Chapter 75 - The First Stance (1/2)
“Master, why are you inside?”
“Uh… Haven’t I come to look for you? Come on, go up! Don’t embarra.s.s your master!”
Ao Yi could see in the corner of his eyes, the old Daoist Yuan Ze hurriedly floating back to the sky with the two young girls. They were flying rather quickly and when they returned to the crowd, it was as if nothing happened…
Then, Li Changshou flew into the air and bowed.
“I’m Li Changshou, a disciple of the Little Qiong Peak. h.e.l.lo…”
A familiar voice slowly traveled through the night sky. Ao Yi’s legs trembled as he staggered forward.
He had lost…
Actually, he had lost again.
When he was ten years old, he wanted to lose, but Li Changshou admitted defeat before him. In fact, he was the real loser…
Today…
I have the Water-Condensed Spiritual Pearl that Mother had given me, but I can’t even break these simple trapping array formations.
I have the Ice Glazed Sword that Master had bestowed upon me, but I can’t sever the confusion in this area.
How can I have the cheek to challenge that person with this sword?
However, how could he be willing to succ.u.mb?
It was not easy for him to come up with a plan to make a name for himself. He wanted to use the Qi Refinement cultivators of Golden Ao Island who liked to talk about the Dao everywhere they went, to challenge the elites of the human race…
Why did things go awry right at the start of the plan…
Ao Yi remained standing, his eyes filled with confusion. He did not know what he should do next. He thought Should I bow to Li Changshou and say, “I’m not as good as you.”
Or should I continue with my plan, be thick-skinned and spar with this human disciple again…
Ao Yi sighed in his heart. However, he did not want to do such a shameless thing.
After putting away the pearl, he put his sword back into his sheath and took two steps forward. He bowed to Li Changshou, who was in front of the Pill Chamber.
“I, Ao Yi, have experienced the wonders of your array formation today.”
Ao Yi then turned around to leave.
However, a Heaven Immortal who was hovering in the air frowned slightly and said calmly,
“Since our young friend Changshou has already come out of seclusion, there’s no need to engage in an array formation sparring session. Just let the two of them spar as per normal. This is not about winning or losing. Today, we, Golden Ao Island just want to help Junior Ao Yi get rid of the demon in his heart that resulted from his previous loss.”
Ao Yi looked up and hesitated.
However, one of the elders from the Immortal Du Sect said, “Changshou, are you willing to spar with the prince of the Dragon Palace again? He will seal his own cultivation level and be on the same level as you, the seventh stage of Void Return.”
Li Changshou did not hesitate. He had expected their reaction a long time ago.
The sparring session was inevitable because both parties were already competing in terms of array formations and honor.
He lowered his head and said, “Disciple, follow the sect’s arrangements.”
All of a sudden, the elders in the air beamed with joy.
The elders had already reached a tacit agreement. They decided that after the Golden Ao Island group left, they would reward Li Changshou, their young disciple who had given them a surprise.
The group returned to the Heaven-Breaking Peak immediately.
When they came from Heaven-Breaking Peak, the five or six of them were the only ones in the sky. When they returned, the sky was filled with clouds, and the starry sky was pitch dark.
Li Changshou obediently followed behind the immortals. Jiu Wu rushed over from the side, grabbed his arm, and leaned backward…
“This is for you.”
Jiu Wu stuffed his hand into Li Changshou’s sleeve and placed a treasure pouch in it. Then, he said,
He then said through a voice transmission, “This prince of the Dragon Palace has two Postnatal Numinous treasures on him. That sword is not to be underestimated. If he wants to hurt you later, you can use the item in the treasure pouch to smash him.”
“This is my master’s Purple Seal, which is also a Numinous treasure. I asked him for it because I wanted to lend it to you. Remember, it’s a loan! It’s not a gift for you!”
Li Changshou could not help but laugh. He took out the treasure pouch and stuffed it back into Jiu Wu’s sleeve.
Huh? There are a few treasure pouches sewn on Uncle-Master’s sleeve too?
I wonder what’s in there.
“Uncle-Master, you don’t have to worry. I have my ways to deal with him later.” Li Changshou sent a voice transmission back. “I will not let him win this battle… as long as he doesn’t fight and transform into a dragon.”
Jiu Wu was confused. Li Changshou muttered under his breath using the voice transmission again.
The short Daoist immediately raised his eyebrows and sneered. “T… this isn’t appropriate, is it?”
Li Changshou smiled and said, “You have to be flexible with the rules. This is a principle that my master often teaches.”
“Right, where’s your master? You should have let him come and take a look at you when you are sparring with someone.”
You should have let him come and take a look when you are sparring with someone.”
“Uh…” Li Changshou used his immortal sense to look at the tree stump that had fallen asleep in the forest a few hundred kilometers outside the mountain. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he left behind a wisp of immortal sense that surrounded it.
He answered, “I don’t know either. Master has been in a bad mood recently, so he probably went out for a stroll.”
Jiu Wu sighed softly. “Right. Your master has become a Turbid Immortal. The Immortal Path is definitely not that easy. Don’t think too much about it. Just fight this round well. It doesn’t matter if we win or not. Just don’t lose pathetically.”
Li Changshou nodded.
In front of them, an elder had already turned to look at the two of them. Jiu Wu did not dare to say anything. He rode a cloud and chased after the rest with Li Changshou.
…
A moment later, in the square in front of the Heaven-Breaking Peak’s Immortal Ascension Hall, one of the elders threw out dozens of Night Luminescent Dharma Pearls which illuminated the place and made it seem like it was daytime.
More than a hundred figures stood in front of the hall. In the Immortal Du Sect, more than half of the Qi Refinement cultivators were watching them using their spiritual senses and immortal senses.
The people from Jin Ao Island did not say anything else.
After discussing with the elders for a while, Jiu Wu took the initiative to step forward and said loudly,
“When sparring and discussing the Dao, one’s intention should be to test one’s own Dao and understanding. It should be a revelation of your own theoretical knowledge and not a fight. Both parties should spar appropriately and not hurt each other.”
“This open s.p.a.ce in front of the hall is the border. We will proceed according to the rules of the Dragon Palace. Even if you are going to lose, you’re not to use any lethal treasures.”
Ao Yi and Li Changshou agreed.
Ao Yi then put away the Numinous Treasure sword that was hanging at his waist, took out a pair of silvery-white gloves, and slowly put them on.
He then turned around and cupped his hands together while facing the five Heaven Immortals of Golden Ao Island.
“Senior Brothers, please help me seal my cultivation level to the seventh stage of Void Return.”
“Alright.” A middle-aged Daoist priest nodded slightly. He drew a talisman out of thin air with his left hand and struck Ao Yi. Ao Yi’s aura instantly fell.
“This talisman can seal your cultivation level for two hours.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother.”
After that, Ao Yi and Li Changshou walked towards the arena. They were fifteen feet away from each other, and their auras were intertwined.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Senior Brother Changshou!”
Li Changshou looked over. It was Youqin Xuanya, who was clad in a red dress. She was looking at him from the front of the hall, and her eyes were filled with worry.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“Yes.” Li Changshou smiled and nodded, purely out of courtesy.
Li Changshou looked at Ao Yi and said, “Prince Ao Yi, today is a little different from the Demon-Sweeping Meet. I might have an unfair advantage.”
There was shame written all over Ao Yi’s face. He replied in a clear voice, “Fellow Daoist, please go ahead and attack as you wish.”
Li Changshou nodded. He lifted the front of his Daoist robe with one hand, placed it behind his back, and made an inviting gesture.
The opening was full of vigor!
However, Li Changshou had already made up his mind.
He had thought about his battle strategy carefully.
I’m going to be steady yet mischievous… Ahem, I want to win. I won’t expose anything!
Ao Yi took a deep breath, and his expression turned grave. There were Mysterious Ice fireb.a.l.l.s around him.
Yellow paper talismans flew out from Li Changshou’s sleeves. In the blink of an eye, over a hundred talismans were released!
Ao Yi had experienced that move before. However, he felt that the power of those yellow paper talismans was much stronger than before.
Ao Yi stopped in his tracks and charged forward. A few Mysterious Ice fireb.a.l.l.s turned into dragon shadows that circled around Li Changshou and charged at him together!
This time, Li Changshou did not use any footwork to dodge. Instead, he remained standing quietly and rapidly chanted spells. He was chanting so quickly that the syllables were almost indistinct as if he were humming a song.
Ao Yi pounced at him in the blink of an eye!
He punched Li Changshou’s chest immediately with power that was strong enough to split a mountain. At this moment, Ao Yi was frowning and all ready to put away his fist.
However…
Swoos.h.!.+
Li Changshou bent down and instantly entered the ground that resembled rippling water!
Earth Escape!
Due to the fact that Li Changshou had used Earth Escape to save Youqin Xuanya twice during the previous trip to the Northern Continent, the sect had long known that Li Changshou had that technique. Hence, he could use it openly now.
Ao Yi’s punch missed. His body landed on the ground and he rushed forward by more than ten steps…
The Second Prince, Ao Yi turned his head and saw that the yellow talismans behind him had already formed an array. Flames erupted consecutively!
Although it was just an ordinary fire spell, it could still unleash quite a bit of power with the support of Li Changshou’s Stage-seven Void Return Dharma powers.
Ao Yi covered his face with his arms and dodged from left to right. However, he was continuously hit by the condensing flames…
Li Changshou was quietly wandering underground, searching for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
He could lose or win. After comparing the two, he felt that there was actually no difference to him.
The important thing was how he lost and won.