Chapter 607 - 607: Pei Yongqing

A number of signs made Chu Qingyun suspect that the Martial King Essence Pill had been tampered with.

Coupled with his memory of that strangely crazed man from the Stone Spirit Sect, Chu Qingyun grew even more suspicious, because it seemed like that man had been looking specifically for him.

"Hmph, leave?"

"Chu Qingyun, do you really think a mere eighth-level Martial Spirit like you can hold on to that Martial King Essence Pill? Hand it over now if you know what's good for you, lest you bring disaster upon yourself."

A member of the Talisman Puppet Sect said with a sneer.

"What? Your Talisman Puppet Sect wants to oppose our Saint Extreme Sect?" one of the ninth-level Martial Spirits with Chu Qingyun asked in a cold voice.

Seeing their reaction, Chu Qingyun was now somewhat inclined to believe that they really had been ordered by Elder Zhu to help him.

"The Talisman Puppet Sect may not dare to oppose the Saint Extreme Sect, but we of the Celestial Sword Sect do!"

"The Withered Wood Forest is the Celestial Sword Sect's Land of Trial! Everything in it belongs to us!"

More people arrived one after another. At this point, members of the Celestial Sword Sect—the strongest and most domineering of the Northern Domain's Fifteen Major Sects—had finally arrived as well.

Drawn by the Primordial Power fluctuations from the Martial King Essence Pill, nearly everyone in the vicinity had gradually gathered.

The Celestial Sword Sect had the most people among the new arrivals, but there were some from the other sects as well. Naturally, a few from the Saint Extreme Sect were present.

However, these members of the Saint Extreme Sect didn't gather around Chu Qingyun. Instead, they watched from a distance, their intentions unclear.

Chu Qingyun's earlier fight with the man from the Stone Spirit Sect had left the surrounding several hundred meters of trees in shambles, which now provided a clearing for everyone to stand.

When there were few people at first, they had been prepared to attack directly.

But now that the crowd had grown, the members of the Fifteen Major Sects were all holding each other in check. The situation had become complicated, and paradoxically, no one dared to make a move.

Surrounded by nearly a hundred ninth-level Martial Spirits, the two Saint Extreme Sect disciples near Chu Qingyun were starting to break out in a cold sweat.

Just three people, facing nearly a hundred—and all of them were ninth-level Martial Spirits!

They had never witnessed a scene of this magnitude.

In contrast, Chu Qingyun's expression was relaxed and natural, far more composed.

Whether it was the war against the Martial Soul Hall in Great Xia's Lianshan County, or the events in Black Blood City and the Blood Sect ruins in the Blood-soaked Land, the scenes he had personally experienced were on a far grander scale.

As more people gathered, the situation settled into a stalemate.

The Celestial Sword Sect had the most members and the greatest strength, but they were being watched by the Talisman Puppet Sect, the Saint Extreme Sect, and even the Tianya and Purple Cloud Sects, so they dared not act rashly.

Meanwhile, the other groups were also holding each other in check. No one dared to make the first move, fearing they would become the common target.

"Haha, what a lively gathering!"

Just as the stalemate reached its peak, a commanding voice suddenly boomed from the forest. A tall, brawny man carrying a massive battle-blade on his shoulder slowly walked out.

Upon seeing the man, the eyes of the twenty-odd Celestial Sword Sect disciples instantly lit up.

"It's Pei! Pei is here!"

"Haha, among all the Outer Sect Seed Disciples in our Celestial Sword Sect, Pei is definitely strong enough to rank in the top ten! I dare say no one here could last ten blows against him!"

"The Martial King Essence Pill will belong to our Celestial Sword Sect after all!"

All the Celestial Sword Sect disciples stared at Pei without blinking, their faces filled with elation, as if they had just found their backbone.

When the crowd was small, everyone dreamed of getting the Martial King Essence Pill for themselves.

But as more people from different sects gathered, their mindset gradually shifted to which sect would ultimately claim the Martial King Essence Pill.

When the two men near Chu Qingyun saw the newcomer, their expressions changed drastically.

"This is bad! It's Pei Yongqing!"

"You know him?" Chu Qingyun asked quietly.

One of them nodded. "His name is Pei Yongqing. He's an incredibly powerful Outer Sect Seed Disciple from the Celestial Sword Sect. His name is so renowned that even people from other sects have heard of him."

"Rumor has it he's been capable of breaking through to the Martial King Realm for a while now. He's just been holding off to build his foundation so he can participate in the Inner Sect qualification tournament and become a Core Disciple."

"Junior Brother Chu, if Pei Yongqing tries to provoke you, just be careful and play along. For now, our only hope is Xu. If he can get here in time, he might have a fighting chance against Pei Yongqing!"

The man added as a final reminder to Chu Qingyun.

The Xu he mentioned was a well-known and powerful Outer Sect Seed Disciple from the Saint Extreme Sect. He was arguably the strongest among all their disciples who had come to the trial.

As for Chu Qingyun, even though he had heavily injured Luo Jingwu with a single punch before coming here.

But he had only made a move once, after all.

So, many people believed he had relied on some special trick or a one-time burst-power move, and that it wasn't a reflection of his true strength.

Besides, Luo Jingwu was a fairly average Seed Disciple.

He was in a completely different league from Pei Yongqing and Xu Shijie.

Someone like Luo Jingwu was a one-in-a-hundred talent among Outer Disciples. But Pei Yongqing and Xu Shijie were the kind of geniuses who were one in a thousand—or even one in ten thousand—across the Outer Sects of all Three Major Sects!

SWOOSH!

While Chu Qingyun and his companions were whispering, Pei Yongqing swung his battle-blade, its tip aimed straight at Chu Qingyun. "Kid, give me the Martial King Essence Pill, and I'll guarantee you'll be one of the first three hundred to reach the center of the Withered Wood Forest and pass this round!"

"Hand over the Martial King Essence Pill and we'll spare you!"

"If you don't hand it over, you'll become another ghost claimed by Pei's blade!"

The crowd from the Celestial Sword Sect chimed in with their own threats.

In an instant, all eyes were on Chu Qingyun, waiting to see what he would choose.

If the Martial King Essence Pill truly fell into Pei Yongqing's hands, then with his strength and his prestige in the Celestial Sword Sect's Outer Sect, the others would truly have no chance.

The two men beside Chu Qingyun also watched him nervously, constantly winking and raising their brows, signaling for him to stall for time and see if Xu Shijie could arrive.

However, Chu Qingyun simply ignored them, meeting Pei Yongqing's gaze without a trace of fear.

"I'll say it again. The Martial King Essence Pill is in my hands. If you have what it takes, come and get it yourself."

As he spoke, Chu Qingyun tossed the Martial King Essence Pill up and down in his hand, completely unintimidated by Pei Yongqing's imposing aura.

"Junior Brother Chu, what are you… SIGH…"

"Sigh… Junior Brother Chu, you have no regard for the bigger picture! Even if Xu came and took the Martial King Essence Pill, it would still be better than letting it fall into the hands of the Celestial Sword Sect!"

Both of the ninth-level Martial Spirits from the Saint Extreme Sect sighed in frustration.