Chapter 668: Mutual Scheming
After reaching the summit of the second mountain, Zhang Ruochen did not pause at all and immediately headed toward the second sacred spring.
Beside the second sacred spring, there was also an ancient green Daoist temple.
Entering the temple, Zhang Ruochen took a three-foot-tall giant gourd from the divine altar, held it in his hand, and walked toward the second sacred spring.
According to the rules, if one successfully challenged three characters in the first stage of the second mountain, they could take away a hundred times the amount of sacred spring water.
A three-foot-tall giant gourd was exactly a hundred times the capacity of an ordinary gourd.
Arriving beside the second sacred spring, Zhang Ruochen immediately placed the gourd into the spring water and began collecting it. Of course, he still opened his space ring and collected an additional cubic meter of sacred spring water.
By the time Zhang Ruochen finished collecting, Qi Feiyu had just reached the summit. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, and her face was somewhat pale. Clearly, climbing the second mountain was quite strenuous for her.
Being able to reach the summit of the second mountain already proved that her willpower had reached an extremely terrifying level, far surpassing other cultivators.
“Your speed is faster than I imagined.”
Zhang Ruochen, holding the giant gourd, stood beside the sacred spring without immediately leaving. He wanted to see how much sacred spring water Qi Feiyu would take.
Qi Feiyu shot Zhang Ruochen a cold glare, then entered the temple and also took out a three-foot-tall giant gourd to begin collecting the sacred spring water.
“So she also successfully challenged three characters in the first stage of the second mountain.”
Not particularly surprised, Zhang Ruochen merely nodded lightly and, without lingering, headed toward the third mountain.
Qi Feiyu, dragging the gourd with one hand, also arrived at the foot of the third mountain. She glanced at Zhang Ruochen and said, “You first, or me first?”
“Senior Sister Qi, please.”
Zhang Ruochen made a gesture of invitation and took a step back.
Qi Feiyu did not stand on ceremony. She placed the gourd on a large rock beside her, walked to the bottom of the stone wall, and gazed at it for a moment.
“Whoosh!”
One of the characters, “Li,” detached from the stone wall and transformed into a semi-transparent guardian.
Qi Feiyu fought the guardian for over two thousand moves. In the end, the guardian struck her right rib with a sword, leaving a bloody hole.
She failed the challenge.
Qi Feiyu gasped heavily, drenched in fragrant sweat. She returned to the large rock, uncorked the gourd, and took a sip of the sacred spring water inside. She intended to use the power of the sacred spring to quickly recover from her injuries.
But as soon as she swallowed a mouthful, she immediately spat it out again.
Qi Feiyu sniffed lightly, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes as she stared in Zhang Ruochen’s direction. “Did you steal the sacred spring water from my gourd?”
Zhang Ruochen was very straightforward. “That’s right. While you were fighting the guardian, I swapped out the sacred spring water in your gourd.”
“Are you looking for death?”
Qi Feiyu’s beautiful face showed unprecedented anger, and the elegant aura she usually carried vanished completely.
Zhang Ruochen remained very calm and sneered disdainfully. “You’re already seriously injured. If you fight me now, it won’t do you any good.”
“Besides, you tried to kill me first. If I hadn’t reacted quickly enough, I might have already died by your sword. Taking the sacred spring water from your gourd is my compensation.”
“Actually, there’s no need for you to be so angry. At least I didn’t poison your gourd, did I?”
Zhang Ruochen held the giant gourd in his hand, completely ignoring Qi Feiyu’s furious gaze, and appeared very composed.
Qi Feiyu trembled with rage, her eyes turning crimson again.
However, she quickly controlled her emotions, took a deep breath, and regained her calm demeanor. She swallowed a healing pill and began to recover from her injuries.
Based on Qi Feiyu’s fight with the guardian, Zhang Ruochen could tell that her sword path cultivation had reached the high level of Sword Heart Illumination, and she had cultivated Sword One to the eighth layer.
Qi Feiyu was born with the Sword Heart Illumination realm. After so many years of cultivation, Zhang Ruochen was not surprised at all by her achievements.
Even with her sword path cultivation, she couldn’t pass the first stage of the third mountain.
This meant that the guardian’s strength should be at the ninth layer of Sword One.
In other words, if Zhang Ruochen hadn’t reached the ninth layer of Sword One, he wouldn’t be able to pass the first stage of the third mountain either.
So why waste energy trying to challenge it?
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the summit of the third mountain. At the top stood a white stone sacred cliff, and through the mist, he could vaguely see a tall tower rising above the cliff.
The legendary Sword Pavilion was located at the summit of the third mountain.
The Sword Discussion Assembly on the ninth day of the ninth month would also be held there. At that time, sword users from all over the world would gather at the Sword Pavilion for an unparalleled grand event of the sword path.
If Zhang Ruochen could pass all three stages of the third mountain, he would be able to reach the square of the Sword Discussion Assembly early, pay homage to the Sword Pavilion, and investigate the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Altar.
“I will definitely climb to the summit of the third mountain with my own strength.”
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his gaze, let out a long breath, turned around, and headed down the mountain.
At the summit of the second mountain, Zhang Ruochen encountered Qin Yufan, who had just climbed up.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen, Qin Yufan was also quite surprised.
However, the two of them merely brushed past each other without any exchange.
On the way down the mountain, Zhang Ruochen discovered several more climbers. They had all passed the second stage of the second mountain and were heading toward the summit. Among them were prodigies at the sixth and seventh transformations of the Fish-Dragon Realm, as well as top-tier experts at the ninth transformation.
Qi Feiyu followed Zhang Ruochen the entire time, looking unwilling, as if she wanted to seize the gourd from his hand. However, she never found an opportunity.
Going down the mountain was much faster than climbing up.
Before long, the two of them, one after the other, reached the foot of the Ancient God Mountain.
Zhang Ruochen and Qi Feiyu appeared at the same time, causing a huge commotion and stirring up a tidal wave of noise.
One of them was a newly emerged sword path prodigy, a rising star. The other was a peerless beauty born with innate clarity, who already had countless pursuers and secret admirers.
As soon as the two came down the mountain, all the sacred inheritance disciples gathered around them.
“Junior Sister Qi’s talent leaves me, Xie Yunfan, in awe. At the sword path competition, Junior Sister Qi will surely dominate and take the top spot.”
A sacred inheritance disciple at the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm immediately rushed to Qi Feiyu’s side, showering her with flattery.
Even saints have emotions and desires, let alone cultivators at the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. To win over the woman they liked, saying a few pleasing words wasn’t shameful. The only truly shameful thing was letting the woman they liked fall into someone else’s arms.
“Junior Sister Qi easily cleared the three stages of the second mountain. With her sword path realm, it won’t be long before she reaches the summit of the third mountain.” Another pursuer stepped forward to congratulate Qi Feiyu.
Qi Feiyu had countless pursuers, more than a dozen of whom were extremely powerful, all at the eighth and ninth transformations of the Fish-Dragon Realm. They surrounded her like stars around the moon, and other pursuers couldn’t get close.
Qi Feiyu was very cold to all her pursuers, appearing as if she were detached from worldly affairs.
Suddenly, her clear black-and-white eyes glanced at Zhang Ruochen’s retreating figure, and a strange light flickered in them.
The next moment, a scene occurred that the pursuers and secret admirers present could not accept.
“Junior Brother Lin, wait.” Qi Feiyu called out softly.
Zhang Ruochen stopped and turned to look at her, a puzzled expression on his face. “Senior Sister Qi, do you have any instructions?”
He had just stolen the sacred spring water she had worked so hard to obtain. Qi Feiyu was certainly unwilling to let it go. What trick was she planning now?
Zhang Ruochen became cautious.
The pursuers around Qi Feiyu were also curious, puzzled as to why the usually aloof Junior Sister Qi would suddenly speak to a newly promoted sacred inheritance disciple.
Qi Feiyu stepped forward slowly, her pace unhurried, until she reached Zhang Ruochen.
The distance between them grew closer and closer.
Zhang Ruochen could already smell a faint fragrance. Instinctively sensing something was wrong, he immediately tried to step back, but it was too late.
Qi Feiyu extended her soft jade-like hands and gently grasped Zhang Ruochen’s wrist, pretending to be weak from her injuries. She leaned sideways against Zhang Ruochen and coughed lightly. “I’m seriously injured, Junior Brother Lin. Could you escort me back to Yuqing Palace?”
She bit her lip lightly, looking up at Zhang Ruochen with a pitiful, sickly expression, like a delicate and helpless woman.
Seeing this, all of Qi Feiyu’s pursuers and secret admirers felt as if they had been struck by a thunderbolt.
Immediately, flames of rage burned in their eyes as they stared at Zhang Ruochen as if he were their mortal enemy.
Zhang Ruochen hadn’t expected Qi Feiyu to play such a vicious trick. By doing this, she was clearly trying to use her many pursuers to kill him without leaving a trace.
Xun Guihai and Mu Jiji had already rushed to Zhang Ruochen’s side, intending to welcome him back.
Seeing the scene before them, they were shocked as if electrocuted, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground, their eyes full of envy.
“Brother Lin Yue is incredible… That’s… that’s the proud daughter of heaven from Yuqing Palace, Qi Feiyu, a fairy-like woman.”
“Anyone who could see Qi Feiyu smile would be overjoyed. Who could imagine that Qi Feiyu would take the initiative to grab Brother Lin Yue’s hand and lean on him?”
What had happened between Qi Feiyu and Lin Yue while they were climbing the Ancient God Mountain?
How had they become so intimate?
Could it be that the pure and chaste Qi Feiyu had actually fallen for this newly promoted sacred inheritance disciple?
(To be continued.)