After Mingshi Yin finished speaking, he leaned slightly to the side and asked with a faint smile, “Do I have the bearing of the Sword Devil?”
Duanmu Sheng could not be bothered with Mingshi Yin. Mingshi Yin really liked imitating their Second Senior Brother for no reason. If Mingshi Yin was found out, Mingshi Yin would definitely be beaten up again. It was better to pretend like he did not see anything.
The Vajra behind Mingshi Yin asked in confusion, “Who’s the Sword Devil?”
“He’s a skilled swordsman,” Mingshi Yin replied with a smile.
“Since he’s able to obtain Mr. Ri’s praise, his swordsmanship must be extraordinary.”
“His swordsmanship is definitely extraordinary, but it’s still slightly lacking compared to mine,” Mingshi Yin said.
Duanmu Sheng: “…”
Duanmu Sheng cleared his throat as a reminder to Mingshi Yin.
“It’s not against the law to brag in the Great Void, right?” Mingshi Yin asked.
At this moment, a Dao attendant flew over from the distance before he said with a bow, “Sorry for the wait. The divine lord originally planned to personally welcome you, but he suddenly has something to attend to so I’ll lead the way instead.”
Mingshi Yin frowned. “Your divine lord is really arrogant.”
“Please don’t take offense.”
“Forget it, forget it. I’m not a petty person. Lead the way,” Mingshi Yin said.
Following that, Mingshi Yin, Duanmu Sheng, and the others flew out of the flying chariot. As they flew, they looked at the floating platforms, which were more like pieces of land, above Southern Split Mountain. Each of the platforms was at least 3,000 feet away from the other. They were all held up in the air by the Southern Split Mountain’s energy.
They were a little like the golden lotus domain’s Penglai Island. Penglai Island used formations and chains to connect the five islands together. Then, they used another formation to keep the island in the middle suspended in the air. The other four islands powered the formation as well.
The floating platforms in Southern Split Mountain were large and were suspended in the air purely by energy. Trees and unique structures could be seen on them. They were very suitable places for cultivation.
When they were approaching one of the platforms closest to the southern sky, the Dao attendant said, “Everyone, this is the Southern Cloud Viewing Platform. You can have a look around. The divine lord will arrive in a moment.”
On the Southern Cloud Viewing Platform, they discovered that just as its name suggested, all they could see were clouds. Due to the distance, they could only see vague and faint outlines of the other platforms.
“It’s really a cloud-viewing platform,” Mingshi Yin said.
The four Vajras stood like wooden blocks behind Mingshi Yin.
“Mr. Ri should prepare for the upcoming battle for the position of commander.”
Upon hearing this, Mingshi Yin looked at the Dao attendant and asked, “Have the people from Xuanyi Palace arrived?”
The Dao attendant was not stupid. He was naturally not going to say that Nan Li had gone to welcome Xuanyi. That would be tantamount to belittling the Scarlet Emperor. Hence, he said with a smile, “They should be here soon.”
Mingshi Yin asked again, “Do you know about Xuanyi Palace’s Zhang He?”
The Dao attendant replied, not sparing the details, “Commander Zhang is a top expert in Xuanyi Palace. He’s also someone Emperor Xuanyi is fond of. It’s said that Commander Zhang comprehended the Great Dao through observing the clouds.”
“Interesting.” Mingshi Yin smiled.
The Dao attendant said before he turned to leave, “I’ll take my leave for now.”
Then, Mingshi Yin looked at the four Vajras and asked, “When is the Scarlet Emperor arriving?”
“His Majesty isn’t coming to Southern Split Mountain.”
“He’s not coming?” Mingshi Yin was somewhat surprised. “It seems like he’s not worried about my performance at all.”
“The Scarlet Emperor had said that after the two of you lose, we’re to bring you back immediately.”
“…”
…
At the same time.
In the northern sky of Southern Split Mountain.
The platforms and buildings here seemed much higher.
Nan Li said with a smile, “What a rare guest! It’s truly an honor that Emperor Xuanyi is here to visit my humble abode.”
Xuanyi, Zhang He, and Lu Zhou descended from the sky. Several Dark Guards and female attendants followed behind them.
Xuanyi smiled. “Divine Lord Nan Li, it’s been so many years since we last met. When did you become so good at flattery?”
Nan Li only smiled before he turned to Zhang He and said, “Commander Zhang, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Zhang He returned the greeting. “Greetings, Divine Lord Nan Li.”
When Nan Li noticed the imposing Lu Zhou, he asked, “This is?”
“He’s a new captain of the Dark Guards, Old Mister Lu,” Zhang He said. It was impossible for him to say that Lu Zhou was a subordinate of the White Emperor on such an occasion. He no longer said anything and only looked at Nan Li.
Nan Li sized Lu Zhou up. Since Xuanyi brought Lu Zhou here, he thought that Lu Zhou must be extraordinary. Then, he finally said with a smile, “I heard that Xuanyi Palace recruited a Dao expert. You must be him, right, Captain Lu?”
In fact, based on Zhang He’s introductions, there was nothing wrong with this title. However, Xuanyi felt rather uncomfortable upon hearing it so he corrected, “It’s Pavilion Master Lu.”
“Pavilion Master?”
“Pavilion Master Lu was the master of a pavilion before he came to the Great Void,” Xuanyi said. With this, he could somewhat maintain Lu Zhou’s status without revealing too much. Whether or not he intentionally showed his stance, no one knew.
Nan Li cupped his fists together at Lu Zhou and said, “Pavilion Master Lu, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Lu Zhou nodded before he praised, “Southern Split Mountain is indeed Fengshui’s treasure. It’s a perfect place for cultivation. I didn’t expect that after 100,000 years, the spring here is still as beautiful as before.”
Zhang He: “???”
‘This act is too much! It’s as though he’s been here before!’
Nan Li asked, “Pavilion Master Lu, have you been here before?”
Xuanyi, the MVP, came to the rescue and said, “During our journey here, I told Pavilion Master Lu all about this place.”
Zhang He: “?”
‘Did you? I was there during our entire journey here; how come I didn’t hear His Majesty talking about Southern Split Mountain? Was I too sleepy and muddle-headed?’
Nan Li smiled. “I see. Everyone, please follow me.”
When they entered the Dao hall, a feast, fine wine, and beautiful women could be seen.
After everyone took their seats, Nan Li said, “It’s Southern Split Mountain’s honor to be able to receive you, one of the masters of the ten halls. If there’s anything not to your liking, I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Xuanyi said without beating around the bush, “I came to see an old friend here today and to prepare for the commanders’ competition. It’s out of my expectations that Southern Split Mountain would be chosen as the venue.”
“It’s a trivial matter,” Nan Li replied before he asked Zhang He, “Commander Zhang, are you confident?”
Zhang He smiled and said, “If someone wants to snatch the position of commander from me, they’d have to be capable.”
“The opponent is some by the Scarlet Emperor’s side,” Nan Li said.
“The Scarlet Emperor is powerful, and someone I respect. However, we still have to follow the rules of the Great Void,” Zhang He said.
“You have a point. It seems like you’re very confident about retaining your position,” Nan Li said with a smile.
At this moment, Lu Zhou asked, “Is the Scarlet Emperor here?”
Nan Li did not reply immediately. Instead, he looked at the Dao attendant next to him and asked, “Is the Scarlet Emperor here?”
The Dao attendant stepped forward and replied, “The Scarlet Emperor isn’t here. Only the two challengers and the four Vajras came.”
Nan Li nodded. “As expected, the Scarlet Emperor is a busy man.”
Nan Li emphasized the words ‘busy man’. Clearly, he was slightly dissatisfied that he had been stood up.
“I was invited by the Scarlet Emperor. I didn’t expect him not to show up,” Xuanyi said with a smile.
In the end, Xuanyi and Nan Li were of different statuses. Since Xuanyi did not seem dissatisfied, Nan Li naturally could not show his dissatisfaction.
At this time, Zhang He said in a clear voice, “What a pity he’s not here. His Majesty is now a great divine king.”
Upon hearing this, Nan Li revealed an expression of surprise. “A great divine king? Congratulations!”
“I was just lucky.” Xuanyi was in a good mood today so he was not affected by the Scarlet Emperor’s absence.
“It’s indeed a pity that the Scarlet Emperor’s not here,” Nan Li said as he raised his wine cup, “I’ll toast Great Divine King Xuanyi.”
At this time, how could Xuanyi not mention his benefactor, Lu Zhou?
Xuanyi glanced at the expressionless Lu Zhou before he said in a neutral tone, “It’s all thanks to my discussion of the Dao with Pavilion Master Lu that I was enlightened. Otherwise, it would’ve been as difficult as ascending to the heavens to become a great divine king.”
Zhang He felt that he was increasingly unable to understand Xuanyi. Even if Lu Zhou was the White Emperor’s subordinate, there was no need to flatter Lu Zhou to this extent, right?
Nan Li exclaimed, “No wonder Great Divine King Xuanyi brought Pavilion Master Lu here! He’s really a Dao expert!”
Lu Zhou shook his head. “His breakthrough has nothing to do with me. It’s due to his diligence.”
Nan Li raised his wine cup again. “Pavilion Master Lu, you’re too modest! Come, let me toast you!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang He raised his wine cup and said, “Let me toast Divine Lord Nan Li first.”
Nan Li said with a smile, “Since Commander Zhang has such an expert by his side, let’s seize the chance to ask for advice together! Come, let’s toast Pavilion Master Lu!”
Zhang He: “…”
Zhang He was speechless. ‘I really don’t want to deal with this anymore. I want to go home!’
Alas, Zhang He was the Commander of Xuanyi Hall; how could he leave? He thought to himself, ‘Forget it. Just treat him like he’s the White Emperor.’
With this thought in mind, Zhang He felt much more comfortable. Treating Lu Zhou as the White Emperor made him able to understand and accept Lu Zhou’s treatment more.
After drinking the wine, Lu Zhou asked, “Since the Scarlet Emperor isn’t here, where are the two challengers?”
Nan Li pointed in the direction of the Southern Cloud Viewing Pavilion and said, “They’re at the Southern Cloud Viewing Pavilion. Pavilion Master Lu, you’re also interested in the owners of the Great Void Seeds?”
Lu Zhou knew that the two owners of the Great Void Seeds whom the Scarlet Emperor took away were Mingshi Yin and Duanmu Sheng. Hence, he said, “Since they’re guests as well, why don’t we invite them over for a chat?”
‘Let’s confirm they’re my two wicked disciples first and act according to the situation. This is the Great Void, not the nine domains, after all.’
Nan Li said with a smile, “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint Pavilion Master Lu. It’s best not to meet before the commander’s competition begins.”
“The commander’s competition?”
Xuanyi explained, “After the land split 100,000 years ago, the ten Pillars of Destruction lifted the Great Void to the sky. In order to maintain the stability of the Great Void, the ten halls recruited cultivators from all over the world. Everyone has their own duties. The commander of a hall is the core strength of a hall. The Great Emperor decided to hold the commanders’ competition once every 1,000 years to provide fresh blood to the ten halls.”
Zhang He said, “I came today to warm up. Since everyone’s in such high spirits, there’s no need to wait.”
Nan Li asked, “Commander Zhang, do you plan to spar now?”
“My fists are already restless!” Zhang He said before he flashed to a vast suspended field suspended between two floating platforms.
The field was vast and shaped like an octagon. There were obvious formations around it. Clouds swirled around it, making it look mysterious.
After Zhang He appeared in the middle of the field, he sent a voice transmission to the Southern Cloud Viewing Platform.
“I’m Commander Zhang He of Xuanyi Palace. Please come over for a moment.”
At this time, Lu Zhou asked, “What are the cultivations of the two challengers?”
Nan Li replied, “They both possess the Great Void Seeds. They were Saints 100 years ago. I’m afraid now they’ve already comprehended the Great Dao and become Dao Saints.”
Xuanyi said, “The Great Void doesn’t lack top quality life hearts and cultivation resources, after all. It’s only normal that they’ve become Dao Saints.”
“It’s only average…” Lu Zhou said casually.
“What?”
“They’re just Dao Saints. They need to work harder,” Lu Zhou said.
Nan Li was even more surprised. Initially, he assumed Lu Zhou was a Dao Saint. However, based on the words ‘they’re just Dao Saints’, it was clear Lu Zhou’s cultivation was much higher. This means Lu Zhou was at least a Great Dao Saint.
From the northern Dao hall and the Southern Viewing Cloud Platform, one could see the field very well. No wonder Southern Split Mountain was chosen as the venue. Coupled with the formations, it would be easy to see who was better.
Meanwhile, Zhang He hovered three inches off the ground and placed his hands on his back. Seeing there was no movement from the Southern Cloud Viewing Platform, he said again in a clear voice, “Friends from the Flaming Sea, please come over for a moment. Divine King Xuanyi, Divine Lord Nan Li, the heaven, the earth, the sun, and the moon will be our witnesses.”
At this moment, a long spear glowing with a golden light shot from the clouds like a meteor toward Zhang He.
Zhang He’s expression did not change as he calmly responded. With one hand and two fingers extended, he reached out to push the golden spear away.
The golden spear stirred up a violent wind when Zhang He’s hand caught it between his fingers.
“Go!”
Zhang He’s hand seemed to contain the might of a thousand blades. He was a famous cultivator who fought with his bare hands in Xuanyi Palace.
The golden spear trembled before it was sent flying with a loud swoosh by Zhang He’s two fingers. The wind swept toward the mountains, stirring up thousands of leaves.
