by <unknown>
Other than hundreds of intimidating sword Cultivators wearing the robes or armor of their own sect, quite a number of Cultivators from other sects were talking and laughing with them.
Some of the Cultivators, whose noses were tall and whose eyes were deep, with completely different appearance from the Cultivators of the central plateaus, were also touching their blades under the banner of the Purple Pole Sword Sect while staring at the Grand Mystery Sect's side aggressively.
Li Yao knew that those Cultivators were either from the sects who had been close enough to Wang Xi in the past to be blamed as 'eunuch's conspirator' or the overseas Cultivators who had been hired by the Purple Pole Sword Sect with decent pay to help fight!
Chapter 1390: The Purple Pole Sword Sect's Decision! |
While Li Yao was observing the experts of the Ancient Sages Sector, he became a focus of attention himself.
The high-level Cultivators from the five sects including the Grand Mystery Sect were even more surprised that an indifferent, strange young Cultivator slowly landed on the lotus jade chip of the highest level.
They communicated with each other through eye contact. Apparently, none of them knew Li Yao.
So, he was obviously an unaffiliated Cultivator that the Purple Pole Sword Sect had hired to deal with the crisis.
For Cultivators, wealth, residence, arts, and partners were mandatory. Generally speaking, only after they joined a certain sect would they be supported with enough resources to make decent progress in their training.
The unaffiliated Cultivators who did not belong to a sect were either not worth mentioning because of their lack of resources or extremely dreadful with unpredictable Cultivation because they boasted their own confidential resource channel, say a secret residence of some predecessor.
Now that the guy had arrived on a lotus jade disc, he was certainly the one with the highest Cultivation among the unaffiliated Cultivators that the Purple Pole Sword Sect had invited for help. So, he certainly deserved their attention.
Many high-level Cultivators closed their eyes and rested after a few glances at Li Yao.
An unaffiliated Cultivator was an unaffiliated Cultivator after all. How capable could he be?
Moreover, he was an unknown man from nowhere. Chances were that he had been training in a remote place throughout his life and was somehow summoned by the Purple Pole Sword Sect. The peak of the Core Formation Stage was the most that he could amount to!
Such an unaffiliated Cultivator just deserved their attention. Nothing more.
At this moment, the high-level Cultivators in the five super sects had yet to learn that the chaos in the Southland of Sorcerers had been settled. Thus, they did not know that Li Yao had killed Master Black Moon, who was in the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage, in one move and suppressed Han Yuantai, who was in the middle level of the Nascent Soul Stage, in another.
If they had known it, they definitely would not have felt so easy.
The incidents, however, had been conveyed to the elders and leaders of the Purple Pole Sword Sect by Ling Lanyin.
Just now, when Ling Lanyin met them, she even further stressed upon Li Yao's formidability.
She was at the peak of the Core Formation Stage and one of the most distinguished experts in the Purple Pole Sword Sect other than the six Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. Naturally, no one doubted her words.
Therefore, quite a few elegant, unworldly-looking sword Cultivators on the Purple Pole Sword Sect's side courteously greeted him from far away in respect.
But it raised the suspicion and dissatisfaction of the other overseas unaffiliated Cultivators that the Purple Pole Sword Sect had invited because they did not enjoy such privileges when they reached the Bronze Censer Peak.
Ling Lanyon was speaking to a few Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators under the Purple Pole Sword Sect's banner. Seeing that Li Yao had shown up, her eyes glittered. She flew over with her master's permission and bowed to Li Yao obediently before she gave a rewritten inventory of resources to Li Yao with both hands.
Li Yao unfolded the inventory and checked. Other than all the materials that he required, hundreds of other extremely rare materials had been added to the paper, some of which had an annual yield of less than a hundred grams for ten years in the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector!
Li Yao narrowed his eyes and thought quickly. With those new materials, he would have dozens of new solutions to build up the star beacons. The signals that he sent back to his hometown would be clearer, more conspicuous, and more precise.
While drafting the new modification designs in his head, he stared at Ling Lanyin suspiciously. The new inventory of resources was at least three times as valuable as the previous one!
Ling Lanyin smiled. "Senior, our sect has admired your remarkable techniques and your reputation in the south for a long time. Knowing that you are in need of magical equipment after just breaking out of seclusion, our sect is willing to offer you all the materials on the inventory. The best refining facilities in our sect will be at your service indefinitely, too. That is the least we can do for your refining, senior!
"However, we do have a minor request. We hope that you will admit to being a 'visiting elder' of our sect when you help us in a fight!"
Li Yao raised his eyebrow.
"It is not a permanent identity!"
Fearing that Li Yao grew angry, Ling Lanyin hurried to explain the counteroffer. "We only need you to work as a visiting elder in our sect for half a year so that we can live through the crisis!"
"What if I don't?" Li Yao asked emotionlessly.
Ling Lanyin shuddered and gritted her teeth. "If you don't, I'm afraid that we will not be able to complete the deal that you want, senior. If you insist on standing against our sect and trying the sharpness of our swords, the six Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, hundred Core Formation Stage Cultivators, and five thousand empyreal swordsmen will have no choice except to try our best to not disappoint you!"
Li Yao stared at her without blinking.
The few Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators of the Purple Pole Sword Sect not far away locked onto the place, too.
"Hehe. Hehehehe!" Li Yao chuckled. "The Purple Pole Sword Sect is indeed good at doing business!"
At first glance, the inventory of materials were three times as valuable as Li Yao had expected. The offer could not have been more generous.
However, Li Yao had intended to help the Purple Pole Sword Sect only once. It was a clean, one-time deal. The two parties would not be involved after the trade.
But now, the Purple Pole Sword Sect was asking him to be a 'visiting elder' for half a year, in which time he would have to demonstrate his power on the tank named Purple Pole Sword Sect. He would be involved in all kinds of trouble.
On the surface, the Purple Pole Sword Sect was losing a lot by providing so many rare materials for free.
However, the next half a year was exactly the critical period when the Purple Pole Sword Sect and other giants would decide the redistribution of interests in the 'post-Wang Xi era'.
With the participation of Li Yao, a super Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, they would certain gain more from their share in the interests than the price of all the materials on the inventory.
The leadership of the Purple Pole Sword Sect were certainly brave and decisive, too. At such a perilous moment, they were still thinking far ahead into the future!
He could either be the visiting elder of the Purple Pole Sword Sect or just go away as the Purple Pole Sword Sect's enemy, in which case he would not get half a crystal!
The ancient Cultivators' wisdom is truly not to be underestimated!
Li Yao confirmed the point again.
"Senior?"
Ling Lanyin's heart was almost beating out of her chest as she looked at Li Yao nervously waiting for his answer.
"You may leave now. Let me… take a look at it first!"
Li Yao put the inventory of m
aterials into his sleeve after a smile. He roamed away without giving Ling Lanyin a clear reply.
His communication with Ling Lanyin was noticed by a lot of Cultivators on both sides.
Although the two of them talked secretly through much more advanced techniques, preventing them from eavesdropping on the content of the conversation, the Cultivators could easily see Ling Lanyin's brimming frustration.
Also, after Li Yao landed on the Bronze Censer Peak, he did not stand below the 'Purple Lightning Banner' and greet the leader and the few Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, as other hired unaffiliated Cultivators did.
The keen-sighted, quick-minded Cultivators immediately sensed the subtle relationship between Li Yao and the Purple Pole Sword Sect.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Did the stupid barbarian Cultivator demand too high a price and ruin the negotiation with the Purple Pole Sword Sect?"
"Or, did he see that there were so many experts on our side and realize that he is no match for us so he changed his mind?"
Li Yao did not mind them at all. Greenish flames were burning inside his black eyes again, and he glanced at the Cultivators on both sides.
In the world of ancient Cultivators, strength meant everything. Today, he would certainly take action to cement his position as an unparalleled expert!
The high-level Cultivators, be they on the Purple Pole Sword Sect's side or the Grand Mystery Sect's side, could all be his opponents and prey today!
Suddenly, Li Yao's eyes seemed to have run into a magnet as they were attracted to a guy surrounded by a few Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators under the banner of the Grand Mystery Sect.
The guy was tall, slender, and dark. He was wearing a plain, thorny crown and a pure black robe without any mottle. At the center of the magnificent Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, he seemed rather unattractive, if not lackluster.
However, nobody would ignore him.
He was like a black hole. No matter how dazzling that brilliance around him was, he would absorb all the light until everybody forgot everything around him and simply noticed him.
For normal people who were as tall and slender as him, they would be described as 'bamboo'.
However, when Li Yao saw him, he could only think of two things.
A black, indestructible nail that had stabbed deep into the ground, or an absolutely straight ruler that would never bend and could be used to measure the sky, the earth, and the stars!
"Iron Saint Qi Zhongdao!" Li Yao mumbled to himself before his telepathic thoughts spread out, and he stared at the unparalleled expert who could be a candidate for the best expert of the Ancient Sages Sector!
Below the banner of the Grand Mystery Sect, Qi Zhongdao was chatting with other Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who were leaders and elders of other sects.
Qi Zhongdao was the grand leader of the Grand Mystery Sect, the largest sect in the world. He was also the closest thing to a leader of the alliance of the Cultivators there. Because of his astounding Cultivation and position, even the giants from the super sects such as the Thunderstorm Valley or the Flying Spirit Island were rather respectful for them.
"Although 'Sword Maniac' Yan Liren is one of the Three Saints of the Great Qian Dynasty, and it is said that his sword arts are sophisticated enough to kill deities and devils, he is an expert who only rose to fame in the past few decades after all. He lacks experience!"
"He may have his chance of winning against other people, but he wants to defeat Fellow Cultivator Qi's Heaven Flipping Seal, which has suppressed every enemy in the past hundred years with an ancient sword from the primeval era. He is nothing more than an ant that intends to shake a tree!"
The leader of the Flying Spirit Island, who was a white-haired old man, sneered.
"It's not necessarily true." Qi Zhongdao's voice sounded like two colliding iron rulers. "With Yan Liren's and my Cultivation, it is impossible to infer who will win based on our previous accomplishments before we really have a fight!
"Besides…
"My Heaven Flipping Seal is also a primeval treasure. Naturally, it is not scared of the primeval sword that Yan Liren recently polished.
"But in the past ten years, Wang Xi and him have discussed and exchanged sword arts every year!
"Although Wang Xi is a shameless rebel, he is also a master of the sword. With Wang Xi's whetting, how sharp is Yan Liren today?
"This is truly—"
Qi Zhongdao was about to express his feelings when he suddenly grunted. His pupils constricted, and he slighted turned his head to look back at Li Yao.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Their eyes collided in midair, raising soundless and yet no less breathtaking explosions!
Chapter 1391: Qi Zhongdao, Yan Liren! |
Li Yao's eyes surged out like a flooding river, destroying, swallowing, and drowning everything in his way!
Qi Zhongdao's eyes, however, were like a boundless ocean. No matter how rampant the flood was, it would vanish into nothingness after it ran into the ocean.
Boom!
A giant noise echoed inside Li Yao's head. The world around him seemed to have disappeared, replace by an empty universe in front of his eyes. 'Iron Saint' Qi Zhongdao's spirit had turned into horizontal and vertical iron rulers that interweaved into a chess board, a shackle, and a cage, suppressing his soul and imprisoning him with Qi Zhongdao's 'rules'!
What immense mental power!
Li Yao was greatly amazed.
But he did not know that Qi Zhongdao was ten times more shocked than him!
As one of the leading people in the Great Qian Dynasty, Qi Zhongdao knew a thing or two about all the top experts in the entire Ancient Sages Sector. The faces, features, and favorite techniques of the three hundred or so Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were all in his mind. He had evaluated what kind of tough people he might run into in the battle to overwhelm the Purple Pole Sword Sect and drafted corresponding plans.
When Li Yao first landed, he did not think too much of the newcomer.
Unlike other people, he gave Li Yao a higher estimation and regarded Li Yao as an overseas unaffiliated Cultivator who had made significant progress in training by accident and had perhaps reached the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage, which was why the Purple Pole Sword Sect valued him so much.
However, it was just the beginning level of the Nascent Soul Stage!
When Li Yao observed him blatantly from afar, he still did not think too much of the overseas unaffiliated Cultivator. He merely intended to suppress the guy with part of his telepathic thoughts so that the guy would retreat.
But he did not expect that mysterious unaffiliated Cultivator's soul to be so powerful!
The guy was like a boa, a falcon, a tiger, or even a primeval beast like a tyrannosaur, when he raged, roared, and savaged inside the cage condensed by Qi Zhongdao's spirit, determined to break free from it!
Huala!
Qi Zhongdao's cage, shackle, and chess board were finally showing cracks.
Li Yao's boa, falcon, and tiger took the opportunity to run out, but they were heavily wounded and moaning!
The two of them retreated their eyes almost at the same time.
Li Yao's nose was bleeding, and there was no way that he could stop it.
He did not intend to stop it, either, but merely took a step back and lowered his head to observe where he had been standing.
Two deep footprints had been left on the ground there. A series of tiny cracks could be found around the footprints, too.
They were a sign that he was unable to control his spiritual energy precisely because of the blast to his soul.
Impressive!
Li Yao finally sniffed the blood in his nose and raised his thumb for Qi Zhongdao in his heart.
After the brief collision of eyes, he was already able to basically estimate Qi Zhongdao's capabilities. The guy should be similar to, if not slightly stronger than, Xiao Xuance, the enemy with the highest combat ability that
Li Yao had ever come across so far.
Xiao Xuance had once been the best expert of the Flying Star Sector. He was close to the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, and his capabilities were immeasurable!
Years ago, it was with the collective attack of seven Cultivators, six in the Nascent Soul Stage and one in the superlative height of the Core Formation Stage, that they managed to kill Xiao Xuance luckily!
The other opponents that he had dealt with, such as Bai Xinghe, Jin Tuyi, Elder Nether Spring, Lu Zui, or Zhou Hengdao, were perhaps better than Xiao Xuance in terms of their leadership, schemes, and wisdom. Yet, when it came to 'absolute combat ability', they were still far from Xiao Xuance!
As expected of the leading person of this world. Under the obsolete training system that is tens of thousands of years behind that of the outside world, he has Cultivated to such an astonishing level. How unbelievable!
Li Yao's eyeballs shivered quickly. Hundreds of virtual battles between him and Qi Zhongdao surfaced inside his brain as he estimated his odds of success. The more he calculated, the more excited he became!
Qi Zhongdao was in a much better condition than Li Yao was. He was barely affected on the surface, but he was nonetheless shocked in his heart.
The collision of their eyes happened fast. Both of them were super experts when it came to manipulating spiritual energy. The confrontation of their soul power was so secret that even the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators around Qi Zhongdao had sensed nothing. They merely felt that Qi Zhongdao was suddenly a bit ill at ease.
Qi Zhongdao narrowed his eyes. An unnatural wave flashed on his dark and slim face as he asked in a low voice, "Who's that fellow Cultivator over there?"
The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators looked at each other in bewilderment. They looked at Li Yao again but failed to recognize him. At first, they thought that he was an overseas unaffiliated Cultivator that Purple Pole Sword Sect had invited to help the battle. But judging from the communication between him and Ling Lanyin a moment ago, things seemed to have changed. He was not necessarily taking the Purple Pole Sword Sect's side, perhaps because he was intimidated by them.
