Chapter 203

Chapter 203: The Immortal Gate Opens

Xiao Yang stepped onto the path to ascend the heavens.

Who would have thought someone would suddenly attack him on this celestial road?

A glimmer of cold light flashed, and a sharp dagger instantly pierced his throat.

Fast, ruthless, accurate.

“Assassin!”

These two words popped into Xiao Yang’s mind.

In the next moment, the dagger was already pressed against his throat, his skin indented where the sharp blade met flesh.

The attacker, aiming for a guaranteed kill, had used nearly all their strength.

Moreover, the dagger in their hand was no ordinary weapon; it was designed to bypass Protective Gang Qi and could kill a Martial Arts Master in one strike.

“Senior Brother…”

Lin Wangchuan and Song Qiang were horrified at the sight.

Hua Mengli also turned pale with fear.

The surrounding people hurriedly fled in terror.

Xiao Yang stood there, motionless.

The cloaked assassin maintained their strike posture.

Both of them seemed frozen in place, as if someone had cast a spell on them.

Everyone watched in shock at this scene.

No one could have anticipated that someone would dare to assassinate Xiao Yang.

This was the illustrious Xiao Yang of the North!

And, Xiao Yang was the Sect Holy Son of the Qingyang Sword Sect.

To assassinate him was akin to declaring war on the Qingyang Sword Sect!

The Qingyang Sword Sect was one of the ten most powerful sects in the North; who would dare oppose them?

Just as everyone was rooted to the spot, a figure rushed up from below, their large hand reaching directly for the cloaked figure.

The assassin attempted to dodge, wanting to retreat.

But in the next moment, their hand gripping the dagger was suddenly caught by a firm grasp.

“What…”

The assassin was seriously taken aback.

“You…”

The assassin looked at Xiao Yang in shock.

They had assumed that their attack would have already pierced Xiao Yang’s neck, sealing his fate.

However, upon retracting the dagger, they discovered that Xiao Yang’s neck hadn’t even been scratched.

Xiao Yang flashed a grin at the assassin, twisted his right hand, and a bone-crunching sound erupted.

The assassin’s entire arm was twisted like a pretzel.

In desperation, the assassin slashed off their own right arm with their left hand to escape.

But a massive hand swiftly grabbed their neck and lifted them into the air.

“You despicable scoundrel, how dare you assassinate the man I have my eyes on?”

A voice like a raging bull echoed.

Everyone gaped in disbelief.

A “big girl” sporting a beard had the assassin in one hand and was angrily pointing at him.

“What…”

Everyone was bewildered. How could such a stunning woman have set her sights on Xiao Yang?

Charging in from below, Jiang Ting was both shocked and furious at the sight.

“Speak! Who sent you to assassinate Xiao Yang?” Nie Ruhua demanded loudly.

“Let’s die together!” The assassin roared, unleashing a violent surge of power.

Nie Ruhua flinched and immediately threw the assassin away.

“Boom!”

There was a deafening blast, and the assassin exploded in mid-air, turning into a mist of blood, completely obliterated.

“Self-destruct?” Xiao Yang’s expression grew serious.

That guy was likely from the Smoke Rain Tower.

Chu Guiyuan had already been incapacitated. Could it be Qin Fei?

Xiao Yang genuinely couldn’t believe that an assassin from the Smoke Rain Tower dared to attack him here.

The Smoke Rain Tower was also a force in the North.

Their disciples had the qualifications to participate in the inter-sect tournament.

The appearance of someone from the Smoke Rain Tower here wasn’t particularly surprising, after all.

Nie Ruhua’s expression changed drastically.

These people were complete lunatics.

If she had hesitated for even a moment, she probably would have suffered a serious injury or worse.

The crowd was similarly stunned by the scene.

“Are you okay?” Hua Mengli rushed forward.

Xiao Yang’s neck showed no sign of injury from the assassin’s dagger.

In his grasp was the severed hand of the assassin, still clutching the dagger.

Xiao Yang removed the dagger and tossed away the severed hand.

This dagger was exceptionally sharp and was indeed a Spiritual Artifact, enveloped in a faint aura of Spiritual Energy.

Xiao Yang stowed the dagger away.

“Listen up! This man is under my protection; anyone who dares harm him will be an enemy of the Heguan Sect!” Nie Ruhua declared loudly to the crowd.

“…”

Everyone exchanged glances.

The Heguan Sect?

That wasn’t just some small sect.

Of course, among the crowd’s perceptions, the Heguan Sect wasn’t exactly an orthodox sect either; like the Carefree Palace, it was known for its passionate pursuits, simultaneously alluring and intimidating.

Who could withstand the zeal of the disciples from the Carefree Palace and Heguan Sect?

They’d be drained of all their cultivation if they weren’t careful.

After all, every ounce of cultivation a martial artist achieved was the result of hard work; no one wanted to have their efforts devoured.

Sure, it might be fun for a moment, but the pain lasts a lifetime.

The Qingyang Sword Sect was a prestigious orthodox faction. When had they ever gotten involved with the Heguan Sect?

The crowd was left astonished, staring at Xiao Yang and the others.

“Hey, you unmanly thing, scram!” Jiang Ting charged forward, separating Xiao Yang and Nie Ruhua.

“Who are you calling unmanly?” Nie Ruhua put her hands on her hips, glaring at Jiang Ting.

“I’m calling you unmanly. What’s wrong? Does any woman grow a beard?” Jiang Ting shot back, disgust evident in her eyes.

“You…”

Nie Ruhua’s anger flared as she huffed and puffed.

Despite her feminine attire, she did indeed sport a beard that was thicker than many men’s, making her appearance rather unique.

“Senior Brother is the Sect Holy Son of the Qingyang Sword Sect! Does he even need protection from a demoness like you? What a joke, right, Junior Sister!” Qin Fei chimed in with a smirk.

Xiao Yang cast a glance at Qin Fei. Surprisingly, he was rather good-looking, and his white hair gave him an ethereal vibe.

After all, aren’t those hidden masters of the sects all white-haired and youthful-looking?

Who would expect such a dashing fellow to be a male green tea?

“Tch, the Qingyang Sword Sect thinks it’s all that? The Heguan Sect isn’t to be trifled with either,” Nie Ruhua replied dismissively.

“Ridiculous…” Jiang Ting was ready to strike.

“You all take your time; I’m leaving first,” Xiao Yang said, striding up the staircase.

At that moment, the tightly closed Immortal Gate high above Yuanwu Mountain slowly opened, and pure spiritual energy poured down from behind it.

This influx of spiritual energy spread down from the mountaintop, quickly enveloping the entire Yuanwu Mountain.

Everyone on Yuanwu Mountain was bathed in this pure spiritual energy.

Everyone was utterly shocked.

Could there truly be such pure spiritual energy in the world?

Some individuals immediately sat down on the stairs, circulating their mysterious skills to absorb and refine this spiritual energy.

“The Immortal Gate is open?” Xiao Yang was a bit surprised. Had someone really ascended the Questioning Immortals Platform?

In his previous life, he had been the first to reach the platform.

He still remembered the moment he stood on the Questioning Immortals Platform, filled with confidence.

Sword raised, he questioned the heavens, “Are there immortals in this world?”

What heroic ambitions he had!

“Let’s go!”

Xiao Yang no longer hesitated and sprinted towards the mountaintop.

Lin Wangchuan and Song Qiang hurriedly followed him.

Hua Mengli, leading the disciples of the Carefree Palace, also rushed after them.

The tense standoff between Jiang Ting and Nie Ruhua was momentarily forgotten.

The Immortal Gate was open, indicating that someone had ascended the Questioning Immortals Platform.

Someone was about to enter the Yuanwu Immortal Domain.

Reaching the peak of Yuanwu Mountain was merely a test before the inter-sect tournament began.

Of course, considering this test the first hurdle of the inter-sect tournament wasn’t incorrect.

Ultimately, those who could enter the Yuanwu Immortal Domain would be the elite among martial artists, at the very least, they needed to be at the Divine Ability Realm.

Because the farther one goes up, the greater the pressure becomes.

This was a test of will.

There were also steadfast Martial Artists in the Transformation Dragon Realm who could reach the summit of Yuanwu Mountain.

However, no matter how determined and unwavering the will of a Transformation Dragon Realm practitioner was, they were no match for practitioners of the Divine Ability Realm or Heavenly Martial Realm; they were merely cannon fodder.

Xiao Yang was eager to see who would be the first to reach the Questioning Immortals Platform.

Soon, he left everyone far behind.

However, the steps beneath his feet seemed endless.

While the Immortal Gate at the peak of Yuanwu Mountain looked close enough, even with Xiao Yang’s current cultivation, reaching the summit was no simple feat.

Before long, he caught up with Jiang Qitian and the others.

“Senior… Brother…”

Lei Renjie, Ye Qingyao, and the others wanted to greet him, but Xiao Yang didn’t stop and charged right past them.

“This unruly disciple…”

Jiang Qitian’s face darkened. His once-disciplined disciple was becoming increasingly reckless, not even acknowledging his master anymore.

Xiao Yang wasn’t as obedient as before, which irked Jiang Qitian.

After all, he was Xiao Yang’s master.

Without him, there would be no today’s Xiao Yang!

He could feel Xiao Yang was gradually slipping out of his control.

That was definitely not a good sign.

Xiao Yang was his sharpest sword.

He recalled the bet he made with Xiao Yang.

Want to leave the Qingyang Sword Sect?

Dream on!

Jiang Qitian had no faith in Xiao Yang whatsoever.

Did Xiao Yang actually think he could win the championship in the inter-sect tournament?

What an absurd thought!

Before long, Xiao Yang’s figure had vanished far into the distance.

“So fast?”

The talented disciples of the Qingyang Sword Sect were left dumbfounded.

They could already sense the oppressive force weighing down on them.

Getting this far was no walk in the park.

Yet Xiao Yang still moved with incredible speed.

“Senior Brother is indeed Senior Brother!” Ye Qingyao exclaimed in admiration.

“Hmph!” Lei Renjie appeared disgruntled, dashing after Xiao Yang.

He wanted to catch up with him.

But soon enough, he could no longer even see Xiao Yang’s silhouette.

“…”

Lei Renjie was dumbfounded.

At this moment, Xiao Yang had already caught up with the disciples from the Supreme Dao Sect.

“Xiao Yang…”

Feng Bufan’s eyes turned red the moment he saw Xiao Yang. After all, it was Xiao Yang who had crushed his flying sword before, leaving his entire cultivation crippled.

Seeing an enemy, who wouldn’t feel hot under the collar?

“Is he the one who destroyed your flying sword?”

The Supreme Dao Child’s mind began racing, and in an instant, they leaped forward to block Xiao Yang’s path.

“Get lost!”

Xiao Yang had no time to waste on this guy and directly hurled a punch at the Supreme Dao Child.

The explosion of pure and vigorous energy erupted from his fist, crashing toward the smiling-masked Supreme Dao Child in a sweeping tide.