Chapter 295 - 205: Great Harvest

Chapter 295: Chapter 205: Great Harvest

The Ming King’s gaze hardened. He looked at the unyielding Li Xingtuo and said coolly,

"I merely wish to see what kind of young man could injure my worthless disciple with the cultivation of a First Transformation Realm. Is that a problem?"

Li Xingtuo glanced at him, then over at Lu the Third, and said calmly,

"Xie Yuan is a Martial Artist of my Great Li. It’s not your place to give orders."

Struck by Li Xingtuo’s gaze, which was as sharp as a sword’s gleam, Lu the Third’s own expression instantly cooled. He subconsciously took two steps back.

The Ming King watched Li Xingtuo, silent for a moment. He swept his gaze over the people from Great Li, then suddenly chuckled.

"I’m afraid you don’t know which sect this Xie Yuan belongs to either, do you?"

Li Xingtuo merely looked at the Ming King, offering no reply.

A wide smile on his face, the Ming King leisurely turned and drifted away, his voice trailing behind him.

"I hear this Xie Yuan’s concealment arts are quite remarkable. And that he’s a wanted man in your lands. I’d wager you don’t even know when he slipped in among you. Perhaps he infiltrated your group harboring ill intentions? Who knows, maybe one of your own disciples has already been replaced by him—an imposter sent to infiltrate your Sect as a spy! Heh, this Xie Yuan is truly an impressive young man. To think Great Li would treat someone like him as a wanted criminal. Ah, well. Xie Yuan, if you find you can no longer stay in Great Li, my Western Regions will always have a place for you! Hehehehe..."

The Ming King’s large figure gradually receded into the distance. Seeing this, the other experts from the Western Regions lost interest and departed as well, leaving the people of Great Li elated and victorious in the struggle for the ruins.

Although the Ming King’s final words had dampened the mood somewhat, the Grandmasters didn’t believe Xie Yuan could possibly impersonate a disciple right under their noses. They figured the Ming King was just being a sore loser who had to get the last word in, and they dismissed his claims.

Meanwhile, hidden in an inconspicuous spot in the crowd, Xie Yuan was drenched in sweat, cursing to himself.

’That fat Lama... I don’t know if he was being malicious or just careless, but he was frighteningly accurate!’

’Maybe he just wanted to get under the Grandmasters’ skin, but he actually hit the nail on the head. Thank goodness everyone is united and trusts their own, so they didn’t fall for his attempt to sow discord!’

Li Xingtuo turned back, his eyes sweeping over his disciples. His gaze was so tangible it seemed to pierce right through them, making them feel as if they couldn’t hide a single secret.

Xie Yuan’s heart skipped a beat as he thought,

’If I were relying on the Celestial Concealment Skill to hide my presence, I’d never be able to escape his notice. Good thing this is a transference of fate. Right now, I *am* Zhang Mountain. It’s not an impersonation at all.’

Even so, Xie Yuan’s heart clenched. He focused his gaze downward, keeping his expression perfectly neutral, not allowing himself to show the slightest inappropriate reaction.

Li Xingtuo glanced at his disciples and nodded slightly.

"You all did well this time. The trial is now successfully concluded. Heh, this Outer Sect trial of yours has probably been the most unusual one in many years. It has certainly been an eye-opening experience for all of you. Let’s go. Time to return to the mountain."

Li Xingtuo bid farewell to the other Grandmasters one by one, then led his group toward the Gourd Mouth at West Pass.

The Grandmasters watched the members of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect depart, then began to discuss the events amongst themselves once more.

Li Xingtuo had confronted the long-renowned expert from the Western Regions, the Ming King, and had completely held his own. The rumors of his power were clearly true. Furthermore, his disciple, Qin Zhenyang, had entered and exited the ruins with ease, emerging as the only unscathed Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm master, unlike the other two who had ended up dead or injured. The Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s strength was truly formidable.

Aside from the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect, the person they discussed most was, naturally, the mysterious Xie Yuan.

Despite being only at the Qi Blood First Transformation Realm, he had moved freely among a crowd of people with far higher cultivation levels, and had even taken the rarest treasures from the first three floors, making him the biggest winner of the expedition.

For someone of his strength and cultivation realm to accomplish such a feat was simply unbelievable.

Even many of the Grandmasters were astonished, silently committing the young man’s name to memory.

Although most of the Grandmasters present were from Yun and Yan Prefectures, the involvement of top Grandmasters from the Western Regions and Great Li meant that news of this conflict would soon spread far and wide. And with it, so would the most prominent name to emerge from it: Xie Yuan.

Yuan Zhenying followed behind her clan’s elder, animatedly recounting the events from inside the ruins. As she passed the innocent-looking Huie Jue, she called out with a smile,

"Monk Huie Jue, I’m heading off! I’ll let you off the hook for today, but next time we meet, we have to spar."

Huie Jue wore a humble expression.

"Amitabha. This humble monk fears he is no match for Miss Yuan."

Yuan Zhenying gave him a look of disdain.

"There you go again, putting on an act as soon as people are watching."

The crowd gradually dispersed. A few persistent Grandmasters, unwilling to give up, secretly scoured the area one last time. Unfortunately, they found nothing and could only depart in disappointment.

The desert fell silent. Aside from the many uncollected bodies of horse bandits, soon to be buried by the shifting sands, only the broken stones of the ruins remained to silently bear witness to the recent conflict.

A great battle involving Grandmasters had come to a close. Countless people had been drawn into the affair from beginning to end, but the most deeply involved were Xie Yuan’s small group and Lu the Third.

Some reaped a great harvest, while others lost everything. Xie Yuan, naturally, was among those who had gained immensely. Lu the Third, on the other hand, had put in so much effort only to fail in his bid to claim the ruins for himself. Not only that, but his bandits had suffered devastating casualties, his most outstanding son had vanished without a trace, he himself had never even made it inside the ruins, and he hadn’t managed to get so much as a single Blood Replenishing Pill. His losses could not have been more total.

In all his years, Lu the Third couldn’t recall ever suffering such a humiliating defeat. His losses were so great that his very rule over Oasis City would be threatened, forcing him to retract his influence.

The rage and hatred in his heart swelled to monstrous proportions. He wanted nothing more than to tear Xie Yuan to pieces.