Chapter 2543

Zhu Yanyi did not notice the arrival of the five major sect leaders, but Yan Aohan did. Seeing they held no malice, he chose not to tell her.

Zhu Yanyi spent the next hour in pure comfort. Soon, the competition was set to begin.

The first match was an individual disciple duel. As Zhu Yanyi had arranged, Cuiwan from the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect stepped up.

Cuiwan climbed onto the arena platform with calm composure. From the Qianjin Sect came a young man dressed in bright red robes. His eyebrows were slightly raised, giving him a faintly sinister charm. Fortunately, the female cultivators present had strong mental fortitude; otherwise, his innate allure would have captivated many.

Cuiwan waved her sword slightly, shattering any such illusions.

Her small face remained cold as she looked at her opponent. "If you are ready, I will strike."

The man raised an eyebrow, surprised that Cuiwan was unaffected. "Little girl, do you know my background?"

Cuiwan sneered. "Knowing you are a Qianjin Sect disciple and my opponent is enough."

"I mean my true origins," the man said, her voice still gentle and full of charm, hoping she would follow her lead.

Cuiwan snorted. "Do we need to list our ancestors for eighteen generations on this arena? You may have that interest, but I do not. One word: fight or don't."

The man’s eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t expected Cuiwan to be so stubborn. "Are you willing to strike me?"

Cuiwan didn’t even look at him. "I count to three. If you don’t strike, I will. Three, two, one."

She threw a handful of powder directly at her. The man collapsed with a thud.

Without checking on her, Cuiwan said, "I am originally a sword cultivator and wanted a fair fight. But since you refused, I used powder. Someone like you is not worthy of my sword." She clapped her hands and turned to Elder Bai. "Elder Bai, I won, right?"

Elder Bai had expected a fierce battle, but this sudden twist surprised him. He nodded slightly. "I declare the Azure Sovereign Qingdi Sect the winner."

With the result announced, a smile appeared on Cuiwan’s face. She jumped off the platform and returned to her sect’s area. "Master, I’m back. I used medicine as my heart desired."

"That’s good," Zhu Yanyi said. "For a peacock like that, you don’t need to be too honorable. Using medicine saves time and effort."

"I thought the same," Cuiwan said seriously. "He thinks he is the most handsome man in the world. Not to mention Grandmaster, but among us, Thousand Illusions Uncle and Ouyang Uncle are far more handsome. Even Gong Jue is better looking. I don’t know where he got the confidence to think he could bewitch me."

Silver Fox listened and said, "I saw him display his charm technique on you. I realized he is not purely human, but a half-demon cultivator, born from a union between human and demon. Thus, he has innate charm bones. If used well, this can indeed bewitch many women."

Yan Aohan added, "With an ancestor like you here, his charm technique is useless."

Fox charm is innate and requires no practice; it comes from the bones. However, Silver Fox rarely used it after ascending. "If charm technique is used poorly, it creates heart demons. This boy was too careless. Using charm in a duel will likely lead to heart demons sooner or later, and he will suffer for it."

"When did you become so compassionate?" Yan Aohan tilted his head, looking at Silver Fox. It was impossible for someone like him to have such thoughts.

Hearing this, Silver Fox glared at Yan Aohan. "Am I a cruel person?"

"I never thought you were kind," Zhu Yanyi answered before Yan Aohan could respond.

Silver Fox sighed, feeling frustrated, but spoke anyway. "Actually, our demon race’s charm techniques come from inheritance. When fox immortals are born, once they begin cultivation, the charm technique enters their consciousness. There is no need for deliberate practice.

But charm technique, when used well, can help people understand truth, goodness, and beauty. When used poorly, it brings misfortune. Look at that boy; he already has a faint black aura around him. He has likely done many wicked deeds. His breakthrough will be problematic. Even if he forces his cultivation to rise, he will eventually face heart demons."

As Silver Fox said, the man opposite indeed had a faint black aura.

Yan Aohan scanned the black aura, paused slightly, then said, "That is not the black aura of doing wicked deeds. It is the black aura of being纠缠 (entangled) by some evil cultivator."

"Evil cultivator?" The appearance of evil cultivators in the Immortal Realm was no small matter.

"Honglian will participate in the mid-level expert duel. I will observe the rest," Yan Aohan said. "I hope I am overthinking."

If there really were evil cultivators, it would explain why the Black Emperor had incarnated here and why the Immortal Emperor appeared as a judge.

Thinking of this, Yan Aohan realized a possibility. "If it is truly evil cultivators, we might have been dragged into this by the Immortal Emperor."

Yan Aohan frowned slightly. If this were true, he would need to communicate seriously with the Immortal Emperor later.

The Immortal Emperor saw Yan Aohan’s gaze, was startled, and shivered. The Immortal Empress noticed his abnormality. "What’s wrong?"

"I feel Yan Aohan has discovered my purpose," the Immortal Emperor said bitterly. "Wife, if I get beaten later, you must help me."

The Immortal Empress looked at him with a half-smile. "You reap what you sow. Who told you to scheme against Yanyi? I haven’t beaten you, which is already good. If Yan Aohan beats you, rest assured, I will apply medicine after he is done."

"Wife, can you bear to see me beaten by Yan Aohan like this?" The Immortal Emperor looked at her with infinite grievance.

The Immortal Empress raised her eyebrow and smiled. "You won’t die. It’s just a beating. Besides, you were in the wrong originally. Being beaten now is better than settling accounts later. Also…" She deliberately examined the Immortal Emperor. "You are not an actor by birth, so your performance is too exaggerated. Today’s acting was truly unqualified."

The Immortal Emperor felt his glass heart shatter.

Yan Aohan considered this possibility. Although not yet confirmed, he knew the likelihood was high. Therefore, he said to Zhu Yanyi, "Wife, if anything happens later, hide behind me."