knew it, the scenery around him had changed, and his expression suddenly turned extraordinarily grim.

At this moment, just a mile to the south, a rainbow-like sword light was flying straight toward him.

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)