Free Web NovelChapter 2564: Chapter 2564: What Are You So Proud Of
The two Elders leading the Spirit Crane Sect had extremely ugly expressions on their faces.
In the previous sixty years, they had expended a vast amount of Cultivation Resources, doing their utmost to nurture a batch of extraordinarily gifted Disciples; coming to Sword Gorge this time, they were determined to seize a place among the ten great Immortal Sects.
But the defeat in this very first of the five duels made their mood drop to rock bottom, almost to the depths of despair.
In their eyes, the battle between Chuchen Immortal King and Lianyue Fairy should have been the one with the greatest chance of victory.
So when they saw the heavily wounded, blood‑soaked Chuchen Immortal King half‑kneeling on the Immortal Platform, they even thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.
Only after they came back to their senses did they realize how absurdly wrong their earlier assessment had been; that Lianyue Fairy, with only a fifth‑grade Immortal King Realm, possessed combat strength far beyond their imagination.
Out of the five Disciple duels, the one that should never have been lost was lost, casting a shadow over the hearts of all Spirit Crane Sect Disciples.
When the stumbling Chuchen Immortal King stepped down from the Immortal Platform and returned to his own Sect’s camp, a Spirit Crane Sect Elder glared viciously at him and hissed in a low voice, "Trash!"
Having been defeated by a lower‑realm opponent, Chuchen Immortal King was already severely shaken; now that he was scolded as "trash" by his own Sect Elder, he felt so wretched he even had thoughts of death.
By contrast, when Lianyue Fairy stepped down from the Immortal Platform and walked toward the Disciples of her own Sect, what greeted her was a wave of cheers.
"Lianyue, well done! If we can keep our place among the ten great Immortal Sects this time, your merit will be unparalleled!"
Yunxiao Immortal Emperor walked forward a few steps, speaking excitedly.
Previously, when Fairy Minyue agreed to let Lianyue Fairy take the stage, Yunxiao Immortal Emperor had been somewhat displeased, believing this to be the least certain of the five duels.
Now that Lianyue Fairy had won, the stone in his heart finally dropped; his confidence in keeping their position among the ten great Immortal Sects surged.
Fairy Minyue did not speak; she only nodded at Lianyue Fairy with a joyful expression, everything conveyed without words.
The Disciples of Immortal Bow Hall went forward and surrounded Lianyue Fairy, each with joy on their faces as they praised her one after another; some Disciples even asked Lianyue Fairy how she had managed to win this battle.
In the face of her fellow Disciples’ praise, Lianyue Fairy smiled reservedly and offered a modest remark, then said, "Actually... Chuchen Immortal King’s strength wasn’t as great as we imagined! In addition, he underestimated me, and I seized that opening to defeat him in a single strike!"
"I thought the Spirit Crane Sect was going to soar into the heavens this time! Turns out they’re just so‑so!"
"They were all so arrogant just now; look at them now, heads drooping... haha, this is really satisfying!"
"Thinking they can defeat our Immortal Bow Hall and squeeze into the ten great Immortal Sects—how could it be that easy?"
"The Spirit Crane Sect is one of the strongest Sects outside the ten great Immortal Sects. With their defeat, no other Sect will dare challenge us! Our place among the ten is basically secured!"
"Let’s wait and see the results of the other four Senior Brothers’ and Senior Sisters’ duels!"
"Of the remaining four duels, as long as we win two, we’ll have nothing to worry about!"
...
Dozens of Immortal Bow Hall Disciples gathered around Lianyue Fairy, all high‑spirited and beaming with vigor.
As long as they maintained their status as one of the ten great Immortal Sects, they could enter Sword Gorge to train, which was a rare opportunity for the Disciples of Immortal Bow Hall.
If they missed it this time, they would have to wait at least another sixty years before they had hope again.
Within Sword Gorge, danger and opportunity coexisted; in particular, the Sword Intent imbued with a trace of Great Emperor Dao Rhythm could cause many genius Disciples of various Sects to gain enlightenment, with the chance of directly breaking through in realm.
On the four duel zones atop the Immortal Platform, the Formations still had not dissipated, clearly indicating that the eight Disciples from the Spirit Crane Sect and Immortal Bow Hall in those battles were locked in stalemates.
Only after a thousand breaths did one of the Formations finally fade, revealing the figures of the two combatants, a male Immortal from the Spirit Crane Sect and a male Immortal from Immortal Bow Hall.
One of the male Immortals stood tall with his Immortal Artifact in hand, looking at his opponent with a disdainful expression.
The other male Immortal was kneeling on one knee, his Immortal Artifact propped against the ground, his body covered in wounds, his clothes stained with blood—a gruesome sight.
"Senior Brother Yuliu... lost..."
Seeing that heavily wounded male Immortal, the Disciples of Immortal Bow Hall let out a chorus of sighs.
Yunxiao Immortal Emperor and Fairy Minyue both had slight changes in expression, their hearts once again hanging in suspense.
Yuliu Immortal King possessed an eighth‑grade Immortal King Cultivation Realm and was the strongest among the five young Disciples Immortal Bow Hall had sent to face the Spirit Crane Sect this time.
Originally, Yuliu Immortal King was the Disciple Yunxiao Immortal Emperor and Fairy Minyue believed had the highest certainty of defeating his opponent.
Yet what they never expected was that the one who most should have won, Yuliu Immortal King, would lose to his opponent, while Lianyue Fairy, whom they thought most likely to lose, actually won.
Yuliu Immortal King’s defeat effectively offset Lianyue Fairy’s earlier victory, putting both sides back on the same starting line.
This time, it was the Disciples of Immortal Bow Hall whose faces were filled with dejection.
Meanwhile, the Spirit Crane Sect Disciples were like chickens injected with stimulants, their spirits soaring.
The Spirit Crane Sect Disciples cheered as they welcomed their fellow Sect member back to the camp from the Immortal Platform.
Some Spirit Crane Sect Disciples even looked over at the Immortal Bow Hall Disciples with smug expressions, their gazes filled with provocation and challenge.
"What are you so smug about... there are still three rounds left!"
A Disciple of Immortal Bow Hall muttered under his breath.
But before a hundred breaths had passed, another Formation zone dissipated—the battle had ended.
To the great disappointment of the Immortal Bow Hall Disciples, the Spirit Crane Sect Disciple had won this duel as well.
The Spirit Crane Sect Disciples, now with two consecutive victories, roared with thunderous cheers and let out shrill howls, switching on full mockery mode toward the Immortal Bow Sect, making the faces of the Immortal Bow Hall Disciples turn pale with anger.
With two wins in hand, they needed only one more victory in the remaining two rounds to drag Immortal Bow Hall down from the ranks of the ten great Immortal Sects and replace them with their own Sect.
"This is turning a bit bad..."
Yunxiao Immortal Emperor and Fairy Minyue exchanged a glance, seeing a trace of worry in each other’s eyes.
After Yuliu Immortal King returned to the Immortal Bow Hall camp, his face was full of shame as he said to Yunxiao Immortal Emperor and Fairy Minyue, "Disciple has failed the two Elders’ trust and is willing to accept punishment upon returning to the Sect!"
Yunxiao Immortal Emperor opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end it turned into a sigh.
Fairy Minyue sent a voice transmission, asking, "Your Cultivation Level was equal to your opponent’s, and judging from the aura emanating from him, his combat strength should not have exceeded yours. How did you lose to him?"
Yuliu Immortal King replied, "Reporting to Elder Minyue, my opponent possessed a lower‑grade Immortal Emperor Level Immortal Artifact, so his combat strength surpassed mine by a margin. From the very start of the duel, I was suppressed by him all the way, until... I was defeated!"
Fairy Minyue said in astonishment, "The other party only has an eighth‑grade Immortal King Realm Cultivation, yet he can control a lower‑grade Immortal Emperor Level Immortal Artifact? Hm, with such an Immortal Artifact assisting him, his combat strength can be boosted by twenty percent out of nowhere. In that case, his victory over you was merely by relying on the advantage of his Immortal Artifact!"
In Fairy Minyue’s view, for an Immortal with an eighth‑grade Immortal King Realm to be able to control an Immortal Emperor Level Immortal Artifact was definitely a talent of the Immortal Dao.
She had not expected that the Spirit Crane Sect had quietly nurtured such an outstanding young Disciple.
