The righteous path punishes Heaven

Chapter 27 is full of plot twists.

"What?! How could this be?!" "The rankings were predetermined?!"

In an instant, along with the shouts from Zhang Yunling and Dong Wan, voices of doubt rang out from the entire audience.

The Elders' Council was in a state of utter chaos. The previous incident of switching herbs was already serious, and now an insider had leaked confidential meeting information, turning the upcoming sect competition into complete pandemonium.

Lin Jiangcheng, the sect leader of Qiankun Dao, immediately leaped from his seat and flew up. His deep voice, amplified by his powerful cultivation, instantly resounded throughout the entire venue:

"Please calm down, everyone. This sect competition was organized by the entire Elder Council. There is no possibility of any inside story. Please do not believe the nonsense spread by some people. How can there be any claim that the rankings are predetermined?"

The ranking depends entirely on individual ability, and each participating disciple's pills belong to them personally; the elders will naturally return them all after the sect competition concludes!

Under the pressure of the sect leader, many disciples in the audience chose to remain silent, but some disciples still questioned in hushed tones, especially those alchemists who had been eliminated in the previous rounds, who were filled with anger and felt that they had been played for a fool by the sect's higher-ups.

Using his mastery of the Swift Ghost Step technique, Zhang Yunling swiftly moved back and forth across the audience, spreading rumors throughout the venue and inciting the crowd's emotions. Gradually, even the sect leader's calming words seemed powerless.

Amidst the murmurs of doubt and sighs, the dozen or so disciples participating in the competition began to question the elders before them:

"Elder Wang, I did see that the pills refined by the Holy Maiden were significantly different from ours. How can this be explained?" "Yes, Elder Sun, you are the chief elder of the alchemy room. You couldn't possibly be behind this!"

The elders were at a loss for words, and seeing this, Sun Fuling hurriedly sent a secret telepathic message to Elder Wang: "We'll deal with this for now. Elder Wang, you must go and protect the Holy Maiden. We absolutely cannot allow her alchemy to fail!"

Elder Wang nodded slightly, then quickly stepped forward to block the disciple who wanted to rush up and question him, explaining while secretly keeping an eye on the Holy Maiden's condition.

Lin Qingxue's forehead was covered in sweat, her red lips were tightly pursed, and she dared not let her divine sense wander in the slightest, concentrating entirely on refining the pill that was about to take shape in front of her.

This was a treasure that her father, Lin Jiangcheng, had gone to great lengths to acquire. As a Holy Maiden, she was a rising star of the entire Qiankun Dao, with a bright future ahead of her. She absolutely could not let down her father and the other elders.

Too many resources have been poured into her. At only nineteen years old, she has reached the level of a fifth-grade alchemist, and her cultivation level has reached the Golden Core stage, far surpassing that of her peers. She can be described as an unparalleled genius cultivated by the entire Qiankun Dao with all its might.

This sect competition is also taking advantage of finding the Dao Luck Lotus Seed, and using it as a reward to attract more disciples to join the ranks of alchemists.

If it weren't for the incident of Zhang Yunling's herbs being switched, the Holy Maiden's secret refining of Qi Luck Pills would likely have gone unnoticed. But since this has already happened, this is the only way to remedy the situation.

Lin Jiangcheng was also aware that this was just a minor incident. He could easily quell the situation by distributing pills and herbs as compensation afterward. Winning people's hearts was nothing more than such a tactic.

At this moment, he was more concerned about his daughter, Lin Qingxue, and did not hesitate to use several Dao Luck Lotus Seeds as prizes for the top three places in the sect competition, and more importantly, to deceive Lin Qingxue about the Qi Luck Pill.

"The pill is almost complete..." Lin Qingxue ignored the fact that her body was soaked with fragrant sweat and stared intently at the pill furnace in front of her. She saw that the pill inside had already taken shape, and a powerful aura of Dao luck surrounded her. The essence of the Dao luck lotus seed had been completely refined.

Zhang Yunling was already on the outskirts of the stands closest to the venue, his eyes also fixed on the movements of Lin Qingxue's alchemy furnace.

Dong Wan had already informed him beforehand that the Holy Maiden of Qiankun Dao was the daughter of the sect leader Lin Jiangcheng. Since the sect competition had announced that the top three winners would receive Dao Fortune Lotus Seeds, the first place would definitely belong to the Holy Maiden. The second and third place winners would just be there as accompaniments. In fact, the Dao Fortune Lotus Seeds would not be distributed to outsiders, but would be concentrated in the hands of the Holy Maiden.

This moment confirms what Dong Wan said: the Holy Maiden is indeed refining lotus seeds into pills. Taking advantage of the chaos in the arena, he can seize the initiative and show these self-proclaimed superior cultivators from the three major Daoist sects what it means to be a cultivator and what the ironclad rules of the cultivation world are.

Lin Jiangcheng immediately spread his divine sense to explore the entire training ground and audience seats, trying to find suspicious people. The invisible pressure made every disciple feel a little oppressed.

Zhang Yunling also sensed a powerful divine sense sweeping over Lin Jiangcheng, so she immediately concealed her aura and hid herself, tightly gripping a black mask in her hand, ready to seize the treasure at any moment.

The disciples on the field had been persuaded and were no longer filled with resentment. Lin Qingxue seemed to have completed her task as well. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her black hair fluttering in the wind, and a dazzling five-colored light shone from the cauldron in front of her. It was the Qiankun Qiyun Pill that had been refined.

With the help of the pill formula left by the sect's ancestor a thousand years ago, Lin Qingxue finally refined this divine pill. She was overjoyed and was about to take a few steps forward to hold the pill tightly in her hand when she saw a phantom flash by in an instant!

"It's a real shame that this pill is in your hands. Why not let me use it instead! Hahahahahaha!"

The moment the loud laughter rang out, Lin Qingxue's delicate body trembled, her heart turned cold, and she sensed that something terrible was about to happen. She hurriedly looked toward the source of the sound.

A long-haired man dressed in the yellow robe of a third-grade alchemist of the Qiankun Dao stood in the open space. He wore a black skull mask and his hands were radiating multicolored light. It was this man who had taken away the pills she had painstakingly refined.

"How dare you! You actually stole my pills! Elder Sun, quickly seize this man!" Lin Qingxue was now gritting her teeth, her eyes bloodshot, and at the same time, she made a hand seal, releasing her natal sword and thrusting it towards the black-faced man in front of her.

The other party remained calm and unhurried, patting his storage bag with his left hand, and a yellow copper ring appeared in his hand.

Sensing the approaching longsword, the previously unremarkable and dilapidated appearance suddenly shone brightly the moment the sword tip was about to touch it!

The entire copper ring was enveloped in a dazzling golden light, and at the same time, a powerful suction force pulled directly towards the longsword!

Lin Qingxue was shocked, and Elder Sun, who was preparing to cast a spell, also showed a strange expression. The pressure emanating from the magic weapon held by the black-faced man was comparable to that of a terrestrial or even heavenly magic weapon!

Who exactly is this person? Could it be someone from another sect who was sent to seize the Dao Fortune Lotus Seed after learning that Qiankun Dao had recently obtained it?

At this critical moment, Sun Fuling had no time to think too much. His Nascent Soul stage cultivation at its peak erupted instantly, and a powerful pressure descended upon the black-faced man, completely suppressing him and rendering him unable to move. He then prepared to use his magic to capture him.

But then the golden ring around the other party's body was seen to dispel Sun Fuling's pressure, and the black-faced man took the opportunity to use his movement technique to escape.

Just then, several more elders arrived, and Sect Master Lin Jiangcheng led the way to block them. All of them were filled with killing intent, and their spells had already been condensed. They seized the opportunity and charged directly at the black-faced man.

These powerful magical fluctuations shattered the black mask on his face, instantly revealing a young, handsome man's face to everyone. Lin Qingxue was startled, and her memories quickly surfaced. Wasn't this Xu Tianli, who had forfeited the competition? It was this man who had taken my Qi Luck Pill!

Sun Fuling was somewhat surprised to see Zhang Yunling's true face, but he still made hand seals and cast spells to attack the opponent.

At this point, Zhang Yunling was surrounded by enemies and had nowhere to escape. Even though his mysterious golden ring was a powerful magic weapon of considerable quality, it was still extremely difficult for him, with his early Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, to resist these Nascent Soul stage and even Divine Transformation stage monsters.

"Damn it, I was too reckless... But if I don't act now, Lin Qingxue will have swallowed the pill in her desperation, and all our efforts will have been in vain..."

Zhang Yunling hurriedly used his Swift Ghost Steps to dodge the magical attacks, while a thought suddenly flashed through his mind:

"That's right, I can eat this pill right now, which will increase my luck without worrying about it being taken back. But if I do that, those old bastards will definitely try to kill me, hahahahahaha!"

With this in mind, Zhang Yunling no longer hesitated. He swallowed the Qiankun Qi Yun Pill in one gulp and quickly circulated his dantian cultivation to fully absorb the pill's medicinal effects.

Lin Qingxue was already furious and enraged on the side. Her usual aloof and pure image as a saintess had been replaced by rage and madness. She and the elders were also constantly casting spells and chasing after Zhang Yunling.

Just then, a five-colored light burst forth from the center of all the magical attacks, and a vast power of destiny permeated the air. The elders and Lin Qingxue, who sensed this aura, all changed their expressions drastically. This person... actually consumed the Qi Luck Pill?!

"Damn it! This man is vile and deserves to die!" The elders responded in unison, no longer holding back any of their strength, and launched a full-scale attack on Zhang Yunling.

The hunting net woven by these powerful old monsters had completely trapped Zhang Yunling, this beast, within it, effectively sealing his fate.

"Today I'm bound to face a life-or-death situation, tch!" Although Zhang Yunling was overjoyed to have successfully obtained the Qiankun Qi Yun Pill, the current life-or-death crisis still put him under immense pressure.

Faced with this encirclement, Zhang Yunling exerted all his strength to control the golden ring in his hand. With its golden light shining brightly, the magical attacks of the Qiankun Dao elders were all neutralized and turned into balls of light that were absorbed by the golden ring.

Everyone present was astonished. How could a mere Foundation Establishment stage ant remain unharmed despite the full force of attacks from these Nascent Soul stage monsters?!

Zhang Yunling secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, Wang Po had given him this magic weapon back then, otherwise he wouldn't be behaving so recklessly now.

Now that he has consumed the Qiankun Qi Yun Pill and the Golden Ring can protect him from the pursuing attacks, all Zhang Yunling needs to do is use his Divine Speed ​​Ghost Steps technique to break through the encirclement with all his might.

But at this critical moment, the dark clouds in the sky caused by the elders dispersing their cultivation suddenly turned dark purple!

Space was torn apart by an invisible, powerful force, and a purplish-black phantom suddenly emerged from the pitch-black void. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a hand a hundred feet in size!

The hand, perfectly aligned, reached out towards Zhang Yunling, while at the same time, a voice as powerful as thunder resounded throughout the heavens and earth:

"It's a real shame that this treasure has fallen into your hands... Why not let me use it instead!"

The oppressive force emanating from that dark purple hand was terrifying. The golden ring behind Zhang Yunling was instantly suppressed. The hand ignored everyone around and went straight for the golden ring. Without the protection of the golden ring, the attacks from the elders of the Qiankun Dao sect came in quick succession, rushing madly towards Zhang Yunling!

"Ugh!!!" Zhang Yunling coughed up blood, like a rotten dog being blasted into the ground by these magical attacks. The entire area collapsed with the powerful attack, and a crater several feet deep was blasted out beneath Zhang Yunling.

Sect Master Lin Jiangcheng raised his hand to block the other elders who wanted to finish him off, and flew down alone. He grabbed Zhang Yunling by the neck with his right hand, and at the same time, he gathered power in his left hand and punched him towards his dantian!

"You bastard... Since you've chosen to anger me, then I'll cripple your cultivation, sever your meridians, and hand you over to Xue'er to deal with as she sees fit..." Lin Jiangcheng's face was bulging with veins, and his body was covered in blood spit out by Zhang Yunling. This ferocious appearance was no longer that of the calm and gentle old sect leader, but a powerful old monster with overwhelming killing intent, trying his best not to let anger cloud his mind.

With this punch, Zhang Yunling's dantian shattered, and the perfect foundation he had painstakingly built crumbled. His cultivation flowed away like water, unstoppable.

Despair was evident in Zhang Yunling's eyes, but he felt no regret. Fortune favors the bold; if he wasn't destined for it, then he deserved to die.

The allure of destiny can ignite greed in every cultivator. Although Zhang Yunling has lived two lives, in this vast world of cultivation, his mere thirty-seven years of age are nothing more than an insignificant drop in the river of time, the starting point of his life, and he has experienced very little.

This is also why he failed to remain rational in the face of the temptation of the Qiankun Qi Yun Pill. He was too young and impetuous, and coupled with his experience of being killed by other cultivators, he had an almost insane will to become a strongman.

Seeing that Zhang Yunling, whose hope was extinguished and whose cultivation had been crippled, was doomed, Lin Qingxue rushed over impatiently, her hands forming hand seals as if to cast a spell. Her eyes blazed with fury as she shouted:

"Xu Tianli! You damned bastard, how dare you steal my Qiankun Qi Luck Pill and even eat it! Killing you would be too lenient; I'll make you wish you were dead!!!"

The audience outside the arena was in chaos, and the dozen or so disciples inside were dumbfounded. Such a situation was extremely rare in the sect, and they had never seen the Holy Maiden show such a crazy expression.

Zhang Yunling was being tightly gripped by Lin Jiangcheng's neck, and Lin Qingxue's attacks followed in quick succession. At this critical moment, a large, dark purple hand also grabbed down.

To everyone's surprise, the giant hand, which was originally aimed at Zhang Yunling's magical golden ring, took the ring first and then reached out to grab Zhang Yunling, Lin Jiangcheng, and Lin Qingxue!