Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 318 Fish leaps over the dragon gate
The Luan Nian (a magical chariot) was restricted by the formation, rendering it, originally a powerful magical artifact, ineffective and even in danger of being damaged.

That was a formation specifically designed to restrict airship-type treasures, to prevent the entire airship from escaping. It was meant to leave the disciples on board, preventing Ye Tinglan from concentrating on fighting the enemy.

Dugu Qingli made a decisive move and immediately took back the imperial carriage.

The enormous airship suddenly vanished, leaving several people floating in the air. However, the cabin, which should have housed dozens or even hundreds of disciples, was completely empty. Only three accompanying elders, Lu Xingzhou, Dugu Qingli, and A Nuo, who was peeking out from behind Lu Xingzhou, remained, none of them knowing when she had returned.

"They were prepared?" Fang Qihao and the others were stunned for a moment, but they didn't dwell on it. Their expressions quickly turned ferocious: "The disciples have moved, but you're still here! You don't think we're still at the same level as we were on the stage, do you?"

"Whoosh!" Ah Nuo appeared in front of me: "Your opponent is me."

Fang Qihao was furious when he saw this brat: "You little brat, give me back my God-Slaying Whip!"

The God-Slaying Whip was his natal magic weapon, but now even the mark had been erased by Ye Tinglan, turning it into a child's toy. Fang Qihao's heart was bleeding.

Ah Nuo grinned: "That thing doesn't work, so have one of my cakes!"

The cracked flatbread was taken out again.

Fang Qihao is indeed no longer at the level he displayed on the arena. Although his body can only exert the power of a third-grade cultivator at most, his soul power is of the highest grade! He was afraid of being discovered by Ye Tinglan on the arena and dared not use it recklessly, but now he can be said to be acting without restraint.

As soon as they got close, an immense, overwhelming pressure emanated from nearby.

The top-tier items from Tianyao Holy Land have arrived.

Fang Qihao's soul power instantly shrank.

As a possessed soul, there's always a subtle incompatibility between his body and soul. He can bully lower-level beings without consequence, but how dare he mess around with genuine top-tier beings?

"Bang!" With a burst of soul power, he slammed his bare fist into Anuo's pancake.

Ah Nuo held a cake in his left hand and pulled out the God-Slaying Whip with his right, and lashed out with it.

Fang Qihao was so angry that he yelled and retreated quickly.

It's clear that Anuo never refined the God-Slaying Whip; she just used it as a weapon for wild swings. But given the material of the treasure, even a single hit would cause it to peel off a layer of skin.

Who understands the pain of being chased and beaten by your own child!

The Holy Land's top-grade elder merely released his aura to restrain them, without directly confronting the few body-snatchers. His main opponent was the old man leading the team from Golden Wind Island.

That wasn't a body-snatcher, but a direct visitor from the ancient realm.

The three Tianyao elders who accompanied the team each dealt with two dragons in an orderly manner.

Xiang Guang from Jinfeng Island sought out Dugu Qingli again.

Lu Xingzhou looked around and realized that his opponent was Duan Ning, the girl with the Heavenly Net Umbrella.

But her umbrella had already been broken by Ye Tinglan.

"Do you have any more umbrellas, young lady?" Lu Xingzhou stepped forward and asked with a smile.

Duan Ninghai then retreated, but Lu Xingzhou followed closely and was already beside her.

Duan Ningfei kicked out, but Lu Xingzhou caught it easily.

Somewhere underwater, Yuan Muyu, wearing the mask of the King of Hell, thought: "?"

"King Yama?" Before her stood an old Dragon King, with a dragon's head and a human body, dressed in a yellow robe. They seemed to have been discussing some matters, but Yuan Muyu had become distracted.

Duan Ning's leg was caught in mid-air. She seemed stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled away, revealing a charming smile: "So Young Master Lu is quite the ladies' man... Have you considered that even if Tianyao Holy Land possesses many ancient methods, they are ultimately just pieces pieced together from fragments? If you join us, you will have access to inexhaustible ancient methods and treasures, which is most suitable for Young Master Lu's talent?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "Anything else?"

Duan Ning's eyes darted around, and she said in a seductive voice, "Of course, there's also what you, young master, desire... like me. I'm only eighteen years old, am I not more fragrant than those old women?"

Yuan Muyu: "?"

"King Yama?" the old Dragon King called out again.

"Wait a minute," Yuan Muyu said through gritted teeth.

Old Dragon King: "..."

"These terms sound pretty good." Lu Xingzhou leaned closer. "Could you give me some interest upfront, young lady?"

“Of course…” Duan Ning stopped backing away and instead snuggled closer to Lu Xingzhou.

Lu Xingzhou seemed completely unprepared and reached out to hug him.

"...No way!" As she snuggled into his arms, Duan Ning slapped Lu Xingzhou's chest hard with her hand.

Yuan Muyu: "!!!"

Lu Xingzhou's hand, which seemed to be reaching out to hug her, suddenly changed its movement, transforming into a short-range whip-like punch that landed squarely on Duan Ning's beautiful face.

Duan Ning's hand struck the Dragon Subduing Armor, but only a small amount of power remained to penetrate it, which was completely neutralized by the Tai Xu Wheel, rendering it utterly ineffective. Meanwhile, her face was struck by a deliberate, deliberate punch, leaving her face mangled and her body spinning through the air like a top.

Lu Xingzhou raised his leg and viciously whipped down: "This girl died when you possessed her body... Heaven knows what kind of ugly bastard you are. Do you think I'm so desperate that I'm not willing to eat anything?"

With a thud, Duan Ning's body was completely dead and unusable.

A sinister, ghostly figure emerged from his body, its appearance ferocious: "Lu Xingzhou! You're courting death!"

"My God, it's a man!" Lu Xingzhou retreated quickly, revealing a white banner in his hand.

Ghost: "?"

The ghosts howled and cried, and the sky suddenly darkened.

The ethereal duel suddenly takes a dramatic turn.

Yuan Muyu, a fish deep in the sea, finally smiled. The smile wasn't just because he was pleased that Lu Xingzhou had resisted the beauty, but also because of the Soul Banner.

Who says this is a completely unfamiliar boat?
He still keeps this soul banner, doesn't he...hehe.

"King Yama?" The old Dragon King's face tightened as he asked for the third time. Yuan Muyu snapped out of her reverie and smiled, "Ah?"

The old Dragon King said, "The situation above is not good. I must take action. If King Yama has nothing else to do, please return."

Yuan Muyu said with a grin, "But I'm here to stop you."

The old Dragon King said, "King Yama has been stalling me, and I guessed that you came for this reason. But I don't understand why you are stopping this, since it targets the Tianyao Holy Land and is in King Yama's interest."

"I am not acting on behalf of the Tianyao Holy Land," Yuan Muyu said calmly. "But has the Sea Dragon King considered that, in all the millennia, never before have so many people from the Ancient Realms appeared in the world at once... Regardless of whether they have any agreements with you, I suggest the Dragon King reconsider. Even if the Tianyao Holy Land has compressed the demon race's space, at least we know their backgrounds. You and I both know what kind of person Ye Tinglan is and whether he would exterminate them all. And how are the people from the Ancient Realms faring now that they have gained power? Does the Dragon King know?"

The Dragon King of the Sea was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I have thought about it. But has Yama considered that seeking the Gate of Qian Yuan is a rare opportunity?"

Yuan Muyu said, "Is this what they used to lure you and Long Qinghuang?"

The Dragon King of the Sea said calmly, "When the time comes, nothing is more important than attaining enlightenment."

"Even if it means risking the entire clan?"

The Dragon King remained silent.

"Excuse my bluntness..." Yuan Muyu said sarcastically, "Neither you nor Long Qinghuang have reached the final step. Is this the time to be in such a hurry to consider this?"

Sea Dragon King: "..."

Yuan Muyu added, "Moreover, this matter seems to have no connection to Emperor Qian, but my strategist told me that the people from the Ancient Realm must have been brought here by Gu Zhanting."

The Dragon King's expression shifted slightly: "Strategist? The Judge is still here?"

Yuan Muyu pursed her lips.

The sea creatures had no idea that Lu Xingzhou was the Judge, but they also knew that the Judge was their strategist back then, and that he was renowned for his wisdom and strategy.

"If it's related to Gu Zhanting, would you still do this?" Yuan Muyu asked.

None of them had ever had a direct conflict with the Ancient Realm, and they were all very curious about it. They wanted to deepen their understanding of the ancient times and the Ancient Realm through cooperation, and even more so, they wanted to use this opportunity to glimpse the secrets of the immortals. Therefore, even though they had doubts about the appearance of people from the Ancient Realm, they were not too nervous.

But Gu Zhanting is different.

The Qian Emperor and the demon race are fundamentally opposed. Once the demon race learns that the Qian Emperor is behind this, they will naturally be on high alert.

Long Qinghuang, having learned from her mistakes, although she didn't see any trace of Gu Zhanting, wondered if he might be plotting behind her back, just like in the Battle of Dongyue Hanchuan. Therefore, she observed from the clouds. The sea tribes, having avoided this pitfall, had much more straightforward options.

But with a heavyweight like King Yama speaking up, the Dragon King of the Sea had to think carefully. If he really became Gu Zhanting's pawn, he would be a laughingstock.

Furthermore, since Yama is also against Tianyao Holy Land, there's no reason for him to side with Tianyao Holy Land, which makes his words even more credible.

It's just a bit of a shame that such a good opportunity to strike at Tianyao Holy Land was wasted.

"You think you can strike at Tianyao Holy Land?" Yuan Muyu finally sneered: "Leaving aside the distant future, just looking at this game alone, if I didn't keep you occupied, you would have been the one getting beaten up anyway."

The Sea Dragon King paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "King Yama is exaggerating. Right now, all the people from the Heavenly Yao Holy Land are here, locked in a stalemate. Once I make my move, it will be enough to crush everything."

"Whether you believe it or not," Yuan Muyu sneered, "He had already considered the existence of the demon race, but he never expected me to help him... In other words, in his original plan, even without me, someone was already lying in ambush on you—or rather, he never thought I would hold you back. When he saw that you hadn't appeared, he assumed you were planning an ambush, so he decided to ambush you instead."

The Dragon King scoffed, "I don't believe it."

Yuan Muyu suddenly asked, "Has Long Qinghuang arrived?"

The Dragon King shook his head: "I'm not sure, she and I are not on the same path."

Yuan Muyu said, "Then you might as well wait... If Long Qinghuang comes, she can take the hit of this ambush."

Before the words were even finished, the situation on the battlefield finally changed.

The unforeseen events continued to unfold with Lu Xingzhou.

The conversation between Yuan Muyu and the Sea Dragon King seemed lengthy, but it was actually very short. Meanwhile, Lu Xingzhou's Myriad Soul Banner was teeming with countless spirits tearing at the opposing Yin spirits, and at the same time, a fiery lotus bloomed in his hand.

Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame.

Both the Myriad Soul Banner and the Crimson Lotus Calamity Flame are the nemesis of Yin spirits. A dignified, top-grade Yin spirit almost encountered a ghost on its way out and was nearly captured by the Soul Banner.

Having observed the situation for so long, and seeing that the Yin spirits were about to be torn to pieces by Lu Xingzhou, yet the Golden Wind Island side had not made any further moves, Long Qinghuang couldn't help but mutter to herself, "It seems that if our demon race doesn't show up, this battle will end like this. Chen Yu... no, Lu Xingzhou's victory will snowball. He can go and help others, and soon they'll be dealt with one by one."

She didn't want to get involved in the battle, but she wanted to capture Lu Xingzhou.

If Lu Xingzhou were to finish this battle and then return to the Tianyao Holy Land to hide, he would probably never be caught again.

So... now.

The clouds in the sky cracked open, and a golden dragon reached out its claws.

The enormous dragon claw slammed down on Lu Xingzhou, instantly closing in on him.

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

While he was on the ship, he sent a telepathic message to his family, who had made many arrangements. However, all of these arrangements were based on the idea that "the other party is dealing with the Tianyao Holy Land." They never imagined that the other party would actually be targeting him personally.

But no matter what your motivation is, the result is the same.

The moment the golden dragon extended its claws, the Wind-Flowing Divine Sword, which had been lying in wait, was drawn, its long sword piercing the sun: "As expected, there is a dragon! I've found you!"

The Dragon King of the Sea breathed a sigh of relief: "As expected, Yan... Hey, what are you doing!"

The Sea Dragon King stared in disbelief as Yuan Muyu vanished into the sky, then furiously slammed his fist into Long Qinghuang's face: "I've heard rumors of the Demon Emperor and the Holy Lord fighting over a man, but it turns out it's true! Long Qinghuang, you're at least a thousand years old, have you no shame?!"

Long Qinghuang was inexplicably attacked from both sides by two top-tier characters, leaving Long dumbfounded.

Lu Xingzhou was equally dumbfounded.

What's this scene called? A fish leaping over the dragon gate?

So, the results are different... If you were targeting Tianyao Holy Land instead of me, at least you wouldn't have been beaten by two top-tier characters.

(End of this chapter)