Chapter 385: The Appetizer Before the Main Course
Several of the major sects had not taken Ye Feng seriously, but now, seeing that he even possessed the Spear of the Ancestral Dragon, its significance was vastly different. In other words, Ye Feng had almost obtained that person's inheritance, which was undoubtedly very dangerous for the Sects of Ancient Martial Arts.
In the end, not only the Confucian Sect of the Sacred Mansion and the Dao Sect, but also others including the Underworld Hundred Flowers Sect decided to join the alliance to sanction Northern King Ye Feng. Of the Nine Great Sects of Ancient Martial Arts, only the Buddhist Sect chose to remain neutral for the time being.
This was normal, after all, the Buddhist Sect had been introduced to Xuanyuan Nation later and had not experienced the catastrophe of over two thousand years ago, hence they had no significant grudge.
As for this, Tang Bai remained indifferent and even seemed to take pleasure in Ye Feng's misfortunes. After all, Ye Feng was not someone he valued or wished to cultivate, so naturally, Tang Bai did not wish to see Ye Feng continue to grow.
Zhuge Wuming, however, looked solemn and could not help but coldly huff, "Gentlemen, I can advise you. Northern King Ye Feng is a pillar of Xuanyuan Nation and a key future figure for our Utility Pavilion. If any of you dares to use despicable means against him, do not blame the Utility Pavilion for being impolite!"
The elder from the Confucian Sect of the Sacred Mansion sneered, "Zhuge Wuming, when we, the Sects of Ancient Martial Arts, want to deal with someone, I'm afraid we don't need the consent of your Utility Pavilion. Since when can your Utility Pavilion cover the sky with one hand?"
Zhuge Wuming huffed, "You want to deal with someone, and of course, that's none of my business. But, if any of you dares use vile means against Ye Feng, don't blame me for being ruthless. I will definitely use the same methods against the talented descendants of your sects!"
His words forced the elders from the Confucian Sect and others to take notice. After all, Zhuge Wuming was no ordinary figure, having almost stepped half a foot into the Divine Path Realm and the other half into the legendary Saint Realm.
Facing such a Great Power, if they antagonized him and he set his heart on opposing the sects' talents, the entire Sects of Ancient Martial Arts might be thrown into disarray.
After all, to slay such an existence was virtually impossible, and as long as he lived, all the Sects of Ancient Martial Arts would be under great threat.
The elder from the Dao Sect suddenly huffed, "Fine, just as you, Zhuge Wuming, have said, we won't resort to dirty tricks to kill this Ye fellow. But there is one thing I'd like to tell you: my Dao Sect will never allow him to grow unchecked, we will definitely sanction him!"
The elder from the Confucian Sect also huffed, "I concur. If the Utility Pavilion dares to interfere, then the Nine Great Sects will have no choice but to join forces. At that time, the whole Xuanyuan Nation will be in turmoil, even facing the danger of national extinction. I hope the Utility Pavilion thinks this through."
At this point, Zhuge Wuming could not say much more. He had done almost everything he could for Ye Feng, and the rest was up to Ye Feng himself. This was Ye Feng's fate, his destiny. Ever since he chose to cultivate that person's cultivation technique, his destiny had been determined.
Of course, unless he wished to remain an ordinary person. But then again, having cultivated that person's technique and inherited so much from him, his life was destined to be extraordinary.
As for the schemes of the elders of the Nine Great Sects of Ancient Martial Arts, Ye Feng himself was naturally unaware. He had already stepped down from the arena and returned to his area.
Neither Boss Cao Yi, Second Sect Leader Shi Yehong, or anyone else knew about the origins of Ye Feng's cultivation technique, so they had no suspicions. Seeing Ye Feng approach, Boss Cao immediately gave a thumbs up and said, "Good man, you really didn't disappoint me, making it to the top four! Now you're in the semifinals!"
Ye Feng smiled faintly and said, "What's come before was just an appetizer—the real feast is about to begin."
Shi Yehong nodded and sighed, "Indeed, to be able to enter the top four, each one is a pride of heaven, and practically every one of them represents the very pinnacle of their respective sect's influence. These beings all possess extremely powerful methods, capable of fighting across levels."
Ye Feng shrugged, "Judging from their previous performances, if there are no surprises, the four to advance to the finals should be from the Buddhist Sect and the Sacred Mansion, plus me and that youth in white."
In fact, the disciples of the Buddhist Sect and the Confucian Sect of the Sacred Mansion gave Ye Feng an even stronger impression than Dao Buhui of the Dao Sect. These two fellows were likely ranked among the top three of the younger generation within the Nine Great Sects of Ancient Martial Arts.
Of course, that was the official ranking. Whether there were any hidden monsters within the Nine Great Sects, Ye Feng didn't know. But for now, the strongest in the Nine Great Sects seemed to be those from the Buddhist Sect and the Confucian Sect.
Moreover, that youth in white from the Bu Family of the Four Great Ancient Clans was undoubtedly going to be victorious. After all, he was the person most likely to win the Martial Dao conference this time.
Now that the final four had been decided, besides Ye Feng, the disciple from the Buddhist Sect had already won his match. Next up were the third and fourth groups. The third group's match was between the Confucian Sect and Mount Shu, while the fourth group's match was between the youth from the Bu Family in white and a disciple of the Tang Sect.
Without any surprises, the fourth group's match ended the quickest. The youth with the surname Bu in white didn't even need to use his wine gourd and directly defeated the Tang Sect disciple. In comparison, the Tang Sect disciple was not even on par with Zhang Wen Yuan.
Previously, Zhang Wen Yuan hadn't managed to force the youth in white to exert his full strength, so the Tang Sect disciple was even less likely to do so.
Therefore, until now, no one could see the true depth of this youth in white. He exuded a feeling of boundless strength.
Even as he entered the top four, the youth in white's face showed no signs of joy or excitement. He still carried an air of nonchalance, and the slight curve of his lips even revealed a mocking sneer as if, in his eyes, this level of competition was like child's play, and he was simply not on the same plane as the rest.
At this time, the match of the other group had also reached a fever pitch. Unexpectedly, the disciple from the Confucian Sect displayed the legendary Book Mountain.
As the saying goes, "There is a path to the top of Book Mountain with diligence as its conduit" and "The sea of bitterness is boundless, but turning back is the shore." Book Mountain, one of the three great inheritances of the Confucian Sect of the Sacred Mansion, was incredibly powerful.
It was unexpected that one of the three great inheritances of the Confucian Sect—Book Mountain—had come into his hands.
The dark mass of Book Mountain hovered in mid-air, its size and imposing aura far more powerful than Ye Feng's previously used Wushan Thunder Seal. The whole Book Mountain emitted a vast righteousness that was daunting to behold.
As Book Mountain bore down, it directly sent the outstanding disciple of Mount Shu flying, even breaking the Immortal Sword he relied on. Left with no other option, the disciple from Mount Shu had to admit defeat. Since even his Immortal Sword was damaged, there was no longer any need to continue the match.
Thus, the final four were born: the bald disciple from the Buddhist Sect, alongside the disciple from the Confucian Sect of the Sacred Mansion and the youth in white from the Bu Family, and finally Ye Feng. After a short rest, these four would go on stage to draw lots for the battle to determine the top two spots!