Chapter 2215 - Going Into Battle

Su Yi swept his gaze across the crowd, then focused on the distant spectator stands.

He recognized Lu Qingmei at a glance. She looked just as Yi Daoxuan remembered her: dressed in wide-sleeved, white raiment, with her long, black hair tied up. She looked young and beautiful, with skin as fair and smooth as jade, and her bright eyes sparkled like stars.

She sat there casually, her petite frame emanating heart-palpitating, imposing majesty. She was like a lofty empress presiding over the nine heavens and gazing down upon the masses with pride.

Su Yi knew that she was far more than just a pretty face. She was crafty and volatile; there was no way to tell what she was thinking.

Yi Daoxuan had once been close to her. How staunch and unyielding of a man was he? Yet she’d almost managed to kill him during dual cultivation.

It was obvious how skilled Lu Qingmei was at hiding her true feelings.

Su Yi could tell that Lu Qingmei was looking at him. For a moment, he even caught a clear glimpse of some inscrutable emotion in the depths of her gaze.

Su Yi’s eyes were calm and clear. He took all of this in, then naturally shifted his gaze, paying Lu Qingmei no further heed.

Lu Qingmei’s delicate brow furrowed slightly, but then, she looked away too and sat there in silence.

Meanwhile, Sect Leader Liang Lingxu and Third Elder Ku Zhen had complicated looks on their faces. Xiao Jian’s arrival had triggered uproar throughout the stands. They could now see his prestige and influence within the sect with their own eyes!

They were particularly uncomfortable to hear so many disciples expressing their admiration for him.

Were it possible, they’d have much preferred that Su Yi hadn’t come!

But Liang Lingxu quickly calmed himself down and said with a smile, “Deacon Xiao, we’ve disturbed your seclusion. I hope you won’t take offense.”

“It’s this disciple’s duty to fight for my sect. How could I possibly take offense?” said Su Yi as he walked into the River of Stars Ritual grounds.

He looked at Fang Shuo. “How do these duels work?”

Fang Shuo had a powerful aura. He really was a peak, heaven-defying figure within the Creation Realm.

But... that was the extent of it.

Fang Shuo looked Su Yi up and down calmly, then said, “We’ll fight without any external treasures, using our powers of the Grand Dao to determine victory and defeat.”

“Alright,” said Su Yi.

But then, someone said, “Wait!” A thin woman in military attire and hair cropped at ear level leaped onto the stage.

Liu He!

This woman had recently defeated eight opponents in a row in a display of utterly ferocious, tyrannical strength.

“Let me play with him first. If I lose, then you can fight, Senior Apprentice Brother Fang. If I win, that means he wasn’t worthy of fighting you in the first place!” Liu He crossed her arms in front of her chest, her eyes glinting like the edge of a knife. She was as aggressive as could be.

Uproar ensued. Many of the Qingwu Divine Court disciples’ expressions were unsightly.

This Liu He obviously doesn’t think Xiao Jian is worthy of fighting Fang Shuo!

“Very well,” said Su Yi, inclining his head. He couldn’t be bothered to say anymore.

Fang Shuo pondered briefly, then said to Liu He, “Fight with all your might. Our Fellow Daoist Xiao Jian is no ordinary Lesser God.”

Liu He’s gaze focused in apparent surprise, but then, she nodded. “I’ll do that.”

Fang Shuo promptly stepped back.

All eyes were instantly on Su Yi and Liu He.

Can Deacon Xiao Win?

Not even the Qingwu Divine Court higher-ups were certain. The disciples were even more nervous. If Deacon Xiao lost, Qingwu Divine Court really didn’t have anyone left capable of putting up a fight.

“I’m truly conflicted about this battle,” sighed Third Elder Ku Zhen.

Many of the nearby higher-ups had strange looks on their faces. All of them knew what Ku Zhen was getting at. He’d have a hard time accepting the outcome, whether Xiao Jian won or lost!

The reason was simple. If Xiao Jian won, it would boost his prestige to unprecedented heights. It would no longer be possible to suppress him; if he tried, the vast majority of his sectmates would object!

But if Xiao Jian lost, it would make Qingwu Divine Court seem far too inept. They’d have no means to suppress their opponents’ bluster.

Xiao Jian’s loss would mean a crushing defeat in this sparring competition with the Severed Heavens Demon Court!

Ku Zhen didn’t want to see either outcome. Of course he felt conflicted!

“Deacon Xiao is considering the bigger picture. You can relax too, Third Elder. Don’t fixate on momentary gains and losses,” Liang Lingxu said calmly.

In truth, his words contained a hidden edge. He was, in an unusual turn of events, chastising the third elder!

There was no doubt about it. He was the person who trusted the third elder most, but he was a bit displeased with Ku Zhen’s behavior!

Ku Zhen’s expression shifted, and he dared not say any more. However, when he next looked at Xiao Jian, his gaze was subtly colder than before.

Clang!!

A bell rang out, and the battle everyone was waiting for finally began.

“I’ll use the strongest methods at my disposal to take you down as quickly as possible!” Liu He said coldly.

She used her full strength right off the bat, pouring all of her power into a single domineering strike!

Boom!

Thirty-six dazzlingly brilliant green rings of divine light appeared around her, and misty green radiance rose into the heavens.

Her attacks, meanwhile, struck with the force of a tidal wave or avalanche, with shocking destructive power. She was ferocious to the extreme.

She’d just defeated eight opponents in a row. Practically all of them lost to a similar tyrannical flurry of attacks, unable to even fight back.

But... To everyone’s surprise, Deacon Xiao was even more domineering and tyrannical than her.

His tall, upright figure erupted with the power of his bloodline, and a Torch Dragon appeared reflected behind him. His imposing aura connected heaven and earth, and he clashed with her head-on, force against force.

Kaboom!

In a flash, the two of them had clashed over a hundred times.

Every attack made the onlookers’ hearts quiver. They gasped repeatedly.

The crowd quickly got worked up, because Liu He’s offensive was falling apart. Xiao Jian was slowly but steadily wearing her down!

The experts of the Severed Heavens Demon Court couldn’t help but gasp. They found this hard to believe. Liu He was among the strongest Creation Realm Lesser Gods in their sect, second only to Fang Shuo!

Yet now, she’d been forced into a passive position in a head-on confrontation.

Moments later——

A muffled, thunderous impact rang out, and Liu He’s thin figure was sent flying backward uncontrollably. She landed outside the arena.

Silence fell over the crowd, followed by an eruption of cheers.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

“Wondrous!”

“Deacon Xiao is so strong!”

“Amazing! I’m only just now realizing that Deacon Xiao in no way used his full strength on Spirit Bamboo Peak. He’s far stronger than I anticipated!”

“Haha, this feels great!!”

...The crowd rejoiced. The disciples’ faces filled with excitement and delight as all of their long pent-up frustration finally found release.

Over in the VIP spectator stands, the sect’s higher-ups looked delighted too.

We’ve finally managed to save at least a little face. Xiao Jian is really quite something!

“Sect Leader, as you can see, he’s been hiding his strength this entire time. He’s not as simple as he appears,” Third Elder Ku Zhen transmitted gravely.

Liang Lingxu’s brow furrowed. “So what if he hid his strength? He’s ultimately just a Lesser God. If you can’t find any real proof of wrongdoing, stop being so paranoid!”

Ku Zhen fell silent. He felt stifled.

He could tell that his suspicion of Xiao Jian was starting to change the sect leader’s attitude towards him. The sect leader was starting to feel displeased!

“What do you think of our sect’s Xiao Jian, Fellow Daoist?” High Elder Bai Liyun smiled and asked Lu Qingmei.

She was quite pleased, and she felt much more relaxed. Xiao Jian’s performance reflected well on her, too!

“He’s not bad,” Lu Qingmei said distractedly. Her delicate eyebrows were knit together, and she stared intently at Su Yi as if she had something on her mind.

Bai Liyun smiled faintly, then said to Sect Leader Liang Lingxu, “Whether Xiao Jian wins or loses, we must reward him generously. After all, this sparring match disrupted his seclusion.”

Liang Lingxu smiled. “Rest assured, Second High Elder. I’ll naturally make arrangements.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Third Elder Ku Zhen. It seemed inadvertent, but his gaze carried a warning.

Ku Zhen felt increasingly stifled. He knew that now that the second high elder had spoken, he could no longer find any excuse to suppress Xiao Jian!

Of everyone present, Ninth Elder Tie Wenjing was the smuggest and most delighted. He took honor in this too!

Su Yi, conversely, was the most frustrated. Putting on an act like this was exhausting.

Especially since there were no small number of Master Gods in attendance. That made hiding his strength far more difficult than it would be otherwise.

He dared say with certainty that the Master Gods could tell that he was holding back against Liu He. After all, no matter how well he hid your strength, fighting while holding back was completely different than fighting with your life on the line.

It was a different mental state, and there was no hiding that.

But Su Yi wasn’t worried. His Torch Dragon bloodline was real, as were his appearance, secret arts, and divine abilities of the Torch Dragon lineage!

Even if people realized that he was hiding his true strength, they wouldn’t suspect that he was a fake Torch Dragon.

As the crowd was in uproar, Fang Shuo walked on stage and calmly clasped his fist. “Please.”

It was just one word, simple and direct, but it was enormously weighty. The clamor of voices vanished instantly, and silence descended over the ritual grounds.

Everyone had witnessed Fang Shuo’s terrifying strength. None of them dared say with certainty that Deacon Xiao would be a match for him.

Even the higher-ups held their breath and watched intently.

“Please.” Su Yi gestured for his opponent to begin.

Fang Shuo nodded, then took a step forward.

Boom!

His tall, upright figure suddenly transformed. The surging power of his blood and qi shot into the firmament, manifesting an illusory Torch Dragon in the air.

The crowd was gobsmacked. Uproar ensued.

“Fang Shuo has a Torch Dragon bloodline too!?”

“My heavens! How is this possible?”

“Deacon Xiao isn’t the only one? I would never have guessed that another Torch Dragon existed in this world!”

...Over in the VIP stands, the higher-ups were all unwittingly stunned. Their faces filled with astonishment.

In the earlier discussions of the Dao, Fang Shuo never revealed the power of his bloodline. Rather, he fought with the abilities of a soul cultivator.

Everyone thought that he was a monstrous, unparalleled genius among soul cultivators. Who could have imagined that he had a Torch Dragon bloodline?

Su Yi’s gaze focused, and his heart shook. He instinctively glanced at where Lu Qingmei was seated out of the corner of his eye.

But when he did, he discovered that that unparalleled, legendary demoness was staring directly at him, too.

Su Yi finally dared say with certainty that Lu Qingmei suspected his identity, and furthermore, that she’d come here for him!