Chapter 451 - 277: Contention for the Dao, Tier Three Spiritual Land (2)

Chapter 451: Chapter 277: Contention for the Dao, Tier Three Spiritual Land (2)

Such conflicts usually involved fighting over critical resources. The victor, having seized the prize, could advance further on their Immortal Path. The loser, on the other hand, missed out on more than just resources.

They might also have missed the only chance in their entire life to advance again.

The Immortal Path is endless, but a great opportunity might only come once. This was the practical yet cruel reality that all Cultivators faced.

It was something they had to consider.

"That’s right."

Mo Zhaoli nodded.

She then began to recount the simple version of what happened.

The woman in colorful clothes was named Ye Qingwu. Three years ago, she had also been a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. However, she was further along than Mo Zhaoli, at roughly the Sixth Layer Foundation Establishment.

At that time, they had accepted the same Sect mission and worked together to complete it quite well.

The problem arose after they had finished. By a stroke of ill fortune, both of them simultaneously discovered an opportunity nearby.

For two people who practiced the same Cultivation Technique, this item was a supreme tonic; it could accelerate the progress of both their technique and their Cultivation.

It would even be beneficial for accumulating the foundation needed for Core Formation.

While both women were harboring their own thoughts, Ye Qingwu was the first to lose her composure and decided to make a move.

And her target wasn’t the opportunity itself, but Mo Zhaoli. She intended to launch a surprise attack, kill her, and take the treasure for herself.

Mo Zhaoli had spent decades fighting and struggling in the outside world, honing herself to reach her current position. Naturally, she wouldn’t be as careless or naive as a blank sheet of paper; she was already on her guard.

She immediately blocked her opponent’s attack.

Strangely, after that initial clash, they both pulled back. There was no exchange of angry words, only a chilling iciness in their eyes that was plain to see.

After a round of Magical Combat, Mo Zhaoli, against the odds, managed to defeat her stronger opponent by a narrow margin. Before she could land a killing blow, however, Ye Qingwu proved decisive and fled without a trace.

Mo Zhaoli was thus able to claim the opportunity for herself, but she knew that with this woman still alive, she now had a lingering threat.

Back in the Sect, however, it was impossible to attack her. This was a hard and fast rule of the Purple Extreme Sect—violate it and you would be either killed or crippled. There was no room for discussion.

But between the two of them, all pretenses were dropped; they had completely fallen out.

In high-level meetings, they were even more confrontational, opposing each other at every turn.

It reached the point where everyone knew of their terrible relationship.

But no one knew the true reason for the friction between them. Surprisingly, Ye Qingwu didn’t spread any rumors or reveal that Mo Zhaoli had obtained the opportunity.

What Mo Zhaoli hadn’t expected, however, was that Ye Qingwu—whether spurred on by shame or just by some bullshit luck—had managed to break through to Late Stage Foundation Establishment in just two or three short years.

Her Cultivation now completely suppressed Mo Zhaoli’s.

If Mo Zhaoli at the Fifth Layer Foundation Establishment could defeat Ye Qingwu at the Sixth Layer, she now had little confidence facing this woman who was in the Late Stage Foundation Establishment.

And this time, they were assigned to a mission together again!

She didn’t know if it was a case of enemies being destined to meet, or if the other woman was like a lingering ghost, planning to strike from the shadows and reclaim the opportunity she had lost.

After all, Mo Zhaoli had not yet reached Late Stage Foundation Establishment. Consuming the opportunity now would be a reckless waste of a precious treasure.

It was most likely still in her Storage Bag.

And in fact, this was exactly what Ye Qingwu was planning.

The reason she hadn’t leaked information about the opportunity back then to cause trouble for Mo Zhaoli was that she considered the item to be merely on temporary loan. Sooner or later, it would return to her hands.

Why create obstacles for her future self just because of a temporary setback?

But the moment she saw Mo Zhaoli’s helper, Ye Qingwu felt no pressure at all. Two Middle Stage Cultivators? If she found the right opportunity, she really could kill them with ease.

The only thing giving her a headache was how to kill them secretly.

Her earlier sarcastic remarks were merely her following their established pattern of interaction. If she had been too friendly, it would have made it seem like she had ulterior motives.

’If you’d managed to find a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator for help, I’d have to give you some credit. But the person you found is nothing special. He’ll just be one more person to be buried alongside you.’

...

At this moment, having heard Mo Zhaoli’s story, Lin Changheng nodded thoughtfully.

In truth, Mo Zhaoli’s explanation had been rather vague, only hinting at things without going into detail. But Lin Changheng had known her for over eighty years and was incredibly familiar with her, so he could easily deduce her true meaning.

He simply didn’t ask what the opportunity actually was.

The next moment, a premonition suddenly struck Lin Changheng. He raised his head and looked toward the edge of the ship’s railing on the other side, his gaze meeting a pair of beautiful eyes.

They shimmered like water, yet held a hint of amusement.

It was none other than the woman in colorful robes, Ye Qingwu, and she was sizing him up.

She seemed completely unsurprised that Lin Changheng had sensed her gaze. In fact, it was as if she had been waiting for him to look over, the corners of her lips curling into a half-smile.

"Fellow Daoist, you seem to be paying special attention to me," her voice transmission carried a lazy, husky tone, like a feather brushing across the heart.

Alarm bells screamed in Lin Changheng’s mind, but his face remained impassive. He calmly retracted his gaze and replied in a detached tone, "Mr. Ye’s bearing is so outstanding, it’s hard not to notice."

The words sounded like a compliment, but they were hollow and noncommittal. ℯℯ𝑙.

Ye Qingwu chuckled softly, twirling a lock of hair around her fingertip. Her gaze, however, was like a fine needle, trying to pierce through Lin Changheng’s calm facade. "Is that so? I thought perhaps Junior Sister Mo had said something to you, Fellow Daoist, that made you... so wary of me."

As she spoke, a strange crimson glow quietly rose in her pupils, surreal and dream-like. The very air around them seemed to ripple, and a formless, intangible bewitching power—one that pierced straight to the Divine Soul—crept silently toward Lin Changheng like a clinging spiderweb. In the middle of her verbal probing, she had stealthily cast some kind of special Magic!