Nameless District: Chapter Forty-Seven - The Dark Horse

At this moment, Xuan Qizi was faced with only two options. The first was to ignore the pressure from the three other sects and do everything in his power to protect Zhou Xuanhong. However, this would undoubtedly worsen relations with the other sects, and with Xingyan Sect’s strength no longer what it once was, such a move could easily spell disaster for the sect. The second option was to abandon Zhou Xuanhong, but Zhou was the candidate personally chosen by the Ancestor for soul transference. If he were killed, how could Xuan Qizi possibly answer to the Ancestor?

“Damn it, why did he have to go up on the stage in the first place—doesn’t he know his own limits?” Xuan Qizi was furious, but could not vent his anger. He could only suppress it and say to Bai Youxuan, “Young lady, for my sake, spare him this once. I will reward you handsomely.”

Bai Youxuan turned to Corpse Mountain Old Ghost with an inquiring look. “What do you think?”

Corpse Mountain Old Ghost chuckled, “It’s out of my hands. You’re all competitors. If he wants to step onto the stage, he should be ready to die. It’s all up to you!”

Bai Youxuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood. “Oh! I see what you mean. Since he came up here to court death, I might as well kill him, is that right?”

“Heh heh, I never said that!” Corpse Mountain Old Ghost cackled.

Bai Youxuan broke into a delighted smile. “You laughed—that proves I was right. Looks like I’ve become even cleverer!”

Zhou Xuanhong said to Xuan Qizi, “Don’t worry, Master. I’m confident I can defeat her.”

Xuan Qizi’s face was dark as thunder. He showed Zhou Xuanhong no kindness and snapped, “Get down from there and admit defeat, now!”

Zhou Xuanhong shook his head. “The moment I stepped onto the stage, I was already locked on by this fellow Daoist. If I make any sudden moves, I’ll be struck down on the spot.”

“Then why did you go up there in the first place?”

Corpse Mountain Old Ghost blocked Xuan Qizi’s way, saying, “Let the young ones settle their fights. I think this young friend is no simple character—who knows, perhaps he really can win. Heh heh!”

“Hmph!” Xuan Qizi could only pin his hopes on the mysterious aspects of Zhou Xuanhong, such as his Foundation Platform in the Sea of Consciousness.

Bai Youxuan put her coffin away and said to Zhou Xuanhong, “Let the battle begin! I won’t bully you—I’ll let you have the first thirty moves. But you’re not allowed to leave the stage, or I’ll crush you!”

Zhou Xuanhong laughed and drew a low-grade spiritual sword. “Such violence! It’s a deal—you let me have thirty moves!”

He slowly approached until he was ten meters from Bai Youxuan, lifted his sword, and began to gather his strength.

But in that instant, Bai Youxuan flashed a sly grin. The coffin reappeared in her hand and, with lightning speed, she launched a sneak attack at the charging Zhou Xuanhong.

“Are you a fool, to actually believe that?”

The coffin, imbued with monstrous strength, came crashing down on Zhou Xuanhong’s head, and he seemed frozen, not reacting at all.

With a loud crash, the coffin smashed into the ring. The cracks left from the earlier battle with Han Yuan had not yet healed, and now they were even worse.

“Wow, Zhou Xuanhong must have been smashed to a pulp!”

“He asked for it, trusting the words of a demoness. As the elders say, the prettier a woman is in the cultivation world, the more ruthless her hand!”

“Something feels off to me…”

While the disciples whispered among themselves, the experts above the Golden Core stage discerned Zhou Xuanhong’s methods through their divine sense. Xuan Qizi, in particular, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Xuanhong was not a fool courting death—he was truly prepared.

Just as Bai Youxuan sensed something was wrong with the blow, a sudden upheaval occurred!

A terrifying aura of destruction erupted from beneath the coffin. Talismans ignited, and treasures self-destructed, unleashing a shockwave far more powerful than her previous clash with Han Yuan.

This time, however, Bai Youxuan was caught off guard and blown high into the air, away from the dueling platform.

In midair, her spiritual power churned violently. Already unstable from her fight with Han Yuan, the impact made it even harder to control, and she spat a mouthful of blood.

But a Golden Core body is extraordinarily resilient. She endured the blast without falling to the ground, as her high-grade spiritual robe automatically shielded her, limiting the damage.

“What’s going on?!”

Bai Youxuan was baffled. In the next instant, her eyes glazed over and she plummeted toward the ground. When she regained her senses, she was already lying on the earth below.

Not far from her, Zhou Xuanhong was flying on his sword, clutching his head and frowning in pain, his teeth clenched as if enduring excruciating agony.

“What the hell, how did that demoness lose?”

“I’m not strong enough to see—can someone please explain what happened?”

“This is unbelievable! He’s the true dark horse. Every true disciple is formidable—Brother Zhou, forgive me for ever doubting you!”

The atmosphere reached a fever pitch with Bai Youxuan’s defeat. Even Luo Tuan and Li Li were stunned—the result far exceeded their expectations, and they couldn’t figure out what had happened.

Xuan Qizi was momentarily dazed, then burst into hearty laughter. “Excellent! Excellent! As expected of my disciple, Zhou Xuanhong. He has the style of our sect in its prime. Excellent!”

He repeated himself three times, making it clear just how delighted he was with Zhou Xuanhong’s performance.

Bai Youxuan stood up, shaking her head. She felt as though she’d just lost control of her body, only regaining consciousness once she’d hit the ground.

“How strange! Zhou, how did you defeat me? I’m curious—will you tell me?”

As Bai Youxuan approached, Zhou Xuanhong instinctively stepped back. He’d really thought he’d be crushed to death just now, but his quick reaction had saved him.

Zhou Xuanhong chuckled, “There’s no secret. The Golden Core seniors probably saw it all. Here’s what happened: first, I left a substitute talisman at my original spot, which let me switch places with it. Then I pretended to approach you, drawing your attack. When you struck, I activated the talisman while using my divine sense to trigger single-use talismans and self-destructing treasures from my storage pouch. That heavy blow would surely throw your mind into disarray. I took the chance to use the Minor Soul Transfer technique. But your soul is as strong as mine, so I couldn’t swap places, only suppress you for a moment—just enough to make you fall. According to the rules, you lost without me having to fight.”

Everyone present was a cultivator, and they all heard Zhou Xuanhong’s explanation. Admiration spread through the crowd.

“I always knew Junior Brother Zhou was extraordinary. I must learn from him if I get the chance.”

“Amazing! Such insight—could it be the result of cultivating the ‘Form Shaping Art’?”

“I thought Zhou Xuanhong was useless, but he’s actually the most deeply hidden master!”

Bai Youxuan showed no resentment or anger, but fell into deep thought. After several minutes, she looked at Zhou Xuanhong with unabashed admiration.

“Wow, you’re really smart! I only fought that sword cultivator once, and you already figured out my weakness. You even guessed I’d try to ambush you, and factored my spiritual robe into your plan. Incredible!”

Faced with this somewhat eccentric demoness, Zhou Xuanhong replied modestly, “I’m not as amazing as you think. If we fought without rules, I doubt I could even escape, let alone win.”

Bai Youxuan shook her head earnestly. “No, if that really happened, with your intelligence, you’d have me at your mercy, able to kill me without expending a shred of spiritual power.”

“Uh…”

All Zhou Xuanhong could do was give an awkward laugh; after all, it was true—if he so wished, he truly could make her disappear without lifting a finger.

Bai Youxuan gazed at him in adoration, her smile radiant. “My name is Bai Youxuan—‘You’ as in childish, ‘Xuan’ as in daylily. What’s your name?”

“I am Zhou Xuanhong—‘Xuan’ as in mysterious, ‘Hong’ as in grand. If there’s nothing else, please step down. I need to defend the stage now.”

High above, Da Xi sighed, “Truly, there is always a counter to every force. The monster Han Yuan couldn’t handle was outplayed by a crafty Foundation Establishment cultivator using trickery, yet such tricks would be useless against Han Yuan. The Dao of Heaven is always fair.”

Wei Cangyuan saw even deeper, stroking his beard as he smiled at Xuan Qizi. “Fellow Daoist Xu, could it be that your disciple specializes in soul arts? He’s only at the first level of Foundation Establishment, yet can wield soul techniques to this extent. Truly impressive.”

Xuan Qizi’s eyelid twitched. “Our sect’s core art is the ‘Form Shaping Art’—ever mysterious. Besides, he is my disciple. It’s only natural he excels in such ways.”

Wei Cangyuan simply smiled, saying nothing more. He used his divine sense to transmit a message to one of the five disciples he’d brought from the Pill Path branch: “Your turn.”

On the stage, Zhou Xuanhong was answering Bai Youxuan’s questions rather helplessly—she simply refused to leave, insisting that with her defeated, there were no more worthy opponents and all that remained was to await victory.

“Cong Yushu of the Five-Spirit Pill Valley challenges Daoist Zhou!”

Seeing a Pill Valley disciple step forward to challenge Zhou Xuanhong, many from Form Shaping Sect were displeased. They were all righteous sects, allies even—why fight amongst themselves?

Confident in Bai Youxuan and Han Yuan, the early Foundation disciples from Song Mountain Sword Pavilion had only sent one person, and the early Foundation disciples from Yin Corpse Sect were merely there to muddle the waters and clear the way for Bai Youxuan. Now that both had lost, Zhou Xuanhong’s victory should have been assured—yet now a Pill Cultivator had appeared out of nowhere.

This left the Form Shaping Sect cultivators sour-faced. Xu Yuhan called out to Cong Yushu on the stage, “Junior Brother Cong, come down. I’ll teach you a new pill-refining technique!”

Cong Yushu looked back with a wry smile. He had no desire to challenge Zhou Xuanhong, but this was the will of his Sect Elder. What could a mere early Foundation disciple do?

Xuan Qizi looked at Wei Cangyuan, his smile cold and forced. “Your disciples are certainly eager for glory, Fellow Daoist Wei. Even as pill cultivators, their competitive spirit is truly admirable.”

Wei Cangyuan paid no mind to the sarcasm, sighing carelessly, “What can I do? That’s just the way with the Pill and Spell branch. It’s normal for young people to have a little fighting spirit.”

Xuan Qizi could not fathom Wei Cangyuan’s true intentions. Out of concern for Zhou Xuanhong, he said, “Xuanhong, you’ve performed excellently today. If you’re outmatched, admit defeat at once. I’ll reward you for it.”

“Thank you, Master!”

There was nothing more Xuan Qizi could say. Cong Yushu’s challenge was fair and aboveboard. He could only hope Zhou Xuanhong wouldn’t be reckless, that he would know when to stop and surrender decisively if need be.