Chapter 599: All parties pay attention

To the west of Luojiao City, a massive manor stood. Though newly built, it exuded an impressive grandeur. All the factions residing in this manor were formidable powers within Cangxuan Heaven. Moreover, this place was a gathering point for the elite young generation of Cangxuan Heaven.

At this moment, these elites from various factions across Cangxuan Heaven were all directing their gazes towards a plaza within the manor, where undercurrents of tension were stirring. Two substantial groups were facing off there: the Cangxuan Sect and the Sacred Palace.

At the forefront of the Cangxuan Sect stood five figures, none other than the five Chief Disciples of the Cangxuan Sect. Behind them were numerous elite disciples of the Cangxuan Sect, all of whom wore angry expressions and glared resentfully at their opponents. Opposite them, eight figures stood with their hands behind their backs, exuding an unmatched ferocity. The many Sacred Palace disciples behind them cast sneering glances at the Cangxuan Sect.

The atmosphere between the two sides was extremely tense; a single disagreement could ignite a fierce battle right then and there. Naturally, other factions would likely welcome a clash between these two powerful sects, as it is when two tigers fight that jackals find their opportunity to act. In a place like the Profound Origin Cave Heaven, even a major sect, once it reveals a weakness, will be encircled by wolves.

Not far from the plaza, a tall pavilion stood. From its topmost floor, several individuals looked down, their eyes encompassing the standoff in the plaza.

“Heh, quite a spectacle. It would be truly marvelous if they actually fought. The Cangxuan Sect is in for a loss,” a chillingly sinister voice softly echoed from within the pavilion. The speaker was a man in black robes adorned with a grimacing ghost-face pattern. His face was gaunt, like a skull. This was Liu Fu, the Chief Disciple of the Heavenly Ghost Mansion, one of the six major sects of Cangxuan Heaven.

His words hinted at a grudge against the Cangxuan Sect. This was because he had previously fought Tang Muxin, the Chief Disciple of Cangxuan Peak, and had been defeated. Thus, he was quite pleased to see the Cangxuan Sect facing trouble. Behind him stood many disciples of the Heavenly Ghost Mansion, among whom was a familiar face: Zhen Xu. After the Saint Remains Domain, he had joined the Heavenly Ghost Mansion. He still maintained his extremely pale complexion, with a delicate yet handsome face. However, the Genesis Qi fluctuations around him were now even more sinister and eerie.

His gaze also fell upon the plaza below. His eyes swept over the Cangxuan Sect's side, but he did not see a certain familiar figure. He then withdrew his gaze and looked in other directions within the pavilion. Besides their Heavenly Ghost Mansion, the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace, Sword-Seeking Sect, and Northern Sea Dragon-Subduing Hall also had their Chief Disciples present.

Furthermore, to his slight surprise, he also saw some acquaintances here. From the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace contingent, there was Zuoqiu Qingyu, dressed in a black gown, still as enchanting and alluring as ever. From the Sword-Seeking Sect was a youth with his eyes covered by black cloth, carrying a blunt, unsharpened sword on his back. Though silent, the sharp sword qi emanating from him was startling – this was the Sword Blindman, Lu Chunjun. And from the Northern Sea Dragon-Subduing Hall, there was Ning Zhan, a youth with bare arms carrying a crimson-gold staff.

Of the six individuals who had arrived together in Saint Continent and joined the six major sects, all except Zhou Yuan and Luluo were present here. Their eyes met, and they exchanged slight nods of acknowledgment but little further communication.

“Even if the Cangxuan Sect suffers, the Sacred Palace won’t fare much better,” a female voice interjected. It was a Chief Disciple from the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace, her tone clearly filled with animosity towards the Sacred Palace. This was because they had also received news from Tang Xiaoyan that the Sacred Palace had attacked their Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace.

Liu Fu curled his lip. “I heard that a Chief Disciple from the Cangxuan Sect named Zhou Yuan killed two Chief Disciples from the Sacred Palace? That rumor must be exaggerated, right? I’ve never even heard of that Zhou Yuan before.”

From the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace's side, Zuoqiu Qingyu’s willow-like brows slightly arched upon hearing this. She slowly said, “This Chief Disciple of the Heavenly Ghost Mansion is mistaken. Our disciples from the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace personally witnessed Zhou Yuan slaying Fan Yao, the Sacred Palace’s third-ranked Chief Disciple.” Although she wasn't a Chief Disciple herself, as a direct disciple of the Hundred Flowers Immortal Palace Master, her status within the sect was considerable, so she had no reason to fear Liu Fu.

Liu Fu gave a half-smile. “Is that so? He sounds somewhat capable, but to cause trouble and then hide, leaving his fellow disciples to bear the consequences… it seems this Zhou Yuan isn’t much of a person after all. Perhaps he used some underhanded tactic to snatch a lucky victory.” He cast his gaze towards the plaza not far away and said, “With all eight Sacred Palace Chief Disciples showing up, it’s clear they have no intention of letting this go today. Perhaps that Zhou Yuan already knows about this but simply doesn’t dare to show himself.” He added, “It’s truly pitiful for the other Cangxuan Sect Chief Disciples, especially Chen Ze of Hongya Peak... to have his arm torn off for no reason.”

At his words, some disciples from other sects subtly nodded. They were unfamiliar with Zhou Yuan, but from the current situation, it did seem inappropriate for the trouble he caused to be borne by his fellow disciples. Most importantly, Zhou Yuan, the instigator of all this, had not appeared in this situation, leading people to believe he was intimidated by the might of the eight Sacred Palace Chief Disciples.

“Zhou Yuan was the foremost talent of our generation from the Boundless Continent. He is not the type of person Chief Disciple Liu Fu described. Based on my understanding of him, if he knew about this, he would certainly rush here,” a hoarse voice suddenly resounded. Numerous gazes turned towards the youth from the Sword-Seeking Sect, whose eyes were covered with black cloth.

Having been refuted repeatedly, Liu Fu’s expression turned somewhat unsightly. He stared grimly at the Sword-Seeking Sect’s Chief Disciple and said, “When did Sword-Seeking Sect disciples become so undisciplined?” The Sword-Seeking Sect’s Chief Disciple chuckled faintly. “Although Junior Brother Lu is not a Chief Disciple, he is the first non-Saint Son in our Sword-Seeking Sect in a hundred years who has been able to enter the Sword Prison for cultivation. So, Chief Disciple Liu Fu should not regard him as an ordinary disciple.”

Liu Fu’s expression slightly changed. He naturally knew that only Saint Sons were permitted to enter the Sword-Seeking Sect’s Sword Prison, where the pervasive, sharp sword qi felt like thousands of blades scraping against bone, even too much for Chief Disciples to endure. Yet this blind man in front of him could actually cultivate in such a place?

“This Boundless Continent, a mere backwater, has indeed produced some talents,” Liu Fu remarked, his eyes glinting with a cold light. He then glanced at the expressionless Zhen Xu behind him, feeling a surge of resentment, as Zhen Xu also hailed from the Boundless Continent and was currently highly regarded within the Heavenly Ghost Mansion.

Hearing his sarcastic tone, both Zuoqiu Qingyu and Ning Zhan cast cold glances his way. However, Liu Fu paid them no mind, merely letting out a cold snort as his gaze returned to the confronting groups in the plaza.

“Hmph, I’d truly like to see if the one you all praise so highly actually dares to show his face here today…” he scoffed, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “And what’s more…” Even if Zhou Yuan truly dared to appear, he likely wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed. Thus, for Zhou Yuan, this situation was a dead end, no matter what.