Chapter 519: Except For Her

　　The water droplet—which quietly floated in front of the gigantic Xuan formation—seemed really tiny when compared to it. Both, however, were engaged in a confrontation.

　　Chu Liuyue knew that it was a duel between the Heavenly Dao on both sides. If she wanted to win, she had to make sure that she did it in one go.

　　Her eyes remained fixed on the countless intertwined streams of light while the legendary three-eyed eagle quietly stood by the side.

　　It was terrifyingly quiet in the entire space.

　　…

　　Rumble!

　　Another bolt of heavenly lightning struck down. The light splashed in all directions, making it almost impossible to look straight at it!

　　“Retreat further!” The people who were waiting outside the pit were forced to move back once more due to the energy wave. Despite doing this, most of them suffered from varying degrees of injuries.

　　“This is only the Long Yuan Sword’s 27th lightning bolt, but it’s already so powerful. I’m afraid nobody will be able to last until the 81st lightning bolt! All of us will be kicked out of the Tianling God Realm by then!” said a burly man with a deep voice.

　　The black sword aura in the pit was still flowing into the Long Yuan Sword. From afar, one could see that the bottom was a sea of golden flames.

　　“That might not necessarily happen. Its new master won’t be affected by this force,” said the man next to him with clenched teeth after spitting out a mouthful of blood.

　　The crowd fell silent at once. After all, this was exactly why they were all waiting there.

　　Yang Qin’er’s eyes flickered slightly as she asked softly, “Seniors, both of you have sustained rather serious injuries. Shall we… just leave?”

　　The two males said in unison, “No, we can’t give up until the last moment! The Long Yuan Sword will try to pick a new master after every nine bolts of lightning. We still stand a chance since it hasn’t picked anyone in the last three rounds!”

　　“That’s right! We’ll be looked down upon if we flee like cowards! Fear not, Qin’er. We’ll protect you as long as we’re around!”

　　As Yang Qin’er smiled in gratitude, a mocking look flashed across Ning Jiaojiao’s eyes as she watched this from the side.

　　Thus far, those men would scramble to the front whenever the trio encountered any danger, fearing that something might happen to Yang Qin’er. It got to the point that they had injuries all over themselves while Yang Qin’er remained unharmed. It was obvious that Yang Qin’er had some tricks up her sleeves; otherwise, those two men wouldn’t go to such extents to protect her.

　　This is ultimately a competition, yet those two have been thoroughly played by Yang Qin’er.

　　Upon sensing Ning Jiaojiao’s gaze, Yang Qin’er looked up and glanced at her. However, both quickly averted their gazes the moment their eyes met each other.

　　Right at that moment, another bolt of lightning struck. Silver light flashed across the sky with violent energy scattering in all directions.

　　Ning Jiaojiao was the first to bear the brunt. With her quick wits, she quickly ran toward the back.

　　The mustached man behind her wanted to retreat as well but was slowed down when he tripped over himself. With just a step’s difference, Ning Jiaojiao overtook him, and he became the person closest to the pit.

　　The next second, his body instantly vanished from the spot, which indicated his elimination from the competition.

　　Yang Qin’er glared at Ning Jiaojiao in warning.

　　“What a pity…” The smug smile on Ning Jiaojiao’s face faded in an instant. Being badly injured, the mustached man could hardly fight in his state. Someone who can’t provide any substantial help will be just an eyesore if they remain here, so I figured that I might as well send him off first.

　　Ning Jiaojiao was touching her face in satisfaction when she suddenly felt a cold gaze on her. She turned her head and saw a blond boy staring piercingly at her. Those eyes seemed to have seen through her earlier actions.

　　She unconsciously tore her gaze away from him, feeling really uncomfortable as he remained staring at her. In a seemingly nonchalant manner, she asked, “Who’s that blond guy? He looks somewhat familiar.”

　　Yang Qin’er said nothing as she chuckled inwardly to herself while looking miserable over her senior’s elimination.

　　The tall and thin man patted her shoulder comfortingly before glancing at the guy Ning Jiaojiao mentioned. “Isn’t that the guy who bit someone that day? I think his name is… Qiang Wanzhou?”

　　Only then did Ning Jiaojiao have somewhat of an impression of him. “I see.”

　　We don’t know each other, so why is he behaving as if he has a grudge against me? Despite feeling depressed, she had no intention of asking him about it. She didn’t want to miss out on the Long Yuan Sword just because of such trivial matters.

　　Still, it took a while before his gaze shifted away from her. It was only then that she secretly heaved a sigh of relief.

　　…

　　The wait was particularly grueling, especially when it came to times like this, where great danger was involved.

　　Nobody was selected when the 36th bolt of lightning struck. Instead, another two people were eliminated because they couldn’t withstand the power. One of them was the thin man from the Purple Xiao Sword Sect.

　　Yang Qin’er eventually couldn’t hold herself back any longer. Walking right up to Ning Jiaojiao, she pressed her voice low and asked, “What exactly do you want?!”

　　Ning Jiaojiao laughed. “I’m just helping you out! You won’t be able to show off your skills with those two around. Now that they’ve been eliminated, you don’t need to hide your skills any longer.”

　　Yang Qin’er snorted in response. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

　　Ning Jiaojiao wasn’t bothered by her reply. Let’s see how long she can keep up with the pretense!

　　Meanwhile, the other people were getting more and more impatient. “The fourth round has passed, but why hasn’t the Long Yuan Sword chosen its new owner?”

　　“Just wait a little longer! Once it’s awake, it’ll surely choose its new owner.”

　　“What’s that golden fire below though? There’s no mention of it in legends…”

　　“How can we possibly guess the going-ons in this unpredictable place? Just wait patiently!”

　　…

　　At Xuan Ji Square.

　　A whole day and night had passed, but more and more people were gathering in the square.

　　Like before, Jiang Yucheng was in disguise as he stood in an inconspicuous corner and watched the competition. Although the majority of the participants had been eliminated, the competition was getting stiffer as it progressed toward the end.

　　He looked at the black marble board, where few names remained on it. A particular name caught his attention right then as he stared at it and asked, “Is Chu Liuyue still in there?”

　　The man behind him immediately answered, “Yes, together with 12 other people.”

　　Jiang Yucheng placed a hand behind his back as he slowly clenched it. Chu Liuyue is only a stage-three warrior. Even if she has some capabilities, she should’ve been eliminated by now.

　　“The lowest cultivation level of the 12 other people is peak fifth-stage?”

　　“That’s right, Eldest Young Master. Also…”

　　“Spit it out,” barked Jiang Yucheng in annoyance.

　　The man pressed his voice low. “Except for Chu Liuyue, they all have superior Dijing Yuan meridians.”

　　Jiang Yucheng narrowed his eyes at that.