Chapter 76: Not My Problem
No wonder. A woman like his master was too tempting for men. Once they saw her true face, how could they forget? Even if they knew they could never have her, they couldn’t completely abandon the fantasy.
More and more guests arrived and were seated by Huang Feiyan.
Unlike Yue Wu Xia and her two disciples, most of the other powers had brought a large retinue of elders and young disciples. The man in blue, who had come alone, was a rare exception.
Whispers filled the hall, all about Mingyan.
Everyone knew Yue Wu Xia was the Headmaster of the Moon Shadow Branch. She shouldn’t have accepted a male disciple. But she had. And since she had made an exception, Mingyan must have been worthy of it.
Suddenly, a commotion arose at the entrance. Dozens of people entered, divided into two groups. One group had red hair and crimson eyes, but their demeanor was surprisingly gentle. The other group had black hair and black eyes, resembling ordinary humans, but their gazes were colder and sharper.
Huang Feiyan greeted them and led them to their seats.
Yue Qingying whispered to Mingyan, “Those are the Kun Peng and Shengyu clans. The Demon Clan doesn’t have as many special constitutions. They value bloodline more. The purer the bloodline, the closer to their ancestors, the stronger they are. In the Kun Peng clan, the second one in line is the one I mentioned before, the second-ranked young genius of the Demon Clan, Bei Ming Ni.”
Mingyan looked over and saw that he indeed stood out. Although he had black hair and black eyes, his aura was different from those around him. His eyes seemed to contain lightning, his features dignified, exuding an air of natural authority.
Bei Ming Ni seemed to notice his gaze and looked over. Seeing he was only at the Illuminating Sea Realm, he immediately lost interest and looked away, his gaze shifting to the Queen Mother of the West and Ning Feixuan.
Mingyan’s eyebrow twitched. It seemed they wouldn’t be having a friendly chat. He admired Ning Feixuan, and so did this man. A conflict was inevitable.
“With this little Kun Peng king, the Kun Peng clan will likely be a dominant force for thousands of years,” an elder sighed.
“I wonder why the Demon Clan ranked him second. The Kun Peng clan possesses both extreme speed and a strong physique. In ancient times, they were an Emperor-level clan, on par with the Dragon and Phoenix. And the little Kun Peng king himself has never been defeated. Who could possibly be ranked above him?” someone whispered. Bei Ming Ni, hearing this, snorted but didn’t say anything.
The Kun Peng and Shengyu clans were seated. Mingyan observed the Shengyu clan. They all had red hair and crimson eyes, with gentle expressions. They were easy to identify. Unlike the all-female Huang family, they had both men and women. The Shengyu clan didn’t have a Phoenix Blood Pool to reproduce. They had to rely on the traditional way.
The little Kun Peng king, Bei Ming Ni, kept his gaze fixed on Ning Feixuan. Besides the snort when he overheard the discussion about his ranking, only Ning Feixuan seemed to be able to attract his attention.
Ning Feixuan, however, kept her eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to his gaze.
It seemed she liked to keep her distance from everyone, not just him…
“The Xiu Hu An family has arrived.”
Another group entered. At the forefront was a calm young man. He wasn’t particularly handsome, even ordinary-looking, but his aura was incredibly powerful. Seeing Huang Feiyan approach, he bowed respectfully. “There’s no need to trouble yourself, Celestial Huang. We can seat ourselves.”
Huang Feiyan smiled and withdrew.
The An family members were quiet and followed the young man to their seats. Mingyan noticed An Ran and Yu Zhu among them, surrounded by the others.
“I heard the eldest young master of the An family once fought the little Kun Peng king to a draw. I wonder who is stronger?” a Holy Master smiled.
Bei Ming Ni finally tore his gaze away from Ning Feixuan and sneered. “I don’t mind fighting him again. But someone is a coward and doesn’t dare to accept the challenge. In that case, there’s no need for a match. We can just say he’s inferior to me.”
The leader of the An family was An Canhui himself. He remained silent, seemingly not wanting to argue.
Bei Ming Ni, seeing his reaction, sneered, then lost interest and turned his attention back to Ning Feixuan.
“The little Kun Peng king seems quite arrogant. We humans have many talented individuals. He can’t possibly be invincible, can he?” an elder provoked. It was the same person who had been sarcastic towards Yue Wu Xia earlier.
Ning Mengru’s eyes flickered. She glanced at Mingyan and smiled without saying anything.
Bei Ming Ni looked at the elder and sneered. “Elder, why don’t you have your Holy Son come and fight me? Let’s see whose words are tougher, or whose fists are harder.”
“There’s no need for such hostility at a banquet,” Huang Qingfei said, glancing at the provocative elder. “All are guests. But I hope some guests will behave themselves and not cause trouble.”
Her words were blunt, but no one was surprised. The Huang family was known for their domineering style. Even the gentler Huang Qingfei had a fierce side.
“I’m just telling the truth. Earlier, the Moon Shadow Holy Master said that at the same level, her new disciple could crush our Holy Son and Holy Maiden. In that case, the little Kun Peng king should be no match for him either.” The elder didn’t stop. He was clearly trying to sow discord between humans and demons. But no one spoke up.
Bei Ming Ni seemed to know who the Moon Shadow Holy Master was and likely also knew that Yue Qingying wasn’t her new disciple. So, his gaze quickly shifted to Mingyan, and he snorted with disdain, not bothering to speak.
Mingyan remained expressionless and silent.
Seeing his provocation had no effect, the man finally gave up.
But then, An Canhui spoke, his expression calm. “I’ve heard of Fellow Daoist Mingyan’s unique qualities. The Huang family also seems to hold him in high regard. And with the guidance of the Moon Shadow Holy Master, I believe the title of the Eastern Continent’s top genius should belong to him.”
This caused a stir. Everyone knew who An Canhui was, the rising star of the Eastern Continent. For him to say such a thing…
Yue Wu Xia’s brow furrowed slightly, and she glanced at An Canhui. Mingyan also frowned. He had never met An Canhui and had rarely fought anyone. He had sparred with his senior sister, but no one else should know about that, or about his battle with the Sacred Land disciple. Why was this man praising him so highly?
Bei Ming Ni’s disdain vanished. “Oh? Is that so? Then I’ll have to test you. I heard your master, the Moon Shadow Holy Master, was undefeated in the Eastern Continent in her youth, with no one from the Demon Clan able to match her. I’d like to see if her disciple is as strong as she is. I’ll lower my cultivation to match yours, so you can’t say I’m bullying you. We’ll fight at the same level and see who is stronger.”
His words carried a hint of respect for Yue Wu Xia.
Yue Qingying frowned and whispered to her master, “That An Canhui seems to be deliberately causing trouble for Junior Brother. He doesn’t know about his special constitution. He must be trying to stir up something…”
Yue Wu Xia’s eyes flickered, as if she was thinking.
Mingyan, who had been silent, was now in the spotlight. He frowned, and was about to speak when Yue Wu Xia’s voice echoed in his mind. “If he lowers his cultivation to the Illuminating Sea Realm, are you confident?”
He pondered. He didn’t know his opponent’s true strength. Confidence was a tricky thing. But at the same level, he didn’t think he would lose. Human King Physique, the king among men. If he couldn’t be invincible at the same level, how could he challenge a Great Emperor at the Human King Realm? He leaned closer to his master and whispered, “I don’t think I’ll lose, Master.”
Although he was good-natured, being looked down upon repeatedly had angered him.
Huang Junru, seeing them whispering, sent a mental message to Yue Wu Xia, asking for her thoughts.
Yue Wu Xia nodded at her, and Huang Junru remained silent, letting things unfold.
After receiving Yue Wu Xia’s message, Mingyan looked at An Canhui and said, “I don’t know why you praise me so highly, Brother An, but since the little Kun Peng king wants to test me, we can have a friendly spar after the banquet.”
“Hehe, I hope you won’t disappoint me.” Bei Ming Ni’s smile was cold. “I enjoy defeating self-proclaimed geniuses and watching them beg for mercy. You’re not that kind of weakling, are you?”
Mingyan chuckled. “I hope you can back up your words with your actions, Brother Bei. Otherwise, I’m afraid you might get hurt.”
Bei Ming Ni sneered and said no more.
Ning Feixuan looked at Mingyan and frowned, whispering to Ning Mengru beside her, “Master, isn’t Mingyan being a bit too reckless…”
Ning Mengru chuckled. “You don’t seem to have much confidence in Yan’er.”
“Bei Ming Ni is already at the Divine Gate Realm. Even if he lowers his cultivation, his physique is still there…” Ning Feixuan was worried. Although she wanted to keep her distance from him, she had saved him once and didn’t want him to get into trouble.
“You seem quite concerned about Yan’er.” Ning Mengru smiled gently. “Don’t worry. As long as it’s a fair fight at the same level, Mingyan won’t lose.”
“…I hope so.” Seeing her master’s confidence, Ning Feixuan felt slightly relieved… And what was it to her anyway… She had no relationship with him…
