The sword light was undoubtedly wielded by a celestial. Given that it was unleashed despite the spirit-sealing restrictions on the Foreign City, it could only belong to one person.
A figure stepped forward slowly from the shadows on the second floor. The man had an unremarkable face, clad in white robes, and carried a white sword. His expression remained entirely blank.
As he emerged, doors along the second-floor corridor opened one by one, revealing disciples from various celestial sects, each with their swords pointed at the Yun Xiao group.
Nan Wan’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the white-robed immortal, his anger barely contained. “The Wu Tong Phoenix Tournament hasn’t even started, yet Kun Lun already plans to band together with the other sects to attack Yun Xiao?”
The celestial disciples turned to Bei Chen. He descended from the second floor, landing gracefully before Nan Wan.
“Yun Xiao’s Nan Wan?” Bei Chen’s voice was cold.
“That’s right,” Nan Wan scoffed. “I’ve heard that Kun Lun’s Bei Chen favors forthrightness, yet it seems that’s a mere pretense.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Shuo peeked out from behind Fan Yue, casting a quick glance at the disciples who had descended from the second floor. She couldn’t see Ah Zhao among them. Her gaze lingered on Bei Chen—Kun Lun’s top disciple was as simple in appearance as rumored, with plain clothing and an unadorned sword, in stark contrast to the more elaborate Yun Xiao disciples.
“How did you enter?” Bei Chen’s gaze settled on Nan Wan as he slowly spoke.
Nan Wan paused, then his expression darkened. “Bei Chen, Yun Xiao is among the Three Great Mountains. I’m here to represent our sect in the Wu Tong Phoenix Tournament—do you have a problem with that?”
“The tournament began yesterday. The Foreign City was sealed,” Bei Chen replied coldly. “Today is already the second day of the Wu Tong Phoenix Tournament. The spirit-sealing lock was set by His Majesty Twilight. Anyone below a god’s rank cannot enter or leave.”
No wonder the other sects had attacked Yun Xiao’s disciples. With the city sealed, anyone who could enter would seem suspicious and potentially dangerous. Who knew if they were truly from Yun Xiao or using some unknown means to impersonate them?
“What?!” Nan Wan’s expression shifted. “That’s impossible. Today is clearly the first day of the tournament. I would never make such a mistake!”
Bai Shuo was equally stunned. She had traveled alongside Nan Wan and knew he wasn’t lying. But Bei Chen and the celestial disciples wouldn’t be making up something so serious, either. Why would there be a discrepancy of an entire day between their groups? If Yun Xiao’s disciples hadn’t yet entered the Foreign City, why would the leaders on Wu Tong Island seal it? And if it was sealed, how had they gotten inside?
Could the Space-Stone be the reason…?
Bei Chen eyed Nan Wan, as though gauging the truth in his words, and asked, “Then how did you break through the spirit-sealing lock to enter the city?”
Nan Wan hadn’t yet responded when someone from the Yun Xiao ranks raised a hand and spoke in a timid voice, “I think I might know what happened.”
Everyone turned to see a disheveled Daoist peeking out from behind a young man, looking sheepish. “Exalted Bei Chen, we used a Space-Stone to enter the city.”
“A Space-Stone?” Bei Chen’s gaze shifted to Nan Wan. Nan Wan nodded with a straightforward explanation: “Correct. In preparation for the tournament, I was in seclusion within Yun Xiao. My master granted us the Space-Stone to avoid the weariness of a long flight. This is my first time using such a thing—it must have distorted the time.”
When the other disciples heard that Yun Xiao had used a Space-Stone to teleport, many fell silent. The Foreign City was located in the farthest reaches of the wilderness, and they had all spent days flying there, expending nearly all their spiritual power, only to have it sealed upon arrival. The Yun Xiao group, on the other hand, looked fresh and full of energy.
“Yun Xiao’s sect leader is as crafty as ever, using their wealth to open a backdoor for them,” some disciples muttered quietly, envious yet cautious not to openly insult the powerful sect.
Unlike the others, Bei Chen remained impassive. His gaze drifted over Bai Shuo’s group, settling briefly on them.
“You three aren’t Yun Xiao disciples. Who are you?”
Bai Shuo, Fan Yue, and Hua Hong stood out like a sore thumb, especially Hua Hong, whose entire appearance screamed ‘mundane and out of place.’
“They are external guests of our sect,” Nan Wan’s face twitched, wishing he could somehow make the blacksmith disappear, but it was crucial not to let Bei Chen realize Bai Shuo’s true identity. He was forced to defend the trio. “What, Kun Lun, so haughty as to question whom we bring into our own ranks?”
The other celestial disciples exchanged looks of disbelief. No one believed him, of course. Yun Xiao disciples were notoriously arrogant, and Nan Wan especially despised half-immortals. There was no way he would bring such an odd trio to something as important as the Wu Tong Phoenix Tournament. But Yun Xiao was powerful, and none of them dared to challenge the claim openly.
Bei Chen cast a disinterested glance over Bai Shuo and her companions, uninterested in wasting words. As a Kun Lun disciple, he preferred action to conversation, and he had already used his sword to confirm Nan Wan’s identity. Anything else was irrelevant.
“If that’s the case, Yun Xiao can do as it pleases,” Bei Chen said calmly before vanishing from sight.
A door on the second floor creaked open, then closed again, and the lights were extinguished.
Just like that? Bai Shuo watched as Nan Wan’s face turned icily stiff and couldn’t help but chuckle quietly to herself.
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