Chapter 170

Although the process was full of sadness, the method of using the sword scabbards as a bamboo dragonfly proved effective.

The sword’s wind spiraled upwards, creating a mighty gust of spiritual energy that tore through the dense demonic energy with a force beyond belief. Soon enough, the group finally saw daylight again.

Wei Lingbo’s poison was not inherently powerful; it was the demonic energy that amplified its effects, causing everyone to be affected. Now that the demonic fog has dispersed, most of the poison’s potency has been naturally driven away.

Seeing the others’ eyes clear up and looking at her, the white-robed female cultivator from Suwen Hall gave an awkward smile.

“As expected of a disciple of Xuanxu Sword Sect, you can actually come up with such a method. I can only sigh that I am inferior to you.”

He Zhizhou, whose name was mentioned, was in a daze and vomiting uncontrollably; Xu Ye didn’t want to look at her or listen to anyone. Thinking of his senior sister still observing the battle from afar, he was so angry that his whole body twitched, and he spat out a mouthful of water.

“What a pity. If it weren’t for the sudden change, Suwen Hall would have easily won this match.”

Outside the mystic mirror, Ji Yunkai rubbed his chin thoughtfully, still immersed in the recent visual impact. Taking out paper and brush to make a note, he wondered, “One person and one sword, with a tiny bit of spiritual energy—how did they manage to fly through the air?”

“Xu Ye, my good disciple, how could this happen!”

The elder of the Wanjian sect was heartbroken, coughing violently.

“That rascal He Zhizhou is notorious for his unconventional ways; why did you also get led astray by the Xuanxu Sword Sect? Xuanxu has misled you!”

“You can’t say that.”

Tian Xianzi, He Zhizhou’s poor friend and team leader, without thinking too much, immediately retorted.

“If Suwen Hall hadn’t used poison, they wouldn’t have had to do this. Although the process was a bit ugly, at least it dispelled the poison.”

The elders continued to chatter, eventually shifting the topic to Suwen Hall’s poison.

“Their poison is insidious, colorless, and tasteless. Drinking it makes you hallucinate, seeing people and things as something else, while you don’t even realize you’re poisoned, making a fool of yourself in public.”

He Xiaocheng slapped his thigh, filled with regret and pain. “Once I was poisoned, I saw everything as demons and immediately drew my sword to fight  them to death. The next day, I received a compensation bill from Linlang Pavilion.”

Tian Xianzi’s eyes lit up, nodding repeatedly.

“I remember now! This incident even made it into the ‘Four Seas Review.’ The book sold like crazy because of Master He!”

“That day!”

Lin Qian also suddenly understood.

“I was wondering why Master He was waving a cat around and doing flips for two hours in Linlang Pavilion—it turns out he was poisoned!”

He Xiaocheng, with a bitter expression, nodded sadly.

That day, he mistook a cat for his sword and saw merchandise as demons, charging forward with the cat. The sword broke, the cat ran away, and everyone in Linlang Pavilion watched as he drooled and grimaced, shouting “Demon, don’t be arrogant,” while flipping back and forth, smashing all sorts of rare treasures.

The incident was so tragic that it left the elders silent, offering him sympathetic looks, and they eventually reached a consensus: the medicine cultivator had done great harm to people.

The elders of Suwen Hall rolled their eyes, unwilling to speak.

“Wait, look over there!”

On the platform that now felt like a mourning hall, Lin Qian suddenly exclaimed, “Bai Ye has made a move!”

Inside the secret realm, the atmosphere was awkward. Two sword cultivators lay dead, two boiled eggs from the Fanyin Temple sitting side by side on the side of the road, as if watching a play.

Ming Kong took out some lettuce from his storage bag, eating it nonchalantly, his bald head shining.

“Falling snow and flying flowers are just like this. The art of sword cultivation is really hard for people to understand.”

The two monks had been shielded from all poison and demonic energy by Ming Kong’s Vajra Shield, remaining unaffected.

Carrying a giant sword, Lu Minghao, a hot-tempered man, shouted angrily, We have all been poisoned. It’s okay if you two don’t help. How can you talk sarcastically?”

“Amitabha.”

Ming Jing, unfazed, ignored the reproach in his words.

“Non-contention is compassion; non-argument is wisdom; non-hearing is purity; and non-seeing is freedom. I’ll take a nap now; goodbye, fellow Daoists.”

Ming Kong nodded repeatedly, full of admiration.

“The most beautiful man should have timeless tranquility and elegance. My senior brother is like this; I admire him.”

These two were utterly impossible to communicate with normally, making one wonder if the monks at Fanyin Temple were studying Buddhism or the art of infuriating people.

Lu Minghao didn’t want to pay any more attention to them. When he came back to his senses, he suddenly felt his whole body go numb.

Bai Ye, the talisman cultivator from Liuming Mountain, had struck while he was distracted, using a Heaven Thunder Talisman on his back!

“A sneak attack!”

As a sword cultivator, Zhen Xiao despised such underhanded tactics, frowning as he glanced at He Xiaocheng.

“Master He, does Liuming Mountain teach its disciples such tactics?”

He Xiaocheng, thick-skinned, chuckled.

“It’s called ‘taking the enemy by surprise.’ In a duel, how can you call it a sneak attack?”

Bai Ye knew this was a trial, facing elite disciples from various sects, not heinous demons. Although friendship was second to competition, he didn’t use his full strength, ensuring the talismans only caused unconsciousness, not fatal injuries.

As the thunder roared, Lu Minghao felt his whole body paralyzed. Electric currents were running wildly through his internal organs, finally attacking his brain. His eyes turned white, and he lost consciousness.

Ning Ning watched, frowning involuntarily and gripping her Xinghen sword.

Against a talisman cultivator, there were two strategies.

One was to dodge all his attacks, a highly difficult and complex method not commonly used; the other was to use force against force, dispersing the spells with sword wind and sword energy.

Unfortunately, Lu Minghao hadn’t even drawn his sword before Bai Ye’s sneak attack.

With some poison still lingering in his body, hindering his protective spiritual energy, and the formidable power of the thunder talisman, his unconsciousness was inevitable.

Ning Ning knew that if she faced Bai Ye head-on, given her weakened state from the previous night’s exertions, she would be at a disadvantage.

“One down.”

Bai Ye smiled, elegant and graceful, turning his gaze to the two from Suwen Hall.

He was indeed the opponent Su Qinghan had recognized, mastering the use of talismans. With a flick of his slender, jade-like fingers, he cast two talismans, accompanied by a fierce gale and thunder, swiftly attacking the pair.

Wei Lingbo, skilled only in poison, couldn’t withstand such a fierce attack; her junior, a medical prodigy, was utterly clueless, watching helplessly as the lightning approached.

“Two more down.”

The two medical cultivators fell, and Bai Ye, in high spirits, turned to Ning Ning with a smile.

“Though I appreciate your help in dispersing the poison, this is still a trial, and there’s no reason to go easy on opponents. I apologize for any offense.”

“How can he attack Ning Ning!”

As the head of Liuming Mountain, He Xiaocheng, despite his disciple’s advantage, was more anxious than Ning Ning herself.

“With her limited spiritual energy, she can barely fend off Bai Ye, let alone break through the thunder and wind!”

He Xiaocheng had seen this, and so had Ning Ning.

Bai Ye couldn’t harm the two monks from Fanyin Temple; Su Qinghan, observing from afar, was a tough opponent, not to be provoked without necessity.

On her side, Xu Ye and He Zhizhou were drained of spiritual energy, and Pei Ji was missing, leaving her alone to struggle. If defeated, Bai Ye could take all their tokens.