Daoist Competition

He Yizhu did not decline, cupped his hands, mounted the clouds, and flew towards the pit, swiftly arriving in the vast cave of ten thousand people. He first captured a strand of Qi Mechanism, discerned it briefly, and let out two cold snorts.

He then walked a circle around the place, even entering the alchemy room, but because the dried corpses had long since turned to ash, he found nothing and, having no interest in lingering, retraced his steps to exit the cave.

Seeing him come out, Sect Leader Qiao couldn’t help but ask, "How was it?"

He Yizhu said, "There is an alchemy room beneath the Stone Mansion, the original contents unknown, but have been stolen. I used a Secret Technique to investigate; two people came here. One you all recognize, it is the Old Daoist Hui Xuan. The other, I don’t know, but his cultivation isn’t weak, probably not beneath Hui Xuan."

The Qi Mechanism of a Nascent Soul cultivator constantly exchanges with nature’s spiritual energy, leaving a trace wherever they tread. Though it can be concealed, the Kuxin Sect has a Secret Technique that, coming swiftly as I did, I nearly immediately detected.

Sect Leader Qiao knew he couldn’t hide it from him; inviting Hui Xuan was to clear himself, but another was unaccounted for in his plans. Elder Lin’s death was suspicious, and though he suspected trouble, he was forced to feign an angry demeanor on the surface, saying, "So it was this old Hui Xuan! He and I were already at odds; I was still considering his familial ties and refraining from holding it against him. I did not expect him to come and steal treasures and harm our sect’s elder. If I catch him, I will obliterate his Divine Soul and grind his bones to dust!"

Chen Yuan glanced at Sect Leader Qiao, having heard of the discord with Hui Xuan. Though he didn’t believe his words, with no evidence proving it was Zhongtai’s doing, persisting was pointless. Thinking a moment, he said, "Brother He, can you tell which way the two fled?"

He Yizhu captured another strand of Qi Mechanism, performed a minor discernment, and confirmed, "Hui Xuan went west, and the other went south,"

Mao Wuwei let out a sneer, saying, "Seems these two took advantage of Zhongtai’s banquet to sneak in, were discovered by Elder Lin, killed him, and with the Dragon Pillar changing, fled hastily, fearing our pursuit, hence splitting up."

He Yizhu declared loudly, "We must swiftly send people to retrieve them!"

Mao Wuwei stroked his beard, "Both are at the Nascent Soul Third Realm, but who holds the treasure, who knows."

Chen Yuan said, "Earlier, when we arrived, no people were seen above the Extreme Sky. They must have deliberately used the mountains and rivers for cover, not likely to have gone far. We should have those skilled in Escape Skill pursue first, then send others afterward, surely catching them."

He Yizhu quickly said, "I came with a Flying Swallow Boat, moving through mountains and rivers without obstruction; the one fleeing south should be handled by my Kuxin Sect."

Sect Leader Qiao, also eager to reclaim the stolen item by Hui Xuan, cupped his hand towards Zhang Yan, saying, "True Master Zhang, your Sword Escape Technique is swift beyond compare; none of us can match it. Might we request you to pursue Hui Xuan, with great thanks afterward."

Zhang Yan thought for a moment, then smiled, "In consideration of Sect Leader Qiao’s request, I can fulfill it."

Chen Yuan then interjected with a smile, "Daoist Qiao, this is where you’ve erred; True Master Zhang is your esteemed guest, this matter doesn’t really concern him, why trouble him? Our Fengxiang Sword Sect’s Yanghong Sword Master Zhu Xuan is also skilled in Escape Technique, his Daoist Cultivation not under Hui Xuan’s; he should be able to capture him back."

Sect Leader Qiao was about to speak when suddenly from the southeast a loud roar was heard, like rolling thunder. While he was puzzled, a Flying Book arrived. He recognized it as a message from Zhongtai, received it, opened it, and his expression changed.

Chen Yuan noticed his troubled look and asked, "Brother Daoist, what’s the matter?"

Sect Leader Qiao looked around at the others and said in a deep voice, "A disciple just reported that the Prohibition of the southeast Dragon Pillar has lifted itself."

"What?"

The three sect leaders were shocked; they’d investigated earlier and although the eight dragon balls’ prohibitions were weakening, only the southwest Dragon Pillar’s prohibition dissipated the fastest. They had estimated that the other seven would take decades to reach this extent, so this unexpected turn left them somewhat unprepared.

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Gentlemen, though the two have fled, as long as they remain within East Victory Continent, they can still be found. I believe the urgent matter is not capturing those two but watching the remaining seven Dragon Pillars to avoid further theft."

Mao Wuwei clapped his hands, "Exactly right!"

He Yizhu righteously said, "Since our three sects have encountered this matter, we cannot sit idly by and must help Sect Leader Qiao alleviate his burdens."

Sect Leader Qiao knew well that if the remaining Dragon Pillars were left to the three sects to guard, the underground palace’s treasures might then belong to them.

However, if he didn’t agree, he feared being resented by the three sects; currently, Zhongtai is not strong enough to oppose the three sects together.

He cursed inwardly, "I’ll let you have your moment; when Zhongtai completes the Dao Skill, I’ll reclaim everything."

But he also didn’t want the three sects to take all the benefit. After pondering for a while, he said, "How about this: Divine House Mountain is closest to the Qian Position Dragon Pillar; we’ll ask Sect Leader Zhang to guard this pillar, and the Dui West Dragon Pillar will still be guarded by Zhongtai. The other five pillars will trouble the three of you."

Zhang Yan just attended a banquet and got a Dragon Pillar for nothing; though the three sect leaders were unwilling, due to his many Divine Skills and Daoist Skills, they didn’t want to offend him, thus agreed.

As for the remaining five Dragon Balls, they fell into the hands of the Three Sects by design, as Sect Leader Qiao intentionally sowed discord among them.

Yet Mao Wuwei was not fooled, laughingly saying, "The Old Daoist is rather lazy, unable to watch more than two pillars, so just one suits me," he paused, then added, "If you’re confident, I’ll take the Li Nan Dragon Pillar."

Seeing him take a step back, He Yizhu was delighted, saying, "Very well, then my Kuxin Sect will reluctantly guard the Kan and Gen Pillars."

The southwest Kun Position Dragon Pillar was already open, and the four, dividing the five pillars, left the Xun and Zhen Pillars to fall into the hands of the Fengxiang Sword Sect eventually.

...

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