Chapter 55: The Father-in-Law Exposed

"What kind of immortal weapon is that?" Boss Li finally managed to suppress the overwhelming urge in his heart and asked with difficulty.

Xiao Ying turned her head, pinched a spell, and pressed a seal onto Boss Li’s forehead. Only then did Li Chengzhu feel a bit more at ease.

"Heh heh. The Acacia Bell of the Acacia Sect." Yuan Mu gave a lewd laugh. "It’s well-known for its ability to stir up lust in the hearts of enemies; it truly lives up to its reputation."

"Damn it." My father-in-law actually possesses such an immortal weapon. Li Chengzhu suddenly recalled what his father-in-law had said to that female cultivator during the previous match. Could it be that this immortal weapon is particularly effective against women?

He made up his mind: to obtain this sect-protecting treasure, he might just have to experience the charms of the Acacia Sect leader himself.

"And Qiu Feng—when did this guy hide such a powerful immortal weapon?" Li Chengzhu asked, feeling indignant.

"The Rainbow Binding Rope, a fourth-grade immortal weapon. It can restrain enemies with lower cultivation than the user, preventing them from channeling spiritual energy," Yuan Mu said, as if reciting a list of treasures. "I just didn’t expect it to be in Qiu Feng's hands."

"Is there some kind of story behind it?" Li Chengzhu asked.

"The one with the story is the Immortal Binding Rope," Yuan Mu patiently explained. "This Rainbow Binding Rope is merely an imitation of the Immortal Binding Rope, though it is still a fourth-grade immortal weapon."

"If even the imitation is fourth-grade, then what about the original?" Li Chengzhu’s mouth began to water again.

"It’s an existence beyond the ninth grade." Yuan Mu chuckled.

"Is it in the hands of some Immortal Monarch again?"

"Yes."

"Monopoly. This is an extreme monopoly." Boss Li angrily slapped his chair.

"Hmph," Yuan Mu glanced sideways at Li Chengzhu. "An existence beyond the ninth grade—even if it were in your hands, you wouldn't be able to wield it."

"It would be nice just to keep it at home and look at it." Li Chengzhu remained stubborn, though he knew it was true. That level of immortal weapon could only be described in one way: "Don't ever dream of owning one in this lifetime; just catching a glimpse of it would be the greatest blessing."

"Take these two on stage, for example," Yuan Mu pointed to the competition arena. "With the immortal weapons in their hands, they aren’t even exerting their full power."

"Hasn't the Nine Heavens Great Luo Cauldron already been fully unleashed by Qiu Feng?" Li Chengzhu asked in astonishment.

"Hmph. Do you think eight hundred golden flying swords are the limit of the Nine Heavens Great Luo Cauldron?" Yuan Mu was full of confidence. "When your strength reaches that level, you will naturally understand the power that an immortal weapon can truly display."

Damn. Eight hundred golden flying swords already had such destructive force. Yuan Mu actually claimed it hadn’t reached its limit yet. Li Chengzhu began to let his imagination run wild.

The sudden emergence of the Rainbow Binding Rope pushed the atmosphere of the arena to a climax. Qiu Feng already had a significant reputation, and now that he held the advantage, the cultivators watching from below grew excited, shouting for Qiu Feng to defeat this "Director of the Women’s Committee," kick him in the balls, beat him until he couldn’t take care of himself, and castrate him, making him the first eunuch in the Immortal Realm.

Xiao Ying sat in her seat, biting her lip with a pale face. Li Chengzhu, heartless as he was, laughed along with Yuan Mu until tears were almost streaming down his face.

It seems there are many people dissatisfied with his father-in-law’s position.

Come to think of it, that’s understandable. Although the Acacia Sect relies entirely on female cultivators for its strength, its influence behind the scenes is quite vast. After all, every qualified disciple can bring back a son-in-law to the sect. The Acacia Sect’s rule is that if you want to dual-cultivate with one of their disciples, you must marry into their family. However, this doesn’t affect your original status or the standing of your own sect.

Although the condition is a bit harsh, many cultivators throughout the Immortal Realm who yearn for power still come to the Acacia Sect to marry and find a cultivation partner. This is not only because every disciple is strictly selected—making every woman’s body a fine vessel that greatly enhances the Acacia Sect’s dual-cultivation techniques—but also because the Acacia Sect is the only one of its kind in the entire Immortal Realm.

Dual-cultivation is, after all, a method to rapidly improve one’s own cultivation.

Of course, one cannot rule out the scoundrels who covet the beauty and charm of the Acacia Sect disciples.

Boss Li and Yuan Mu were laughing so hard they could barely contain themselves until Gu Linglong poked him. Only then did Li Chengzhu notice that he had somehow offended Xiao Ying.

Li Chengzhu coughed twice to suppress his laughter, then slapped the armrest of his chair angrily and shouted at Yuan Mu with righteous indignation: "What are you laughing at? There’s nothing funny about this. You’re not a child anymore; have some decorum!"

Without waiting for Yuan Mu’s reaction, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly: "Sect Leader Xiao will surely win!"

Xiao Ying sneered coldly at his side, glancing sideways at Boss Li’s hypocritical posturing.

After shouting several times, and with the help of his spiritual energy, he attracted the attention of all the cultivators watching the arena. Only then did Li Chengzhu sheepishly lower his hands.

On stage, the two contestants were now throwing out all their dharma treasures and immortal weapons, prepared to fight to the death. Xiao Ying was so nervous that she pinched the flesh at Li Chengzhu’s waist, causing him a sharp pain.

The Rainbow Binding Rope was truly worthy of being a fourth-grade immortal weapon; the moment it was unleashed, it whipped up a violent spiritual pressure that sent the incoming three hundred and sixty Blue God Sands flying wildly. Combined with the eight hundred flying swords, Qiu Feng appeared to have the complete advantage.

But only Qiu Feng knew the hardship involved.

The Acacia Bell, an immortal weapon capable of attacking a person’s spirit, was impossible to guard against. Each crisp chime felt like a probe constantly teasing his nerves, making him involuntarily excited. Fortunately, his strength was decent, and the effect of the Acacia Bell against men was slightly diminished; otherwise, he would have surely made a fool of himself by now. Even so, Qiu Feng felt his body growing hotter and his legs starting to weaken.

Watching his opponent’s Blue God Sands slowly gather as if to launch a fierce attack, Qiu Feng couldn’t help but shudder. He bit his tongue hard, and only when he felt the faint taste of blood and the sharp pain did he manage to pull his mind back.

Cold sweat streamed down Qiu Feng’s forehead. The Acacia Bell was far too vicious; it could actually induce hallucinations. Just a moment ago, the image of Gu Linglong smiling sweetly had suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Qiu Feng smiled bitterly. It seemed he had kicked a steel plate this time.

Just then, he heard the voice of his so-called ally calling out to him, and the memory of that low, sleazy conversation from not long ago flooded his mind.

"Qiu Feng, just trust me. If your strength really isn't enough, I’ll remind you. No matter what I’m shouting down here, just draw the distance between us to less than two miles, then throw out the Glazed Needle. Oh, right, did I give you the Glazed Needle? Good, keep it safe. It’s your secret weapon and the key to victory. You don’t need to refine it; even if you did, would you have the time to use it? You probably have a few immortal weapons on hand—using this one while the others are collapsing would be a net loss. It’s better to be refined than to have too many. Understand? Trust me, you can't go wrong. Just throw it, and you’ll win. Go on, I’ll give you my full support from down here."

Qiu Feng waved his hand to cast the Rainbow Binding Rope, scattering the rapidly approaching Blue God Sands, then launched a feint with the Nine Heavens Great Luo Cauldron, all while glancing at the seat where his ally was sitting.

Sigh, Qiu Feng sighed. He hadn't expected to be forced into cheating. But the other person’s immortal weapon was truly powerful, and the match was unfair to begin with. However, could that person really avoid everyone’s gaze to help him? Every person’s dharma treasure and immortal weapon has their own imprint, and one must form hand seals to use them. Should he trust him? How could he avoid being detected while forming seals? And when that weapon attacked, it would surely carry his spiritual pressure—how could he eliminate that?

At that moment, the image of that "tough guy’s" purple jade statue flashed through Qiu Feng’s mind, and he hesitated for a split second. Several grains of Blue God Sands took advantage of the opening, and it looked as if they were about to hit him square in the face. If they really landed, he would probably be walking around with a mangled face afterward.

He hurriedly used his flying swords to protect his face. With a few clangs, the Blue God Sands were intercepted. Qiu Feng looked up and saw that his flying swords were already cracking. Gritting his teeth, he slowly dragged the battlefield toward his ally.

Qiu Feng decided to trust him one more time.

Li Chengzhu sat in his seat, staring intently at the stage while debating whether he should actually help Qiu Feng. He hadn't known his father-in-law possessed such a filthy immortal weapon until now, but since he did, which side was more likely to win? Compared to Qiu Feng, the father-in-law with the Acacia Bell seemed to have the upper hand.

With twenty high-grade Heavenly Mystery Spirit Stones on the line, Li Chengzhu was conflicted. It wasn't that he was greedy for the stones, but he had to have them because of what his father-in-law had said.

Recalling his father-in-law’s smug remarks, Li Chengzhu wished he could turn the man's mouth into an asshole. After all, the child in Xiao Ying’s belly was his own grandchild—the man had no conscience.

Boss Li stroked his chin and glanced at his father-in-law, sighing internally: "Don't blame me for being ruthless."

He just needed Qiu Feng to drag the distance to within two miles so he could control the Glazed Needle.

Qiu Feng, meanwhile, seemed to have understood his intention and was indeed dragging the fight toward him.

With only eight groups of sixteen contestants left in the competition, Li Chengzhu had specifically chosen a seat closest to where Qiu Feng was fighting, so the two-mile distance was not an issue.

And hiding his spiritual pressure? Heh. That was even less of an issue. With the Purple Crystal, he could even hide the fluctuations of his Nascent Soul’s spiritual pressure. Was he worried about failing to hide his elemental clone?

Watching the two figures drawing closer, Boss Li smiled.

"Father-in-law, oh father-in-law. This time, I’m really going to blow your cover."

Qiu Feng was retreating step by step, and Xiao Changchuan’s attacks were becoming increasingly fierce, determined to take down this former third-place fighter to boost his own reputation.

One was distracted by his own thoughts, while the other was pressing the attack with relentless fervor. The battle was becoming one-sided, a realization that caused the onlookers to sigh, feeling pity for Qiu Feng. Xiao Ying’s face, however, was full of joy, and her grip on Li Chengzhu’s waist tightened even further.

Glancing at Xiao Ying, Li Chengzhu sighed. "Silly girl, this is for your own good. If your father wins the match, even though he would surely scrape together the Heavenly Mystery Spirit Stones for me, I would owe him a favor, which would make my position very difficult."

With a few whooshing sounds, the Blue God Sands once again broke through the interception of the Nine Heavens Great Luo Cauldron. Qiu Feng sighed and prepared to take the hit head-on. He reached out and pulled out the Glazed Needle his ally had given him.

With a few soft thuds, the Blue God Sands struck Qiu Feng. A flash of light flickered as his protective spiritual energy absorbed most of the attack, but Qiu Feng was still forced back several steps, nearly backing into the barrier of the arena.

Xiao Changchuan felt a surge of joy. It seemed his opponent was at his wit's end and couldn't even defend against his immortal weapon. Just as he was about to launch a final blow, the Acacia Bell chimed even more rapidly. But then, he saw his opponent throw out a thin, tiny needle.

Xiao Changchuan was stunned. Did he take that hit just to throw this needle?

Everyone knew the principle that "quality is better than quantity." His opponent had already released three weapons: the flying swords, the Nine Heavens Great Luo Cauldron, and the Rainbow Binding Rope. If he added a body-protection treasure, that would be four. Xiao Changchuan compared this to his own strength and the number of treasures he could control with full focus, concluding that since his opponent could control this needle, its power couldn’t be much. His anxiety vanished. The Blue God Sands gathered together once more to launch an attack, the Acacia Bell swayed above his head to disturb his opponent’s mind, and his immortal sword moved without hesitation.

But immediately after, Xiao Changchuan noticed that the eight hundred flying swords released by the Nine Heavens Great Luo Cauldron turned from cyan to gold and flew toward him at incredible speed. He sneered, thinking, "Are you trying to fight to the death?" He formed a hand seal, sending the Blue God Sands to intercept the attack, while his immortal sword followed, aiming directly at Qiu Feng’s face.

The moment Qiu Feng threw the Glazed Needle, his eyes remained fixed on this life-saving treasure. Suddenly, the Glazed Needle trembled and streaked toward his opponent like a ray of light. Qiu Feng felt a surge of joy. He bit his tongue again to stay alert, summoned the last of his remaining spiritual energy, and controlled the Nine Heavens Great Luo Cauldron to exert its maximum power to distract his opponent’s defenses, while simultaneously using a teleportation spell to disappear from his spot.

Xiao Changchuan was stunned. At a time like this, he was still wasting energy on teleportation? He was even more pleased. He diverted a few grains of Blue God Sands to intercept the tiny needle and recalled his immortal sword to his hand. At the same time, he released his divine sense to detect the spiritual fluctuations in the surrounding area, preparing to land the final blow the moment Qiu Feng reappeared.

While Xiao Changchuan’s attention was drawn by Qiu Feng, the Glazed Needle wove left and right, actually dodging the intercepting Blue God Sands. If Xiao Changchuan had noticed this, he would surely have been deeply impressed by Qiu Feng’s strength—to be able to precisely control his treasure’s movement while in the middle of teleporting was a level of cultivation truly profound. But Xiao Changchuan did not notice this, as his attention was entirely immersed in the spiritual fluctuations around him.

Suddenly, the spiritual pressure behind him distorted. Without a second thought, Xiao Changchuan turned and struck with his immortal sword. But immediately after, he felt a sharp pain in his backside, and his protective spiritual energy collapsed. Panicked, he hurriedly activated his body-protection treasure, which barely managed to neutralize the incoming hidden weapon. After finishing all this, Xiao Changchuan realized with sorrow that a black whip had already reached his body. His opponent’s smug smile appeared before his eyes.

Xiao Changchuan sighed. He hadn't expected his opponent to have such precise control over his treasures. He only had time for this thought before he was bound into a bundle by the Rainbow Binding Rope and fell to the ground with a thud.

The cultivators watching from below erupted in an uproar. Qiu Feng’s series of juggling-like attacks taught every cultivator seeking power a lesson: it turned out that dharma treasures could be manipulated with such precision. Controlling the Nine Heavens Great Luo Cauldron, teleporting, and remotely controlling the Glazed Needle to dodge interception—the hardest part was the final step. No cultivator present had ever been able to control their treasures while teleporting; they hadn't even heard of it. But the fact presented before them slapped everyone in the face: Qiu Feng had indeed done it.

Boss Li sat below, also dumbfounded. Originally, his talk about "blowing his father-in-law’s cover" was just a slip of the tongue, but he hadn't expected it to actually happen.

Li Chengzhu’s mouth twitched as he tried to suppress his laughter, casting a glance at Xiao Ying sitting beside him. The girl was extremely nervous, afraid that Qiu Feng might harm her father, and almost couldn't help standing up.

"It’s fine. The competition rules state that you cannot intentionally harm a contestant who has already lost," Gu Linglong said understandingly, comforting Xiao Ying.

Xiao Ying’s face turned even uglier. She turned her head and glared resentfully at Li Chengzhu, teeth gritted: "Why does that needle look so much like the Glazed Needle?"

"Cough..." Li Chengzhu coughed, hating for the first time that cultivators had such keen senses. Even from this distance, Xiao Ying could see it clearly. He had to force a smile and say, "Qiu Feng came to me to borrow it. We’ve been together for so long, borrowing a treasure isn't a big deal, so I didn't mention it to you." He then gave Gu Linglong a fierce look, signaling her to take Xiao Ying away.

Gu Linglong glared at Li Chengzhu and reached out to pull Xiao Ying: "Don't be angry, sister. Let's go out for some fresh air." With that, she pulled the second wife up and walked toward the entrance.

With the outcome decided, and after Gu Linglong’s guidance and thinking about Qiu Feng’s character, Xiao Ying was no longer so worried about her father’s safety. Before she left, she still felt indignant and gave Boss Li a hard stomp on the foot.

Yuan Mu sat to the side, struggling to hold back his laughter. After a long while, he asked, "Did Qiu Feng really borrow the Glazed Needle from you?"

"Would I lie about that?" Li Chengzhu rubbed his foot, grimacing.

"Oh," Yuan Mu replied flatly. "Qiu Feng’s strength is not simple." He looked at Li Chengzhu thoughtfully. However, controlling treasures required hand seals—this was common knowledge. The sleazy man beside him hadn't made any moves, so there was no real evidence of cheating. Still, Yuan Mu couldn't figure it out: even with his own cultivation at the late stage of the Immortal level, he couldn't control treasures while teleporting. How did Qiu Feng do it?

It seems there is always someone better than you, and a sky beyond the sky. Yuan Mu sighed.

On stage, Qiu Feng was also gasping for breath. Teleportation was extremely draining on spiritual energy; unless one reached the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, one couldn't teleport at will. And that was after a major battle? Having used the last of his spiritual energy to bind Xiao Changchuan, Qiu Feng was nearly exhausted.

Xiao Changchuan lay awkwardly on the ground, looked up at his opponent sitting beside him, and smiled bitterly: "Brother Qiu has impressive methods."

"You flatter me," Qiu Feng said, struggling to raise his hand in a salute.

"However," Xiao Changchuan said with a pained, embarrassed expression, "Brother Qiu, could you please recall the needle in my backside first? And untie this rope?"

"I’m sorry, Brother Xiao." Qiu Feng sat on the stage with no regard for his image. "I’ve exhausted all my spiritual energy. I’ll have enough strength to untie it once I’ve recovered a little."

Xiao Changchuan curled his lip. He had lost face today. It didn't matter if he couldn't untie the Rainbow Binding Rope, but couldn't he at least pull that needle out of his ass? But since he was the one on the chopping block, he had to swallow his pride. He could only sigh and wait for Qiu Feng to recover.

Li Chengzhu snickered below. The Glazed Needle was currently stuck in his father-in-law’s tailbone—who told him to be positioned exactly in that direction? But with Qiu Feng on stage, he couldn't step in and do it for him, or he would be exposed.

After waiting for a long while, Qiu Feng finally recovered a tiny bit of spiritual energy. It seemed this bitter battle had exhausted him as well. He smiled apologetically at Xiao Changchuan, waved his hands, and the Rainbow Binding Rope was recalled. Li Chengzhu, sitting below, focused his mind and controlled his elemental clone to detach the Glazed Needle from his father-in-law’s backside and fly it back to Qiu Feng’s hand.

Xiao Changchuan’s face flushed red. He cupped his fists toward Qiu Feng and walked off the stage without another word.

In this battle, Qiu Feng had won. Though it wasn't a glorious victory, if Xiao Changchuan hadn't relied on the Acacia Bell to attack the mind, Qiu Feng wouldn't have been forced to cheat with Li Chengzhu.

It seems the title of "Immortal Envoy" is more important than one's reputation.

A cheer erupted from the crowd. Qiu Feng smiled, cupped his hands to the surroundings, and walked off the stage with an air of ease.

Just then, a loud boom came from the other side of the arena, drawing everyone’s attention.

Li Chengzhu, no longer concerned with Qiu Feng’s hypocritical nature, also cast his gaze over.

If the competition on Qiu Feng’s side was intense, then the one on the other side could only be described as gruesome.

The two cultivators, whether due to some irreconcilable hatred, were fighting for their lives. The slightly weaker Mahayana-stage cultivator’s clothes were shredded, his body was covered in blood, his steps were unsteady, and he was on the verge of collapse. His opponent was no better off, with hair as messy as a bird’s nest and a ferocious face, looking like he had just finished a fight with a streetwalker.

"That man is Luo Badao. He has a cruel nature and is said to have gone into a qi deviation while practicing his techniques. Although he was later cured, his personality became twisted, and he is bloodthirsty," Yuan Mu said, pointing to the disheveled man.

"Oh? You know him?" Li Chengzhu asked.