Bayue Weiban

Chapter 208 Inevitable Victory

"If that's the case, perhaps I should try to compete for it!" Ji Yuan muttered to himself thoughtfully.

Hearing this, Wu Chengqing and the others looked at him with doubt, finding it hard to believe. In the eyes of the three, while treasures were good, one had to act within their means. With their group's strength, they were still not enough to obtain the item under the watchful eyes of numerous cultivators and then leave safely.

Only Zhao Yuansong gave him a deep look, understanding his intentions. Compared to the other three, he knew that Ji Yuan had to succeed in forming a Golden Core within thirty years to smoothly take charge of the Xuantian lineage. Otherwise, he would miss out on a tremendous opportunity and hand it over to others in the Jiuxuan Sect.

Taking charge of a heritage peak might seem like mere power and status, with the added benefit of future resources allocated by the Jiuxuan Sect. However, it was important to remember that within a maximum of sixty years, the Jiuxuan Sect would be promoted to a sect. Once successful, it would receive the fortune of a prefecture, or even a portion of the entire Dayu Dynasty's destiny. At that moment, all disciples of the sect would advance one small realm without any side effects. Even bottlenecks in major realms would become almost nonexistent, easily overcome.

In addition to this, and most importantly, the ten lineage heritages that gathered the sect's destiny would allow all disciples imbued with this destiny to elevate their innate talent. Disciples who were once only prospects for the third realm would, as long as they didn't perish prematurely, surely reach it. The deeper their involvement with the destiny, the greater the talent enhancement, and it was not impossible for ordinary talents to leap to become top geniuses.

For the peak master, the benefits would be even more astonishing. If Ji Yuan could successfully form a Golden Core within thirty years, when the sect was successfully promoted and the heavens and earth fed back infinite destiny, he would be able to leap from the early stage of Golden Core directly to the middle stage without any side effects, and with all the necessary insights. At that time, he could even enter a state of enlightenment, having an opportunity to directly comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. This way, there would be no issues of insufficient comprehension or unstable realms due to a sudden advancement of a small realm.

It was important to note that for a Great Cultivator in the Golden Core stage, an advancement of a small realm often required decades or even a century of arduous cultivation, not just the accumulation of spiritual power but also the comprehension of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Moreover, Ji Yuan's own innate talent was exceptional. If he were to participate in the sect's promotion as a peak master, it was not an exaggeration to say that his future would be that of a mighty figure, with much greater chances than other Golden Core stage cultivators.

"If you have something in mind, just go ahead and do it. I will cooperate fully!" Zhao Yuansong said with firm resolve. His decision was not just for his friend, but also because he recalled what Li Junxian and Zheng Wanrong had told him about Ji Yuan's speech at the outer disciple gathering. Furthermore, as people of the martial world, they would go through fire and water for their friends. Since venturing into the world, Zhao Yuansong preferred to call himself a person of the martial world rather than a celestial being of the mountains.

"I appreciate your kindness, but I would prefer you just watch from the side. It would be even better if you could stay a little farther away," Ji Yuan shook his head. He was determined to obtain the treasure, but he did not intend to involve them. Ultimately, this was his personal desire, to gain access to the forbidden area of the Jiuxuan Sect and try to find an opportunity to break the ironclad rule of not being able to form a Golden Core within a hundred years. He could not bear to drag his companions into danger for his own selfish gain.

"Fellow Daoist, you are underestimating the disciples of the Jiuxuan Sect," Wu Chengqing suddenly said, his expression grave. Behind him, Liu Donglai and Wang Xiaoxuan nodded solemnly, looking at him with serious expressions. Seeing this, Ji Yuan's mouth twitched. He only wanted to avoid implicating others, but why had they suddenly become so serious, even a bit sentimental? Shaking his head, he was about to say something when a burst of wild laughter reached his ears. The group quickly turned their heads and saw a pale-skinned young man holding the slightly damaged cauldron, standing alone amidst the gazes of many cultivators without any fear. Even as countless killing intents bore down on him, he let out unbridled laughter, completely disregarding the cultivators around him. Such arrogance naturally drew murderous intent from the gathered cultivators, especially since he had taken the opportunity to seize the broken cauldron!

"It's him!" Ji Yuan recognized him instantly and was slightly taken aback. He knew this person; he was one of the individuals who had tried to intercept him by the lake earlier and whom he had encountered again in the market town of the Jiuxuan Sect. If he remembered correctly, the other party had introduced himself as... Yang Qianhe?

Boom!!! As he was recalling, the arena erupted with surging spiritual power fluctuations! Icy killing intent instantly filled the entire mountaintop. Cultivators unleashed their unique skills, and dozens of magical arts descended like a storm, directly engulfing Yang Qianhe's figure! However, the echoing laughter in everyone's ears never ceased, even growing louder.

When the rolling smoke dissipated, the center of the mountaintop had become a deep pit, with various forces intertwined within. Even though the magical arts had dispersed, astonishing fluctuations still emanated from it. Yet, in the very center of the pit, Yang Qianhe's figure floated in mid-air, with no divine radiance flowing from him, not even a trace of his aura manifesting. He held the broken cauldron in his hand and swept his disdainful gaze over the cultivators present, his arrogant expression making everyone want to punch him.

"This is not his true body!" Ji Yuan's expression darkened, and he quickly scanned his surroundings. Hearing this, the few people beside him were stunned, then cast a deep look at Yang Qianhe in the distance, their brows furrowing. In their perception, the other party was indeed a living person, not a mere illusion or trick. However, they had always trusted Ji Yuan's judgment unconditionally; over the past few days, he had never been wrong in any situation they encountered.

"It should be a rare treasure that directly projects his image here." He scanned his surroundings multiple times but couldn't find the other party's form, suggesting that person was not present. After retracting his gaze, he pointed to the hem of Yang Qianhe's robes: "This place is affected by so much spiritual power that no wind can penetrate here, yet his robe hem is fluttering without any wind." Under normal circumstances, this would not be a cause for suspicion, as it was common for a cultivator's robes to flutter when they channeled spiritual power. However, this person exuded no spiritual power whatsoever, not even a hint of his aura, so how could his robe hem move without wind? After careful observation, Zhao Yuansong and the others' gazes sharpened. With this reminder, they finally noticed the detail they had overlooked.

"So, this person should have already left?" Wu Chengqing frowned. However, Ji Yuan shook his head: "He should still be on the mountain, not having completely left this place." It was indeed logical. Although the mountain was not very high, and a large part of it had been destroyed, it still stood forty to fifty zhang tall. To depart quickly would be difficult, at least for cultivators in the second realm.

"Let's go!" Ji Yuan turned to the people beside him. "Let's try our luck!" While snatching the broken cauldron under the watchful eyes of ten to twenty cultivators in the middle stage of the Spirit Nurturing realm and dozens in the early stage might have been a fool's errand, taking it from a single cultivator seemed much less difficult. Even if the opponent was in the late stage of the Spirit Nurturing realm, they still had a chance!

However, as they moved, they noticed that some people around them seemed to have also discovered something amiss, and were also leaving the area, dispersing and heading down the mountain. Some, eager to save time, abandoned the established mountain path and, relying on their cultivation, flew directly down the mountainside. Seeing this, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh, realizing that they were not the only ones who had spotted something.

"But that person is truly audacious, acting like this in plain sight, essentially toying with everyone here," Wu Chengqing chuckled wryly. "Is he not afraid of enraging dozens of cultivators and being pursued for thousands of miles?" The thought of such a scene sent a chill down their spines, even though the pursued person wasn't them. Despite this, they couldn't help but admire Yang Qianhe. After all, to manipulate so many cultivators and secretly obtain a treasure required not only astonishing courage but also sufficient skill. Without either, success would be impossible. Putting aside everything else, the look of mockery on his face as he taunted the cultivators was already perfect, truly embodying the meaning of "asking for a beating." Even they, as mere onlookers, wanted to grab their magical artifacts and strike him, let alone the cultivators who had just fought for their lives and almost obtained the treasure. When they reacted, they would likely have the desire to grind him to dust and burn his soul in an oil lamp for years until he was completely annihilated.

"Seeking death!" "This old man will surely kill him!" "Heaven and earth, I will not let him escape!" As expected, after only about half an hour, deafening roars of fury erupted from the mountaintop. It seemed that the cultivators in the middle stage of the second realm had also realized something was amiss, sensing that what was left behind was merely an image, and the true body had already taken the treasure and fled somewhere else. Subsequently, Ji Yuan and the others sensed powerful auras, filled with boundless rage, hurtling down the mountain. Their speed was so great that they disregarded the consumption of their spiritual power, revealing the extent to which Yang Qianhe's actions had angered the cultivators. Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh. Although he didn't know the other person's strength yet, his ability to provoke anger was genuinely witnessed. At least in this regard, none of the dozens of cultivators present could compare.