189: This is going to be interesting.

Daoist Yun Luo stood in the air before the flying boat, frowning slightly. Hadn't he heard that the Grand Elder of the Yin Shen Sect and the Second Elder were always at odds?

Why was the first person to voice opposition actually him?

If the Sect Master Qin had said this, he wouldn't have found it strange.

However, since the other party had acted this way, if he remained indifferent, the Haotian Sect would lose all Face.

He snorted coldly: "In that case, this humble Daoist will see how much your cultivation has advanced over the years!"

As the words fell, Daoist Yun Luo stomped fiercely in the Void Realm.

"Boom!"

The surrounding sky seemed to tremble. Thousands of cyan runes appeared around him, intertwining to form a massive Dao net. Within the net flowed a heart-palpitating pressure, sealing off the Grand Elder's movements.

Daoist Yun Luo raised his right hand and grabbed at the void. A long sword, entirely condensed from cyan cloud Dao patterns, suddenly manifested.

It was precisely the manifestation of his life-bound Dao technique, cultivated for three hundred years—"Cyan Cloud Annihilation Sword."

"Try receiving this humble Daoist's sword!" Daoist Yun Luo shouted lowly, swinging his arm. The Cyan Cloud Annihilation Sword, carrying an unstoppable momentum, slashed toward the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder's expression turned grave as he formed hand seals with both hands.

His sleeves fluttered, and Spiritual Qi gathered before him, condensing into a massive shield a thousand zhang high. The shield's surface was carved with patterns of the ancient Divine Beast, the Mysterious Turtle.

"Clang!"

The Sword Qi unleashed by the Cyan Cloud Annihilation Sword slammed fiercely into the Spiritual Qi giant shield, producing a deafening roar that echoed through heaven and earth.

A violent Spiritual Qi shockwave spread in all directions. Wherever it passed, trees turned to ash, and rocks shattered into powder.

Qin Chen watched the clash between the two, raising his hand and gently waving it downward. A pale blue light screen instantly enveloped the entire Yin Shen Sect at the mountain's base.

Countless fine runes appeared on the light screen, blocking all the raging Spiritual Qi ripples. The Disciples below only saw a flash of golden light before the previously heart-palpitating pressure vanished without a trace, leaving them all astonished.

The moment the Grand Elder blocked the attack with the Spiritual Qi giant shield, he abruptly pushed his left hand forward.

"Earth Vein・Heaven Burial!"

Several earthen-yellow spears burst from the ground, piercing toward Daoist Yun Luo with an unstoppable sharpness.

Cultivators in the surrounding mountain forests cursed and fled in all directions, clearly not expecting the clash between two Soul Transformation experts to be so earth-shattering.

No one was there to help them block the spreading Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

Daoist Yun Luo's expression grew more solemn as he swung his sword again. Sword Qi collided with the earthen-yellow spears.

"Boom!" Another loud explosion, as if a thunderclap had erupted between heaven and earth. A violent energy storm swept in all directions, even tearing the high-altitude clouds to shreds.

Nearby, Qin Tianxing narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the battlefield.

He had originally thought the Grand Elder would add insult to injury with a few words, but he hadn't expected... This was also why he was content to serve as the Second Elder in this Yin Shen Sect.

Qin Chen said solemnly beside him: "A bit unexpected, isn't it?"

"That the Grand Elder, who's always at odds with you, would stand up to oppose?"

Qin Tianxing didn't answer but instead asked: "Sect Master, you don't blame your subordinate?"

"What? With a great enemy at hand, should we add internal strife to external threats?" Qin Chen actually laughed. "Tianxing, what do you think I would have chosen if the Grand Elder hadn't stood up?"

Qin Tianxing stroked the stubble on his chin and joked: "You probably would have handed over those two Disciples and chosen to settle the matter peacefully."

As for the other party's later proposal, Qin Tianxing hadn't even considered that the Sect would sell him out. He wasn't particularly good at much else, but his judgment of people was quite accurate.

"Your guess is pretty close!"

"Earlier, I planned to have you take the three from the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven away from the Yin Shen Sect. Whether you sent them to the neighboring Rain God Continent or hid them somewhere else, doing this much would leave our Yin Shen Sect with a clear conscience."

"Then, we'd take out a dozen or so earth-rank magic treasures to settle this matter!"

"With the people no longer in our Yin Shen Sect, even if the Haotian Sect and Cloud Sea Sect were unwilling, they'd have to let it go. After all, if it really came to breaking all ties, they lack the courage."

Qin Chen gazed at the outline of the Yin Shen Sect below the mountain, paused, and continued: "Right now, there's no need to fight the Haotian Sect to the death. Wait three to five years, thoroughly study that God-Tier Divine Ability, and then make the Haotian Sect vomit back what they swallowed, with interest!"

Qin Tianxing cupped his hands: "Thank you, Sect Master!"

"I also have selfish motives. I believe a Cultivator who can gift a scroll of God-Tier Divine Ability is no ordinary person!" Qin Chen waved his hand.

As the two conversed, a violent Spiritual Qi collision suddenly sounded above the battlefield. Everyone looked up to see the Grand Elder struck by successive cyan magic seals, sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, tumbling several zhang.

He crashed heavily against the light screen of the Yin Shen Sect's Mountain-Protecting Array.

Ripples spread across the light screen as the Grand Elder slowly slid down, one hand pressed to his chest, breathing heavily, his internal Spiritual Qi churning.

Daoist Yun Luo hovered mid-air, also wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, and laughed: "What a Grand Elder of the Yin Shen Sect, quite capable! Unfortunately, before this humble Daoist's Dao technique, such skill isn't enough!"

As his words fell, he raised his hand again. Spiritual Qi surged wildly around him, cyan Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth converged toward him like a tide. Cyan Dao patterns swirled around him, faint dragon roars echoing from within the patterns.

All the Dao patterns condensed, transforming into a massive light beam dozens of zhang in diameter, fiercely blasting toward the Grand Elder.

Qin Chen's expression changed abruptly as he moved to assist, but then a white-robed figure suddenly appeared at the center of the battlefield.

That person wore a set of white robes, sleeves fluttering as if stepping on clouds. There was no trace of Spiritual Qi fluctuation around him, yet he gave off an unfathomable feeling.

He casually raised his right hand and gently pressed it toward the massive cyan light beam.

"Hum—!"

An invisible barrier instantly unfolded before Chen Xuan. The cyan light beam struck the barrier and dissipated like mud entering the sea, not even stirring a ripple.

The smile froze on Daoist Yun Luo's Face, his eyes filled with disbelief. He shouted sharply: "Who are you? How dare you interfere in the affairs of the Haotian Sect and the Yin Shen Sect!"

Everyone's gaze turned to this Man in White Robes. To so effortlessly block his Divine Ability, this Man in White Robes was definitely not simple.

The Third Elder of the Yunhai Sect narrowed his eyes slightly. This person's aura was restrained; even I couldn't see through his cultivation. Why would he suddenly appear to help the Yin Shen Sect?

Qin Tianxing laughed: "Now there's a good show to watch."

Qin Chen was slightly startled, immediately understanding the meaning behind those words.

"This... this is the Senior you mentioned?"

"Brother Chen only came looking for me yesterday. I hadn't had time to mention this matter to him, and I didn't expect the Haotian Sect and Cloud Sea Sect to show up the very next day." Just as Qin Tianxing finished explaining, Wang Er quickly arrived by his side.

"Senior Chen sensed the Spiritual Qi fluctuations outside the Sect and asked me about it."

"He said, thank you for your Sect's assistance. He acknowledges this favor."

Qin Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing a very important issue.

This person was too young! Two hundred... no, probably less than a hundred years old, yet with such cultivation. His future prospects were truly unfathomable.