Chapter 65 - 62: Nothing Special

WHOOSH!

It didn’t take long for Mo Qianqian to be carried along, traveling dozens of miles to the area where the commotion had erupted. Before him lay a vast, flat valley. The ground was cracked for miles around, as if everything had been burned to ashes by some unknown entity. However, these ashes were entirely white. Instead of the typical acrid stench of burning, they emitted a sinister, corrosive odor. The source of the dazzling, iridescent light was located right at the center of the countless fissures on the cracked ground ahead. Furthermore, a substantial crowd had already gathered around the perimeter of this area, numbering anywhere from one to two hundred people.

SIZZLE!

Just as they were about to arrive, someone had already charged toward the center of the fissures. But in a split second, the person’s body collapsed, turning into a pile of mush. Seeing this, Mo Qianqian and the newly arrived cultivators were all greatly alarmed. They wondered how merely getting close could turn a person into mush, and what exactly was hidden inside.

Compared to the crowd that had arrived earlier, those who arrived later quickly calmed down after witnessing this scene. No one impulsively rushed forward again.

The gray-clad masked man, the Cloud Void Sect Master, and the others landed one after another. Mo Qianqian was tossed near Lao Liu by the Yuling Sect Master, who then deliberately landed some distance away from Mo Qianqian. He was left somewhat speechless. It seemed the Yuling Sect still did not want to fully side with him. Then again, considering the circumstances, it was quite generous of them to lend a helping hand at all. If the Yuling Sect were to completely involve themselves, they would have to face not only the Cloud Void Sect and the Qin Family, but the Ling Family as well.

"It looks like some treasure is about to emerge!" Lao Liu muttered to herself beside Mo Qianqian, her eyes shining as she stared straight ahead. She looked like an absolute money-grubber.

What Lao Liu failed to notice was a young man in a group ahead, staring fixedly at her. He was around twenty-one or twenty-two years old, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an extraordinary aura. Evidently, he was either curious or hostile toward such a youthful Tongyou Realm expert capable of flying through the air.

"Someone is watching you," Mo Qianqian warned her.

Lao Liu looked up, spotted the young man, and replied, "Ah, that guy. That’s a genius of the Lie Family, Lieqi. He’s in his early twenties, at the Spiritual Mysterious Realm Eighth Layer, and ranks seventeenth on the Hidden Dragon List. He’s obviously staring at you."

"A genius of the Lie Family?" Mo Qianqian was startled. The Lie Family was one of the three great families of Central Earth, sharing equal fame with the Ling Family. Had their genius come all the way here too?

"Do you know who his older brother is?" Lao Liu asked.

"Who?"

"Lie Yao!" she revealed.

"Lie Yao?" Mo Qianqian was taken aback. He certainly knew of Lie Yao. Back when he helped the Ling Family snatch a spirit mine from the Lie Family through a genius duel, his opponent had been Lie Yao—one of the Lie Family’s strongest talents at the time. So this kid was Lie Yao’s younger brother? In that case, the person he was glaring at wasn’t Lao Liu, but him.

"Mo Qianqian, do you dare step out and fight me?!" Lieqi suddenly shouted in front of the entire crowd, drawing everyone’s gaze toward Mo Qianqian.

The dozen or so experts from the Qin Family and the Cloud Void Sect had also just arrived. Seeing this scene unfold, they were quite surprised. Someone was already challenging Mo Qianqian the moment they arrived? Who was this person?

Naturally, not everyone in the surrounding crowd recognized Mo Qianqian. Upon hearing Lieqi’s challenge, they began gossiping curiously.

"Is that guy really Mo Qianqian, the former number one genius of the Hidden Dragon List?"

"I heard he’s now just a Body Cultivator at the First Realm Seventh Layer. Back in Qingcheng, he even killed Cai Ye, who was at the Spirit Xuan Realm Third Layer. His combat prowess is terrifying. These past few days, the Cloud Void Sect and the Qin Family have been hunting him down."

"A First Realm Seventh Layer killed a Spirit Xuan Realm Third Layer? He’s that incredible?"

"No wonder he was once ranked first on the Hidden Dragon List. Even after his cultivation was crippled, he turned to becoming a Body Cultivator and managed to retain such formidable combat strength."

"No matter how strong he is, he can’t possibly beat that Lie Family genius from Central Earth, right? I heard his cultivation is at the Spiritual Mysterious Realm Eighth Layer. The gap in their cultivation is just too immense. It’s an unwinnable fight!"

"Whether he fights or not probably isn’t up to Mo Qianqian to decide. Still, this situation is quite intriguing."

The crowd buzzed with endless chatter. The Qin Family Patriarch, the Cloud Void Sect Master, and the Yuling Sect Master were all present, along with two masked Tongyou Realm experts. There was probably a reason why neither of the two opposing factions had made a move against Mo Qianqian yet. If the Lie Family struck now, the onlookers wondered if anyone would step up to help him.

Hearing Lieqi’s challenge, Mo Qianqian furrowed his brow. He was perfectly capable of killing a Spiritual Mysterious Realm Eighth Layer cultivator with his current strength. The problem was that defeating or killing Lieqi would definitely draw out the experts backing him. He already had way too many enemies! If the Lie Family’s Tongyou Realm expert intervened, the delicate balance keeping him alive would be broken. Furthermore, with the treasure right in front of them, there was no guarantee that Lao Liu or the black-clad masked man would even help him.

"Dare? Why wouldn’t he dare?" Before Mo Qianqian could say a word, Lao Liu clamored on his behalf. "You and Mo Qianqian will fight to the death, and the elders absolutely cannot interfere! Do you dare accept?"

Mo Qianqian’s face darkened. A death match? Did she even ask for his permission?! He was already locked in a bitter, unending feud with the Ling Family, one of the three great families of the Great Xia Dynasty. The last thing he wanted was to drag the Lie Family into it as well.

Lieqi frowned. Just as he was about to speak, an elderly man from the Lie Family grabbed his arm. "Keep your composure. The fortune is right in front of us. Now is not the time to act."

Lieqi calmed down. Striking now would only expose his strength and unnecessarily drain his energy, which would obviously benefit the others.

"Hmph, I’ll deal with you after this is over!" Lieqi suppressed his anger and replied coldly.

"Look, he’s scared," Lao Liu’s mocking commentary rang out. "The moment a death match without elder interference is brought up, he cowers. Just a moment ago he was clamoring to challenge you, but now he’s acting like a turtle pulling its head into its shell. So this is all a Lie Family genius amounts to."

"You!" Lieqi roared in fury.

The other young geniuses of the Lie Family were equally incensed. She was openly humiliating their family. A few couldn’t help but want to step forward, but the leading Lie Family Elder spoke up again. "No one is allowed to make a move!"

At his command, none of the Lie Family youths stepped out, though each one gnashed their teeth and clenched their fists tightly.

The members of the Cloud Void Sect and the Qin Family wore expressions of disappointment. Naturally, they had been hoping the Lie Family would attack Mo Qianqian. It was a pity that the Lie Family Elder was too level-headed.

"See? The Lie Family is completely spineless. They’re the ones who issue a challenge first, yet they don’t even dare to follow through," Lao Liu continued. "If word of this spreads, it will become the biggest joke in the entire Great Xia Dynasty."

The Lie Family youths were bursting with rage.

"Please stop talking!" Mo Qianqian said, utterly exasperated.

All she did was talk. She truly lived up to her name as "Lao Liu"—an absolute troll. If a fight actually broke out, she probably wouldn’t even lift a finger to help him. She was just the type to stand by and fan the flames, perfectly happy to watch the world burn.

"Who are you?!" someone from the Lie Family demanded furiously, glaring at Lao Liu.

"What, do you want to challenge me now? Are you just going to bark and not bite again?" Lao Liu replied loudly.

The young members of the Lie Family were infuriated beyond measure. However, seeing the woman float mid-air, they realized she possessed the cultivation of the Tongyou Realm. If they rushed her blindly, they would likely be no match for her.

"Don’t fall for her tricks. The treasure is the priority!" the Lie Family Elder reminded them.

With great effort, the Lie Family youths forced themselves to calm down.

WHOOSH!

Right at that moment, an old man leading a group of over a dozen people descended from the sky, landing not far from the Lie Family’s group.