Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 367 - 360: Taoist Canon 9

Chapter 367: Chapter 360: Taoist Canon 9

"The Demon King ranked second on the Spirit Talent Rankings is a genuine top-tier genius elite; it took him merely four hundred years to reach this level from the beginning of his cultivation practice," said Lou Xiaofei, the person in charge, with a look of admiration.

"His affiliated Demon Race is a branch of the Painting Demons, which became independent and proclaimed their own king due to some accidents," he added.

"And the last one?"

Lin Xin’s gaze shifted to the last corner.

There stood a gloomy man wrapped in various bandages, appearing as if he had been seriously injured.

He was the first one to walk slowly towards the huge white lantern, indistinguishable from an average cultivator.

He emitted neither a strong spiritual pressure nor any particular ferocity.

"This last one is the person whom even the Second Jade Fox tried to recruit in person, unsuccessfully," Lou Xiaofei said solemnly.

"Even the Second Jade Fox tried to recruit him?" Elder Guan was also intrigued. "What’s the background and status of this person?"

Lin Xin, however, looked at Guan Mingyue, the Elder Guan. This Yuan Jing Elder was usually indifferent and silent; he had no reaction when discussing the previous three.

But upon hearing that even the Second Jade Fox had tried to recruit this person, his interest was piqued.

"Elder Guan, who is more formidable, you or the Second Jade Fox?"

"Your Highness Crown Prince, that’s a rather impolite question," Guan Mingyue said with a wry smile. "But although I’m reluctant to admit it, you should be asking who is more formidable, the First Princess or the Second Jade Fox."

Lin Xin, the person in charge, Lou Xiaofei, and a few other Yuan Dou Demon Sect leaders were all visibly moved.

The First Princess, Her Highness the Great Princess, is the true second top expert of the Yuan Dou Demon Sect, and even among the elders, very few could compare with her.

For the Second Jade Fox to be mentioned in the same breath as the Great Princess indeed means she belongs to the very top tier of the Yuan Jing Level.

"This makes it seem that this last individual indeed has the considerable foundation and confidence to be formidable," Lin Xin mused with some gravity.

Lou Xiaofei nodded emphatically.

"This is Zhu Chihuai, the one ranked first on the Spirit Talent Rankings."

"Zhu Chihuai?"

"The ’Chi’ of red, the ’Huai’ as in locust tree."

"Why such a name?" asked Lin Xin.

"Because he is a locust tree spirit," explained Lou Xiaofei.

As they spoke, suddenly, a hazy grey halo lit up at the area below where Zhu Chihuai stood, followed by the sound of several competing cultivators being violently knocked back.

The competitors stumbled, with blood on their lips, gazing fiercely at Zhu Chihuai, seemingly uttering something, but they were too far away to be heard clearly.

"It seems a conflict has arisen," commented Lou Xiaofei.

"At this first stage, conflicts often occur. No one wants to volunteer to test the Formation first. It seems Zhu Chihuai wants these few to lead the way. They’re unwilling to do so."

From a distance, Lin Xin could only see Zhu Chihuai’s cold face as he quietly moved his lips, speaking to those competing cultivators.

There was a total of eleven competitors, each a top expert ready to make a breakthrough to the Yuan Jing level at any moment.

Yet, he faced off against three, completely overpowering the opposition.

After a standoff, it seemed Zhu Chihuai employed some tactic, and those cultivators gradually relented, entering the white lantern of their own accord while he followed behind.

This was the first group to enter the white lantern, with the Demon King and his two companions following suit. The other two, Ouyang Fuchang and Gao Kuo, entered the white lantern leisurely.

Lin Xin waited patiently for a while. The hosts from Tiancheng didn’t seem to have any intention of showing a transparent process of breaking the Formation, instead letting everyone wait.

Time trickled away.

Soon night fell, but those present were cultivators, and commoners were scarce. The few who were commoners held extremely special status in the mortal world. With provisions for food and drink supplied, there was no sense of urgency.

No one was restless. Some cultivators simply meditated on their seats, while others walked around the venue.

Daylight gradually returned, and the second day dawned with no change in the white lantern. A mere three-story tall lantern, now containing eleven of the best cultivators close to breaking through to the Yuan Jing Level, had no signs of activity even after a whole day.

The second day swiftly passed, then the third day... fourth day... fifth day...

Some of the less patient cultivators were beginning to show their irritation.

Boom!

Suddenly, a violent tremor erupted in one corner of the venue, as if something had exploded.

Lin Xin, who was also meditating with his legs crossed at the precise tip of the hosts’ boat, opened his eyes abruptly a few seconds before the tremor, looking towards that direction.

Guan Mingyue reacted faster, having already turned his attention to the spot.

From a corner of the green square, billowing smoke could be seen, with many Bronze Armored Guards rushing over, and even some Silver Armor Guards following.

"What’s happening?"

Lin Xin asked in a low voice.

"Not sure, but it seems like they’ve caught a suspicious character," Lou Xiaofei hesitantly said, "Silver Armor Guards are only mobilized when a suspicious character is apprehended at the venue."

Lin Xin glanced in that direction, feeling an odd intuition as if sensing a potential connection with himself there.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, amidst a piercing screech, a black demonic Qi surged towards the sky, morphing into a gigantic skull that opened its mouth and emitted a silent, mocking laughter.

"Is this the emergency signal of our sect?" Lou Xiaofei was immediately taken aback.

Lin Xin also stunned for a moment, as if realizing something, then quickly regained his composure.

"It’s our people; something’s happened! Let’s go check it out!"

He stood up and flew towards the site. Lou Xiaofei hurriedly turned back to call a few others to follow. Guan Mingyue, however, remained stationary, not even opening her eyes, as if unaware of the incident.

When Lin Xin and the others arrived at the explosion site, there were already some cultivators surrounding it, all there to watch the excitement.

Seeing the organizers arrive, the crowd parted to make a path.

Walking into the crowd, the encircled faces at the center were instantly caught by Lin Xin’s eyes.

********************

"I’ve already said it! We didn’t cause that explosion. A person in black suddenly attacked us and we had to defend ourselves. Now we are injured, and you still won’t believe us?"

Wang Peng explained, rather helplessly, to the two Silver Armor guards.

He also kept Rongyan, Qiuling, and the little Jade Fox behind him for protection.

But the two Silver Armor guards clearly sported mocking faces, obviously not believing a word he said.

"Alright, if what you were doing was sending a flare, then finish up and come with us," one Silver Armor guard said unkindly.

"If you keep delaying here, don’t blame us for not being polite."

"We shouldn’t have bothered with them and just taken them away," grumbled a Bronze Armored Guard. "Cousin, this guy hurt me. Attacking the Defensive Guard directly, he must be a spy!"

"Your whole family are spies, damn it!" Qiuling couldn’t hold back and cursed from behind. "I’m a spy? With which eye did you see me committing spy actions, you jerk?"

"Your vulgar language reveals you’re not a cultivator here for the ceremony!" the Bronze Armored Guard sneered. "Cousin, why bother talking to her? Lock her up in the Ultimate Prison for a dozen days, and see if this wretch still dares to be so defiant!"

This Bronze Armored Guard was known for being domineering and ostentatious within the guard unit, often even the regular Silver Armor guards wouldn’t dare to provoke him. He had not expected to be so angered by these strangers today, and it seemed not just a misunderstanding but a deep grudge as well.

"Take them away," one of the Silver Armors said indifferently. He wasn’t clear about the specifics, but knowing his cousin’s lecherous nature, and glancing at the stunningly beautiful little Jade Fox hiding in the group, he could guess who was in the right.

Such incidents were not new.

However, what worried him was the flare signal they’d just let out, which seemed to belong to the Yuan Dou Demon Sect, so he hurried to clarify and manage the situation, to avoid any complications. Once things were settled, it would be easy to suppress any issues that might arise later.

The guard unit, being infiltrated by people from the three major organizations, naturally had factions and severe internal strife. This Silver Armored guard was affiliated with the Wei Family.

The Wei Family represented the foremost power of the Tianyun Path, and their displeasure stemmed from not securing the position of the overall leader this time, having it snatched away by a Golden Armor Elder of the Yuan Dou Demon Sect. The whole Wei Family was nursing a grudge.

Now seeing that troublemakers had used a signal from the Yuan Dou Demon Sect, their anger was intensified.

"Take them away."

As soon as the command was issued, several Bronze Armored Guards lifted their hands, releasing a fine net woven from bronze filaments. At the same time, two others held a red and a blue spike-like shuttle Magic Artifact, lightly shining it on the bronze net.

Hiss...

Just as Wang Peng and the others were about to act, they saw the net vanish into thin air, leaving them without a target.

"What’s going on?!"

Qiuling hastened to ask, feeling slightly uneasy about the net from just a moment ago.

"Be careful!"

Rongyan suddenly pulled her arm, yanking her back and pulling her away from where she had stood.

Hiss...

A massive red net emerged from her previous position, its copper wires glowing red-hot as it swiftly descended towards the four of them!

"Cousin, be careful not to harm the little Jade Fox!" the Wei-surnamed Bronze Armored Guard urgently transmitted his voice.

"What about the others?" the Silver Armor guard asked inconclusively.

"Kill the men, the women, heh, we can have our fun with them! Pin a spy label on them and throw them into the Ultimate Prison—whoever it is, not even Elder Yuan Jing could pull them out alive," the Wei-surnamed Bronze Armored Guard sneered. He felt the distinct wound on his back, a special injury sustained during a skirmish with that man after being caught in the transaction.

Even in the Snow Mountain Dao Convention, Wei Tiancheng was a notorious figure that no one dared provoke. It was surprising that he’d been wounded by a nobody.

Furthermore, having been seen during the transaction, he feared that leaving the man alive would only lead to complications.

Thinking this, he gave a look to his cousin and swiftly gestured with his hands.