by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
They were each mounted on a Great Demon gold lion, both arriving in a ferocious fashion. Their plan was to capture Xiang Shaoyun and claim the bounty reward of 5,000 spirit crystals. The Twin Stars were acting quite overbearingly, as they did not even bother saying anything. They rushed at him and attacked straight away with their massive sabers.
Two saber energies flew out and transformed into two roaring lions that charged Xiang Shaoyun. From this attack alone, Xiang Shaoyun could see that the two were above the previous young man in terms of combat prowess.
Little did they know that Xiang Shaoyun had been able to battle eighth or even ninth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators since he was only a second-stage Transformation Realm cultivator. Now that he had defeated even a Skysoar Realm expert, would he fear them?
"Come on, then. Let me teach the Lightning Alliance a good lesson today. You will come to learn that some people you just can't offend," Xiang Shaoyun muttered to himself. He then formed a claw with each of his hands, directly tearing at the two lions.
The Twin Stars attacked him from two different directions, completely surrounding Xiang Shaoyun's path of escape, not giving him any chance to avoid their attacks. One had to admit that the Twin Stars were really quite capable. It was no wonder that many people with higher cultivation levels were afraid of them.
Unfortunately, they had selected the wrong opponent today. Their attempt to surround Xiang Shaoyun was nothing to him. He was able to easily tear a gap open with his claws, which continued on to leave dreadful claw wounds on the two lions.
"Roar! Roar!"
The two lions wailed in pain and started struggling, nearly throwing their riders off. Xiang Shaoyun seized the opening and jabbed at the two with his finger.
"Ahhhh!"
The two were unable to avoid Xiang Shaoyun's finger energy. A bloody hole was left in each of them, leaving them wailing in pain. Xiang Shaoyun then strode off, not bothering to look at them again. A calm smile was on his face, as if nothing had happened at all. That left an enigmatic impression in the hearts of all the observers.
"How powerful. He was able to defeat the Twin Stars with only two moves. No wonder Guardian Qiu has to issue a bounty for him. But the bounty reward is way too low for an opponent like this."
"Who would have guessed that an outsider would be so strong? Both Big Axe and Twin Stars were defeated successively. It is obvious this person's combat prowess is above the eighth-stage Transformation Realm. Ordinary cultivators would not dare to try anything against him."
"Is he heading toward Guardian Qiu's estate? He is a tad bit too brave, isn’t he? Guardian Qiu is not someone ordinary cultivators can compare to."
"Let's go. A good show is going to unfold. It has been a while since someone dared challenge the Lightning Alliance."
...
Xiang Shaoyun was in no rush. In fact, he was intentionally slowing down. He looked more like someone taking in the scenery on a casual stroll than someone heading toward his enemy. In truth, he was only waiting for more opponents to arrive so he could properly establish his dominance.
Sure enough, some people could not stand how he was behaving. Thus, new challengers arrived. This time, five Transformation Realm experts had arrived at the same time. One of them was an eighth-stage Transformation Realm cultivator while the other four were also Transformation Realm experts of different levels. All of them were experts from the Lightning Alliance.
They were not here for the little amount of spirit crystals offered on the bounty. Rather, they were here to battle for the glory of the Lightning Alliance. Unfortunately for them, they were still too weak for Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun wasn't even trying as he defeated them easily. Finally, the crowd realized how powerful Xiang Shaoyun was. Some of the people that were stirring no longer dared to do anything.
At this time, Gong Qinyin appeared riding on a snow lion with a zither hung on her back. She said, "I want to go with you!"
She spoke with an incomparable resoluteness in her eyes, as if she was not going to take no for an answer. The people around them were all stupefied.
"Isn't that Junior Sister Gong Qinyin? She's here to attack him as well?"
"Are you dumb? See the look in her eyes? She's obviously here for him. Oh god, I can feel my heart shattering."
"But Junior Sister Gong is Lord Zither Empress's personal disciple. How does this kid know her? What kind of bullshit luck does he have?"
"Maybe this kid has a shocking identity as well? If that is the case, the Lightning Alliance is going to suffer this time."
"Hmph. With the alliance leader around, nobody can challenge the glory of our Lightning Alliance!"
...
Xiang Shaoyun glanced at the beauty before him and nodded when he saw the resolute and aloof look in her eyes. "Come along then."
He then continued on. As for Gong Qinyin, she smiled before getting off the snow lion, and she obediently followed. In the eyes of others, she was following his lead, which shocked the crowd even more.
Meanwhile, in Qiu Chonglei's estate, a lot of Lightning Alliance members were gathered. Suddenly, a young man arrived on a demonic eagle. The demonic eagle landed before Qiu Chonglei. Then, the young man hopped down in a flustered manner before saying, "Reporting to Guardian Qiu. Xiang Shaoyun has defeated the Big Axe, Twin Stars, and a few others. He is currently heading here."
"Haha, what a ballsy kid. He dares to come on his own accord?" Qiu Chonglei roared in laughter.
"Guardian Qiu, permission for me to go harvest his head for you!" said someone.
"It's fine. Since he wants to come, we will let him come. I do want to see if he can actually reach my estate," said Guardian Qiu with a sneer on his face. He then shouted, "By my order, the bounty for Xiang Shaoyun is hereby increased to 10,000 low-grade spirit crystals!"
For any Transformation Realm cultivator, 10,000 low-grade spirit crystals was a sum large enough for them to risk their lives.
"Yes, Guardian Qiu!" someone answered.
A certain young man in the estate suddenly stood up and said, "Qiu Chonglei, keep the 10,000 low-grade spirit crystals for me. This young master shall capture him for you."
Next, a young man could be seen rushing out of the estate on a flame wolf. Very few people dared to address Qiu Chonglei by his name directly. The young man who had just charged out happened to be one of them.
"Hehe, that kid actually got his interest piqued? Looks like I won't have a chance to fight that Xiang Shaoyun myself anymore," said Qiu Chonglei with a faint smile.
Chapter 239: How Boring
Xiang Shaoyun and Gong Qinyin looked like a perfect immortal couple out on a casual stroll. They were completely calm and content, and one would not imagine when looking at them that the two were currently a target of a massive amount of aggression.
The crowd following them was still growing, and they were all inner disciples and overseers of the pavilion, each of them a Transformation Realm cultivator. They were all curious to see how strong this young man who had appeared out of nowhere with such great fanfare was. After all, this was a person who had the audacity to challenge the Lightning Alliance.
"I have been here for a month, but I have yet to properly take in the scenery. Now that I'm getting a good look at the place, it isn't really a paradise. However, it is still a decent place with its verdant hills and limpid water," said Xiang Shaoyun.
Gong Qinyin said, "In Cloud Margin City, this is already the best cultivation place countless people dream of entering."
A trace of pride was apparent in her voice. It was clear she was very satisfied with her current situation. Xiang Shaoyun did not comment. He merely smiled before shifting the topic, "You don't really need to get involved in this. If you end up scaring my opponent away, where am I supposed to find an opponent?"
Gong Qinyin's identity was known by everyone in the Cloud Margin Pavilion. Nobody would willingly become her enemy. Gong Qinyin looked at Xiang Shaoyun in asto
nishment and asked, "You are heading toward Qiu Chonglei with such fanfare just for the sake of looking for an opponent?"
"Why else?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"I thought..." An unnatural look flashed past Gong Qinyin's face as she did not know what to say.
"You think I am doing this because I can't hold in my temper anymore, right?" Xiang Shaoyun completed her words for her.
Gong Qinyin apologized, "Sorry, I was trying to help but have ended up messing with your plan."
Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "It's fine. I'm just kidding. You don't have to be so serious. In any case, these are just tiny fish that will be boring to fight anyway."
Although Xiang Shaoyun wasn't speaking very loudly, the people behind him were all experts with great hearing. They had naturally heard him.
Tiny fish!
That was a very infuriating term for all of them to hear, regardless of whether they were here just to enjoy a show or to claim the bounty on Xiang Shaoyun's head. After all, the people Xiang Shaoyun had defeated were all considered top experts within the Transformation Realm. If even those people were tiny fish, what were they then?
It was simply an insult.
One of them was so angry he stepped out and shouted, "Xiang Shaoyun, you are too arrogant! Let me teach you a lesson!"
This person was no weakling. But still, he wasn't Xiang Shaoyun's match and was instantly defeated. With his defeat, the others could only swallow their anger. At this time, a fiery figure suddenly appeared from far away, streaking toward Xiang Shaoyun at rapid speed.
Someone with sharp eyes among the crowd quickly cried out in alarm, "It's Xie Sanqian from the Lightning Alliance! Is he here to challenge Xiang Shaoyun?"
"It has been a while since Xie Sanqian has shown himself. Since he gave up on the millennium earthcore fire a year ago, he has been missing."
"I heard he left to hunt for other flames. I wonder if he managed to find one?"
"Xie Sanqian has a valiant combat prowess. After a year, his cultivation level has probably grown as well. Looks like there will be a big battle between him and this kid."
...
Xiang Shaoyun had noticed Xie Sanqian as well. An odd smile formed on his face. Xie Sanqian arrived before Xiang Shaoyun and Gong Qinyin on his flame wolf. He was handsome and heroic; his valiant presence made it clear he was a rare genius in cultivation.
"Can I help you?" Xiang Shaoyun asked with a faint smile. His tone was completely calm and filled with grace, as if he had no idea that Xie Sangqian had come for his head.
Even the crowd sighed when they saw this, "What a calm response."
"Submit to spare yourself some suffering," said Xie Sanqian while looking down at Xiang Shaoyun from his mount.
"I can't remember how many times I have heard those exact same words today. You guys are so boring," said Xiang Shaoyun with a shrug.
Xie Sanqian snorted coldly and said, "Since you don't know what's good for you, I'll just have to cripple you!"
He immediately charged forth on his mount as the spear on his back flew out and transformed into a flaming wolf that pounced on Xiang Shaoyun. One ought to admit that Xie Sanqian had grown a lot in one year. His cultivation level had increased from the fifth stage to the seventh stage.
As for his attack, it was powerful enough to pose a threat to even eighth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators. It was understandable, though. He had always been a young genius capable of punching above his weight.
When Gong Qinyin sensed the dreadful pressure from the attack, an anxious look crept on her face. Although she was a disciple of the Zither Empress, her speed of growth was still incomparable to the likes of Xiang Shaoyun and Xie Sanqian. She was currently only a third-stage Transformation Realm cultivator. Thus, she naturally couldn't resist the pressure Xie Sanqian was releasing.
But Xiang Shaoyun stood tall before her like an unyielding mountain, facing the mighty attack head-on. He responded with a heavy punch.
Bang!
The two attacks collided, creating a massive shockwave that spread outward through the area. Xie Sanqian never expected to defeat his opponent with just one attack. After the first collision, his follow-up attacks arrived like a storm.
Wolf Devouring Kill!
Strands of light-blue flame appeared and pounced on Xiang Shaoyun like a pack of wolves. Xie Sanqian had been fighting with his full power the moment he arrived, revealing his combat prowess that was capable of threatening ninth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators.
Even more stunning was his light-blue flame. It emanated an intense sense of danger, as if it was a fire that could never be extinguished once it caught someone on fire. This was a type of high-level beast flame that was much scarier than ordinary flames. However, it was completely incomparable to Yun Flame.
Xiang Shaoyun lightly said to Gong Qinyin, "Step back for now. I don't want to hurt you by accident."
After saying that, he dashed forward to face the incoming attack. He shifted his fist into a claw and raked the strands of flame.
His flame was far more powerful than Xie Sanqian's attack. Moreover, he was completely immune to Xie Sanqian's beast flame. With absolute brute force, he tore open a path to Xie Sanqian before clawing at Xie Sanqian's mount.
Xie Sanqian had completely not expected his opponent to be so strong. He was forced to jump off his mount before unleashing an attack while midair.
"Die! Berserk Wolf Kill!" He unleashed all his power while his light-blue flame turned into azure flame, and he sent a rain of spear energies of dreadful prowess toward Xiang Shaoyun. It was an attack even ninth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators had to face seriously.
Everyone stared unblinkingly at the fight, wondering if Xiang Shaoyun would be able to survive this attack as well.
Chapter 240: Defeating Xie Sanqian Again
Xie Sanqian's energy surged out, creating a dreadful destruction around him. Facing the attack, Xiang Shaoyun drew the Purple Lightning Saber from his back and slashed at the incoming attack. He did not even need to use his saber intent. Only a simple Berserk Lightning Blade was enough to overwhelmingly crush Xie Sanqian's attack.
Rumble! Rumble!
A series of explosions erupted, and the area around them shook. When the explosions settled, a figure could be seen flying away with blood spraying. Everyone opened their eyes wide and stared at the person sent flying with disbelief. Why the disbelief? Because the person sent flying was Xie Sanqian and not Xiang Shaoyun.
"H-how is that possible? Not even Xie Sanqian is his match? How strong is he exactly?"
"Cultivation level wise, he is definitely a seventh-stage Transformation Realm cultivator. But the energy he releases is so thick it is probably comparable to the energy released by even ninth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators!"
"This is a genius capable of punching above his weight! Even Xie Sanqian is not his match! No wonder he has the guts to offend the Lightning Alliance."
"I heard the Red House had invited him to join as well, but he rejected them. I wonder what his background is."
"I think he probably came from some hidden organization. Or maybe he's a genius from some other city. Otherwise, how is it possible that he has been unnoticed until recently?"
...
Gong Qinyin's eyes were twinkling with an indescribable emotion as she looked at the tall and straight figure before her.
He is really getting stronger and stronger. I need to work hard as well! Gong Qinyin vowed to herself.
"Just this much strength is not enough," said Xiang Shaoyun while wagging his finger at Xie Sanqian, who was clasping his wound.
Xie Sanqian had impressive combat prowess, but the gap between him and Xiang Shaoyun was too big. He would need to be a King Realm cultivator to be able to put up a fight against Xiang Shaoyun.
Xie Sanqian glared at Xiang Shaoyun with fury, blood gushing from the wound on his shoulder without stop. He had suffered a one-sided defeat in the hands of his opponent. More importantly
, his opponent seemed to be about a year or two younger than him. With so many of his fellow apprentices bearing witness to his defeat, he felt terrible.
"Not enough? NOT ENOUGH? Let me show you if I'm enough!" Xie Sanqian roared and erupted in power again, completely ignoring his wound.
"Young master, you can't!" Right that moment, an old figure appeared in front Xie Sanqian and stopped him.
This old man was a Skysoar Realm cultivator, one of Xie Sanqian’s guards. He knew that Xie Sanqian was trying to increase his combat prowess with a forbidden technique, but doing so had a great price attached to it.
"Stay out of this. If I don't teach him a lesson today, how can I still stand tall in the future?" said Xie Sanqian with a vicious expression on his face.
His strength kept growing, pushing him from the seventh-stage to the ninth-stage. The guard’s face fell when he saw. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stop Xie Sanqian. Thus, he could only turn around and warn Xiang Shaoyun with his eyes. It would seem like he had placed all the blame on Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun ignored the warning and looked at Xie Sanqian with a calm look. Inwardly, he thought to himself, This kid is most likely paying a great price to activate this forbidden technique. But it's pointless.
"Xiang Shaoyun, die!" Xie Sanqian shouted when he was finally done gathering his strength. Wielding his spear with both hands, he swept it toward Xiang Shaoyun. The spear swept forth like it was a massive pillar with an incredibly destructive might.
With Xie Sanqian's current strength of ninth-stage Transformation Realm, he possessed the strength at the peak of the Transformation Realm and was only a step away from reaching the level of a War King. Nevertheless, the gap of one step was still a gap. How could he be a match of a legitimate War King like Xiang Shaoyun?
Facing the new attack, Xiang Shaoyun still did not bother dodging. He raised his saber and met the incoming attack with a slash. The slash contained the power of innate purple lightning, pushing the might of Xiang Shaoyun's saber energy to an even more terrifying level.
The saber and spear clashed, destroying all the trees and plants around them. Even the people were forced to pull farther away from the battlefield. Nobody wanted to be accidentally harmed by the clash's shockwave.