159: guest

After leaving the Blood Shadow Holy Land, Chen Xuan turned to Qi Yue and solemnly instructed, "You stay here and make sure to take good care of Wanqing and the others. I need to return to the Sect immediately."

"Rest assured, Sect Master. This subordinate will definitely protect them!"

Chen Xuan nodded in satisfaction and was about to step into the air to leave when his brow suddenly furrowed. Four powerful Spiritual Qi fluctuations were rapidly approaching from a distance.

Their cultivation base... is at the Soul Emergence Stage. They're from the Profound Realm!

"What's wrong, Revered Master?" Mu Wanqing blinked her eyes and asked curiously.

"Do you want this Disciple to accompany you back to the Sect?" She actually wanted to go home and see her Father and Mother.

Although it hadn't been long since they came to the Central Region, this was still the first time she had traveled far from home since birth, and she had experienced so many things.

Chen Xuan shook his head. "I didn't expect guests to arrive."

"Guests?"

Qi Yue immediately became alert. Every time the Sect Master said "guests," it meant some foolhardy individuals had come looking for death.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, ripples suddenly appeared in the surrounding air, and four figures materialized before everyone as if teleporting. The leader wore a set of Purple-Gold Daoist Robes, his face resolute and his brow carrying a hint of arrogance.

Li Pingan's gaze swept over them, and he immediately recognized their identities. They were the Cultivators who had wanted to take him to the Profound Realm for cultivation during the Heavenly Selection Grand Ceremony!

Yu Tianxiang's eyes scanned the people present and finally settled on Li Pingan.

A meaningful smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "What a coincidence. I didn't expect to meet you here. I remember your name is Li Ping'an, right? This Humble Daoist asks you once more: are you willing to follow me to the Profound Realm for cultivation? As long as you nod, I guarantee the cultivation resources the Haotian Sect will provide you far exceed those of the Yin Shen Sect by several times!"

Chen Xuan stood to the side. He remembered Qin Tianxing had clearly said he had already negotiated properly with the Profound Realm Cultivators. But this Yu Tianxiang before him seemed to have ulterior motives this time.

Yu Tianxiang was actually dissatisfied with the previous negotiations, but since the other two Sect forces had agreed, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.

But unexpectedly, he happened to hear that the few from the Dao Seeking Sect had gone to the Blood Shadow Holy Land without Qin Tianxing and the others accompanying them. He calmly waited for the dark-skinned youth's answer. If he couldn't discern the situation, then even if he had to kill him, he couldn't let the Yin Shen Sect profit.

This Dao Seeking Sect's grand ceremony had offended many Holy Lands. By then, even if Qin Tianxing wanted to investigate, they could just push a Holy Land out as a scapegoat.

"Fellow Daoist, since you came all this way, don't use 'coincidence' as an excuse, right?"

Chen Xuan stepped forward, blocking Li Ping'an. "The Yin Shen Sect has already reached an agreement with your Profound Realm. Why are you still trying to poach people? Are all Profound Realm Cultivators so untrustworthy?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Tianxiang's face darkened, and his gaze turned to Chen Xuan. "Who are you? Do you think you have the right to meddle in my Profound Realm's affairs?"

"The Profound Realm's affairs indeed aren't my concern, but you're not worthy of taking my Dao Seeking Sect's Disciples."

Yu Tianxiang was slightly taken aback, sizing up Chen Xuan from head to toe. "So you're the Sect Master of the Dao Seeking Sect?"

He changed his tone, his eyes sweeping over Li Ping'an hiding behind Chen Xuan, and said arrogantly, "You've trained your Disciples well. All five are once-in-ten-thousand cultivation geniuses, and each follows a different Dao path. Quite impressive.

How about we make a deal? From now on, your Dao Seeking Sect will specifically supply promising Disciples to my Haotian Sect. For each one you send, I'll give you three earth-rank magic treasures.

If you don't care for Magic Treasures, that's fine too. The Haotian Sect's collection of divine abilities and Cultivation Techniques is at your disposal. As long as you agree, all of these can become the Dao Seeking Sect's foundation."

Chen Xuan mocked, "You dare to embarrass yourselves by bringing out such worthless junk?"

Before Yu Tianxiang could speak, a Cultivator in blue-gray Daoist robes beside him could no longer restrain his anger and roared furiously:

"How dare you! You dare insult my Haotian Sect? You're seeking death!"

The Cultivator's Spiritual Qi erupted violently, and the pressure of the Soul Emergence Stage swept out, distorting the surrounding air as if stirred. He raised his hand and formed a seal, conjuring a pale golden palm imprint about ten feet wide, carrying the force to shatter mountains and split rocks, directly smashing toward Chen Xuan's face.

Not to mention a mere Dao Seeking Sect Sect Master.

Even if it were the Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion, killing him would be no issue. They could just replace him with someone else.

However, the expected scene did not occur.

The seemingly fierce Spiritual Qi palm imprint had just flown to within a few zhang of Chen Xuan when, like ice meeting the blazing sun, it melted away at a visible pace. In an instant, it dissipated without a trace, leaving not even a ripple of Spiritual Qi.

The arrogant smile on the blue-gray-robed Cultivator's face instantly froze, his eyes filled with disbelief.

But before he could react, Chen Xuan had already quietly extended a hand and casually returned a palm strike.

With a crisp "slap" sound, a palm imprint formed of Spiritual Qi materialized above the Cultivator's head and landed squarely on his crown.

"Pfft—!"

There was no earth-shattering noise, only a burst of crimson blood mist exploding on the spot. The blue-gray-robed Cultivator didn't even have time to scream before his body turned into a shower of blood foam. His Primordial Spirit didn't have time to escape before it was completely shattered by this slap, dispersing into the heavens and earth.

"You dare!"

Yu Tianxiang's pupils contracted sharply, the arrogance on his face instantly replaced by fury.

He never expected this person before him to possess such cultivation. By the time he sensed the previous strike, he was already a step too late.

Moreover, a mere person from the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven actually dared to resist the Profound Realm.

Losing a subordinate meant one less Prodigy to bring back to the Profound Realm. He would undoubtedly face punishment upon returning to the Sect.

Qi Yue, seeing this scene, was somewhat accustomed to it. In the Sect Master's eyes, it seemed there had never been a truly troublesome existence.

Yu Tianxiang roared in anger, the Spiritual Qi around him suddenly surging. The Profound Realm runes on his Purple-Gold Daoist Robes lit up completely, golden light spreading like a tide, actually condensing into a small thundercloud above his head.

This was the Haotian Sect's inherited Daoist Divine Ability, "Purple Heaven Thunder Technique." The power of this thunder technique was hundreds of times stronger than the Azure Nether Lightning Summoning Art from the Heavenly Selection Grand Ceremony.

The difference in Divine Ability grade was one aspect.

The bigger reason was Yu Tianxiang's Realm.

This was like an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator suppressing Foundation Establishment ants—would they even need to use techniques or divine abilities?

Casually stirring a Spiritual Qi ripple would be a vast Divine Ability the other couldn't withstand.

"Boom!" A dull thunderclap came from the cloud layer. Several Purple Lightning arcs as thick as arms writhed within the cloud mass, carrying a destructive aura that made the surrounding air grow hot.

Mu Wanqing and the others remained calm, completely disregarding the terrifying thundercloud.

Ye Hao even stepped forward, as if studying and observing the opponent's thunder technique Divine Ability.

Yu Tianxiang was stunned, feeling deeply insulted. Whenever he used this Purple Heaven Thunder Technique, his enemies always wore grave expressions as if facing a great enemy, and many even knelt and begged for mercy on the spot.

But encountering a situation like today was a first.

"Seeking death!"

As the words fell, the thundercloud above his head shook violently. A Purple Lightning bolt as thick as a bowl shot out like a dragon emerging from the sea, carrying a piercing crackling sound, directly striking Chen Xuan's face!