WHOOSH—
As Chu Youwei, resembling a fairy from the clouds in her flowing, cloud-white dress and cradling the Thousand Feathered Zither, made her entrance, the entire scene erupted once more:
"Eh, who is this fairy!?"
"She called him Eldest Senior Brother, so she must be a disciple of Divine Phoenix Peak!"
"Another one from Divine Phoenix Peak? First, it was the fairy in red, and now this zither-playing fairy has stepped forward. This is too much!"
"If Ye Chen continues to provoke them, I'm afraid that the true peerless beauty, Chief Xiao, might descend from the heavens with overwhelming might!"
"Wow, being the Eldest Senior Brother of Divine Phoenix Peak is just too fortunate!"
...
"This young girl seems to be... Junior Sister Hongling's disciple?" on the high seat, Sect Leader True Master Ziyun mumbled.
"Indeed. This girl is the one with the Zither Heart and Sword Spirit, a talent seen only once in a thousand years," the Chairman of Red Cloud Peak, True Master Chisong, said, narrowing his eyes.
"Heavens, this is serious! This Ye Chen has inexplicably made enemies with two disciples from Divine Phoenix Peak. We should probably intervene, shouldn't we?" True Master Yuanyi chimed in, seemingly anxious.
"There's no need. If Junior Sister Xiao herself isn't concerned about her Divine Phoenix Peak disciples, why should we be in such a rush?"
Su Mei, at the side, said with her deep, beautiful eyes, "Why not wait and see a bit longer?"
"I agree," True Master Chisong echoed.
...
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao rushed over and grasped Chu Youwei's delicate hand!
"Third Junior Sister, hurry up and retreat!"
"This is a duel between men!"
He was about to pull Chu Youwei off the stage, but he suddenly realized... This time, the touch was different?
Her usually cool little hand had become incredibly hot, and there were even faint burn marks on it!
"You... you forcefully cultivated the seventh volume of the `"Heavenly Sound Sword and Piano Secret"`, the 'Devouring Heart Demon Zither'?"
Lin Xiao was utterly shocked!
It turned out that the `"Heavenly Sound Sword and Piano Secret"` Chu Youwei practiced was a secret manual left by the ancestors of the Qinglan Sect. It was immensely powerful, and only those possessing a Zither Heart and Sword Spirit could cultivate it!
And the seventh volume, the Devouring Heart Demon Zither, bordered on the Demonic Path. With the fusion of immortal and demonic principles, it possessed world-shattering demonic power!
However, cultivating it would greatly harm one's lifespan and physical body.
Therefore, Master Xiao Hongling had strictly forbidden her from practicing this volume.
One had to know, in the original story, when Ye Chen was surrounded in a cavern by the Three Great Martial Saints sent by the Great Zhou Empress and was in mortal danger, Chu Youwei, who was beside him, hadn't even made up her mind to use this move!
And now she did it for me...
This plot... it's not supposed to be this terrifying!
No wonder I hadn't seen her anywhere...
She was practicing the Devouring Heart Demon Zither all night!
In that instant, Lin Xiao's heart trembled violently!
He had a strong feeling that his Third Junior Sister, Chu Youwei, had forced herself to practice this Demonic Technique precisely to stand up for him at this moment!
People aren't unfeeling. To say he wasn't moved at all would be a lie! If it weren't for his mission as an antagonist, he would have rushed to hold the young girl in his arms and cherish her!
"Third Junior Sister, you... why did you practice that Demonic Technique?" Lin Xiao asked through gritted teeth.
"Because... only by becoming strong enough... can I protect you, Eldest Senior Brother."
A poignant smile emerged on Chu Youwei's pale face, revealing faint dimples.
"You... It's not worth it! It's not necessary!"
At this moment, Lin Xiao's heart surged with emotion, and his voice was somewhat hoarse.
He even felt his Dao heart, set on 'completing the mission early and going home,' even wavered slightly!
"Of course, it's worth it. One day, Eldest Senior Brother, you will understand Weiwei's feelings."
Chu Youwei just smiled and shook her head. With a wave of her plain hand, her graceful figure soared up and flew towards the arena.
She whispered in her heart:
"Eldest Senior Brother, in the past, Weiwei was ignorant. I was always wary of you and misunderstood you in many ways!"
"It wasn't until that screen of light appeared in my mind, showing me everything that would happen in the future!"
"Only then did I come to my senses..."
"It turns out that here in the Qinglan Sect, the only one who is truly genuine with me is you, Eldest Senior Brother!"
"You're the one silently shouldering all the blame, shielding everyone from Ye Chen, that calamity!"
"You are the true 'Solitary Brave' you often speak of!"
"Therefore! Before any of that happens, Weiwei must protect you..."
"The best Eldest Senior Brother in the world!"
As her emotions surged, a zither note transformed into a golden wave and burst forth. Chu Youwei touched her toes to the ground, about to take flight.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH!
A sharp and intense azure sword light, carrying a terrifying Sword Intent akin to an overturning ocean, swept down from the Nine Heavens!
Its momentum was like a thunderbolt, overwhelmingly powerful, shaking heaven and earth!
In an instant, the sword light, like a thunderbolt, descended from the highest heavens into the center of the arena!
"Such powerful Sword Intent!"
The entire crowd couldn't help but gasp in amazement!
Even the Supreme Elders on the high platform, who had been meditating with closed eyes, couldn't help their expressions from changing!
The next moment, under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes...
The sword light abruptly dispersed, revealing a tall woman of noble and exquisite beauty, her aura ethereal and her temperament as cold as a fairy from the Moon Palace.
It was none other than Qinglan Sect's pinnacle of combat strength, the youngest and most domineeringly unrestrained among the five Chairmen, the Chairman of Divine Phoenix Peak—Xiao Hongling, "The First Beauty of the Eastern Region"!
"Youwei, step back now! Do not obstruct your Eldest Senior Brother!"
"Would the eldest disciple of my Divine Phoenix Peak fear this common martial artist?"
Xiao Hongling's expression was cold. Her waterfall of black hair, reaching her waist, fluttered in the wind. Her domineering and terrifying aura and Sword Intent instantly suppressed the entire crowd!
Yes. After a night of contemplation, she finally... still couldn't resist intervening ahead of schedule.
...
...
As expected, Xiao Hongling's dominant appearance caused an unprecedented sensation in the square!
The atmosphere today reached its absolute climax!
"Beautiful! So beautiful! Absolutely stunning! How can such a beautiful woman exist in this world!"
"I thought those two fairies earlier were already beautiful enough, but I didn't expect this Master to be even more captivating!"
"Truly worthy of being Fairy Hongling, renowned throughout the Divine State!"
"It seems Divine Phoenix Peak is full of great beauties! I'm so envious of this Eldest Senior Brother!"
...
Cries of admiration rose and fell.
In the end, everyone's gaze focused on Lin Xiao, filled with envy!
Envy? Envy my ass.
At this moment, Lin Xiao was inwardly groaning.
He'd finally managed to get the protagonist, Ye Chen, to angrily challenge him to a one-on-one duel, and now the plot was going off the rails again! According to the original plot, he was supposed to accept Ye Chen's challenge, arrogantly mock him, and then be utterly crushed by his opponent, losing all face. Then, Ye Chen's Spiritual Beast, the Purple Flame Demon Mink, would suddenly appear, pulling out the stolen socks from Lin Xiao's robes, causing an uproar throughout the entire assembly, utterly ruining his reputation! Only at that point was Master Xiao Hongling supposed to descend from the heavens and forcibly save him! The current sequence of events was clearly way off!
Oh well, what's done is done. It's still barely acceptable. At least Master stopped Third Junior Sister, and it'll still be me dueling Ye Chen!
Lin Xiao felt slightly relieved. He then approached Xiao Hongling, head held high, chest out, and delivered a standard villainous boast:
"Thank you for your trust, Master! Rest assured, Master. This person dared to provoke me with a life-and-death battle! Disciple will surely annihilate him with a flick of my finger, to repay Master's grace!"
Just as his words fell.
DING!
"Successfully restored character persona! You have received rewards: Sword Dao +5, movement technique +5, True Yuan strength increased by 40%! (Reached the Innate Realm threshold)"
Damn it, again? Bloody system! Aren't you just picking on an honest guy!
Lin Xiao was genuinely a little angry now!
He was now at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm and possessed the Formless Sword Body. He was already afraid he wouldn't be able to control his strength and might accidentally kill Ye Chen! Triggering such substantial rewards at this critical juncture, wasn't this just pouring oil on the fire!
"Xiao'er, Master believes in you. As long as you go all out, this Ye Chen will not be your opponent! Also..."
Xiao Hongling's phoenix eyes were solemn. Using a Communication Secret Method, her voice was low and cold as she said, "Remember what Master told you last night. Find an opportunity and kill him!"
"Ah... yes! Disciple will certainly do his best!" Lin Xiao could only grit his teeth and reply.
"Good boy." Xiao Hongling's expression abruptly changed, and she beamed a girlishly bright smile, even giving a thumbs-up. "Fight hard! If you win, tonight... Master will give you an unexpected reward!"
Reward? Please, spare me, Master! As long as you properly play your role as the story's ultimate combat power ceiling, go out and wander about more, and don't interfere with the normal progression of the plot, I'll be immensely grateful to you!
Lin Xiao complained a few times in his heart.
Then, his face instantly adopting an arrogant and wildly proud expression, he controlled his sword with one hand and soared towards the arena platform, sneering,
"Ye Chen, you little brat! You think you're worthy of challenging the Chief Eldest Senior Brother of Divine Phoenix Peak?"
"Face your death!"