Chapter 1655: Questioning

"It's a bit like Yun Jianyue, the Demonic Cult Master's, Crescent Wheel," Guan Chouhai mused.

"It really is a bit similar, especially the overwhelming murderous aura coming from it." Wan Tongtian frowned, clearly unsettled by the dense killing intent.

The others discussed, while Wang Wuxie remained thoughtful and didn't interject.

Hearing her name mentioned, Yun Jianyue subtly furrowed her brows. However, she wasn't overly concerned; Qiu Honglei had never used this blade in the martial arts world before, so she wasn't afraid they'd see through the disguise.

Just then, Zu An's voice suddenly rang out: "This is far inferior to Cult Master Yun's Crescent Wheel."

Yun Jianyue raised an eyebrow, gazing at him with a faint, unreadable smile.

"Oh, I heard that Lord Zu and Cult Master Yun had a skirmish some years ago. You must have a deep understanding of her," Wang Wuxie said, looking at Zu An. As the Imperial Advisor, he naturally knew more about court affairs than his fellow cultivators who focused solely on cultivation. Zu An's reputation had soared after the battle in the Imperial Palace, leading to his rapid rise in the Eastern Palace. Previously, seeing no elemental energy fluctuations around him, Wang Wuxie had assumed Zu An was severely injured by the demon race and had lost his cultivation. He hadn't realized Zu An was even more powerful than the rumors suggested.

The other sect leaders all turned to Zu An, surprised that this young man had actually fought Yun Jianyue.

"Our... interactions were indeed quite deep," Zu An said, a hint of nostalgia seemingly appearing on his face.

Yun Jianyue's face flushed. What on earth was this brat thinking?

Yan Xuehen, however, stared at him with a puzzled expression, wondering why his words sounded a little odd.

"That demonic woman has always killed without batting an eye. It's truly rare that Lord Zu could survive her," Li Changsheng of White Jade Capital remarked with emotion.

Yun Jianyue's eyes narrowed. Are all those from White Jade Capital set on opposing me? One day, I'll pay White Jade Capital a visit and show you what "killing without batting an eye" truly means.

Wan Tongtian chuckled, "Having witnessed Lord Zu's prowess before, it's not surprising he could escape unscathed from that demonic woman." Since Zu An had helped him previously, Wan Tongtian had a considerable good impression of him.

"Demonic woman?" Yun Jianyue's gaze turned somewhat dangerous. However, since the other person was also praising Zu An, her lips curved slightly upward, and she found it hard to get angry.

"Actually, she's not as terrible as you describe," Zu An defended her. "She might appear imposing and fierce on the surface, but deep down, she's quite soft-hearted." Hearing them speak ill of Sister Yun made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Yan Xuehen glanced at him, then shifted her gaze elsewhere. Given their shared life-and-death experiences, his words weren't surprising.

The others, however, didn't see it that way. Their expressions changed, and they advised, "Lord Zu, please be careful with your words. Such a demonic woman kills without batting an eye; she's a fugitive wanted by the court. Remember, you must not associate with her."

Wan Tongtian, who held goodwill toward him, earnestly advised, "Yes, Lord Zu, those demonic women are most skilled at deceiving people. Don't be fooled by her disguise."

Zu An frowned, eventually choosing to say nothing more. His experience of frequenting forums in his previous life taught him how difficult it was to persuade someone. These people were already prejudiced and long-standing enemies of the Demonic Cult. Anything he said would indeed be meaningless.

Yun Jianyue, however, was beaming. She thought to herself, "This young man is indeed loyal and righteous. My... disciple chose the right person."

At this moment, the situation on the stage shifted. As Qiu Honglei drew her curved blade, not only the blade itself but her entire body began to show afterimages.

Wu Xiaofan was startled. What kind of skill was this? Which one was her true body?

Qiu Honglei swung her blade, and the entire arena began to explode in a straight line. Wu Xiaofan dared not meet it head-on and quickly dodged.

Almost instantly, a large crack appeared on the ground where he had just stood.

The entire arena was nearly split in half.

Feng Wuchang, on one hand, felt a pang of distress over how much money this would cost, and on the other, worried about Wu Xiaofan. The blade in his opponent's hand was so powerful, at least a Heaven-grade divine weapon. Could Wu Xiaofan withstand it?

Seeing Wu Xiaofan dodging frantically on the stage, the disciples of various sects immediately erupted into an uproar.

Although he was injured, the protection of his Green Scale Armor somewhat leveled the playing field. Yet, he was still being suppressed. This Peng Wuyan was simply too strong.

On the Li Hentian side, Zhao Xiaodie frowned deeply, unable to resist asking Zhiyin beside her, "Senior Brother, a Grandmaster with divine sense can predict movements in advance. Shouldn't those below Grandmaster rank be crushed when facing one? Why is the situation reversed now?"

Zhiyin sneered, "Do you still believe this Peng Wuyan is a mid-rank Nine?"

Zhao Xiaodie was taken aback: "But the stone tested her as..."

Zhiyin shook his head. "Clearly, she used some skill to suppress her cultivation, likely to catch us off guard."

The thought of being eliminated early made his mood even worse.

To prevent his beautiful junior sister from looking down on him, he added, "Actually, a Grandmaster's crushing advantage over lower ranks only applies to ordinary rank nine cultivators. For chief disciples of major sects like us, there are special methods to weaken a Grandmaster's divine sense advantage. I believe the others also possess this ability."

"Senior Brother is amazing!" Zhao Xiaodie truly admired him. Being from Li Hentian herself, she knew how powerful Zhiyin was. These individuals were naturally gifted, constantly encountering fortunate opportunities since childhood, which allowed them to challenge those beyond their rank. For anyone else, such a feat would be unthinkable.

Left with no choice, Wu Xiaofan could only make the staff in his hand grow larger. Each swing of the staff now felt like a mountain pressing down.

He knew that at this rate, he would exhaust himself too quickly and wouldn't be able to sustain the fight due to his injuries. But he dared not hesitate. His opponent's successive slashes had reached their peak momentum. If he didn't meet her in his strongest state, he even suspected he would be split in two by a single strike.

Despite the protection of his Green Scale Armor, feeling the overwhelming murderous aura, he still felt a lack of confidence.

Was this woman truly from a righteous sect? How could she possess such an evil weapon?

A massive staff shadow swung towards her, but this time Qiu Honglei didn't dodge. Instead, she directly swung her curved blade to meet it.

The murderous blade light was as substantial as reality, astonishingly cutting directly through the massive staff shadow.

"What?!" Wan Guiyi instantly stood up. He had previously fought Wu Xiaofan and naturally knew that the large staff was an elemental energy projection, yet it was extraordinarily powerful, almost tangible. At that time, his own sword energy couldn't break through his opponent's staff, but this woman had done it!

Truly the woman I admire! Her entire being exuded a beauty of power!

Wu Xiaofan was also shocked to see his staff shadow cut open, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

He kept retreating until he reached the edge of the arena, with nowhere left to go.

"This Wu Xiaofan isn't that great after all. He's usually hyped up so much, but he's being beaten like this by a woman." While true experts understood the prowess of both contestants on stage, most were ordinary disciples. Not being on the stage, they found it difficult to grasp Wu Xiaofan's current predicament. Seeing him continuously pushed back, and recalling the daily rumors of how formidable he was, they suddenly felt that he wasn't so impressive, and that they could do it too.

Wu Xiaofan was deaf to the noisy comments. His gaze was resolute, and a purple aura suddenly surged around him.

"Vaporous Purple Qi!" The sect leaders on the high platform gazed at Wang Wuxie in astonishment. They hadn't expected him to teach his unique skill to a disciple, and that Wu Xiaofan, with his extraordinary talent, had actually mastered it.

Wang Wuxie watched the scene on the stage, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

With the augmentation of the purple qi, the energy unleashed by the large staff now carried a purple sheen, dispelling Qiu Honglei's blade energy one by one.

"I told you so! How could Wu Xiaofan have an undeserved reputation?!" Many of Wu Xiaofan's supporters immediately found their cause for excitement and cheered loudly.

Qiu Honglei touched a bruise on her arm. She had merely been grazed by the staff's shadow, and half her body felt numb.

Her expression remained indifferent. She suddenly raised her hand, and a dazzling light began to emanate from her curved blade.

"Does she have some hidden move up her sleeve?" The disciples of various sects craned their necks. This woman, who was virtually unknown before the competition, was unexpectedly formidable, truly unfathomable.

"Huh, where did her blade go?" Zhao Xiaodie, who had been intently watching the stage, suddenly exclaimed.

Only then did everyone notice that after the light faded, the blade in Peng Wuyan's hand had vanished.

On the stage, Wu Xiaofan's warning signs sharply escalated. A dense purple aura instantly erupted around him, as if he were preparing for something.

The next second, a spatial rift suddenly appeared in front of him.

Only he, being so close, could see clearly. Within the rift, countless stars seemed to appear, and the entire crack resembled the Milky Way in the sky.

Instantly, a terrifying blade light slashed out from the fissure.

It almost instantaneously cut through the swirling purple qi around him, then directly slammed into his Green Scale Armor.

Boom!

With a deafening sound, a cloud of blood mist erupted from him. The Green Scale Armor, renowned for its defense, developed a distinct crack and instantly became dim and lusterless.

Wu Xiaofan himself was sent flying off the stage by the powerful impact, landing heavily on the ground. He tried to lift his head but ultimately lost consciousness.

The entire audience fell silent, all looking at the woman on stage. What kind of monster was this? She had defeated Wu Xiaofan with hardly any injuries herself, at most just a little breathless.

Even with Wu Xiaofan being injured, her performance was simply outrageous.

Why was such a woman previously unknown among the Nine Daoist Sects?

People from Zhengyang Sect rushed over to check on him. Seeing that Wu Xiaofan was severely injured and unconscious but not in mortal danger, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Wuxie remained standing on the high platform and did not descend.

People around them congratulated Yun Jianyue. With such a talented disciple emerging from Kongming Island, its future was surely bright, possibly even surpassing others to become the top sect among the Nine Daoist Sects.

"Oh, it's nothing, just good luck, haha~" Yun Jianyue replied "humbly," yet couldn't help but let out a laugh.

It was truly a pleasant feeling to be complimented by these righteous leaders who usually called for her death. One day, when they learned the truth, their expressions would surely be priceless.

Just then, Wang Wuxie suddenly spoke: "If I'm not mistaken, the curved blade in her hand is the Crescent Demon Blade of Ding Tianle, the great demon leader of the Demonic Cult from a hundred years ago. This is a crucial treasure of the Demonic Cult. How could it be in Miss Peng's possession?"

As he spoke, a pair of sharp eyes fixed intently on her.