Chapter 508 - 491: Talisman Battle
It was truly dreamlike.
"I’m not dreaming, am I?" Zhou Qian murmured.
No matter how calm and composed they tried to be, everyone was overcome with excitement. Zhou Qian found himself being tossed into the air by a crowd of Holy Hall Disciples.
If anyone had claimed before the competition that Zhou Qian would make it to the finals in the Pure Land, their first reaction would have been to ask who on earth Zhou Qian was. Their second reaction would have been to question that person’s sanity.
But this beaming Zhou Qian had actually done it. His smile was so infectious that anyone who saw it could feel his joy.
A dream had become reality.
In the crowd, Feng Jin watched quietly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He had been defeated, but his brother had made it.
He no longer hated the Holy Hall.
The Holy Hall’s two consecutive victories clearly put a grim expression on the faces of the other opponents waiting for their turn.
The third match: Ling Fei of the Flower Fairy Sect versus Yang Ying of the Holy Hall.
It was another battle between beautiful women. But the opponent was Ling Fei, wielder of the Peacock Ming King Statue and one of the undisputed top ten Cultivators in the Star Alliance. However, she was facing the Holy Hall, the creators of miracles, and her expression betrayed no sign of relaxation.
Yang Ying walked calmly toward the Dueling Platform as well. Now that she was here, all she needed to do was fight with no regrets.
It was another battle between a Sword Cultivator and a Talisman Cultivator.
Yang Ying attacked with her Flying Phoenix Sword. She had improved remarkably in a short time. Her personality wasn’t particularly flashy; after all, the Holy Hall had no shortage of exceptional members.
Especially as Wang Meng’s partner, and perhaps due to her upbringing in the Yang Family Castle or her mother’s teachings, Yang Ying was very low-key and gentle. She felt no need to prove herself ostentatiously; she only needed to take care of things for Wang Meng.
In the Holy Hall, Yang Ying’s presence was perhaps less noticeable than that of Hu Jing or Ma Tian’Er. But it was precisely for this reason that the brilliance of Wang Meng and the others could shine through.
But this didn’t mean Yang Ying wasn’t intelligent or that her abilities were lacking.
In truth, this was a sign of great wisdom.
The very fact that she had manifested the rare Water Element Phoenix Holy Statue was proof enough of her talent.
In the hierarchy of the Demon Race’s Divine Beasts, the Phoenix was a being on par with the Giant Dragon kings.
In reality, it was in no way inferior to the Dawn Goddess Holy Statue or the Life Tree Holy Statue. Yet, it seemed Yang Ying was less famous than people like Li Tianyi.
However, as her opponent, Ling Fei did not underestimate her.
Sword Qi erupted. Ling Fei also adopted a defensive stance, and the details of her movements revealed a clear difference in style between her and Hu Jing.
Hu Jing’s defense was more precise and targeted, whereas Ling Fei’s was grander in scope.
Bai Yu might not have had confidence in others, but he had absolute faith in Ling Fei.
Against the Sword Qi assault, Ling Fei remained steady and methodical, showing no eagerness to make a flashy display. This came as a surprise to many Cultivators. Given Ling Fei’s fame and power, they expected her to crush her opponent in a grand and overwhelming fashion from the very beginning.
A true master must possess a steady mind. In this regard, Ling Fei was leagues above Duan Ruxue.
This was a matter of inner Cultivation.
And in the face of a master like Ling Fei, Yang Ying appeared equally composed.
One had to admit that family background could be very important, often shaping a person’s character for life. Among the Holy Hall Beings, Wang Meng, Zhang Xiaojiang, and their peers were one type: they came from the mortal world, full of drive and courage, eager to prove their strength, and always passionate about taking on challenges.
In contrast, Yang Ying and Ma Tian’Er were another type. Although Yang Family Castle and the Ma Family were merely prominent families in the Four Directions Small Thousand World, their upbringing had been entirely different. They were able to integrate into this circle and contribute their strength, but they always maintained their own identities, using their power to support others. This meant that both of them often worked silently in the background, without receiving much fame or glory.
Conversely, with their help, others were able to achieve much more.
Given Yang Ying’s relationship with Wang Meng, she should have been the undisputed second-in-command of the Holy Hall, and no one would have objected. Yet she willingly allowed the more suitable Hu Jing to take that role. Did that mean she wasn’t capable?
Could someone who had been the capable senior sister of Flying Phoenix Hall for so many years suddenly become incompetent overnight?
While Hu Jing’s current success was certainly due to her own wisdom and strength, it was also undeniably thanks to Wang Meng’s support. Had Yang Ying received that same support, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t have done just as well.
For someone in her position, the ability to take a step back was what made her truly extraordinary.
Perhaps everyone had focused too much on Yang Ying’s beauty and overlooked these qualities.
Yang Ying’s attacks weren’t fierce. She maintained a steady rhythm, probing her opponent while not trying to suppress their counterattacks.
Ling Fei noticed this as well. Talismans began to fly from her hands, and the two traded blows, a near-perfect exchange of probing attacks.
Yang Ying clearly had no intention of letting herself be put on the defensive. Launching endless, ineffective attacks was tantamount to digging her own grave.
But even this probing was far from easy. The pace on both sides quickened, and the openings for attack grew fewer and farther between.
Ling Fei was genuinely surprised. Her opponent was actually able to keep up with her pace. Although she was a Talisman Cultivator, at her level of Cultivation, she feared no other type of Cultivator.
Ling Fei unleashed her unique ability: the Seven-Colored Illusion Talisman!
This power originated from her Peacock Ming King Body. A brilliant Talisman shot out—it looked like an ordinary Fire Talisman—and Yang Ying immediately met it with her Sword Qi.
However, her perfectly aimed strike missed its mark. The Seven-Colored Illusion Talisman was completely different from an ordinary Fire Talisman; it produced a bizarre deviation in its path.
BOOM...
The Fire Talisman exploded in a dazzling burst of light, as resplendent as the Peacock Ming King itself.
This was the manifestation of a Holy Statue Ability’s core power. As one of the first Cultivators to awaken a Holy Statue, Ling Fei’s mastery was far beyond what the newer generation of Holy Statue wielders could hope to match.
SWISH SWISH SWISH...
Once imbued with that seven-colored light, even ordinary Talismans became completely different, possessing a power that could truly turn the mundane into the miraculous. It was as if the simplest of Talismans had been granted life.
Ling Fei moved with such freedom. She already possessed an incredibly solid foundation in the Magic of a Talisman Cultivator. She was the very model of a disciple from a prestigious Sect; from the beginning, she had received the best training in the Flower Fairy Sect, then was tempered in the Cultivation Academy, awakened her Holy Statue, merged with it, and now, she was the flawless result of that entire process.
Yang Ying was immediately put at a complete disadvantage, the flow of the battle entirely under Ling Fei’s control. This was what everyone had expected, but they were still shocked by the sheer power of Ling Fei’s Seven-Colored Talismans.
One might say that Talisman Cultivators were invincible. Any other Talisman Cultivator who faced her would likely be suppressed so badly they wouldn’t know which way was up.
Many new Holy Statues had emerged recently, but when it came to wielding their power, Ling Fei was clearly leagues ahead of the rest.
But the commotion suddenly shifted from the Dueling Platform to the spectator area.
In the VIP area where Lv Yuantian was seated, an "uninvited guest" suddenly arrived—someone Lv Yuantian himself had not expected.
Ji Guang, the commander of the Pure Land Knight Order. This proud man was the chief enforcer of the Pure Land and held great prestige throughout the Small Thousand Realms. Instead of waiting for Mingren’s battle, why had he come here?
Ji Guang was exceedingly proud. He merely nodded to the others before turning to watch the fight on the Dueling Platform with an indifferent gaze. From his expression, it was clear the commander had no interest whatsoever in the match.
The thing was, it wasn’t just Ji Guang who had arrived. Almost right on his heels came Demon Ba, the Sect Leader of the No Illusion Demon Sect.
Ji Guang’s status was merely unique; the Pure Land was not subordinate to anyone else in the Star Alliance, so if he wanted to act aloof, others couldn’t be bothered to care. But Demon Ba, the No Illusion Demon Master, was a different matter. He represented the undisputed number one Sect among Human Cultivators.
All the Cultivators began to whisper amongst themselves, eager to catch a glimpse of the bearing of the current Demon Lord. In an era where Demon Cultivators were at their zenith, Demon Ba’s presence was said to be unparalleled.
In reality, however, Demon Ba wasn’t as tyrannical as his name might suggest. Lv Yuantian, Bai Yu, Yang Jian, and the others all rose to their feet. Be they Saint or Demon, everyone understood the rules of the game under the Star Alliance system. Despite their conflicts, the main goal was to strengthen one’s own Sect. As long as there were no direct conflicts of interest, they were not necessarily enemies.
"Demon Sect Leader, what brings you here?" Lv Yuantian asked with a smile. As the head of the academy, Lv Yuantian’s status was exceptional, so he didn’t need to be overly formal, but he was still curious about Demon Ba’s arrival.
Demon Ba smiled faintly. "There’s something interesting to see here, so I came to have a look."
Demon Ba’s power was undoubtedly among the top three Human Cultivators. However, the one who had truly pushed the No Illusion Demon Sect to its zenith wasn’t him, but the Sect Leader of the previous generation: the old Demon of the Sect, Illusion Dance Sea, who was now in seclusion. Though Demon Ba’s strength was formidable, he had not been Illusion Dance Sea’s choice. The one he had approved of was Lin Jinghao. Demon Ba was merely a transitional Sect Leader. After all, a Sect needed a powerful figurehead, which was why the No Illusion Demon Sect had made few major moves in recent years, despite being ranked first.
Demon Ba’s mission was simply to maintain the status quo.
He was to wait for Lin Jinghao to mature. This was why Demon Ba completely ignored the trouble that Lin Jinghao, as a Demon Cultivator, often stirred up. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to intervene, but that it simply wasn’t his place to do so.
But recently, Demon Ba had come to understand the old ancestor’s foresight. He himself lacked certain qualities, and he had also missed the opportunity presented by the changing of the guard within the Star Alliance.
To achieve unparalleled hegemony, one needs a perfect alignment of Celestial Time, earthly advantage, and human harmony. Not one can be missing.
Lin Jinghao had caught this perfect alignment. Although the Pure Land and the Star Alliance, wary of the No Illusion Demon Sect’s power, had propped up a rival, the No Illusion Demon Sect was not about to give up. If Lin Jinghao could one day rule the Star Alliance, the No Illusion Demon Sect would dominate the Small Thousand Realms, becoming an unstoppable force.
Lin Jinghao originally had only one rival among the humans, but he had created another one for himself.
Demon Ba had to come and see for himself. This was the final battle before the entry into the Pure Land; it was bound to reveal something.
Ji Guang and Demon Ba exchanged a glance, then simply nodded at each other.
As a guardian of the Pure Land and an enforcer for the Star Alliance, Ji Guang was not at all fond of the No Illusion Demon Sect. Prioritizing the interests of the Pure Land, he felt the heir to the No Illusion Demon Sect was unsuitable to lead the Star Alliance. Yet, the sheer power of the Demon Sect was forcing that very situation into existence.
Mingren had already had an encounter with Lin Jinghao. Ji Guang had asked him about it, but Mingren had merely smiled without a word, seeming quite pleased.
But to Ji Guang, that kind of pleasure was no good thing. Mingren only acted this way when he was genuinely interested, and that usually meant he had met a very powerful opponent.
Lin Jinghao was naturally a primary person of interest. But compared to Lin Jinghao, who was in the public eye, Ji Guang was more interested in observing Wang Meng and his Holy Hall Beings, who had vanished from sight.
Of course, Ji Guang had disdained the earlier rounds. But this final round of the main competition was sure to reveal something.