Chapter 143: The Powerhouse of Central City

All eyes were fixed upon Qu Chong, especially those of Cold Wuchang and his three companions, whose expressions were exceedingly grim. They remained utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend how a youth who had only just entered the Profound Heaven Realm had suddenly become the sworn elder brother of a man like Qu Chong. Only Cold Wuchang grasped a shred of the truth, as Qu Chong had previously inquired about Long Yun’s whereabouts.

"Qu Chong, your loyalty warms my heart, but do not involve yourself in this matter. Take your men and fall back," Long Yun said calmly. The experts present were beyond his ability to handle, but without a formidable opponent like Qu Chong in the fray, the pressure on him would surely be reduced. Furthermore, Long Yun did not want Qu Chong embroiled in this; he already owed a debt to the Qu family of the Profound Heaven Realm from a past event, and the waters today were treacherous enough that he wished to keep Qu Chong far from the depths.

"Elder brother, I will not let you fight alone!" Qu Chong, stubborn by nature, immediately countered.

"If you still acknowledge me as your brother, then obey me; otherwise, we are through," Long Yun declared with ironclad resolve. Qu Chong’s eyes were filled with unwilling frustration.

"Qu Chong, I don't care what your relationship with him is, but we must obtain the Qilin Jade this time. We cannot lose this opportunity. If you do not strike, I will not blame you, but if you insist on being our enemy, I believe those in the Central City would be very interested to hear of it," Xiong Bin said, his gaze flickering.

Yu Lun added with a sneer, "Since Qu Chong refuses to act, there is no time to lose. We continue. If we let that beast catch its breath, I fear none of us will be its match."

The others nodded in agreement, though Liu Xiaoxiao, standing behind Yu Lun, spoke softly: "Yu Lun, you are not allowed to attack."

At these words, Yu Lun’s expression shifted, and he asked urgently, "Xiaoxiao—"

"I am the Saintess," Liu Xiaoxiao said coldly.

"Xiaoxiao, thank you," Long Yun said, stunned that she would choose to abstain.

Liu Xiaoxiao retorted, "I owe you a life. With this, our debt is settled. From this day forward, we are even; should we meet again, we shall be mortal enemies." Hearing her icy words, a bitter pang struck Long Yun’s heart, but he said nothing, only shaking his head with a wry smile.

Yu Lun’s expression improved slightly. So that was why the Saintess favored this boy—he had once saved her life. Using this opportunity to let her clear her debt served as a favor to her, so he nodded and declared, "None of you are to strike. The Demon Sect will withdraw from this engagement for now."

With the departure of the Demon Sect and the Eastern City forces, the strength of the remaining group was severely compromised. Without those two factions, they were by no means certain of defeating the Blood Qilin.

Just then, a voice rang out: "Since the Demon Sect and the Eastern City have withdrawn, let us take their place. The Qilin Jade will be ours!"

Three figures descended before the crowd, accompanied by the sound of robes snapping in the wind, causing the expressions of everyone present to turn solemn. These three were prominent young powerhouses of the Central City. The leader, Chen Chang, possessed the cultivation of the Seventh Stage of the Innate Realm, the Zhou Tian Realm. The other two, Lu Liang and Feng Xun, were both at the Tribulation Transcendence stage.

The addition of these three experts undoubtedly bolstered the group’s strength once more. In particular, Chen Chang’s presence in the Zhou Tian Realm was likely enough on its own to compensate for the loss of the Eastern City and the Demon Sect. Yet, no one felt any relief. If it had been their own forces united, they might have had a chance to seize the Jade after slaying the Blood Qilin; but with Chen Chang in the mix, any hope of obtaining it vanished. Any further effort on their part would merely be helping him, with no reward to be gained. Thus, they all hesitated.

Chen Chang, reading their thoughts, laughed loudly: "Though you may not obtain the Qilin Jade, you shall receive the Heaven-Breaking Pills provided by the Chen family of the Central City!"

Heaven-Breaking Pills! Everyone’s eyes widened. Such pills were incredibly precious; when a cultivator reached a bottleneck, these pills could increase the chance of breaking through by sixty percent. They were rare, once-in-a-lifetime treasures, but for a cultivator, that one chance was worth more than gold, as so many were trapped at their current level, unable to ascend. Hearing that the Chen family was willing to offer such a reward, everyone was moved. Perhaps only the Chen family possessed such staggering wealth.

While the crowd was in a stir, Long Yun quietly approached the Blood Qilin. The beast was highly intelligent and had overheard the gist of their conversation. Sensing no hostility from Long Yun, it let out a series of low growls but did not attack.

"How was he injured?" Long Yun asked softly. The Blood Qilin’s eyes softened with a flicker of indiscernible emotion, and it let out a low roar, as if answering, though Long Yun could not understand.

"Let me see him." Long Yun reached out to take Xiao Leng’s pulse, and his brow furrowed deeply. Xiao Leng’s body was in a state of utter ruin; had the Blood Qilin not used the Essence of the Moon to stabilize his condition, he would have perished long ago.

"How could the wounds be this severe?" Long Yun’s eyes flashed with killing intent, mixed with profound worry. While the Essence of the Moon was excellent for healing, Xiao Leng’s injuries were too grave. This would be a prolonged battle, not something that could be recovered from in a short time. If only Qingqing were here; with her cultivation, combined with his own and the Blood Qilin’s assistance, they could easily hold the enemy at bay. Thinking of Yan Qingqing, Long Yun sighed. He would likely be forced into opposition with the Western City. Qingqing was still at the Rong family estate; if he did not warn her quickly, she might fall victim to Rong Pian’s schemes.

Though Yan Qingqing was highly skilled, she was naive in the ways of the world and did not fully understand the complexities of human nature. Caught off guard, she could easily fall prey to Rong Pian’s plots.

"Very well, the massive reward is before you. Whether you strike or not is your business. Lu Liang, Feng Xun, let us attack together!" Chen Chang announced. With a wave of his hand, a brilliant azure light erupted from his arm as he drew a long sword. The blade rippled with a faint, sea-like glow.

The artifact was sentient, causing Long Yun to pause; this sword was no mere object, perhaps even more formidable than the God-Slaying Whip in Qu Chong’s hand. It was a rare treasure indeed.

"A Single Sword from the East to Calm the Four Seas!" Chen Chang declared solemnly. With a flick of his wrist, countless azure sword beams shot forth, converging in mid-air into a vast, surging ocean. It was a spectacular sight. The waves, composed entirely of sword energy, rolled toward the Blood Qilin.

Simultaneously, Lu Liang and Feng Xun struck, pushing their Tribulation Transcendence cultivation to the limit. Two sword beams, one from the left and one from the right, gilded the edges of Chen Chang’s oceanic attack with gold.

"Hum—" Space trembled. A crushing pressure descended, accompanied by the heavy, surging waves of sword energy, closing to within ten yards of Long Yun and the Blood Qilin in an instant. Long Yun could feel the terrifying aura; it was entirely beyond his power to resist.

"Roar!" The Blood Qilin let out a furious cry, spitting a mist of blood. Then, two crimson rays shot from its horns, merging with the blood mist. In mid-air, they formed a bizarre blood-colored diagram, etched with strange, intricate runes, with crimson light pulsing across its surface.

As the diagram rose, thousands of runes began to dance. Countless beams of light erupted, and the diagram expanded to over ten yards in diameter.

"Boom!" The trio’s attack collided with the blood diagram. The two forces clashed instantly, erupting with a thunderous, vibrating explosion. Feeling the overwhelming pressure, Long Yun noticed that the Essence of the Moon the Blood Qilin was channeling into Xiao Leng began to wane. Clearly, even a beast of its power could not multitask.

Long Yun’s brow tightened as he sensed Xiao Leng’s life force beginning to fade. Daring not to hesitate, he channeled the light in his palms, drawing the Power of Reincarnation from his Heaven-Seizing True Energy!