211: Chapter 83: Control the Overall Situation [Third Update | Large Cup | Request for Votes]_2 211: Chapter 83: Control the Overall Situation [Third Update | Large Cup | Request for Votes]_2 Li Ping’an raised his hand, and the shouting everywhere immediately ceased.
Li Ping’an then said, “The artifact refining masters from Forge-Heaven Gate are right here.
As everyone knows, Forge-Heaven Gate is the top artifact crafting sect on the East Continent and cannot tolerate any flaws.
Why don’t we ask a few masters from Forge-Heaven Gate to come out and evaluate?
Should this unorthodox method of artifact refining be widely promoted throughout the East Continent?”
These words put the immortals from Forge-Heaven Gate in a tough spot.
How could they judge?
Now that things had come to this, anything they said would be wrong!
If they declared Xuntian Xu the winner, they would be smashing their own artifact refining reputation.
With so many loose cultivators watching, the Messaging Jade Talismans would whoosh through the air, and within two or three days, it would be known throughout the East Continent that Forge-Heaven Gate endorsed “unorthodox artifact refining.”
If they declared Xuntian Xu the loser, wouldn’t today’s arrangements be a waste?
The twelve elders of Forge-Heaven Gate were troubled.
Mo Yunshen stared at Li Ping’an for a while.
He couldn’t believe he was outmaneuvered.
With just a few sentences, this young man had put Forge-Heaven Gate in an awkward position, extremely uncomfortable.
By now, Mo Yunshen understood that their plan to annex Yuan Sect today was very likely impossible.
One reason was Li Dazhi waking up Xu Sheng, who then voluntarily offered to share the spirit attachment technique rather than the Sect Leader position.
The second was Li Ping’an, this person stepping forward.
The father-son pair working in tandem had really left him with no options.
However, Mo Yunshen was not one to dawdle over setbacks.
Between two evils, he would choose the lesser, and the prestige lost today could be reclaimed another day.
He said with a smile, “Forge-Heaven Gate believes that Brother Xu didn’t win in an honorable manner.”
Li Ping’an cupped his hands with a smile and said, “To win is to win, to lose is to lose.
Please, Elder Mo, state it plainly and directly.
With so many esteemed seniors here, we wouldn’t want to spread any misunderstandings.”
Mo Yunshen squinted slightly and replied with a smile, “You, a Merge True disciple, are truly amusing.
Wanyun Sect is fortunate to have you, better than a hundred useless immortals.”
“Elder, your words are too flattering for me to bear,” Li Ping’an said.
“Please, Forge-Heaven Gate, give an assessment.”
Xuntian Xu frowned and looked over this way.
An elder from Forge-Heaven Gate spoke up:
“The Spiritual Treasure refined by Elder Xu Sheng is pure at its core, resonating with the Dao, and carrying this Spiritual Treasure can enhance one’s cultivation and protect the Dao heart.
“The Spiritual Treasure crafted by Xuntian Xu, though its methods are questionable, hasn’t done harm to heaven or reason and its might is indeed superior, lacking the companionship of the Dao.
“In this matter, let’s consider it a draw.”
Li Ping’an turned his head to look at Xuntian Xu, who was just a few steps away, and said with a smile, “How about you give Elder Xu half of the spirit attachment technique?”
Xuntian Xu’s mouth twitched frantically, and a hint of ferocity flashed through his eyes: “You’re playing me!”
Still not making a move?
Li Ping’an was about to continue provoking when he said ‘you,’ and suddenly, Xuntian Xu lunged forward.
Once Xuntian Xu made his move, his magical combat strength, honed through countless life-and-death struggles, was revealed—aggressive as fire and overwhelmingly fierce.
In the blink of an eye, only a few Heavenly Immortals acted.
Qing Su moved to intervene with extreme speed.
Her spiritual sense had warned her early on, and she had been closely watching Xuntian Xu; her intervention was the quickest;
The next to move were two Wanyun Sect Heavenly Immortal elders who were closest to Li Ping’an;
Then the elders from Yuan Sect and Forge-Heaven Gate, all Heavenly Immortals, also made their move to block Xuntian Xu.
But ultimately, they were too far away.
Li Ping’an had been closing in on Xuntian Xu step by step, so when Xuntian Xu made his move, he almost only needed to complete the action of raising his hand to grab Li Ping’an’s arm.
Immortal light burst forth, and figures flew through the air.
“Who dares to come closer!”
Xuntian Xu pinned Li Ping’an by the throat with one hand and swung a large axe forward with the other.
A few Heavenly Immortals swept their sleeves, shattering the blood-colored axe blade with their immortal power.
Li Ping’an remained calm.
The reason was that he possessed a temporary divine skill—Golden Immortal in the Sleeve.
As Xuntian Xu grabbed Li Ping’an, a rich immortal power enveloped Li Ping’an’s spiritual platform and Dao Body.
This immortal power was hidden beneath Li Ping’an’s skin, unseen, and not detected by Xuntian Xu.
A zhang away, Qing Su held a sword and advanced.
Her pretty face was icy cold, and a few drops of blood dripped down from the tip of her sword.
There was a shallow scratch on Xuntian Xu’s back.
“Release my disciple,” Qing Su said coldly.
About thirty Heavenly Immortals formed a circle.
Ningning Mu, Gu Qingcheng, and Zhu Ling’er looked worried, but they were stopped by their own Immortals.
The two most composed people here were the ones who should have been the least calm: Li Dazhi and Xu Sheng.
There was no other reason but that Grandmother Linghua had sent them a message in advance, informing them that everything was under Li Ping’an’s control, and they need not worry too much.
The Immortals began to shout:
“Xuntian Xu, if you harm even a single hair on Ping’an, you are destroying the lifeblood of your Yuan Sect’s future!”
Out of respect for your father, I will not hold this against you!”
“How disgraceful for a Heavenly Immortal to take a Merge True Disciple hostage!”
Don’t make another mistake!”
Xuntian Xu gave a desolate smile: “I have no way back now, Forge-Heaven Gate is powerless to help me today; I can only get the secret technique through this boy!”
His words had hardly fallen when a brief message suddenly reached his ear.
Xuntian Xu paused for a moment in surprise.
It was, after all, the hostage he was holding who had sent the message.
Li Ping’an had said: “Go to the Yuan Tower.
There are too many people here, and I can’t give you the secrets of spirit attachment conveniently.”
Xuntian Xu’s eyes lit up with madness as he stomped his foot.
The ground below made a ‘crack’ as it shattered, and he plunged into the sea of clouds, taking Li Ping’an with him.
Qing Su leaped forward, and dozens of Heavenly Immortals immediately followed.
From the periphery, the cultivators could see:
A large hole suddenly opened below the Immortal Palace, a meteor plunged straight down, followed by dozens of shooting stars.