Chapter 197 - 117: The Calamitous Strife Begins, Turning Stone into Gold

A rainbow-hued streak of light descended, and Jide Taoist appeared. Seeing the Immoral Taoist sitting dazedly atop a cloud, he asked, "Why did you insist on meeting here?"

The Immoral Taoist said lazily, "I divined that some good drama was about to unfold here. I couldn't bear to leave."

Jide Taoist said, "The Spirit Root is about to ripen, but the contestants for the duel haven't been finalized. And you still have the leisure to watch the commotion."

"What do you mean, not finalized?" the Immoral Taoist said matter-of-factly. "I've already decided on Xu the Kid, and you've already decided on Zhong the Kid. We just need to find a few more to make up the numbers. Isn't that enough?"

"Hasn't Xu the Kid not agreed to this?" Jide Taoist said, speechless. "Besides, Junior Brother, are you so certain of victory? From what I know, the helpers they've found are no simple characters."

"Oh?" Curiosity appeared on the Immoral Taoist's face. Just as he was about to ask, Jide Taoist suddenly said, "It really is a good show."

"..." The Immoral Taoist pouted, looked down from the cloud, and saw a pair of young cultivators who looked like lovers piloting a Flying Boat into a mountain range. He began stroking his beard in thought.

Aboard the Flying Boat, the man held the gentle woman beside him and said softly, "Junior Sister, the Spirit Pool in this mountain is something I stumbled upon by a stroke of luck in my youth. It was thanks to it that I managed to refine my Magical Power. Over a dozen years have passed, so it should have accumulated a great deal of spiritual energy. It's perfect for your use."

The woman leaned against the man, her voice full of tender affection. "Senior Brother, for you to share such a fortuitous opportunity with me... I truly don't know how I can ever repay you."

The man smiled. "What's a mere Spirit Pool? As long as I have it, a share of it will always be yours."

As the two were lost in their sweet affection, the Flying Boat traveled deep into the mountains. The woman, being more sensitive, suddenly pressed herself against the man's back and asked softly, "Senior Brother, why is it so quiet in these mountains? There's no sound at all."

The man also realized something was wrong. He frowned and scanned their surroundings. Always cautious, his head wasn't turned by their romance. He said suddenly, "Something is indeed wrong with this mountain. Junior Sister, let's call it a day for now. We'll come back to use the Spirit Pool after I've investigated if there's anything unusual here."

The woman nodded obediently. The man turned the Flying Boat around, about to leave, but his expression suddenly changed. Behind them, a large, pure white banner had risen. Both its staff and surface flowed with a crystalline, yet deathly still, light.

"The Bone Sect!" The man's fingertips trembled. He pulled the woman behind him and scanned his surroundings. Sure enough, one great banner after another rose into the sky as five cultivators in White Bone Robes floated up. The leader smiled and bowed. "He Lang, long time no see."

...

Atop the cloud, the Immoral Taoist pinched his thumb against his other four fingers in a quick calculation, his brow furrowed. He let out a long sigh. "So that's how it is."

Jide Taoist said in a low voice, "Junior Brother, don't you go getting soft-hearted."

The Immoral Taoist shook his head. "This is the inevitable trend of the times. What good would it do to change it? We'd only offend the four great Demon Sects for nothing."

"It's just a pity..." The Immoral Taoist looked down. The mountainside was already tinged with the color of blood. "That disciple from the Celestial Abyss Sect had some talent. Alas."

"If not for that, how could he have been caught in this tide?" Jide Taoist said faintly.

Down in the mountains, the five Bone Sect disciples joined forces to encircle and kill him. He Lang was unable to cause much of a stir before they easily finished him off.

The leading Bone Sect disciple gave a cruel smile and asked, "This skeleton is top-grade. Whichever junior brother takes it, how about you take a smaller share of the Spirit Pool's spiritual energy?"

Immediately, a disciple who felt his own cultivation was decent but his Magical Artifacts were a bit lacking stepped forward and took the skeleton. However, none of them noticed that a talisman He Lang had activated before his death had already sent out a message.

The five of them cleaned up the battlefield, erasing all traces, and then descended into the mountain to find the Spirit Pool. What they didn't know was that about half an hour later, a world-shaking streak of rainbow light sped toward the location, revealing an old, white-haired Daoist with blood-red eyes.

The old Daoist's gaze swept the area, and his eyes immediately filled with grief. He let out a long howl as a turbid spiritual light rose from his skull and slammed down. With a heaven-shaking CRASH, the mountain collapsed, sending boulders tumbling down and directly burying the five Bone Sect disciples within.

As if that wasn't enough to vent his fury, the old Daoist summoned a black light, preparing to strike again. Just then, a pure white spiritual light shot out from the mountain ruins, carrying the leading Bone Sect disciple. He screamed, "Liao Yuan! Are you insane? How dare you disregard the rules and, as a Venerable, slaughter Refining Technique Disciples!"

Venerable Liao Yuan laughed maniacally and bellowed, "Talk about rules with you heretical demons? What rules!"

With a thunderous RUMBLE, the black light smashed down again.

...

The Immoral Taoist took out a pipe, placed it in his mouth, and said, "The calamitous conflict has begun."

Jide Taoist shook his head. "When man gives rise to killing intent, heaven and earth are overturned. The Profound Yellow Realm is no longer a peaceful place. Once the matter of the duel is settled, we should probably leave this realm for a while."

The Immoral Taoist replied, "Good idea. I should hurry up and get Xu the Kid to agree."

"Oh? You're still set on Xu the Kid?" Jide Taoist asked, surprised. "How do you plan to make him agree to this?"

The Immoral Taoist snorted. "I'll just march right over to the Tai Su Sect and drag the kid here."

Jide Taoist rolled his eyes. "If we have to offer the Tai Su Sect some benefits, you're paying for it yourself."

The Immoral Taoist couldn't be bothered to reply. He stood up to leave, but then remembered something and asked, "You still haven't told me. Who did those two unlucky bastards, Ji and Xiong, find for help?"

Jide Taoist said, "Hmm... I'll give you a name you should know. Li Chengzhen of the Cyan Sky Realm."

"Oh? So it's him." The Immoral Taoist's expression shifted. He chuckled. "The three sects' prodigies. Who is truly superior? To make this show happen, I have even more reason to persuade Xu the Kid now."

Jide Taoist said, "The Spirit Treasure Sect of the Cyan Sky Realm is not the Spirit Treasure Sect of the Profound Yellow Realm."

"They stem from the same source but have different branches. What's the difference?" the Immoral Taoist said. "I'm off!" He stomped his foot and vanished without a trace.