Chapter 192: Secret Contest

Chapter 192: Chapter 192: Secret Contest

The border of the Great Shang Dynasty adjoined that of the Great Chu Dynasty. The two dynasties had always been good neighbors.

At the foot of an enormous mountain on the border, Black Stone Mountain, an endless, violent wind howled relentlessly.

The force of this gale was enough to flay the skin and flesh from any ordinary person or low-level Cultivator, sending blood and gore flying. As such, it was impossible for most people to cross the border into another dynasty.

At this moment, Yi Xiaoyao’s group of five, along with the King of Shang, braved the astonishing winds and shot toward the foot of the mountain.

Meanwhile, several figures were already waiting at the base of Black Stone Mountain.

"Look, the people from the Great Shang Dynasty are here."

"Are these our allies for this mission?"

The five young people at the foot of the mountain pointed ahead as they spoke.

Beside them, a middle-aged man with a commanding presence said, "That’s right. My Great Chu Dynasty has always been on friendly terms with the Great Shang Dynasty. This time, their five prodigies will enter the Ancient Tomb with you."

The prodigies from the Great Chu Dynasty watched the approaching figures with curiosity.

They were all quite curious about who their allies were.

Although their Cultivation at the Golden Core Realm and above made them unafraid of the fierce winds, they still had to circulate Spiritual Power to shield their bodies. Otherwise, even their clothes wouldn’t withstand the tearing force of the gale.

Because of this, the group from the Great Chu Dynasty immediately sensed the Cultivation auras emanating from the approaching figures as they activated their Spiritual Power.

"You’ve got to be kidding me. Is there actually someone at the Golden Core Sixth Realm among the Great Shang group?"

"Did the Great Shang Dynasty run out of people?"

"This is just reckless! He’s dragging down our average strength!"

"Exactly! With him here, how are we supposed to compete with the other two dynasties?"

The prodigies from the Great Chu Dynasty had noticed Yi Xiaoyao’s Cultivation at a glance, and their faces were filled with disbelief and dissatisfaction.

But the King of Chu, who was standing beside them, spoke up. "Don’t underestimate him. Since the King of Shang sent him, he must have some extraordinary qualities."

The prodigies paid his words no mind. Any sane person knew that no amount of extraordinary talent could bridge such a massive gap in Cultivation.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH...

A moment later, the King of Shang arrived with Yi Xiaoyao and the others at the Great Chu group’s location.

The King of Shang said with a laugh as he walked toward the King of Chu, "Haha, Chu! Apologies for the wait."

"Not at all, Shang. We just arrived ourselves," the King of Chu replied with a smile. "Before we go in, let’s have the young ones greet each other."

"Of course."

The King of Shang turned to the five behind him. "You’re all allies from now on. Introduce yourselves and get acquainted."

Yi Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow and glanced at the four beside him.

"Sword Wind Breaker."

Sword Wind Breaker stated his name impassively.

Hearing this, the five from the Great Chu Dynasty all looked thoughtful.

One of them said, "I’ve heard that name. You must be the one ranked second on your Great Shang Dynasty’s Hidden Dragon List."

"Shang Shiqie," she added with a slight nod.

The eyes of the four men in the other group lit up. "So it’s the Princess of the Shang Kingdom! I didn’t expect we’d have two princesses this time. Though, the Princess of the Shang Kingdom’s strength seems to be much greater than our Princess Fei’Er’s."

At that, the young woman in their group frowned and snapped, "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’m going to hold you back?"

"Princess Fei’Er, it was just a joke," one of the Great Chu members said with a laugh, intentionally glancing at Yi Xiaoyao. "Besides, out of the ten of us, you’re not the one who’ll be holding us back."

Their meaning was obvious: they were implying that Yi Xiaoyao, at only the Golden Core Sixth Realm, was the one who would be a burden.

Hearing this, Princess Fei’Er also shot a glance at Yi Xiaoyao and let out a smug, cold snort.

Next, Wei Buzhan and Su Xiang announced their names, which the other five had also vaguely heard of.

Finally, all five members of the other group turned their gazes to Yi Xiaoyao, their faces showing a hint of disdain.

"Kid, what’s your name?" one of them asked with a frown before Yi Xiaoyao could even speak. "Didn’t you know how dangerous this place is? How dare you join the expedition to the Ancient Tomb when you’re only at the Golden Core Sixth Realm."

Yi Xiaoyao gave a faint smile and replied, "I am Yi Xiaoyao. I’m just here to try my luck."

"Yi Xiaoyao? Never heard of him," the five from the other group sneered. "Trying your luck? I’d say just making it out of here alive would be the best luck you could hope for."

Sword Wind Breaker and the other three from Shang all showed strange expressions. ’If a monster like Yi Xiaoyao can’t make it out alive,’ they thought, ’then probably none of the other nine of us will either.’

Seeing Yi Xiaoyao’s calm expression, Sword Wind Breaker and the others mused internally, ’This monster... how can he be so calm and collected when everyone is looking down on him like this?’ However, they didn’t say anything to clarify. Once they entered the Ancient Tomb, the other group would naturally understand everything.

Next, it was the Great Chu Dynasty’s group of five’s turn to introduce themselves.

The first to speak was a young man with curly hair and a nose ring. He stood with his sturdy arms crossed, an arrogant look on his face.

"To be honest, I haven’t heard of any of you five. The only person from your Great Shang Dynasty who interests me is Shangguan Tianjian." The curly-haired young man continued with a slight frown, "So? Why isn’t Shangguan Tianjian here this time?"

"Shangguan Tianjian couldn’t make it."

Su Xiang, annoyed by the man’s tone, replied with a hint of sarcasm, "You must be Bo Hong, the one who lost to Shangguan Tianjian a year ago, right?"

"Hmph! I only lost to him by a single move!" Bo Hong’s face flushed with anger, but he quickly forced a cold smile. "I was planning to win it back this time. I suppose Shangguan Tianjian didn’t dare to show up because he was afraid I’d defeat him. How disappointing!"

"A loss is a loss. What does ’by a single move’ matter?" Yi Xiaoyao said lightly.

How could Bo Hong know that it was precisely because of that so-called "single move" that Shangguan Tianjian had died by Yi Xiaoyao’s sword?

Hearing this, his face contorted in fury. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" he said in a cold voice. "You want to test my strength?"

"What does your grudge with Shangguan Tianjian have to do with me?" Yi Xiaoyao gave a soft chuckle and ignored him.

Bo Hong’s arrogance made Su Xiang and the others sneer inwardly, but they all knew the truth and couldn’t be bothered to engage with the guy.

After that, the remaining four from the Great Chu Dynasty introduced themselves: Kang Yuan, Kang Yan, Elemental Power, and the princess of the Great Chu Dynasty, Chu Fei’Er.

These five were the strongest five Golden Core Realm experts of the Great Chu Dynasty. Among them, Bo Hong was the strongest, and Chu Fei’Er was the weakest.

The King of Shang and the King of Chu observed the subtle rivalry between the two groups but paid it no mind.

After all, these ten young people were the top prodigies of their respective dynasties. Geniuses always had their own pride. Even though they were allies, neither group of five looked highly upon the other.

Just then, the massive Black Stone Mountain behind them suddenly began to shake with a deafening rumble.

The sound came from the other side of Black Stone Mountain. The King of Shang and the King of Chu clearly understood what was happening and exchanged a look.

"The people from the other two dynasties have opened the Ancient Tomb and are going in. It’s our turn."

The King of Shang and the King of Chu nodded, and then both unleashed a staggering strike against Black Stone Mountain.

CRACK CRACK CRACK!

The next moment, chunks of black rock tumbled from the face of Black Stone Mountain, revealing a massive, dark fissure. Within it, a separate dimension seemed to exist.

...