Chapter 39: Coming Prepared

"We have a disciple who wishes to challenge Elder Asura and test the strength of a Spirit Master. I wonder, does Elder Asura dare to accept the battle?" the Cloud Void Sect Master asked with a smile.

"What?" At this, shock appeared on the faces of all the Yuling Sect disciples.

It should be known that not long ago, Cen Yingqiu and several others had been killed tracelessly by Elder Asura. The terrifying aspect of a Spirit Master was that one wouldn’t even know how they died. Did the Cloud Void Sect Master really want the younger generation to directly challenge Elder Asura, a First-Grade Spirit Master?

As soon as these words were spoken, the Cloud Void Sect disciples, on the contrary, all revealed a strong will to fight.

Mo Qianqian frowned. As expected, the opposing party’s goal was not that simple. This was likely more than just a simple challenge. But why should he accept their challenge?

"Not interested!" Mo Qianqian rejected indifferently.

"As far as I know, Shi Muyao seems to have a connection with Master Asura?" the Cloud Void Sect Master continued. "Unfortunately, Shi Muyao and her husband, Mo Qianqian, killed a disciple of my Cloud Void Sect.

"If Master Asura is willing to accept the challenge—a battle of life and death—the grudge between Shi Muyao and the Cloud Void Sect can be written off completely.

"If Master Asura refuses the challenge, our Cloud Void Sect will not touch Shi Muyao today. However, if Shi Muyao steps outside in the future, it will be hard to say."

Mo Qianqian’s eyes narrowed. The other party was using Shi Muyao to threaten him! And a battle of life and death! It was obvious that since they couldn’t recruit him, they wanted to eliminate him directly!

The expressions of the Yuling Sect Elders and disciples present all turned grim. They also knew that Elder Asura favored Shi Muyao and had killed five Yuling Sect disciples on the spot for her sake. To think the Cloud Void Sect would use Shi Muyao as a threat to provoke a life-and-death battle! They didn’t believe that a Cloud Void Sect disciple possessed the strength to kill Asura. But the Cloud Void Sect had clearly come prepared, so they had to be on guard. If an accident truly occurred, it would be a massive loss for their Yuling Sect.

"I..." Shi Muyao, who was present, was also stunned. She wondered why they suddenly brought her up again. Had the news of Shi Yunhai’s death finally reached the Cloud Void Sect? But why did the other party insist on using her to threaten Elder Asura?

"Elder Asura..." At this moment, Shi Muyao cried out. Even though she was also worried about the Cloud Void Sect’s revenge, she didn’t want to drag Elder Asura down because of this.

But before she could finish, the Yuling Sect Master coldly snorted. "Hmph, I’m not dead yet! Threatening a disciple of my Yuling Sect right in front of me—Sect Leader Mo, aren’t you going a bit too far?

"Shi Muyao is my personal disciple. If your Cloud Void Sect dares to lay a finger on her, I, Yu Ning, will make sure every last one of your Cloud Void Sect disciples dies!"

The Yuling Sect Master’s voice was deep and his tone resolute. This caused the expressions of the Cloud Void Sect disciples present to change slightly. If it was a battle of elders against elders, or disciples against disciples, they would have no fear at all. But if an elder were to disregard everything to deal with them, the younger generation, that made them somewhat apprehensive.

"Sect Leader Mo, please leave!" the Yuling Sect Master directly showed them the door again.

"Wait!" At this moment, Mo Qianqian spoke up instead. "What is the cultivation level of the challenger?"

The Cloud Void Sect Master’s eyes lit up as he replied, "It’s not high. Only the Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer. Master Asura surely wouldn’t fear a young man at the Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer, right?"

"I accept this challenge," Mo Qianqian said.

Someone at the Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer dared to challenge him? The Yuling Sect Master furrowed his brows.

"Excellent!" The Cloud Void Sect Master looked toward the combat ring on the Martial Arts Arena and said, "A battle in the ring, life and death regardless!"

After saying this, he looked at a robustly built young man around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Touching a pouch on his body, he suddenly pulled out a set of golden armor.

Seeing this, a look of shock couldn’t help but appear on Mo Qianqian’s face. A spatial pouch! It contained its own independent space and could hold a massive amount of items! This was an extremely expensive and rare treasure. Even in the Ling family, only the Patriarch and a few top-tier Elders possessed one. To think the Cloud Void Sect Master actually owned a spatial pouch!

But what everyone else focused on was different from Mo Qianqian.

"Armor! He actually brought out armor!"

"Cheating! By wearing armor, it becomes difficult for a Spirit Master to land a killing blow. The Cloud Void Sect is cheating!"

"No wonder the Cloud Void Sect dared to challenge a Spirit Master. They really came prepared!"

The people of the Yuling Sect successively furrowed their brows, and the Yuling Sect Master also frowned.

Soon, that robust young man from the Cloud Void Sect took the armor and put it on, wrapping his entire body tightly. Then, carrying a large broadsword, he walked up to the combat ring not far away.

"It’s unfair for him to wear armor!"

"That’s right! His cultivation is at the Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer, which is already higher than Elder Asura’s. Adding full-body defensive armor makes this challenge completely unfair!"

"Cancel the challenge!"

Some Yuling Sect disciples began to shout.

"Armor is also considered a weapon, and Master Asura never said armor couldn’t be worn. Master Asura, if you please!" the Cloud Void Sect Master said.

Mo Qianqian flicked his sleeve and strode up to the combat ring.

The combat ring in the Martial Arts Arena was a good two hundred feet across. Mo Qianqian stepped into the ring, standing in confrontation with the Cloud Void Sect disciple who was over a hundred feet away.

Originally, everyone in the Yuling Sect felt a sense of injustice for Elder Asura in their hearts. However, since Elder Asura had already stepped into the ring, they had nothing left to say. They could only hope that Elder Asura would be able to defeat that young man from the Cloud Void Sect.

Meanwhile, the group from the Cloud Void Sect all showed looks of anticipation in their eyes. They had only ever heard of Spirit Masters but had never seen one. They were highly anticipating just how strong a Spirit Master’s combat prowess truly was.

"Master Asura, I, your junior Zhao Haifeng, have come to take your head!" At this moment, the young man named Zhao Haifeng lunged forward with powerful explosive force, charging straight at Mo Qianqian.

Despite wearing armor, his speed was barely any slower than a normal cultivator at the Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer. With heavy, thudding footsteps, his entire body barreled toward Mo Qianqian’s position. It was obvious that the opponent wanted to close the distance quickly.

"SWISH!"

Mo Qianqian’s Spirit jolted. A Spirit Body materialized right beside the charging Zhao Haifeng, its hands reaching directly for Zhao Haifeng’s head. It was worth noting that this Spirit Body—whether in figure, silhouette, or even attire—was exactly identical to Mo Qianqian. The Spirit Body also wore a mask on its face. The only difference was that while Mo Qianqian currently wore a black robe and a black mask, the Spirit Body was completely transparent and colorless.

CLANG!

The Spirit Body violently yanked at Zhao Haifeng’s head. However, since the helmet was connected to the rest of the armor below, it could only twist slightly, failing to snap Zhao Haifeng’s neck. Yet, the immense force, combined with Zhao Haifeng’s forward momentum, actually jerked him so hard that both of his legs flew off the ground.

But Zhao Haifeng seemed to have anticipated this as well. The broadsword in his hand instantly slashed backward, cutting toward the Spirit Body at his side. Mo Qianqian controlled the Spirit Body, making it bend down to dodge the blade.

THUD!

Zhao Haifeng’s slash hit nothing but air. However, because his feet were already off the ground, coupled with his forward inertia, his entire body crashed onto the ground and skidded forward for some distance. Meanwhile, the Spirit Body manipulated by Mo Qianqian leaped into the air and came crashing heavily down, stomping one foot squarely onto the armor of Zhao Haifeng’s arms.