Daoist Competition

At this moment, Lady Xu was drenched in sweat, panting heavily, her face pale, her entire body trembling slightly, clearly on the verge of exhausting her mana.

The competition within the Illusion Realm was not without harm to her. Every time an illusion was killed, it was as if a part of her Divine Soul was severed. If this person before her was to be killed again, she might not die, but she would be like a lamp with the oil dried up, with no power to fight back.

What made her even more uneasy was that she had barely held on for an hour, yet she still felt no sense of relief in her heart, making her inevitably anxious.

She reached into her sachet and took out a red Elixir Pill, holding it under her tongue to gather a bit of spirit, and then began to call out within her Heart and Spirit.

After half a cup of tea’s time had passed, still no response came. Just as she was hesitating whether to disregard Huo Xuan and withdraw herself, she heard Lu Muqiu’s weary voice echo in her heart, saying, "As your brother, I have just escaped from danger. Junior Sister Xu, please hold on a little longer, and I will perform a spell to move you."

Hearing these words, Ms. Xu’s beautiful eyes lit up, her whole person slightly invigorated, and with a gentle shout, she squeezed out more mana, puffed up her cheeks, and blew again, forcing out a wisp of gray-white Mirage Qi from the treasure ocarina, merging it into the mist.

After a dozen breaths, a Banner descended from the sky, fluttering and dancing within fifteen feet in front of her, its portal wide open.

Ms. Xu’s heart relaxed; as long as she entered this Banner, she wouldn’t need to engage this formidable enemy in front of her. However, she couldn’t retreat immediately at this time, otherwise, once Huo Xuan woke from the Illusion Realm, he would definitely rush in to kill her, and if engaged in direct confrontation, she was absolutely no match for him.

She furrowed her brows for a moment, then stood up, stepping forth, the Snow Jade Ganoderma at her feet rising, swiftly growing taller, and the cap expanding larger until it reached a width of a thousand feet before stopping.

Seeing clouds swirling and mist spraying above the Ganoderma, releasing a radiant auspicious light, she couldn’t help but exhale gently. With this treasure to block momentarily, even if Huo Xuan broke through the Mirage Realm to come out, she should remain unharmed.

This Blood Ganoderma was a gift from a friend, accompanying her for a century, having the effect of Clearing Heart and Firm Thought, greatly beneficial to cultivation, and at critical moments could withstand Dharma Treasure attacks. She loved it dearly in ordinary times; if she still had mana, she would certainly take it with her, and abandoning it like this was somewhat regrettable, but it was still better than losing her life here.

After a final reluctant glance at this treasured Ganoderma, she stood up, gathered the last bit of mana, withdrew the Divine Skills, and using the Gang Wind, flew up, soaring into the Banner.

However, before reaching the Banner, she heard a clear sound ringing in her ear, and as it penetrated, though not sharp, it felt as if a heavy hammer struck her head, and with a scream, blood spurted from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and she fell backward.

Before her body hit the ground, a Coiling Dragon Golden Spear emerged from the Mirage Qi, piercing through the treasured Ganoderma like paper, then, with a tearing sound, stabbed through her right rib, protruding from her left waist, the immense power it carried sending her body flying horizontally until it pinned against a peak rock, finally stopping.

At the same time, the Banner seemed to be struck by some invisible force, the flag surface shuddering, letting out a mournful cry, and shattered instantly.

Miles away on a high cliff, Lu Muqiu sat cross-legged on the ground, feeling a sweetness in his throat, spat out a mouthful of blood that soaked his front, and exclaimed in amazement, "Nine Mountains Clear Sound?"

He coughed twice while covering his mouth, a bitter smile on his face; his Banner having been broken, temporarily, no one but himself could wield that Moving Divine Ability.

Within the Mirage Qi, a Gang Wind was slowly rotating, dispersing all the gloom it encountered, the dense fog gradually receding, Huo Xuan’s sleeves hanging at his sides, stepping out slowly from within.

Though he was dragged into the Mirage Realm, after traveling through it and slaying several foes, he tempered his will and honed his Heart Realm, unexpectedly gaining quite a benefit.

Back on the outside, he calmly surveyed the surroundings, making sure there were no enemies nearby before turning his gaze towards Ms. Xu.

This woman, pinned by the Great Sun Dragon Sparrow Spear, with even her Primordial Spirit unable to escape, was not yet dead. Blood hung at her lips, her beautiful eyes looked at Huo Xuan, sighing mournfully, she said, "If I did not retreat, how would I know the outcome?"

Huo Xuan spoke solemnly, "It was nothing but a beautiful dream, how could it disturb my Heart Realm."

After finishing, the golden red Gang Cloud above his head rotated, releasing a mass of Blazing Fire with a roaring sound, landing on the mountain top, consuming Ms. Xu’s body and Primordial Spirit alike.

Determining the direction, Huo Xuan leapt into the air, transforming into a blazing golden fire, breaking through the void, speeding towards the Star Stone Middle Road.

After traveling for a moment, he suddenly saw a Flying Book floating towards him ahead, immediately stopping to reach out and catch it, opening it to read, nodding slightly, then casually destroying the flying message, expanding his tunneling light again, continuing forward. After nearly half an hour, he saw a picturesque Flying Peak appear ahead, and several familiar figures were waiting there.

Just as he was about to step forward to greet them, a loud sound suddenly echoed in his ears, like countless tides rushing and flowing. He turned in surprise to look, his gaze concentrating.

Southeast of the Star Stone, a black water rose above the sky surface, countless Flying Peaks of hundreds or thousands of feet in size frantically swirled and danced with it, resembling sand grains in a storm, and beams of dark light flew out in all directions, the momentum extremely astonishing.

Huo Xuan’s expression was exceptionally grave, such phenomena clearly indicating someone had made great strides in cultivation, breaking through barriers, thus inciting a riot of Spiritual Energy in this realm, and since Xuanmen Sect Disciples’ breakthroughs were devoid of such violent phenomena, the other party could only belong to the Demon Sect.

He glanced at that tumultuous long river of black as ink, already knowing who it was.

"Feng—Hai—Yang!"

...

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