Daoist Competition

After pondering for a moment, his expression became unusually solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "Everyone, from this moment on, we must be careful and never travel alone."

Feng Haiyang seemed to have only advanced by one realm, merely enhancing his Daoist cultivation significantly, and he should not yet be a threat even to our combined forces. However, matters are not so simple.

Now, he has no need to engage them directly. He can simply hide and cultivate. With the Spiritual Energy here, his cultivation will surely improve day by day until Da Xuan Sect can no longer resist him.

As he holds the Junyang Pot, the Xuanmen Sect disciples are forced either to confront him or admit defeat in the swordfight, putting him in a highly advantageous position.

Zhang Yan, after some thought, suddenly said, "Brother Huo, in my opinion, we still have a chance."

"Oh?" Huo Xuan’s spirit slightly lifted, and he said, "Please elaborate, Junior Brother Zhang."

Zhang Yan chuckled and said, "Feng Haiyang’s departure may not necessarily be to avoid us. Were I him, I might seek out lone fellow Daoists from the Shaoqing or Yuxiao sects, so he could be going to cause trouble for them."

Huo Xuan nodded slowly, agreeing, "What you say makes sense, Junior Brother, but we don’t know where those fellow Daoists are. Splitting up to search is unwise. What should we do?"

Zhang Yan said, "No need for concern. I have a Treasure Mirror that can probe shadows of things within hundreds of miles. Previously, I feared disturbing Feng Haiyang, so I did not take it out, but now it can be used."

As he spoke, he took out the "Moon Washing Mirror."

Huo Xuan was overjoyed and said, "With this, our Xuanmen still stands a chance. Please, Junior Brother, hurry and cast the spell."

Zhang Yan held the mirror, first aligning it northward. With a slight exertion of Mana, a beam of Mirror Light shot forth, sweeping up and down. After a stick of incense’s time, nothing was seen. He then swept it eastward, where still nothing appeared. Moving to the south, midway through the scan, a blinding light flashed, leaving the mirror image blurred and uncertain.

Realizing it must be Zhou Huang’s doing, he was unfazed, smiled, and moved on, turning the mirror westward, where he discovered a fierce swordfight in progress.

He focused his gaze and said, "It is Master Xun. Judging by the situation, he seems to be fighting Wei Chi Yun of the Haiyin Sect."

Shifting the Mirror Light slightly, he noticed a faint Yellow Smoke drifting away, almost imperceptible without careful observation. He squinted and said, "Please, take a look, everyone."

Just as he spoke, the Yellow Smoke seemed to sense something, flickered lightly, and vanished without a trace.

Though it was just a fleeting glimpse, everyone immediately deduced that Feng Haiyang was, as Zhang Yan suggested, planning to attack Xun Huaiying. Should this Shaoqing disciple fall, Xuanmen would suffer a significant loss.

Huo Xuan pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhang Yan and said earnestly, "Junior Brother Zhang, you are the best among us in Escape Skills and have the Treasure Mirror. Perhaps you should go first and assist Master Xun; we will follow shortly."

Zhang Yan smiled slightly, readily agreeing, and bowed, saying, "Everyone, I will go ahead."

With that, he swiftly leapt, guiding his sword light deep into the clouds, heading westward.

Zhang Yan knew well that, once detected by the Mirror Light, Feng Haiyang might not persist in trying to kill Xun Huaiying and might retreat early. Besides, there was another possibility: he might turn his attention to Zhou Huang.

If this were the case, it would confirm that Demon Sect Practitioners also have Divine Skills or a Dharma Treasure capable of tracking others.

As for Zhou Huang’s fate, had he not countered the Mirror Light, given the shared threat, Zhang Yan might have mentioned this to Huo Xuan and the others. Now, it was up to Zhou Huang to fend for himself.

Under the southern position of the Star Stone, Zhou Huang summoned the "Sun Cleansing Mirror" back into his hand. He sneered; when the Mirror Light came earlier, he sensed it was Zhang Yan searching for him.

Unsure of his intentions, he didn’t want his location revealed, so he used the Sun Mirror to reflect it back. As these two mirrors were a pair, the Sun Mirror naturally countered the Moon Mirror, easily nullifying it.

Sizing up his surroundings, he raised the mirror and flashed it toward a specific position, instantly sending a beam of Mirror Light forth.

Even though his fellow disciples had all perished, he walked alone but, confident in his Divine Skill, "Complete Heaven Square Inch," had no fear.

Searched meticulously for nearly half an hour, yet found nothing, he thought, "I’ve traveled all this way and still haven’t found any trace of the Junyang Pot. Could it be that it’s already been taken by a Demon Sect Practitioner?"

He frowned at the thought; if so, that would be troubling.

When Feng Haiyang attained the Nascent Soul Third Realm, the phenomenon stirred vast spiritual mechanisms. Though he did not witness it, he sensed it from afar, convinced that if this treasure fell into Feng Haiyang’s hands alone, there was no way he could seize it back by himself.

As for joining forces with the other Xuanmen Sect Disciples, he was reluctant. After careful consideration, he thought, "Huo Xuan, Xun Huaiying, and others, if they seek the Junyang Essence, will certainly encounter the Demon Sect Practitioners. I don’t need to rush; I can wait and act then."

While deep in thought, he suddenly sensed something amiss, a chill entering his bones. Turning abruptly, he found, a hundred yards ahead, a dark river appearing in the Void, with a man standing upon it, hair loose, clad in a yellow robe, notably without even half a Gang Cloud above him. Seeing Zhou Huang, he made a Daoist bow and said, "Daoist Zhou, Feng has come specifically to take your life."

...

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