Daoist Competition

As long as it reaches my hands, I can slowly devise a plan later; if he insists on leaving, it’s not much of a loss.

Indeed, upon hearing these words, the young martial general was immediately moved and said, "Really?"

Zhang Yan laughed and replied, "If you don’t believe me, I can swear right here."

The young martial general hesitated for a moment, then suddenly looked up, made up his mind, and said, "Fine, I hope you remember your words at this moment."

A flash of brilliance, and his figure disappeared, and that Great Axe suddenly soared and descended.

Zhang Yan reached out his hand and immediately caught it, feeling a slight shock in his arm, followed by a dragon’s roar shaking the Golden Hall.

He took a closer look and saw the five characters "Xuan Flood Dragon Baoyang Halberd" engraved on the handle. Nodding lightly, he infused spiritual energy to perform a rough sacrificial refinement. To completely refine it would require the True Spirit within to respond; thus, he was not yet the master of this treasure. If this halberd were unwilling, it would be impossible to wield.

However, to achieve this result, he was already satisfied. With a burst of mana, the object transformed into light and flew up, entering his Sleeve Bag. Then, he ascended with tunneling light, retracing his path through a hundred Daoist talisman gates before stepping out from the Mysterious Stele.

Outside, several people had long waited impatiently. Seeing him emerge, the young man beckoned backward and said, "Fellow Daoists, follow me inside to subdue this treasure."

Zhang Yan, however, stood still before the stele, raised his hand in salute, and said, "Gentlemen..."

The young man waved his hand and said, "An hour is nearly up; if Sect Leader Zhang has anything to say, perhaps mention it upon return."

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "This poor Daoist has already retrieved the True Treasure; you gentlemen need not proceed further."

"What?"

The people were stunned, somewhat incredulous.

Previously, they let Zhang Yan try it merely out of respect for True Master Tao, never expecting he could indeed retrieve the treasure.

Why would this treasure not approach them but turn to a Nascent Soul cultivator? Could this person have a connection with that treasure and foresaw this outcome, thus using them? Considering this, the middle-aged cultivator and the lady in white appeared displeased.

The young man, however, was only curious, asking, "That True Treasure was highly unruly; how did Sect Leader Zhang persuade it?"

Zhang Yan knew this matter needed an explanation to avoid provoking dissatisfaction among the others, and he smiled, "It’s not worth mentioning."

He immediately recounted some truths and falsehoods of the previous events.

Everyone heard that the treasure was merely temporarily staying by his side, not truly recognizing him as its master, and their hearts somewhat settled.

The young man sighed, "It is true that sacrifice yields gain. Since Fellow Daoist Zhang already has the True Treasure and with True Master Tao and Zheng Daoist assisting, even without us, he should manage against Guo Monarch. We each have disciples needing attention, and so we should take our leave."

As he spoke, a beam of golden light suddenly flew in from the heavens.

The middle-aged cultivator’s expression grew serious at this sight. He reached out, took it, quickly opened and glanced at the letter, then casually dissolved it and solemnly said, "Everyone, it seems Guo Monarch might have new moves. I must return as well."

Then Zhang Yan took a step forward and called, "True Master Gan, wait."

The middle-aged cultivator looked over and asked, "What else does Sect Leader Zhang have to say?"

Zhang Yan bowed slightly and said, "Since True Master Gan must return to the mountain, why not give me that Lifebound Pearl, so your sect’s disciples can avoid slaughter by Guo Monarch."

The lady in white said coldly, "What is Sect Leader Zhang insinuating? Are you afraid True Master Gan cannot protect his own disciples?"

Zhang Yan knew these words might offend, yet he had no choice but to speak thus.

Since he took the True Artifact, he was naturally obliged to bear the responsibility of dealing with Guo Monarch. But once True Master Gan returned, he would likely return the Lifebound Primordial Pearl to Guo Monarch to avoid calamity.

If that Heavenly Demon acquired five Lifebound Star Pearls, their power would surely surpass their current strength, which was against his will.

The middle-aged cultivator gave him a deep look and meaningfully said, "Sect Leader Zhang, you are indeed bold."

He raised his hand, retrieved the Primordial Pearl, and tossed it to Zhang Yan, saying, "Sect Leader Zhang, make sure you hold it well." Upon finishing, he swept his robe and transformed into a wisp of Clear Qi to fly away.

The lady in white watched him depart, then quickly flew into the clouds, joining the middle-aged cultivator shortly. She slightly reproached, "Shouting Court, though the Primordial Pearl is minor, giving it to him makes the three sects appear incompetent."

The middle-aged cultivator replied, "That Treasure Bead is indeed useless to us, and giving it to him ensures our disciples avoid disaster."

The lady in white sighed, "We’ve worked hard only to benefit that junior."

The middle-aged cultivator coldly retorted, "Guo Monarch is not so easily dealt with. Even with the assistance of the True Artifact, victory is uncertain."

The lady in white was surprised, "Isn’t there still Zheng Weixing and Sect Leader Tao?"

The middle-aged cultivator sneered, "Zheng Weixing is narrow-minded; seeing his Ancestor master’s treasure not fall into his hands but taken by another would surely breed resentment, perhaps hindering his effort, and as for Sect Leader Tao, if that True Artifact were in his hands, he could fight Guo Monarch, but in Daoist Zhang’s possession, the outcome is uncertain."

East Victory South Continent, Great Chen Kingdom.

Within a thousand li radius, miasma poisoned all, obliterating life.

A column of smoke gradually gathered, and the thousand-zhang centipede vanished, transforming into an elegant scholar.

He raised his hands slightly, turned in a circle, nodding satisfactorily.

Though last time he repelled three Cave Heaven True Masters, he couldn’t catch them. Now in human form, he could borrow cultivators’ Magic Artifact for flying, preventing incapability.

After sensing attentively for a moment, his crimson eyes slightly condensed, expressing some surprise—the remaining five Primordial Pearls had gathered in one place. He muttered, "Good, it saves much effort for this Monarch."

He reached out to grasp the Hundred Shadow Sword left by Shang Qingjun, wiped his hand over it, scattering its Primordial Spirit True Knowledge.

Without True Recognition, the sword lost its various functions, but he only needed it for flying; the rest were irrelevant. He coldly chuckled, conjuring a fierce sword light to cut through clouds, galloping north.

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)