44: Chapter 44 Xu Mang!

Just before Young Master Xu An completely lost consciousness, he used his last shred of awareness to activate a token engraved with flowing cloud patterns hidden in his sleeve, wheezing out a desperate cry: "Father... save me...!"

At the same time, hundreds of miles away, in the secret chamber where the Meiliu Sect Master was in seclusion, a middle-aged cultivator with a face somewhat similar to Young Master Xu An's and an imposing air suddenly opened his eyes, his expression changing drastically!

He clearly sensed that the life-saving token he had left for his only son had been forcibly activated, and the aura coming from the other end of the token was weak to the extreme!

"An'er! Who dares to harm my son!"

A roar, filled with the pressure of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, exploded like thunder, instantly shaking the entire main peak, causing even the mountain-protecting formation to ripple.

Meanwhile, the cultivators who had been attracted by the celestial phenomena and arrived from all directions were now reaching the vicinity of Ganlu Town.

From afar, they saw the mess in front of Yuegui Pavilion, and Young Master Xu An, who was slumped on the ground, his clothes disheveled, his expression dazed, with blood and drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Someone recognized him and immediately gasped:

"Hiss—! Isn't that the precious treasure of Meiliu Sect Master Xu Mang, the one known as the 'Flowing Cloud Young Master', Young Master Xu An? How... how did he end up looking like this ghost of a person?"

"Who was ruthless enough to do this? This doesn't look like injuries from a normal duel; it looks more like... he's possessed?"

Everyone's gaze involuntarily focused on Li Guidai, who stood with his hands behind his back, looking calm and indifferent. Feeling the unfathomable pressure radiating from him, which was even faintly heavier than the rumored pressure of Xu Mang, the crowd was even more horrified!

Zhuge Yue saw that the number of onlookers was increasing, and fearing that Li Guidai's aura might not be enough to fully deter the petty troublemakers since he had just broken through, she moved lightly to his side and slightly released the aura of her Heavenly Yin Immortal Body.

A cold, aloof, yet vast and mighty pressure spread out like moonlight, interweaving with Li Guidai's Yin-Yang Golden Core pressure to form a suffocating, invisible force field!

The faces of the arriving cultivators changed again, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to look directly.

Good heavens, this couple, they are both Golden Core cultivators! And by the looks of it, they are no ordinary Golden Core cultivators!

...

Three days later.

A violent streak of light like a falling meteor smashed heavily into the open space in front of Yuegui Pavilion, revealing a middle-aged man dressed in the robes of the Meiliu Sect Master, his face as gloomy as water and his eyes burning with raging fury—it was none other than the Meiliu Sect Master, Xu Mang!

"People inside! Get out here! You injured my son, Young Master Xu An; give me an explanation!"

The rolling sound waves, filled with the fury of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, made the windows of Yuegui Pavilion hum and vibrate.

Inside the pavilion, Li Guidai raised an eyebrow and put down his teacup: "Yo, you came quite fast."

Zhuge Yue pressed down on his hand, her tone calm but firm: "Husband, this matter started because of me; let me handle it."

Without waiting for Li Guidai to object, Zhuge Yue's figure flickered, and she instantly teleported outside the pavilion, facing Xu Mang from a distance.

Xu Mang was stunned to see that the person who came out was a female cultivator of peerless beauty, with a temperament as cold as a fairy from the Moon Palace. A flash of admiration crossed his eyes as he thought: "She is so beautiful!"

But immediately, overcome by the pain of losing his son, he said angrily: "So beautiful! So you are the one who wants to kill my son? Hand over my son quickly!"

Zhuge Yue had no intention of wasting words with him. With a flip of her jade hand, the moon shadow cloud soul spear was already in her grip. The spear tip pointed towards Xu Mang from afar, and icy killing intent began to permeate the air.

Seeing this, Xu Mang laughed in extreme anger:

"Good! Good! Originally, seeing that you were so beautiful, I wanted to capture you and bring you back to the sect to be the Sect Master's wife and enjoy all the riches! I didn't expect you to be so unappreciative! A mere newly broken-through Golden Core cultivator dares to act presumptuously in front of me? Today, I will let you taste the power of a late-stage Golden Core expert!"

Spiritual energy surged around him, and the powerful pressure belonging to a late-stage Golden Core cultivator erupted fully, attempting to suppress Zhuge Yue with his cultivation realm.

However, Zhuge Yue possessed the Heavenly Yin Immortal Body, and her Golden Core was the Nine-Turn Heavenly Yin Golden Core, which was of extremely high quality. Her spiritual energy was so pure and vast that it far exceeded those of the same rank!

Facing Xu Mang's pressure, she merely furrowed her delicate brows, shook the spear in her hand, and like a dragon in the moon, took the initiative to attack!

The two instantly clashed, spear shadows crisscrossing and spells bombarding each other. They fought from the ground to the sky, spiritual energy surging and light shining brilliantly, turning the entire sky over Ganlu Town into their battlefield.

Li Guidai watched the battle leisurely from inside the pavilion, cracking spiritual melon seeds while commenting:

"Hmm, Yueer's spear technique is becoming increasingly sharp, but it lacks a bit of the ruthlessness for a one-hit kill. If this were a novel protagonist from my past life fighting this old man, I bet this Xu fellow would have kicked the bucket before he could even finish his opening line, right? Sigh, Yueer is still too kind; she lacks a bit of aggression."

This fight lasted for three days and three nights!

Li Guidai looked at the still-intense battle outside and yawned: "Oh my, it's still not over? If it doesn't end soon, I'll want to go up and hit this old man with a wave of 'left hand, right hand, slow motion' mental pollution; I guarantee he'll collapse immediately."

In the center of the battlefield, Xu Mang was becoming more and more shocked, and more and more desperate as the fight continued!

The spiritual energy in his body was almost bottoming out, and the pills to replenish spiritual energy had long since run out, but the cold-looking woman opposite him still had a long and steady aura, her spiritual energy seemingly endless!

"What kind of monster is this woman? A newly broken-through Golden Core, and her spiritual energy is even more abundant than mine? I'm truly going to cry to death!"

Xu Mang wailed inwardly, his face no longer able to maintain the dignity of a Sect Master, revealing fatigue and panic.

He spotted an opportunity, feinted a move, created some distance, and shouted while struggling to hold on:

"This fairy! Can we... can we call it a draw? Can we turn hostility into friendship? My Meiliu Sect is willing to offer generous gifts, and from now on, we will mind our own business!"

Responding to him was Zhuge Yue's expressionless gaze and an even sharper, bone-chilling return spear strike—moon shadow cloud soul spear: Tracing the Moon!

The spear shadow was like lightning, as if reversing time, ignoring the defense Xu Mang had hastily set up, and precisely and coldly pierced straight through his heart!

The expression on Xu Mang's face instantly froze. He looked down in disbelief at the spear tip protruding from his chest, opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. His eyes quickly dimmed, and his body fell from the sky like a kite with a broken string.

Inside the pavilion, Li Guidai watched Zhuge Yue's cold, ruthless, and beautiful figure as she killed her enemy with one strike, and couldn't help but touch his own chest, feeling it go icy cold:

"Hiss... Yueer's... this strike was too clean and decisive... she's like a completely different person from her usual gentle and virtuous self!"

At this moment, Zhuge Yue, holding the bloodless moon shadow cloud soul spear, hovered in the air, her clothes fluttering. The cold moonlight seemed to favor her alone, and she radiated a cold, immortal charm that kept people at a distance and made her seem unattainable, like a fairy in charge of the Moon Palace's laws. It was mesmerizing, yet no one dared to have the slightest thought of blasphemy.

As for those in Ganlu Town, whether they were the various factions that had long surrendered to Li Guidai or the cultivators attracted by the great battle over the past three days, they had witnessed the fall of the late-stage Golden Core cultivator from beginning to end, and were all so scared that cold sweat streamed down them, soaking the clothes on their backs.

The same thought arose in their minds simultaneously, and it quickly became a popular legend in Ganlu Town and the surrounding areas:

"This Yuegui Pavilion... must not be provoked! Absolutely must not be provoked!"

"Pavilion Master Li Guidai, manipulates strange musical instruments, specializes in attacking the soul, making people wish they were dead!"

"Pavilion Master's wife, Zhuge Yue, usually keeps a low profile, but once she makes a move, she is decisive in killing, and killing enemies above her rank is like cutting vegetables!"

"One for mental torture, one for physical transcendence! This couple's teamwork... is simply unsolvable!"