Chapter 1917 - Battle Begins

Zhang Yue’s appearance instantly caused an uproar, and the commotion was even more significant than Ye Qingtian’s. After all, Zhang Yue was now an “influential figure” within the Heavenly Dao Sect. There wasn’t a single person within the sect who didn’t know about him after being hung naked in the tree half a month ago.

Who could’ve expected a saint’s disciple to be beaten up by a cat and stripped naked before hanging outside the Profound Maiden Courtyard? Most importantly, Ye Qingtian stood out then and greatly humiliated Zhang Yue.

“I’m surprised that you recovered so quickly and even made a breakthrough,” Lin Yun said indifferently as he batted a glance at Zhang Yue.

“All thanks to you!” Zhang Yue gritted his teeth and whispered coldly when he passed by Lin Yun, “Since you dare to pick the Di Group, I’ll cripple you this time!”

“The cat was mine,” Lin Yun whispered back to Zhang Yue, leaving the latter stunned. When he came to his senses, Lin Yun had already left.

“What did he say?” Ye Feifan asked.

“Nothing much,” Zhang Yue muttered as he came to his senses.

What Lin Yun said sent a huge bellow within his heart, and he didn’t think that it was possible. Ye Qingtian was only at the Profound Death Stage, so how could he own such a powerful beast? Not to mention the mysterious little girl who was there that day. Most importantly, he had no evidence, even if the culprit was really Ye Qingtian, because he had already become a laughingstock within the Heavenly Dao Sect. Zhang Yue’s face was terrifyingly dark as he walked to the Di Group’s registration corner and signed his name on it.

It didn’t take long for two influential figures to arrive as well. They were Ouyang He and Chen Zhong, both popular candidates of the Di Group. Without any exception, they picked the Tian Group with the most intense competition.

After Lin Yun registered his name, he came to his seat and closed his eyes to rest while waiting for his battle. Not long later, a voice resounded beside his ears, “A saint disciple at the Profound Death Stage dares to partake in the Di Group? Are you disregarding old saint disciples like us?”

When Lin Yun opened his eyes, he saw the person beside him. This person looked at least fifty years old, but his actual age was older. His name was Zhang Qiao, and he was over eighty years old with a cultivation at the second transformation of the Nirvana Stage.

“Who will put someone like you who has such a pitiful cultivation for your age in their eyes? You’re no different from a piece of trash,” Lin Yun said, and he closed his eyes.

Zhang Qian was furious after hearing what Lin Yun said, and he coldly said, “You better hope that you don’t run into me, or I’ll let you know the difference between you and someone at the Nirvana Stage.”

“A piece of trash,” Lin Yun said, keeping his eyes closed. He couldn’t be bothered with someone like Zhang Qian.

This naturally made Zhang Qian even more furious, and he stomped his foot on the ground. Seven days ago, Zhang Qian was jealous when he noticed Ye Qingtian on the Celestial Purging Mountain, but Ye Qingtian had no impression of him.

“That fellow is really cocky!” Ye Feifan sneered, looking at Lin Yun.

“We’ll see if he can still smile after going on the stage!” Zhang Yue said with murderous intent flickering within his pupils.

The Ranking Battle was a platform for saint disciples to display themselves, and there were many monstrous geniuses at the Nirvana Stage. They all had an opportunity to become a Quasi-Saint, and few could become a Saint.

Thus, several elders who were at the Saint Realm here, and the Dragon Origin Great Saint was amongst them. The Dragon Origin Great Saint didn’t plan to come initially, but he came when Ye Qingtian decided to challenge the Di Group.

Amongst all the Saint Elders, the Dragon Origin Great Saint sat in the middle, looking like an ordinary old man. His muddy eyes were looking at Ye Qingtian with a complicated gaze, and he inwardly sighed. The fact that Ye Qingtian made it to the fourth level of the Celestial Purging Mountain proved that his eyesight was right, but he could only do something since Ye Qingtian chose to challenge the Di Group. He knew that Ye Qingtian had offended many people with his personality, and he would be killed if he wasn’t careful.

The Nether Slaughter Saint Sovereign smiled, “Ye Qingtian is pretty courageous to challenge the Di Group. It no wonder why he’s the direct disciple of a Great Saint. I believe he won’t disappoint you.”

The Dragon Origin Great Saint naturally knew what he was thinking, and he said, “I heard that you let your disciple refine a Saint Dragon Pellet. You’re really generous.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it because his injuries were too serious.”

“Why did I hear that you decided to let him refine it after hearing that my disciple picked the Di Group?” the Dragon Origin Great Saint smiled.

“Bullshit. Don’t overthink it,” The Nether Slaughter Saint Sovereign smiled with his eyes squinted.

The other elders merely smiled, looking at the two fighting amongst themselves with their words. They all knew that Ye Qingtian nearly made the Nether Slaughter Saint Sovereign throw out a mouthful of blood half a month ago, and it was natural that the Nether Slaughter Saint Sovereign wanted to take revenge. The Nether Slaughter Saint Sovereign naturally wanted Zhang Yue to cripple Ye Qingtian on the stage, or he wouldn’t let his disciple refine the Saint Dragon Pellet.

The judge of the Di Group was a Quasi-Saint. He flew to the sky and formed a seal with his hands before waving them. The stage was then divided into five, each with a word written on it. They were Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

The name of this Quasi-Saint was Chi Yun. He gazed at everyone and said, “There are no special rules during the Ranking Battle, and you can resort to any means. This includes poison, hidden weapons, and Glory Saint Artifacts. But remember that you’re not allowed to consume any pellets that will temporarily boost your cultivation, and you have to stop if your opponent admits defeat! If anyone violates the rules, their qualification will be abolished. In serious cases, you might even be expelled from the sect!”

The Quasi-Saint looked at everyone before he waved his hand, distributing a medal to everyone.

When Lin Yun received the medal, it had ‘59’ engraved.

“Five hundred people are partaking in the Di Group, and half will be eliminated today. A hundred people will group you to the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth categories.”

Lin Yun held onto his medal and came to the Gold category, making preparations for his battle. Thus, only two hundred people would make it to the next round from each category, while the remaining people would compete in the loser group for fifty spots. This ensured fairness because some might be eliminated if they ran into experts. After the elimination round, there wouldn’t be such rules anymore.

Those in the top ten could obtain a hundred thousand Nirvana Pellets and a hundred thousand contribution points. With contribution points, one could enter the sect’s vault to exchange for various resources.

“I must obtain more contribution points and exchange them for True Dragon Saint Liquid for Lil’ Purple. If I become the champion, I can obtain three hundred thousand Nirvana Pellets, which’ll be enough for me to reach the Nirvana Stage…” Lin Yun was filled with anticipation for this Ranking Battle.

After all, the Nirvana Pellets could be used to strengthen his cultivation. Otherwise, it would be futile if he only had the Three-Lives Fruit and no resources. On the other hand, contribution points could be used to exchange for True Dragon Saint Liquid to nurture the Phoenix Tree. The Heavenly Dao Sect had a long inheritance and a lot of True Dragon Saint Liquid.

After Chi Yun announced the rules, the competitors in the five categories began to fight.

“Flowing Cloud Peak, Ye Bei!”

“Heavenly Yin Palace, Bai Yunzhen!” Lin Yun’s gaze fell onto the Gold category. The two first reported their names before fighting, and Bai Yunzhen lost after a hundred moves. It was mainly because Bai Yunzhen was young and in his twenties, while his opponent was in his seventies.

“The older generation saint disciples have a clear advantage. Bai Yunzhen can be considered a monstrous genius of the Bai Clan to reach the first transformation of the Nirvana Stage. But he still lost…”

“There’s also a huge gap in their age.”

“There’s nothing he can do about it. Even if they have the same cultivation, the difference in the density of their nirvana aura is too huge!”

“There’s also a huge difference in their experience.”

Bai Yunzhen was famous, so many people paid attention to him. After witnessing their battle, they had a whole new understanding of the older generation’s saint disciples.

Lin Yun also opened his eyes and observed the surrounding battles. His eyes alternated between the five categories, taking note of formidable saint disciples.