Chapter 160: Offering to the Qilin Lord (1)
The Sword Tempering domain, central region. Deer Chase Plain.
A powerfully built youth with striking features sat upon a small earthen mound, a massive halberd strapped across his back.
In his hand he held a map, his expression somewhat troubled.
“Why is no one coming? Isn’t this the central region?”
With no one to fight, he was bored to the point of anguish, his mind writhing with restless energy.
The token at his waist displayed a conspicuous number: eighty-nine.
He was Li Yi.
Within such a fascinating crucible of combat and its attendant rules of slaughter—
As an extreme battle enthusiast, Li Yi, unable to enter a state of combat, suffered every passing second from the anxiety of “wasting his life and time.”
“Come to think of it, it was far more satisfying back on the battlefield…”
He recalled the days of following Old General Xiao on military campaigns across the sand, the crushing pressure of ten thousand cavalry charging toward him.
A flicker of excitement passed through Li Yi’s eyes.
Later, through a series of coincidences, he had stepped into the world of immortal cultivation. He had originally believed that battles between immortals would be thrilling.
In reality, however, there were no grand immortal battles to be found.
He had even applied to join the expedition to Changping, but because he intended to join Demon Subjugation Peak, the array of assessments required beforehand prevented his application from being approved.
The closest he had come to a truly great battle was a person named Song Yan, who had provoked the Profound Abyss Sect on multiple occasions.
But in the end, even that had not escalated into a full confrontation.
The sparring sessions at Sword Trial Peak were trivial skirmishes at best.
Now that he had advanced to the ninth level of Qi Refining, this was truer than ever.
Among those at the Qi Refining Stage, there were scarcely a handful who could exchange more than a few blows with him. As for Foundation Establishment cultivators—they would not deign to acknowledge him.
His sole desire now was to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm as swiftly as possible, so that he might engage those seniors of Demon Subjugation Peak in proper combat.
“How dull.”
The moment the Sword Tempering began, he had been teleported to the southwestern edge.
He had reasoned that, owing to the barrier’s progression rules, everyone would eventually drift toward the central region.
And so he had fought his way from the southwestern fringe all the way to Deer Chase Plain at the very heart of the Sword Tempering domain.
Yet he had been somewhat astonished to discover that the central region held surprisingly few cultivators.
After cutting down every last one of them and checking his token—including those hapless souls he had encountered earlier—he had only accumulated eighty-nine marks.
This left him somewhat dissatisfied.
“Where in the blazes did all these people go?!”
He grumbled under his breath.
Utterly tedious.
But the thought that, in a few hours, all those who had not been eliminated would converge here for a grand melee made him so excited he could have shed tears.
He rubbed his hands together and was about to tuck the map away.
Then he noticed that a marker had appeared upon it.
“Hm? Someone!”
Li Yi’s eyes lit up.
The fluctuation of spiritual energy from the southeast sent him leaping to his feet in an instant.
He seized the massive halberd from his back and charged headlong toward the southeast.
“Oh? Senior Brother Li?”
The disciple started with surprise. Recognizing the newcomer, his face broke into a pleased expression. “It’s me—do you remember? I am…”
“We’ll talk after a bout!”
“Wait—Senior Brother Li, please show mercy…”
…
Eight and a half hours had passed since the Sword-Tempering Competition began.
The penultimate barrier shift had long since concluded.
Now, the area available for the remaining cultivators to maneuver had shrunk to the central Deer Chase Plain and the four surrounding patches of terrain.
After several rounds of brutal combat, the number of surviving cultivators had dwindled to just over seventy.
Some among them were still lingering at the outermost perimeter, waiting to scavenge whatever they could.
Others were powerful cultivators who had staked their claims atop various strongholds along the outer edges of the central zone.
And still others were fortunate souls who drifted aimlessly, somehow managing to remain within the domain.
At this moment, due south.
A dense forest along the barrier’s edge.
Gu Qingqing walked northward with a tense expression, glancing behind her from time to time.
To outside observers, she appeared to be a lone female cultivator, warily guarding against ambush from behind.
Gu Qingqing’s movements had already drawn the attention of two cultivators.
“Rustle rustle…”
From the ancient trees flanking both sides, the sound of rustling leaves suddenly arose. “…Who?”
Gu Qingqing immediately called out, though her voice betrayed no hint of panic.
Two figures descended from the trees and landed before her.
Judging by their attire, they were disciples of Harmony Peak.
Gu Qingqing stumbled back several steps, appearing to be frightened.
“There, there, Junior Sister—no need to be nervous.”
One of them spoke in a measured, unhurried tone. “I am Chen Youcai. This is my junior brother, Bai He.”
Bai He, standing beside Chen Youcai, offered a slight bow, his expression warm and genial.
“The two of us have been looking out for each other, and have thus far been fortunate enough to avoid elimination.”
“I can see that Junior Sister’s cultivation is not deep, and yet she has traveled alone to this place. You must be a person of extraordinary fortune.”
The two spoke casually, all the while inching imperceptibly closer to Gu Qingqing.
“Sigh… this Sword-Tempering Competition is nothing but a stage for those talented sect disciples to show off.”
“What chance do we obscure disciples have?”
“It just so happens—would Junior Sister be interested in traveling with us? We could look out for one another.”
The two exchanged a brief, sidelong glance.
A female cultivator.
Sixth level of Qi Refining.
Traveling alone.
Her token bore only two spirit marks.
All these factors combined gave the pair the impression of spirit marks ripe for the taking.
“Junior Sister, where did you come from? You haven’t encountered anyone else along the way?”
The cultivator named Bai He asked this while casually producing his map and glancing at it.
He appeared to be studying the terrain, but in truth he was merely confirming whether any other cultivators lingered in the vicinity.
“I greet both Senior Brothers.”
Gu Qingqing seemed to let down her guard. She shook her head gently.
“I am Gu Qingqing. I have not encountered any other fellow disciples along the way.”
How fortunate.
According to the map, there truly was no one else nearby.
Bai He grinned and lowered his voice.
“Senior Brother Chen, today is our lucky day.”
Chen Youcai sauntered to Gu Qingqing’s side, spiritual light faintly gathering in his palm.
“Junior Sister Gu, today your two senior brothers will teach you a lesson, and that lesson is—”
“Wait.”
Gu Qingqing suddenly spoke, a cunning gleam flickering in her eyes.
“Qingqing does not understand such things.”
She grinned, revealing two small fangs. “Whatever lesson you have, take it up with my Senior Brother Song!”
“Hm?”
Hummm—
A streak of black-and-white spiritual light shot forth from an unseen origin!
The light was impossibly fast, and with both men’s attention fixed entirely upon Gu Qingqing, they had no time to react.
Hiss.
The Untethered Vessel, empowered by the natal flying sword.
The faint protective spiritual auras surrounding both men were severed on the spot, and the spirit-marked jade tokens at their waists clattered to the ground.
“Come.”
The two tokens drifted slowly through the air toward the space behind Gu Qingqing.
“Who?!”
The pair blanched with shock. They immediately circulated their spiritual energy to shield themselves while reaching for the two tokens in midair.
Rustle—
Torrential sword qi swept up the fallen leaves covering the ground, and a figure materialized behind them without warning.
It gently patted them on the back.
“Senior Brothers, I must borrow your spirit markings…”
“I trust you will not take offense.”