Daoist Competition

This technique is extremely dangerous; if unsuccessful, at best one’s Primordial Qi will suffer great harm, at worst one’s Dao Foundation will be completely destroyed. Yan Huixin always dared not use it recklessly, but now being forced to the brink, he decided to break the cauldrons and sink the boats, preparing to unleash his Divine Skills and Spells together momentarily, hoping to succeed in one fell swoop.

The sword light rushed towards the sky and submerged into the clouds, but in the blink of an eye, a dazzling trace flashed by, already attacking in an instant.

Yan Huixin raised his Protective Treasure Light and then sacrificed a silk scroll above, releasing yellow light to shield his body. With his mana, whether employing the "Drawing the Ground as a Prison" technique or the "Soul Seizing Heart Mantra," he must wait for the opponent to enter within thirty zhang to cast them effectively. Before that, he would surely face Flying Sword attacks, so he could only quietly await an opportunity.

His idea was extremely clever, but Zhang Yan reached a hundred zhang away, glanced over, smiled slightly, and did not come forward at all. Instead, he flicked his sleeve, and the sword light suddenly scattered and disappeared. Then he pointed forward, and a bit of Clear Light flew out from between his brows, swiftly fixing the silk scroll in place. Then, from the top of the Gang Cloud, a yellow light soared, and with a booming sound, the Xuanhuang Great Hand extended from within, rapidly expanding to a hundred zhang in size, enveloping the sky and the earth, grabbing Yan Huixin who was at a loss on how to counter, and clutching him in its palm.

Yan Huixin was instantly terrified to the point of his Divine Soul nearly scattering, yelling, "Fellow Daoist, hold on, I am willing to offer the token talisman..."

Zhang Yan ignored him, focused on activating his mana, and fiercely grasped with the five fingers of the Xuanhuang Great Hand, crushing him to death in one squeeze.

With an unchanged expression, he waved his sleeve and swept up a radiant token talisman, storing it into his sleeve pocket.

At this time, not far away, two golden lights flew in from a hundred zhang away. As the light dispersed, Yang Bi and Zhu Xin stepped out together, and the couple happened to witness the scene, causing their hearts to shake tremendously.

Though they had long known that Zhang Yan was extraordinary, they hadn’t expected him to be so formidable, defeating a Demon Sect disciple in an instant, and so easily and calmly, as if he hadn’t exerted any effort at all. Consequently, they developed much apprehension towards him.

Yang Bi thought to himself, "I must find a way to establish friendly relations with this person." A smile appeared on his face as he stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, fellow Daoist,"

Zhu Xin also followed suit with a gesture of respect.

Zhang Yan looked at the two, raised his hand to return the salute, and laughed: "So it’s Daoist Yang and Daoist Zhu. It’s a coincidence that you two came here as well."

Yang Bi feared he might misunderstand them as coming to contend for the token talisman, hastily explaining, "My wife and I saw from afar someone using the Divine Power swordsmanship of our Yuan Yang Sect, intending to come and check it out, never expecting True Master Zhang here, making it unnecessary. Given True Master Zhang’s skills, I am sure he can handle it with ease."

Zhang Yan’s eyes flickered briefly, then he said, "I just fought against Yan Huixin of the Jiuling Sect. This person had a Demon Spirit and it should be someone from your sect. I reckon what you two saw was his Divine Skills."

Yang Bi suddenly realized, "So that’s how it is."

He also understood subtle cues and did not probe further, voluntarily changing the topic, saying, "True Master Zhang might as well travel with us to seek the Junyang Pot together, how about that?"

Zhang Yan laughed: "From Daoist Yang’s words, it seems you know where the Junyang Pot is?"

Yang Bi immediately shook his head, saying: "The pot has developed a spiritual nature and can self-locate, where could I know its whereabouts? But on this Star Stone Middle Road, there is a Flying Peak where a senior expert once established a palace. We might as well go there and inquire."

Zhang Yan had no objections, so he agreed, and the three drove their tunneling light towards the middle road.

After traveling for a while, they heard rumbling sounds from the front, and over a hundred li away, they could see Bursting Aura Thunder Light, as if someone was attacking an Array.

The three exchanged glances without speaking more, hastening their tunneling light significantly.

After traveling several dozen li further, the noise by their ears grew clearer and more intense compared to before. Zhang Yan gazed ahead, seeing the spiritual mechanism piercing through the clouds faintly resembling a Dharma technique of the Mingcang Sect, he then turned back and said: "Both of you, I’ll go ahead!"

Yang Bi and his wife were about to reply, but before they could speak, a flower seemed to bloom before their eyes, and a sword light had already shot into the sky, flying far away.

Zhu Xin was slightly stunned and couldn’t help but say, "Husband, Daoist Zhang’s Sword Escape Technique is so fast, it’s almost comparable to the Shaoqing Disciples."

Yang Bi also gazed intently, nodding, "Though compared to the Extreme Sword Lineage of Shaoqing there’s still a gap, right now he’s far above us. If we can reclaim the Junyang Essence, my wife and I can return to practice the ’Heavy Sky Green Cloud’ technique of our sect, making even the most formidable Escape Skill only be at our mercy."

The two then followed by activating their tunneling light, half an incense stick’s time later, a magnificent peak with beautiful landscapes, with pavilions, palaces, flower streams, and waterside houses all complete, appeared before them. Zhang Yan, at this moment, was standing atop a palace conversing with two tall and jade-like cultivators.

"So it’s Mingcang Sect’s Zhong and Luo fellow Daoists."

Yang Bi and Zhu Xin immediately suppressed their tunneling light and stepped forward to greet.

The two disciples of Mingcang Sect had no particular relations with them; Zhong Muqing merely returned a slight courtesy, counting as having greeted, while Luo Qingyu responded with a gentle smile, with no sign of aloofness.

Yang Bi glanced over and saw Luo Qingyu holding a pot in his hand, happily asking: "Brother, is that the Junyang Pot?"

Luo Qingyu smiled without saying much, flicked his sleeve, and tossed the pot over.

Yang Bi raised his energy and caught it, but after examining it, he showed a disappointed expression, saying: "Turns out it’s a fake..."

He looked at it repeatedly, sighing: "It’s extremely well-made, difficult to distinguish its authenticity without careful observation."

Luo Qingyu laughed: "My brother and I came chasing this object, though we largely assumed it was a fake initially, it’s still hard to be satisfied without looking. It’s a pity that Lu Muqiu escaped; otherwise, we could have seized a token talisman."

Yang Bi also expressed a sense of regret, then looked around curiously, asking: "Since you both are here, why isn’t True Master Huo of your sect present?"

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)