Chapter 196: Perhaps That Man Truly Doesn’t Dare to Show Up
“Oh?”
Hearing those words, the Heavenly Heart Sacred Holy Son’s eyes gleamed as he spoke softly, “The Great Chu Dynasty truly is a land of outstanding talent. First, they produced the Champion Marquis, and now the Literary Marquis.”
“Both are remarkable, prodigious figures.”
Still, in his view, the Literary Marquis was somewhat inferior—at least for now.
Even though he hadn’t seen the man fight, just judging from his Physique and the number of lightning calamities tribulations he had undergone, the Literary Marquis was clearly at a disadvantage.
After all, the Champion Marquis had once survived the nine lightning calamities tribulation!
Even so, the Literary Marquis still had the potential to surpass his predecessors.
His cultivation path was the Confucian Path, which meant he relied on righteous aura rather than pure spiritual energy in battle.
If he were to dual cultivate a traditional cultivation path as well, his combat power could easily double.
The only question was—has he chosen to walk both roads?
Shifting the topic, the Heavenly Heart Sacred Holy Son narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Now that people from the Great Chu Dynasty are here… they might very well target the Profound Sun Holy Land’s forces.”
His gaze drifted to a nearby mountain peak.
There, a few elders from Profound Sun Holy Land stood quietly. Although Li Xun had yet to arrive, several of the sect’s elders had already taken position.
But their cultivation? Only Life and Death Realm.
They could easily suppress cultivators in the Divine Power Realm, but if faced with peerless talents of the same realm, they’d likely be outmatched—or even killed.
If Li Xun doesn’t show up, then even with their proximity advantage, Profound Sun Holy Land might leave this place empty-handed.
At that moment, a crisp, resonant voice rang out through the sky.
“Fellow Daoist Chu, you’ve finally arrived!”
A man in black robes embroidered with golden patterns walked calmly through the void. His black hair shimmered with luster, his spiritual energy and blood surged like a savage dragon, and in his deep-set eyes, sun, moon, and stars seemed to shift, the flow of time itself faintly visible.
Each of his steps, though graceful, carried such weight that space visibly distorted beneath his feet.
“The Star-Moon Demon Sect Holy Son?”
The crowd turned with subtle surprise.
With such a rare inheritance emerging, it was expected that some youthful elites would form temporary alliances to eliminate rivals. But what caught everyone off guard was that the Holy Son of the Star-Moon Demon Sect would be the one to openly greet the Great Chu Prince.
Were they planning to join forces?
“Fellow Daoist Ge, long time no see.”
Chu Lingfeng—the 132nd prince of Great Chu—smiled politely and gave a small nod of acknowledgement.
Ge Chongyun, the Star-Moon Demon Sect Holy Son, chuckled.
“To think Fellow Daoist Chu traveled all the way from the Great Chu Dynasty and has already arrived… unlike a certain someone, who lives just a few million li away, yet is still nowhere to be seen.”
As he spoke, his eyes flicked sideways toward the third princess of the Great Zhou Empire. There was a flash of mockery deep in his gaze.
He continued with a smirk:
“If you ask me, maybe that man isn’t showing up because… he’s afraid.”
Though he didn’t name names, everyone present knew exactly who he meant.
Li Xun.
After all, only Profound Sun Holy Land was so close to the Savage Mountain Range—just a short journey over the Profound Sun mountain range would’ve brought him here. By all logic, he should’ve been the first to arrive.
And yet he was still absent.
Many had already begun to suspect that Li Xun might not be coming at all.
“You sure love courting death.”
The third princess of the Great Zhou Empire let out a cold snort, her beautiful face frosty with anger.
Most people were confused as to why Ge Chongyun was suddenly taking shots at Li Xun. After all, they had never crossed paths before.
But the third princess knew exactly why.
It was because she had refused to ally with Ge Chongyun and instead, had secretly sent envoys to contact Li Xun.
Unfortunately, her emissaries had not found him.
Although the third princess of the Great Zhou Empire had never actually formed an alliance with Li Xun, her attempt to reach out to him hadn’t gone unnoticed by the Star-Moon Demon Sect Holy Son. That alone was enough to earn his resentment.
“Fellow Daoist Ge speaks truly. Perhaps that man really doesn’t dare to come.”
Chu Lingfeng chuckled lightly.
“If he only has that much courage, then it seems the past rumors about him were greatly exaggerated. As for the fall of the Duke Qi from my Great Chu Dynasty… it was probably the result of a sneak attack.”
Ge Chongyun shook his head slightly, his tone thick with scorn.
Indeed, though killing a Divine Palace Realm expert was impressive, there was a world of difference between defeating one head-on and killing one by ambush. Any of the present geniuses—given the element of surprise—could potentially take down a Divine Palace expert.
Li Xun was no exception.
Chu Lingfeng cast a meaningful glance at Ge Chongyun and said with calm amusement,
“I wasn’t there when Duke Qi died, but I imagine Fellow Daoist Ge is probably right.”
After all, one of their nobles had been slain by Li Xun—an event that, while not an outright scandal, was deeply embarrassing for the Great Chu Dynasty. No matter what, they could never publicly admit it was a fair duel.
Now that Ge Chongyun was offering a convenient excuse, Chu Lingfeng was all too happy to accept it.
“Heh.”
Ge Chongyun let out a cold laugh, his voice indifferent.
“So, in the end, the so-called Holy Son of Profound Sun is nothing more than a pretender—a man who lives on reputation alone. With just one hand, I could crush him like an insect—-”
Before he could finish—
A dazzling beam of divine light shot across the sky, splitting the heavens with unimaginable force. Wherever it passed, entire mountain peaks exploded into dust, disintegrating as if they had never existed.
Its target?
Ge Chongyun’s head.
“Who!?”
Ge Chongyun’s expression changed drastically as he whipped around, roaring with fury. He thrust out his palm, forming a brilliant imprint of light.
It collided with the divine beam in an instant.
BOOM!!
The impact resounded like thunder shaking the heavens. Mountains quaked, and the shockwave tore through the surrounding space, scattering clouds and shattering stones.
At the epicenter of the explosion—
A splash of crimson blood sprayed into the air.
“How bold!”
A deep, thunderous voice echoed across the battlefield as a torrent of blood energy surged outward, clearing the dust like a hurricane.
Hovering in the sky, Ge Chongyun’s hand was bleeding, a slow, steady drip from his palm.
The sight sent a collective chill down many onlookers’ spines.
Everyone knew: Ge Chongyun was the Holy Son of the Star-Moon Demon Sect, a sect that specialized in body refinement technique. Very few in the same realm could even scratch him.
And yet someone had just injured him with a single strike?
That was… almost unthinkable.
Ge Chongyun’s gaze turned icy. He scanned the surrounding void, and soon spotted a mysterious figure—shrouded in divine radiance, face obscured, gender indiscernible.
Still, Ge Chongyun’s instincts screamed:
This was the attacker.
“It’s them?”
On a distant peak, the third princess of the Great Zhou Empire parted her lips in surprise, a strange light flashing in her eyes.
She recognized the figure immediately.
Back when the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm had opened, this very person had approached her and traded a Life and Death Pill in exchange for a spot inside.
And now, nearly two years later—that person had appeared once again, right here.
“Judging by the power of that strike, they are probably not quite at the Life and Death Realm… but they are not far off either.”
Her heart trembled at the thought.