novelraw Chapter 479: Dont Take It Out on the Disciples
Chapter 479: Dont Take It Out on the Disciples
Old Black Daoist had been about to argue a few more points, but just as he opened his mouth, several figures suddenly appeared in front of him, among them those who had stood upon the dais at the opening of the Dao Debate. They crowded around Ancestor Sui Bian with lavish praise: “Fellow Daoist bears an extraordinary air and a handsome countenance; might we have the honor of making your acquaintance?”
They pressed in closer with smiling eyes, their flattery growing ever more shameless: “Fellow Daoist is not only formidable in cultivation, but also striking in looks; one cannot help but admire you.”
Another voice chimed in as they nudged Old Black Daoist right out of the circle: “Fellow Daoist…”
Ancestor Sui Bian wore a puzzled look, yet he kept a pleasant smile and answered them with modest courtesy. Only when the various sect masters began circling around to inquire about Yu Zhao did he understand their ill intent; his face darkened at once, and his replies turned perfunctory. Seeing this, Senior Qun Fang promptly steered the conversation away. After she did this several times, the would-be gossipmongers finally gave up and withdrew in frustration.
Ancestor Sui Bian muttered under his breath as he watched them leave: “They actually dare make a play for Yu Zhao right in front of me. Outrageous.”
He thought of Yu Zhao as an outstanding disciple of their Five Elements Dao Sect; he absolutely could not let others poach her. Senior Qun Fang soothed him with a quiet reminder: “You know Yu Zhao’s temperament; she will not leave.”
“Of course,” Ancestor Sui Bian answered with certainty, although a sliver of doubt pricked at his heart. The Middle Thousand World was nothing like the Lesser Thousand World they came from. Resources were richer, opportunities more abundant, and the benefits one could gain far exceeded imagination. If Yu Zhao were to join a sect of the Middle Thousand World, her future path would be far smoother and her prospects immeasurable. There was truly no need for her, as there had been for these few old fellows, to pour heart and soul into the thankless task of restoring contact with the broader cultivation world. If only he were more open-handed and of a higher state of mind, he ought to set her free to seek her own Way rather than binding her to them, to sink together into this bottomless whirlpool. He lifted his head and gazed at the screen hanging in the sky, and for a time a thousand thoughts surged like the tide. [Perhaps I should let her choose, even if that means choosing a road without us.]
Four Voids Realm.
Yu Zhao was seated in meditation when a faint buzzing threaded into her ears. Without so much as lifting an eyelid, she casually raised two fingers and pinched the air. At once, a strange ripple of spiritual fluctuation spread through the emptiness. She opened her eyes, glanced around, and rubbed her chin in thought. [No wonder I ran into more cultivators today; the Four Voids Realm has shrunk to one-tenth its former size, so naturally the chances of meeting others have risen sharply.]
She rose to her feet and flexed her fingers, quietly feeling out the power within her body, and the corner of her lips lifted. After absorbing four avatars of Dao intent in succession, this body of hers was already not far from her true body outside. The only difference lay in the current flowing through her meridians: in reality it was spiritual power, but here it was her own incredibly pure intent.She tapped the ground with the tip of her toe and flashed forward ten zhang in an instant. Satisfied, Yu Zhao nodded: it was time to test just how strong this body could be within the Four Voids Realm.
After flying on for several hundred li, she spotted a boulder rolling along the bare, gray-white world. Her brows arched in mild surprise. It was an acquaintance—no, a familiar stone. Pitch-black from end to end, its surface was rough and its edges knife-sharp. The stone caught sight of Yu Zhao, split open a seam across its face, and a grotesque stone mouth gaped and snapped as it cackled: “Yu Zhao? Why are you a person?”
Yu Zhao wasted not a word. She drove her fist straight into the rock. The boulder did not evade; it even let out a rasping laugh: “Like an egg striking—”
The rest was drowned beneath a thunderous impact. A vast force swept down with the wind roaring in its wake. For an instant, the rock’s stony face seemed to show a look close to terror. It never had time to settle. The boulder burst from within, shattered into a storm of fragments, and those shards scattered through the air only to vanish before they ever reached the ground.
Yu Zhao drew back her hand, dusted the back of it lightly, and strode on.
From then on, she encountered other cultivators with growing frequency, and sending them out of the trial took little time. Now and then she met a tougher opponent; when she did, she would hold back and seize the chance to study their intents more closely.
Another day passed. The Four Voids Realm had shrunk to less than a thousandth of its original size. The disciples from the participating sects found themselves compressed into the same region and began to form groups. Lone cultivators like Yu Zhao quickly became their prime targets.
They soon realized they had chosen poorly. Yu Zhao might appear to be on her own, but her depths were unfathomable. She gave the impression that she was not fighting solely with Dao intent at all. Many of those she eliminated did the first thing upon returning to reality: report Yu Zhao for cheating.
Yu Zhao knew nothing of the outrage she had sparked. Just then, she finally met a thorny opponent.
He introduced himself with an easy smile: “Lu Jiu Yuan of Qingxu Sect.”
She answered with composed courtesy: “Yu Zhao, standing in for Lingyin Sect.”
“So you are the Yu Zhao who defeated Du Wu Xiang,” Lu Jiu Yuan said as he toyed with the folding fan in his hand, blue eyes glinting with a curious light: “No wonder he lost to you. He cannot complain.”
“Your praise is excessive,” Yu Zhao replied, outwardly calm while her heart grew wary. Lu Jiu Yuan’s will was the most condensed she had encountered within the Four Voids Realm, scarcely yielding even to her own. If nothing unexpected occurred, he was nailed-on to be first in this Dao Debate.
Excited whispers spread among those watching: “Look, Yu Zhao and Lu Jiu Yuan have crossed paths.”
“They ran into each other so early; does that mean one of them will be eliminated ahead of time?”
“Why are you so confident in Yu Zhao? However impressive she is, she’s only at early Divine Transformation. Lu Jiu Yuan is early Void Refining. They’re not on the same level.”
“That’s talking about the world outside. Right now they’re in the Four Voids Realm, and Yu Zhao has four avatars of intent. How is that the same?”
Outside the realm, the crowd grew downright electric at the meeting of the two. Everyone had assumed Lu Jiu Yuan would be the undisputed first, but midway along came Yu Zhao, cutting down all before her. They had watched her slice a path to this point as if chopping vegetables, and no one dared to predict the outcome now.
Not everyone hesitated.
“Yu Zhao will definitely win,” declared Ancestor Sui Bian as he jabbed the iron-tower-like man beside him with an elbow: “Elder Tie Shan, wouldn’t you say?”
Elder Tie Shan snorted heavily and turned to glare at two disciples drooping like wilted eggplants. Those two, soundly routed by Yu Zhao earlier, wished they could bury their heads in their chests and did not even dare to breathe.
Ancestor Sui Bian clapped Elder Tie Shan’s arm with a placating grin: “Hey now, don’t take it out on your disciples. Whoever runs into Yu Zhao is helpless; call it bad luck for these two.”