Everyone has their own inner obsessions, as does Crown Prince Xu and Ming Qi.
In Crown Prince Xu's view, Meng Ling, the ancient demonic weapon and the instrument of the Human Blood Demonic Lute, is a true demon. Such a notorious demon deserves death. He couldn't understand why Ming Qi would persist in defending a demonic being at all costs.
In Ming Qi's heart, whether Meng Ling was a demon or a monster, it didn't matter. What mattered was the heart.
Meng Ling's heart was free of demons.
That was enough!
Even through mountains of swords and seas of fire, Ming Qi was not afraid, nor would he be terrified. To protect, he must protect completely!
"You alone? Not enough."
After a moment's silence, Crown Prince Xu suddenly spoke.
Yes, if Crown Prince Xu struck with all his might, Ming Qi would have only one outcome: utter destruction.
"What about me?"
Just then, Prince Xu heard a voice. Following the sound, he saw a figure resembling icy jade swiftly rushing towards him from afar.
The voice arrived before the person, and along with it, a boundless icy aura.
Sensing this unprecedented icy aura, Prince Xu's pupils narrowed slightly, and he immediately recognized it.
"Taiyin Chill!"
His tone was tinged with shock. Extremely cold and yin could condense the profound water energy of Taiyin Chill into ice. Only a handful of people in Xilan possessed this Taiyin Chill!
As he spoke, Yue Qinglong arrived.
The Pseudo-Innate had no ability to fly, but Yue Qinglong had already firmly established himself beside Ming Qi.
This was because he was standing on the body of a gigantic demonic beast, its body as thick as jade. This demonic beast, besides its enormous body and shimmering jade, more importantly, possessed a pair of enormous wings!
"Wenqu Bihan Lion!"
"Indeed!"
Yue Qinglong folded his arms over his chest and replied resoundingly.
"Have you, the Yaoshan Qingfu, truly decided to intervene in this matter?"
Prince Xu remained silent, but Chu Huaiyuan, in the distance, spoke first.
Prince Xu knew the Wenqu Bihan Lion, and Chu Huaiyuan knew it even better.
And upon seeing this jade-clad Wenqu Bihan Lion, emanating an immensely ferocious and chilling aura, they both unconsciously thought of another name, another demonic beast.
Wuqu Blood-Scaled Leopard!
A phoenix cry emanated from the Qingfu, one civil and one martial dominating Yaoshan!
Yaoshan Qingfu, the twin stars of civil and martial arts!
As one of the seven prefectures of Xilan Province, the Yaoshan Qingfu excelled in the art of control. With one civil and one martial, the Yaoshan's phoenix cry was a name known to nearly everyone in Xilan Province.
Wenqu had appeared, but where was Wuqu?
At this moment, Crown Prince Xu and Chu Huaiyuan were concerned about the yet-to-be-revealed Wu Qu.
One civil, one martial, a perfect blend of both—this was a presence that every Qingfu disciple would be proud of!
"Qingfu? No, it's me, Yue Qinglong!"
Yue Qinglong pointed a finger at himself, then at Ming Qi beside him, and declared, "He's my friend, Yue Qinglong. If you want to hurt him, you'll have to get past me first!"
Yue Qinglong's voice was resounding, displaying all his previous magnanimity and fortitude.
"Excellent! Very good!"
Chu Huaiyuan suddenly sneered, uttering two "excellent" words in quick succession.
The Biyou Sect had long been forbearing, and he had long since reached the tenth level of the Xiantian realm. Now that Yaoshan had decided to intervene, Chu Huaiyuan naturally would not back down. His previous forbearance was due to his own lack of strength, but now, he, too, was at the tenth level of the Xiantian realm!
The Yaoshan Qingfu was no longer a behemoth!
His hands grasped the air, and water spirit energy rapidly condensed.
"Prince Junior Brother, please step back for now!"
Chu Huaiyuan was determined, holding back completely.
Chu Huaiyuan was the true pillar of the Biyou Sect. At his command, Prince Xu silently retreated to a distance.
"Six Elders, form your formation!"
At Chu Huaiyuan's command, the six elders gathered around him, their blood boiling. As core elders of the Biyou Sect, they knew Chu Huaiyuan had advanced to the tenth level of the Xiantian realm. They also had some understanding of the Biyou Sect's long-planned strategy. Seeing the prospect of a direct confrontation with the Qing Mansion, one of the Seven Prefectures, their hearts were ablaze with fighting spirit.
Swish!
Six figures swiftly cut towards the six surrounding directions, their Yuan Energy surging in their hands, their formation flags flying. In an instant, a grand formation was set up, encircling Ming Qi and the other two.
"Setting up a formation? Too bad you're nowhere near as good as the Nine Nether Mo School. It's just some trifling tricks!"
Watching the six elders quickly set up their formation, Yue Qinglong remained unfazed. He scoffed, tapping his foot and pointing his right hand into the air.
"Wenqu, activate the formation!"
Facing the six guardians of the Biyou Sect, along with Grand Elder Chu Huaiyuan, who had taken the initiative, Yue Qinglong methodically directed the Wenqu Bihan Lions to set up their formation.
As Yue Qinglong commanded, the Wenqu Bihan Lions beneath him roared, lifted their claws into the air, and with a flutter of their wings, six jade-colored spheres of light instantly soared into the air, forming a line that formed a faint formation.
"Wu Qu, Seven Star Killing Formation, combining civil and military skills!"
Just as the six spheres of light unfolded, a delicate cry rang out. A bloody line shot across the distance, and a massive creature soared into the air, merging rapidly with the six spheres of light. Instantly, thunder and wind rippled through the sky, and the seven stars shone faintly. The Wu Qu Blood Scale Leopard, like a blood-red meteor, quickly merged with the six jade spheres to form the Seven Star Big Dipper.
Big Dipper Seven Star Civil and Military Killing Formation!
The Wu Qu Blood Scale Leopard instantly took position, and the Big Dipper Seven Star Civil and Military Killing Formation was fully formed. Yue Dongqing, clad in azure, appeared outside the six guardians' formation like a soaring fairy.
The six guardians had already formed a large formation. Although Yue Dongqing couldn't directly traverse the formation to join Ming Qi and the others, relying on her innate affinity for civil and military skills, she forcibly tore a gap in the six elders' formation, forcing Wu Qu into the formation and merging with Wen Qu.
The Wenqu and Wuqu were inherently connected in spirit, possessing a tacit understanding. While the Biyou Sect could construct formations, as Yue Qinglong had said, their mastery was not high, completely unable to stop the combined power of the Wenwu and Wu.
As Chu Huaiyuan watched the Wenwu and Wu merge into one, his expression changed slightly.
In the Qingfu of Yaoshan, the Wenwu and Wu are second only to the Phoenix. Without the Phoenix, the Wenwu and Wu are undeniably the most powerful innate demon beasts in all of Xilan Province, and rarely rivaled below the Martial King.
Chu Huaiyuan had always believed that the Wenwu and Wu were comparable in strength to the Martial King, a claim the Qingfu disciples held. But judging by the aura of the Wenwu and Wu, possessing the strength of a Martial King was not out of the question.
The strength of a Martial King?
Chu Huaiyuan pondered, a wisp of his spiritual awareness unconsciously extending, reaching deep into the Biyou Immortal Palace.
The Big Dipper's martial and civil killing formation, intertwined with auras of ice and fire, and the faintly connected seven-star formations all stirred to life.
The small Heavenly Gate Golden Lock Formation, set up by the six elders of the Biyou Sect, also shimmered with golden light. With the six individuals' energy exchanging and merging, breaking out would be no easy task.
For a moment, the two sides were on edge.
"Sword-wielding Elder, you have always been ranked first among the sect's Grand Elders, and I second. Today, I will come to see if your swordsmanship is truly that formidable."
After completing the fusion of martial and civil skills, Yue Dongqing bypassed the killing formation set up by the six elders and flew directly towards Crown Prince Xu in the distance.
Crown Prince Xu, however, remained calm, his expression unmoved.
The Yaoshan Qingfu excelled in the art of control, their ability to wield demonic beasts truly astonishing, beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. However, they were currently in mid-air, where ordinary innate demonic beasts could not fly. This effectively weakened Yue Dongqing's combat effectiveness. Prince Xu couldn't understand how Yue Dongqing could possibly rely on her to challenge Prince Xu's swordsmanship.
However, Prince Xu didn't dare underestimate this young lady from the Yaoshan Qingfu. He just couldn't understand why Yue Dongqing chose to train with the Biyou Sect, a third-rate sect whose power, status, and resources were far superior to those of the Yaoshan Qingfu.
Prince Xu stepped back a few steps, sword in hand, and looking at Yue Dongqing before him, he said, "My swordsmanship is unremarkable, but it's your scheming that truly impresses me."
Yue Dongqing smiled faintly, not modestly. She had indeed come to the Biyou Sect with a secret she couldn't reveal. It was a secret she kept to herself, unknown even to those closest to her, and certainly not one she would reveal at this moment.
"Dongqing's swordsmanship is also unremarkable. It's a good opportunity to experience it."
As he spoke, Yue Dongqing flicked her sleeves, revealing a longsword, its edge as white as snow and gleaming as autumn water.
"You wield a sword, too?"
Prince Xu was slightly taken aback. He considered himself well-versed in Yue Dongqing. Although he only later learned her true identity as the daughter of the Yaoshan Qing Mansion, one of the Seven Great Prefectures, he had learned a great deal about her behavior over the years.
The Yaoshan Qingfu's prowess in control goes without saying, but no one has ever been heard of excelling in swordsmanship. If Yue Dongqing had only dabbled in swordsmanship, she wouldn't dare show off her prowess before a master of the art like Prince Xu.
"A mediocre swordsmanship."
The longsword in Yue Dongqing's hand let out a crisp dragon's roar, and a stream of Snow Dragon sword energy quickly erupted.
With Yue Dongqing's gentle sword strike, the sky suddenly filled with snowflakes!
"Heavenly Artifact Dragon Snow!"
Prince Xu was startled, instantly understanding. However, he dared not dwell on it. Facing the Dragon Snow Sword, also of the Heavenly Artifact level, and the fact that the opponent's swordsmanship was most likely personally taught by a powerful Martial King, he couldn't afford to be careless.
Buzz!
Prince Xu dodged the oncoming Snow Dragon sword energy, and the Evil-Suppressing Divine Sword in his hand suddenly revealed its sharp edge.
As swords flashed, figures blurred, and snowflakes filled the air, in the distance, within the Small Heavenly Gate's Golden Lock Formation, Ming Qi, Yue Qinglong, and Meng Ling soared into the air.
In the Seven Star Killing Formation, a fusion of civil and military power, a dazzling seven-star sphere of light shone as large as a truck. As the core of the Seven Star Killing Formation, the Wenqu Bihan Lion sat firmly at its center, protected by the seven stars.
Chu Huaiyuan's eyes, sharp as knives, stared at the rapidly rotating Seven Star Killing Formation, but he did not attack immediately.
Faced with the unknown Seven Star Killing Formation, Chu Huaiyuan displayed unprecedented caution.
Part of his ability to maintain composure stemmed from this caution, while another part came from the depths of the Biyou Immortal Palace!