A wave of heat surged toward Li Fan, the Sword Aura blazing fiercely like fire.
Li Fan glanced at the incoming sword and frowned slightly. His gaze swept over his opponent before raising his hand and pointing forward.
At Li Fan’s fingertips, Sword Intent coiled, transforming into a sharp blade that clashed with Xiao Qiang’s attacking sword, producing a resonating hum.
"Buzz..." A wave of flas rushed toward Li Fan, threatening to engulf him. Around him, Sword Aura circulated, forming a shimring shield that blocked the fire’s intrusion.
Li Fan extended his fingers forward and caught Xiao Qiang’s sword.
Xiao Qiang’s brows furrowed as she swung her arm. The longsword trembled in her grip, but Li Fan’s fingers slid along its blade, releasing brilliant sword radiance from his fingertips. A palpable sense of danger overwheld Xiao Qiang, causing her to retreat instantly. Yet, Li Fan’s finger swept through the air, launching a strike of Sword Aura from afar.
Xiao Qiang felt a chill graze her face as a strand of hair near her temple was severed and softly floated away. She lowered her gaze and touched her neck, finding a faint trace of a bloodline there.
Cheers erupted outside Bai Lu Academy.
Soone enjoying the spectacle exclaid heartily, "Miss Xiao, it seems the difference between you and Yang Qingshan is too great. What an unnecessary endeavor!"
"Yang Xia slayed a demon with a single sword strike, and that night when the Four Realm Demon ca seeking blood vengeance against Ji Feng, Yang Xia cut him down with one sword as well. In the Fourth Realm, Yang Xia has long been unsurpassed. While Miss Xiao is indeed talented, challenging Yang Xia seems rather..."
"Indeed. Here in Yun ng City, no one has been Yang Xia’s match in this realm for ages. Seeing as Miss Xiao knew this already, her challenge may have ulterior motives, don’t you think?"
Many chid in with laughter, speculating that Xiao Qiang might have hidden intentions.
Xiao Qiang turned, sweeping her gaze over the crowd. Calm yet sharp, she said, "I did not co here rely to challenge anyone. What, do any of you have objections?"
Her voice carried a spirited deanor that silenced many. Yet, from sowhere deep in the crowd, laughter broke out again. "How fierce! Well, she truly lives up to being the Imperial Extre Sect’s heiress. But if she didn’t co to challenge, could it be she’s here looking for a successor to the sect’s leadership?"
"Hahaha, or perhaps Sect Master Xiao is seeking a fine son-in-law?"
Xiao Qiang glared sharply at the crowd, then turned toward Li Fan and said, "Your swordsmanship is so extraordinary. If I were to join the academy to study, could I learn alongside you?"
As her words fell, a chorus of jeering erupted outside.
So much for a challenge—it’s as we thought, huh...
The Imperial Extre Sect, holding top status in Yun ng City, was led by Sect Master Xiao Yu, whose cultivation was remarkably strong. As for his heiress who notoriously held her head high above the rest, it was quite surprising she’d co to Bai Lu Academy looking for Yang Qingshan.
*Beauty loves a hero, indeed.* Heroes like Yang Qingshan are never short of admirers. Look at Lu Yuan standing at his side at this mont—does Xiao Qiang intend to intervene here as well?
Li Fan paid Xiao Qiang no mind and turned to leave.
*This woman ca to challenge him, wielding her sword without his agreent, and now she suddenly wants to study under him? Utterly baffling.*
*He had no particular feelings toward the so-called top-tier Imperial Extre Sect of Yun ng City.*
*Whether Xiao Qiang had hidden motives—it was of no interest to him.*
As Li Fan turned away, the crowd burst into another wave of chatter, leaving Xiao Qiang standing awkwardly as she watched his retreating figure. "Don’t you think you’re being a bit rude?" she called out indignantly.
"You intruded into Bai Lu Academy, provoking us. Isn’t that already rude enough?" Ji Xue retorted. Xiao Qiang turned to her and asked coldly, "And who might you be?"
"A student of Bai Lu Academy," Ji Xue replied calmly.
"Watch yourself!" Xiao Qiang shouted sharply, lunging toward Ji Xue. Ji Xue hesitated montarily, her beautiful eyes flashing with displeasure. *This woman was far too insolent.*
Ji Xue imdiately drew her sword, and the two found themselves engaged in combat, prompting the crowd to erupt in cheers once more.
Two strikingly beautiful won—in a fierce quarrel? Rivalry?
"You’ve crossed the line," a voice interjected sternly just as Ji Ran approached. Having seen Xiao Qiang’s aggressive assault on Ji Xue, he harshly reprimanded her. Moving swiftly forward, he intercepted Xiao Qiang’s blade and said coldly, "Bai Lu Academy is no place for your insolence."
"And who are you?" Xiao Qiang tried to retrieve her sword, but the strength of the man before her was overwhelming. Ji Ran placed his palm directly on her sword, forcing Xiao Qiang to retreat.
"This is Bai Lu Academy, not your Imperial Extre Sect," Ji Ran remarked coolly. Yun ng City’s so-called elite sect ant nothing to him. Bai Lu Academy was the true Jiangzhou Sacred Land.
"If I seek to study within Bai Lu Academy, then I am prepared to follow its entrance protocols," Xiao Qiang replied insistently. Ji Ran was about to respond when a voice rang out from afar: "Then escort her there."
Ji Ran scoffed lightly and said to Xiao Qiang, "Follow ."
Xiao Qiang followed Ji Ran, her eyes lingering briefly on Ji Xue.
Trailing behind Ji Ran, her mind wandered, contemplating Yang Qingshan’s aloof deanor. *Gaining access to him may prove challenging.* Her father had tasked her with investigating Yang Qingshan’s identity. *This may require so effort.*
Li Fan returned to the courtyard where Qu Qingfeng approached him and asked, "What happened?"
Li Fan shook his head. "Not clear. The daughter of the Imperial Extre Sect’s master ca challenging, but she seed entirely devoid of fighting spirit—most likely had other intentions."
"I’ve heard a little about the Imperial Extre Sect over the years. Within this chaotic Yun ng City, they’ve annexed nurous other factions," Qu Qingfeng reflected. "Yun ng City is unlike other Jiangzhou cities—it gathers people from all corners, blending chaos with contention. For their sect leader to rise in just a few decades, consolidating all kinds of forces to beco a top-tier sect, there must be more than just trendous personal strength. Behind him, no doubt, lies considerable resources."
"So what does Mr. Xie an?" Li Fan asked, looking at Qu Qingfeng.
"A gentleman bears no malice toward others, yet remaining vigilant is wise," said Qu Qingfeng. "The founder of the Imperial Extre Sect ca singlehandedly to establish his power; his background must run deeper than it appears. And that girl... She certainly isn’t as simple as she seems either."
"Thank you for the instruction, sir," Li Fan said thoughtfully and nodded. *He, too, suspected that Xiao Qiang’s motives were ambiguous.* Hearing Qu Qingfeng’s analysis, the complexity of the Imperial Extre Sect beca even more apparent.
*Xiao Qiang’s challenge was likely no more than a calculated ploy—perhaps rely an attempt to draw near.*
Li Fan recalled another concern: Could this touch on the exposure of Yang Qingshan’s true identity? *Were these events linked?* If this was the case, he would need to proceed cautiously.
So far, there hadn’t been any news from the Court.
*Yun ng City operated outside of imperial jurisdiction, serving as a fortress built by cultivators to resist the Demons of Yun ng Swamp.* But would the Court seek alternate channels to infiltrate Yun ng City?
For example, through sects or families.
*If the Imperial Extre Sect truly carried Court affiliations, then Xiao Qiang’s arrival at Bai Lu Academy could very well be an attempt to probe his identity.*
*In that case, he’d best steer clear of her moving forward.*
Standing nearby, Lu Yuan’s gaze fell upon Li Fan’s profile. On that fateful day when Li Fan had planned his departure only to have his identity exposed, leaving had beco impossible.
*At present, even leaving now seed implausible.* Outside the academy gates, sinister forces—possibly the Great Demons of Yun ng Swamp—might still be lurking.
Soon, news spread from Bai Lu Academy: Xiao Qiang had passed the academy’s entrance tests and was permitted to begin her cultivation.
anwhile, in a bustling tavern within Yun ng City, a man clad in ornate robes sat drinking alone.
His gaze fixated on the distant Bai Lu Academy.
Having already identified the mysterious figure’s true identity, he knew his mark was deep within Bai Lu Academy—an area he couldn’t trespass. For now, it was hopeless.
Bai Lu Academy, a formidable rival to Yun ng Swamp’s Demons, was not one to be trifled with.
Yet idling endlessly was futile; sooner or later, he’d have to return and report to Lord Demon Saint.
That thought stirred a violent impulse within him. *If that’s the case... Let’s settle the matter with Bai Lu Academy.*
A burst of oppressive energy radiated from him, startling others within the tavern.
"Demon Energy," soone murmured.
Cultivators sprang to their feet, their expressions grave and alert, fixing their gaze upon the man.
The man rose and exited, his wicked eyes emitting an eerie glint as demonic brilliance sparkled within them.
"How dare you, Demon, so brazenly flaunt yourself!" soone shouted, mana surging forth to stop him. The Peacock Demon King’s eyes swept over the man, unleashing a dazzling beam of light that flashed briefly. The cultivator’s head flew clean off, blood spurting violently.
"A Great Demon," murmured the crowd, their faces darkened. The Peacock Demon King ceased concealing his overpowering aura, releasing an indescribably terrifying pressure into the air.
Seven radiant hues illuminated the space, and in an instant, the tavern was penetrated with countless rays of concentrated light.
Surrounding the tavern, many felt the oppressive wave of Demon Energy and turned their eyes toward the commotion.
A solitary figure soared into the air, where the Peacock Demon King stood aloft, srizingly radiant yet shrouding all in an illusionary realm.
Sweeping beams of kaleidoscopic light rippled outward, obliterating structures indiscriminately. High above the heavens, an enormous phantom—a peacock of unfathomable size—appeared, shielding everyone beneath its outspread wings.
The Peacock Demon King’s gaze fixed on Bai Lu Academy.
Within Bai Lu Academy, cultivators turned and stared at the Peacock Demon King from afar. Several figures erged in the air, gazing through the distance at the formidable adversary.
"Peacock, your Demons were defeated in battle. What is the aning of this?" An elder’s voice bellowed from across the space, his penetrating gaze locked onto the scene.
"Hand over Yang Qingshan to , or I will fill Yun ng City with slaughter," the Peacock Demon King threatened.
"Yang Qingshan." Many in Yun ng City who heard the Peacock Demon King ntioned the na. On that fateful battlefield, the Demons had been defeated due to Yang Qingshan; now the Peacock Demon King infiltrated Yun ng City, coercing Bai Lu Academy to surrender their hero using the city’s lives as leverage.
At that mont, Li Fan—within his courtyard, still cultivating—paused when he heard the Peacock Demon King’s voice. Looking into the distance, his gaze fell upon the massive peacock phantom towering over the horizon.
With the Peacock Demon King’s terrifying strength and speed, should he choose widespread carnage instead of pursuing tangles with Bai Lu Academy’s cultivators, the death toll would be unimaginable.
*So it truly was proven—that Great Demon who set foot on White Deer Street was indeed the Peacock Demon King, here for him.*
*Was it because of that war?* No, sothing about that war had felt inherently strange.
Lu Yuan, Qu Qingfeng, and the others approached Li Fan, their expressions grave.
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