Chapter 34: Unexpected Changes (Part 2)

Approaching Xuan Yu True Person, Lu Yun looked at the black pillar of light and asked, "How much can we trust the words of Night Soul? Is he here just to show off to us? I think he may have other motives, perhaps waiting for the right moment or searching for something. Considering that our six academies are holding the Martial Arts Conference here, they should have noticed it. Why did he choose to appear here? Isn't he afraid that we'll unite to eliminate him? Does he have that much confidence? There might be some mystery in all of this."

Xuan Yu True Person, hearing this, had a slight change in expression and said, "You're right, your analysis is accurate. If he only wanted to demonstrate and show off, then his purpose is already achieved, and he should leave. But he hasn't left, indicating he has other intentions. And his choice of Tai Xuan Mountain is likely for a reason. There might be something in Tai Xuan Mountain that he needs, so he's staying to obtain it. Now, we need to clarify his motives and find a way to eliminate or drive him away." After speaking, he looked at the other five headmasters, with a glance at Li Changchun's face.

Li Changchun's expression changed slightly, his eyes flickering as he continued to stare at the black lotus, remaining silent. On the side, Ru Yuan's headmaster, Master Hao Yun, spoke up, "Trying to extract information from him is probably not realistic. I suggest we find a way to drive him away for now and figure out how to deal with him later. Although it's currently challenging to eliminate the black lotus, forcing him to leave shouldn't be a problem."

Master Fa Guo glanced at Li Changchun and whispered, "Alright, let's temporarily force him to leave to avoid the trouble of him staying here. Everyone is uneasy about it. Ben Yi, you represent me and make sure to give it your best shot." With that, the Seven Xuan True Person from Dao Yuan and Xuan Yu True Person from Yi Yuan instructed their disciples to take action. Dao Yuan was represented by Wu Wang, while Yi Yuan was represented by Lu Yun. The other three headmasters showed a slight coldness in their expressions and moved a few feet forward.

In sight, Li Changchun took the Heavenly Spirit Divine Sword from Sword Dustless, and Jade Unmatched also wielded the Howling Moon Divine Sword from Cangyue. Only Lu Yun didn't use the Purple Shadow Divine Sword but his own As-You-Will Soul Sword. Ben Yi held a string of golden Buddhist beads, and Wu Wang used a brilliantly shining sword, seemingly extraordinary. Ru Yuan's Hao Yun, on the other hand, had empty hands and silently observed the scene.

With a light whistle from Li Changchun, six figures simultaneously shot towards the black pillar of light. In the night, various lights interwove into a celestial net in mid-air, instantly enveloping the black pillar of light. The Heavenly Spirit Divine Sword in Li Changchun's hand, along with the Howling Moon Divine Sword in Jade Unmatched's hand, emitted the most brilliant radiance and fiercely struck the black pillar of light. Lu Yun's choice differed from others; he, alone, chose to attack one of the nine lotus flowers beneath the black lotus.

While everyone's attention was focused on the battle above, Lu Yun had already appeared beside the lotus. Having witnessed Cangyue's attack on this entity before, Lu Yun understood its sinister nature. Trying to eliminate it with cultivation alone was not easy. Therefore, Lu Yun chose to approach it, intending to use a different method. Lu Yun's left hand slowly approached the black lotus, the palm harboring an imperceptible black radiance.

When Lu Yun's left hand touched the black demonic aura, he suddenly unleashed the Ghost Sect's "Soul Transformation**." Since the Ghost Sect's Soul Transformation** also manifested as black, it went unnoticed by the members of the six academies under the cover of the black demonic aura. As Lu Yun's left hand executed Soul Transformation**, the black lotus vibrated violently. The entire lotus, composed of black demonic aura, suddenly emitted a bewitching cry and was instantly dissolved by Lu Yun's Soul Transformation**. The demonic aura, in Lu Yun's hand, turned into wisps of smoke, disappearing without a trace.

Simultaneously with Lu Yun casting Soul Transformation**, the black lotus platform above suddenly flashed. A black light wave burst outward, instantly forcing the attacking five individuals to retreat. In the moment of repelling the powerful attacks, Night Soul, the black-clothed man, suddenly let out a thunderous roar, and the black lotus appeared alongside him in front of Lu Yun.

Night Soul, with a furious expression, stared at Lu Yun and shouted, "It's you! Who are you, and why can you eliminate my Black Lotus Phantom? It's impossible! I'll kill you, revenge for my damaged Black Lotus Phantom. Accept your death." After speaking, the black lotus platform suddenly expanded, violently enveloping Lu Yun below. This shocked everyone, including Xuan Yu True Person and Proud Snow, both showing drastic changes in their expressions. They rushed towards the black lotus platform, trying to rescue Lu Yun.

At the same time, Li Changchun and the other five reappeared above Night Soul's head, launching fierce attacks once again. A five-colored radiance, accompanied by a red light, instantly hit Night Soul. Night Soul sneered, and the lotus platform beneath him erupted with a black shield, protecting himself. Meanwhile, two peculiar black lotus flowers silently appeared in front of the two radiant lights, blocking their attacks.

A loud noise echoed, and the black-clothed man trembled all over, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The black lotus radiance beneath him dimmed for a moment but quickly returned to its original state. Below the black lotus, due to Lu Yun eliminating one lotus flower, it seemed somewhat unstable at this moment. The entire lotus platform was shaking, indicating that Night Soul was not in a good condition. After the loud noise, Ben Yi, from Bodhi Academy, held a Buddhist bead emitting dazzling golden light, and numerous Buddhist scriptures in the air slowly formed a barrier, shrouding Night Soul within. Wu Wang from Dao Yuan wielded a sword shining with green light, forming a layer of sword curtain that tightened rapidly, approaching Night Soul at high speed.

Night Soul's face contorted, his body straightened, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, aiming it at the empty space in the sky. At the same time, his hands traced peculiar trajectories in front of his chest, finally merging them, coinciding with the spurted blood. In the night sky, a thunderous roar resounded, and a blood-colored light wave, centered on Night Soul, suddenly shot out in all directions. Carrying a sinister and malicious demonic aura, with the momentum to shatter mountains and split rocks, it violently shot towards the surroundings.

For a moment, the sky was filled with dazzling lights, multicolored and beautiful. Both Ben Yi and Wu Wang trembled all over, their strong attacks instantly broken by Night Soul's bizarre secret technique. The powerful force hit their protective true qi, immediately pushing them back several zhang. Similarly, the other few individuals

 also suffered from this wave of attacks, forced to retreat several zhang.

However, the forced strike also inflicted heavy damage on Night Soul. The entire person wilted, looking unwillingly at everyone, and his body, along with the black lotus, instantly disappeared. Everything happened so suddenly; no one expected it to end so quickly. Just after the disappearance of the black lotus, Lu Yun's body also appeared in mid-air. Judging by Lu Yun's pale complexion, it was evident that being trapped in the black lotus had taken a toll on him.

Returning to the shore, Lu Yun glanced at the others and found that everyone's situation was not optimistic. Although no one was injured, seeing everyone panting, it was evident that driving away Night Soul had taken a considerable amount of energy. Xuan Yu True Person and Proud Snow looked at him, both showing a hint of smiles, relieved by his safety.

True Person Qi Xuan, with a worried expression, said, "Now, although we have driven away Night Soul and inflicted heavy injuries, we have also expended a considerable amount of energy. This time, almost the entire cultivation world, one-third of the experts, had to exert such great effort to expel him. In the future, once a large number of demons and monsters appear, we may find it difficult to cope."

Li Changchun looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, Night Soul is undoubtedly one of the top figures in the Hundred Beasts Demon Territory. The fact that he could come with the Black Lotus indicates his extraordinary identity. This time, if he didn't have the protection of the Black Lotus, he would never have left Tai Xuan Mountain alive. While many of us are not weaker than him in terms of true strength, the main issue is the indestructible nature of his Black Lotus. With the Black Lotus, he can freely traverse the Seven Realms, making it temporarily difficult for us to deal with him. As for the future, if there are large numbers of demons and monsters, they may not be challenging to handle. So, we don't need to worry too much about that."

Master Fa Guo said in a deep voice, "Tonight's battle has left all six disciples present with greatly depleted vital energy. For tomorrow's competition, it might be unfair for them. I suggest, while it's still not dawn, everyone should go back and recover. There shouldn't be any problem with the competition tomorrow. What do you all think?"

Ru Yuan's Hao Yun Monk said, "I think it's a good idea. Since there are only twelve people competing this time, let's schedule the competition in the afternoon. This way, they can rest a bit more and have extra time to recover their depleted true essence. As for the matter here, it's up to Long Chun Brother's disciples to keep a close eye on it. This competition cannot be terminated because of this incident; we must continue."

Everyone agreed with his proposal. Li Changchun glanced at everyone and said in a low voice, "That's good. To ensure a fair selection of the top six this time, we'll delay the competition for half a day, which is reasonable. Now, let's all go back. I'll immediately send my disciples to keep a close eye on the movements of that monster. If there is any situation, they will report immediately." With that, he took the lead, accompanied by Sword Dustless, and left.

Looking at the rolling Yellow River, Lu Yun sighed softly. The wonderful cave that emitted mysterious sounds and could shoot out powerful force from seven small holes was completely destroyed in this battle. From now on, those strange sounds would never be heard again.

Looking at Proud Snow, Lu Yun whispered, "The Night Moon Slash has disappeared from the banks of the Yellow River. Except for the two of us, no one else can learn it. If we talk about it in the future, I'm afraid no one will believe it. Well, that's fine. Let's consider it something unique between us, shall we?"

Proud Snow looked at him and softly said, "Many things should not be taken too seriously. Didn't you say you want to pursue happiness? Having too many thoughts in your mind makes it difficult to be happy. The things here are bound to happen sooner or later. Before facing them, you should enjoy the happiness of the present."

Xuan Yu True Person looked at the two of them, his eyes showing a trace of contemplation, as if he had sensed something. Seeing that everyone else had left, Xuan Yu True Person spoke, "We should also go back. Both of you still have a competition, and you need to go back to adjust your true essence for the upcoming matches. As for the matter of the Black Lotus, let's put it aside for now. Let's go." With that, his figure flickered and disappeared into the night.

Lu Yun turned around and looked at the Yellow River, sighing softly. The strange cave with the miraculous sounds and the ability to shoot out powerful force from seven small holes was completely destroyed in this battle. From now on, those mysterious sounds would never be heard again.

Watching Proud Snow, Lu Yun whispered, "The Night Moon Slash has disappeared from the banks of the Yellow River. Except for the two of us, no one else can learn it. If we talk about it in the future, I'm afraid no one will believe it. Well, that's fine. Let's consider it something unique between us, shall we?"

Proud Snow looked at him and softly said, "Many things should not be taken too seriously. Didn't you say you want to pursue happiness? Having too many thoughts in your mind makes it difficult to be happy. The things here are bound to happen sooner or later. Before facing them, you should enjoy the happiness of the present."

Xuan Yu True Person looked at the two of them, his eyes showing a trace of contemplation, as if he had sensed something. Seeing that everyone else had left, Xuan Yu True Person spoke, "We should also go back. Both of you still have a competition, and you need to go back to adjust your true essence for the upcoming matches. As for the matter of the Black Lotus, let's put it aside for now. Let's go." With that, his figure flickered and disappeared into the night.

Lu Yun looked at Proud Snow's figure, thinking about her words. The previous part referred to the Night Moon Slash, gained by chance and lost in an instant. But what did the latter part imply? "Waking up, the way back, the night moon is like water, and the dust fate is like a dream." The words hinted at something, but what was hidden behind them?

Looking at the night sky, Lu Yun wondered how his life would turn out. Would he really be cursed by the heavens? If so, he would change the world and make everything splendid for him.

Under the moonlight, a solitary figure stood by the banks of the Yellow River, gazing coldly at the sky. In the gentle breeze, an aura of pride and unyieldingness floated in the night air. Who was it that roared at the sky, who disrespected the gods? Who was it, in the night wind?