Chapter 47: The Scion’s Scorn and the Maiden’s Fury

While she addressed Lin Feng with endearing terms, her demeanor towards outsiders was one of utter disdain.

“Li Mengyue, you refer to her as a ‘little demoness’—where, then, is the upbringing expected of a prominent family’s scion?”

Murong Fier retorted without the slightest hesitation or courtesy.

“That’s still nothing compared to you, Young Miss Murong, publicly disgracing yourself.” Li Mengyue gazed at Murong Fier with an air of haughty superiority, exuding a baffling sense of self-importance.

“Hey, hey, hey, what exactly do you mean by that? We haven’t offended you in any way.”

Xian Yuan watched the arrogant Li Mengyue, a strong urge to deliver a “personality correction punch” to her rising within. ‘To mock someone upon first meeting them—what is wrong with you?’ she mused inwardly, yet maintained a composed expression, a glint of cunning dancing in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Lin Feng stood to the side, his expression utterly detached, appearing entirely uninterested in the burgeoning dispute. “We are here in search of opportunities,” he stated calmly. “If both of you share the same objective, perhaps we could travel together.”

Lin Feng’s lack of significant reaction to Li Mengyue’s caustic demeanor struck Xian Yuan as rather abnormal. ‘His girlfriend is so cutting towards outsiders, yet Lin Feng remains silent?’ she wondered. ‘Such indulgence in a girlfriend would surely earn him a negative reputation among other sects.’

‘Could it be…?’

A realization dawned upon Xian Yuan. Considering their respective statuses, it was likely another iteration of that hackneyed trope: coercion by their sect, forcing them into a relationship where he became the boyfriend of a prominent family’s young miss. The intervening narrative, she surmised, was undoubtedly filled with melodrama.

“What is your relationship with Nan Huaiyun?” Xian Yuan inquired directly.

“Oh, so you, a country bumpkin from Heavenly Gate Island, actually know my cousin?” Li Mengyue scoffed, her tone dripping with disdain.

“Country bumpkin? Your entire family are country bumpkins!”

‘And she’s actually Nan Huaiyun’s cousin,’ Xian Yuan thought. ‘Well, then I might as well kill her. After all, I took out Nan Huaiyun’s parents thirty years ago; one more won’t make a difference.’

Upon hearing Li Mengyue’s contemptuous address, a flash of annoyance crossed Xian Yuan’s face. ‘If I don’t beat you so thoroughly today that you’re begging for mercy, then you’ve got nerves of steel!’

“Opportunity? What kind of opportunity?”

A sudden chill permeated Murong Fier’s heart. With a faint smile, she drew the Demon Slaying Spear from her waist, its presence radiating a menacing aura, and fixed an unfriendly gaze upon the pair.

If she wasn’t mistaken, the “opportunity” they were referring to was the very scene of Xian Yuan’s heaven-defying ascension.

As Murong Fier brandished her Demon Slaying Spear, Li Mengyue and her companions swiftly drew their own weapons in preparation for a confrontation.

“Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this? Do you intend to monopolize this opportunity entirely?”

Lin Feng’s expression likewise hardened. He unsheathed a long sword, positioning himself to confront the two women.

“The ‘opportunity’ you speak of has already been claimed by us,” Murong Fier stated, her voice calm yet resolute. “It hardly befits a fellow Daoist like yourself, Lin Feng, to seize the fortunes of others.”

“What opportunity do you possess?”

Several disciples from Rising Cloud Island fixed their gazes upon the two women, their eyes burning with avarice, as if they had stumbled upon cherished treasures. While they had heard tales of Xian Yuan’s exploits, they hadn’t been directly involved, leading them to suspect it might all be mere rumor.

“You two, quickly hand over the opportunity to Brother Lin Feng!” Li Mengyue demanded. “Neither of you is worthy of possessing it!” Her gaze was solely fixed on her ‘Brother Lin Feng’; her only concern was for him.

“Forgive my bluntness,” Xian Yuan interjected, “but are you perhaps a key maker?”

“What do you mean?” Li Mengyue asked, a flicker of confusion crossing her face, uncertain of Xian Yuan’s intent.

“You’re not worthy of anything at all!”

“You…!”

Li Mengyue clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at Xian Yuan. “You’re dead!”

No sooner had the words left her lips than a bow and arrow materialized in Li Mengyue’s hand. With a swift pull of the bowstring, spiritual energy from heaven and earth instantly converged, shaping a potent stream of light that hurtled towards Xian Yuan.

“Whoosh—”

“What brand of plastic bag are you, to be so full of yourself!”

Xian Yuan watched the incoming arrow, a faint, contemptuous smile playing on her lips. Her form, agile as a swallow, gracefully evaded the potent stream of light. The arrow whistled by, carving a deep gouge in the earth behind Xian Yuan before piercing an ancient tree, sending splinters scattering.

Li Mengyue, consumed by a scorching rage, once again drew her bowstring taut and unleashed another arrow. This time, the projectile transformed into a searing inferno, blazing with rampant flames that spread unchecked. Waves of intense heat washed over them, saturating the air with a scorching scent, as if the entire mountain forest were poised to be engulfed by the conflagration.

A flicker of disdain crossed Xian Yuan’s eyes. ‘So what if their cultivation realm is higher than mine?’ she thought. ‘This old lady is a true cheat!’

With the commencement of their battle, Murong Fier and Lin Feng likewise plunged into combat.

****

Outside

The screen displayed precisely the scene of the two factions locked in battle.

“Master Ma, what are your thoughts?” the host inquired.

“How do I see it? I see it with my feet.”

Master Ma had entirely given up on offering commentary. Everything he had previously stated had been thoroughly disproven by Xian Yuan; another public humiliation would utterly obliterate his reputation.

On the podium, Shen Xiulan watched the live broadcast, her heart gripped by a profound unease.

“Ah, Xian Yuan,” she murmured, “I truly cannot help you this time. You must pray that your secret remains unexposed.”

“Sect Master Shen, is this indeed your disciple?”

Jun Jinghong observed Xian Yuan on the live broadcast, a persistent feeling that she bore a resemblance to someone familiar.

“Indeed, this is the troublesome disciple I took in not long ago.”

“It is rumored that this individual possesses both double pupils and a divine body.”

“That is correct.”

“Island Master Shen, you have truly acquired an exceptional disciple! Could it be that the position of Nine Heavens Profound Maiden is destined to be hers?”

No sooner had the words left her lips than several sects immediately directed their gazes towards Shen Xiulan. To put it bluntly, this grand competition was designed to determine the final successor to the Profound Maiden’s position, with the ultimate Profound Maiden being chosen through the trials.

The Nine Heavens Profound Maiden holds a uniquely revered status within the Eastern Sea. At the twilight of the ancient era, humanity triumphed over the Dragon Clan, thereby asserting their dominion as the supreme rulers of the Qiyuan Realm.

Subsequently, internal strife within humanity, fueled by conflicts of interest and divergent beliefs, culminated in the outbreak of the Dao Lineage Tribulation. This protracted war yielded no decisive victor, yet it irrevocably forged the Eastern Sea and the Qiyuan Continent into sworn adversaries.

During the subsequent Chaotic Era Tribulation, the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden, hailing from the Eastern Sea, led the various sects of her domain to successfully cripple the continental powers. It was the legacy left by this very Nine Heavens Profound Maiden that set the stage for the current events.

Consequently, neither the sects nor the families of the Eastern Sea would ever move against the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden, for she embodies the very hope of their realm.

Furthermore, a more profound reason stemmed from an event over a thousand years prior: the Green Lotus Sword God, Yun Yi, had, with a single strike of her sword, annihilated the Eastern Sea’s most formidable sect, the Eastern Sea Pavilion, and subsequently subjugated all other Eastern Sea factions, thereby gravely humiliating their domain. The people of the Eastern Sea ardently hoped that this generation’s Nine Heavens Profound Maiden would lead them to decisively suppress the continent and reclaim their lost dignity.

Yet, the true origins of the Nine Heavens Profound Maiden remained shrouded in mystery; nothing was as straightforward as it seemed.

“This matter can only be decided after the conclusion of the Eastern Sea Grand Competition,” Shen Xiulan stated.

“Sect Master Shen,” Jun Jinghong remarked placidly, “I cannot shake the feeling that I have seen this individual somewhere before.”

“Hmm?”

No sooner had Jun Jinghong’s words settled than every gaze in the hall once more fixed intently upon Shen Xiulan and Heavenly Gate Island.

“Perhaps we have met previously,” Shen Xiulan offered with a strained laugh, observing Jun Jinghong’s chillingly impassive expression. A part of her yearned to punch that face.

‘What exactly do you mean by that?’ she fumed inwardly. ‘Are you implying that Xian Yuan is a continental spy? If so, my Heavenly Gate Island would also be implicated. Do you truly wish for my Heavenly Gate Island’s demise?!’

Naturally, Jun Jinghong herself held no such intention, yet if those words were overheard by other sects, it would be akin to “yellow mud falling into a trouser pocket”—even if it wasn’t truly soiled, it would be perceived as such.

“However, it shouldn’t be him,” Jun Jinghong mused aloud, “because he is male.” She observed Xian Yuan’s combat techniques on the live broadcast. While acknowledging a certain resemblance, she was certain it wasn’t him; he was male and possessed ‘that,’ and his magical power would not allow for such a complete transformation of form.