Kirin's Provocation

The fierce battle resumed, several times more perilous than before!

Unable to break through after prolonged attacks, Mo Yiqian grew anxious. His sword stance changed once again, concentrating the power of his domain into a single point. Merging man and sword into one, he transformed into an extremely dazzling starlight, piercing straight toward Li Xuanfeng's center!

This was one of the killing moves of the North Star Sword Domain—Yaoguang Starfall!

Facing this earth-shattering strike, Li Xuanfeng took a deep breath. He highly condensed his surrounding sword intent and spiritual energy, thrusting out his own sword. It was plain and unadorned, yet it contained a hint of a conceptual state that could pierce through all illusions, accurately striking the brightest point of the starlight!

"Pierce the Void!"

Point against point! Boom!!!

An energy storm several times more violent than before exploded! As the light dissipated, Mo Yiqian's body shook violently. He staggered five steps back before barely stabilizing himself. A flush of red flashed across his face, and his sword-holding hand trembled slightly.

He stared fixedly at Li Xuanfeng, his eyes filled with disbelief.

In that instant of collision, he felt an extremely condensed and tricky sword intent naturally invade his meridians, causing his qi and blood to churn. He had suffered a hidden loss!

Li Xuanfeng also took three steps back to disperse the force. He stood holding his sword, his aura slightly fluctuating, but his eyes remained as calm as ever.

The spectating crowd widened their eyes, almost unable to believe what they were seeing.

"Repelled... He was repelled? The Holy Son was repelled?"

"A mid-stage Heaven and Earth Realm cultivator repelled the Holy Son who was using his domain head-on?!"

"Just what is the background of this cyan-robed man?!"

Exclamations rang out once more, louder than before, filled with shock and disbelief!

Mo Yiqian's face turned ashen. Feeling the restless foreign sword intent within his body and the shocked, doubtful gazes around him, he was overcome with a mix of shame and anger.

He knew that if he continued to fight, once that sword intent erupted, the consequences would be unpredictable.

He stared dead at Li Xuanfeng and squeezed the words through his teeth: "Good! Very good! I have learned my lesson today! We shall meet again!"

Having said that, without waiting for Li Xuanfeng's response or paying attention to the crowd's confusion, he forcibly suppressed his injuries, turned into a somewhat hurried streak of starlight, and instantly fled.

He left behind a group of dumbfounded onlookers outside the valley. "He just... left?"

"He was clearly only at a slight disadvantage..."

"Perhaps the Holy Son did not want both sides to suffer and let others take advantage?"

The crowd discussed animatedly, making endless guesses. Li Xuanfeng ignored the surrounding chatter, calmly walked to the spring, and carefully plucked the Sword Heart Grass.

When his fingertips touched the leaves containing pure sword intent, his mind became crystal clear, and every scene of the fierce battle just now replayed clearly in his mind.

"The Holy Son of Yaoguang truly lives up to his reputation."

He thought to himself, "The Star Sword Intent is majestic and vast, with a solid foundation."

"However... compared to Junior Brother Fang's sword, which seems capable of severing karma and obliterating all things, it is still lacking quite a bit."

He put away the Sword Heart Grass, and with a flash of his figure, he disappeared into the vast mountain forest like a light breeze, leaving not a single trace.

The news of this battle would surely spread rapidly in all directions through the mouths of these onlookers.

A mysterious cyan-robed sword cultivator who could repel the Holy Son of Yaoguang aroused the curiosity and speculation of countless people.

The waters of the Eastern Region were growing ever deeper.

Within the crowd, a young man wearing an ordinary gray robe, yet possessing an unusually ethereal and transcendent temperament, stood quietly in a corner, seemingly blending into the surrounding environment.

He appeared to be just watching, but deep within his eyes, countless tiny runes were being born and extinguished. He imprinted every detail of the fierce battle just now into his heart, especially the final sword strike of the cyan-robed sword cultivator, which returned to natural simplicity yet hid profound mysteries.

This was none other than the current Dao Child of the Heaven's Secret Pavilion, Xing Lan.

"What exquisite sword intent... What a profound foundation."

Xing Lan whispered in his heart, a very faint trace of surprise rarely appearing on his normally placid face.

"He is clearly only at the mid-stage of the Heaven and Earth Realm, yet he could use skill to overcome brute force, shattering the strongest point of the North Star Sword Domain in one fell swoop. He even condensed his sword intent into threads, injuring the enemy with hidden force...

This person's understanding of the Dao of the Sword has far surpassed his cultivation realm."

He rapidly deduced in his mind, comparing the cyan-robed sword cultivator's sword path with all the renowned sword masters and hidden inheritances recorded in the Pavilion's archives, yet he could not find a single match.

"This person is absolutely no ordinary rogue cultivator. His cultivation technique and path appear simple, but the Dao resonance contained within is lofty and profound."

Xing Lan's brows furrowed imperceptibly.

"When did such a mysterious figure emerge in the Eastern Region? Is he related to that 'Battle Asura' and 'Sword in White'?"

He watched Mo Yiqian retreat in resentment, and then saw the cyan-robed man drift away after picking the grass. From beginning to end, the man did not utter a single word nor reveal his true face; his style of doing things was so low-key it was almost bizarre.

"Interesting."

A burning light flashed through Xing Lan's eyes. It was the kind of interest that only arose when he encountered an unpredictable "variable."

"It seems this time is more complex than expected. This person should be one of the key targets for observation."

Immediately after, his figure quietly retreated like a light breeze, disappearing into the vast sea of people as if he had never been there.

Only on the invisible "Heavenly Geniuses Roll" in his heart did a new code name quietly appear—Cyan-robed Guest.

His potential assessment was temporarily marked as "Extremely High."

The commotion outside the valley gradually dissipated, but an undercurrent sparked by this brief clash had just begun to surge.

Just as the news of the battle between Li Xuanfeng and Mo Yiqian spread like wildfire, across various parts of the Eastern Region, major heavenly geniuses were similarly engaging in fierce collisions.

Several other core disciples of the Azure Profound Sect who had descended the mountain also made a name for themselves in this wave.

Shi Jingxian of the Heaven-Supporting Peak, in an ancient battlefield ruin, engaged in a violent duel of pure physical strength with a renowned barbarian genius from the Northern Region over a broken ancient weapon.

The two traded heavy blows, fighting until the mountains collapsed and the earth split. In the end, Shi Jingxian, relying on his superior and tyrannical physique, forcefully smashed his opponent into the ground and won the ancient weapon. His wild and domineering combat style earned him the title of "Mountain-Crushing Lord".

Mu Chenyu of the Sword Howl Peak, on the banks of a mighty river spanning the Eastern Region, exchanged blows with an ascetic monk from the Western Region while discussing the Dao of the Sword.

Mu Chenyu's sword struck like a startled swan, peerlessly sharp. His sword qi swept across three thousand miles, briefly severing the surging river waters. Ultimately, with a single thrust, he pierced through the opponent's phantom image of the Boundless Buddhist Kingdom and gracefully departed.

His unparalleled, fierce sword dao earned him the title of "River-Severing Guest" among the spectators.

For a time, titles such as "Mountain-Crushing Lord", "River-Severing Guest", and the earlier "Cyan-robed Guest" began to circulate throughout the Eastern Region.

These heavenly geniuses who suddenly emerged, possessing formidable strength yet mysterious backgrounds, attracted widespread attention and speculation from various factions.

"What is happening in the Eastern Region? How did so many powerful figures suddenly appear all at once?"

"The 'Cyan-robed Guest' could repel the Holy Son of Yaoguang, and the 'Mountain-Crushing Lord' and 'River-Severing Guest' are also extraordinary!"

Discussions arose everywhere. Everyone felt that an unprecedented storm was gathering in the Eastern Region; the quantity and quality of the heavenly geniuses far exceeded any previous era.

However, what truly pushed this storm to its peak was the collision between those top-tier monstrous talents who had long been famous throughout the world.

Chu Qinglan, a heavenly genius who walked out from the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Southern Region, had a fiery temperament and astonishing combat power, having once swept through his peers in the Southern Region.

After entering the Eastern Region, he directly sought out Wang Zhan, the heir of the Desolate Ancient Wang family, who was renowned for his combat prowess.

The two engaged in a great battle on a wasteland. Chu Qinglan unleashed all his divine abilities, his raging flames burning the heavens, but Wang Zhan shattered all techniques with his bare fists, ultimately defeating Chu Qinglan with overwhelming force.

This battle established Wang Zhan's fierce reputation in the Eastern Region. Although Chu Qinglan lost, the strength he displayed also earned him respect.

Shi Man, the Barbarian God Battle Physique from the wastelands of the Northern Region, unexpectedly encountered the Divine King Physique of this generation from the Desolate Ancient Jiang family while exploring an ancient cave dwelling.

The two heaven-chosen geniuses, both dominating with their physical bodies and combat strength, erupted into an earth-shattering battle that pulverized several mountain ridges.

In the end, the Jiang family's Divine King Physique proved superior. The ancient Divine King bloodline awakening within his body erupted with overwhelming power, injuring Shi Man and forcing him to flee in defeat.

The might of the Divine King Physique shocked the Eastern Region.

Fakong of the Sumeru Ancient Temple in the Western Region, possessing a clear Buddha heart and profound Buddhist dharma, got into a dispute with Ji Xuanye, the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, over a Buddhist treasure.

That battle caused the sky to change color and the void to rumble, ultimately ending in a draw.

Both felt that the other's cultivation was unfathomably deep. Wary of each other, they each retreated.

However, the most eye-catching and arrogant of all was undoubtedly Qilinzi Mo Yu of the Southern Region's demon race.

Taking the form of a handsome youth, he traveled along, consecutively challenging over a dozen well-known human heaven-chosen geniuses, including several holy sons of great sects. Without exception, the results were all crushing victories; no one could even force him to reveal his true Qilin form.

For a time, the arrogance of the demon race soared. Mo Yu even publicly declared: The younger generation of the human race is nothing more than this! I heard that Wang Zhan of the Desolate Ancient Wang family possesses the aptitude of a Great Emperor?

Tell him to roll out and fight me! And let that so-called Battle Asura and Sword in White come at me together.

I want to see whether the human race's Great Emperor aptitude is fiercer, or if the imperial blood of my Qilin lineage is stronger!

As soon as these words came out, the entire Eastern Region was in an uproar!