Chapter 122: Shocking!! The Horse-Hunting Legion Below the Mountain Gate

"Old man, what do you think you're doing?" A haughty young man glared at the old Daoist and lashed out with a kick, his voice sharp with anger. "Can't you see we're watching the show here? Go sweep somewhere else."

"Yes, yes, right away," the old Daoist answered with a smile, bowing his head while dodging the kick with ease.

"

Huh?

How dare you dodge, old man?" Missing the strike only fueled the young man's rage. He cursed loudly and lashed out again. "You useless old fool! I was holding back, and you dare avoid me? I'll beat you to death!"

The old Daoist waved his broom, looking frail and trembling as he stepped away. "I wouldn't dare. I'll leave at once."

On the surface, his movements looked feeble, but as he turned his head, a flicker of pitch-black lightning flashed in his eyes, starkly at odds with the frailty he displayed.

Two minutes after the old man left, lightning surged within the young man's eyes. His hair bristled upright before he collapsed to the ground, his fate uncertain.

The nearby cultivators spat in disgust, stepping over his body without a glance as they leapt away to continue watching the trial at the foot of the mountain.

The two hundred Serene Void Academy's disciples combined their enchanted artifacts into a massive spear and charged up the steps.

The gatekeepers hadn't anticipated that the entire Serene Void Academy would dare storm the gate together. In an instant, the giant spear shattered twenty opposing artifacts and surged three thousand zhang up the steps before breaking apart and fading away.

The two hundred cultivators landed on the steps, arranging themselves into a V-shaped formation.

Wang Xiaolong, Jun Xiaoma, Fei Zhu, and Sun Xiaohu rushed to the front, taking their positions at the formation's apex, making it fully operational.

Wang Xiaolong, the strongest in attack, stood at the front, on the right side. Fei Zhu, with the sturdiest defense, silently took the left.

Sun Xiaohu and Jun Xiaoma, well-rounded in all aspects, held the flanks—one with a broadsword, the other with a long spear—forming a solid shield around the formation.

"Brothers, the Horse-Hunting Legion is ready to charge!" Wang Xiaolong drew a dagger and pointed at the gatekeeper on the twenty-first step. "Let those who block us see our courage! And let Senior Martial Brother Lu witness what we can do!"

The two hundred cultivators shouted as one, "Charge!"

They advanced swiftly, formation steady.

"That was a Unified Spear Formation before. Now, they've shifted into a V-shaped formation?"

The scar-faced man watching from above frowned as the formation reached the thirtieth step. "Serene Void Academy has long since run dry of resources. How could they practice formations like this?"

While he was speaking, the formation had already pushed past the fortieth step. The scar-faced man roared, "Another ten gatekeepers down? What's going on? Anyone care to explain?"

"Sir, I heard that all the cultivators from the Serene Void Academy had quietly left," a timid man said, approaching. "Our scouts reported they went to the Demonic Beast Forest. They must have taken their resources from there."

"The Demonic Beast Forest?" The scar-faced man stroked his scar and pondered. "It seems they've come across something extraordinary this time."

"Yun Ping, rearrange the rear gatekeepers. Replace them all with our men." The scar-faced man leaned back in his chair and sneered. "How dare they make a fool out of me? This time, I won't only take the Serene Void Academy's remaining resources. I'll also take their lives."

Yun Ping responded, "Yes, sir. I'll take care of it."

A pale-faced, young man in white asked, "Sir, do I need to go as well?"

"You? No need." The scar-faced man waved him off. "Yun Ping, you are the chief disciple of the Jade Flame Academy, while they're just a bunch of low-level cultivators, sending you out would be overkill. We only need to assign a few inner disciples to the gate. If anything happens, act immediately."

Yun Ping smirked, "Yes, sir. I'll send the third and fifth junior martial brothers right away."

With that, he bowed and left.

Seeing Yun Ping leave, the old man standing to the left of the scar-faced man hesitated. "Lord Huo Shan, it's only the Mountain Gate Trial. Do you need to go this far?"

On Huo Shan's right, a middle-aged man in gray Daoist robes stood up, waving his hand for dozens of inner disciples to depart. He then retorted, "Old Man Bai, just tend to the White Cloud Academy's affairs. Show too much mercy, and you'll end up like Serene Void Academy."

The old man roared, "Zhou Chang! You've gone too far! Do you mean to swallow the White Cloud Academy as well? Clear Breeze Sword Qi!"

A surge of spirit qi burst forth, striking at Zhou Chang. "No matter how powerful the Wind Lightning Academy may be, you'll first have to get through me, Bai Rufeng. The White Cloud Academy will not be bullied like the Serene Void Academy!"

"

Hmph...

" Zhou Chang wiped the blood from his mouth. "Bai Rufeng, you may be strong, but the White Cloud Academy has always been weak. Sooner or later, I'll devour it."

Bai Rufeng drew his sword and lunged toward Zhou Chang. "As long as I draw breath, you won't have the chance!"

"Lightning Palm!" Zhou Chang condensed divine lightning in his palm. "Don't think I'm easy to push around just because I don't fight back!"

"Enough! You both are academy heads! Why are you fighting here?" A stern-looking man in the center intervened with a long spear, interrupting their fights. "If you want to fight, go to the Martial Merit Platform. There are so many disciples watching, have you got no shame?"

Zhou Chang snorted. "

Hmph...

Fine, for the Lord's sake, I won't quarrel with you for now."

With that, he returned to his seat.

Bai Rufeng glanced at Zhou Chang. "You..."

He circulated his spirit qi and was about to charge again when Huo Shan pressed him down with overwhelming force.

Huo Shan touched the scar on his face and growled viciously, "If you don't have the strength, sit down and watch. Keep this attitude, and the White Cloud Academy's fate will be no different from the Serene Void Academy's."

"You... you..." Bai Rufeng slumped desolately into his seat, his voice heavy with regret. "If I had known, I would never have joined you in targeting the Serene Void Academy. At least then I'd still have my reputation."

***

By now, the V-shaped formation had already reached the sixtieth step. The flow of spirit qi within it was beginning to falter.

"Almost there," Jun Xiaoma muttered as he watched the formation near collapse. He turned to Jun Laoye, charging forward, and shouted, "Second Young Master, the formation needs you! Lend us your strength!"

Jun Laoye bellowed as he heard Jun Xiaoma's call, "

Ha!

"

He set his spear before him, planting it straight into the heart of the formation.

Nantian Yijian stood back-to-back with him, his three Nantian Swords anchoring the rear. In that instant, the formation became the sharpest spearhead imaginable.[1]

Jun Laoye tightened his grip. "It's still not enough."

Fixing his gaze on Lu Chen rushing forward, he shouted, "Little Lu, give us more strength!"

"Got it. Wind Dragon! Take Wan'er and go!" Lu Chen hurled Wind Dragon and Nantian Wan'er into the air. Wind Dragon split into his six true forms, his colossal green-black body surging like a storm cloud as he carried her in circles high above.

"Nantian Dragon-Slaying Sword!" Lu Chen shouted, sending the Nantian Dragon-Slaying Sword spiraling toward the spearhead.

The crimson dragon slammed directly into the spearhead, fusing with it in an instant. A massive fiery dragon spear now stood atop the mountain gate steps.

A continuous stream of spirit qi radiated from Lu Chen's Heavenly Pool, enveloping the entire V-shaped formation.

This was Lu Chen's first time fully releasing his spirit qi since breaking through to the fifth level of the Qi Regulation Realm. Even though his body remained bound by the Spirit Light Chains, his strength far surpassed that of others of his level, and the power he could channel had multiplied dozens, even hundreds of times.

At this moment, Lu Chen became both the source and the master of the entire formation.

"Horse-Hunting Legion, charge at the mountain gate!"

Lu Chen acted as the shaft, guiding the Dragon Spear like a living weapon, while the Serene Void Academy's disciples formed its two wing blades. With Jun Laoye taking the spear tip and Nantian Yijian linking them all together, the V-shaped formation now fully functioned as a massive, fiery Dragon Spear.

"

Roar!

"

The disciples defending the sixty-first level were utterly terrified at the sudden appearance of the colossal dragon spear, stumbling and retreating upward.

The same happened at the sixty-second, then the sixty-third, the sixty-fourth, and the sixty-fifth...

***

By the seventy-second level, the outcome remained the same. Twelve of the Discipline Court's disciples scrambled desperately up the steps, seeking refuge from the inner sect disciples.[2]

Lu Chen looked at the ragged group and shouted, "Who are we?"

"The Serene Void Academy's Horse-Hunting Legion!"

"What do we do?"

"Restore honor to the Serene Void Academy! Hunt for the legion!"

"Impressive. Horse-Hunters, ready your hunt!" Lu Chen said with a sly smile, addressing the twelve panicked disciples ahead. "But remember, hunters don't kill the horses. Brothers, charge!"

The twelve, already terrified, felt their souls leaving their bodies at the roar behind them.

A mid-ranking man atop the mountain gate remarked. "This one... what extraordinary skill. Jun Wudi, it seems you've truly taken in a fine disciple."

"This is all Little Lu's own doing," Jun Wudi said softly, sipping his tea beside the man. "They wanted to test their strength, which is why they chose to challenge the mountain gate."

Zhou Chang sneered upon hearing Jun Wudi. "

Hmph...

news about you going to the secret realm is no longer a secret. You had that opportunity and didn't even share it with your fellow brothers. That's truly stingy of you."

"Stingy?" Jun Wudi snorted at Zhou Chang, tossing a spatial ring into the air as his aura gradually spread outward. "Think I'm stingy? Come take it, then."

"A spatial ring? You said it yourself, so if I get it, it's mine." Zhou Chang's eyes followed the ring in the air. He activated his movement art to chase it.

Bang!

Zhou Chang fell back onto his chair, fuming. "You set up a barrier? Again!"

He released his spirit qi, surging toward the ring with the force of a cultivator at perfect mastery of the Sunken Core Realm.

"Stop. Are you trying to stir up trouble again immediately after being restrained?" The mid-ranking man snorted, blocking Zhou Chang. "If you've got skill, send a disciple to the Martial Merit Platform. Fighting over a few resources... what kind of skill is that?"

"

Hmph...

Jun Wudi, once you and your fellow disciples return to the mountain gate, the Wind Lightning Academy's disciples will definitely pay a visit to the Serene Void Academy," Zhou Chang muttered grimly, sinking back into his seat.

1. This is the Nantian Third Sword technique, where Nantian Yijian manifests a third flying sword to attack. Refer to C81. ☜

2. The original text mentions that these were the last of the outer sect disciples. However, the Discipline Court only has 108 members, with just sixty-four outer sect disciples. To avoid confusion, we have decided to remove that. ☜