Chapter 40

"Hmph, the Xuantao Sect always puts on such airs, bullying us of the Hengyue Sect for not having a mountain guardian spirit beast! Damn it, if I get the chance, I’ll definitely take out this spirit beast and see them show off again!" Another uncle, his eyes flashing, stared at the centipede and said in a low voice.

The sect leader let out a cold snort, and a purple sword light instantly shot out from his body, shaking in the sky, suddenly growing larger, and finally transforming into a giant purple dragon, coiling in the sky above the Hengyue Sect, roaring at the centipede.

The thousand-legged centipede immediately stopped, not daring to advance. At this moment, a long laugh came from the centipede.

"Friend Huanglong, your Ziyue Immortal Sword is said to contain a dragon soul. Now that I see it, it’s indeed true. Friend, the 20-year term has come again. If our Xuantao Sect wins this time, your Hengyue Sect must keep your promise and not only return the 137 magical treasures you took from our Xuantao Sect, but also offer 200 flying swords as compensation!"

The sect leader's expression remained unchanged, showing no signs of joy or anger. He said calmly, "Friend Ouyang, if the Xuantao Sect wins this time, we will naturally fulfill the promise made in the past. But if you lose, don’t be unwilling to give us the technique to control the spirit beast!"

As he spoke, the purple dragon slowly dissipated, transforming back into a purple flying sword and returning to the hands of Sect Leader Huanglong.

The thousand-legged centipede then slowly moved forward, circling in the sky above the Hengyue Sect before slowly descending. The inner disciples involuntarily stepped back, clearing a large area.

Seeing this, the uncles all frowned, glaring at their respective disciples.

After the centipede landed, it remained motionless on the ground. Dozens of people jumped off its back, three of whom were elderly, while the rest were young.

The disciples of the Xuantao Sect included both men and women. It was unknown whether it was to provoke the Hengyue Sect, knowing that the Hengyue Sect had few purple-robed disciples, so all these people were dressed in purple. What caught the attention of all the inner disciples of the Hengyue Sect was that these people, regardless of gender, were all exceptionally handsome and beautiful, with the men being graceful and the women being stunningly attractive.

Especially the man and woman at the front, the man was exceptionally handsome, exuding a strong sense of masculinity. His wide sleeves fluttered, his long hair danced in the gentle breeze, and he carried a sword on his back with the tassel fluttering, making him look even more dashing and impressive! He immediately captivated several female inner disciples.

The woman, dressed in purple, was breathtakingly beautiful, with flowing hair, phoenix eyes, and cherry lips. Her eyes were filled with a captivating charm. Even Wang Lin couldn’t help but feel his heart race when he saw her. He was startled and gave her a meaningful glance, quickly regaining his composure.

Seeing that all the disciples were showing signs of infatuation, one of the elders couldn’t bear it and shouted in anger, "When did the Xuantao Sect start practicing such low-level seduction techniques? It’s truly despicable!"

This shout immediately woke up all the inner disciples, who all showed signs of shock.

One of the three elders laughed and said, "This is Daoxu Zhenren, right? I am Qin Gulei. Take a closer look; my two disciples haven’t practiced any seduction techniques. They are naturally born with a single water spirit root. I observe that none of your Hengyue Sect disciples possess such a spirit root; they all have mixed elements, no wonder you can’t see it."

All the elders of the Hengyue Sect had mixed expressions. After a long while, Sect Leader Huanglong Zhenren’s expression remained unchanged, subtly changing the subject. "All the friends of the Xuantao Sect, please rest at our sect for three days. The formal exchange will take place three days later, is that acceptable?"

Elder Ouyang nodded with a smile and said, "That’s fine. Our Xuantao Sect has been friendly with your sect for many years. These exchanges, though each side has its own stakes, should not harm the harmony between us."

Among the many elders of the Hengyue Sect, one elder stepped forward. He had many wrinkles on his face and looked somewhat listless. He chuckled and said to Elder Ouyang, "Friend Ouyang, it’s been twenty years since we last met. Do you still remember this old friend?"

Elder Ouyang laughed and said, "I saw you just now, Friend Song. This time, we must drink the wine you brewed again. Last time, I didn’t get enough; you were too stingy, only bringing out one jar!"

Uncle Song laughed and said, "It’s not that I’m stingy, but you, Ouyang, drink so much that no amount of jars would be enough."

As they spoke, the other two elders of the Xuantao Sect also found their familiar acquaintances, seemingly forgetting the previous unpleasantness, and chatted freely.

Talking about the interesting events in the Zhao Kingdom’s cultivation world, it opened the eyes of the disciples of both sects.

For example, a disciple from the Wufeng Valley seduced the female disciple of the Piaomiao Sect, making her pregnant. The Piaomiao Sect’s sect leader went to the Wufeng Valley to seek justice and brought back a baby.

Another example was a disciple of the Tiandao Sect who betrayed his sect and joined the Hehuan Sect. The disciples who were close to him secretly benefited and one by one betrayed their sect, angering the Tiandao Sect’s elders, who issued a sect-wide pursuit order.

Or the emergence of a rare treasure, and the news that the Piaomiao Sect’s Grand Elder, Wuwei Zhenren, who was at the Core Formation stage, would be celebrating his birthday in a few months, with various sects sending representatives to wish him well, and so on.

Wang Lin listened for a long time, gradually forming a vague impression of the cultivation world of the Zhao Kingdom. At this moment, he suddenly felt someone paying attention to him. Turning his head, he saw the single water spirit root girl from the Xuantao Sect smiling at him.

Wang Lin nodded slightly,收回目光，心中暗自警惕，他并不认为自己有那么大的魅力，可以在众多弟子中引起注意。

作为玄道宗内门弟子中的佼佼者，柳眉对自己的天生媚术非常自信，平时在玄道宗内，同辈中很少有人能抵抗。然而，刚才这个看似平凡的青年，居然是第一个恢复神智的人，这让她有些惊讶，忍不住多看了几眼。不过怎么看，对方也只是一个凝气期三层的修士，没有丝毫特别之处。

长辈们闲谈之际，两派弟子也纷纷打量对方，为日后的交流比试做准备。玄道宗的弟子大多看不出实力，仿佛有一层无形的迷雾遮盖，隐藏了他们的真实修为。

王林也感到惊讶，对玄道宗产生了几分兴趣。对方显然个个都具备某种类似隐匿术的仙法，但显然要比隐匿术高明不少。

恒岳派的弟子大多把注意力放在了最显眼的那一男一女身上，心中各有想法。不过王林却注意到一个奇怪的现象，这些人彼此之间，从眼神上看，似乎都对站在最后面的一个中年男子露出一丝若隐若现的敬意。

王林意味深长地看了那人一眼，收回目光，低头不语。