Chapter 2410: Youngsters' Brawl

Cultivators at or above the Void Refinement stage are not restricted by lifespan, so it was perfectly normal for them to remain in seclusion for extended periods. The assembled cultivators harbored no suspicions.

“Junior Brother Wang and Junior Sister Wang are diligent cultivators,” Qin Ming praised, his face beaming with a smile. “I expect their cultivation will advance significantly by the next time they appear.”

“Breaking through the Void Refinement stage is not that easy,” Song Yunwu remarked dismissively. “The higher the cultivation level, the more difficult the breakthrough. If mere diligent cultivation guaranteed advancement, many Void Refinement cultivators wouldn’t be stuck at this stage for years.” He then changed his tone. “Fellow Daoist Wang, I hear your Wang family cultivators are masters of puppetry. I’ve brought some juniors with me and would like them to witness your family’s puppet techniques. Would you be so kind as to oblige?”

Generally, when major powers hold celebrations, they offer prizes for juniors to spar, hoping to absorb some of the celebratory auspiciousness. This also provides an opportunity to gauge the younger generation’s strength, and outstanding performances might even lead to marriage alliances.

The Wang family’s puppet beasts had gained considerable renown. Cultivators throughout this sea region knew that the Wang family disciples favored controlling puppet beasts in combat; working together, they could set up puppet formations, which were notoriously difficult to deal with.

“Indeed!” Han Changfeng echoed, his face filled with curiosity. “I’ve long heard of the Wang family’s famous puppet formations, and I, too, would like to witness them.”

The Wang family had developed well in recent years, and the Han family had been paying close attention to them.

Wang Mengbin nodded. “Certainly. May I ask the cultivation level of your juniors, Fellow Daoist Song, so I can arrange suitable family members to spar with them?”

The Wang family was now brimming with talent. They had cultivators proficient in various arts, including spirit masters, body cultivators, sound cultivators, puppeteers, sword cultivators, blade cultivators, formation masters, and spirit wine masters. As their cultivation levels varied, he wasn't sure what level of family members Song Yunwu intended to send for the sparring match.

“Liming, why haven’t you come out to greet Fellow Daoist Wang and properly spar with the Wang family juniors?” Song Yunwu instructed, his face brimming with confidence.

No sooner had he spoken than nine Song family disciples stood up and quickly walked to the forefront. Leading them was a nine-foot-tall young man in a red shirt, whose handsome features conveyed an air of arrogance.

Song Liming was a Core Formation cultivator, as were the other eight.

This wasn’t to say that the Song family lacked Nascent Soul sword cultivators; rather, the higher the grade of a puppet beast, the harder it was to destroy.

If the Song family sent Nascent Soul sword cultivators, the Wang family’s Nascent Soul cultivators would deploy Fourth-grade puppet beasts to meet them, and destroying Fourth-grade puppet beasts was no easy feat.

Six Nascent Soul cultivators from the Wang family were renowned for controlling multiple puppet beasts and had even exchanged blows with Fifth-grade demon beasts. Thus, it was deemed better to send Core Formation cultivators.

“I’ve also brought some juniors; let them broaden their horizons as well!” Zhao Yuanfeng instructed. “Jingfeng, you all spar well with Fellow Daoist Wang’s juniors.”

Seven Zhao family disciples stood up. Leading them was a thin, reedy man in a green shirt. The green-shirted man had a square face and large eyes, and a faint aura of malevolence emanated from him, suggesting he had taken many lives.

Zhao Jingfeng was a Core Formation sword cultivator.

“Our Qin family also has a few decent juniors. Xiubin, you all come out and spar with the Wang family juniors.”

Eight Qin family cultivators stood up. Leading them was a muscular, broad-shouldered young man in a golden shirt, who carried a sheathed longblade on his back and had dark skin.

Qin Xiubin was a Core Formation blade cultivator.

Ye Tianxue smiled sweetly and said, “Yuyan, you all will meet the Wang family cultivators.”

Nine Taiyang Sect disciples stood up. Leading them was a graceful young woman in a red dress, whose features were as exquisite as a painting, and who had a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth.

Lin Yuyan, Ye Tianxue’s youngest disciple, was a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Taiyang Sect, Song family, Zhao family, and Qin family each sent a team of Core Formation cultivators. The Wang family, in turn, dispatched four teams of Core Formation cultivators to meet them, with Wang Yuanwei, Wang Yuanjiang, and Wang Yuanhong among the participants.

Unlike previous sparring matches, this time it was a multi-person melee.

Wang Yuanwei and eight family members faced Song Liming and his group of nine. Wang Yuanjiang and eight body cultivators confronted Qin Xiubin and his eight. Wang Yuanhong and seven others controlled puppet beasts to engage the Zhao family cultivators. Wang Huayue led eight Nascent Soul sword cultivators against Lin Yuyan and her group of nine.

Wang Yuanwei was a sound cultivator, Wang Yuanjiang a body cultivator, Wang Yuanhong controlled puppet beasts, and Wang Huayue a sword cultivator. They were all elite disciples of the Wang family.

Individual strength is limited, but collective power is boundless, so major powers deliberately train their family members and disciples in array formations to combat opponents.

The Wang family cultivators summoned four shimmering lotus platforms, which instantly expanded to over one hundred thousand zhang in size.

These Battle Lotus Platforms were specifically designed for cultivators below the Deity Transformation stage to spar.

Wang Yuanjiang flew onto a golden lotus platform, and Qin Xiubin and his eight companions followed suit.

The golden lotus platform glowed with countless profound golden runes, transforming into a massive golden light barrier that enveloped the entire platform. Almost simultaneously, the other three lotus platforms were also enclosed by thick light barriers.

As soon as the battle began, Qin Xiubin and his eight companions each summoned a shimmering treasure blade and simultaneously slashed towards their opponents.

Amidst a deafening clang of blades, hundreds of shimmering blade auras swept forth. They abruptly merged into a colossal blade aura, hundreds of zhang long, that cleaved towards Wang Yuanjiang and his eight companions.

Wang Yuanjiang and his eight companions moved their arms, and with a series of whooshing sounds, numerous fist shadows flew out to meet the incoming attack.

With a thunderous roar, the colossal blade aura was shattered by the dense barrage of fist shadows.

Wang Yuanjiang and his eight companions successively summoned their magic treasures—blades, spears, staves, and cudgels—to attack their opponents.

On a blue lotus platform, Wang Yuanwei and eight other sound cultivators held various musical instruments: pipa, guqin, guzheng, flute, jade xiao, small drum, cucurbit flute, and more.

Countless musical notes flew out, vibrant with myriad colors. They condensed in mid-air, suddenly forming a thick, nine-colored sound barrier that enveloped Wang Yuanwei and her eight companions.

Waves of sound, each a different color, swept forth, accompanied by ethereal, celestial music.

Song Liming and his nine companions each summoned a red flying sword. After forming sword incantations, the nine flying swords each emitted a piercing hum, and streams of crimson sword qi swept forth, aggressively slashing towards their opponents.

The dense crimson sword qi suddenly converged, transforming into a massive crimson sword light that slashed towards the nine-colored barrier.

The sounds of flutes, xiao, pipa, and drums successively rang out, and waves of sound swept forth, meeting the crimson sword light.

After a thunderous roar, the crimson sword light shattered inch by inch, transforming into a sky full of blazing flames.

Terrifying high temperatures instantly swept across, with heat waves surging.

On a blue lotus platform, Wang Yuanhong and his seven companions each had a thick light barrier covering their bodies. Each controlled two Third-grade puppet beasts—one for close combat and one for long-range—to attack Zhao Jingfeng and his seven companions.

Flying puppet beasts patrolled the high sky, while land-based close-combat puppet beasts resembling tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves appeared. Zhao Jingfeng and his seven companions deployed a sword formation to meet the enemy.

Wang Huayue and eight other Nascent Soul sword cultivators successively summoned their flying swords and released dense sword qi. These sword qis, vibrant with myriad colors, suddenly condensed into a colossal sword light over a thousand zhang long. Carrying an aura of destruction, it cleaved towards Lin Yuyan and her nine companions.

Lin Yuyan and her nine companions each held a shimmering red banner. They simultaneously waved the red banners, releasing streams of crimson flames. Some of the flames formed a crimson wall of fire, protecting them, while the majority transformed into a thousand-zhang-long crimson fire python that surged forward to meet the attack.