Daoist Competition

This treasure indeed flies slowly; as long as the cultivator’s escape technique isn’t too poor, they can carefully dodge and avoid it, posing no real threat. After a brief thought, he decided not to confront it head-on, unfurled his Flying Sword, and charged to the clouds, intending to loop past it from above.

Yan Huixin also realized that this treasure couldn’t trap Zhang Yan, so he merely used it to buy time. He muttered incantations under his breath, and after a short while, he pointed at the moon pattern on the banner’s surface, which immediately emitted a bright radiant light, illuminating a spot seven feet in front of him, from which a young cultivator strode out leisurely.

This person’s appearance was outstanding; his skin was smooth as jade, his eyes clear, dressed in Daoist clothes, and he wore no crown on his head. Unlike those previous demons who lacked intelligence, his gaze settled on Yan Huixin, and he said, "I remember you are a disciple of Daoist Song?"

Yan Huixin quickly bowed, saying, "Indeed, Junior encountered a formidable enemy today and hopes Senior can assist me. After this matter is over, Junior will release your beloved wife’s Primordial Spirit for reincarnation, and if I break this oath, let Heaven and Man abandon me."

The young cultivator chuckled and said, "In the past, when I willingly boarded your master’s banner, I anticipated this day would come, and finally, it’s here."

He glanced back, noticing a sword light flying across the sky, his expression slightly tense, and asked, "Who is this person? Could they be a Shaoqing Disciple?"

Yan Huixin hurriedly said, "This person is one of the disciples of the Mingcang Sect, and among the Top Ten Disciples."

The young cultivator seemed to recall something and immediately showed interest, muttering, "In the past, I sparred with one of the Top Ten Disciples of the Mingcang Sect, Chen Ziyi. I wonder how skilled this person is; let me go and meet them."

After speaking, a golden light flashed atop his head, a sword plate flew out, and with a step, he transformed into a Clear Light, heading straight towards Zhang Yan’s tunneling light.

Meanwhile, in the southwestern corner of the Star Stone, Feng Haiyang gazed intently, riding the billowing Yellow Smoke as he rushed towards the central path.

Upon learning of Gao Ruowang’s death, he already knew that all previous arrangements by the Demon Sect were futile; any attempt to salvage the situation was riddled with problems, so he allowed the Yang couple to escape, no longer exerting effort to pursue them.

Now, on the surface, it seems the Demon Sect is doomed, but he still has one strategy that might help reverse the situation. However, he is uncertain of its success and thus hasn’t informed anyone.

After a moment’s flight, he suddenly halted his tunneling light, his gaze fiery, looking towards a Flying Peak.

In the midst of rocky streams, a Devil was chasing an object, which at first glance appeared to be a pot, but upon closer inspection resembled a tree root, ancient and gnarled.

This object moved ahead, and despite the Devil’s pursuit and attempts to bite it, it remained elusive, occasionally emitting laughter like a child’s, as if playing games.

Feng Haiyang’s eyes shone with peculiar light as he took out a token talisman from his Sleeve Bag, urging his Mana, which immediately emitted a shimmering glow.

The pot, which had been joyously running, sensed the Spiritual Energy from the token talisman. It seemed displeased, grumbled a few times, twisted a little but didn’t continue running, stopping far away, allowing the Devil to catch it in its mouth.

With intention, Feng Haiyang summoned the Devil, then reached out and grasped the spiritual pot, examining it closely. The pot’s surface was azure-yellow, hard yet smooth, neither precisely wooden nor jade-like. Inscribed upon it in tiny characters were the words "Can Contain the Vastness of Heaven," and flipping it over revealed another line, reading "Can Hide Ancient Green," matching what the sect elders had described. He couldn’t help but smile, saying, "It truly is this object."

After pondering a while, he guided the token talisman, and the pot gently shifted, emitting a clean, bright Qi mass from the spout, accumulating in the air, like smoke or rosy clouds. Just a glimpse made him feel wholly transparent, invigorated, nodding approvingly.

This object was indeed the "Qiantian Junyang Essence." Though this mass seemed sparse, it was considerable; returning it to the sect would undoubtedly be a great achievement, aiding future establishment of a Grotto Heaven.

However, compared to all the essence within the pot, this amounted to merely a small portion.

He secretly sneered, now that he’s here, he intends to seize all the essence from this pot, leaving none for the Xuanmen disciples!

Only, for this, his current cultivation is insufficient.

Despite the onset of the Demon Tribulation, the Xuanmen Sect remains formidable, with Xun Huaiying, Huo Xuan, Zhang Yan, Zhou Huang—none of whom are easy foes. Alone, he can defeat them; but faced with them collectively, he can only retreat.

To surpass this group, he must strive to enter the Nascent Soul Third Realm!

Accomplishing this will greatly enhance his Daoist Cultivation, and his Gang Cloud can transform into a Nascent Soul Dharma Body. The "Ten Thousand Spirits Yin Void Tribulation Water" could also be refined into the most formidable Devil to sweep away all Xuanmen Sect Disciples with ease.

His gaze slowly fixed on the Junyang Essence mass. If he returns to the sect and steadily refines it, within a decade, he’ll likely break through barriers.

But the current urgent situation means Xuanmen disciples could find this place at any moment; he must rapidly refine it, ingesting enough essence for decades. If the suppression fails and it rebounds, it would mean immediate death, unable even to save his Primordial Spirit.

Success would mean ascending to Heaven in one step; failure would entail a body and soul’s destruction, completely dispersed within the universe!

Facing this life-and-death boundary, even Feng Haiyang hesitated, but he was no ordinary person. After a brief struggle, he decisively cast it aside, gazing at the sky, silently praying, "May the Spirit Sect’s fortune prevail; if Heaven’s Heart favors me, help Feng Haiyang break through the Gate and achieve Mysterious Skill."

After finishing, a brilliant light burst from his eyes, the three groups of Gang Cloud atop his head spun, absorbing the entire strand of Junyang Essence!

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)