freenovelworld Chapter 558: Inquiry from Various Sides
Chapter 558: Inquiry from Various Sides
Extreme Sword Sect, Ruchun Pavilion——
Several Xianlan Sect disciples crossed the courtyard where they were temporarily staying and came to a room. Upon seeing them return, Zhu Zhi in the room stood up and asked urgently, "How's it going? Have you found any news about the Yunshan Sect and that woman?"
Zhu Zhi was not an elite disciple, and he had not even attended the birthday banquet of Venerable Lingxi. This was the first time he had heard of the Yunshan Sect, so after being humiliated, he immediately sent someone to inquire about the news.
"Brother Zhu, we have very little information about that woman. She has never participated in a competition and has never fought against anyone, but..."
"But what?!"
"However, we have learned a little about the Yunshan Sect. We heard that there is a disciple in the Yunshan Sect who is well-known and is a rare genius swordsman. He seems to have defeated Pei An, an elite disciple of the Jijian Sect. And yesterday, he defeated Huangfu Ye, the fifth prince of Ningguo. Huangfu Ye is an outstanding child of the Ningguo royal family. He was very arrogant before entering the ring yesterday, but unexpectedly, he was knocked off the ring in just a stick of incense..."
"...Huangfu Ye?" Zhu Zhi thought that the surname sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember it for a moment.
"Ningguo's most famous figure is his ancestor, Huangfu Ji. He was once hailed as a rare genius once in a thousand years. I've heard from senior brothers and sisters who have visited Lingxi Mountain that he was ranked first on the potential monument, a record he still holds to this day..."
At this time, a disciple of the Xianlan Sect interrupted and said, "Don't get sidetracked. Aren't we supposed to be discussing that woman? Why does she have a token bestowed by Venerable Qin Gu and even Patriarch Qin Meng? Who is this person?"
Seeing everyone's silence, Zhu Zhi's face darkened. "Go find Zhen Yao. She seems quite familiar with this girl..."
When Zhen Yao arrived at the room, she saw that Zhu Zhi seemed to be pretending to be calm, but in fact he was panicking inside, fearing that Pei Yunzhen would go and complain. She sneered:
"...Fellow Daoist Pei is a friend of Senior Sister Yin. Back when we were at Lingxi Mountain, Venerable Lingxi and Venerable Qin Gu were extremely impressed with her. I advise you not to cause trouble and bring trouble to the Xianlan Sect..."
"You are my fiancée now. If something happens to me, the Zhu family will not be able to protect the Zhen family. Your ancestor can only survive now. Once he dies, those aristocratic families will not let your Zhen family go. By then, your Zhen family's resources, spiritual veins, business, etc. will all be divided up. I advise you to think carefully about what tone to use when talking to me!" Zhu Zhi stared at Zhen Yao with a sinister look.
Zhen Yao's heart tightened slightly. She was silent for a moment and said, "...Fellow Daoist Pei is not a narrow-minded person. She said she would not pursue the matter, so she will not pursue it. But if you provoke her again, you can't say for sure. She killed his daughter in front of Venerable Lingxi..."
Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped. Zhen Yao continued, "Also, she's a friend of Senior Sister Yin. When Senior Sister Yin competed on the Genius Ranking, Fellow Daoist Pei hadn't even broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. This time, I saw that she couldn't even see through her cultivation level, which shows how quickly her strength is improving. I advise you to stop now."
After he finished speaking, he left the room without paying any attention to the surprised expressions of the people around him.
After a while, the people in the room came back to their senses. A disciple of the Xianlan Sect whispered, "...I think we should not provoke this person anymore. Senior Sister Yin is a direct disciple. We can't afford to offend her friends..."
Moreover, the one with the highest cultivation among them is Zhu Zhi, who is only in the early stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, the same as Zhen Yao.
Zhu Zhi's throat was dry. He had no intention of plotting or retaliating. He could only swallow the frustration he had endured. However, he couldn't help but curse, "This Fu Lingchen is so lucky!"
……
Meanwhile, the Fifth Prince of Ningguo also sent people to investigate Luo Rufeng and the Yunshan Sect. Two guards stood guard outside the door, while several people sat together inside the room, listening to their subordinates' detailed reports:
"...Luo Rufeng is an elder of the Yunshan Sect in Beiqizhou. His cultivation has reached the middle stage of the Spiritualization Realm. He's only a little over 150 years old, but his cultivation speed is extremely fast. He once defeated Pei An, an elite disciple of the Extreme Sword Sect, and Ling Ziyan of the Lingyao Sect in a talent ranking competition. A few years ago, at the birthday banquet of Venerable Lingxi, Venerable Qin Gu offered to take him in as a disciple, but he refused. Another point: Luo Rufeng holds the third place on the potential monument at Lingxi Mountain!"
The first person on the potential monument is their Ningguo ancestor - Huangfu Ji. This is what the Huangfu family is most proud of.
Huangfu Ye clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with regret and unwillingness. He said excitedly, "If I had been able to keep my composure and defeat him, I would have become very famous. Perhaps Venerable Qin Gu would have accepted me as his disciple. What a pity! What a pity! If my father knew that Venerable Qin Gu was willing to accept me as his disciple, he would definitely make me the crown prince..."
Listening to the arrogant words of the young and arrogant Fifth Prince, the two elders who followed him were silent, but they couldn't help but complain in their hearts:
He was knocked off the stage in less than an incense stick of time. Expecting a comeback with such strength is ridiculous! Their fifth prince has a very high opinion of himself. He is usually flattered by those around him and truly believes he is exceptional.
At this moment, a young and beautiful woman beside him smiled and said, "Fifth brother, don't be upset. Doesn't the Jijian Sect have a rule that allows for challenge? You can challenge Luo Rufeng to a duel and avenge yesterday's shame..."
"Seventh sister is right! I want to challenge him to a fight! I can't swallow this humiliation. As long as I beat Luo Rufeng, I can step on him and let the whole world know!"
Huangfu Ye's eyes lit up and he stood up in a flash, his eyes full of fighting spirit.
The two elders were wondering how to dissuade them when Huangfu Jia, known as the "Seventh Sister," spoke again:
"Fifth brother, there's no need to be so anxious. The Extreme Sword Sect stipulates that you can only compete with the same person twice. You've already competed with him once, so you only have one chance left. I think it's better to put it aside for now. There's still a year left. Why not wait until you have gained experience fighting with other sword cultivators? Then, wouldn't it be more reliable to challenge Luo Rufeng..."
"...Yeah, Seventh Sister is right. It won't be too late to fight Luo Rufeng after I've accumulated experience and improved my strength. I have a year anyway!"
After coaxing Huangfu Ye, Huangfu Jia left the room with the maid. When they returned to their own residence, the maid couldn't help but say:
"Princess, you and the Fifth Prince are clearly born of the same mother, yet the Imperial Concubine has always favored the Fifth Prince, giving him all the resources she's earned and ignoring you. This time at the Sword Competition, the Imperial Concubine even asked you to take good care of him and put him first. It's so unfair, and now she even asks you to coax him..."
Huangfu Jia's face showed no resentment or disappointment, she only smiled faintly and said:
"My mother's mind is completely preoccupied with her son ascending the throne and her becoming the Empress Dowager. In recent years, my father has spent far more time cultivating than handling state affairs. Rumors are circulating throughout Ningguo that the Emperor will likely abdicate after selecting a Crown Prince to focus on cultivation. The younger princes are taking notice. The eldest prince, the only legitimate son, has been poisoned, his legs crippled. The Empress's faction has suffered a blow, and my mother is starting to stir..."
"Under the eldest prince are the second and third princes. These two princes are not vegetarians either. And forgive my ignorance, but practicing can lead to immortality. Isn't that better than the throne?"
"Cultivating immortality, achieving enlightenment and ascending to heaven—there's nothing better than this. However, cultivation requires resources, and how much can one obtain on their own? While ascending to the throne will waste a lot of time cultivating, it also grants the power to mobilize resources. At that time, the resources of an entire country will be at your disposal. Who can resist such temptation..."
"So... Princess also wants to push the Fifth Prince to the throne? After all, he and you are born of the same mother. The Imperial Concubine will definitely take care of you..."
Huangfu Jia shook her head. "Don't try to guess the thoughts of a fool with your own common sense. Besides, my brother isn't very capable, but he's incredibly self-righteous and foolish. He's inherited all the traits of my mother. How could he possibly compete with the other princes..."
"Then why did you advise the Fifth Prince to challenge Luo Rufeng to a duel?"
"Do you think his swordsmanship can defeat Luo Rufeng?"
"This... is naturally impossible."
"So this sword fighting competition was the beginning of his failure. He has been staying in Ningguo, coaxed and pampered by his mother and a group of friends. Even when he went out to travel, he just wandered around Nanmo. This time, let him open his eyes and take a good look at the outside world..."
"Then Princess..."
"Of course I must seize this opportunity. If I can get a place in further studies, I can completely break free from Mother's control. I have been hiding my strength and enduring humiliation all these years, all for this day..."
"Princess, can you defeat Luo Rufeng with your strength?"
"No." Huangfu Jia said very simply, "Luo Rufeng's swordsmanship is far superior to mine, and he is very pure."
"purely?"
"They are sword cultivators with a strong heart and a firm mind. Such sword cultivators are extremely terrifying. They are generally not shaken by external factors and are completely devoted to the sword path. Such people are best kept at a distance..."