Ye Luqing: …
I knew that white-haired girl was trouble.
She’s already using underhanded tricks to pin Little Ying beneath her.
But if it were her, she’d probably do the same just to win.
While Ye Luqing and Ying Qianqian were chatting idly, the Grand Tournament commenced.
Limitless Divine Lord, acting as Sect Master, gave a brief speech. It was nothing more than the usual clichés: the Profound Firmament Upper Sect was growing stronger by the day, and he was confident these disciples would lead the sect to an ever more prosperous future.
But everyone knew the truth. For a Transcendent-Rank Power like theirs, prosperity hinged on the number of Dao Venerables at the Dao Integration Stage.
Even hoards of disciples, or even a large number of Divine Lords at the Void Comprehension Stage below them, wouldn’t significantly boost a transcendent sect’s power.
The reason the Profound Firmament Upper Sect was ranked among the Thirty-Six Upper Sects of Transcendent-Rank was because they possessed three Dao Venerables of the Dao Integration Stage.
Most of the Seventy-Two Lower Sects, in contrast, had only a single expert at the Dao Venerable level. The weakest among them didn’t even have a Dao Venerable and could only present methods that barely rivaled that stage.
After all, the Grand Daos in this world are limited. One taken is one less.
This was especially true for those Peak Dao Integration Stage Venerables preparing to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence Stage; some grasped two or even three Grand Daos alone.
As for the disciples the sect recruited… producing a single Void Comprehension Stage Divine Lord would already be considered excellent.
Ye Luqing focused her vision upwards. The area where the Spirit Transformation and Void Comprehension Elders were seated was bathed in glowing light. Looking from a distance invoked an indescribable sense of mystery.
Cultivators at the Spirit Transformation Stage could communicate with heaven and earth. A mere thought from them could manifest celestial phenomena.
For this reason, these Elders were cloaked in profound radiance. Discerning their full appearance was difficult, but this served to display their status and dignity.
Just as Ye Luqing was about to retract her gaze, she suddenly felt someone staring at her.
She instinctively looked toward the source. It was a petite girl with short white hair and crimson eyes, sizing her up with intense interest.
Who is that?
Ye Luqing was puzzled. She was certain she didn’t know this person.
However… she sensed a familiar aura emanating from this white-haired girl.
“A-Qing?” A familiar voice suddenly sounded beside her.
Ye Luqing turned her head. Xiao Qingxuan was looking at her with a pleasant surprise in her eyes.
“Senior Sister Xiao?”
Ye Luqing was a little surprised. After breaking through to Half-Step Spirit Transformation, Xiao Qingxuan should have been up on the high platform with those Elders.
As if hearing Ye Luqing’s unspoken thought, Xiao Qingxuan smiled gently.
“I saw you from up there and wanted to come down for a chat.”
Ye Luqing nodded, but something felt off about Xiao Qingxuan today.
“Senior Sister Xiao… is there something you wanted to say?”
“I just came to see you. Is that not allowed…?”
Xiao Qingxuan smiled again and reached out to pat Ye Luqing’s head.
Yet, staring at the hand approaching her, a sudden, inexplicable sense of danger flooded Ye Luqing.
[Warning! Warning!]
[Dao Integration Stage expert intrusion detected in Spirit Palace! Host, please maintain clarity!]
Ye Luqing’s blood ran cold. In a flash, she exploded backward, simultaneously flinging out the Profound Yellow Mountain-Suppressing Art she’d been gripping in her right hand.
Just as she resolved to pour every ounce of her Profound Yellow True Qi into this strike, a sudden chill wracked her body. Xiao Qingxuan vanished from sight.
“Senior Sister?” Ying Qianqian’s voice reached her ears, and a sliver of security finally returned to Ye Luqing’s heart.
Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. In that instant, she realized she’d snapped back to reality.
‘That was… an illusion?’
She looked up toward the white-haired, crimson-eyed girl, but the figure had long since vanished.
If she wasn’t mistaken, that person had to be the Dao Venerable of the Illusion Path, the Sect Master of Illusion God Sect.
Why would someone like that suddenly attack her?
“It’s nothing, Little Ying.” She let out a lingering sigh of fear.
Without the System’s warning, her Spirit Palace and memories would have already been violated.
By then, the secret of her transmigration and the System’s existence would likely have been laid bare to that Dao Integration Stage Dao Venerable.
At this thought, a powerful urge to flee back to Azure Sky Peak surged within her. She wanted to be as far away from this Ming Mengmeng as possible.
‘No, this place is crowded with many watchful eyes. That Dao Venerable wouldn’t dare make an open move against me.’
‘But if I return to Azure Sky Peak, with Shizun Bai Yuhan absent, it might actually give her the perfect opportunity.’
After a moment, she decided to stay at Heaven-Reaching Peak and watch the matches, using the Seven Emotions Branch to steady her own emotions.
When facing a major cultivator at the Dao Integration Stage, there was no such thing as being too cautious.
At the same time, she mentally jotted a black mark against Ming Mengmeng in her personal grudge book. When the chance arose in the future, she would definitely pay her back.
…………
Heaven-Reaching Peak – High Platform
Ming Mengmeng gazed down at Ye Luqing from her vantage point, licking the corner of her lips with keen interest.
“Interesting…”
“As expected of Bai Yuhan’s disciple, she actually saw through my illusion realm.”
With Void Comprehension Divine Lords present in the area, her ability to make silent, imperceptible moves was definitely limited. She couldn’t act as freely as she did in her Illusion God Sect.
But even so, her illusion wasn’t something a Golden Core Stage brat should be able to see through and counter.
Either a Dao Integration Stage Dao Venerable had left a wisp of divine sense or a protective restriction spell on her, or she had a Heaven Rank dharma artifact or treasure for protection.
However, her experienced eyes didn’t miss a thing. Ye Luqing had neither of those.
And excluding those two factors, Ye Luqing’s person must possess some divine peculiarity.
Ming Mengmeng was an intensely curious person, and she had the capital to be that curious.
As an established Dao Integration Stage Dao Venerable, except for the four and a half Tribulation Transcendence Stage Immortal Venerables above her, no one could claim they could reliably suppress her.
So, should she amplify her efforts, probe Ye Luqing’s secrets, and then trade the information to Xiao Qingxuan for Sword Qi Seeds?
A dark purple light flickered on her fingertip as she kept her gaze fixed on Ye Luqing’s every move.
The instant the girl revealed an opening, she would seize it, refining her into a dream.
It didn’t matter that the girl had a method to counter illusions. If she tried enough times, she could find a way to counter her counter.
But gradually, she realized something. Ye Luqing clearly knew something was wrong, yet she refused to leave the “dangerous” Heaven-Reaching Peak for a place she deemed safer.
“This little one… has a decent temperament.”
To realize a Dao Integration Stage Venerable was targeting her and still remain calm was truly rare for a Golden Core minor.
If Ye Luqing had tried to report this to the Profound Firmament Upper Sect Elders, or fled back to her own Azure Sky Peak, Ming Mengmeng would have had her chance.
But of all choices, she chose to stay on Heaven-Reaching Peak and keep a relatively safe distance.
The dark purple light on Ming Mengmeng’s fingertip instantly died. She temporarily dismissed the thought of making a move against Ye Luqing.
The Profound Firmament Upper Sect was, after all, Feng Linyi’s Dao ground. That earlier attempt had only happened because Feng Linyi was busy grinding Bai Yuhan down inside the Erotic Space. If her little tryst was discovered, Feng Linyi might use it as an excuse to beat her up soundly.
“Limitless, is that junior also participating in the competition?” She pointed toward Ye Luqing below.
Limitless Divine Lord looked in the direction the sole Dao Venerable present was pointing.
The many Spirit Transformation and Void Comprehension Elders around them also shifted their gazes toward Ye Luqing, wondering which disciple had managed to catch Ming Mengmeng’s attention.
Limitless Divine Lord paused briefly. As Acting Sect Master, he couldn’t possibly know every disciple, but this one he actually recognized.
“That is Ye Luqing of Azure Sky Peak, the Direct Disciple of Dao Venerable Xuanji.”
Dao Venerable Xuanji was Bai Yuhan’s honored title as the Dao Integration Stage Dao Venerable of the Formation Arts Lineage.
“As a Direct Disciple, she should be competing the day after tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Ming Mengmeng nodded, a hint of anticipation flickering across her features.
“Heh.”
As her words faded, her body dissolved into violet smoke, vanishing from the spot.
