Chapter 133: The Sky-Piercing Gate

This young girl, with a single braided hair, could not be said to have a breathtaking appearance, but she was quite pleasing to the eye. Her frosty expression bore a striking resemblance to Leng Linglan, and her white robe was immaculate. Her hands were as crystal-clear and flawless as mutton-fat jade, dazzlingly white and entirely devoid of any magical treasures. Relying solely on her martial arts skills, she drove the slovenly old man into a continuous retreat.

With a flick of her hand in a gesture of plucking flying flowers and falling leaves, the flying sword, which was a magical treasure in the old man's grasp, was snatched away uncontrollably. Before the young girl even got a proper hold of the flying sword, her eyebrows furrowed in utter disgust. Pushing her left and right palms forward simultaneously, long-stretching streams of vital energy intertwined. With a single pull and a twist, *bang!* The flying sword snapped mid-air, and the two broken blade fragments rebounded to shoot straight at the slovenly old man.

"You brat! I'll tear you to pieces!" The bearded old man's expression abruptly shifted, staring at the girl in white as viciously as a venomous snake. His footwork changed rapidly in mid-air to evade the incoming broken sword. His tattered robe billowed violently as if being pumped with air. *Puff!* The rags of his robe burst apart on the spot, and chaotic fragments shot toward the young girl.

Beneath the old man's tattered clothes was revealed a brand-new immortal robe with blue ribbons. The golden talismans embroidered upon it shimmered with moving brilliance like poured mercury. Judging by the quality of this garment, it was at least a low-grade spiritual weapon.

Meanwhile, the young girl in white danced her palms continuously, faster and faster, causing the surrounding air to hum with incessant vibration. Her entire figure resembled a fluttering white flower, yet it contained boundless destructive power. Those tattered cloth fragments were all blasted into fine powder before they could even draw near, immediately followed by countless palm prints pressing down upon the old man from above.

All the attendants inside the Exotic Beast Pavilion gazed at the sky in dismay, terrified of being caught in the crossfire of these two fighters' clash, yet daring not to leave without authorization.

The old man was utterly stifled, unable to deploy powerful offensive spells in this place, and found himself falling behind with every move. Now, rapidly forming several hand seals with his fingers, the consecrated immortal robe forced out a brilliant blue light barrier, which collided head-on with the countless palm shadows. The explosive force of the gales sounded like rumbling thunder.

Taking advantage of the moment, the disheveled, beggar-like old man fled dozens of feet away. A mouthful of blood, which he had been forcefully holding back, finally spewed out, and his body trembled as if stricken with ague.

The young girl in white did not pursue him. She stood coldly in mid-air, uttering not a word as she stared at the old man and extended her jade-like palms.

Right at that moment, several figures continuously flew in from all directions across the island, evidently drawn by the commotion of the battle.

"Ha, Chief Steward Zheng, how did an old fellow like you end up in such a sorry state? You couldn't even defeat a little girl? Could it be that you've swallowed someone's money again?"

"Brother Lei makes a good point, doesn't he? Look at Chief Steward Zheng; this consecrated immortal robe alone isn't something ordinary people can afford to wear. Tsk tsk."

Two cultivators in their thirties echoed and bantered with each other, mocking Chief Steward Zheng, while three others stood with folded arms, wearing expressions of eager spectators.

Just as Lin Feng was about to seize the opportunity to slip out of the Exotic Beast Pavilion, he suddenly heard a piercing whistle cutting through the air. Following that, an invisible, colossal force swept overhead and landed on a rooftop across the way.

"Rabbits bickering endlessly, what is going on here! Zheng Chao, abandoning your post, are you not afraid the Island Master will blame you and cost you your livelihood? And you lot, making trouble out of nothing, do you still wish to remain on Magnetite Island?!"

Upon the rooftop appeared an old woman leaning upon a dragon-headed crutch and dressed in luxurious silks. Her face was withered, her brow bound with a golden headband, and her silver hair possessed the dignified grace of a matriarch from a wealthy aristocratic household. As she spoke, the airflow around her expanded outward like ripples on water, causing all the exotic beasts within the entire pavilion to cease their roaring.

The onlookers who had been watching the show immediately fell silent, lowered their heads, and quietly slipped away without daring to utter a peep.

Lin Feng's expression turned solemn as well. He could sense that this old woman's strength was terrifyingly high, likely a powerhouse on par with his master, Yan Dongjue.

Chief Steward Zheng moved his lips, ultimately swallowing his words. With a flick of his hand, he fetched a tattered robe to drape over his shoulders, then sat back down by the threshold littered with crushed stones.

"Return my Primordial Spirit Stone!" The young girl in white pressed the pursuit relentlessly.

"Zheng Chao, you still dare to pull such foolish stunts! Hand the item back to the young girl this instant!" Fury surged across the old woman's face. As she struck the empty air with her crutch, tens of thousands of silver rays spewed from the dragon's mouth, forming a hurricane-like force that roared outward.

Chief Steward Zheng's expression finally changed. A venomous glint flashed deep within his eyes as he obediently produced a Primordial Spirit Stone and tossed it over.

The young girl in white produced a pristine white handkerchief from goodness knows where, steadily caught the Primordial Spirit Stone, and swept straight toward the quarters where the Four-Eyed Spirit Vulture was caged.

"I'll take this!" She flicked out numerous fragments of Primordial Spirit Stones in one breath and tossed them before the youth. After a swift transaction and confirmation, the girl scooped up the Four-Eyed Spirit Vulture in her arms and flashed out of the Exotic Beast Pavilion in a whirlwind, without uttering another extra word.

The silk-clad old woman cast a deep glance at Chief Steward Zheng, let out a cold huff, and turned to leave.

Lin Feng walked swiftly up to the gate-keeping old fellow, stretched out his hand, and laughed loudly, "Where is my change?"

Chief Steward Zheng let out an extremely reluctant snort from his nose and swept a handful of scattered Primordial Spirit Stone fragments onto the ground. The old woman shook her head once more, waved her crutch in the air, and vanished into a遁-like flight.

Leaving behind the disappointing Exotic Beast Pavilion, he walked back onto the street and made his way toward a more crowded area.

"Trading Street?" Before long, he arrived at a broad avenue bustling with cultivators. Only here did he truly experience a genuine cultivation trading market.

The street was exceptionally wide. On both sides were small, pigeon-coop-like cubicles rented out for people to "do business." Most of the merchant vendors sat cross-legged with their wares displayed before them. Some had a small dagger, a treasured sword, or a few medicinal herbs; others had a few spirit stones, pieces of metal, or a manual of cultivation techniques; while many displayed only a single item. Every article was clearly priced, saving the trouble of idle chatter.

Before entering this street, Lin Feng noticed two formidable experts sitting quietly in meditation, seemingly acting as keepers of the peace. The two sat with eyes closed and bodies motionless like stone statues, their cultivation depths inscrutable.

Following the flow of the crowd, he stepped into the Trading Street. The pedestrians and merchants were remarkably orderly; there was no quarreling, no clamor, and even bargaining was conducted in soft whispers or via sound transmission.

His primary purpose this time was merely to witness the overseas cultivation market, with no intention of making purchases. Holding the mindset of a spectator, Lin Feng looked around and discovered that this place encompassed almost everything imaginable. Along the mile-long street, one could spot all manner of Daoist practitioners, martial artists, monks, and demonic cultivators... The further inward he walked, the more varied the goods became. Spiritual weapons and treasures began to multiply, and large stalls and shops started to emerge. Some vendors laid out hundreds of different spiritual materials and immortal herbs in neat rows, while others had four or five people bustling about inside shops overflowing with a dazzling array of weapons, treasured garments, and medicinal pills.

In a place like this, items of high quality were exceedingly rare. Trying to acquire a middle- or top-grade magical treasure required not only luck but also a sharp eye. On the whole, the offerings were far inferior to the treasures found within his sect's Pavilion of Profound Collection, yet the prices were absurdly high.

Walking from one end to the other, he still found himself empty-handed and could not help feeling a self-deprecating urge. He simply could no longer look down upon ordinary items, much like a newly rich upstart who could no longer psychologically accept returning to a life of poverty.

"The cultivation trading market is nothing special after all. Better hurry along on my journey." Walking faster and faster, he left the Trading Street, summoned the Moyan Sword, and sped away in the direction of the mainland.

*Boom! Clang!* Just as he was about to leave Magnetite Island, a burst of combat sounds drifted up from below, and two figures slashed their way up from a slanting angle beneath him. Had he not dodged swiftly, it nearly resulted in a mid-air disaster.

"Are you looking to die? Fighting without even watching where you're going! You two are fierce, I'll steer clear." No sooner had he muttered this complaint in his heart than he inadvertently looked closer and realized that one of the two combatants was once again that young girl in white. The other was a sword-wielding man with a stern look, short-cropped hair, and exposed muscular arms, wielding a massive Sun-Refining Saber. As the blade cleaved through the air, it shone as blindingly as a miniature sun, erupting into countless white light rings—unquestionably a formidable divine weapon.

"Two Grand Masters? What kind of play is this?"

The young girl in white relied purely on her fists and feet, while the male cultivator wore red martial garments and a buzz cut, brandishing his huge blade. The blade's edge swept forth, creating blinding white halos and explosive gales far more intense than any Daoist spell battle.

"Two grandmasters? What sort of farce is this now?"

The young girl in white continued to rely purely on her fist and foot techniques, while the man in red martial attire, sporting a buzz cut and baring his robust arms, wielded a massive Sun-Refining Saber. As the blade swept through, it was as blinding as a tiny sun, bursting forth with countless white halos—truly a divine weapon of formidable might.

When martial arts masters cultivated to the ultimate peak, they could likewise traverse the air using true qi, yet they could not casually employ magical treasures and spiritual tools like high-level Daoist practitioners. In this regard, they suffered a major disadvantage, but their physical bodies were incomparably formidable, making close-quarters combat against weapons a walk in the park.

"Junior Sister! You fled the sect without permission; why won't you obediently return with me to Skymoting Island to confess your crimes to Master!"

These words fell coldly from the young man's lips.

"Skymoting Island? Such an unfamiliar name; so they belong to the same sect. Let's observe what divine abilities these two possess for the moment." A thought arose in Lin Feng's mind. Daoist practitioners refined the spiritual qi of the dantian and the internal essence, breath, and spirit, whereas martial artists refined their skin, flesh, blood, and marrow. Aside from demonic cultivators who naturally possessed formidable physical bodies, Daoist practitioners were often fragile; once their protective divine abilities were shattered, escape from death was impossible. Up until now, he had yet to encounter a genuine martial arts master displaying their divine abilities, making this a rare opportunity.

"Master? You still acknowledge him as Master? The Skymoting Gate is about to be ruined in his hands! If you want to capture me, show me what you've got, Chi Yunchuan! Today, let me witness just how brilliant you, Second Senior Brother, really are!"

Beneath the swirling winds of the young girl's palms, a massive handprint formed instantly, slamming violently against the sword light. The two collided fiercely with a cracking roar before simultaneously dissipating.

"Skymoting Handprint! Xiaowan, your martial arts have progressed at a startling pace... If you return to the island with me, Master will surely be overjoyed. Stop making a fuss." Chi Yunchuan withdrew his saber and stood still, his eyes flashing with helplessness and regret. Could the little junior sister before him really be the same ignorant and mischievous little Junwan of the past?

"A fuss? Second Senior Brother! Since I left Skymoting Island, I never intended to return. If you have the ability, drag me back yourself!" The young girl in white grabbed with both hands, mustering all her strength. Two masses of airflow abruptly took shape, their semi-circular arc blades resembling swords as they sliced through the air simultaneously, slashing one after the other. These air-arc blades were a relatively powerful technique within the Skymoting Gate, even fiercer than a Daoist's sword qi, swift as light and sharp as blades.

However, before these two arc blades could even touch their opponent, they were sliced into four pieces by a single flash of saber light, brushing past Chi Yunchuan's side.

"Xiaowan, your air-arc blades still leave room for improvement. Faster, more accurate—if you can condense them into a spherical shape, then I would only be able to dodge and fall behind." Chi Yunchuan smiled, as if offering guidance to his junior sister.

"Who asked for your instruction!" The young girl's face turned frosty. Glancing at Lin Feng, who was watching from afar, she transformed her palms into fists, retracted them, and instantly whipped up clusters of white afterimages. Just as Lin Feng's eyes grew dizzy trying to follow, she propelled her body forward, charging straight at Chi Yunchuan. Dozens of palm prints whipped up countless air-arc blades that exploded in all directions!

Lin Feng immediately sensed a formidable aura flooding the empty space, accompanied by the cracking of air around him. He hurriedly summoned his sword array to shield his body, sparing himself from unprovoked disaster.

"Incredible! It seems even fiercer than my Hurricane Tyrant Waves! Skymoting Gate, hmph, they certainly have some strength!"