Chapter 205: Soul Fluctuation

Just as Alliance Leader Feng was about to unleash his full power and fight Xu Yang, three Grand Elders of the Thousand Cloud Sect, who were also internal elders responsible for guarding the mountaintop arena, flew out simultaneously. Their three peak Soul Stage auras instantly spread out, suppressing the restless atmosphere and stopping the two from fighting further.

The Fourth Elder spoke softly. "Enough," he said. "Both of you are exceptional individuals. This is a competition for the younger generation; why cause ill will? Even if there's animosity between your factions, it shouldn't be acted upon within the Thousand Cloud Sect. I hope you'll grant our sect some respect. The Enforcement Elder has already gone to invite the Sect Master. Whatever issues you have, the Sect Master will personally mediate after the competition ends. For now, let's proceed with the award ceremony!"

Xu Yang, who had been waiting for this exact opportunity, immediately cupped his hands and bowed. With a faint smile, he approached the award stand with another elder, standing before the whisk that pulsed with a profound, dark energy.

Feng Xiu scoffed, warning Xu Yang that Feng Yao's grudge would not be settled so easily.

Xu Yang ignored Feng Xiu completely, but the chilling gaze in his eyes was deeply imprinted in Xu Yang's mind. He had a strong feeling that Feng Xiu would make another move.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" an elder announced. "The award ceremony is about to begin. The Grand Champion is the first team from Yuan Yang Empire. Please, the team representative, come forward to receive this supreme sect treasure."

The Fourth Elder of the Thousand Cloud Sect gently lifted the whisk and handed it to Xu Yang. However, the moment it touched him, an incredibly vast aura of the Dao suddenly emanated from Xu Yang's body. This powerful aura almost instantly repelled all three Grand Elders.

The colossal Tai Chi diagram beneath his feet manifested purely by instinct. Xu Yang himself didn't know what was happening; it was just that the spiritual energy within the whisk constantly pulled at his thoughts, causing him to instinctively sit cross-legged where he stood, attempting to harness this turbulent power of the Dao.

A powerful Dao resonance emanated from him.

Instantly, the leaders of the five major sects and the emperors of the five empires were dumbfounded, not to mention the soldiers who had been spectating the entire time. No one understood what was happening to Xu Yang, or why the whisk was releasing such a potent aura.

Speculations arose: Was the Dao resonance within the whisk interacting with Xu Yang's soul? Had his immense soul power triggered a breakthrough opportunity?

Without time to think further, Bai Lianxue, Ling Yao, and others exchanged glances, then immediately rushed to the center of the arena to guard Xu Yang, personally protecting him.

Feng Xiu scoffed inwardly, confirming his suspicion that the treasure was indeed extraordinary with its powerful Dao resonance. He vowed not to let Xu Yang benefit so easily, declaring that he would pay for killing his disciple.

A sword aura shot out from Feng Xiu's palm. This time, he used mental pressure to obscure everyone's vision, silently approaching the center of the arena to interfere with Xu Yang.

Simply put, this formidable spiritual attack could only be detected immediately by those whose spiritual power surpassed Feng Xiu's.

Only a handful of individuals present could achieve this, and even if someone could, who would dare to stop Feng Xiu?

Just as the sword aura was about to hit its mark, seemingly intending to cut through the protective spiritual light around Xu Yang, it was blocked by a rippling, deep blue soul wave.

Empress Xue Qinghan made her move for the first time.

Her beautiful eyes simply shot out two beams of blue light, unleashing her powerful soul waves to protect Xu Yang's mind.

Feng Xiu, enraged, projected his thoughts to the Empress, demanding to know her intentions.

In his fury, Feng Xiu directly questioned the Empress via soul transmission. Xu Yang clearly perceived all these external fluctuations. He hadn't expected the powerful woman who had been subtly testing him earlier to suddenly intervene on his behalf.

Although Feng Xiu couldn't have harmed Xu Yang even without the Empress's intervention, she had clearly extended a favor.

The Empress retorted that as a grandmaster, Alliance Leader Feng's actions were improper. She stated that while the Yuan Yang Empire's former prestige might have waned, Northern Jin's continuous insidious tactics violated the principles of righteousness.

Feng Xiu sneered coldly, "Don't think I don't see your intentions, woman. This kid is a natural genius; you want to throw yourself at him, don't you? But unfortunately, he's never lacked women. It seems the goddess has intentions, but the prince has no dreams!"

Feng Xiu's soul-voice taunt was only transmitted among the three of them. His words were clearly an insult to the Empress. As the beneficiary, Xu Yang had no intention of letting Feng Xiu continue his insolence. Without warning, he suddenly unleashed an incredibly powerful soul pressure directly at Feng Xiu, a scene which the Empress also clearly perceived.

Retaliation was in order.

A whoosh.

It was clear that Xu Yang had put some effort into this. The seemingly faint soul light he launched caused Feng Xiu to suddenly snap open his eyes and instantly spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Master!" his disciples cried out.

Many people rushed over to check on him, but Feng Xiu coldly waved them away. He cast a dark glance at Xu Yang, no longer daring to act rashly.

Aside from Xu Yang's other reserves, this sheer soul power alone was something no ordinary person could contend with.

Feng Xiu wasn't gravely injured, but at the very least, this strike completely curbed his temper, and he wouldn't dare cause trouble again anytime soon.

There was no dramatic release of energy as might have been expected. At this moment, Xu Yang was enveloped in endless golden Dao light. The Tai Chi diagram beneath him continuously expanded, yet it did not become ethereal despite its growing size. Everything descending around him felt extraordinarily real.

Observers wondered if this was truly the Heart of Dao. They speculated if this was the profound secret the Daoist priest had referred to when he left behind the whisk years ago.

Finally, the imprint of a heart on Xu Yang's chest suddenly emitted a faint golden light. His physical body also seemed to become more translucent due to the uninhibited emission of light from his heart, as if his body had perfectly merged with the Dao. A subtle stirring of wind and clouds appeared between heaven and earth, and everyone present was driven into a frenzy.

Bai Lianxue was particularly excited, exclaiming that Master had by chance touched upon the traces of the Grand Dao within the whisk and was forming the Heart of Dao. She knew that once it took shape, it would greatly benefit his future cultivation.

Bai Lianxue was also extremely agitated. With Feng Xiu now quieted, no one could easily stop Xu Yang.

However, the truly terrifying crisis finally descended...

As ominous clouds of unknown origin rapidly gathered directly above the Thousand Cloud Sect, the atmosphere on site instantly turned to extreme panic. Feng Xiu, who had just been injured, also smiled again.

"Feng Qingyao, you truly are my successor; you haven't disappointed me!" Feng Xiu declared. "Xu Yang, my spiritual power alone may not be able to stop you, but I don't believe you can withstand the power of these people! With the reappearance of the Heart of Dao, the secret within this whisk can no longer be concealed. Today, you have no escape!"