"Haha, Junior Brother Zhang!"
Suddenly, someone heavily slapped Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder.
At this moment, all of Zhang Xiaofan's attention was on Tian Ling'er, who was gradually walking away. He had completely failed to notice the situation around him and was greatly startled, jumping to the side. Turning to look, he saw it was Zeng Shushu, whom he had just met that morning.
Zeng Shushu's face was full of smiles, his expression relaxed. He looked Zhang Xiaofan up and down, then shifted his gaze to the monkey Xiao Hui beside him.
Xiao Hui saw that extremely annoying fellow running over again and looked most displeased. Baring his teeth, he made a grimace, then turned and jumped onto Da Huang's back, slapped the dog's head. Da Huang glared and barked twice at Zhang Xiaofan and Zeng Shushu, then ran off at full speed.
Zhang Xiaofan furrowed his brow and called out, "Xiao Hui, come back, don't run around."
Zeng Shushu said with a smile, "Don't worry, don't worry. Three-Eyed Spirit Monkeys are extremely clever; they won't get lost."
Zhang Xiaofan shrugged. He turned his head and was about to speak to Zeng Shushu when suddenly his heart stirred. Turning to look, he saw that the direction Da Huang had run with Xiao Hui on his back was indeed the kitchen. His heart thumped, and he blurted out, "Ah, you damn monkey, you're going to..."
Zeng Shushu asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Xiaofan coughed dryly and gave a dry smile. "N-nothing. By the way, Senior Brother Zeng, weren't you going to participate in the contest? How do you have time to come find me?"
Zeng Shushu smiled. "Oh, I've already finished competing. Having nothing to do, I saw you here and came over to say hello."
Zhang Xiaofan was surprised. "What, you've already finished? What was the result?"
Zeng Shushu snapped his fan shut with a swish and rubbed it against the black hair on his head. "Uh, I accidentally won a match, heh heh."
Zhang Xiaofan saw his nonchalant appearance, looking nothing like someone who had just experienced a great battle, and asked cautiously, "Senior Brother Zeng, could it be that your cultivation is very high?"
Zeng Shushu immediately waved his hand. "Aiya, what are you saying, Junior Brother Zhang? My meager cultivation—how could it possibly be enough for the occasion? If my father didn't constantly force me to cultivate, I wouldn't even bother cultivating the Dao. Spending my days raising flowers, feeding birds, and reading books—what carefree days those would be! But speaking of which," he reached out and put his arm on Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder, leading him forward as he lowered his voice, "I truly didn't expect that at this Seven Peaks Martial Contest, there would actually be someone worse than me."
Zhang Xiaofan gave a bitter smile. "There are plenty of people worse than you!"
Zeng Shushu shrugged, not caring in the least. "So what if there are many? Anyway, no matter how greedy I am, I wouldn't dare hope to win in the end. But I'm rather interested in that Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey of yours, heh heh. Junior Brother Zhang, how about you give it..."
Seeing his shifty merchant-like expression, Zhang Xiaofan immediately said, "Senior Brother Zeng, don't get any ideas about my Xiao Hui!"
Zeng Shushu choked, his eyes rolling. "Then I'll trade you something for it. You don't know—on Wind's Return Peak, I've raised many fun and exotic things, like three-legged rabbits, black-and-white peacocks, shell-less turtles, and winged snakes..."
Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but ask, "You really have that many strange creatures?"
Zeng Shushu looked pleased with himself. "Of course. I didn't spare any effort collecting these treasures, and I didn't get scolded or beaten by my father any less for it. But I just like your Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey. How about it? What do you like? I'll bring it to trade?"
Zhang Xiaofan shook his head. "No. I'm raising Xiao Hui only because I see that it has a fate with me. Besides, your black-and-white rabbits, shell-less peacocks, and whatnot..."
Zeng Shushu immediately corrected him, "Three-legged rabbits, black-and-white peacocks—the shell-less one is a turtle!"
Zhang Xiaofan stuck out his tongue. "Oh, right, right. But I'm not interested in those. I still won't trade."
Zeng Shushu's eyes rolled again. He pulled Zhang Xiaofan to a secluded spot, looked around, his face full of secrecy, and whispered, "Junior Brother Zhang, then let me show you something good. See if you like it?" Saying this, he pulled out a thick book with a blue cover from his bosom and handed it to Zhang Xiaofan.
Zhang Xiaofan took it and saw that the book had no title, and the cover was old and worn, apparently quite ancient. Looking at Zeng Shushu's expression, he appeared outwardly calm, but his lively eyes kept glancing around, very vigilant. His originally delicate and handsome face now looked somewhat strange, even wretched. It seemed this book either recorded a peerless cultivation formula or was a rare, unique volume.
Zhang Xiaofan shook his head. "Senior Brother Zeng, I cannot accept such a precious book. Moreover, my aptitude is too poor; it would be useless even if I took it. I also don't want to trade Xiao Hui for it, so put it away."
Zeng Shushu glared at him and whispered, "Don't say that without looking. Look first, hurry."
Seeing his strange manner, Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help but feel a bit curious about the book. He opened it and was immediately stunned. In an instant, his face turned red. It turned out that inside this thick book, besides a large amount of text, there were many illustrations depicting naked men and women embracing and entwining—it was actually an erotic art book. It was the first time in Zhang Xiaofan's life that he had seen such a thing. Coincidentally, the paintings in this book were exquisitely detailed, the figures depicted vividly. His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but blurt out, "Senior Brother Zeng, y-you, how could you have this kind of thing..."
"Shh!" Startled, Zeng Shushu hurriedly snatched the book back and tucked it into his bosom. Then he carefully looked at the fellow disciples walking around, glared at Zhang Xiaofan, and said, "Not so loud."
Zhang Xiaofan came to his senses, but was still shaken. He lowered his voice. "Senior Brother Zeng, how can you have—uh, read this kind of book?"
Zeng Shushu pursed his lips. "So what if I've read it? Let me tell you, this is a miraculous book. I heard it's even a unique copy! I don't know how much effort I spent to obtain it. I guarantee that after reading it, you'll laugh proudly in the flower groves from then on, winning the hearts of all the women in the world. How about it, using it to trade for your Xiao Hui..."
Zhang Xiaofan immediately shook his head. "No."
Zeng Shushu said angrily, "Not this, not that—what exactly do you want?"
Zhang Xiaofan honestly replied, "I don't want anything."
At his wit's end, Zeng Shushu spat, "How can you be like a block of wood?"
Zhang Xiaofan chuckled, not minding, but his gaze involuntarily drifted into the distance. Amidst the faint, drifting white clouds, that beautiful figure flickered in and out of view.
Giving up, Zeng Shushu put away the book. With a swish, he opened his fan again and fanned twice. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bells and cauldrons ringing in the distance—it seemed another match was beginning.
Zeng Shushu glanced in that direction, suddenly smiled, and pulled Zhang Xiaofan. "Come, I'll take you to see the most popular figure in the Qingyun Sect at this martial contest."
Zhang Xiaofan was stunned. "Who is it?" He paused, his expression suddenly darkening. "Is it Senior Brother Qi Hao of Dragon's Head Peak?"
Zeng Shushu let out a surprised "Yi?" and looked at Zhang Xiaofan with some astonishment. Still, he shook his head. "Senior Brother Qi's cultivation is naturally greatly renowned, but haven't you heard? This time, the one receiving the most attention is someone else."
Zhang Xiaofan thought for a long while, then still asked, "Who?"
In what seemed like an instant, Zeng Shushu had completely forgotten their earlier argument. His face full of smiles, he said mysteriously, "Won't you know if you come with me!" Saying this, he pulled Zhang Xiaofan forward. Zhang Xiaofan couldn't help himself, and his heart also couldn't help but feel curious about this so-called mysterious figure, so he followed.
Zeng Shushu led Zhang Xiaofan straight toward the largest of the eight arenas, the "Qian" Platform. Walking behind him, Zhang Xiaofan looked ahead and saw that beneath this platform, Qingyun Sect disciples were a veritable sea of people, packed so tight not even water could leak through. At a glance, there were at least four to five hundred people. Zhang Xiaofan roughly calculated in his heart and estimated that at least half of the Qingyun Sect members in the square had gathered beneath this platform. Most of them were young male disciples.
When the two walked closer, the clamor gradually grew louder. All around were the excited discussions of Qingyun disciples.
"Little Bamboo Peak has always produced beauties. I heard that this time's Lu Xueqi is acclaimed as the most outstanding beauty in five hundred years!"
"As if you need to tell me? That day, I saw her in the Jade Pure Hall. She truly could topple kingdoms and cities—Ah, who hit my head? Huh, Martial Uncle?"
A white-bearded old man beside him said angrily, "You little brat. You are a cultivation practitioner; your heart should be like still water. How can you still be so covetous of beauty? If you were to get on stage, wouldn't you just stare at that face and lose before you even fought?"
"...Yes."
"Hmph, that's why I told the peak lord long ago—beautiful women are the source of calamity. Our Qingyun Sect shouldn't accept female disciples."
"Cough, cough. Martial Uncle, you truly are, uh, wise and brilliant, but isn't your voice a bit too loud?"
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, no." Those few young disciples hurriedly surrounded him, put on smiling faces, then lowered their voices. "Martial Uncle, Master Shuiyue is sitting inside."
"..." Lowering his voice, the old man said, "Hmph, if not for the sake of our fellow discipleship, I would have long..."
The disciples all agreed in unison, jointly praising the old gentleman's profound cultivation, broad-mindedness, and unwillingness to haggle with petty juniors. Zeng Shushu and Zhang Xiaofan exchanged a glance. Zeng Shushu shrugged. Zhang Xiaofan whispered to him, "The person you mentioned—is it a senior sister from Little Bamboo Peak?"
Zeng Shushu nodded, glanced toward the platform, and said, "It hasn't started yet. You'll know her reputation in a moment. But, sigh, there are really too many people here."
As they spoke, the two turned this way and that, yet they were still circling the outer edges of the crowd. The inside had long been packed full with layer after layer of Qingyun disciples; not even a needle could squeeze in. Zhang Xiaofan grew more and more curious. It seemed this mysterious figure truly possessed overflowing popularity—to think so many Qingyun disciples had been drawn here.
Zeng Shushu's face was anxious, and he kept saying, "Oh no, oh no, there are no good spots left. I should have come here last night to wait in line."
Zhang Xiaofan was surprised. Before he could speak, Zeng Shushu's eyes suddenly lit up. He saw several dozen Wind's Return Peak disciples standing ahead. Without a word, he grabbed Zhang Xiaofan and rushed over. When the Wind's Return Peak disciples there saw it was Zeng Shushu, they all broke into smiles. A tall man laughed, "Heh, you're late."
Zeng Shushu ignored him, pulled Zhang Xiaofan, and squeezed inside. The Wind's Return Peak disciples were obviously very fond of Zeng Shushu; one by one they moved aside, and Zhang Xiaofan benefited by squeezing in as well. Before long, the two burrowed into the inner circle. The view here was indeed excellent. He saw seven or eight people sitting closest to the arena. The Qingyun Sect Leader, True Person Daoxuan; the Dragon's Head Peak Lord, Daoist Cangsong; and the Little Bamboo Peak Lord, Master Shuiyue were all seated there. The others were mostly famous elders of various peaks. Behind them stood densely packed Qingyun disciples. The most eye-catching were the group of beautiful female disciples from Little Bamboo Peak standing behind Master Shuiyue. Wen Min, whom Zhang Xiaofan knew, was among them. But the one standing closest to Master Shuiyue was that blue-clothed beauty from the drawing of lots in the Jade Pure Hall the day before. At this moment, she was still as cold as frost, incomparably pure and beautiful, attracting countless gazes.
"See? It's her." Zeng Shushu nudged Zhang Xiaofan with his elbow, signaling him to look at the blue-clothed woman. Zhang Xiaofan looked at the woman a few more times and whispered, "She's the popular one you mentioned?"
Zeng Shushu looked intoxicated. "Popular or not, I heard Lu Xueqi hasn't been an apprentice for very long, so her cultivation is hard to gauge. But everyone says that if we're talking about beauty, it's absolutely none other than her!"
Zhang Xiaofan furrowed his brow. "Senior Brother Zeng, you look wretched when you're drooling!"
Zeng Shushu: "...Ahem, d-do I? Heh heh, you must be seeing things. Right, look at our fellow brothers around us?"
Zhang Xiaofan looked around and saw that among the surrounding young generation of Qingyun disciples, most people's gazes were fixed on the group of beautiful female disciples from Little Bamboo Peak. In particular, the blue-clothed woman Lu Xueqi attracted even more attention. However, it seemed these beauties were long accustomed to such attention; each one was composed and calm. Lu Xueqi especially had no expression on her face, cold as frost, as if completely ignoring the male fellow disciples behind her.
Zeng Shushu swallowed and whispered to Zhang Xiaofan, "Speaking of which, it's no wonder. Our Qingyun Sect has been recruiting young disciples on a large scale these years. Look around—there are at least three to four hundred people our age. Heh heh, our cultivation isn't deep, so naturally we're easily tempted."
Zhang Xiaofan glanced at him obliquely. Zeng Shushu's originally delicate and handsome face now seemed to have changed its flavor. Recalling that book from earlier, he felt as if the character for "lust" was written on Zeng Shushu's forehead.
Zeng Shushu turned his head, surprised. "Junior Brother Zhang, why aren't you looking at them but staring at me instead? It's because I hit it off with you and consider you a friend that I pulled you over to see. Right, which one of them do you think has the best figure?"
Zhang Xiaofan immediately turned his head away. In his heart, he added the word "wolf" to his evaluation of Zeng Shushu.
At this moment, the originally loud commotion suddenly quieted. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lu Xueqi stepped forward and gave a salute to Master Shuiyue, who was sitting in the chair. Master Shuiyue nodded faintly and said, "Go."
Lu Xueqi responded. She straightened her clothes, her right hand gently forming an incantation seal, and her bright, beautiful eyes looked toward the platform. At this moment, the faint cloud qi at the white jade slab beneath her feet suddenly began rotating and gathering toward her from all directions with extreme speed. Very quickly, a white cloud formed beneath Lu Xueqi's feet. Then, everyone saw Lu Xueqi, like a celestial maiden, slowly ascend amidst the faint, misty white clouds, floating into midair and moving onto the platform.
The mountain wind blew. That pure white cloud qi drifted and twisted like the softest, most beautiful silk. Lu Xueqi's clothes fluttered, her skin like snow, so pure and beautiful that she could not be described in words—like a ninth-heaven celestial maiden descending into the mortal world. As one's heart filled with adoration, there was actually also a few degrees of reverence.
A moment later, thunderous applause erupted below. The shouts were like tidal waves. The sound was so great that Zhang Xiaofan, caught unprepared, immediately heard buzzing in his ears. His heart was greatly shocked; he hadn't expected Lu Xueqi to be so popular. But speaking of which, even he himself, looking at that beautiful figure in midair, was still heart-struck and spirit-carried, unable to control himself. It was truly hard to imagine that there could be such a beautiful person in this world.
On the face of Master Shuiyue, who was seated below, there was now a hint of a smile on her normally cold expression.
After a moment, a young disciple with a square face and thick brows walked onto the stage from who-knows-where (because nobody paid attention). His appearance was rather proper, but he looked quite excited. As soon as he got on stage, he said to Lu Xueqi, "Junior Sister Lu, I am Fang Chao, a disciple under Dragon's Head Peak. To have the fortune to exchange pointers with Junior Sister today is truly three lifetimes of fortune!"
"Boo!" A wave of boos rose from below.
Lu Xueqi was expressionless. Suspended in midair, she said coldly, "Courtesy to Senior Brother Fang. Lu Xueqi, eighth-generation disciple of Little Bamboo Peak, comes today to ask Senior Brother Fang for guidance."
Zhang Xiaofan stood below the stage, looking at Lu Xueqi, who remained suspended in midair like a celestial maiden. Suddenly, for no reason, his heart ached. Just now, hadn't Senior Sister Ling'er also stood loftily in the air with such grace? Looking at her in a daze, Lu Xueqi's figure seemed to overlap with Tian Ling'er's appearance.
At this moment on the stage, Fang Chao was still chattering endlessly. Judging by his appearance, he wouldn't mind if he could keep talking like this without fighting until earth grew old and heaven turned hoary. But fortunately, the majority of people in this world were his opponents. Before he could say two more sentences, countless people, including Zeng Shushu standing beside Zhang Xiaofan, shouted angrily, "Haven't you started yet?"
"Lecher!"
"Chirping like a woman! Eh, this Little Bamboo Peak senior sister, ah, what are you doing, don't— I absolutely didn't mean anything else..."
"Ding!"
The final bell of the decisive battle finally rang. Lu Xueqi's expression turned cold, and she looked straight at Fang Chao. Fang Chao, looked at by her icy eyes, immediately felt his entire body turn cold. Although from here, even with Lu Xueqi's cold face she was still incomparably cold and beautiful, he no longer dared to speak jokingly. He hurriedly put away his smile, composed his mind, and guided his right hand in an incantation seal. A silver-white immortal sword was summoned.
Zhang Xiaofan furrowed his brow, involuntarily thinking of Qi Hao's immortal sword, "Hanbing." At this moment, he heard Zeng Shushu beside him suddenly snort and whisper, "The people of Dragon's Head Peak have Qi Hao as an example; every one of them likes cultivating this type of immortal sword."
Zhang Xiaofan's gaze flickered as he looked around. He saw heads bobbing, but no matter what, he couldn't find Qi Hao's shadow. Even more so, he couldn't find the figure he most wanted to see but least wanted to see at this moment.
Where had they gone? Zhang Xiaofan lowered his head, a wave of sorrow in his heart.
Suddenly, Zeng Shushu pulled his arm and said joyfully, "Xiaofan, quick, look—it's starting."
Zhang Xiaofan raised his eyes to the stage and saw that Fang Chao had already summoned his immortal sword. The surface of the stage was immediately invaded by cold air. But in Zhang Xiaofan's eyes, he intuitively discovered that compared to Qi Hao, who had fought with Tian Buyi years ago, Fang Chao was clearly still a distance away in his control of ice-element immortal techniques.
On the other hand, Lu Xueqi still remained expressionless, suspended above the drifting clouds. Watching Fang Chao circulate qi and condense ice below and in front of her, she seemed to have no intention of attacking at all. On her back, she carried an immortal sword in a sky-blue scabbard. Although this immortal sword was not like those cultivated by most people, which could merge into one with their master, from Fang Chao on the stage to all the Qingyun Sect members below, not a single person dared to look down upon it.
On the cultivation path, psychic magical treasures could often merge into one with their master after long-term cultivation, making them very convenient to summon for use. But some strange treasures, because their spiritual nature was too powerful, could not be borne by the human body, making this impossible. They could only be carried on one's person. However, such treasures were often supreme immortal treasures of enormous power. The deeper the master's cultivation, the more astonishing the might they displayed. The Qingyun Sect's supreme treasure, the ancient sword "Zhu Xian," belonged to this category.
At this moment on the arena, within three zhang of Fang Chao, the stage surface had already formed a thin layer of ice. The nearby disciples standing below the stage, like Zhang Xiaofan and Zeng Shushu, all felt a wave of cool air blowing toward them. But looking at Lu Xueqi, who was still suspended in midair, she seemed unmoved by this, only coldly watching Fang Chao.
Fang Chao performed a one-man show under the eyes of the masses. His immortal sword danced, and out of the corner of his eye, several hundred gazes from below were one thing, but Lu Xueqi's gaze seemed even colder than the chill emitted by his immortal sword, piercing straight to his heart. He almost felt at a loss, with nowhere to put his hands or feet.
Fang Chao's heart grew slightly impatient. Immediately, his right hand sword seal pointed, and the silver-white immortal sword shot toward Lu Xueqi from below. He shouted, "Junior Sister Lu, be careful!"
A burst of laughter rose from the crowd below. Looking at Fang Chao's manner, it seemed he was afraid of hurting Lu Xueqi. Daoist Cangsong, seated below the stage, looked quite displeased and let out a heavy snort.
This snort carried disdain. It fell into the ear of the person beside him and immediately provoked a response: "What, it seems Senior Brother Cangsong is somewhat displeased?"
Daoist Cangsong didn't turn his head. He said faintly, "Junior Sister Shuiyue, the disciples under you are indeed all outstanding in appearance!"
Master Shuiyue's expression changed. At this time of spell battle and competition, instead of praising the cultivation of the disciples under her, Daoist Cangsong praised the beauty of the women—obviously carrying a tone of mockery. What kind of person was Master Shuiyue? Her brows rose sharply, and she immediately said, "I also didn't know that among the cultivation disciples of the Qingyun Sect, there could be so many lecherous rogues and lustful scoundrels."
Daoist Cangsong was furious and was about to retort when True Person Daoxuan, sitting between them, raised his hand and said with a smile, "Enough, enough. You're both people of several hundred years. Aren't you afraid of losing face arguing in front of so many disciples? Watch the match, watch the match."
Both peak lords let out heavy snorts and turned their heads away.
Fang Chao's silver-white immortal sword had already shot to the cloud qi beneath Lu Xueqi's feet. Lu Xueqi's cold face showed not the slightest expression. Nor did she seem to make any movement. The cloud beneath her feet carried her body backward in retreat. But Fang Chao's immortal sword was even faster. In the blink of an eye, it caught up. Screams and sighs immediately erupted below.
At this critical moment of a hair's breadth, Lu Xueqi reversed her hand. The treasured sword behind her was brought to her hand. Everyone saw her jade-like face like frost, yet she still didn't draw the sword from its scabbard. She only used this sky-blue treasured sword to block before her.
"Zheng!"
A crisp echo resonated far across the square, very pleasant to the ear.
Fang Chao's silver-white immortal sword seemed to receive a heavy blow and rebounded backward. The expressions of Fang Chao on the stage and Daoist Cangsong below both changed greatly. Under the crowd's astonished gazes, Lu Xueqi showed not the slightest hesitation. A faint pink passed over her snowy face. Her right hand tossed outward—she actually threw out this sky-blue treasured sword, scabbard and all. At the same time, her right hand fingers curved and stretched, tightly gripping an incantation seal. That sky-blue immortal sword immediately burst with light in midair. Blue light covered the entire huge arena, immortal aura rising—it was clearly no ordinary item.
Fang Chao didn't dare be careless. Seeing the dazzling blue light covering heaven and earth, he was shocked in his heart. At the same time, he was even more indignant that Lu Xueqi actually didn't even draw her immortal sword from its scabbard, looking down on him so much. But his hand still urged his immortal sword, quickly condensing three ice walls before him, emitting threads of cold air.
In midair, Lu Xueqi's bright eyes were as radiant as stars. Her black hair and clothes fluttered in the strong wind, her grace unparalleled, stirring people's souls. She seemed to be softly chanting incantations. There was not a trace of expression on her cold face. Following her gaze, everyone saw that the immortal sword floating in midair, emitting ten-thousand-zhang blue light, suddenly let out a great roar, like a ferocious beast's mad howl, its sound shaking the four wilds. In an instant, the blue light flourished. That immortal sword was like breaking through the heavens, like a mad dragon exiting the abyss. All the cloud qi within several dozen zhang was completely forced to dissipate in moments, vanishing without a trace.
Everyone saw that within the ten-thousand rays of blue light, in the deepest place where the blue was like the sky at the horizon, the immortal sword seemed to fly from the edge of heaven, shooting forward with extreme speed toward Fang Chao. Its power and momentum were momentarily unmatched.
Fang Chao's expression was grave. Sweat streamed down his forehead; he was clearly shocked by the enormous power of Lu Xueqi's blue immortal sword. In an instant, that immortal sword had already rushed before him.
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Before the several hundred dumbstruck Qingyun disciples, the three ice walls Fang Chao had condensed were like tofu, regarded as nothing by that blue immortal sword as it charged through, smashing them to pieces.
Fang Chao was greatly shocked. With his strength, he wasn't incapable of condensing more ice walls for defense. But in his original intention, three ice walls had been enough. He hadn't expected Lu Xueqi's cultivation to be so profound, and that blue immortal sword even more unexpectedly fierce. In the blink of an eye, it was right before him.
At this moment of life and death, Fang Chao barely steadied his mind. His silver-white immortal sword glowed with light, guarding before him as he summoned a white light shield. A moment later, Lu Xueqi's blue immortal sword had forcibly crashed into this white light shield.
"Boom!"
The enormous sound was like heavenly thunder, rumbling in. A massive, invisible shockwave spread rapidly outward from the two immortal swords as the center. All the Qingyun disciples standing below the stage immediately felt a great wind hit their faces. Their entire bodies actually couldn't help but retreat a step backward. And the entire circle of the watching crowd also simultaneously expanded backward by a circle.
Everyone's expression changed, shocked by this unprecedented might of immortal treasures.
After that moment of astonishment passed, everyone's gaze returned to the arena. Lu Xueqi had somehow already landed on the stage. That immortal sword, scabbard and all, had flown back into her hand. The blue light and white light gradually scattered. But everyone discovered that Fang Chao's face was like dead ashes.
Everyone saw Fang Chao slowly raise his head, point at Lu Xueqi, his voice somehow becoming hoarse. He croaked, "You..."
The crowd was shocked and suspicious, not knowing what had happened. Suddenly, a strange change occurred. From the moment it had stopped before Fang Chao, that silver-white immortal sword suddenly let out several muffled sounds from its blade body. Then, beneath the gazes of countless eyes, a crack suddenly formed on the blade body, then rapidly expanded. After a moment, this immortal sword let out a pained sound and with a "thud," broke into two pieces and fell onto the stage.
On the stage and below, it was deathly silent. Everyone held their breath.
What an immortal sword cultivated for so long meant to a cultivation practitioner—there was no one on this sea of clouds who didn't clearly understand.
"Argh!" On the stage, Fang Chao spat out a mouthful of blood. He clutched his chest, his face showing an expression of pain, and could no longer support himself. He collapsed on the ground and fainted.