The Demonic World I designed-Chapter 716 - 707: Vermilion Bird Gate (Part 1)

"Oh, you’re done over there?"

Zhang Zhiyun of the White Tiger Gate had changed his clothes, and just as he stepped out of the Northern Tiger Gate, he spotted an acquaintance—a woman in purple, with a particularly sharp aura.

Not many women would wear purple as it’s a color that few could carry convincingly. But the woman before him was different. Standing there, she seemed as though she was born to wear purple, and even her name included the color purple, as if it were destined in her fate.

She was none other than Murong Ziyi—one of the Twin Stars of Tiandu Prefecture!

"You seem to be slower than I thought," Murong Ziyi’s voice was cold, matching her appearance, her temperament that of an unapproachable beauty.

"I encountered a rather interesting character," Zhang Zhiyun said with a smile.

"Chen Ying?"

"I thought you weren’t interested in these matters. Surprised you’ve heard of this person?"

"It’s not really an interest," Murong Ziyi said indifferently: "Jiangnan has been too conspicuous these past years, so I’ve been curious about what level Chen Ying, the head of Jiangnan Academy, really is at."

"An impressive level," he affirmed.

"Oh?" Her eyebrows raised, a rare flicker of emotion crossing her icy demeanor, "It’s rare for you to praise someone. That strong?"

"Strong indeed, though in a different way," Zhang Zhiyun recalled the recent encounter, a smiling slipping involuntarily onto his lips.

It was the first time he had met such an interesting woman, and the first time he had witnessed such an intriguing fight. For years, he had not thought of such a method. He had been curious why Jiangnan had been promoting the Technique of Speedy Formation in recent years. He found the art of Void Formation Drawing unique, but it seemed prone to errors in complex battles, not as practical as one might imagine. A young man had caused a stir in the Capital City a few years ago, mainly because the magicians encountered it for the first time and were unfamiliar with the strategy.

Especially against warriors, such Void Formation Drawing, no matter how fast, could not outpace a warrior’s speed. That’s why he had been using the Flying Stiff Technique—to see how the head of Jiangnan Academy would handle his worst matchup.

Or would she simply not use the Technique at all and instead resort to her rumored Azure Dragon Sorcery?

Never had he imagined that his opponent would win the battle through calculation.

Truly fascinating...

Is that so?

Murong Ziyi, seeing the smile on Zhang Zhiyun’s lips, felt her cold gaze intensify: "Well then, I’d like to witness this for myself."

"Speaking of witnessing..." Zhang Zhiyun suddenly remembered something, "I heard on my way out that the Vermilion Bird Gate has just begun. Would you like to go and take a look? After all... that woman, the feats attributed to her are extraordinary."

"That woman?" Murong Ziyi’s interest was piqued; she had long heard of the one person that the Heavenly Master Mansion could not capture for thousands of years, who had now become the foremost Court Sorcerer of the new dynasty.

Now, she had also acquired an ancient legacy, and it was the perfect opportunity for her to find out what techniques this predecessor possessed.

"Won’t you go and see the Azure Dragon Gate?" Murong Ziyi looked at him: "Aren’t you concerned about your brother at all?"

"Concerned about him?" Mentioning that brother, Zhang Zhiyun’s expression turned sour for the first time, muttering, "Who cares about me? And besides, would that thing even have any competition?"

-----------------------------------

"How dull...."

Inside the Azure Dragon Gate, the intense stench of blood and the horrific scene had long driven away the commoners who had come to watch, fleeing in panic. What trial was this? It was nothing short of a massacre, the normally so mild-mannered plump boy—who would have thought he could be so ferocious when he took action...

It was... almost like a demon.

And now, amidst the blood and gore, Zhang Xiaoyun effortlessly crushed a skull with his foot. Oddly enough, while his eyes were pitch black and his voice sounded different, his tone and demeanor were very much like his usual self: harmless when laughing, with an endearingly foolish air.

"Well, yes, how impressive could these opportunistic fishes be? Better go and check the other Gates..."

"Oh... are big brother and Sister Ziyi done too? That’s right... those two... They usually don’t hold back. Ah, then it’s boring. Is the so-called trial of the Heavenly Master just to play with two people who are well known to each other in the end? What’s the fun in that..."

As he spoke, Zhang Xiaoyun walked to the door. By this time, the commoners outside the Azure Dragon Gate had long gone, leaving only the Elders of the noble families there.

"Oh?" Zhang Xiaoyun looked up, his gaze meeting the gloomy eyes outside the court gates, and he immediately laughed, "What... is the matter?"

The chubby boy was still as harmless-looking as ever with his smile, but not a single person dared to respond!

Everyone had come looking for trouble, some even thought of protesting at the Heavenly Master Mansion because their outstanding descendants had come to support what was called the Heavenly Master selection, only to meet such a fate.

But no one dared to cause trouble for the person before them—these elders were well aware of the abilities of the youngsters that had entered; their slaughter implied that had the elders gone themselves, they would have faced a similar fate...

Confronted by someone who could slaughter them at any moment, they truly lacked the courage to question him.

"It was just a trial... your methods are so cruel, are they really the wishes of the Heavenly Master Mansion?"

Finally, someone from the crowd found the nerve to speak up—it was the great elder of the Su Family from the Southern Sea.

His voice trembled, fear evident in his eyes, but more than that, there was resentment!

The reputation of the Su Family had been on the rise in the Southern Sea, not because the family had a particularly profound heritage, for in the grand scheme of millennia-old families, the Su Family at best would be considered middle to lower tier. However, the Dragon Transformation of the Southern Sea had changed the status of the Su Family.

All three children had been favored by the Dragon King, graced with the True Dragon Bloodline. In the entire Southern Sea, no other family could boast such an accomplishment, which explained why over the past few years, the Su Family elders walked around with an air of success.

Yet, who could have foreseen that in this trial, in less than fifteen minutes, the Su Family would lose two future pillars? How could they accept this?

After all, a dead talent is nothing...

"The Heavenly Master Mansion?" Zhang Xiaoyun immediately laughed, "Those trash participating in the trial? Do you really think they’re worthy of the Heavenly Master Mansion’s attention?"

"You..." The elders of the Su Family were all faces filled with shock and rage.

Yet confronted with such a fierce star, none dared to raise a hand against him.

"Please make way..." Zhang Xiaoyun wiped the blood and flesh remaining on his hands, "I still have to hurry over to Vermilion Bird Gate to watch the show."

He didn’t care in the slightest about these so-called family elders. The people of the Heavenly Master Mansion wouldn’t pay any heed to these supposed millennium-aged families, let alone those that claimed ten-thousand-year heritages, for they had all witnessed what a true magician was, what true power meant.

Jiangnan, which was currently on the rise, had not captured his interest in the slightest.

The only thing he was interested in was that woman who had managed to elude the Heavenly Master Mansion for a thousand years...

----------------------------

The trial at Vermilion Bird Gate started the latest, not only because it was the last ranked among the gates, but also because it had the highest number of registrants.

The final tally, including additional spots opened later, reached a staggering three hundred!

As Shen Qi had said, because the two direct disciples of the Heavenly Master Mansion guarded the gates, many people didn’t dare to apply. Zhang Xiaoyun’s gate was disregarded by many, but Vermilion Bird Gate was regarded as the best place to apply.

By this time, Chen Ying had arrived early from the White Tiger Gate, her interest in Zi Yue unmatched by anyone else.

That woman, who was originally an enemy, had eventually become the most powerful woman in Jiangnan, just beneath Chen Qing.

It was said that it took her only a year to become familiar with the heritage of the Dragon Palace, yet Chen Qing entrusted the Dragon Palace Academy to her rather than himself.

Although she had always complied with Chen Qing’s decisions, there was still a trace of dissatisfaction in her heart.

She had always wanted to see what made the other woman so special.

Unexpectedly, on her way there, she encountered a presence that made her feel uneasy.

"Yo, isn’t this Sister Chen Ying?" Zhang Xiaoyun called out from a distance.

Faced with this person, Chen Ying’s usually calm face suddenly furrowed.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on fre ew𝒆bnovel.com