Chapter 183 – Seeking the Innate Path Amidst Competition (Part One)

There exists a predicament that falls just short of being a dead end yet surpasses mere adversity—one that leaves you unable to extricate yourself, trapped between impossible choices.

Such was the current situation: serpent-like ribbons darted from both sides, entangling the two Elders in swift succession.

Caught in the midst of this battlefield, Ye Kuang found himself paralyzed—neither advancing nor retreating feasible—his heart pounding in his throat.

Truth be told, he had believed that breaking through to the Empty Clarity Realm, coupled with his 130 years of cultivated power, would suffice to face any future challenges.

Yet, as the saying goes, “frogs at the bottom of a well” are never in short supply—and he now realized he was one of them.

Despite his reluctance to act rashly, Ye Kuang knew this anxiety was unwarranted.

After all, those in the Dao Inquiry Realm had mastered control over their strength to a transcendent degree.

Leng Qianxun’s relentless assaults, though fierce, were unlikely to swiftly overpower the two Elders.

In an instant, seeing their strikes miss, the two serpentine ribbons withdrew like living creatures, coiling mid-air before lunging anew.

“You old hag, you’re playing for real!”

“Wretched crone, do you truly think you can take us both on at once?”

Hearing this, Leng Qianxun’s eyes remained placid as still water, yet her moves grew ever more vicious.

The two silk ribbons shot forth with the speed of lightning.

Thud! Thud!

The Elders threw punches in response, only to be met with metallic clangs and jarring vibrations.

Witnessing this, the onlookers stiffened, eyes widening in stark realization of Leng Qianxun’s methods.

What appeared to be soft silk was, in fact, crafted from some unknown metal!

Only then did the two Elders grasp the severity of their plight.

As they scrambled backward, the aerial serpents overtook them, binding them both in the blink of an eye.

“Damn it!” roared the Tall-and-Fat Elder, frustration boiling over.

The Short-and-Thin Elder seethed equally: “What sorcery is this? It won’t break!”

Leng Qianxun let out a cold laugh. “Zhu Ganglie, Little Twig, did you fools assume I spent these years in seclusion merely to break through realm barriers?”

Her tone sharpened as she sneered, “Save your strength. No one has ever escaped my Thousand-Silk Immortal Binding Rope unscathed.”

Shooting a glare at Ye Kuang, she snapped, “Why are you still standing there, dumbstruck? Get moving, now!”

“Ah… right…” Snapping back to reality, Ye Kuang bolted like a greased arrow, slipping free of the trio’s encirclement.

From a distance, Yuan Ma and the other Elders watched, anxiety gnawing at them.

If Ye Kuang, bearing a grudge, were to grow in power, the Xingyi Sect would face its greatest challenge in history.

“What are you gaping at? After him, now!!”

Just then, Elder White-Brow’s furious roar echoed from afar as his fist collided with the Dragon King’s palm.

Hearing this, Leng Qianxun turned her head coldly, mocking, “White-Brow, still as blindly arrogant as ever. Worry about yourself first!”

With that, she raised her Silver Flute and unleashed the Formless Flute Sound Skill upon all present!

Whoo… shuu…As the flute melody inadvertently began to play, the swirling snowfall in the air noticeably slowed its descent.

“Giggle… come here… ahaha… come here…”

In that moment, everyone’s ears were filled with what seemed like demonic whispers from beyond, overwhelmingly seductive and bone-corrupting. Before their eyes appeared several enchantingly graceful dancing girls.

They twirled and danced, posturing alluringly, each revealing half-dressed spring scenery as they reached out to place their hands on the gentlemen’s shoulders, tempting them with promises that a spring night was worth a thousand pieces of gold…

This caused those with weaker wills to join the dance, one after another revealing their ugly sides, successively sinking into depravity without any means of escape.

Even before Elder White-Brow, two female assassins suddenly materialized, both brandishing swords to strike at him.

“This is… the Formless Flute Sound Skill!” Seeing this, Elder White-Brow couldn’t help but fly into a rage. His fists opened and closed in succession as he executed the Twelve-Part Xingyi Fist.

The two swordswomen were instantly torn apart by his fist energy into scattered bubbles, which upon closer inspection turned out to be drifting snowflakes.

Seeing this perfect opportunity, how could the Dragon King let it slip? He suddenly stepped half a pace forward and delivered a fierce punch directly at White-Brow.

Boom!

As the loud impact sounded, White-Brow’s chest suddenly suffered a heavy blow, sending his entire body flying backward from the tremendous force, soaring dozens of yards away.

Pfft!

Mid-air, White-Brow couldn’t hold back the metallic sweetness in his throat, vomiting a mouthful of blood that stained the snowflakes along his path crimson.

Seeing this, the Dragon King had no intention of stopping. His entire figure suddenly shot up from the ground.

Strike while the iron is hot – kick a man when he’s down!

Meanwhile, the pervasive flute music showed no signs of diminishing, instead growing increasingly shrill and piercing.

This caused everyone’s faces to flush red, as if they had fallen into a den of pleasure, completely unable to extricate themselves.

Seeing this situation, the Tall-and-Fat Elder and Short-and-Thin Elder suddenly exchanged glances.

Although their bodies were restrained, they could still produce sound.

A series of ox-like bellows emerged from the Short-and-Thin Elder’s mouth.

The Tall-and-Fat Elder wasn’t idle either, producing leopard-like roars from his mouth.

When these two sound waves intertwined, the air filled with what sounded like morning bells and evening drums, striking directly overhead with deafening resonance.

In contrast, everyone present felt their souls shaken, their bodies trembling as they awoke as if from a dream, their faces turning pale.

For a moment, even Leng Qianxun couldn’t escape unaffected. Her True Qi became disordered, and even the Thousand Thread Binding Rope restraining the two elders seemed slightly loosened.

This fleeting opportunity became the two elders’ chance to break free.

Short-and-Thin Elder: “Old hag, you’re dead!”

Tall-and-Fat Elder: “Old stick, you hold off this old bastard! I’ll help White-Brow!”

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Instantly, the two elders roared with fury and exerted their strength.

Immediately, their robes billowed outward, and even the Immortal-Binding Rope showed gaps allowing some freedom of movement.

Bang!

The Tall-and-Thin Elder suddenly shot up from the ground, charging recklessly toward the Dragon King.

Meanwhile, the Short-and-Thin Elder suddenly crouched and sprang toward Leng Qianxun.

One could say the situation changed in the blink of an eye, and this Dao Inquiry battle seemed to have only just begun.