622: Chapter 622 Hypocrisy

Jingkong shook his head and muttered in a low voice, "Amitabha, Fellow Daoist Yun, with that temper of yours, I fear you will suffer a great loss in the future."

Yun Xiaozi glared at him. "Bald donkey, are you cursing me?"

"This poor monk dares not, this poor monk is merely speaking the truth."

"Enough, This young master is leaving."

Yun Xiaozi withdrew his gaze, hands tucked into his pockets, and tapped his toe lightly on the ground.

There was no spiritual light, no sound of breaking through the air.

The space beneath his feet seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, shrinking inward before snapping outward—it was as if he had been spat out by space itself. Only a faint ripple remained where he had stood, dissipating after swaying twice.

His final words drifted over on the wind.

"You all be careful."

Gu Lingshuang flicked her whip and spat in the direction where Yun Xiaozi had disappeared. "This little brat is quite arrogant."

She paused, then added, her voice lower, "However... he really does have some skills."

Chu Yiyi put away the qiankun ring, stood up, and brushed the dust off her skirt. She glanced at the debris covering the ground and frowned.

"This is even more dangerous than imagined. These people are unreasonable; they actually set an ambush."

Gu Lingshuang snorted, not responding.

Jingkong suddenly spoke up, his eyes brightening. "Amitabha, this poor monk has a suggestion."

"Speak."

"Why don't we follow behind Fellow Daoist Yun? Perhaps we might pick up some scraps?"

Gu Lingshuang glared at him. "You dead bald donkey, you were just cursing him to suffer a loss, and now you want to ride on his coattails?"

Jingkong remained unfazed. "This poor monk was thinking of his well-being. Following him is to act as his Protector. It is mutually beneficial, is it not wonderful?"

"Wonderful my foot."

"Wonderful, truly wonderful." Jingkong nodded to himself.

Chu Yiyi and Tang Zhan exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously.

Tang Zhan tightened his grip on his sword hilt and stepped forward first. "Let's go."

The four of them exchanged glances, nodded in unison, and moved, turning into four streaks of light as they chased in the direction where Yun Xiaozi had vanished.

Outside the arena.

Three ancient bronze mirrors hung in the sky, spiritual light flowing as they projected the scenes within the Secret Realm above the entire plaza.

Tens of thousands of battles, large and small, were taking place; every minute and every second, people fell, some turning into blood mist, others unable to even let out a scream before dying.

The observing Cultivators craned their necks, refusing to look down even when their necks grew sore. The sound of discussion surged from all directions, a buzzing noise like thousands of bees flying.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." An old man with white hair and beard shook his head, still shaken. "This old man originally wanted to sign up, but looking at it now, it is truly fortunate. Truly fortunate."

A middle-aged Cultivator beside him took up the conversation, his voice tinged with self-deprecation. "I originally thought I was among the best in my same realm. Seeing these three major competitions today..."

He paused and shook his head with a bitter smile. "It is like a mayfly seeing the vast blue sky."

"Did you see that Nascent Soul female Cultivator?" a young Cultivator lowered his voice. "Stay far away if you see her in the future."

"Why? Do you know her?"

"It is precisely because I don't know her that I must avoid her. Didn't you see just now? She smashed five Magic Treasures with one hammer! Those were Magic Treasures, not tofu. What kind of monster is this?"

"That is nothing, look at that child in the Soul Transformation arena." Another person pointed to a different ancient mirror, their voice trembling. "Is that a Soul Transformation Cultivator? Can a Soul Transformation Cultivator be this strong? It is too outrageous!"

No one could answer his question.

In the pavilion.

You watched the child with his hands in his pockets in the Soul Transformation arena and recognized him at a glance—Yun Xiaozi.

Instructor Jimie spoke first, his tone flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Which sect does that Soul Transformation child Disciple belong to?"

The surroundings went quiet for a moment; no one answered.

Instructor Chanyi pressed his palms together and spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet every word was clear. "Amitabha. This child has a connection with our Buddhist sect."

Xuanyuan Ziyan sneered, withdrawing her gaze from the screen and glancing at Chanyi. "It is impossible for him to be a Loose Cultivator. Loose Cultivators absolutely do not have this kind of strength."

Young Master Lan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke in a leisurely tone. "Once this child finishes the competition, I must take him as my Disciple. Everyone, do not compete with me."

Liu Tianxing did not look at anyone, his gaze remaining on the screen, his voice calm. "The Immortal Domain has many talented people emerging, and our Heavenly Palace has always valued talent. For such talent, our Heavenly Palace is determined to obtain him."

The surroundings went quiet again for a moment.

Everyone wore a smile on their face, but each had their own calculations in their eyes.

You picked up your teacup and took a sip.

Who doesn't know how to say pretty words?

At the same time, Liu Tianxing's voice transmission rang out simultaneously in the minds of you and the other Heavenly Palace inspectors, his voice as cold as ice shards:

"If this Soul Transformation child cannot be used by our Heavenly Palace, he will surely become a great threat to our Heavenly Palace. Moreover, looking at his actions, it seems he is specifically targeting people from our Heavenly Palace lineage."

You glanced at Liu Tianxing out of the corner of your eye—he still had a smile on his face.

Patriarch Sima Gongzhi took up the conversation, his tone suppressing anger. "Isn't that obvious? He killed our clan's Pavilion Master Sima Jingting; this child is clearly targeting our Heavenly Palace."

Yan Ji's voice transmission followed, unhurried, yet every word was piercing. "For this person to have such strength and still dare to target our Heavenly Palace during the major competition, he must have been sent intentionally by the other four families. We must find a way to eliminate him."

Elder Qi was silent for a few moments before transmitting. "Fellow Daoist Qin is already responsible for one. Who is willing to take charge of the assassination of this Soul Transformation child?"

The pavilion fell silent.

No one replied in the voice transmission.

You set down your teacup and tapped your finger lightly on the armrest; the sound was not loud, but it rang in everyone's mind.

"Elder Qi is currently responsible for investigating the deaths of Yan Zhan and Yan Wenjie from Nine Heavens Heavenly Palace, so I fear he has no time." You said in a flat tone. "Personally, I believe Elder Yan and Elder Liu, the two of you are more suitable."

The voice transmission went quiet again for a moment.

Then Liu Tianxing's voice rang out, crisp and decisive, without hesitation. "Fine, I will go."

You picked up your teacup and took a sip, expressionless.

The tea had gone cold.

You raised your eyes to look at the screen of the Soul Transformation arena.

Yun Xiaozi was chasing ten Soul Transformation Cultivators of the Heavenly Palace lineage, like he was chasing rabbits.

You did not know how Liu Tianxing planned to kill him.

But you knew clearly in your heart—standing behind Yun Xiaozi was a Peak Mahayana.

This assassination was no different from seeking death.

However, that was Liu Tianxing's business.

Just thinking about it felt very satisfying; you picked up your teacup to take a sip, only to find the bottom of the cup was already dry.

Manager Zhou, who was standing behind you, finally snapped back to reality, hurriedly bowing and scrambling to pour you tea, his voice tinged with nervousness:

"My apologies, Lord Star Master, I was so engrossed in watching the major competition."

"No matter." You said casually, taking the teacup.