Chapter 69: Next!
“Seven Spirit Condensation Realm battles, the Peerless Summit Sect… only one victory.”
Six crushing defeats, and even the single victory was a pyrrhic one, achieved only after the Peerless Summit Sect disciple desperately used a secret technique.
Zou Junxin had anticipated such a result.
But seeing it unfold before his eyes was still disheartening.
Below the Core Formation Realm, ordinary Immortal Domain disciples were indeed at a disadvantage against Demon Abyss disciples of the same cultivation level, but prodigies shouldn’t be like this.
Because prodigies represented the future hope of the sect.
The current situation of the Peerless Summit Sect only indicated that the sect was declining.
In fact, the decline of the Peerless Summit Sect had long been evident.
A thousand years ago, the Peerless Summit Sect bore the brunt of the Immortal-Demon War and suffered heavy losses. Later, they experienced the rebellion, gradually declining to their current state.
During their peak, the Peerless Four of the Immortal Ascension Gate were all at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Now, there was only one at the peak of the Innate Realm—Li Guixing, who was hiding her true strength.
After the last Spirit Condensation disciple of the Peerless Summit Sect left the stage in defeat, a chorus of boos came from the disciples of the Temple on the blood-red bone ship.
“Such a large Peerless Summit Sect, yet there are so few who can compete with the disciples of our Temple?”
“Not to mention among peers, we even relaxed the conditions to the same cultivation level, allowing even those over a jiazi to participate, yet you still can’t do it!”
“Is this it? Is this it? Is this all you’ve got?”
The arrogant demeanor of the Temple disciples made the Peerless Summit Sect disciples on the Falling Flower Peak square burn with shame. Even the joy of the aspiring cultivators who had just passed the Immortal Ascension Gate was dampened, and several began to doubt whether joining the Peerless Summit Sect was the right choice.
Many aspiring cultivators had already quietly left the Peerless Summit Sect.
…This was, undeniably, the Temple of the Nether Spirit’s objective.
A blatant and overt scheme, impossible to defend against.
From the moment the Temple of the Nether Spirit openly challenged the Peerless Summit Sect, this outcome was inevitable.
As a sect of equal standing, and the former leader of the Immortal Domain, the Peerless Summit Sect couldn’t refuse the challenge. The pride of sword cultivators wouldn’t allow them to do so.
But now, it seemed that they weren’t much better off than if they had refused.
“Could it be… that I’m truly not fit to be the Sect Master of the Peerless Summit Sect…”
In an instant, Zou Junxin seemed to have aged hundreds of years. He lowered his head slightly, a stark contrast to the smug Blood Lord beside him.
“Old Brother Zou, why are you lost in thought again?”
Seeing his old enemy so dejected, Blood Lord couldn’t help but feel elated.
“Just… thinking about some things.” Zou Junxin’s expression darkened slightly, and he composed himself.
“Don’t worry, there’s still the Innate Realm battle,” Blood Lord said with a smile. “Your sect’s prodigy disciple, who defeated a peak Innate Realm cultivator at the early Innate Realm, I’m looking forward to it.”
Zou Junxin glanced at the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, who was sitting calmly beside him, and said softly,
“She… might not come.”
A hint of coldness appeared on the Grand Elder’s lips.
He wasn’t worried that Luo Xue would escape, because from the moment he brought this matter to light, it was no longer up to Zou Junxin.
If Luo Xue escaped, the Grand Elder could still reveal her identity within the Peerless Summit Sect, putting Zou Junxin in a difficult position.
Moreover, the Grand Elder also believed that Luo Xue wouldn’t come. Escaping now might give her a sliver of hope, but once she returned, there were only two possible outcomes:
Either be defeated by a Demon Abyss disciple, or be judged by the Law Enforcement Hall.
“Oh?” Blood Lord was taken aback. “Why…”
“Because…”
Zou Junxin hesitated.
Just then, the square suddenly fell silent.
Zou Junxin was stunned and looked down along with Blood Lord and the others.
Surrounded by a group of Temple disciples, a petite, white-haired girl, holding a wine gourd upside down, walked towards them leisurely.
The faint Yin energy in the air had no effect on the girl, and she was completely unaffected by the Foundation Establishment aura deliberately released by the Temple disciples.
“Luo Xue, disciple of Falling Flower Peak, Peerless Summit Sect,” the girl’s voice was still childish. “Body Forging stage of the Innate Realm, I seek a challenge!”
“…She actually came? Didn’t Zhanying take her away?”
Zou Junxin’s eyes narrowed slightly, but then his gaze fell on the wine gourd in Luo Xue’s hand.
“This is… Luo Huaxin’s gourd. Could the rumors be true?” Zou Junxin frowned. “Is she really Luo Huaxin’s daughter?”
The Grand Elder narrowed his eyes, a hint of coldness on his lips. “Seeking death…”
“Is this the prodigy disciple your Grand Elder mentioned?” Blood Lord’s expression was filled with surprise. “But judging by her appearance, she’s only about twelve years old, right?”
She was about the same age and appearance as the Holy Maiden, but the Holy Maiden deliberately maintained a youthful appearance for some reason. This girl’s face clearly showed her childishness; she was indeed a young girl.
“…Yes, it’s her.”
Zou Junxin replied, then turned slightly and looked at Bai Zhanying in the crowd.
“Zhanying, was this your decision… but it doesn’t seem like you,” Zou Junxin thought to himself. “Could it be… her own decision?”
Based on his understanding of Bai Zhanying, she should have taken Luo Xue and fled the Peerless Summit Sect by now.
“Who will… fight me?”
Luo Xue stood calmly among the Temple disciples, not concealing her Innate Realm cultivation.
However, because she was surrounded by Demon Abyss disciples, her demonic aura wasn’t very noticeable.
Except for those in the know, no one could see her true nature.
“Is this little girl still breastfeeding? This isn’t a place for playing, go back and get your adults!”
“You know, her little arms and legs look quite tender. I wonder how she tastes raw…”
“The Peerless Summit Sect has no one! Only a child answers the challenge!”
The disciples of the Temple of the Nether Spirit didn’t care about Luo Xue’s appearance and continued to mock her.
Not far away, Ye Ningshuang and the others looked at Luo Xue worriedly.
“Little Junior Sister…”
They also wanted to challenge the Temple disciples and reclaim the dignity of the Peerless Summit Sect.
But the crushing defeat of their Senior Brothers and Sisters at the Foundation Establishment and Spirit Condensation Realms had made them lose heart.
Although they initially had confidence in Little Junior Sister, after all, she had won first place in all three trials of the Immortal Ascension Gate, but she was still young and her cultivation was insufficient. How could she face the ferocious disciples of the Demon Abyss…
For a moment, before the battle even began, the Peerless Summit Sect was filled with a sense of defeat.
Just then, Li Guixing, who had been pacing restlessly, looked at Luo Xue’s small, thin back and finally made up her mind.
She gritted her teeth and stepped forward.
“Little Junior Sister… I’ll help you!”
Li Guixing took a step forward and stood beside Luo Xue.
The shadows that had always shrouded her dissipated, revealing a delicate and pale face.
…Not a he, but a she.
“Senior Sister Li…?”
Luo Xue was slightly stunned. She didn’t expect Li Guixing to be a girl.
And about the same age…
From her appearance, Li Guixing was at most one or two years older than her, younger than the other members of the Peerless Four.
Hesitation flickered across Li Guixing’s face, but it quickly turned into determination.
“Little Junior Sister,” her eyes showed a hint of firmness, and she whispered, “Let me fight for you. I’m stronger than you! Much stronger!”
With that, Li Guixing revealed her true cultivation.
It was… the peak of the Innate Realm, her aura surging, on the verge of Spirit Condensation.
Ye Liufeng, who was equally famous as her, froze instantly. He had thought he was the leader of this generation’s Peerless Four, and even the sudden rise of Luo Xue couldn’t change that fact.
But he didn’t expect that the usually low-key Li Guixing’s cultivation was actually so much higher than his.
More importantly, Li Guixing was clearly several years younger than him.
Ye Liufeng’s mentality crumbled, his Dao heart shaken.
But now, no one paid attention to him.
“Little Junior Sister, I’m… really strong.”
Li Guixing whispered, her eyes filled with concern for Luo Xue.
Among the disciples of this Immortal Ascension Gate, only Luo Xue was about the same age as her, so Li Guixing naturally felt closer to her.
But Luo Xue had been avoiding people (mainly Ye Ningshuang), so she had been hesitating about how to approach her.
After the final trial of the Immortal Ascension Gate, Li Guixing had searched for Luo Xue for a while, thinking that she had disappeared like after the other trials.
But unexpectedly…
At the moment when the sect was being humiliated, when all the disciples were afraid to fight, this young Little Junior Sister actually stepped forward.
Challenging the ferocious disciples of the Demon Abyss with her early Innate Realm cultivation.
Seeing this, Li Guixing couldn’t stand it anymore.
She didn’t want to see Little Junior Sister be cruelly killed by the Demon Abyss disciples just because of her own self-preservation.
“This…” Luo Xue was slightly stunned. She didn’t expect Senior Sister Li to step forward. “Senior Sister Li…”
Behind her, the voices of the Peerless Summit Sect disciples also rang out.
“That’s right, Little Junior Sister, and us!”
“The entire Peerless Summit Sect is behind you, Little Junior Sister!”
“Little Junior Sister, let us fight!”
Luo Xue was silent for a moment, then she looked up at the Dao Platform.
She couldn’t see the people on the platform clearly from this angle, but she knew that the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall and the Sect Master were watching her.
She had just wanted to find a way to survive, to not make things difficult for Senior Sister, which was why she stepped forward during this sect competition.
But unexpectedly…
Her fellow disciples of the Peerless Summit Sect were like this.
Yes, this was the Peerless Summit Sect, where she had spent twelve years…
No matter what, this fact wouldn’t change.
“There’s… no need.”
Luo Xue shook her head, a gentle smile finally appearing on her lips.
There were still many people who cared about her, and that was enough.
“If you want to help me, then please lend me a suitable weapon,” she looked up at the Demon Abyss disciples, her expression full of spirit. “A heavy sword, the heavier the better!”
Luo Xue’s swordsmanship was clumsy, not sophisticated, she knew that very well.
Therefore, she had to overcome skill with force.
After reaching the Innate Realm, the True Phoenix blood essence, along with the strengthening of her soul, had gradually integrated into Luo Xue’s body.
This was the essence of an ancient divine beast. Even just a drop had brought extraordinary changes to her physical body.
Coupled with the 100 points added to her strength attribute, Luo Xue could feel that her current strength was far beyond what an Innate Realm cultivator could compare to.
This was still without any specialized training. If she focused on body cultivation after reaching Spirit Condensation, crushing opponents of the same level with her bare hands wouldn’t be a problem.
As Luo Xue’s voice fell, the Peerless Summit Sect instantly fell silent.
Soon, countless flying swords appeared in the sky, raining down around Luo Xue, startling the nearby Temple disciples.
“Forged from thousand-year profound ice, the Iceheart Azure, for Little Junior Sister!”
“Infused with the essence of profound iron from a hundred-thousand-year-old rock layer, the Giant Rock Sword, for Little Junior Sister!”
“The horn of a Core Formation mutated beast, the Starhorn Bull…”
“…”
One after another, the calls of “Little Junior Sister,” and one sword after another, were placed beside Luo Xue for her to choose.
Even Li Guixing, after a moment of hesitation, drew her hidden blade and offered it to Luo Xue.
Luo Xue smiled at her and politely declined. The hidden blade was too light, not suitable for her current needs.
Luo Xue looked up and chose the most eye-catching sword among them, casually picking it up.
—It was a two-handed greatsword, even taller than her.
“Not bad, you’re the one.”
Luo Xue hefted it slightly. It was just within the range she could wield.
The owner of the sword stared blankly at Luo Xue wielding it.
“That’s not right, how could Little Junior Sister choose my sword? I could barely use it at the Spirit Condensation Realm with the help of spiritual power…”
But now, Luo Xue was wielding this two-handed greatsword with just her physical strength.
“Who dares to fight!”
Luo Xue held the sword and looked at the Temple disciples.
The petite girl and the giant sword, the image was quite impactful.
The nearby Peerless Summit Sect disciples cheered. Li Guixing, touching her hidden blade, looked at Little Junior Sister’s back and opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.
But in the end, she didn’t say anything, only something seemed to shatter in her heart.
Seeing this scene, the Temple disciples were also stunned for a moment before someone stepped forward.
“Blood Lie of the Temple of the Nether Spirit, I seek your guidance.”
A delicate-looking man with a pale, bloodless face walked out.
“Blood Lie?” Luo Xue tilted her head. “Do you know Blood Evil?”
“Fourth Brother? No, that’s not right…”
Blood Lie responded instinctively.
But he quickly realized that his brother from the Sha Master lineage had infiltrated the Immortal Domain as a spy, and his current whereabouts and alias were unknown.
But how could the person in front of him…
“I’ve already killed him.”
Luo Xue grinned, wielding the greatsword and charging forward, faint purple-red patterns flickering beneath her clothes.
“What!”
Blood Lie’s mind was in turmoil. When he recovered, Luo Xue was already right in front of him.
He hurriedly tried to avoid the attack, but the heavy sword was already swinging down. How could he dodge it?
At such close range, Blood Lie could only forcibly use a divine ability, trying to block Luo Xue.
Yin Blood Poison instantly erupted, blood mist engulfing the surroundings.
But Luo Xue ignored it and charged into the blood mist.
“What! Little Junior Sister is…”
“Haha, idiot, actually charging into the Yin Blood Formation!”
At this moment, the Temple disciples thought victory was certain, and the nearby Peerless Summit Sect disciples fell silent, gasping and saying that Little Junior Sister was reckless.
But in the next moment, Blood Lie’s figure was sent flying, unconscious.
The petite figure in the blood mist dragged the greatsword back a few steps and stabbed it into the ground.
“Next!”
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