Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 221 The Sky Shakes, the Giant Beast Charges

Both on and off the stage, there was complete silence.

Even if someone dared to guess that Lu Xingzhou could win, no one dared to guess that he would win so quickly, in just three moves.

The first two moves seemed to be probing Shi Tielong's strength, and after probing, he delivered a swift and decisive blow. On the surface, he only suffered some recoil damage and could be considered unharmed!
It truly lived up to what he had told Shen Tang before the battle: "I'll be right back."

Members of the Dongjiang Gang went up on stage and carried the seriously injured Shi Tielong off. Their gazes swept over Lu Xingzhou, who was standing quietly to the side, and there was some fear in their eyes.

Where did this fourth-rank official come from...? Is he even human?

In reality, Lu Xingzhou was not as relaxed as they thought. At this moment, all the meridians in his body felt like they had been twisted, and he was in excruciating pain. His strength was completely depleted, with not a trace left.

In full view of everyone, Lu Xingzhou directly swallowed a pill and stood quietly to heal his injuries.

To allow the other person's damage to fully enter your body is no joke; if done poorly, it could be considered suicide.

Even if the Yin-Yang Ultimate Technique possesses this ability and has adapted to the Yin-Yang Grinding Technique for a long time, it's still not something to be tested recklessly. The limit this technique can withstand is roughly an opponent whose strength is slightly greater than one's own. If the opponent is even half a level stronger, he wouldn't dare use it. In the future, it's best used against opponents of the same or lower level; that would be a god-tier skill for easily defeating weaker opponents. Using it against opponents of higher levels is too dangerous; it should only be used as a trump card in reserve.

If the Yi Jin Jing and Du Jing are further strengthened in the future, and the body can withstand more injuries, then it can be used to advance to a higher level.

On the stage, Zhang Rongzhi let out a long sigh of relief: "The outcome is decided, with the Heavenly Sword Sect emerging victorious with three wins. Who will be the next opponent for Chief Shi?"

Shi Tielong was unconscious and could not answer.

An ordinary-looking man in black gracefully stepped onto the stage: "I'll go."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, even the members of the Dongjiang Gang were completely confused.

They didn't recognize this person; his origins were shrouded in mystery, and only the gang leader himself could communicate with him. No one could even discern his cultivation level.

If you can't tell that someone is cultivating, there are generally two possibilities: either they have an extremely sophisticated hidden technique, or their cultivation is so strong that it overwhelms other levels.

Zhang Rongzhi frowned: "May I ask your name first?"

"Just a nobody." The man in black laughed. "I didn't come here to make a name for myself. I just owe Master Shi a favor and helped him fight. Just fight, why ask so many questions?"

Lu Xingzhou frowned. After recovering from the pill-taking, his meridians, which had been churning, had calmed down considerably and were less painful, but his strength had only recovered to less than a third. Facing a battle where he didn't even know who his opponent was, he had no confidence whatsoever.

Ideally, the sect should send a third-rank expert to assess the opponent's approximate strength before making a decision.

Even if he is a first-rank official, a third-rank official can still be identified.

Shen Tang thought so too, and was about to speak when Ye Tinglan spoke first: "I'll do it."

Shen Tang and Lu Xingzhou's hearts skipped a beat, and their expressions changed simultaneously.

Is it truly a first-class item?
In this mere, remote county arena, they've actually managed to assemble two First-Rank cultivators! This kind of shrewdness could rival most massacres...

Zhang Rongzhi nodded and said, "And this is..."

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "Since he won't reveal his name, why should I?"

Zhang Rongzhi was very friendly to the people from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Even when he was challenged, he just smiled and said, "Alright. Please come up on stage."

"I don't even need to use my full name, and I don't necessarily need to go on stage. It's just a matter of taking a breath, so I'm too lazy to do anything about it," Ye Tinglan said, snapping her fingers leisurely.

Everyone else only heard a "smack," but the man in black's expression changed drastically.

It was as if a thunderclap exploded in his mind, a giant drum roared, and the heavens and earth howled. His head felt like it was about to split open, blood instantly flowed from his seven orifices, and he screamed and collapsed to the ground.

The onlookers were all dumbfounded.

They made a grand entrance, all high and mighty, only to have it all wiped out with a snap of their fingers?

A clash of divine thoughts is something an outsider can't even watch; it's not as interesting as a nine-rank martial arts exchange.

The arbitrators on the stage were far more knowledgeable than the onlookers. Chu Zheng, the Grand Elder of the Huanhua Sword Sect, who had been invited to preside over the arbitration, was drenched in cold sweat: "This kind of soul-shaking, at the peak of the first rank..."

"The fact that the opponent can survive an attack means they must be a first-rank expert, but their exact rank is unknown."

Damn it, who would have thought that a martial arts competition in this remote county would produce a peak first-rank expert? That's one of the top figures in the entire Great Qian Dynasty!
The garrison commander, Tu Yugui, slid in his chair and almost couldn't sit still.

He was from a sacred land, so he could tell that things like "divine soul shock" and "peak of first rank" were actually sacred land techniques like "Sky Shattering." Even if someone at the first rank could do it, they couldn't do it so casually. She was a super-rank... This unmasked woman was the Imperial Advisor!
It's said that the Heavenly Sword Sect only has one pitiful outside helper, but nobody says that this outside helper is the best in the world!
What makes him worthy of sitting on the referee's bench, while the imperial advisor is the contestant below? Has he gone mad?

No, you have a national advisor, why bother fighting this battle? Wouldn't it be simpler to just beckon the enemy to attack together?

Shen Tang asked in a low voice, "Mr. Ye, what is this?"

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "Ranked twentieth on the Heroes List is Lei Chong, the Thunder God Sword. Known as the Lone Swordsman, it seems he has most likely joined the Prince of Jin's faction."

Shen Tang narrowed her eyes slightly.

Ye Tinglan said, "Are you still going to tear me apart or not?" Shen Tang's pretty face turned red. She never expected that the Imperial Advisor would bring this up to her face!

“The other side doesn’t have anyone stronger. The strongest is Shi Zhong’s junior brother, who is at the peak of the third rank. The rest are all at the lower third rank. You can deal with them yourselves… Hmm, although that Jingxu Daoist from Lingyun Sect is also at the lower third rank, he is stronger than the others and may have more methods.”

Shen Tang replied softly, "Thank you, Imperial Preceptor."

Ye Tinglan said calmly, "If you really want to thank me, don't reveal my identity in front of Lu Xingzhou."

Shen Tang cautiously asked, "The Imperial Preceptor is doing this for..."

"It was originally for the sake of the Yama Palace." Ye Tinglan did not shy away from the truth: "But I do cherish talent. Lu Xingzhou and Lu Nuonuo are the most outstanding talents in the world. If we can guide them onto the right path, it will be of great benefit to the country and the people."

Shen Tang immediately declared, "Xing Zhou is a good person!"

Ye Tinglan glanced at her sideways, and the mockery in her eyes made Shen Tang blush with embarrassment.

What kind of decent person would shamelessly look at their own master with such a wistful gaze? Showing pity for a beautiful woman? Ha.

Regardless of their inner monologues, in the eyes of the onlookers, this was the least interesting battle ever. Some were already urging, "Get them out of here! The Dongjiang Gang is next, hurry up!"

Zhang Rongzhi also said, "The Heavenly Sword Sect has won four battles. Who will be next for the East River Gang?"

The Dongjiang Gang members silently went up on stage and carried Lei Chong, the man in black, off the stage. For a while, no one dared to go up on stage again.

What a joke! There's a freak sitting over there who can make someone bleed from all seven orifices with a snap of his fingers. Who would want to go up there and get snapped?
But Ye Tinglan said slowly, "I'm only promising to help this time as an outside aid."

The Dongjiang gang breathed a collective sigh of relief, only to realize they were drenched in cold sweat.

The sect leader of Lingyun Sect, Daoist Jingxu, stood in front of Lu Xingzhou, his malice undisguised: "Lu Xingzhou, this is the consequence of committing numerous evils. You have lost all support. Even your outside help is only willing to lend a hand once. You have truly failed as a person."

Lu Xingzhou gave Ye Tinglan a resentful look, but Ye Tinglan looked up at the sky and ignored him.

At the founding ceremony of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Lingyun Sect provoked them, and they were caught in Lu Xingzhou's Xuanjin Thunderfire Formation, resulting in the deaths of four people. The two sides have a blood feud, and their malice is even deeper than that of the Dongjiang Gang, since the Dongjiang Gang's conflict was only due to industrial disputes, and neither side had suffered any casualties.

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Back then, the Dongjiang Gang, Fenxiang Tower, Cangshan Sword Sect, and your Lingyun Sect, so many of them provoked us. Apart from the Fenxiang Tower that actually launched a surprise attack on our Fenxiang Tower, do you know why I only killed your people, but lightly let go of the Dongjiang Gang and Cangshan Sword Sect?"

Master Jingxu looked at him coldly. Who could know why? Everyone knows you're going to pull one group and then beat another, but why am I the one being beaten?

Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "It's actually very simple. We didn't dare to touch the Dongjiang Gang because they were stronger than us back then. Although the Cangshan Sword Sect was weak, they were upright and had the integrity of swordsmen, so I couldn't bear to do it. Only you are neither strong nor good people. If we don't use you as a scapegoat, who else should we use?"

Jingxu roared in fury: "Lu Xingzhou!"

"Look, their Daoist names are all Jingxu, yet they're all hot-tempered and easily angered. They really do call themselves what they lack." Lu Xingzhou said with a smile, "What's wrong with an outside aid only participating in one battle? I, as a guest elder, also only participate in one battle. The Heavenly Sword Sect is full of talented people; we should let everyone show their faces, shouldn't we?"

After saying that, he lightly flicked his robes, turned around and stepped off the stage: "For this kind of trash, our Heavenly Sword Sect can just send out a child... Ah Nuo, you can play with him."

People watched as a chubby little girl, about five or six years old, ate a candied hawthorn and jumped onto the platform: "Hello, grandpa, my name is Lu Nuonuo."

I don't know how others felt, but Master Jingxu only felt utterly humiliated.

Little girl, have you changed your diaper yet? You're already coming up here to beat me!
Although everyone knew in their hearts that "Lu Xingzhou and his disciple jointly killed Ye Wufeng," this Lu Nuonuo was no ordinary child. But her appearance was too deceptive, and no one dared to imagine that during that battle, Nuonuo was actually stronger than Lu Xingzhou. People imagined that she could at least hold off some of the attacks.

Ah Nu smiled ingratiatingly: "Grandpa, my master asked me to go on stage, I dare not refuse... How about you let me make a move, and I'll go down after I've done my job?"

Jingxu sneered: "Even if I were to make a move, with so many people watching, I couldn't bear the embarrassment! If you, little brat, could even manage to hit a corner of my clothes, I would consider myself..."

Before he could even utter the word "lose," Ah Nuo, who had been all smiles and trying to please him, vanished in a flash, her little fist already pounding into his stomach.

What speed!

Jingxu was horrified. A hooked vine quickly formed in front of her for protection, while the grass and trees on the ground grew wildly and grabbed Anuo's ankle.

A rare wood-elemental cultivator.

But they will never know why Lu Xingzhou made A Nuo fight this battle.

The grass and trees on the ground touched Ah Nuo's ankle, but suddenly, as if on someone's command, they let go, like a tickle.

The vines in front of them even spread out on their own, turning what seemed like a layered, hooked, and thorny defense into a wide-open breach.

Before Master Jingxu could figure out what the problem was, his little fist had already punched him hard in the stomach.

As if struck by an ancient behemoth, Daoist Jingxu flew up as if riding the clouds, then crashed directly into his own stands, spraying blood in mid-air like a rainbow.

"Bang!" His body slammed into the stands, creating a huge crater.

KO
The leaders of the Dongjiang Gang and Lingyun Sect, two third-rank sects, unexpectedly met the same fate—being smashed into the ground, creating a huge crater.

The difference is that Ah Nuo only made one move.

(End of this chapter)