kvmb Chapter 035 Blocking the Way
Chapter 035 Blocking the Way
Chapter 035 Blocking the Way
"Dong, dong, dong..." Nine bells rang in succession, which could still be clearly heard even when Lin Fei was inside the Demon-Subduing Tower.
The Jade Emperor Sect's most treasured artifact is called the "Eastern Emperor Bell," one of the ten most powerful divine weapons in the world, passed down from ancient times.
The Eastern Emperor Bell rarely rings unless there is a major event in the sect. The ancestors of the Jade Emperor Sect, based on the shape of the Eastern Emperor Bell, created the Nine Cauldrons and the Eastern Emperor Bell as a "mother-child bell" that echoes each other, known as the "Nine Bells of the Heavenly Emperor".
At this moment, the bell that resounded within the sect was the sub-bell of the Nine Cauldrons, which was forged based on the Eastern Emperor Bell and was of the divine weapon and spiritual artifact level.
Although the Heavenly Emperor's Nine Bells are not like the Eastern Emperor Bell, which shakes the earth and can be heard for thousands of miles when they ring, they still resonate within a hundred miles, and can even be clearly heard inside the Demon-Subduing Tower.
Lin Fei was cultivating with his eyes closed inside the Demon-Subduing Tower when he heard the bell ring, and immediately opened his eyes.
"The Heavenly Emperor's Nine Bells have rung, it seems the sect competition held every five years is about to begin!" Yuanwu had come down from the upper level of the Demon Subduing Tower at some point: "You've stayed here for three years, it's about time you left."
"Uncle-Master, I..." Lin Fei stood up from the ground, about to say something, but was interrupted by Yuan Wu.
"Alright, stop dawdling and hurry up, or we'll miss the deadline!" Yuanwu waved his hand impatiently. "Remember, don't reveal your Invincible Vajra Divine Skill to anyone easily. If you must use it, none of those who see it can be spared!"
A strong killing intent suddenly surged from Yuanwu's body, making him look like a completely different person from his usual slovenly and dissolute appearance.
……
Meanwhile, at the Jade Emperor Sect's mountain gate square, even the Jade Emperor Sect Master, who had not appeared for a long time—"Heavenly Emperor Subduing Demons" True Man Yongcheng—appeared on the square.
To the left of Master Yongcheng sat a host of invited guests, including members of the Jiangxia Du family, the Jiangling Yuan family, the Wushuang Sword Sect, and Baiyun City. Also present were the abbots of the Jade Emperor's Eighteen Temples and numerous elders at the Dharma Aspect realm.
The sect competition, held once every five years, is a grand event for selecting future talents for the entire sect, even though the disciples participating in it are not particularly advanced in cultivation, being only disciples below the Body Tempering Realm.
During the grand competition, outstanding disciples will become official disciples of the Jade Emperor's Eighteen Temples. The top student from each lower temple will have the opportunity to become a personal disciple of the temple abbots, the elders at the Dharma Aspect realm. If even the Immortal Yongcheng takes a liking to them, they may be directly recruited into the Zixiao Temple, which would truly be a meteoric rise.
Master Yongcheng, seated at the head of the table, asked, "Have all the disciples from our sect who are participating in the competition arrived?"
The person in charge of arranging the sect competition was Yuanzhen, the abbot of Xingzhi Temple. He stood up and respectfully said, "Reporting to the sect leader, everyone has arrived."
Master Yongcheng nodded and smiled at the others, "Then let's begin. It'll be a good opportunity for us old folks to see if our Jade Emperor Sect has produced any remarkable new figures in the past five years!"
Yuan Yi, seated among the elders, scanned the numerous disciples below, but failed to spot Lin Fei. This caused a hint of worry to creep into his expression.
……
The reason Lin Fei was unable to arrive at the sect square in time for the start of the competition was because he was stopped on his way there.
After leaving the Demon-Subduing Tower, Lin Fei headed towards the sect square, but unexpectedly encountered two Taoist priests dressed in white robes who stopped him on the way.
"Is the one who comes here Junior Brother Mingxin?" The two blocked the only way from the Demon-Subduing Tower to the sect square, clearly their target was Lin Fei.
"It is indeed your disciple. What brings you two senior brothers here?" Lin Fei stopped, cautiously observing the two men. He hadn't stepped out of the Demon-Subduing Tower for three years, and the only people he saw most often were the young Daoist boys who delivered supplies every two months. He didn't recognize these two men blocking his way at all, and their presence made Lin Fei feel uneasy.
"It's nothing," one of them chuckled. "We were just bored in the sect, so we came to chat with our junior brother."
By this time, the Heavenly Emperor's Nine Bells had been ringing for quite some time, and Lin Fei had no time to waste here: "This disciple is in a hurry to participate in the sect competition, please make way for me, senior brothers!"
"Heh heh, you want to participate in the sect competition?" one of them said with ill intent. "Junior brother, you should just stay here and chat with your senior brothers! As for this sect competition, I think you shouldn't participate!"
Lin Fei was silent for a moment, then suddenly said loudly, "Are you from Xingzhi Temple?"
"How did you know?" Within the sect, the only one who had a grudge against Lin Fei, didn't want to participate in the sect competition, and could command two formal disciples was Abbot Yuanzhen of Xingzhi Temple. Lin Fei was just bluffing them, and the two immediately gave themselves away.
Seeing that they had been exposed, the two decided not to hide their true intentions any longer. One of them sneered, "Mingxin, you have violated the sect rules. You have already been punished by guarding the Demon-Subduing Tower for three years, and now you dare to injure a guest, damaging the reputation of our Jade Emperor Sect. What right does a criminal like you have to participate in this sect competition?"
Another person said coldly, "Mingxin, Martial Uncle Yuanzhen said he's giving you a chance to repent. If you don't participate in the sect competition, that will be your punishment. Don't be ungrateful; you'd better stay here obediently!"
"Damn old Taoist priest! The head of Xingzhi Temple, resorting to such underhanded methods!" Lin Fei cursed inwardly, his muscles tensing as he channeled his inner energy. He coldly addressed the two, "What if I don't obediently stay here?"
"Then don't blame your senior brothers for not showing any fraternal affection!" one of them sneered. "Uncle Yuanzhen has ordered us to use any means necessary to keep you here. Junior brother, don't go looking for trouble!"
Another person chimed in, "Our senior uncle knows that junior brother has already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Accumulation, so he specially sent the two of us here. We are both experts with over a hundred acupoints in the Body Tempering Realm, so junior brother shouldn't make things difficult for himself! After the sect competition, we naturally won't make things difficult for you. With your cultivation level, you will be able to enter the Jade Emperor's Eighteen Temples and become a formal disciple once you reach the Body Tempering Realm, so why rush things?"
After advancing to the Body Tempering Realm, one can naturally become a formal disciple of the Jade Emperor's Eighteen Temples. However, which temple one is assigned to is not a matter of personal choice.
Moreover, if Lin Fei misses the sect competition, he will not have the opportunity to become a personal disciple, which would be a great loss for him.
"It seems I really won't have the chance to participate in the sect competition today!" Lin Fei stood there and sighed slightly.