Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 346 The Hunting Ground

Chapter 346 The Hunting Ground
Shi Yunhao's swift and decisive surrender surprised Song Yan, who nearly lost control of his sword aura.

He comprehended this sword formation after observing the Zhou Tian Xing Chen Sword Formation performed by Sect Master Zhong Min in the Sword Dao Illusion Heavenly Palace Temple. This time, it was also an attempt in actual combat.

The sword formation formed by combining the Ring Moon Sword Formation and the Roaring Sun Sword Formation is called Devouring the Sun and Moon.

This sword formation combines offense and defense, and its greatest effect is actually to restrict the cultivators within the sword formation from using immortal movement techniques such as teleportation and concealment.

Compared to that, absorbing the spiritual energy dissipated on the battlefield and condensing it into sword energy to attack opponents is actually just a side effect.

The true killing move of swallowing the sun and moon was not used.

Judging from this person's strength, they are clearly not at the point of having to admit defeat.

Song Yan gave the man a deep look, then bowed slightly with both hands: "You flatter me."

From the moment Shi Yunhao conceded defeat, many waves were stirred up on Qingjiangping.

Nangong Wang looked at Song Yan with admiration in his eyes, but then seemed to remember something and became somewhat downcast.

"If only such a cultivator came from my Nangong family..."

She turned her head and looked at the young man beside her.

Li Yi crossed his arms and stared intently at Song Yan.

When Shi Yunhao conceded defeat, he was initially taken aback, but then quickly regained his composure and smiled cheerfully.

He said to the two Nangong sisters beside him, "Junior Brother Song's sword control technique is truly extraordinary."

At this moment, Li Yi showed no sign of being downcast about losing the sword duel; he remained as calm as ever.

For some reason, Nangong Wang felt somewhat down.

This fellow Daoist Song Yan is indeed a rare prodigy in the Chu Kingdom.

Not only is she exceptionally talented and humble, but she is also stunningly beautiful.

However, ever since Li Yi saved her from Qin's pursuit, she has only had eyes for Li Yi.

But now, Fellow Daoist Song Yan has won the championship, while Brother Li Yi has not made it into the top three.

When the time comes, the clan elders will surely discuss this matter with Fellow Daoist Song first.

Since this person is devoted to Taoism, this matter will likely come to nothing.

She is now afraid that if her family allows her to contact Song Yan, it will not only fail to achieve a result that benefits the family, but will also annoy Fellow Daoist Song.

While Nangong Wang was in a state of utter confusion, his younger sister Nangong Shu was filled with admiration.

From the very beginning, her gaze almost never left the black and white flying sword in the night sky.

This competition left her somewhat mesmerized.

Nangong Shu was only a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, so naturally he couldn't tell who was holding back their strength or who was keeping their trump cards hidden.

On the dueling ground, whoever wins is the stronger one.

"The Sword Immortal in the Clouds..."

In the past, Nangong Shu had heard of Song Yan's name, but she was well protected by the Nangong family and had never been to the Demon Ruins battlefield.

She did attend the ceremony at Longtan Mountain, but since Song Yan wasn't very famous at the time, she didn't pay much attention to it.

Later, when the Demon Ruins caused chaos, his father sent him back to his family, and he never saw this person again.

All my understanding and impressions come from rumors.

Now that I've met him in person and witnessed his skills, I can see that he truly lives up to his reputation.

"Back when we were in Fufeng County in the Central Region, I felt that this senior was extraordinary."

She was completely oblivious to her sister's feelings, her eyes only on Song Yan's charm, her admiration overflowing.

They were already planning how to sneak over to congratulate him and strike up a conversation.

"If only I could be accepted as his apprentice and taught a few moves."

The image of the female cultivator named Ju Luyi flashed through Nangong Shu's mind: "I wonder what kind of requirements she has for her disciples..."

Between banquets.

Li Qingfeng stroked his chin: "Wow..."

"I wonder where Old Song got all these sword techniques and skills from."

He didn't know the name of the sword formation, or its true power, but many things lead to the same goal.

He felt that the sword formation just now was just like what was described in the Devouring Heaven Scripture: the harmony of ruler and minister, assistant and envoy, water and fire.

His gaze shifted to the unfamiliar cultivator named Shi Yunhao: "This guy surnamed Shi is a freak too..."

"Tsk tsk, when did such a small Chu Kingdom hide so many monsters?"

After admitting defeat, Shi Yunhao left the Sword Debate Ground without lingering and disappeared without a trace.

"In the final showdown, Song Yan of Dongyuan Sect will emerge victorious!"

The Nangong family's steward loudly announced the results of the competition and began organizing the battle for third place, in order to obtain the last precious spot to comprehend the Divine Transformation Sword Qi.

The battle for third place unfolded between Jiang Ming, the young master of Lanxi Cave, and Xu Fengcan, a female cultivator from Sheyang Sect.

Although many cultivators knew that the Nangong family held the Jiangtian Night Banquet in order to find a promising prodigy to marry into the Nangong family's eldest daughter.

However, since this is not out in the open, many people are unaware of it or, in other words, do not care.

The real purpose of many people coming here is to comprehend the Divine Transformation Sword Qi.

Therefore, among the thirty-six people, there were still some female cultivators.

Ah Yun came here with this senior sister from the sect, and incidentally lured Gou Sheng out.

This female cultivator named Xu Fengcan was heroic and seemed to be skilled in Taoist magic.

As soon as she entered the arena, she distanced herself from Jiang Ming, summoning a precious bow that shimmered with azure spiritual light, and instantly conjuring several emerald-green spiritual arrows from her fingertips.

Arrows rained down one after another, relentlessly, moving at incredible speed, whistling sharply as they cut through the air.

Several of them aimed directly at Jiang Ming's face, at tricky angles, and as fast as shooting stars.

His exquisite archery skills drew cheers from many cultivators on the sidelines.

However, Jiang Ming, as expected of Jiang Chaosheng, a master cultivator of the Golden Core stage, possessed profound knowledge and skills.

Although he had previously lost to Shi Yunhao, he was not discouraged or disheartened.

Faced with Xu Fengcan's rapid and fierce barrage of arrows, he responded with remarkable composure and calmness.

The water elemental energy surged and surged, and the Lingyang River rose in response, transforming into several enormous, agile water tornadoes that swirled and coiled before him.

These waterspouts can not only engulf and dissipate most of the incoming arrows, but also launch attacks at Jiang Ming's will to strangle Xu Fengcan.

It may not have any substantial impact, but it greatly restricts her space for movement and arrow release.

Jiang Ming did not unleash his magical flying sword for a direct attack; instead, he demonstrated his exquisite control over the water-based Daoist arts.

Water curtains, whirlpools, and rapids are all at his disposal, seamlessly integrated for both offense and defense, and flowing continuously.

Although Xu Fengcan's arrows were exceptionally sharp, most of them were trapped in the water, their power gradually weakened, making them unable to truly threaten Jiang Ming.

Several times she tried to create distance and unleash more powerful spiritual arrow techniques, but Jiang Ming blocked and blocked them in advance with the overwhelming force of the water.

The battle lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and Xu Fengcan's spiritual energy consumption was far greater than Jiang Ming's, who was rested and taking advantage of the river's current.

Xu Fengcan's fighting style is also swift and decisive. She forcefully broke through the water curtain blockade and attempted to use her Taoist magic at close range.

But Jiang Ming seized the opportunity and a waterspout wrapped around her ankle.

Although Xu Fengcan reacted extremely quickly, shattering the water tornado and escaping, her movements were already halted. Jiang Ming's mid-grade spiritual weapon flying sword, gleaming with a cold light, was already hovering in front of her, its spiritual energy pulsating. Xu Fengcan froze, a hint of helplessness appearing on her heroic face. She then gracefully withdrew her longbow, cupped her hands, and said, "Fellow Daoist Jiang's Dao techniques are exquisite; I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

She was convinced of her defeat.

As expected of a disciple of a Golden Core cultivator, Jiang Ming's mastery of water-based techniques is truly astonishing.

In this light, the cultivator named Shi Yunhao is indeed formidable.

And what kind of strength does Song Yan possess, having defeated Shi Yunhao?
Xu Fengcan glanced at Song Yan from afar.

"I really want to stand alongside geniuses like them someday..."

Jiang Ming immediately sheathed his flying sword, clasped his hands in return, and said humbly, "Fellow Daoist Xu's archery skills are superb. I only had the advantage of the terrain, so please excuse my humility."

He didn't win easily, and he showed great respect for the strength of this female cultivator from the Sheyang Sect.

This composure in victory earned him a lot of goodwill.

Thus, the top three winners of the Jiangtian Night Banquet Sword Competition have been determined.

The champion was Song Yan, the second was Shi Yunhao, and the third was Jiang Ming.

Nangong Ming stood up again, a polite smile on his face, and announced the final result. He then took the opportunity to formally invite Song Yan, Shi Yunhao, and Jiang Ming to visit the Nangong clan the next day.

As the banquet drew to a close, music resumed, and more delicacies and wines were served, but everyone's conversation revolved around the competitions that had just ended.

Li Yi and the others gathered around Song Yan and started chatting.

However, Song Yan seemed somewhat absent-minded.

In the final moments of my battle with Shi Yunhao, I seemed to vaguely sense a wisp of demonic energy emanating from him.

"illusion?"

He had been using his Observational Sword Eyes the whole time and hadn't noticed anything strange.

In the world of cultivation, there are all sorts of strange and wonderful cultivation techniques and methods.

Few people would determine whether someone is practicing demonic arts based on the form or appearance of their techniques.

Many martial arts techniques only look like demonic arts, but they are actually just ordinary martial arts techniques.

For example, the Pure Heaven Great Illumination Dharma Image that I cultivate is like this.

In the cultivation world of Chu, the most effective way to determine whether a cultivator is a demonic cultivator is to see if the cultivator manipulates demonic energy.

The nature and category of demonic energy are similar to that of sword energy used by sword cultivators. Unlike spiritual energy, it is one of the most commonly used methods by demonic cultivators.

In reality, it's not that simple to clearly identify all the cultivators in the Demon Ruins, since many demon cultivators rarely use demonic energy.

But it doesn't matter. The Chu Kingdom is a small place, and this is enough to make out most of the differences. For the local cultivators, it's sufficient.

As for Song Yan himself, after reflecting on himself, he believed that the Pure Heaven Great Bright Dharma Image was for refining demonic energy, not for directly manipulating it, so it was certainly not a demonic cultivation method.

In a moment of distraction, he heard his junior sister Gu Qingqing talking to Nangong Wang, who was next to Li Yi.

Qingqing is a lively person, and even though she had no prior interaction with the Nangong sisters, she quickly became familiar with them.

"Wow, Sister Nangong, the beads on your hand are so beautiful, are they magical artifacts?"

"Haha, no, it should just be a regular Bodhi wood bead string, but it has been blessed by a master from Huadu Temple."

"Wow? That's amazing."

“A few days ago, a master from Huadu Temple passed by the Nangong family and was treated well by my father, who invited him to stay here for a banquet.”

"I obtained this through a request. It should still be able to be made, right? I'll ask Master Xuantong when the time comes."

When Nangong Wang mentioned the master of Huadu Temple, he looked around but couldn't see him.

Xuantong?
Song Yan seemed to have seen him before, but they weren't very familiar with each other.

Just as the group was chatting happily, several servants from the Nangong family at a banquet not far away whispered a few words to Nangong Ming, seemingly reporting something.

Then, someone found Xu Fengcan of the Sheyang Sect, who had been defeated by Jiang Chao.

After Nangong Wang inquired about it and returned, everyone learned that the cultivator named Shi Yunhao had given up on comprehending sword energy and left the banquet.

Therefore, Fellow Daoist Xu, who was originally in fourth place, took this opportunity.

Song Yan, Li Yi, and Li Qingfeng looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Just who is this person?"

……

Outside Jiangxian Pass, there is an unnamed, desolate mountain.

A figure stood atop the mountain, gazing at the brightly lit banks of the Lingyang River.

This person was none other than Shi Yunhao, the Daoist of the Demonic Ruins who had left the Night Banquet.

According to his original plan, he did indeed want to see if this so-called Divine Transformation Sword Qi from such a remote and impoverished place was truly worthy of its name.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. During his sword duel with Song Yan, he got a little excited and failed to conceal his demonic energy.

According to Qin's intelligence, the Nangong family has a Golden Core cultivator.

Such a momentous event as the Jiangtian Night Banquet would surely draw the attention of this Golden Core cultivator.

Therefore, their identities are most likely already known to the other party.

If it's just a simple visit to a guesthouse, one doesn't need to worry about safety based on their own abilities.

However, now that the other party has most likely realized it, going to their face again would be audacious and foolish.

After all, the other party was a Golden Core cultivator.

Shi Yunhao wasn't disappointed by the so-called Divine Transformation Sword Qi, since it was useless to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator wants to comprehend the spiritual secrets of the Nascent Soul stage?

Hehe, it's enough to broaden the horizons of these bumpkins. As for them truly understanding the principles of the Dharma from it, that's absolutely impossible.

Even if it's just a wisp of sword energy.

That's why the Qin family mocked the Nangong family for trying to use empty bait to catch a rich and powerful man.

For Shi Yunhao, this trip had been interesting enough.

"Dongyuan Sect, Song Yan..."

Raising a hand, the white bone chains slowly swung up, and a dark red spiritual energy inscribed words on them.

The gentle moonlight illuminated his scarlet hair and eyes.

Even the most desolate land can grow plants and flowers.

Even the weakest creature will hone its fangs and claws.

Even in a barren land like the State of Chu, interesting prey can be found...

"This is the most wonderful place in the world."

His hands gently stroked the inscription on the bone chains.

Song Dynasty banquet.