Chapter 1629: Obstruction on the Road

At that moment, Yun Jianyue directly started scolding Elder Xu of Mount Luofu. Elder Xu was not to be outdone, and the two quickly devolved into a heated verbal exchange.

The disciples from the various sects present had never witnessed such a scene. It was as if students were watching their teachers argue at school in a past life, and they all watched excitedly.

The sect leaders present also wore strange expressions. They had long heard that Elder Peng of Kongming Island had a fiery temper, and seeing her today, she was indeed formidable.

At this point, Yun Jianyue was arguing passionately. Qiu Honglei, being less experienced, was naturally a bit timid in such a situation. But who was she? The Demonic Sect Leader who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Even if her identity were exposed, what could these people do to her?

Although she couldn't defeat these people combined, escaping with her cultivation would be no problem.

As for Qiu Honglei, she certainly couldn't escape, but she was confident those people wouldn't dare make things difficult for her.

Otherwise, wouldn't the sect leaders also have wives, children, and families? Even someone like Wang Wuxie, who hadn't married or had children, had beloved disciples. Moreover, the Zhengyang Sect was a large and prosperous organization. If she truly went mad, all of them would have to pay the price.

So she wasn't afraid at all, especially since they weren't in the wrong this time.

Elder Xu of Mount Luofu dejectedly realized he couldn't win the argument and looked imploringly at Wang Wuxie nearby. "Sect Leader Wang," he said, "you must uphold justice for the severely injured disciple below."

Wang Wuxie, who had been idly observing, stiffened but quickly nodded. Then he looked at the sect leaders of the other factions and asked, "What do you all think of this matter?"

Guan Chouhai, Wan Tongtian, and the others secretly cursed Wang Wuxie for being an old fox, having directly thrown the hot potato to them.

In this kind of situation, no matter which side they took, they would inevitably offend the other.

Although Mount Luofu and Kongming Island had always been among the weaker of the Nine Daoist Sects, they weren't afraid of offending them. However, it didn't mean they were willing to needlessly make a powerful enemy over something completely unrelated to them.

So, several of them remained quiet, waiting for someone else to set the tone. Then everyone could just follow along and smooth things over, offending no one and keeping everyone happy.

It was a pity that everyone was clever, and no one was willing to be the scapegoat.

As for Yan Xuehen, she was naturally aloof, and no one even considered that she would offer an opinion.

Just as the atmosphere was growing awkward, a nonchalant voice suddenly spoke up: "If I'm not mistaken, the previous rules prohibited intentional killing and disabling actions. But looking at this young man below the stage, though his injuries are not light, there is no danger to his life. And with some recovery time, he'll be as good as new; there are no broken limbs or crippled meridians, or anything of the sort."

"If Mount Luofu is willing to provide some healing elixirs," the voice continued, "he might even be able to participate in the latter half of the competition. So, Miss Peng of Kongming Island hasn't violated any rules."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present immediately showed strange expressions. They never expected this young man to be the one to speak up so brashly. However, it was also good; many people actually thought the same thing, but speaking it aloud would needlessly offend Mount Luofu. Now, if Mount Luofu wanted to bear a grudge, they could only direct it at this young man.

Yan Xuehen subconsciously glanced at Peng Wuyan in the arena again. Hmm, her appearance was indeed not flattering, so she figured Zu An's intervention wasn't due to lust.

This young man still had quite a sense of justice.

Qiu Honglei, who had been feeling anxious, suddenly beamed with joy. "I can't believe I'm disguised like this," she thought, "and Ah Zu still helps me! Does this count as a tacit understanding? He truly has me in his heart."

Even Yun Jianyue was somewhat lost in thought. For so many years, she had been accustomed to a life of danger alone, often protecting others. That's why she had argued with Elder Xu without any reservations, even preparing to fight her way out of Purple Mountain.

But now, suddenly, there was a man who could help her share the burden. That feeling was truly wonderful...

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, what am I thinking?" she chastised herself. "He doesn't know our identities as master and disciple. And now that Honglei is disguised like this, this lustful fellow clearly isn't doing it for beauty. He's doing it entirely out of justice."

"If a demoness from our Demonic Sect ended up with a man overflowing with a sense of justice, wouldn't people laugh us to death if word got out...?"

At this moment, Elder Xu of Mount Luofu shouted, "What do you, a person with no cultivation, understand!"

It was true that his disciple could be treated and return to the arena later, but what was the point? Having so many byes due to recovery meant he was destined not to get second place.

This disciple was a highly favored contestant from Mount Luofu. They had originally hoped to secure an additional spot, and now that the hope of advancement was lost, Mount Luofu naturally wouldn't stand for it.

Zu An's expression turned cold. "As an Imperial Envoy of the court," he stated, "may I interpret your words as contempt for the court?"

Elder Xu's face changed. Although Mount Luofu had a long history, its current strength was vastly inferior to that of the imperial court. How could he dare incur such a grave charge? "Hmph," he retorted, "this is our Daoist Sect Grand Competition, an internal matter of our Daoist school. Why are you dragging the imperial court into this?"

Zu An spread his hands. "Because I am both a judge and an Imperial Envoy of the court," he replied, "just as Sect Leader Wang is both the host and the Imperial Preceptor of the court."

Wang Wuxie never expected the other party to drag him into the fray. Zu An's meaning was clear: by naming him, he implied that since everyone served the court, they should be on the same side.

Although he was displeased, he could only reluctantly admit the truth. He coughed, about to step forward and mediate, when he suddenly heard Yan Xuehen nearby speak up: "I believe there is some truth to what Sir Zu said. Although this disciple's injuries are serious, they do not meet the criteria for disability."

"As for Miss Peng of Kongming Island," Yan Xuehen continued, "it's likely she was considering the subsequent matches, and her urgent strike is somewhat excusable."

Yan Xuehen had always been very popular. As soon as she spoke, the others quickly chimed in to support her.

Wang Wuxie was stunned. "Is this really the Yan Xuehen I know?" he wondered.

She, whose nature was as cold and proud as a snow mountain, when had she become so enthusiastic about mundane affairs?

"Something is strange!"

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out what the problem was. He could only deal with the immediate situation first. Concerned that Mount Luofu might vent its anger on Yan Xuehen, he spoke words of comfort to Elder Xu. At the same time, as the host, he produced a bottle of miraculous elixir to treat the disciple's injuries. Only then was Mount Luofu's dissatisfaction grudgingly appeased.

When Qiu Honglei returned to her own camp, she quietly said to Yun Jianyue, "Master, I actually found Sect Master Yan to be quite nice."

"Hmph," Yun Jianyue said somewhat sourly, watching the sect leaders being so attentive to Yan Xuehen, "that's just her usual pretense of benevolence and righteousness, a means to win people's hearts."

"Master, you're jealous..." Qiu Honglei opened her mouth, but, afraid of being hit, she didn't utter the rest of the sentence.

Next, the group matches continued. With the lesson from that poor fellow from Mount Luofu, practically no one else was stubborn enough to challenge the chief disciples. Instead, they focused on winning several more matches to contend for the few spots as best second-place finishers.

Zhao Xiaodie was one of them. She had the bad luck of being grouped with Wu Xiaofan, so she wisely conceded immediately. But against others, she showed no mercy; each time, she cleanly and decisively defeated her opponents.

In most cases, her Colorful Butterfly Dance Steps were enough to defeat her opponents. When facing stronger opponents, her poisons would usually render them helpless.

Of course, as soon as a victor was determined, she would promptly provide an antidote, which didn't cause as much controversy as Qiu Honglei had just created.

Because she had been unsettled for the past few days, she had stayed in her room and rarely gone out. Thus, the disciples of the various sects only saw her for the first time today.

They were all amazed by her exquisite beauty and the grace of her movements, like a dancing butterfly.

Furthermore, she was very strong; in her group rankings, she only lost to Wu Xiaofan, which attracted a considerable following.

Many people began to discreetly inquire about who this beautiful girl was. Especially after learning that she was actually the Qi King's daughter, many handsome young men's eyes lit up with ambition.

Their gazes at her were filled with the ardent desire of "I don't want to work hard anymore."

For various reasons, she became a popular goddess at this convention, comparable to Chu Chuyan and Pei Mianman.

She was not unaware of the fervent gazes around her. Ordinarily, she would undoubtedly have felt proud and delighted, but this time, she had no time to pay attention. She merely looked several times towards a certain figure on the stage.

"There's something going on!" Yun Jianyue suddenly snorted coldly.

"What 'something'?" Qiu Honglei asked, startled.

Yun Jianyue pouted her lips towards the young girl in the center, who was like a colorful butterfly. "Something definitely happened between Zu An and this woman," she said. "Look at that mournful gaze; it's full of love, hate, and resentment."

"Is that so? I don't see it," Qiu Honglei said, looking at her suspiciously. "Master, I've noticed that ever since you returned from the demon race last time, you seem to have become an expert on relationships."

Yun Jianyue's heart skipped a beat. She replied calmly, "Your charm techniques were all taught by me; what's so surprising about me understanding these things?"

"Is that so?" Qiu Honglei said, remaining skeptical.

Also suspicious was Yan Xuehen, who was observing from afar. She had also keenly noticed Zhao Xiaodie's gaze towards Zu An. "Isn't the relationship between the Qi King and Zu An not good?" she wondered. "Last time at the Yan King's residence, they seemed to have had a conflict..."

Meanwhile, Zu An's attention was entirely focused on Pei Mianman. Big Manman had been on a winning streak, but unfortunately, she was about to face another contestant who had also been winning consistently:

Zhijin of Lihentian!