Chapter 58: The Eighth Floor of the Haotian Sword Pagoda

Feeling this powerful aura, Jiang Yueli raised her eyes to look at Lan Wanshan, her beautiful phoenix-like eyes flickering slightly.

This person was a formidable opponent!

Although Jiang Yueli was confident in her own strength, she could clearly sense that the aura emanating from him was at least ten times stronger than that of Zhang Yang and the others.

Her gaze grew sharper, and her entire body tensed up, gathering her momentum and preparing to face the rival.

Even if she were no match for him, she would not back down, because she had to uphold her master's dignity.

Just as a fierce battle seemed about to break out, a clear and cold voice suddenly echoed across the area from a distance.

"As a cultivator at the Great Completion of the Golden Core Realm, are you really planning to bully Junior Sister Jiang, who is only in the Yin-Yang Realm?"

Hearing these words, the crowd turned their heads to look, only to see a graceful and stunning figure walking leisurely from afar.

The newcomer was dressed in white. Her skin was like jade, her brows like painted art, and her eyes shone brilliantly, radiating an ethereal and otherworldly aura.

For a moment, everyone's gazes were captivated by this lovely figure.

"It's the Saintess Ming月 (Bright Moon); why is she here, and why is she walking toward this girl? Could it be that they know each other?"

The onlookers whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with astonishment at the sudden appearance of the woman.

Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Murong Mingyue.

She had been waiting for Jiang Yueli at the Haotian Sword Pagoda, but seeing that she was late, she had come out to search for her and happened to encounter the battle between Jiang Yueli, Zhang Yang, and the others.

Thus, she had stood quietly in the distance to watch without interfering.

However, she never expected that after losing, the opponent would not only refuse to accept defeat but also attempt to bully the weak by taking advantage of his seniority, which immediately provoked Murong Mingyue's indignation.

Seeing Murong Mingyue approach, the expression on Lan Wanshan's face shifted, and he quickly cupped his fists and said,

"Greetings, Your Holiness, Saintess Mingyue."

"Hmm!"

Murong Mingyue nodded, paying no attention to Lan Wanshan, and walked straight to Jiang Yueli's side.

"Junior Sister Jiang, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!"

Jiang Yueli shook her head. Despite her words, the beads of sweat on her forehead betrayed her.

That single sword strike earlier had consumed nearly half of the spiritual energy in her body; otherwise, it would have been impossible to defeat all five of Zhang Yang's group with just one blow.

An attack of that caliber was already enough to rival the prowess of peak Golden Core Realm experts.

Murong Mingyue saw the situation and realized that Jiang Yueli had merely depleted too much spiritual energy and was in no serious condition. She then turned her gaze to Lan Wanshan and said indifferently,

"I won't interfere with the competition between your two peaks, but as a cultivator about to step into the Nascent Soul Convergence Realm, you are also considered a senior disciple of the Holy Land."

"To actually plan on striking a junior sister in the Yin-Yang Realm—isn't that going a bit too far with bullying?"

Though her words were calm, her tone was icy cold and utterly devoid of politeness.

"Saintess Mingyue misunderstands. Just now, it was merely a friendly sparring match with Junior Sister Jiang, and I meant no other harm whatsoever!"

Hearing this, Lan Wanshan's expression changed, and he hurriedly explained.

Are you kidding? If Murong Mingyue were to report this matter to the Enforcement Hall, he would undoubtedly be in deep trouble.

Furthermore, Murong Mingyue held the status of a Saintess; even his own master had to treat her with courtesy and dared not offend her in the least!

"A friendly sparring match? Ha, does this Senior Brother take me for a fool to be toyed with?"

A sarcastic smile played on the corners of Murong Mingyue's lips as she spoke coldly.

"Since it was a spar, it should have been a fair and just one-on-one duel, rather than resorting to bullying the weak with seniority and overpowering others just because your side of five failed to win."

"Do you not feel any shame in treating a fellow sect disciple in such a manner?"

Rebuke by Murong Mingyue left Lan Wanshan's face flushing alternately between green and red, utmost embarrassed.

"Saintess Mingyue is entirely right; it was I who acted rashly. I guarantee that such a thing will never happen again, and I hope Saintess Mingyue will not hold it against me."

His attitude respectful, he lowered his head and bowed deeply to apologize and pay his respects.

After all, Murong Mingyue's status was undeniable. Not only could he not afford to provoke her, but he was also unwilling to do so, leaving him with no choice but to bow his head.

"As long as you know. If you ever dare to act like this again, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

Murong Mingyue cast a glance at Lan Wanshan and spoke coldly.

Then, she turned to look at Jiang Yueli behind her, revealing a warm smile: "Junior Sister Jiang, from now on, if anyone dares to bully you again, just let me know, and I'll beat them to a pulp for you!"

"Understood, thank you, Senior Sister Murong!"

Jiang Yueli nodded gratefully toward Murong Mingyue.

"Alright, let's go then. To the Haotian Sword Pagoda!"

Murong Mingyue smiled, took Jiang Yueli's hand, and flew toward the direction of the Haotian Sword Pagoda.

Seeing the Saintess show such affectionate care for a newly inducted disciple, the surrounding crowd could not help but feel startled.

Especially given that Jiang Yueli possessed both stunning beauty and formidable strength, it naturally sparked endless speculation regarding her identity.

"Who on earth do you think that girl is? And from the looks of it, the two of them seem very familiar with each other."

"Indeed. Yet, considering she is so young and possesses such extraordinary strength, could she be the hidden disciple of some elder? Or perhaps a candidate for the next Saintess of the Holy Land?"

"That is truly quite possible. I heard that a while ago, a woman named Jiang Yueli ascended to the seventh floor of the Haotian Sword Pagoda. Could she be the Junior Sister Jiang that Saintess Mingyue just mentioned?"

The crowd unanimously inferred this conclusion, because the actions of Murong Mingyue and Jiang Yueli led them to the most plausible answer.

After all, only prodigies of the Son or Saintess tier possessed the ability to ascend to the seventh floor of the Haotian Sword Pagoda.

"It seems Saintess Mingyue and her companion are heading to the Haotian Sword Pagoda to cultivate. Let's go take a look!"

"Yes, indeed! We have nothing better to do anyway, might as well follow them and watch the excitement! And incidentally, we can pay our respects to the grace of Saintess Mingyue."

"Right! I agree, let's hurry!"

Hearing someone make the suggestion, the crowd responded one after another, eagerly giving chase.

As for Lan Wanshan, watching the two figures surrounded like stars around the moon, his expression remained murky and uncertain.

He had never imagined that Jiang Yueli would have such deep connections with a Saintess.

One must know that among the many Sons and Saintesses, Murong Mingyue ranked sixth in the sequence; both her strength and status were top-tier, and she rarely showed herself to the public eye.

Her sudden appearance today, coupled with her deliberate protection of a newly entered disciple, left him utterly bewildered.

"This Jiang Yueli is truly no ordinary person!"

Lan Wanshan furrowed his brows in deep thought, failing to comprehend how a newly inducted disciple managed to latch onto such a towering tree as Murong Mingyue.

"Forget it, I'd better return and focus on my cultivation. If I truly lose to the Lingyun Sword Peak during the sect grand competition, my master will definitely skin me alive."

Shaking his head and casting aside further thoughts, Lan Wanshan immediately led Zhang Yang and the others back to Shangqing Peak.

Meanwhile, Murong Mingyue and Jiang Yueli headed straight for the eighth floor of the Haotian Sword Pagoda.

Benefiting from their previous experience in ascending the tower, their speed this time could be described as astonishingly fast.

In less than two hours, they were already standing on the eighth floor of the Haotian Sword Pagoda.

This sight left all the spectators watching from below utterly dumbfounded.