Chapter 269 - 264: The Stone Pillar Reaches the Heavens, the Celestial Gate Opens

Du Xingheng’s voice, laced with a laugh, arrived before she did. "My apologies for being late, fellow Daoists. I’ll kill a hundred demons as a small token of my apology."

Before her words had even faded, as she traversed the void, Du Xingheng thrust her long spear forward.

In an instant, hundreds, even thousands of spear shadows, as tangible as solid objects, shot from the tip of her long spear. A surging Qi Blood Power erupted like a volcano. SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH! Countless sparks shot out like lightning.

In a flash, the flying spear shadows pierced through the chaotic battlefield by the water.

The howls and shrieks of demons erupted at that moment.

But even more Little Demons died instantly under the assault of the flying spear shadows, without even a chance to scream.

Du Xingheng had claimed she would "kill a hundred demons," but in reality, the number she killed was far more than a mere hundred.

A proper count would show that at least two thousand Demon Beasts had died in that single blow!

The entire battlefield fell silent for a moment, Human Race Cultivators and the lucky surviving Demon Beasts alike.

A moment later, the remaining Demon Beasts shrieked and roared in grief, then turned tail and fled with all their might.

Du Xingheng flew to a stop mid-air above the chaotic battlefield. She casually retracted her spear, lowered her head slightly, and looked down indifferently at the Demon Beasts fleeing for their lives on the ground.

On the ground, as the Demon Beasts scrambled to escape, some Cultivators came to their senses and immediately pressed their advantage to give chase.

Killing demons... well, there was nothing more to it. When you didn’t have the upper hand, that was one thing. But now that they did, how could they not kill?

Every kill was a profit. Demon Blood, demon flesh, demon bones—all of it was wealth.

Some Cultivators below cheered, "As expected of a Celestial Pride of our Human Race! Thank you, Grandmaster Du!"

Indeed. Although Du Xingheng was young, her Cultivation had long since broken through the Innate Third Transformation to reach the realm of the Third Transformation Bright Platform. Among Martial Artists, such a Cultivation level was enough to be called a Grandmaster!

The true combat strength of the monstrous geniuses in the top five of the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List could, to some extent, even rival that of an Earth Immortal.

Du Xingheng’s appearance was a crushing display of power on a completely different level.

Even the proud Ji Qingfeng couldn’t help but feel a little humbled after seeing Du Xingheng.

She lowered her altitude, clasped her hands before her in a Daoist salute, and said solemnly, "This junior Cultivator, Ji Qingfeng, pays her respects to Grandmaster Du."

Du Xingheng made a slight lifting gesture with one hand. A miniature Red Tassel Spear spun rapidly in her palm. Her posture was heroic, yet tinged with a bit of laziness. As Ji Qingfeng bowed to her, she just laughed and said, "I’ve always had a weakness for beauties. Junior Sister Ji, you’re so lovely, there’s no need to be so polite."

She teased casually, and a blush crept onto Ji Qingfeng’s face. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

Du Xingheng didn’t seem to mind. She turned her head to look at Song Ciwan, clicked her tongue, and said, "Fellow Daoist, this appearance of yours surely isn’t your real face. Your Cultivation is not weak. Based on that Magic you just used, your name should be on the Celestial Pride List. Why are you unwilling to show your true face?"

Her words startled Ji Qingfeng, who quickly turned to look at Song Ciwan as well.

Song Ciwan’s current appearance was one she had casually fabricated. To distinguish herself from Xin Mian, Song Ciwan had molded her features into those of a plain but neat-looking young girl.

Not too tall, not too short; not too fat, not too thin; with plain features, and not the type to attract attention.

If she were to blend into a crowd, she would definitely be one of the most unnoticeable people there.

She was far more inconspicuous than even Xin Mian.

Of course, this inconspicuousness was a matter of habit for Song Ciwan. In reality, in the world of Cultivators, as long as one’s Cultivation was high enough, even the most unremarkable face could shine brightly in a crowd.

Unless Song Ciwan never made a move and always hid herself away in the most remote corner, it would be impossible to truly maintain a state of being lost in the crowd.

But that was clearly impossible.

In this era of great conflict, one had to act when the time came. Otherwise, if you played the part of a pig for too long, you’d really become one.

A pig, even one with a long life, has no ability to resist danger. Any random beast could come along and trample it. What meaning would such a life have?

’Wait to be eaten?’

Song Ciwan smiled. Facing a Celestial Pride of Du Xingheng’s caliber, she found she wasn’t as timid or reserved as she might have imagined.

Since Du Xingheng had asserted that this was not her true face, Song Ciwan asked curiously, "On what basis does Grandmaster Du judge that this is not my real appearance? I was under the impression that my Transformation Technique was flawless."

The implication was that she was admitting her current appearance was indeed not her true one.

In truth, there was no point in denying it. Now that Du Xingheng had called her out, any stubborn denial would only make her a laughingstock.

Du Xingheng tilted her head with a smile and gave Song Ciwan a thumbs-up. "Straightforward!"

After laughing, Du Xingheng added, "Your Magic just now was exquisite. With such beautiful Magic, how could you possibly have such a plain face? I saw through it at a glance! You must be a beauty, Fellow Daoist..."

Before her voice could fade, a mocking laugh echoed from the distance.

"Du Xingheng, you hooligan, as lecherous and shameless as ever. In Zhongjing, you dared to beat the Prince Consort to death in the street out of jealousy. Now that His Majesty has exiled you, you come out here and still haven’t changed your ways!"

This speech was packed with so much information it was downright sensational.

It instantly sent a tremor through the minds of the Cultivators below who were hunting down the remaining demons. Some hands trembled, letting the demons they were chasing escape.

The fact that Du Xingheng had killed the Prince Consort in Zhongjing, while not a state secret, had never been widely publicized.

Zhongjing was too far from Cangling County. Most Cultivators had no way of hearing such news.

Even Ji Qingfeng was unaware of this.

At that, Ji Qingfeng quietly retreated, putting some distance between herself and Du Xingheng.

In the distance, a Cloud Carriage pulled by Flying Horses appeared, attended by four Beautiful Maids. The procession was incredibly grand, riding the clouds and wind, arriving in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, the carriage door opened on its own. A figure wrapped in a sable cloak shot out like a white rainbow streaking across the sky. Abruptly, this person was right in front of Song Ciwan.

"Found you!" he sneered. "You’re the one who killed my maid. There’s no mistake..."

Without a doubt, this was the Second Young Master!

The Second Young Master thrust out a palm, fingers spread wide. A sinister wind howled between them. A world-destroying terror that seemed to invert Yin and Yang and blot out the Star and Moon suddenly surged toward Song Ciwan.

He was too fast. Song Ciwan had never seen anyone move with such speed in her life.

Although Du Xingheng was the fifth-ranked Celestial Pride, said to have power rivaling an Earth Immortal, she had no grudge against Song Ciwan and had never targeted her like this. So, Song Ciwan had never experienced Du Xingheng’s terrifying power firsthand.

The Second Young Master before her was the greatest enemy Song Ciwan had ever faced in her life.

Everything happened as quickly as morning dew evaporating or a flash of lightning. In an instant, she was in mortal danger.

At this critical moment, Song Ciwan raised her hand and formed a Seal Technique: Xuanwu Mountain Observation Seal!

A phantom image of a majestic mountain rose behind Song Ciwan. Atop its peak, a giant tortoise raised its head, guarding her securely.