Daoist Competition

After Lin Daoist gave his order, Master Pei also coldly waved his hand, commanding the disciples of Wudang Spirit Hall to charge towards the southeast corner. However, just as the two finished directing their disciples and before they could issue further instructions, a crane and a serpent suddenly attacked, forcing them to focus entirely on fending off the assault, leaving no room to divert their attention elsewhere.

At this moment, True Master Tao softly chanted: "The great river rushes west into the sea, eastern waters divide pure and turbid Qi. Sweeping currents overturn Cloud Shoes, feet upon constellations grip mysteries high."

As he swung his horsetail whisk, all scenes before him vanished, replaced by a boundless raging tide, encircling the four True Masters together within its grasp.

The four True Masters felt their bodies swaying incessantly in the water, struggling to maintain their balance, realizing they must have fallen into one of his mystical arrays. Yet, as Nascent Soul cultivators, their hearts and spirits remained steady, allowing them to endure for the time being.

Earlier, when the four had joined forces to attack True Master Tao, the battle had only ended in a stalemate. But now, with Daoist Qiu severely injured, the situation had turned into one where they found themselves suppressed and disadvantaged.

Within the waters, True Master Tao appeared even more at ease, not attacking blindly but displaying exceptional strategy. He focused sixty percent or more of his full strength onto the already weakened Daoist Qiu, forcing the other three to come to his aid.

It was evident that while an uneasy balance was barely being upheld, if Daoist Qiu were to fall, the remaining three would likely meet their demise as well.

Such a predicament meant they were practically being led by the nose by True Master Tao. For now, the four True Masters had no choice but to grit their teeth and persist, hoping their disciples might locate the Main Mansion, uncover True Master Tao's true body, and stop his sacrificial refinement of the Immortal Palace Main Mansion.

However, the disciples were entirely oblivious to the true circumstances at play. They believed the eight palace structures to be extraordinarily significant and focused on capturing them all.

Among them, a streak of white smoke surged forth, heading directly for the palace occupied by the Qingyu Sect disciples. Its speed was several times faster than the others.

Guo Lie, Zhao Zhengcheng, Wang Yingfang, Yang Lin, and the disciples of the Qingyu Sect were entrenched at their location when they saw the smoke approaching audaciously. Zhao Zhengcheng furrowed his brow slightly, and a dull yellow smoke emerged from above his head, forming into a Xuanhuang Dragon Capturing Hand, several dozen feet large, which resembled a mountain striking down upon the white smoke.

To their surprise, the cultivator within the white smoke showed no fear. Not only did he refuse to evade or retreat, but he directly confronted the attack head-on. In an instant, the two clashed violently.

A loud booming sound echoed as yellow mist rolled outward. The Xuanhuang Dragon Capturing Hand was astonishingly dispersed upon impact. Although it reformed swiftly after, it was unable to halt the individual's advance.

The figure stepped out from within the smoke—a sharp-browed and heroic Daoist. Standing with his hands behind his back in mid-air, a Shaking Mountain Gold Stick hung behind him. His sharp eyes scanned over Zhao Zhengcheng and the others one by one, before saying in a deep voice: "I am Wu Huanchen, disciple of Wudang Spirit Hall. I have heard of the four renowned disciples under Qingyu Sect, each one exceptional. Who will fight me first?"

Meanwhile, on another palace structure in the southeastern corner stood Demon King Xuan Tong and his sister Tong Ying.

The other Demon Kings were surrounded by throngs of kin and followers, numbering at least a hundred, but Xuan Tong stood alone without bringing a single disciple.

He gazed at the token talisman held in the mouth of an auspicious beast with a somewhat distant expression, yet he did not reach out to take it.

Tong Ying approached him, puzzled, and asked, "Brother, why are you not taking it?"

Demon King Xuan Tong shook his head and sighed, "Even if I take it now, it would serve no purpose."

Tong Ying was taken aback and asked, "Why is that?"

With a mysterious smile, Demon King Xuan Tong turned his gaze away, brushing the back of his hand lightly, before saying, "It's coming."

Tong Ying quickly followed his line of sight and saw a streak of smoke speeding toward them—it was clearly a Hua Dan cultivator.

Given that only Xuan Tong and his sister occupied this place, they would naturally become a target for others. But Xuan Tong merely smiled indifferently and said to Tong Ying, "Let's go."

Tong Ying was stunned and exclaimed, "Brother, leave? How can we simply abandon the token talisman?"

Demon King Xuan Tong cast her a faint glance, said nothing, and with a leap transformed into a wisp of smoke, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Brother, you…"

Tong Ying hesitated, feeling immense regret as she cast one last look at the token talisman. Stamping her foot in frustration, she eventually followed Demon King Xuan Tong and flew away.

Moments later, the Hua Dan cultivator landed atop the roof ridge. At first, he appeared surprised, but then his face lit up in ecstatic joy. He hadn't expected to obtain the token talisman so effortlessly.

However, he was entirely unaware that Demon King Xuan Tong had not gone far but was instead perched atop a cloud, watching the struggle unfold as if he were merely a bystander.

He had seen through the situation clearly: within hours, the victor of the battle would emerge. If True Master Tao succeeded, the token talisman would ultimately return to him. If the side opposing Tao prevailed, whoever obtained the token talisman would be robbed of it as well. Thus, it was better to let it go for now.