Chapter 75: Everyone get out of my way
The opening match was by a medium-to-large sect from the Xihui Dynasty, named Wuhu Sect. Although their strength was not bad, they were struggling against dozens of sects, both large and small.
…
“Sect Leader Jiang, quickly hand over the silver we bet, otherwise you won’t leave the Immortal Alliance branch hall safely today!”
“Yes, the Immortal Alliance can protect you here, but it’s different once you step outside that main door.”
“Although your Wuhu Sect has good strength, it’s hard to contend with the anger of so many fellow Daoists. Is it worth offending dozens of sects for such a small amount of silver?”
“Sect Leader Jiang, these disciples are the Immortal Seeds of Wuhu Sect. Once anything goes wrong, your sect will have no future. Think carefully!”
…
Dozens of sects surrounded the opening sect, Wuhu Sect, and threatened them from all sides. Because they were on Immortal Alliance territory, no one dared to make a direct move.
“Everyone, I’ve already said that once a bet is made, the silver will not be refunded. If I go back on my word, what credibility will I have? How can I explain it to those fellow Daoists who bet on HongHua Sect winning? Please be merciful!” Sect Leader Jiang pleaded earnestly.
…
“I don’t care about your credibility or not. Either hand over the silver, or wait for our revenge.”
“The people who bet on HongHua Sect winning can be counted on one hand. What do you need to explain? You dare to make excuses to fob us off!”
“If you’re scared! Then return the silver to us first, and we’ll help you deal with those who bet on HongHua Sect winning.”
“Yes, a few useless people, we can drown them with a single mouthful of spit.”
…
The troublemakers were relentless, relentlessly attacking Wuhu Sect with persistence. The situation was on the verge of getting out of control.
“This is outrageous, how dare they steal my money!” Qi Huang was furious and rolled up her sleeves to fight.
“Wait!” Qin Quan behind her stopped her and explained, “Maintaining the order of the Evergreen Convention is the responsibility of the Immortal Alliance. Why should we do it ourselves?”
After saying this, Qin Quan concentrated his True Qi and shouted towards the main hall, “Elder Zuo, Steward Cai, it’s about to break out into a fight, aren’t you going to manage it?”
“Master! Are we not going to manage it?” Steward Cai looked at the rioting crowd at the entrance of the main hall.
“What? Did you bet on HongHua Sect winning?” Elder Zuo glanced casually at his disciple.
“Master is joking. I am the person in charge of the Evergreen Convention. How can I have time to be distracted?” Steward Cai quickly clarified.
“If that’s the case, why are you bothering with it?” Elder Zuo questioned.
“But… but this is the Evergreen Convention after all. We must maintain order, otherwise what will the cultivators from various sects think?” Steward Cai stammered.
“Various sects? Don’t you see? The troublemakers are the majority. If you go to maintain order, you will be standing in opposition to all the sects. What do you think they will think?” Elder Zuo retorted.
Steward Cai was stunned for a moment, and then his face showed realization: “Master is wise!”
“Moreover, as you saw before, those people from HongHua Sect spent over 100,000 taels of silver to bet on themselves winning, especially that Qi Huang, who probably even took out her dowry. I have to let her understand that daring to disrespect the Immortal Alliance will come at a price.” Elder Zuo raised his eyebrows triumphantly.
“But what if it really escalates into a fight?” Steward Cai hesitated and asked again.
“Wouldn’t that be even better? Haven’t you always wanted to eliminate that Cheng Hong Ling? The Immortal Alliance strictly prohibits fighting and brawling below the arena. As long as HongHua Sect gets involved, and if a couple more people die, we can use it as an excuse.” Elder Zuo stroked his beard and said.
“Indeed, but do they really have the guts to intervene? This is going against dozens of sects.” Cai De expressed doubt.
“This is about their own bet. If it ends like this, how will HongHua Sect survive in the cultivation world in the future? With the temper of that young girl Cheng Hong Ling, she will definitely fight head-on. You’ll see if you don’t believe me.” Elder Zuo made a confident prediction.
…
“Are those two old guys deaf? Why aren’t they responding?” Qi Huang muttered unhappily, seeing that the other party was only chatting and not reacting at all.
“Perhaps they are old and can’t hear. My grandparents are like that.” Miao Xiang guessed softly.
“They are cultivators, one Peak Shentong Realm supreme expert, and one late Huashen Realm great master. How could their hearing be bad? I think they are doing it on purpose!” Ruan Lingyu immediately denied it.
“Hmph! To actually place hope on these people!” Cheng Hong Ling glanced coldly at Qin Quan.
At this moment, Wuhu Sect could no longer withstand the pressure, and the Sect Leader began to yield.
“Since that’s the case, I’ll return the money to everyone. I hope you will be merciful.” Sect Leader Jiang of Wuhu Sect surrendered weakly.
“How dare you!” Cheng Hong Ling’s voice suddenly rang out. She strode forward and opened her cherry lips, “Everyone get out of my way!”
Before she finished speaking, the killing intent on Cheng Hong Ling’s body erupted, piercing through the space in front of her like sharp blades, penetrating everywhere!
The arrogant cultivators in front were like being doused with a basin of cold water. They shivered all over, and their legs began to tremble continuously, regardless of their age or cultivation level.
Cheng Hong Ling walked in elegantly, and the cultivators along the way all avoided her, as if they had encountered a fierce beast.
Qi Huang smiled slightly and quickly followed, as did the others from HongHua Sect.
Thus, Cheng Hong Ling walked as if no one was there, leading the people from HongHua Sect to Wuhu Sect without incident.
The people of Wuhu Sect looked at Cheng Hong Ling, a look of awe appearing on their faces, unsure of what to do for a moment.
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pay!” Qi Huang reminded them with slight displeasure.
“Yes, yes, yes!” The Sect Leader of Wuhu Sect nodded repeatedly. Although his cultivation was much higher than Cheng Hong Ling’s, he was at a disadvantage in terms of aura because he could not withstand the killing intent.
“All those who bet on HongHua Sect winning, come and settle your accounts. With me here, whoever dares to cause trouble will become part of the killing intent.” Cheng Hong Ling threatened loudly. Although her voice was clear and pleasant, it was wrapped in intense killing intent, like a cold wind in midwinter blowing across the bodies of the cultivators, chilling them to the bone.
The surrounding troublemaking cultivators fell into a dead silence, and no one dared to speak up to cause trouble. The only sound that could be heard was the chattering of teeth from their trembling.
Qi Huang did not think her main body was meddling. She knew that the situation had reached this point, it was no longer simply about getting her money back, but about maintaining the prestige of the entire HongHua Sect. Therefore, it was necessary to ensure that all those who bet on their side winning could receive their money.
Those cultivators who had bet on HongHua Sect winning did not dare to delay and came forward to settle their accounts, trembling. Although they made a fortune this time, none of them could smile under Cheng Hong Ling’s killing intent.
Since there were not many people who bet on HongHua Sect winning, the accounts were settled in just about fifteen minutes. During this time, no one dared to come and cause trouble.
The people from HongHua Sect received their money and left the scene contentedly.
…
“These useless people, not a single one dared to say no!” Elder Zuo cursed in rage.
“Alas! We can’t blame them. Killing intent is the nemesis of cultivators. Who knows how this young girl comprehended it? She’s simply a monster!” Steward Cai sighed.
“Forget it, let this young girl be arrogant for a few more days. This killing intent should be her limit. Since it has been exposed, it won’t be so useful in the future.” Elder Zuo took a deep breath and said.
…
Since only thirty sects remained in the second round of the competition, the Immortal Alliance stipulated that only five matches would be held each day. The first day’s competition ended just after the sun crossed overhead.
The people from HongHua Sect walked out of the Immortal Alliance branch hall triumphantly. Since they had made a fortune today, they were preparing to go back and have a grand feast.
Wuhu Sect was not so lucky. They were blocked at the entrance of the branch hall by a group of cultivators who had suffered heavy losses, making it impossible for them to leave.
“Master, shouldn’t we help them?” The kind Miao Xiang couldn’t help but ask.
“They are not related to us, so why help them? We are not saints!” Shen Yuan rolled her eyes helplessly at Miao Xiang.
“Yes, when they were opening the bet and collecting handling fees, why didn’t they give us a share?”
“Since they dared to open the bet, they should have anticipated the consequences. They are not three-year-old children; they are responsible for their own actions!”
“Didn’t you see Sect Leader Jiang just now? If Junior Sister hadn’t stopped him in time, he would have surrendered. Is this the integrity a banker should have?”
…
Several Senior Sisters spoke up.
“It seems so.” Miao Xiang bit her tender jade finger, a look of sudden realization on her small face.
The competition continued for the next two days. By the end of the second round, half of the sects were eliminated, leaving only sixteen sects to enter the third round.
After a day of rest, the drawing for the third round was held as scheduled. Since there were not many easy opponents left, the upcoming matches were bound to be intense.
Qi Huang had already found her opponent. This time, her target was Jinliu Sect. The disciples of this sect had eliminated her main body in the Evergreen Convention six years ago and had also taunted that no phoenix could fly out of Huang Tian Prefecture.
“This time, I’ll show you if a phoenix can fly out of Huang Tian Prefecture!” Qi Huang’s face showed a mischievous expression.
