Chapter 249: Bell Sounds, Immortal Tortoise Carries Dragon Palace

By my reckoning, the midnight bell would soon ring.

As long as they successfully entered the Dragon Palace venue with their invitations, he, along with Luansheng Linyou, still had a chance to become the biggest winners of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, given the large number of Longevity Pill, Dragon Seed, and Dragon Bone tickets they had collected.

The tide of battle might have turned against them!

But in terms of the ticket collection rules set by the Deliverance Temple, they hadn't lost yet.

"Follow me to the sea, and wait for the immortal turtle to bring the Dragon Palace," Dragon Hall shouted to Dragon Court, enduring his injuries. Then, abandoning the Dragon Gate martial artists, the two retreated from the battlefield and plunged into the sea, which was now filled with floating lanterns.

It was the Lantern Festival, and the scenery was beautiful, but the sea had long been dyed crimson.

"Pursue them!"

"Dragon Hall is carrying a large number of Longevity Pill, Dragon Seed, and Dragon Bone tickets. Kill him; don't let him enter the venue."

Tang Wanqiu and Lu Cangsheng were the first to pursue them into Bingzux.

Outside the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion.

Representing Qianli Mountain, a man and a woman in white robes shouted in unison: "All martial artists of Qianli Mountain, listen to my command! The Azure Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise. The Yellow Heaven's Hidden Dragon is in Qiuzhou. Fight for the Zuoqiu lineage, fight for humanity, avenge Qin Li, eradicate all demons and evils, and restore clear skies to Lingxiao!"

"Kill!"

The Five Seas Realm masters under the banner of Qianli Mountain, all clad in spotless white robes, were peerless prodigies, one in a thousand.

They surged like a tide, slaughtering the fleeing martial artists of the Far West Ashlands faction.

Above Bingzux.

Ge Xiantong strode forward, continuously channeling his dwindling spiritual energy into the Dragon Subduing Whip, causing the five-foot golden whip to rapidly ignite.

"Whoosh!"

Arriving at the battlefield, he swung the golden whip, which instantly transformed into a golden pillar dozens of meters long, stirring up violent waves on the sea.

Luansheng Linyou, surprised that Ge Xiantong had escaped, knew something major had happened. He frowned, swung his silver staff, and blocked the Dragon Subduing Whip.

"Boom!"

On the other side, Zuoqiu Hongting's dao ruler struck, only to be caught bare-handed by Luansheng Linyou.

Scales quickly grew on his fingers, allowing him to withstand the spiritual energy of the dao ruler.

In terms of physical body alone, Luansheng Linyou, possessing the pure bloodline of an ancient immortal beast, was in a league of his own among Five Seas Realm cultivators.

He was the great-grandson of Yu Jia, the last ancient immortal beast of the Lingxiao Living Realm. Although Zuoqiu Hongting and Ge Xiantong had cultivated Dao bodies, there was still a noticeable gap between their physical strength and his.

This was why Zuoqiu Hongting was so desperate to acquire immortal soil!

The reason their strengths were comparable was that Ge Xiantong and Zuoqiu Hongting also possessed their own unique advantages.

"Swish!"

Seizing the opportunity, Li Weiyi, like a fleeting streak of light, thrust his sword into Luansheng Linyou's brow.

Pinned down by the pressure from the Dragon Subduing Whip and the dao ruler, Luansheng Linyou had no escape and fixed his gaze on Li Weiyi, his eyes icy cold.

Li Weiyi was quickly astonished to find that the Yellow Dragon Sting had not struck Luansheng Linyou's head. The Spiritual Realm of his glabella opened, erupting with brilliant light, forming a vortex of spiritual fire that rapidly pulled and swallowed the Yellow Dragon Sword.

Li Weiyi tightly gripped the hilt, spun his body, and kicked Luansheng Linyou's chest.

His other hand, holding the Startled Feather Sword, followed through with an upward slash towards Luansheng Linyou's chest.

"Auspice-Calamity Resonance!"

The radiant silhouettes of the Azure Luan and Qilin behind Luansheng Linyou suddenly collided, merging into one, and surged into his body.

Luansheng Linyou let out an extremely high-pitched, prolonged howl. Scriptures in the form of feathers and scales flew out with the howl, causing the entire sea area to violently rupture.

Ge Xiantong, Zuoqiu Hongting, and Li Weiyi's eardrums all shattered, and they were thrown backward, injured by the force of the Auspice-Calamity.

Luansheng Linyou was not unscathed; he was sent flying by Li Weiyi's sword. Blood dripped from his glabella, and a crack appeared in his skull, wounded by the Yellow Dragon Sword.

Dissolving the Yellow Dragon Sword's attack was never easy.

This vivid red streak on his eerily beautiful and serene face intensified his sinister charm.

Upon landing on the sea surface, Zuoqiu Hongting could no longer suppress her injuries. She spat out a mouthful of blood and quickly sealed three crucial spring apertures on her body that could not be activated further.

Ge Xiantong's skin had completely ruptured, turning him into a bloodied figure, but his eyes still shone brightly: "You actually cultivated Dao Arts in the Five Seas Realm and even managed to use them!"

Both the Spring Well Realm and the Five Seas Realm belong to the martial domain.

In other words, opening the Scarred Veins, Spring Apertures, and Qi Sea are all about forging the foundation of martial arts.

Only upon reaching the Dao Seed Realm does one truly enter the Dao through martial arts.

Techniques cultivated in the Five Seas Realm are merely moves and martial arts, far from being comparable to Dao Arts.

Ge Xiantong was naturally astonished because the cultivation of any Dao Art is not an overnight feat. It also requires special scriptures and the spiritual energy of the Dao Seed Realm to be fully unleashed.

A Dao Seed Realm martial artist who has cultivated Dao Arts will possess combat power that no Five Seas Realm martial artist can gauge.

Zuoqiu Hongting's face was pale, but wearing a wooden carved mask, no one could discern her true condition. She said, "Legend has it that the Qilin represents auspiciousness, and the Luan bird represents calamity; both possess innate Dao Arts. It seems that this Auspice-Calamity Resonance, which merges the powers of auspiciousness and calamity, is his innate divine ability."

Li Weiyi's heart pounded. He recalled how Chanhaiguan Wu had once said that if Luansheng Linyou was truly connected to the Qilin that escaped all those years ago, the consequences would be dire.

Li Weiyi had used this to scare Lu Cangsheng before, but he never truly wished it to be true.

Prior to this, Luansheng Linyou had only cultivated the Qilin Combat Technique Intent. In the history of the Lingxiao Living Realm, over a dozen individuals had achieved this, so it was not unusual. Practicing a special breathing technique of the Dragon Gate offered an opportunity to do so.

However, his display of an innate Dao Art imbued with auspicious power was an entirely different matter! How could he possibly achieve that without possessing a Qilin bloodline?

Li Weiyi stared at the two horns on Luansheng Linyou's forehead and asked, "Has the Qilin returned to the Lingxiao Living Realm?"

This was a question that some of the old fellows on Peach and Plum Mountain were also eager to ask.

But Li Weiyi's brazen inquiry sent shivers down the spines of those old fellows, and a strong sense of crisis arose in their hearts.

It was as if...

...the sky was about to collapse!

Luansheng Linyou's gaze was indifferent as he looked at the disintegrating battle on shore.

Qianli Mountain sought to win effortlessly.

Dragon Hall and Dragon Court had fled into the sea.

Jiang Ning, with her seven wondrous insects and the swarm, was heading towards the battlefield where the four of them were.

Although everything was spiraling in the worst direction, Luansheng Linyou remained as calm as an observer, merely letting out a soft sigh.

Ge Xiantong said, "See? No matter how strong the demon race is, as long as the major human forces unite, they can defeat you. If you wish to establish a demon nation, the people of Lingxiao will not agree."

"If humanity could truly be united, there wouldn't have been ten years of war and constant internal strife. If Lingxiao Palace were truly worthy of being the ruling power, so many human factions wouldn't have sought refuge in the Far West Ashlands, aligning themselves with foreign races."

Luansheng Linyou's tone was sharp as he continued, "Besides, I wasn't defeated by you, Ge Xiantong, today. Li Weiyi... you are a formidable opponent!"

Luansheng Linyou knew better than anyone that his defeat tonight stemmed from Li Weiyi.

It wasn't just Li Weiyi's personal combat power and the insect swarm he brought, but also the charisma he had been accumulating since the start of the year. Like a legend, he repeatedly turned the impossible into reality, reigniting everyone's confidence to fight alongside him.

He made Lu Cangsheng enter the battle early, caused Shi Shishi to expose his ancient immortal giant bloodline without hesitation, and compelled Tang Wanqiu to return after leaving...

Perhaps they didn't even realize it themselves, but their heightened aggression was all due to the never-ending fighting spirit and heroic aura emanating from Li Weiyi, which stimulated them.

Otherwise, Li Weiyi and the easily overwhelmed insect swarm alone would have been far from enough to turn the tide of battle.

Li Weiyi, with self-awareness, said, "Don't flatter me. I'm still far from your level. The reason I could suppress my fear and dare to fight so fiercely is simply because my friends are on the battlefield. The people I care about are on the battlefield. Of course, the rewards from the Deliverance Temple are also very enticing."

Luansheng Linyou nodded slightly: "The greatest respect one can show a formidable opponent is to go all out to kill them, never giving them a chance to grow further."

Li Weiyi asked, "Do you have that capability?"

"Chirp! Chirp!"

The seven Phoenix-Wing Moth Sovereigns and the insect swarm flew above Li Weiyi's head, while Jiang Ning had already left, only her retreating back visible. As soon as she landed, she collapsed to the ground and did not rise again.

Li Weiyi only withdrew his gaze after seeing Zhuang Yue rush over and carry her away.

Luansheng Linyou said, "Li Weiyi, you've exposed your Violet Heaven Thunder Seal, the seven wondrous insects, and your martial arts foundation of the complete Golden Meridian."

"Ge Xiantong, someone must have set their sights on your Sun and Moon Immortal Eyes. The Dragon Subduing Whip has at least five thousand scriptures, doesn't it?"

"Zuoqiu Hong, you must also have forbidden secrets that absolutely cannot be exposed, right? Those who can cultivate to our level must have had extraordinary encounters."

Zuoqiu Hongting said, "It seems you're hiding a more terrifying trump card than the Auspice-Calamity Resonance. Show it. I'd like to see if you still have a chance to turn the tables."

South City had no outer walls, only layers of defensive array light veils, draped deep beneath the sea surface, dozens of miles from the shore.

The moon's reflection in the sea rapidly grew larger and brighter.

Soon, it covered a vast circular sea area, over ten li in diameter. The surrounding space expanded, mist steamed, and auspicious clouds floated, opening up a world that did not belong to the mortal realm, like an illusion of flowers in a mirror or the moon in water.

The mist dispersed.

Within the bright full moon reflected in the water, a lush island appeared, as if descending from another world.

On the island stood resplendent golden palaces; even from afar, one could feel their grandeur and mystery. And beneath the island, there was indeed a colossal turtle with a formidable aura, its body larger than a mountain, emanating an ancient presence.

"Dong!"

Midnight arrived, and the first bell rang on Peach and Plum Mountain.

This signified that martial artists holding invitations could officially enter the venue.

Once inside, they could exchange the tickets issued by the Deliverance Temple on New Year's Eve for corresponding rewards. Furthermore, no fighting or killing was allowed within the venue.

A harmonious and pleasant festive atmosphere had to be maintained.

The bell rang once every quarter.

By the third quarter past midnight, when the fourth bell rang, anyone who had not yet entered the venue would be considered to have automatically forfeited.

Dragon Hall and Dragon Court charged ahead of everyone else, drawing ever closer to the Immortal Turtle Dragon Palace. Their eyes were filled with anticipation and awe.

The Dragon Palace, a legendary abode of flying dragons, was considered a supreme sacred land for the disciples of the Dragon Gate.