Lu Qingyun and his two companions were soon traveling with Gao Tianyou and his group that consisted of some two hundred cultivators.
Gao Tianyou had told them that they just had a small victory against a group of dark celestials and they were celebrating it with heavy drinks in this small town.
"Every battle is a life and death battle. Every time we have survived through the battles, we will celebrate." Gao Tianyou said with a great spirit of heroism that inspired the cultivators who had heard him as they clapped loudly.
Even Lu Qingyun was inspired by his words.
However Tang Xuefeng and Qian Jingjing were not impressed by his words.
Instead Tang Xuefeng was whispering to Qian Jingjing, "Sister, you have to be wary of him. I see his lecherous eyes feasting on you."
Qian Jingjing whispered back, "I feel it too. It is giving me the creeps."
Gao Tianyou was laughing as he said to Lu Qingyun, "I wonder if Maiden Qian here is your partner?"
Lu Qingyun was about to reply no when Qian Jingjing hastily replied, "Yes, we are. So mind your eyes."
Even Tang Xuefeng was saying coldly, "My third sister Qian Qian is already engaged to my second brother. It is best that everyone be mindful of it."
She had suddenly noticed that many of the cultivators were also secretly looking into Qian Jingjing's way and she was feeling quite uneasy about it.
Gao Tianyou had now turned his attention to Tang Xuefeng, "Brother Tang Feng doesn't seem to like to talk much?"
Tang Xuefeng smiled, "I prefer to pay my attention while on the road. You will never know if you were to step on a pile of dung."
Gao Tianyou: …
Lu Qingyun: …
Lu Qingyun smiled awkwardly. He never knew that Tang Xuefeng could be so crude with her words. Moreover Young Master Gao Tianyou here was the son of the greatest hero in the Nine Celestial Fraternity.
So he quickly said, "My Big Brother Tang Feng always have a sense of humor. Please do not take it seriously."
Tang Xuefeng giggled, "That's right. If you take it too serious then you may fall into a pit full of dung instead."
Qian Jingjing was also giggling, "That is because he didn't watch out for the pit while he is walking."
Lu Qingyun: …
Gao Tianyou smiled weakly, "Celestial Tang Feng really has a sense of humor."
Then he secretly waved a secret sign behind his back to Supremacy Hai Zhongtian and Supremacy Liang Tiege.
Hai Zhongtian immediately stepped forward and said coldly to Tang Xuefeng, "You are too rude to our young master. You can eat the wrong food but you can't say the wrong words."
Liang Tiege hummed coldly, "Or are you a spy for the dark celestials?"
Tang Xuefeng took a disinterested look at them before she replied coldly, "Hmph! I say what I want. If you are not willing to listen, why don't you go away?"
Gao Tianyou pretended to say, "This is only a small matter. Why blow it up?"
Liang Tiege said, "Even if young master is willing to tolerate it, I am unwilling to do so. He is insulting your honor!"
Saint Wu Lei immediately said from behind them, "Quickly apologize to my young master or else don't blame me for being impolite!"
Lu Qingyun quickly whispered to Tang Xuefeng, "We're all on the same side…"
But Tang Xuefeng shot him an icy look as she whispered back, "Who is on the same side as him?"
Then she had stepped forward with a soft chuckle, "Since it is Young Master Gao Tianyou's honor that is being sullied, why don't we have a little duel to settle the issue of your honor?"
Lu Qingyun: …
He was sighing heavily, "Xuefeng is too reckless…"
Liang Tiege had immediately stepped forward. "Do you think that my young master will fight anyone just like this? He is far more cultured. I shall take the place of my young master to fight you instead."
Tang Xuefeng looked at him with a wryly smile, "So be it then."
Lu Qingyun was startled as he whispered, "He is a sixth realm golden supremacy…"
Tang Xuefeng whispered back, "Don't worry. This is just a friendly duel. I won't die."
Lu Qingyun saw the hostile looks of Liang Tiege, Gao Tianyou, Hai Zhongtian, Wu Lei and other cultivators that were upon Tang Xuefeng as he muttered. "In what way is this just a friendly duel?"
He quickly said, "Let me fight on your behalf…"
But Tang Xuefeng chuckled, "Who is the big brother here? It is Big Brother who wants to fight so how can I let my second brother fight my duel for me? At least I am willing to fight over my own honor."
Gao Tianyou: …
Liang Tiege was shouting angrily, "You are too insolent! Draw your sword!"
Tang Xuefeng immediately unsheathed her half-step divine sword as she displayed a defensive sword stance.
Qian Jingjing was shouting, "Big Brother Tang, please beat him up!"
Liang Tiege and the other cultivators were a little startled when they saw that this Tang Feng had a divine sword. Although it was a half-step divine sword but it was nevertheless a divine sword. In the Celestial Realm, divine swords were extremely rare and were mostly owned by cultivators with influential background.
Liang Tiege unsheathed his earth-step precious sword as he stared coldly at Tang Xuefeng.
Lu Qingyun was smiling bitterly as he watched them. Although Tang Xuefeng had an advantage with her sword but Liang Tiege had the stronger profound strength.
The duel between golden celestials was completely different from the average cultivators. It was because the average cultivators could still overcome their opponents with a superior swordplay or profound art.
But for golden celestials, planning to take hits were part of their combat strategy. It was because golden celestials could always regenerate their non-fatal wounds quickly and they did not care much about taking damages as long as they could retaliate against their opponents.
If Tang Xuefeng could strike Liang Tiege, it may not necessary mean that her sword play was superior to him and instead it was just a fake opening that Liang Tiege was exposing to get back at her.
With Liang Tiege's profound strength, his strikes would always hit harder than her.
So how could Lu Qingyun not be anxious for her?
Moreover she was a scholarly maiden and she did not look particularly strong in her martial skills.
Lu Qingyun was thinking anxiously, "I just have to intervene if she needs help. Forget about the honor. Her life is more important…but why is Xuefeng purposely messing up with them in the first place?"
Lu Qingyun did not know that Tang Xuefeng disliked the cultivators from the Patriarch Valiant Arms Sect and that the Patriarch Heavenly Fragrance Villa was actually preparing for a possible conflict between the two patriarch celestial clans that could pull the two divine realms into a war.
There were nine powerful patriarch celestial clans in the Nine Celestial Fraternity. Currently there were four patriarch celestial clans and their divine realms that were leading the attack against the three dark divine realms while the other five patriarch celestial clans were watching the situation closely.
Although it seemed that it was only the Valiant Arms Divine Realm and three patriarch divine realms that were attacking the three dark divine realms but there were cultivators from all over the Nine Celestial Fraternity that had joined their cause. It was because the temptation to loot the profound treasures of the three dark divine realms were too tempting even if their patriarch divine realms did not join Saint Gao Tianshou's cause.
And Saint Gao Tianshou was highly regarded as the greatest hero in the Nine Celestial Fraternity for his many heroic deeds.
But only Tang Xuefeng and the high leadership of the Heavenly Fragrance Villa knew that most of it was an exaggeration to bolster his renown and to garner support so that he could unite the Valiant Arms Divine Realm.
What the other patriarch clans did not expect from him was that shortly after he had united the Valiant Arms Divine Realm, he had manage to persuade three other patriarch celestial clans and their divine realms to attack the three dark divine realms with him.
His mobilization was too swift and this had caught the other five patriarch clans off-guarded.
Even the three dark divine realms were caught off-guarded by Saint Gao Tianshou sudden attack.
But to most of the cultivators from the Nine Celestial Fraternity, this had only confirmed their belief that Saint Gao Tianshou was a true hero and he was the destined hero that would get rid of the Devil Goddess that had terrorized the Nine Celestial Fraternity in the past.
Liang Tiege was shouting to Tang Xuefeng, "Since you are my celestial junior then I shall let you make your first move. Then you won't say that I'm bullying you!"
Tang Xuefeng chuckled as she swung her sword, "You really think that I will change my mind about you if you give me a leeway? Why only one stroke and not three strokes, ten strokes? Bully, bully!"
Liang Tiege: ...
"Enough!" Liang Tiege gave a great thunderous shout that caused his profound aura to burst brilliantly, startling everyone with his profound strength.
Even Lu Qingyun was forced to take a step as he gasped silently, "He is strong. Xuefeng may not be able to last more than a hundred strokes with him…"
Tang Xuefeng had suddenly raised her sword as she sent five bursts of sword energies to explode upon Liang Tiege, startling everyone.
Although her sword bursts were unable to really hurt Liang Tiege as he was still protected by his profound aura but Liang Tiege and on the onlookers, including Lu Qingyun were all gasping. "Sword energies! She is an energy practitioner."
In the Nine Celestial Fraternity, energy practitioners were extremely rare because sword energy techniques were extremely demanding to even use. Even a saint level cultivator may not be able to use one. It depended more on the practitioner innate talent and body physique rather than cultivation level.
Just as Liang Tiege was about to swing his sword forward, Tang Xuefeng had unleashed another three quick successive bursts of sword energies that exploded over him.
Liang Tiege was really angry now. It was as though someone was flinging mud on him and he could not retaliate.
He had immediately leapt forward as he attacked with his unique sword art but Tang Xuefeng had displayed her lightless skill as she flashed out of his way to his back and again, she had unleashed another three bursts of sword energies on Liang Tiege!
Lu Qingyun was startled as he thought, "It seems that Tang Xuefeng's lightless skill isn't weak and moreover her swiftness movement is also most extraordinary. She can actually move to his back in such a short notice and even use her sword energies on him…"
Sword energies were also extremely demanding on the use of profound energies and so did the use of lightless skill. It was because lightless skill could give quick burst of speed and this quick burst of speed consumed plenty of vital profound energies which were the same as performing a strenuous exercise like running or lifting a tremendous amount of strength.
In the lower realm, profound energies were known sometimes as internal strength or Qi.
Liang Tiege was shouting, "I see how you can maintain your profound energies. When I catch you, you will be dead!"
Tang Xuefeng shouted back, "When your protective profound aura is weakened, I like to see if you can still withstand my sword energies attack."
The two of them were betting on each other to exhaust their profound energies first.
Lu Qingyun was actually quite anxious. It was because Tang Xuefeng had to use her sword energies and lightless skill at the same time. She could not maintain her own defensive profound aura to receive a tremendous attack from Liang Tiege.
At the same time, Liang Tiege used much less profound energies and he was also a sixth realm cultivation and his reserve profound energies were stronger than Tang Xuefeng.
So how could Lu Qingyun not be worried for her?
Actually Liang Tiege, Gao Tianyou and his group were also quite anxious. It was because of the divine sword that was in Tang Xuefeng's hand. A divine sword could easily double the penetrating power of a cultivator's attack.
In fact, Liang Tiege was trying to shore up his profound aura defense with each hit that he had received. There were many types of energy practitioners. Most were just average users and their sword energies took a long time to charge and they had to rely on a sword formation for cover and to recharge. But this Tang Feng happened to be an expert sword energy practitioner and she specialized in multiple sword energy bursts instead of just one, which made the fight even harder for him to engage her.
Moreover he had to admit that her lightless skill was indeed superior to him. He was so angry that he was cursing him in his heart, "This Tang Feng! He is fighting just like a spineless maiden. A man should put strength on their arms and not their legs!"
Men were usually stronger than women in their raw physical strength. Therefore when profound strength was cumulated with men's raw physical strength, their strokes were usually more powerful than the women.
But women were usually lighter and not blog down by heavy muscles. Therefore when profound strength was cumulated with their natural lightless and speed, their lightless skills were usually more impressive than the men.
Liang Tiege had never expected that this Tang Feng would be fighting like a maiden and he was really very angry.
Even Saint Wu Lei could not bear to watch anymore and he had suddenly shot up a small pebble like a secret projectile that had suddenly struck Tang Xuefeng's leg from behind her.
This secret attack was lost on many but to Lu Qingyun who had an acute divine sense due to the added unison between Yan'Er and Xingxin who had tripled the acuteness of his divine sense.
Yan'Er was screaming unhappily in his soul sea, "Master, he is cheating!"
Xingxin was also saying, "Master, he is so despicable! He is bullying Big Sister Xuefeng!"
Yan'Er and Xingxin were actually watching the duel with Lu Qingyun together.
Liang Tiege immediately seized the attack to swing his sword over Tang Feng's head. He was now smirking. Although he may not kill him with this attack since he was a golden celestial that could regenerate grievous wounds but this attack of his would make him lie on the bed for several days to nurse his broken skull.
It was a befitting punishment to someone that had dared to offend his Young Master Gao Tianyou!
Lu Qingyun saw the incoming attack that was upon Tang Xuefeng and he was about to rush in to aid her when he suddenly found that his shoulder was gripped hard by Hai Zhongtian, "This is a personal duel. No one should be allowed to interfere in it unless it has ended."
Liang Tiege's attack had come swiftly upon Tang Xuefeng's head and she quickly made a last ditch effort to evade the attack by strengthening her profound aura.
The attack missed her head narrowly and had cut the ribbon on her head that she had tied up to look like a man. Immediately her long flowing hair began to loosen and she was gasping mesmerizingly.
Suddenly she had lost her manly disguise and this short gasp had immediately revealed her true voice.
All the cultivators were not blind and they could immediately see that this Tang Feng was actually an astonishing great beauty and not a man.
"She is actually an astonishing beauty…"
"Am I seeing what I'm seeing?"
"I can't believe my eyes…"
"Supremacy Liang is actually bullying a fifth realm maiden…"
Even Liang Tiege was so startled at her beautiful appearance that he did not continue his attack. "This…"
Gao Tianyou had quickly stepped between Liang Tiege and Tang Xuefeng as he smiled lecherously at Tang Xuefeng, "I see that you are a maiden. This is actually a great misunderstanding between us. I hope that maiden will not put it into your heart. Let me apologize to you if I've offended you."
Tang Xuefeng, "Huh?" She was thinking, "He is actually saying sorry to me?"
Gao Tianyou was now looking lecherously at Tang Xuefeng. He had found his next target and that was her.