Chapter 238 – Verbal Sparring Sparks Fury, Spells Clash Under Heaven

Gripped by Fu Ning’an’s imposing aura, Yu Xian was forcefully drawn into the twisting gate.For a moment, Yu Xian felt his mind blank slightly.But the next instant, he entered a new world.Though called a secret realm, it wasn’t drastically different from the outside world—there were mountains, rivers, beasts, birds, and even denser spiritual energy. The only difference was the lack of sun in the sky.Yu Xian quickly regained his clarity from the momentary disorientation caused by the space distortion.He felt around. No time acceleration or anomalies. Clearly, this kind of grand technique was beyond his current level to interact with directly.”Go on now. The Xuantian Secret Realm, three thousand li across, is your battlefield with An Wenyuan. Life or death—settle it yourselves. Neither I nor he will interfere.”Two radiant orbs hovered in the sky—manifestations of the Nascent Soul cultivators’ divine senses. One of them spoke indifferently, the voice echoing through the heavens.Yu Xian gave no reply. His figure blurred as he dashed into the dense forest.Since it was a fair duel based on individual strength, it was forbidden to camp at the entrance and ambush opponents while they were disoriented upon arrival.But with Fu Ning’an’s last words, the battle had already begun.This three-thousand-li-wide secret realm was now their battleground.From Fu Ning’an’s repeated disdainful and angry tone, Yu Xian could easily guess—this An Wenyuan likely didn’t play fair.But in a life-and-death struggle, underhandedness meant nothing. Winning was all that mattered.So Yu Xian harbored no contempt—only caution.The more cunning and unscrupulous the opponent, the more one needed to be careful.Within the forest, Yu Xian concealed his aura, suppressed his cultivation fluctuations, and didn’t fly with spells. He advanced step by step, quietly scanning his surroundings, ready to counterattack at any moment.At the same time, he reached out with his spiritual sense to feel for An Wenyuan’s aura.For two Foundation Establishment cultivators, three thousand li wasn’t a vast space. Even if both were cautious, they’d likely sense each other within a day—unless one remained motionless, like a spider weaving its web, lying in wait.Hm…Yu Xian’s eyes gleamed.A self-made battlefield?He’d done similar before—on Ascension Island, where he had laid traps and created favorable terrain.If An Wenyuan had done the same, then the moment Yu Xian found him, he’d likely be stepping into that very setup.With that thought, Yu Xian stomped the ground, leapt into the air, and began ascending.This sudden movement surprised both Nascent Soul cultivators.Why fly now? Wouldn’t that expose his location?Yu Xian, however, ascended swiftly. With his mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he reached nearly five hundred zhang in height.At this altitude, the terrain below appeared compressed, and he could faintly see the realm’s illusory boundaries.He scanned in all directions—and then, in the far distance, his eyes fixed on a spot.A hundred-zhang tall hill stood there. At its midpoint sat a young man, gazing toward the sky—at him.Their eyes met.Though An Wenyuan couldn’t make out Yu Xian’s face clearly from such a distance, Yu Xian’s powerful physique granted him extraordinary sight. In a flash, he saw the mocking, disdainful sneer on An Wenyuan’s face.Found him!An Wenyuan was indeed building a battlefield, waiting for him.But An Wenyuan, seeing Yu Xian high in the sky, raised a finger, slowly flipped it, and wore a smug look of disdain and provocation.Yu Xian remained calm. He’d confirmed the location and descended immediately.That battlefield wasn’t to be approached casually.The first challenger, Lu Mingshan, had at least battled An Wenyuan for days before dying.But the second—Liang Yuan—whose strength wasn’t far off, had perished within a day.He must have entered the trap-laden battlefield and fallen at a disadvantage.There could be arrays, talismans, poison, illusions—all hidden within.Approaching rashly was courting death.”Hah, Fellow Daoist Fu, he’s clever,” the elder’s divine sense mocked lightly.”But cleverness alone won’t save him,” Fu Ning’an replied coldly. “He’ll at least avoid stepping blindly into that traitor’s traps.”The divine senses fell silent once more.Below, Yu Xian circled the hill, slowly probing.Even if An Wenyuan had created a killing field, Yu Xian could gradually pick it apart—uncover arrays, traps, talismans, illusions.Slow and steady was the way.Sure enough, as Yu Xian kept circling closer with each round, An Wenyuan’s brow began to furrow.This Foundation Establishment cultivator was unusually cautious.If he continued like this, he really might dismantle all the traps—and even if An Wenyuan won, the losses would be severe.Was Yu Xian just a decoy, sent to wear him down before the real powerhouse entered?His pride flared.He was Foundation Establishment Peak. Why should he fear a mere mid-stage cultivator?A cultivator must sometimes hide, yes—but sometimes, they must be bold!Boom! Boom! Boom!Explosions rang out from the mountain base.An Wenyuan’s eyes narrowed.Several of his traps had been triggered and destroyed from afar.Yu Xian’s laughter echoed:”Little dog! Your traps are trash! Pathetic! I’ll break them all and come knock on your doghouse!”An Wenyuan’s face turned icy. He took a deep breath.”You think lowering your aura would fool me? I saw through your pretense long ago.”Yu Xian smirked.”Oh, so your dog eyes can see that? Impressive. Just wait until I tear your trap apart, then reveal my true cultivation and cut you down!””You damned brat!” An Wenyuan exploded with rage.Even if Yu Xian was suppressing his aura, he couldn’t be stronger than late Foundation Establishment—if he were a Golden Core cultivator, the elders would’ve seen through it and slain him on the spot.Regardless, he couldn’t take it anymore.”Die, you bastard!” An Wenyuan roared, launching into the sky like a hunting eagle.Twin water dragons spiraled around him as spells surged forth.Yu Xian burst into laughter.”Aw, is the little dog angry? You wanna kill me? Dream on!”With a stomp, illusory phoenixes formed underfoot, and clouds rose as he activated his flight technique, soaring away.Boom!The twin water dragons exploded where Yu Xian had stood moments before, smashing rocks and sending debris flying.Yu Xian was long gone.An Wenyuan squinted—then cursed aloud.”That bastard really is mid-stage Foundation Establishment!? You dare play tricks on me!? I’ll rip your flesh off and feed it to you!”He activated his own flight techniques and spirit wings, dramatically increasing his speed.As expected, it didn’t take long for the gap to close.”He’s done for…” the old divine sense murmured, slightly worried.”Hahaha! He’s anxious now—he’ll die for it!” Fu Ning’an laughed heartily.Both could clearly see—Yu Xian was fleeing, yes, but casting a spell while doing so.A dual-layered thunder spell!An Wenyuan, in his fury, had charged in without caution—was he about to walk right into a trap?He had used this same move to slay Lu Mingshan.And now…”Die, you little rat!” An Wenyuan had closed to within thirty zhang. He formed a complex hand seal.”Five Element Divine Palm!”A massive palm composed of five elemental forces flew forward.Yu Xian’s eyes gleamed. He held the thunder orb tightly, then hurled it—not at the palm, but directly at An Wenyuan!Their attacks passed each other midair.BOOM!The palm crashed into Yu Xian, slamming him into the ground and leaving a two-zhang-deep crater.At the same time, the thunder orb exploded in front of An Wenyuan.But in the sky, the divine senses were silent.”Hahahaha…”Laughter erupted.Thirty zhang away from the explosion, a shimmering cloth twisted and vanished.An Wenyuan stood there, disheveled but unharmed.”A mere mirror image trick? I was using this before you were even born.”Two more water dragons surged forth, diving into the crater.Even with a fifth-grade defensive treasure, that brat must be seriously injured—if not dead.An Wenyuan wouldn’t risk checking personally. Just nuke the place again!BOOM! BOOM!Dust settled.No aura remained in the crater.”Hmph. Hope your storage bag has that thunder technique.”An Wenyuan chuckled and floated to the edge of the pit.But the moment he leaned forward—A blood-soaked fist rocketed upward!”Now it’s my turn.”