Chapter 183: The Tiansheng Grand Tournament Concludes, Luo Qianxue Senses a Threat
Before long, Luo Qianxue had her sword resting against Lu Qingyun's throat.
"Qingyun, you've lost."
Lu Qingyun's face was a picture of dejection.
Clearly, this first-ever taste of defeat had hit her hard.
Seeing her expression, Luo Qianxue couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
But there was nothing else she could do. Everything she had done was for Lu Qingyun's own good. A streak of nothing but victories was not a healthy thing.
At that moment, the Holy Lords of the four great Sacred Lands approached Luo Qianxue. Turning to face the powerhouses observing the Tiansheng Grand Tournament from within the Stellar Realm, Ye Wushuang announced:
"I hereby declare that the champion of this Tiansheng Grand Tournament is Luo Qianxue of Myriad Dao Academy!"
"All contestants who placed within the top fifty shall receive prizes from our five great Sacred Lands."
But after finishing the announcement, Ye Wushuang recalled something and turned to Cao Tianyin and Lei Fengyu.
"After this Tiansheng Grand Tournament, the Qingfeng Sacred Land will need to be removed from the roster."
After all, judging from the voice they had heard earlier, someone from the Qingfeng Sect had descended.
And Lu Xunxian had said someone would handle it — which meant the Qingfeng Sect had likely already been destroyed.
That being the case, they would deal with the Qingfeng Sacred Land on the Tiansheng Continent before ascending.
Cao Tianyin and Lei Fengyu's expressions turned solemn.
"What exactly do you mean by that, Daoist Ye?"
"Nothing complicated. Exactly what it sounds like."
Ye Wushuang spread his hands and said no more.
Cao Tianyin and Lei Fengyu exchanged a glance. Clearly, they had already pieced together the gist of it.
But for now, the most pressing matter was distributing rewards to the top fifty contestants.
Before long, all fifty had received their respective prizes.
Naturally, those who made it into the top fifty were virtually all prodigies from major factions.
As for Feng Qingyu and Gu Tiansheng, neither had even cracked the top fifty before being defeated by Luo Qianxue and Lu Xiaoyao.
After the Tiansheng Grand Tournament concluded, Cao Tianyin and Lei Fengyu were about to approach Luo Qianxue to make her acquaintance.
But Luo Qianxue vanished without a trace.
Seeing this, the two men were mildly displeased, but given Luo Qianxue's strength, they held their tongues.
As for Luo Qianxue, she had already appeared at Lu Xunxian's side.
Lu Xiaoyao, Lu Qingyun, and the others had gathered there as well.
The instant Luo Qianxue noticed the woman in fiery crimson robes standing beside Lu Xunxian, a powerful sense of crisis surged through her. Instinctively, she tried to probe Zhu Qingyan's cultivation.
Sensing someone prying into her, Zhu Qingyan let out a cold snort.
"You have a death wish!"
She was about to crush Luo Qianxue on the spot.
But Lu Xunxian stopped her.
Only then did Zhu Qingyan catch herself. She fixed Luo Qianxue with a furrowed brow.
"Hasn't anyone taught you that probing someone is extremely rude?"
"I'm sorry."
Since she was in the wrong, Luo Qianxue — despite the hostility she already felt toward Zhu Qingyan — offered an apology.
Following the exchange, everyone present turned their eyes to Zhu Qingyan.
"Father, who is she?"
Lu Qingyun eyed Zhu Qingyan's breathtakingly beautiful appearance with open curiosity.
"She's the Clan Chief of the Vermilion Bird Race. She needs my help with something. Don't worry about her for now."
The moment Lu Xunxian finished speaking, Ye Wushuang and Gu Feng froze in place.
Once the words registered, they couldn't help but gulp, their gazes full of wariness as they looked at Zhu Qingyan.
They were well aware of the Vermilion Bird Race — one of the Ten Great Races of the Immortal Realm. As its Clan Chief, Zhu Qingyan was a Peak Immortal Emperor.
Without the slightest exaggeration, if Zhu Qingyan wanted to destroy the Primordial Sect, she need only say the word. Countless powerhouses would trip over themselves to do the deed, eager to curry favor with the Vermilion Bird Race.
And yet, even an existence as formidable as Zhu Qingyan had come to Lu Xunxian for help.
Was Senior Lu truly just a Peak Immortal Emperor?
Meanwhile, Xu Ruoshan and Chen Wangu, not recognizing Zhu Qingyan, were considerably less intimidated.
As for Zhu Qingyan herself —
The moment she heard Lu Qingyun address Lu Xunxian as "Father," her heart shattered in two.
A man this handsome — and he already had a Dao Companion?
She glanced around. The only other woman in the vicinity appeared to be Luo Qianxue.
Did that mean Luo Qianxue was Profound Immortal's Dao Companion?
"No — she shouldn't be his Dao Companion. If she were, she'd have gone straight to his side the moment she arrived, not stood off at a distance."
Zhu Qingyan's mind raced, and realization struck.
If Luo Qianxue were Lu Xunxian's Dao Companion, she would surely have taken her place beside him immediately instead of lingering apart.
"Oh — Father, who's this?"
At that moment, Lu Xiaoyao noticed Lu Dao standing at Lu Xunxian's side and looked at him quizzically.
Everyone's attention turned to Lu Dao.
"This is a guard I've arranged for your sister."
Lu Xunxian made no attempt to hide his reasoning. His primary purpose in claiming the Dao Spirit was to give his daughter a protector.
After all, with a Dao Spirit's extraordinary talent, reaching the Peak of the Immortal Emperor Realm would take no more than a century.
Having said that, Lu Xunxian turned to Lu Dao.
"From today forward, she is your new master."
At Lu Xunxian's command, Lu Dao walked to Lu Qingyun's side and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Master."
Lu Qingyun looked thoroughly confused. She had never, in her entire life, had anyone address her as "Master."
Having someone call her that so suddenly was more than a little uncomfortable.
"Just accept him."
Since her father had spoken, Lu Qingyun relented and accepted Lu Dao.
But she had no intention of treating Lu Dao as a servant. Her nature simply wouldn't allow it.
"Ahem — Old Lu, shouldn't we be preparing to ascend now?"
At that point, Chen Wangu could no longer contain himself. He coughed and spoke up.
He had been capable of ascending the moment he emerged from Seclusion. Combined with the Immortal Venerable Inheritance he had received from Lu Xunxian, if he hadn't been suppressing himself with every fiber of his being, he would have ascended long ago.
Now that the Tiansheng Grand Tournament was over, he was itching to go.
"Since everything's been taken care of, let's ascend."
At Lu Xunxian's word, Chen Wangu stepped outside the Stellar Realm for the first time.
The Stellar Realm was a Small World. To ascend to the Immortal Realm, one had to leave it first.
Chen Wangu released the full force of his cultivation, and in an instant, the lightning of heaven and earth came crashing down.
Almost simultaneously, not far away —
The Extreme Void Saint Emperor also surged skyward, unleashing his full cultivation and beginning his assault on the Immortal Realm.
"Oh? Someone else had the same idea — waiting until the Tiansheng Grand Tournament was over to ascend?"
He was mildly surprised by the Lightning Tribulation forming nearby, but the moment of curiosity passed in a flash. He quickly refocused on his own tribulation.
What others did was none of his concern. His own ascension was all that mattered.
But before long, the Extreme Void Saint Emperor found himself unable to stay calm.