"Old Heavenly Master!" Wang Ai froze in shock as the Heavenly Master's overwhelming qi surged forth. He hadn't expected the typically composed and peace-loving Old Heavenly Master to suddenly act so domineering.
In truth, Wang Ai's assumption wasn't entirely incorrect. The Old Heavenly Master, known for resolving issues peacefully, wouldn't typically resort to such forceful measures. However, he was currently troubled by matters related to his junior brother, Tian Jinzhong. The Old Heavenly Master's peace-loving nature was true—until someone touched his reverse scale, his bottom line. Once provoked, he would remind everyone why he was second only to True Gods in the yi ren world.
"Old Heavenly Master, please calm down! Wang Ai didn't mean to interfere with the competition. He acted impulsively out of concern for his grandson," Lü Ci, another elder, quickly intervened, trying to de-escalate the situation.
"Old Heavenly Master," Lu Jin also tried to reason, knowing that a public conflict between the Ten Elders could have negative consequences for the entire yi ren community. Though he despised Wang Ai and Lü Ci, Lu Jin understood that an open dispute between the elders would not benefit anyone.
"Ge Nie wins!" With a nod from the Old Heavenly Master, the referee immediately declared the match's outcome.
"Bing'er!" Wang Ai rushed over to his grandson. Seeing Wang Bing's injuries, he shot Daniel a murderous glare before quickly carrying Wang Bing away. The boy needed immediate medical attention.
"Don't you think your strikes were a bit too ruthless?" Lü Ci asked, smiling faintly, his gaze fixated on Daniel.
"I don't think so. If anything, I went easy on him," Daniel replied calmly, meeting Lü Ci's gaze without flinching.
"Haha, you seem quite confident," Lü Ci said, his tone amused.
Wang Bing had been beaten so severely, but on Longhu Mountain, Wang Ai couldn't do much. Outside of the mountain, however, it would be a different story. As one of the Ten Elders, Wang Ai had considerable influence. Even with the company's oversight, certain people could always find ways to act in secret.
The fact that no one had made a move against Zhang Chulan and Wang Ye, despite their possession of the Eight Great Techniques, was largely due to the company's restrictions, but there was another reason as well. Both of them had powerful backers. Zhang Chulan was under the protection of Longhu Mountain's Heavenly Master Mansion and was also an employee of the company. Wang Ye, though removed from Wudang, still had ties to the sect, and his father held a respected position in the secular world. Anyone trying to target them would risk facing retaliation from these influential entities.
All it would take is for Longhu Mountain or Wudang to pressure the company, and even legal recourse would become a matter of having the right connections. Just look at Ma Xianhong, another inheritor of the Eight Great Techniques—his family suffered greatly, and no one stepped in to help them.
"Hmph," Daniel scoffed, giving Lü Ci a cold glance before turning and walking away. If Wang Ai wanted to target him in secret, it would be playing right into his hands.
"Good job, young man. Don't be afraid of those old fogies. Here's my card—call me if you ever need anything." Lu Jin, clearly impressed, stopped Daniel after only a few steps. With a grin, he clapped Daniel on the shoulder and handed him a simple business card, which contained only his name and a phone number.
"Thank you, Elder Lu," Daniel said, taking the card. He then added with a smile, "I must say, it's fortunate you offered Tong Tian Lu as a prize this time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have participated in this tournament."
"Seems like I made the right choice after all. But are you only interested in Tong Tian Lu? Don't forget, the champion also gets the title of Tianshi Du," Lu Jin replied, surprised.
"I'm not interested in Tianshi Du. The only thing I care about is Tong Tian Lu," Daniel said with a grin.
"Are you a talisman master?" Lu Jin asked, even more intrigued. Tong Tian Lu was only valuable to talisman masters. Based on Daniel's earlier battles, he hadn't shown any signs of using talismans.
"Let's keep that a secret for now."
"Ge Nie and Wang Ye, please enter the arena," the referee announced as Daniel and Wang Ye approached the center of the battlefield from opposite sides.
"Wang Daozhang, I've heard a lot about you," Daniel greeted Wang Ye with a smile. This wasn't just flattery—Wang Ye's reputation as the carefree yet powerful yi ren was well-known.
"You flatter me, but who exactly are you?" Wang Ye's face grew serious, a stark contrast to his usual laid-back demeanor.
Wang Ye rarely adopted this expression, and when he did, it meant something significant was happening.
Originally, Wang Ye had no intention of participating in Luo Tian Dajiao. He had only returned after using Fenghou Qimen to predict a critical event in the tournament. It was this prediction that compelled him to risk exposing his Fenghou Qimen technique by entering the competition.
However, Daniel's sudden appearance had disrupted everything. In Wang Ye's divination, Daniel hadn't existed. Zhuge Qing was supposed to be Zhang Chulan's biggest obstacle, and Wang Ye's sole purpose in the tournament was to clear that obstacle. He had planned to forfeit when facing Zhang Chulan in the semifinals, ensuring the young man's success.
But Daniel's presence changed everything. If Zhang Chulan couldn't win the semifinals, the future might revert to its original course—a course where Wang Ye had never participated. In that timeline, Zhuge Qing would have been Zhang Chulan's most formidable opponent. Despite Zhang Chulan's growth through training with Feng Baobao, defeating Zhuge Qing, especially given his sorcery, would have been nearly impossible.
This would have forced the Old Heavenly Master to intervene, much like how he had drugged Zhang Lingyu in a previous conflict. The Old Heavenly Master's reputation, however, would not have survived such a scandal. If it became known that he had tampered with a fair competition, especially against someone like Zhuge Qing—heir to the prestigious Zhuge family—the resulting conflict between the Zhuge family and Longhu Mountain would have been disastrous for the entire yi ren world.
Wang Ye had joined the tournament to prevent this catastrophe.
"My identity doesn't matter. My goal is simple: Tong Tian Lu." Daniel knew Wang Ye's intentions but was determined to claim the talisman technique for himself. If he didn't compete, his only option would be to steal it from Lu Jin—something Daniel didn't want to do unless absolutely necessary.
"Looks like I have no choice but to fight," Wang Ye said, stepping forward and launching an attack with his signature Taiji ban lan chui.
In response, Daniel parried the strikes with his green bamboo staff. The two exchanged blows in quick succession, their movements a blur. Despite Wang Ye's enhanced strength from the Zhen Ren Dan, his Taiji techniques were ineffective against Daniel.
"This is getting annoying." Wang Ye sighed as he was forced back several steps. He stomped the ground, activating his Fenghou Qimen technique.
"Fenghou Qimen." In the stands, Zhuge Qing, still recovering, activated his own Qimen Xiang technique to observe Wang Ye's Qimen patterns closely.
"One of the Eight Great Techniques, Fenghou Qimen." As Wang Ye made his move, Daniel retreated several meters, not out of fear but to prepare. Unlike sorcerers, Daniel had nothing to fear from the Qimen formation.
Against a sorcerer, Fenghou Qimen was an overwhelming force, making victory almost impossible. But against an ordinary yi ren, the situation was different. It wasn't a guaranteed victory but certainly not a hopeless battle.
"Watch yourself," Wang Ye warned, his tone unusually serious. Since mastering Fenghou Qimen, this was the first time he had used it in a real fight.
"Li Character: Yinghuo Liuguang." Countless fiery sparks shot toward Daniel, their heat far more intense than Zhuge Qing's earlier Chi Lian technique.
The true terror of Fenghou Qimen was its ability to enhance spells. By manipulating the four plates at will, Wang Ye had stacked multiple buffs on the fire spell, amplifying its power exponentially.
"I've been eager to test the power of Fenghou Qimen," Daniel said, as his bamboo staff disappeared, transforming into countless green leaves. The leaves swirled through the air, meeting the fiery sparks head-on, using the Yinyang technique, Wanye Feihua Liu.
The sparks and leaves canceled each other out mid-air, disappearing into nothingness.
"Wang Daozhang, it's your turn to be cautious now," Daniel said as he began writing golden characters in the air. The Old Heavenly Master immediately recognized the technique.
"Xiaoyao You," the Old Heavenly Master murmured. As a Taoist himself, how could he not recognize one of the most famous Taoist classics? Wang Ye also realized what Daniel was doing.
"I finally understand why he's after Tong Tian Lu," Lu Jin muttered from the stands. As the most knowledgeable person about Tong Tian Lu, Lu Jin
immediately grasped the connection between Daniel's techniques and talismans. If Daniel obtained Tong Tian Lu, this move would undoubtedly evolve further.
Among the Eight Great Techniques, some considered Tong Tian Lu the most useless. It seemed far less mystical compared to techniques like Fenghou Qimen, Shenji Bailian, or Liuku Xian Zhai. It merely eliminated the need for drawing talismans manually, allowing for the instantaneous use of any talisman. However, this ability was only effective if the user had a massive reserve of qi.
Daniel, however, had come to realize that Tong Tian Lu had been misunderstood. Its true potential wasn't in direct combat but in its ability to mass-produce talismans. Much like Shenji Bailian's ability to mass-produce magical artifacts, Tong Tian Lu allowed for the mass-production of talismans, which could be stored and used at will in battle.
"Xuehou Chuqing." As Daniel finished writing the final character, he unleashed his attack. Despite Wang Ye's warning, Daniel had no intention of holding back.
"Xunzi Xiangtan Gongde." Wang Ye summoned a barricade of wooden planks to block the incoming golden sword aura. However, the wooden shields were quickly destroyed, forcing Wang Ye to confront the attack directly.
"Bamen Banyun." As the sword aura closed in, Wang Ye's figure disappeared, reappearing ten meters away, emerging from a black spatial rift formed by the Xunzi formation.
"Do you think you can escape so easily?" Daniel controlled the sword aura to change direction, homing in on Wang Ye once again.
"Qianzi Baihua Liaoluan." In response, Wang Ye created dozens of clones of himself, each running in a different direction, attempting to confuse Daniel.
"Burrowing underground, huh? Smart, but that won't work on me," Daniel muttered, sensing Wang Ye's presence deep underground with his heightened senses. Other fighters might have been fooled by the illusionary clones, but Daniel's Kenbunshoku Haki allowed him to detect the real Wang Ye's location with ease.
Underground movement wasn't exclusive to sorcerers. Some yi ren had similar abilities. Even within Ma Xianhong's New Heavenly Sect, there was an individual adept at earth movement techniques. While not as potent as ancient masters like Tuxing Sun from the Fengshen Yanyi, it was still a valuable skill in the modern world.
"What is he planning?" Daniel wondered, feeling Wang Ye's subterranean approach. Instead of attacking, Daniel allowed his sword aura to clear the remaining clones on the surface.
"How can anyone compete with this?" Many spectators, blinded by the smoke and chaos, couldn't see the finer details of the fight. Zhang Chulan, however, was more worried about what this meant for his next match.
"Luanjintuo!" Wang Ye emerged from the ground near Daniel and unleashed his most devastating attack—Luanjintuo, a time-altering ability capable of slowing an opponent's movements. It was this move that had forced even Ma Xianhong to his knees during their battle.
Thud.
Before Daniel could react, Wang Ye collapsed, coughing up a mouthful of blood. His face turned pale as his body weakened.
"How is this possible?" Wang Ye stared in disbelief, his expression mirroring Zhuge Qing's shock when he first encountered Fenghou Qimen.
"Idiot," Daniel muttered, shaking his head. It wasn't just that Daniel's strength far surpassed Wang Ye's, but he also possessed the Eye of Agamotto. There was no way Luanjintuo could affect him.
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