Chapter 64 Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road

At this time, all the forces of the Southwest's Nine Great Sects had arrived. Coupled with some small Sects and various Loose Cultivators, the entire Qingyun Sect was a scene of unprecedented grandeur.

The strength of the Nine Great Sects could be roughly divided into three tiers. The first tier consisted of the Qionghua Sect, Heavenly Thunder Temple, and Kunlun Palace.

These three powers were similar in strength and had competed for the title of the leader of the Righteous Path many times, but in the end, none could suppress the others, so the matter was simply dropped.

The second tier consisted of the Joyous Union Sect, Qingyun Sect, and Qingtian Sword Sect.

Among the three, the Joyous Union Sect's strength was essentially the highest, firmly holding an advantage over the other two.

The third tier was the Myriad Beast Sect, Medicine King Valley, and Glazed Sect.

Among these three, the Glazed Sect had the most raw strength, but the Medicine King Valley specialized in the Dao of Alchemy, and there was a constant stream of people seeking medicine from them.

Therefore, they had very good relations with the major Sects, and their ability to call for reinforcements was absolutely second to none.

The situation with the Myriad Beast Sect was similar; it was the only Sect among the Nine Sects that understood the arts of raising and controlling beasts. The Spirit Beasts they produced were in high demand, and they likewise possessed impressive personal connections.

In comparison, although the Glazed Sect's raw strength was greater, if they were to come to blows with these two, they would likely lose quite embarrassingly.

Listening to Murong Wan's explanation, Ye Fan's understanding of the Southwest region deepened further.

"In other words, the Qionghua Sect, Heavenly Thunder Temple, and Kunlun Palace are the favorites to win this Heavenly Pride Assembly," Ye Fan said, mulling it over.

"Pretty much. I've heard that the Prodigy Disciples of this generation from those three are all extraordinary. The strongest among them have all achieved a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm. It would be very troublesome to face them."

As they spoke, they arrived outside the mountain gate of the Qingyun Sect along with the Sect Head.

As the host of this event, the Qingyun Sect had sent people here days ago to welcome guests and guide them up the mountain.

"To think I'd run into him here; it really is a case of enemies on a narrow road."

Seeing that familiar figure not far away, Ye Fan felt somewhat helpless.

As the second-ranked Prodigy of the Qingyun Sect's current generation, Li Qing shouldn't have had to participate in a minor task like welcoming guests.

However, in order to flaunt their military might and give the Cultivators and Disciples of various factions a show of force, the Qingyun Sect had insisted on sending this Great Perfection of Qi Refining Realm Prodigy to "guard the gate."

Although Li Qing knew the reason, he was still somewhat unhappy in his heart.

Especially after being thrown out of the Joyous Union Sect like a dead dog last time; that loss of face was simply too great.

Li Qing was just looking for a place to vent his frustration when he spotted the Joyous Union Sect's group, which instantly ignited the powder keg in his heart.

"People from the Joyous Union Sect?! Perfect timing!"

Li Qing's gaze swept through the crowd and quickly found Murong Wan and Ye Fan. Memories of humiliation flooded back, and his eyes turned blood-red.

He didn't dare do anything in front of all the guests, but when Qing Mingzi and the others went to discuss the assembly's affairs with the other Sect Heads, he followed them like a shadow.

"Ye Fan, Murong Wan, we meet again."

Li Qing had an expression like he wanted to devour them, but Ye Fan and Murong Wan remained very calm.

"Who are you?" Ye Fan asked, looking confused.

"You... The one surnamed Ye, stop playing dumb!" Li Qing shouted in a rage.

"I really don't know him. Wan'er, is this a friend of yours?"

Murong Wan shook her head and said plainly that she had never seen him before.

"Stop playing the fool, you two! I am the Li Qing who was thrown out of the Joyous Union Sect a few days ago, I—"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Qing realized something was wrong. The Disciples and Cultivators from all sides had clearly heard him and couldn't help but whisper. Li Qing was so angry he felt like a volcano about to erupt.

"You dare to toy with me!!"

"Oh, so it's that trash who was thrown out of the Qingyun Sect. I thought you looked familiar."

"Wan'er, don't you remember? He's the trash who couldn't even take a single move from you and was eventually thrown out of the mountain gate like a dead dog."

"I don't remember. I usually don't have much of a memory for trash."

"You!!"

The two of them played off each other so well that Li Qing was so angry he almost spat blood.

The surrounding Disciples and Cultivators also roughly understood what had happened. They all suppressed their laughter while watching the drama, and their discussions completely ignited Li Qing's powder keg.

"You're looking for death!"

Like an out-of-control beast, Li Qing actually drew his sword and slashed at Ye Fan.

But in Murong Wan's eyes, this behavior was suicidal. Her Profound Frost Sword was unsheathed, ready to finish Li Qing off.

Since Li Qing was the first to attack in front of everyone, even if Murong Wan killed him, the Qingyun Sect wouldn't be able to hold her accountable; they might even have to apologize to her instead.

The Profound Frost Sword struck second but arrived first, its terrifying cold air causing the temperature of the world to plummet.

Li Qing's sword light shattered instantly, and he watched helplessly as a cold gleam pierced straight toward his throat.

At the critical moment, another Flying Sword swept in from the Southwest. The two Flying Swords met unexpectedly in mid-air, and the sudden impact caused Murong Wan's beautiful eyes to narrow.

"Strong."

After clashing for one move, the two Flying Swords flew back to their respective owners. Murong Wan's figure swayed slightly before she returned to normal.

Having escaped from the gates of hell, Li Qing recovered and couldn't help but be overjoyed.

"It's Senior Brother! Senior Brother is here! You're dead!"

"Shut your mouth, you embarrassing thing."

A scolding voice rang out as a male Cultivator who looked to be in his twenties arrived on a Flying Sword.

From the aura emanating from him, it wasn't hard to see that he was also a Foundation Establishment Realm expert.

"My apologies to the two friends from the Joyous Union Sect. My Junior Brother acted recklessly. I, Chu Nanxing, offer my apologies to you."

As Chu Nanxing spoke, Li Qing was momentarily stunned, not understanding why his Senior Brother had changed his temper today.

He wanted to say more, but Chu Nanxing interrupted him, stating bluntly that if he dared to say another word, he would be taken to the Hall of Punishment. Only then was Li Qing scared into silence.

Murong Wan was about to speak, but Ye Fan pulled her back, signaling with his eyes to quit while they were ahead.

A powerful Dragon cannot repress a local snake; this was the Qingyun Sect's territory after all, and there was no benefit in a deadlock.

"I hope Senior Brother Chu keeps his Junior Brother in check, otherwise, it's the Qingyun Sect's face that will be lost."

"Of course, of course," Chu Nanxing said with a smile.

After Murong Wan finished speaking, she and Ye Fan headed to the guest rooms to rest. Seeing that the excitement was over, the others immediately dispersed like birds and beasts.

Once the surrounding crowd had dispersed, the smile on Chu Nanxing's face gradually vanished, replaced by a chilling sneer.

"Senior Brother, why didn't you do anything just now? That woman only recently achieved a Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm. If we really fought, she definitely wouldn't be your match," Li Qing asked, puzzled.

Chu Nanxing glanced at Li Qing, and the bone-chilling coldness in his eyes made Li Qing shut his mouth instantly. He didn't dare say another word; it seemed he was often reprimanded.

"Idiot, see for yourself."

As Chu Nanxing spoke, he threw his Flying Sword over. Li Qing subconsciously caught it, only to feel a bone-piercing chill. His right hand almost froze to the hilt.

"This... what is going on?!" Li Qing said in disbelief.

"What's going on? With just a single exchange, she froze my Flying Sword. That woman is not as simple as she looks," Chu Nanxing said with a grim face.