Chapter 133: Nine Dragon Emperor Skill

Qin Mu looked back to see the prince who had just been standing beside Ling Yuxiu now behind them. He seemed to be Ling Yuxiu's second elder brother, and his face was calm as he watched the aerial duel.

Ling Yuxiu followed him down from the jade cliff, taking a position behind the Second Prince.

The moment Qin Mu turned, Kun Ziyu plummeted from the air, hitting the ground with a thud.

In close combat with Daoist Lin Xuan, the moment their palms met, Kun Ziyu's vital energy was shattered by the opponent's Innate Grand Profound Art, his technique broken, causing him to fall from the sky.

Shen Wanyun's eyelid twitched, and a chill ran through him. "I doubt I can win," he thought. "His combat strength is immense. Even if he's sealed his other divine treasures and is only using his Five Luminaries realm, I'd still find it hard to defeat him! No, the more he reveals, the more likely I am to find an opening! I'll keep observing for a while; perhaps I can pinpoint his weakness!"

The Innate Grand Profound Art.

This was the first time Qin Mu had encountered a cultivation technique comparable to the Overlord Body Three Elixir Art.

The cultivation art demonstrated by Daoist Lin Xuan was incredibly powerful. Although his cultivation at the same realm wasn't as profound as Qin Mu's, the quality of his vital energy was exceptionally high, far surpassing his peers. Qin Mu had observed earlier that Daoist Lin Xuan's vital energy was incredibly pure, which had prompted his previous question.

The Great Educational Heavenly Devil Scripture was renowned as a classic capable of transforming one into a god or a devil. For the Daoist sect's Innate Grand Profound Art to be equally famous, it truly demonstrated its extraordinary power!

The Daoist sect and the Heavenly Devil Cult, one righteous and one demonic, were the two great holy lands of their respective paths.

Including the Great Thunderclap Temple of Buddhism, there would be three major holy lands. Beyond these three prominent sects, there were also hidden holy lands, less renowned but occasionally making their presence felt.

"The Daoist sect's Daoist has appeared," Qin Mu mused. "I wonder if the Great Thunderclap Temple will also come out to block the gate and severely humiliate the Imperial Preceptor?"

The Second Prince took a deep breath and walked towards the mountain gate. Ling Yuxiu quickly asked, "Second Brother, what are you doing?"

"I am a Grand Academy scholar and of imperial blood," he declared. "How can I not fight?"

The Second Prince's eyes gleamed brightly. "Our Ling family became emperors through conquest," he asserted, "not by being merely appointed by civil and military officials!"

His voice was strong and resonant, and Qin Mu couldn't help but admire him. "This is what a prince should be," he thought. It was clear that the Ling family's rise to emperorship and their status as the exalted imperial clan was no accident.

"Grand Academy scholar Ling Yushu requests guidance from the Daoist!"

The Second Prince approached Daoist Lin Xuan, bowed respectfully, and then looked up, asking solemnly, "Does the Daoist wish to rest and recover his vital energy?"

Daoist Lin Xuan nodded and replied, "Please wait a moment, Senior Brother Ling."

Qin Mu clapped his hands in admiration and commented, "If it were me, I'd also take a rest."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Lin Xuan looked towards the back of the mountain gate, following the sound. His gaze fell upon Qin Mu's face, and seeing his eyes, his heart skipped a beat. Qin Mu smiled in return, and Daoist Lin Xuan also smiled and nodded. Then, he turned to the old Daoist beside him and whispered, "Uncle-Master Danyouzi, I just saw a formidable person. His eyes have two more layers of pupils than ordinary people; he seems able to see through my true state..."

Danyouzi's expression was calm. "Keep your mind like still water; don't be swayed by external influences, and don't panic," he advised. "The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace is known as the strongest below the gods, so it's natural for the Grand Academy to have powerful individuals."

Daoist Lin Xuan continued to regulate his breathing, recovering his cultivation. As he activated the Innate Grand Profound Art, a small Spirit Embryo emerged from his glabella, sitting before him on a profound altar.

The Spirit Embryo breathed rhythmically, and five canopies appeared both before and behind it, drawing dense starlight from the cosmos!

Beneath the canopies, five terrifying gods and devils faintly appeared, an anomaly created by the Five Luminaries Divine Treasure.

After the five canopies appeared, six circular wheels were seen orbiting, signaling the emergence of the anomaly formed by the Six Directions Divine Treasure.

Qin Mu narrowed his eyes. The Innate Grand Profound Art was truly extraordinary. Daoist Lin Xuan's cultivation art was unique, yet more authentic and grand. Its complexity was in no way inferior to the Overlord Body Three Elixir Art.

"The Daoist sect, the foremost righteous sect, is truly remarkable!" he thought.

After Daoist Lin Xuan finished recovering, he stood up and bowed respectfully to the Second Prince Ling Yushu.

Ling Yushu returned the bow, and as he rose, his vital energy suddenly erupted with the roar of dragons and tigers. Instantly, almost everyone in front of the mountain gate felt a surge of draconic might burst forth from the prince's body!

The Second Prince Ling Yushu moved with the agility of a swimming dragon. Spreading his five fingers, each like a dragon, he unleashed five streams of dragon qi that twisted and transformed menacingly in mid-air before lunging towards Daoist Lin Xuan!

Five Dragons Strangling!

Ling Yushu clasped his five fingers downwards, and the five streams of dragon qi enveloped Daoist Lin Xuan. The dragons coiled around his body, strangling him, and then opened their mouths to spray true fire at the young man, the flames blazing fiercely!

His speed was incredible; the instant the five dragons lunged, he was already beside Daoist Lin Xuan. He shook his hand, condensing vital energy into a sword with a coiled dragon hilt, and thrust it into the Five Dragon Shield!

Inside the Five Dragon Shield, Daoist Lin Xuan was engulfed by the blazing true fire, yet his body emitted a jade-like luster. The Five Dragon True Fire, surprisingly, could not harm him!

As the Second Prince's sword pierced the Five Dragon Shield, Daoist Lin Xuan raised his whisk to meet it, its strands wrapping around the dragon sword. The Second Prince then stomped his foot, shaking the ground as great dragons burst forth from beneath, surging upwards towards Daoist Lin Xuan.

Daoist Lin Xuan shattered the Five Dragon Shield with a single palm strike and leaped into the air. The whisk's strands sliced through the air like swords, severing the heads of the great dragons, then he dodged the sword light shooting up from below.

"Spell-casting school!"

Qin Mu was surprised. The Second Prince's rapid succession of attacks belonged to the spell-casting school, yet they were as fierce, domineering, and incredibly sharp as those from a combat technique school!

To wield spells with such dominance and power was truly an anomaly; this was the first time Qin Mu had ever witnessed such a fighting style!

"Sister," Qin Mu said to Ling Yuxiu, "your imperial family's cultivation art is truly impressive."

Ling Yuxiu beamed triumphantly. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "My second brother cultivates the Nine Dragons Emperor's Art, which is no less powerful than the Daoist sect's Innate Grand Profound Art! And he holds an official post — he's a fifth-rank Cavalier General!"

The Second Prince soared into the air, two streams of dragon qi beneath his feet transforming into dragon forms that wagged their tails and galloped swiftly through the air, charging towards Daoist Lin Xuan. The exquisite subtlety of his spells was truly breathtaking.

This was no surprise; the Grand Academy itself was built at the center where nine dragon veins converged, making the qi of the nine dragons incredibly dense. Furthermore, as a member of the imperial family, he inherently cultivated by harnessing dragon qi. The Grand Academy was a holy land for others, but for him, it was a holy land within a holy land, allowing him to achieve double the results with half the effort when cultivating with dragon qi!

His vital energy was vast and abundant, and he showed no signs of depletion even when performing such domineering spells. This was precisely the power of the Nine Dragons Emperor's Art.

Qin Mu watched for a moment, then said, "Sister, your second brother is about to lose."

Ling Yuxiu's heart trembled slightly. Suddenly, the aerial duel concluded. The Second Prince Ling Yushu had faced Daoist Lin Xuan's counterattack; Daoist Lin Xuan unleashed spells, pitting them against the prince's, and the power of the Daoist sect's divine spells was in no way inferior to the Nine Dragons Emperor's Art!

At the same time, the whisk in Daoist Lin Xuan's hand flew out. Its strands suddenly fanned out, surging in length and transforming into numerous fine swords. They spun and cut, fiercely attacking Ling Yushu. Ling Yushu tried to block with his dragon sword, but he simply could not defend against so many fine swords. In the blink of an eye, he sustained several injuries and had to land and admit defeat.

Ling Yushu's defeat greatly shook the Grand Academy. After all, as the Second Prince of the imperial family, his abilities were exceptional, and with deliberate cultivation from both the Grand Academy and the imperial family, Ling Yushu was considered one of the top figures there!

With even him defeated by Daoist Lin Xuan, there was almost no one left in the Grand Academy who could contend with the Daoist!

Yue Qinghong looked at Qin Mu and said, "Hey, fifty-fifty, our Grand Academy's gate is being blocked. Aren't you going to fight?"

Qin Mu was puzzled. "Why should I go?" he asked.

Yue Qinghong snorted, trying to provoke him. "Didn't you say you'd have a fifty-fifty chance against this Daoist?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "I just became a Grand Academy scholar," he explained. "I've only attended one lecture at Han Guang Hall and haven't learned any of the Grand Academy's martial arts. Even if I win, what then? It wouldn't be considered the Grand Academy's skill. Besides, I'm an outcast from the Great Ruins; you originally wanted to drive me away. Now you want me to stand up for the Grand Academy? Is that even a fair deal?"

Yue Qinghong was speechless.

Monk Yun Que interjected, "But you are a disciple of our Grand Academy! How can you not help when it's in trouble?"

Qin Mu chuckled. "Hasn't the Grand Academy produced a single genius who can match this Daoist over the years?" he asked. "Furthermore, haven't the Imperial Preceptor's disciples shown up yet? The Imperial Preceptor is the foremost expert in the world, and his disciples are naturally extraordinary. With his disciples present, why should I overstep my bounds?"

Everyone's hearts trembled slightly, and a glimmer of hope arose. The Imperial Preceptor was hailed as the strongest below the gods, and each of his disciples was exceptionally outstanding. If one of the Imperial Preceptor's disciples came forward, they might be able to defeat this Daoist!

Ling Yuxiu gently furrowed her brow and whispered, "But the Imperial Preceptor's disciples aren't Grand Academy scholars..."

As they spoke, several more Grand Academy scholars stepped forward, but all were defeated without exception.

Some even planned to use a relay tactic, hoping to exhaust Daoist Lin Xuan's vital energy and cultivation by not allowing him rest, but such a notion was too despicable, and officials from the Imperial College soon came to stop it.

Daoist Lin Xuan had won more than ten consecutive matches, but his expression had grown uncharacteristically solemn. He turned to Danyouzi beside him and said, "Uncle-Master, the Grand Academy is very formidable."

Danyouzi nodded gently and said softly, "These Grand Academy scholars are all very strong. If they are allowed to fully develop, no sect would be able to contend with them."

An expert sees the true essence. Although no one from the Grand Academy had yet defeated Daoist Lin Xuan, every scholar who came forward was exceptionally powerful, considered a top-tier expert within their respective realms.

The most terrifying thing was that such powerful experts were commonplace in the Grand Academy!

A major sect like the Daoist sect could cultivate one or two exceptional individuals like their Daoist, and top-tier experts like Qu Ping and Kun Ziyu were not too numerous. However, in the Grand Academy, such experts were everywhere; this was truly terrifying!

Daoist Lin Xuan's gaze swept past the crowd and landed on Qin Mu. Qin Mu seemed to sense it, looked back at him, and nodded with a smile. Lin Xuan smiled in return, wondering, "It's not that there are no outstanding individuals among the Grand Academy scholars, but why hasn't he come out to challenge me?"