Sect Master Chen took the lead in showing goodwill toward Su Xie, then sneered at the purple-robed middle-aged man, saying in a deep voice, "I’ll give you three breaths. If you don't roll out of here by then, you can just die right here!"
Before the purple-robed man could speak, Mo Han panicked. "Wait! Sect Master Chen, didn't this Su Xie kill members of your Xuan Pavilion? How could you—"
"Shut up! Does a nobody like you have the right to interrupt when the Xuan Pavilion is speaking?"
Sect Master Chen’s voice dropped, and he raised his hand, unleashing a fierce blast of energy at Mo Han.
Boom!
A scream rang out, and Mo Han was killed on the spot!
"Patriarch! This!"
The experts of the Mo family cried out in alarm, but they were immediately surrounded by Xuan Pavilion guards and were so terrified they dared not move.
Seeing the Xuan Pavilion act with such overbearing force, even the purple-robed man couldn't help but shudder. Just as he was planning to withdraw and reconsider his options, a sudden disturbance tore through the air.
*Whoosh!*
A massive vortex appeared in the distant sky, churning violently!
"Hmm?"
Seeing the powerful spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the vortex, Sect Master Chen narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as a torch.
"A powerful expert is coming!" Old Man Bai reminded Qin Ying, staring at the vortex with a solemn expression.
*Rip!*
Suddenly, a withered, massive hand reached out from the vortex. The hand was terrifying, seemingly large enough to blot out the sky and crush everything in the world! Then, a second hand emerged. The two giants tore through the void, and a cold light shot out!
"Xuan Pavilion, Princely Mansion! Heh, I didn't expect this tiny Su Family to be so interesting, to be able to garner the support of two such major powers."
An aged voice thundered across the sky. A man with a youthful face and white hair, holding a horsetail whisk and riding a giant white eagle, emerged from the rift.
"It’s the Sixth Elder!"
Seeing the old man appear, the purple-robed man finally let out a breath of relief, happy to be rid of this hot potato.
"Is that the Sixth Elder of the Liuyun Sect, Yunjue?" Old Man Bai’s eyes narrowed, his tone heavy.
Qin Ying looked at the old man and asked, "What is his cultivation? The spiritual energy around him is terrifying!"
"He is a Spirit Platform Realm expert, above the Spirit Gathering Realm!" Sect Master Chen’s face darkened; he hadn't expected the Liuyun Sect to dispatch such a powerhouse. In Northern Ling City, the Xiantian Realm was considered the ceiling of power, and a Spirit Platform Realm entity was undoubtedly a supreme expert throughout the entire North Martial County.
Currently, his Xuan Pavilion branch in Northern Ling City was clearly no match for such an existence. Sect Master Chen hesitated, wondering whether to activate his transmission talisman to call for help from headquarters. After all, the headquarters were busy, and if he called them for a minor crisis, it would make him look incompetent.
***
Just as Sect Master Chen hesitated, Qin Ying made a decisive choice. She walked in front of Su Xie, looked up at Yunjue, who was exuding a haughty pressure from the sky, and said, "We are protecting this man. If you dare to kill him, our Princely Mansion will declare war on your Liuyun Sect."
As she finished speaking, Old Man Bai unleashed his full power, stepping in front of Su Xie and Qin Ying.
Seeing their actions, Yunjue paused, but he remained silent, his aged eyes fixed firmly on Su Xie below.
Su Xie took a light step back. It wasn't that he was afraid, but the gaze of the high-and-mighty Yunjue carried an invisible, immense pressure—like Mount Tai crushing down—a haughty arrogance intended to grind him into the dust.
"Trying to pressure me into the ground?"
Su Xie’s expression turned cold. He immediately channeled his spiritual energy, quickly casting a immobilization technique from the Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor of his previous life.
The next moment, no matter how Yunjue pressured him with his gaze, Su Xie remained as steady as a mountain, standing in place like a monk in meditation, completely unaffected.
"Good lad, you can actually withstand my pressure?" Yunjue looked startled, shocked by Su Xie’s steadfast resolve.
The more he looked at Su Xie, the more his murderous intent grew. Clearly, his earlier action had been a test. If Su Xie had been frightened, it would have shown his character was poor, meaning he wouldn't achieve much in the future. In that case, Yunjue could have spared him to avoid offending the Xuan Pavilion and the Princely Mansion. After all, the world was never short of geniuses, and many with weak wills died halfway.
However, Su Xie’s rock-solid character made Yunjue even more wary. "This brat must die, no matter the cost!"
Yunjue’s heart hardened. He flicked his sleeve, whipping up a violent gale that sent Qin Ying and the old man flying outside the Su Family compound.
"You!" In an instant, the two were pinned in place by an invisible force.
"Little Princess, you cannot represent your father, the Prince of North Martial. After this matter is concluded, I will personally visit to explain the situation to him," Yunjue said indifferently. Although his sect resided under the Prince’s jurisdiction, it didn't mean they had to bow to everything the Princely Mansion wanted.
"It seems your Liuyun Sect is determined to kill me, then?" Sensing the extreme murderous intent radiating from Yunjue, Su Xie’s expression was as calm as a stagnant well, only replaced by a cold sneer.
"Kid, you have guts, and you are a talent. If you hadn't killed my disciple Mo Long, I might have forgiven you and even taken you under my wing to cultivate you."
"It’s just a pity that some people are destined to walk different paths. Today, I shall correct your path and make your journey to the afterlife a bit smoother. Tell me, as a courtesy to your talent, how would you like to die?" Yunjue spoke in a self-righteous tone, his whisk raised as if ready to strike at any moment.
"An old fool relying on a bit of strength, and you want to lecture me on the 'path'? Do you even deserve it?" Su Xie’s expression was arrogant. He despised hypocritical, self-righteous people. In his previous life as the Devouring Heaven Dragon Emperor, he would have killed such people on sight.
Even now, reduced to this state, he possessed a heart of slaughter that feared nothing. This wasn't because he was mindless; as an Emperor who dominated an era, he had countless divine abilities and forbidden techniques. If he couldn't win, he had ways to survive. If he didn't even dare to fight, he would be unworthy of the title of Dragon Emperor!
"Die!" Irritated by Su Xie’s arrogance, Yunjue tapped his whisk into the air.
*Bang!*
In an instant, an incredibly terrifying force of spiritual energy twisted the void and locked onto Su Xie. Even Sect Master Chen looked on in horror, feeling deeply helpless.
"Damn it! Are you really going to disregard my Xuan Pavilion completely?" Seeing Su Xie about to be crushed, Sect Master Chen gritted his teeth, his expression savage.
"Although I don't know why you are helping him, this is only a small branch of the Xuan Pavilion in Northern Ling City, and he is not one of your own. Killing him won't break the rules." Facing the threat, Yunjue remained obstinate, showing no intention of stopping. To him, no matter how big the Xuan Pavilion was, it was only the headquarters in the Northern Domain that mattered. Even a powerful dragon shouldn't cross a local snake, and here in North Martial County, his Liuyun Sect was the true local dragon!
"Hahaha, go ahead and kill him! If you kill him, your Liuyun Sect will meet a miserable end!" Sect Master Chen suddenly laughed, immediately activating his transmission talisman, using his words to stall for time while waiting for reinforcements from headquarters.
"Die it is! Does my Liuyun Sect have to act so timidly before your Xuan Pavilion that we can't even kill an ant?!" Seeing Sect Master Chen’s mockery, Yunjue felt his sect’s dignity was under attack and swung his whisk again, accelerating his strike toward Su Xie.
"Noisy!"
Seeing the killing blow descending, Su Xie’s eyes flashed with malevolence. He was about to pay a price to unleash his trump card when suddenly, in the sky above the Su Family, a sharp, massive sword aura—vast enough to blot out the sun—shattered the void and shot toward them!
*Boom!*
In a flash of lightning, the sword aura, vast as divine retribution, streaked across the firmament and instantly annihilated Yunjue’s killing blow!
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
In an instant, the world erupted! Countless roof tiles across Northern Ling City were swept up into the sky by the relentless sword energy. Countless people turned pale, unable to withstand the terrifying fluctuations, and spat out mouthfuls of blood—including everyone at the Su Family residence!
Even Yunjue’s expression changed. Being at the forefront, he was hit by a violent backlash from the terrifying sword aura!
*Pfft!*
Yunjue’s breathing became ragged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"How can this be? Who is it? Who is obstructing my Liuyun Sect?!" Yunjue roared into the sky, his voice filled with a mix of fury and intense wariness toward the person who had struck.
"Hahaha... Ridiculous, truly ridiculous."
"A tiny Liuyun Sect, which in the Northern Domain is no bigger than a sesame seed, dares to be this arrogant and overbearing?"
"I've lived for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen an ant bounce around so much."
From the distant horizon, a hoarse, aged laugh echoed like thunder.