Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect, in front of the main hall.
It was nearly noon.
Normally, disciples should be cultivating in their own caves at this time.
But today, the blue stone plaza before the main hall was bustling with a dense, moving crowd. Quite lively.
Of course.
As the Young Master of the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect, Ling Xiao should have been the consensus choice.
But this Young Master was arrogant, greedy, and weak.
Usually, while the disciples feared his status, they genuinely wished for his early demise.
Now that someone finally dared to challenge his position, how could they miss such a spectacle?
Many disciples were already picturing Ling Xiao being crushed by Qin Feng in their minds.
Mentioning Qin Feng, a sense of awe filled their hearts.
This personal disciple of the Grand Elder had top-tier cultivation among his peers, upright character, and valued loyalty above all.
Such a person should be the undeniable choice for Young Master of the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect!
Not only the disciples, but even several core disciples who usually cultivated in seclusion had all arrived.
Many inner sect elders and outer sect deacons also stood in the distance, watching the area before the hall.
"Look, it's Senior Sister Fu!"
A commotion swept through the crowd.
Many young disciples watched a graceful green-robed figure approaching from afar, their eyes instantly filling with admiration.
The only female core disciple of the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect, Fu Yunyao.
Even within the Holy State, Fu Yunyao was a renowned genius and prodigy.
Not only extremely beautiful, but her cultivation was also terrifying, having already reached the Peak Xuanqing Realm.
Today, she wore green robes, moving with light steps. Her exquisitely beautiful face was lightly adorned with makeup, making her even more stunning.
"Wow, Senior Sister Fu is so beautiful."
"Stop staring! Don't you know Senior Brother Qin is challenging Ling Xiao because of Senior Sister Fu?"
"What? There's such a thing? No wonder..."
"Look, Senior Brother Qin is here!"
"Junior Sister Fu."
A light laugh came from the mountain peak.
Then, Qin Feng in white robes stepped forward with a smile.
Intent on showing off, a demonic shadow seemed to follow him, howling between heaven and earth, intimidating all directions—worthy of the title 'Core Disciple of the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect'.
"Yunyao pays her respects to Senior Brother Qin."
Fu Yunyao lowered her head with a faint smile, her attitude humble and polite.
But a trace of gloom flashed in Qin Feng's eyes.
He had personally witnessed this proud daughter of the Demon Sect acting coy and spoiled in front of Ling Xiao. Why did she have to put on this proper act in front of him?
"Hehe, Junior Sister, are you also here to watch me challenge Ling Xiao?"
Qin Feng laughed lightly, pretending not to care on the surface, but inside he was already planning how to crush and humiliate Ling Xiao underfoot later.
"Senior Brother Qin, your courage is admirable."
Fu Yunyao just smiled faintly, her gaze towards Qin Feng holding a hint of meaning, then she walked to the side.
"Hmph, a woman who curries favor with the powerful. Just wait until I become Young Master; I'll see how I play with you under me."
Qin Feng snorted coldly. He tapped his foot lightly on the ground, actually cracking the hard blue stone with a fissure several zhang long.
His figure descended from the sky, landing on a raised platform right in the center of the crowd.
The world seemed to darken for an instant.
A demonic light shimmered around Qin Feng, as if a Demon Sovereign had descended.
"Look, it's Senior Brother Qin!!"
The entire plaza instantly erupted into boiling excitement.
Everyone looked at the handsome Qin Feng standing with his hands behind his back, their faces filled with worship.
"Senior Brother Qin, I love you!"
"Senior Brother Qin is invincible!"
Qin Feng's strength had been personally verified by the Demon Sect disciples.
Except for Ling Xiao, almost all core disciples of the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect had fought their way up from the outer sect, stepping over mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
They emerged through life-and-death battles from countless inner sect disciples to be accepted as personal disciples by the Sect Master or various elders.
In other words, the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect might have useless elders, but among the seven core disciples, each possessed peerless talent.
Oh, except for Ling Xiao!
When Ling Xiao first entered the sect, he was immediately taken as a core disciple by the Sect Master.
Then, through some means employed by the Ling Clan, he was inexplicably crowned with the title of Young Master within just half a year.
This infuriated the other six core disciples.
But they couldn't afford to offend the Ling Clan. And Ling Xiao himself was cunning by nature, fond of bullying others with his power.
Once, an inner sect disciple attempted to provoke him. When found, his body was decomposed, only a head left with unclosed eyes.
"Junior Sister Fu."
Another handsome, elegant young disciple approached Fu Yunyao.
"Senior Brother Xiao Tu."
Fu Yunyao's pretty face stiffened. Gone was the aloof dignity she showed Qin Feng moments ago, replaced by a trace of awe and fear.
Qin Feng was seeking his own death; he'd probably be finished after today.
But this Senior Brother Xiao Tu before her was rumored to be the strongest fighter among the younger generation of the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect.
Especially the demonic arts he cultivated, inherited from an ancient realm, were incredibly powerful.
However, he usually disliked crowds and had little interest in status within the sect—a true cultivation fanatic.
So why had he suddenly appeared here today?
"Junior Sister Fu, who do you think will win this fight?"
Xiao Tu looked up at Qin Feng on the blue stone platform, a constant hint of mockery on his lips.
"The Young Master will win."
Fu Yunyao gritted her teeth. Although she knew everyone in the Ten Thousand Dao Demon Sect was hoping to see Ling Xiao humiliated,
only she understood the terror of that Ling Clan young master.
His absurd arrogance, even his greed and lust, sometimes seemed more like a disguise.
Although Fu Yunyao didn't know what someone with his status needed to disguise.
But occasionally, she could sense that terrifying, horrifying demonic intent emanating from the Young Master.
Compared to the core disciples before her, in Fu Yunyao's eyes, Ling Xiao was the true demon.
"Oh? It seems Junior Sister is truly devoted to Young Master Ling Xiao."
Xiao Tu smiled faintly, his voice betraying no emotion, but it still pressured Fu Yunyao somewhat.
"Junior Sister Fu, the Ten Thousand Sects Tournament is coming up soon. What glory do you think Ling Xiao, as the Young Master of our sect, would bring to us if he participated?"
Xiao Tu seemed unusually talkative today. Fu Yunyao, however, couldn't understand what this senior brother was plotting.
"I don't know..."
"Don't know?"
Xiao Tu nodded slightly and said no more.
By now, it was high noon. Many disciples looked at Qin Feng on the platform, their faces showing hints of impatience.
"Does Ling Xiao even dare to show up?"
"It's the agreed time, and there's not even a shadow of him. He probably doesn't dare come."
"Hah, what a disgraceful Young Master."
"What do you know? Senior Brother Qin was already at the Mid-Xuanqing Realm. Now he's broken through after seclusion. Ling Xiao is just a Soul Sea Realm cultivator. If it were you, would you dare come?"
"True. Although Ling Xiao claims he can defeat those above his realm, no one's ever seen it. But since he agreed to Senior Brother Qin's challenge, not showing up now would humiliate him all the way back to the Ling Clan, right?"
"So what? With our Young Master's shamelessness, he can just make up any excuse. I just wonder if Senior Brother Qin will end up like that other senior brother back then..."
"He wouldn't, would he? Senior Brother Qin is, after all, the Grand Elder's personal disciple..."
"LOOK!!!! It's the Nine Dragon Golden Chariot!! Ling Xiao that bas— I mean, Young Master Ling Xiao is here!!!"
A sudden exclamation from the crowd instantly silenced everyone. They looked up in terror.