Chapter 344: Bring Out Your Best, Qian Wu Palace!

Chapter 344: Bring Out Your Best, Qian Wu Palace!

Beyond the camps of the Ling Zong and Wan Shi Alliance, a rolling demon cloud descended, forming its own separate camp. As the cloud dissipated, the warriors beheld a colossal golden chair, upon which sat a majestic tiger with fur of varying hues.

The tiger, resembling a small mountain, wore a thick gold chain around its neck. Its legs were slightly spread apart as it stood on the ground, and its claws rested on the armrests of the chair. Its eyes were wide open, exuding an air of authority without the need for anger.

It had the aura of a gang leader!

"Great Demon King, what brings you to this place of heaven's pride showdown?" Lord Qing Ling asked, his face darkening.

"I have come to take part in the heaven's pride showdown, of course," replied Chi Mao proudly. "Since it is a Ling Realm heaven's pride showdown, how can my demon race be excluded?"

"You really have thick skin, Great Demon King," Lord Qing Ling said with a laugh, barely containing his anger. "How old are you, if I may ask? Are you not ashamed to participate in this event?"

"I am not yet thirty years old since my birth," Chi Mao replied arrogantly. "By age, I am also considered heaven's pride!"

"What?"

Everyone was stunned. They couldn't believe that the Great Demon King was not even thirty years old.

"Master, is Chi Mao really under thirty?" Su Lingxiu asked curiously.

Li Xuan twitched his lips and said, "He might actually be telling the truth."

The wild cat they had captured in the mountains was already an adult, but if they counted from its birth, it had probably not yet reached thirty years!

"I never expected Chi Mao to be considered heaven's pride as well," Su Lingxiu laughed.

"Great Demon King, don't joke around," Lei Yun Villa Master said in a low voice.

"Who's joking with you? If you doubt my age, then verify it. I am here to participate in the heaven's pride showdown!" Chi Mao coldly huffed.

His cold gaze swept over the Ling Zong camp, and he said, "What's the matter? Are you looking down on my demon race?"

Behind Chi Mao, a group of powerful demons roared, indicating that they would cause trouble if the Ling Zong camp did not allow the demons to participate.

"Since the demon race is also a race of the Ling Realm, they should not be excluded," Fang Hao said with a smile. "The Wan Shi Alliance has no objections."

Lord Qing Ling's face turned gloomy. The Great Demon King was extremely powerful, having surpassed the level of heaven's pride. Would they let him take first place?

"As long as the Great Demon King truly follows the rules, there's no harm in letting him participate," Emperor Da Zhou said with a smile.

In the end, Chi Mao was allowed to join.

After the decision was made, Chi Mao's figure disappeared from the demon camp and reappeared on the Changqing Pavilion flying boat, meowing and trying to curry favor with Li Xuan, its master.

"You're quite an interesting cat," Li Xuan said with a smile, tapping Chi Mao's head with the jade scepter.

Chi Mao's strength had grown immensely, and it had cultivated quite a few Great Demon Techniques. If it fought with Lord Qing Ling again, the latter would likely no longer be its match.

"Greetings, Senior!"

Xie Tianheng and his son arrived from the Yun Tian Bi Hai City.

Li Xuan nodded, then turned his gaze to Xie Tianheng's wife, Fu Yun, feeling a bit curious. How had Xie Tianheng managed to marry her back in the Inner Realm?

Fu Yun also looked at Li Xuan with curiosity. Was this the mysterious expert?

Xie Lingfeng also participated in the heaven's pride showdown, and there were several heaven's pride from Yun Tian Bi Hai City, including Li Shao and Hai Bo'er.

"Where's Big Brother Xu?" Xie Lingfeng asked, puzzled, after catching up with Meng Chong and the others.

"Big Brother hasn't returned yet, but he should be back soon," Meng Chong replied with a smile.

The day of the heaven's pride showdown arrived.

Boom!

A rainbow light streaked across the sky, illuminating the azure sea with vibrant colors. Several figures stood apart from each other.

"Today, the final battle of the heaven's pride showdown will determine the rankings. The top 100 will each obtain one quota, the top ten will get five quotas, and the top three will receive ten quotas," Emperor Da Zhou announced the rules. "Don't ask what these quotas are for; you will know after the battle. In this showdown, life and death, victory and defeat are up to the heaven's pride themselves, but grudges from deaths in this battle cannot be pursued afterward..."

"Where's Big Brother Xu? He still hasn't returned?" Su Lingxiu wondered aloud.

"He's back," Li Xuan said with a faint smile.

The group looked up and saw a figure descending upon the Changqing Pavilion flying boat, a faint blue light trailing behind him.

In his palm, he held a light blue flying boat.

"Master, Second Brother, Third Sister... Brother Xie!" Xu Yan smiled.

He had returned to Wu State and only then learned that the final battle would take place in Hong State, so he had hurried over and managed to arrive just in time for the start of the showdown.

After announcing the rules, Emperor Da Zhou concluded, "The heaven's pride showdown begins. You may challenge others based on your ranking, or you may directly challenge anyone on the Heaven's Pride Ranking."

As his voice fell, a young man stepped forward from the Qian Wu Palace camp.

He held a long sword, a divine artifact.

As he stepped forward, a spiritual light appeared within his body, blending with the heaven's mechanism and the laws of the world. Threads of the power of the world's laws converged towards him.

A Ling Body Heaven's Pride!

This young man was clearly Qian Wu Palace's true heaven's pride.

"Not bad," Xu Yan said with a smile.

As the Qian Wu Palace's heaven's pride stepped forward, the other heaven's pride present wore solemn expressions. They had thought that after Xu Yan blocked the mountain pass and challenged them, Qian Wu Palace would have no more heaven's pride to send out.

They never expected that there would be such a powerful heaven's pride, and his strength was definitely not inferior to the Palace Master of Qian Wu Palace!

"Qian Wu Palace has good luck this time," Emperor Da Zhou sighed.

Beside him, the City Lord of Yun Tian Bi Hai City, Fu Tianhai, nodded in agreement. "Indeed. They have five core heaven's pride, while my Yun Tian City only has three."

"Does the Hai Ling Tribe only have one as well?" Emperor Da Zhou asked in surprise.

"Only Hai Bo'er's bloodline can be compared to a Ling Body," Fu Tianhai replied.

"Who do you think he will challenge?" Emperor Da Zhou asked with a smile.

"Xu Yan!" Fu Tianhai answered without hesitation.

Emperor Da Zhou nodded. The moment the final battle of the heaven's pride showdown began, Qian Wu Palace's core heaven's pride had appeared, undoubtedly targeting Xu Yan.

Moreover, this person also cultivated the sword path.

"What do you think Xu Yan's chances of winning are?" Emperor Da Zhou asked after a moment of thought.

"You're asking the wrong question," Fu Tianhai said, shaking his head. "You should be asking how many moves it will take for Xu Yan to defeat his opponent."

Emperor Da Zhou was taken aback, looking at Fu Tianhai with disbelief. "Do you think so highly of Xu Yan?"

"There is no doubt that Xu Yan is the pinnacle of sword cultivation in this world," Fu Tianhai said with a smile, not elaborating further.

Xu Yan alone suppressed the heaven's pride of the Azure Sea. Even Li Shao and Hai Bo'er combined were no match for him. Compared to the past, Xu Yan was undoubtedly even stronger now.

Apart from Emperor Da Zhou and Fu Tianhai, the other powerful experts also realized that Qian Wu Palace's heaven's pride was targeting Xu Yan.

"Where's Xu Yan?"

"Has he arrived yet?"

"He must have come. With his status as the self-proclaimed number one heaven's pride of the Ling Realm, how could he miss this showdown?"

As expected, the young swordsman stepped into the center of the arena and coldly declared, "Qian Wu Palace's Niu Qiansheng challenges Xu Yan. Come out and fight me!"

"So, this is the heaven's pride that Qian Wu Palace has been hiding?"

"You are too weak. Send someone else from Qian Wu Palace... Forget it, all of you from Qian Wu Palace, come at me together."

Xu Yan sighed and said disappointedly.

Everyone: ...

As expected of Xu Yan, after just a few years, he's even more outrageous than when he blocked the mountain pass of Qian Wu Palace.

He doesn't put Qian Wu Palace in his eyes at all.

The Palace Master of Qian Wu Palace and the others had gloomy faces, Xu Yan's arrogance was too much!

"Xu Yan, don't be so full of yourself. Last time, we were in seclusion and couldn't fight, otherwise, we wouldn't have tolerated your arrogance!"

Niu Qiansheng pointed his sword and said coldly, "You, Xu Yan, claim to be the pinnacle of sword cultivation in the world, but that's only because you haven't met me yet. Today, I will let you witness the true sword cultivation of my Qian Wu Palace!"

At this moment, the warriors of Ling Zong had looks of realization on their faces.

"I knew it, Qian Wu Palace is above Ling Zong, how could they not send out a Heaven's Pride to fight Xu Yan when he blocked their mountain pass? Turns out they were in seclusion and couldn't leave their cultivation chambers."

"Qian Wu Palace's martial arts are incredibly powerful, especially their sword cultivation, which is unparalleled. Xu Yan has met his match now, let's see how arrogant he remains."

In the eyes of the Ling Zong warriors, Qian Wu Palace was a lofty existence, superior to Ling Zong. If they were defeated by a rogue cultivator, it would be a blow to their pride.

Now, seeing Niu Qiansheng's dominance, their spirits were lifted, and they anticipated witnessing the mighty display of Qian Wu Palace.

However, Xu Yan showed disdain, shaking his head, "Your Qian Wu Palace doesn't understand sword cultivation, you only have sword techniques. In front of me, your so-called sword cultivation is but a fancy display.

"If you don't believe me, look at the sword in your hand, is it still your sword?"

"Arrogant!"

Niu Qiansheng lifted his sword, and sword energy filled the air, with the power of the world's laws converging towards him, connecting heaven and earth in a majestic display.

The sharp sword light illuminated the surroundings.

"Amazing!"

"So, this is the core Heaven's Pride of Qian Wu Palace?"

"This is the power of a Ling Body?"

Among the spectators, those who had refined the Heavenly Mechanism and even those who had refined the aura of the world's laws were astonished by Niu Qiansheng's display.

Even the elders of Qian Wu Palace were surprised.

At this moment, they truly understood the power of a Ling Body.

Although they had both refined the aura of the world's laws, the Ling Body was able to gather even more of the power of the laws, and manipulate it with greater ease.

It was as if the power of the world's laws was more malleable to their will.

"The reason for the existence of Ling Zong is to discover and nurture Heaven's Pride with Ling Bodies. That is why it is called Ling Zong, but most rogue cultivators, the Wan Shi Alliance, and even ninety percent of Ling Zong don't understand this."

Emperor Da Zhou sighed.

Fu Tianhai smiled, the secret of Ling Zong lay in discovering and cultivating Heaven's Pride with Ling Bodies.

"What if the Ling Body Heaven's Pride of Qian Wu Palace were to fall?"

Fu Tianhai suddenly asked.

"Qian Wu Palace would probably go crazy."

Emperor Da Zhou replied after a moment's thought.

"Would the divine bridge be opened early?"

Fu Tianhai asked thoughtfully.

"Not necessarily, as you know, the divine bridge has fixed opening times, but there are also temporary bridges that can be opened to guide the Ling Body Heaven's Pride away or invite a Sovereign to descend.

"If the Ling Body Heaven's Pride of Qian Wu Palace were killed, Qian Wu Palace would probably open one of those temporary bridges."

Emperor Da Zhou said with a smile.

"Then we're in for a show."

Fu Tianhai said with glee.

In the battlefield, all eyes were on Niu Qiansheng as he made his move, his sword energy was terrifying.

The sword light flashed and rushed towards Xu Yan.

However, Xu Yan remained indifferent, he didn't even draw his sword, and with one hand behind his back, he showed utter contempt for Niu Qiansheng's attack.

"You haven't even entered the door of sword cultivation, and you dare to draw your sword in front of me, the Sword God?"

Xu Yan smiled, and with a slight movement of his hand, he pointed forward.

Boom!

To everyone's shock, the sword light that was originally rushing towards Xu Yan stopped in its tracks and then turned back towards Niu Qiansheng.

What was even more terrifying was that the sword in Niu Qiansheng's hand went out of control.

It trembled, shook violently, and then flew out of his hand, landing in Xu Yan's palm.

"Impossible!"

Niu Qiansheng's face was filled with horror.

The sword light stopped in front of him.

Xu Yan looked at the sword in his hand, although it was a divine artifact, he didn't care for it.

With his current martial arts realm, especially his cultivation in sword cultivation, Niu Qiansheng, who had not entered the door of sword cultivation and had not comprehended sword intent, was not qualified to draw his sword against him.

In an instant, Niu Qiansheng's sword had become Xu Yan's!

The subtleties of the heart were not something that those who had not entered the door of sword cultivation could understand.

"As expected of the Sword God, even I would find it difficult to draw my sword against Xu Yan!"

Xie Tianheng exclaimed.

Although he had a clear sword heart and had comprehended sword intent, he wouldn't have been as embarrassed as Niu Qiansheng. However, drawing his sword against Xu Yan would still be a difficult task.

The Palace Master of Qian Wu Palace and the others stood up abruptly, their faces filled with shock.

Niu Qiansheng was already the number one sword cultivator in Qian Wu Palace.

He was a Ling Body Heaven's Pride, yet he couldn't even last a single move against Xu Yan?

"No, Xu Yan's sword cultivation is very bizarre, any sword cultivator would find it difficult to defeat him!"

The Palace Master of Qian Wu Palace said in a low voice.

At this moment, no matter how unwilling he was, he had to admit that Xu Yan was indeed the pinnacle of sword cultivation in the world!

Xu Yan didn't make another move, his gaze shifted to the Qian Wu Palace group, and he directly threw Niu Qiansheng's sword back.

Although it was a divine artifact, he didn't care for it.

"Your Qian Wu Palace has always wanted to trample me, Xu Yan, underfoot and regain the face you lost. Today, I, Xu Yan, give you a chance.

"All of you from Qian Wu Palace, come at me together, not just the Heaven's Pride."

With a calm tone, he spoke the most outrageous words.

Silence.

Everyone was stunned, they had heard of Xu Yan's arrogance, but hearing about it and witnessing it were two different things.

One person challenging the entire Qian Wu Palace?

Not limiting it to the Heaven's Pride meant that all the strong cultivators from Qian Wu Palace could join forces against him?

Where did Xu Yan get this confidence?

Swish!

Everyone's gaze turned to the Qian Wu Palace group.

They waited for Qian Wu Palace's decision, whether they would all attack together or send out a stronger Heaven's Pride.

Niu Qiansheng was clearly not an option, he couldn't even make a single move.

He was all show and no substance.

The Palace Master of Qian Wu Palace and the others had extremely gloomy faces, their eyes filled with killing intent.

Attack together?

Although Qian Wu Palace was known as the most shameless among the Ling Zong, it didn't mean that they would completely disregard their reputation.

Xu Yan could issue a challenge, but they couldn't take it too seriously and swarm him.

Otherwise, where would the face of a superior Ling Zong go?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end