"Didn't our Mistress always act like this?" Qi Yan rested his elbow on Ming Lou's head. "It's not surprising at all."
Just as Ming Lou was about to say something, he looked up and saw Qi Yu walking down the stage. He immediately tilted his head to avoid Qi Yan's arm and high-fived her.
"Oh yeah! Our Beiyuan Sect has won big. The Xuanyue Sect has really lost a fortune this time."
After all, winning once allowed them to make a request or ask for a gift, like a lucky money, from the losing side.
And the Xuanyue Sect had lost twice in the same day.
Qi Yu nodded, about to say something, when a disciple from the Xuanyue Sect, with red eyes, roared at them.
"Did you people from the Beiyuan Sect even consider how serious the injuries of our Xuanyue Sect's Master and disciples are? Are you only competing for profit?! You're truly unworthy of being cultivators!"
Qi Nian glanced at them.
"Everyone is competing with their strength. My Mistress and I didn't kill anyone, we just stopped at the right moment. What happens to your Xuanyue Sect has nothing to do with our Beiyuan Sect."
Feng Mingxi sat on a nearby table, crossing his legs with an air of leisure.
"That's right, losing means paying the price. This isn't just a tradition of the Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony; it's a tradition in all realms except the Human Realm."
"The reason why your Xuanyue Sect's Su Daozun and Second Disciple Shen Yunwen were beaten so badly is simply because your Xuanyue Sect is too weak. We can't help it."
"You have to admit defeat when you lose. There's nothing to argue about," Yue Zhiyin looked at Qi Yu. "Junior Brother Qi Yu, you don't need to pay them any mind. Go and discuss with Mistress what we should ask from the Xuanyue Sect with these two opportunities."
Qi Yu had done all this simply to get a reasonable revenge for her original body being shattered.
As for what to ask for...
It wasn't that she hadn't thought about it, but because she herself lacked nothing, she didn't know what to request.
Yu Zhen placed a hand on Qi Yu's shoulder.
"People of the Xuanyue Sect, listen. You lost, and that's that. No matter how severe the injuries are, I conducted the matches according to the rules of the challenge. Therefore, you must fulfill our requests as stipulated."
The Vice Sect Master of the Xuanyue Sect, Venerable Jing Huai, walked over, his tone betraying no emotion.
"Very well. State whatever two conditions your Beiyuan Sect wishes to make. Rest assured, we will comply with all of them."
"I see that your Xuanyue Sect has many people, but ultimately, Venerable Jing Huai is the one who speaks sense," Yu Zhen said slowly. "However, my disciple Qi Yu is still young and doesn't know what to ask for, having been troubled for a long time. As an elder, I will propose the conditions on his behalf."
"Venerable Jing Huai, I, personally, do not want any gold, silver, or treasures, nor any divine artifacts or magical weapons. I only want your Xuanyue Sect to open its barrier and allow our Beiyuan Sect disciples to enter the Xuanyue Mountain range."
Upon hearing this, Venerable Jing Huai's expression changed drastically, and he refused without a second thought.
"We can agree to anything else, but not this! The Xuanyue Mountain range is the bottom line of our Xuanyue Sect. Outsiders are not allowed to enter freely."
The other disciples of the Xuanyue Sect also changed their expressions.
Chi Ming curiously tugged at Qi Yu's hem. After Qi Yu squatted down and picked her up, she whispered, "Junior Brother Qi Yu, what is this Xuanyue Mountain range? Is it very precious?"
Why did the Xuanyue Sect people's faces turn so ugly when they heard this condition, as if they had stepped in something foul?
Chi Ming's voice was soft and childish.
Qi Yu held her fourth senior sister, Chi Ming, and thought carefully before choosing a simple explanation.
"Every mountain in the cultivation world has its own mountain range, and the mountain range is the source of vitality for the entire mountain."
"Xuanyue Mountain is the second highest peak in the world, second only to Buzhou Mountain. Its mountain range contains the Stairway to Divinity."
The so-called Stairway to Divinity, as the name suggests, means that only by ascending this ladder can one become a god.
This information has been around since ancient times, and no one knows who spread it. Qi Yu had also seen the Stairway to Divinity before.
It is said that after ascending the Stairway to Divinity, one must eliminate all distracting thoughts and ascend with a singular focus, and must not fall down, no matter what is encountered.
The reason for not falling is not out of fear of disgracing the sect or anything.
It is because disciples who fall from above will disappear without a trace.
When Qi Yu was still in the Xuanyue Sect, disciples in the Nascent Soul stage often attempted the Stairway to Divinity to avoid the hardships of cultivation, only to disappear.
Because these incidents involved the Xuanyue Sect's own disciples, the news was suppressed by the former Su Daozun.
"Is that so?" Chi Ming looked enlightened after hearing the gossip, pouting her small mouth. "Although the Stairway to Divinity is tempting, I think it's better to be down-to-earth. Cultivation is a very long journey, and nothing can be achieved overnight."
"Yes," Ming Lou also sighed from the side. "I've heard about the Xuanyue Mountain range of the Xuanyue Sect and the legend of the Stairway to Divinity, but I'm not particularly curious."
In this world, how could there be such a good thing as becoming a god just by walking up stairs?
If achieving enlightenment were so simple, there wouldn't be so much sorrow and separation in the world.
Qi Yu nodded.
Yu Zhen, with her arms crossed, gently tapped each of their small heads. "Stop chatting here. Come and join the verbal battle. We must go to the Xuanyue Mountain range."
The purpose of going was not for the Stairway to Divinity.
It was because, in an ancient text from the Demon Realm, she had accidentally learned that the Stairway to Divinity was a cover for the sacred land of the Qilin clan. The Qilin clan had used the Stairway to Divinity as a disguise to protect their sacred land.
The Qilin clan had not appeared for several hundred years.
It is said that finding the sacred land of the Qilin clan would bring the blessing of the Qilin Holy Lord.
She wanted to go and see for herself if what was said in the ancient text was true.
Feng Mingxi stood beside Yu Zhen, understanding her thoughts, and thus echoed her.
"Yes, Senior Brother Si Qing, Senior Brother Qi Yu, Senior Sister Chi Ming, Senior Brother Ming Lou. Since Mistress has decided to visit the Xuanyue Mountain range, we must support her."
Qi Yu and the others nodded.
Venerable Jing Huai's face showed displeasure. "I have already said that the Xuanyue Mountain range is our Xuanyue Sect's..."
This time, before Venerable Jing Huai could finish speaking, Qi Yu interrupted him.
"Venerable Jing Huai, are you going to say again that the Xuanyue Mountain range is your Xuanyue Sect's treasure? But even if it is your Xuanyue Sect's treasure, so what? We are not asking you to move away from Xuanyue Mountain; we are only going there. This is not your first time participating in the Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony, so you should know the rules, shouldn't you?"
"You must pay the price when you lose. The Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony has been held for so many years, and no sect has ever refused because they were unwilling."
"That's right," Li Yu also said earnestly. "Venerable Jing Huai, I remember many years ago, the Dongyue Sect also lost once at the Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony. At that time, the Nanyue Sect, as the winner, requested that the Dongyue Sect hand over all of its sect's cultivation secret manuals."
"Those were cultivation secret manuals, a fatal request for a sect. Was that condition not heavy? The Sect Master of the Dongyue Sect was able to afford to lose and handed them over immediately. Moreover, the year after handing them over, they won back all the secret manuals they had lost to the Nanyue Sect."
"Sect Master of the Dongyue Sect, you agree, don't you?"
The Sect Master of the Dongyue Sect had already been displeased when he heard Venerable Jing Huai's refusal.
The Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony had been held for so many years, and everyone had followed the rules. When they lost, they admitted defeat.
Why was the Xuanyue Sect being special?
What was so precious about the Xuanyue Sect!
Therefore, when the Sect Master of the Dongyue Sect heard Li Yu speak, he immediately couldn't help but join in the teasing.
"That's right, why are you people from the Xuanyue Sect so childish? We lost before, didn't we? We still did what they asked. Or is your Xuanyue Sect's so-called mountain range more important than our Dongyue Sect's secret manuals?"
When one person starts to chime in, others will quickly follow.
Venerable Jing Huai, facing the increasing jeers from all around, found himself in an untenable situation. Finally, with a flushed old face, he said angrily to Qi Yu and the others.
"Fine, fine, I agree, alright? However, don't blame me for not warning you. The Xuanyue Mountain range is fraught with danger, and not everyone can go there. If any of your Beiyuan Sect disciples get lost there, don't come to our Xuanyue Sect seeking redress!"
Yu Zhen nodded. "Wouldn't it have been easier if you had agreed so readily? Why wait so long..."
Before she could finish speaking, there was a sudden bang from the Immortal Cultivation Grand Ceremony stage.
A strong demonic aura swept over, finally descending to the ground and transforming into thousands of demonic soldiers.
And in front of the demonic soldiers, a slender, long-legged, fair-skinned young girl wearing a black gauze off-the-shoulder floor-length dress was holding a long whip and surveying her surroundings.
This young girl had beautiful glazed phoenix eyes, an arrogant and cold demeanor, her long hair tied up with a black crystal phoenix hairpin, and her voice was crisp.
"Qi Nian! This princess knows you are here, why don't you come out quickly!"