255: Chapter 255 Resounding Throughout Central China

Elder Jianchi's sword—he had witnessed it with his own eyes during that Five Regions Grand Tournament several thousand years ago, and the brilliance of that sword strike still remained deep within his memory.

Although his cultivation had progressed by an unknown amount since back then, facing a Sword Cultivator of this caliber, he still did not dare to lower his guard.

"Elder Jianchi is actually here too." Mu Jiu muttered to himself, his tone carrying a hint of surprise and a touch of trouble.

"It is fine. Four against three. No matter how sharp Elder Jianchi's sword may be, it might not necessarily gain the upper hand. In a moment, this old man will properly settle this score with them."

Hearing this, the last trace of unease in Mu Mingfeng's heart completely dissipated.

He picked up his teacup again, only to find that it had been crushed by his own grip, so he simply swept the broken porcelain fragments aside, crossed his arms, and stood behind Mu Jiu, his cold gaze staring intently at the street outside the window as a meaningful arc slowly curled at the corner of his mouth.

In the center of the street, Elder Cangwu stood with his hands behind his back, his expression as calm as usual, as if the Sword Qi that had astounded the entire city just moments ago was merely something casual he had tossed out.

His gaze intentionally or unintentionally swept across the third-floor private room of the teahouse on the opposite side of the street, and in that instant, his perception captured the extremely faint spatial fluctuation that remained when the Void Realm fissure closed.

Although the other party concealed themselves extremely well, before the Divine Sense of a Peak of Tribulation Transcendence expert, that fluctuation was like a drop of ink on a sheet of white paper, completely unable to hide.

"An old fellow of the Tribulation Transcendence Stage." Elder Cangwu withdrew his gaze and transmitted his voice calmly to Cang Song and Elder Jianchi beside him, "People from the Mu Family."

Cang Song nodded slightly and also transmitted his voice, "If he does not move, we do not move either. Let's see just how many people the Mu Family has here in Huaiyang City."

Elder Jianchi merely stroked the hilt of the longsword in his embrace gently without speaking.

However, his fingertips tapped lightly twice on the sword hilt. The rhythm of those two taps was extremely light and fast, and only a very few people familiar with him knew that this was his habitual action when silently calculating the timing to strike.

The reason Elder Cangwu did not instantly execute Valley Master Qin Cangyan, but instead severely wounded and crippled him with Sword Intent, was because he had long since perceived that indistinct Tribulation Transcendence aura deep within the Void Realm.

That aura had already appeared when Valley Master Qin Cangyan spoke out the Mu Family's name, yet it remained hidden and refused to emerge, evidently wanting to observe the situation first before making a decision.

Elder Cangwu's Sword Qi was not only punishing Valley Master Qin Cangyan, but also transmitting a signal to that pair of eyes in the dark.

Kunlun was not something the Mu Family could afford to provoke. If the Mu Family knew what was good for them and retreated now, today's matter would end here; if the Mu Family did not know what was good for them, then they would be dealt with together.

On the street, Valley Master Qin Cangyan still collapsed limply on the ground. The spasms in his limbs had gradually subsided, but blood was still continuously seeping from his seven facial orifices.

His consciousness was still somewhat clear, yet the Meridians within his body had been torn to pieces by Elder Cangwu's Sword Intent, and his Dantian had even been completely sealed off by the Sword Intent, destroying several thousand years of cultivation in an instant.

He lay flat on his back on the cold bluestone ground, gazing at the gray sky overhead that had been cut into square shapes by the surrounding buildings, endless malice and despair churning within his eyes.

He wanted to roar, to howl, to demand of Elder Cangwu why he dared to treat him like this, but his throat could only emit a hoarse and weak gurgling sound.

He was a member of the Mu Family; the Mu Family would not ignore him, and Old Ancestor Mu Jiu would definitely avenge him. He repeatedly muttered this phrase in his heart, like a drowning person grasping at the final straw.

The conditions of the three Protectors were slightly better than his, but they were only barely able to crawl up from the stone steps.

Chief Protector Liyuanzhou used a broken sword to support his body, leaning against the stone pillar in front of the inn as he gasped heavily for breath.

His gaze swept across the surrounding crowd pointing fingers, and then looked at that cyan-robed figure standing with hands behind his back, a myriad of complex emotions churning in his heart.

He had long since reminded Valley Master Qin Cangyan that Kunlun was not to be trifled with, but the valley master insisted on sticking his neck out for Mu Mingfeng. Now that things had come to this state, who could they blame?

But he could not run, nor did he dare to run. The family dependents and all the belongings of Cangyan Valley were still within the Cangyan Mountains. If he abandoned the valley master and fled today, and the Mu Family held him accountable, his end would only be even more miserable than Valley Master Qin Cangyan's.

He could only wait, waiting for the Mu Family to make a move, waiting for that Tribulation Transcender in the dark to appear.

Among the onlookers on both sides of the street, the representatives of factions on good terms with the Sun Family did not dare to step forward, but expressions of pleasant gratification had already appeared on their faces.

Clan Head Sun Henian was shedding tears of old age, forcing his injured body to bow deeply toward the direction of Elder Cangwu and the other two, saying in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Senior."

Sun Mingcheng and Sun Heting supported him on the left and right, their gazes looking toward Elder Cangwu filled with gratitude and awe.

Meanwhile, Zheng Lingfeng collapsed completely onto a chair on the second floor of the teahouse, his complexion ashen and his lips trembling.

He did not dare to look at the scene outside the window anymore, only clutching the transmission jade talisman that had already lost its function so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He knew that no matter what the ultimate outcome of today's matter was, his Zheng Family would not come out ahead.

Cangyan Valley was finished; the blade he had borrowed was broken, and the towering mountain of Kunlun still stood unshakable.

Yet in the center of the street, Elder Cangwu never relaxed his vigilance, his Divine Sense completely enveloped the entire street along with a radius of several hundred zhang around it.

Deep within that Void Realm, not only did that Tribulation Transcendence aura not recede, but it was instead growing stronger at an extremely slow and steady pace.

It was not just one person growing stronger, but more Tribulation Transcendence auras were converging toward this side from further away.

One, two, three—three new Tribulation Transcendence auras, plus the one that already existed before, making a total of four.

Elder Cangwu frowned slightly, but his brow immediately smoothed out as an extremely faint smile emerged at the corner of his mouth, carrying a hint of anticipation and eagerness to try.

He withdrew his Divine Sense, glanced at Elder Jianchi beside him, then looked at Cang Song, and transmitted his voice, "Four. Four Tribulation Transcendence experts have come from the Mu Family."

Cang Song nodded slowly, his longsword emitting an extremely faint hum within its scabbard.

Elder Jianchi maintained his calm and unperturbed appearance, only stopping the fingers that were tapping on the sword hilt.

He raised those turbid yet sharp eyes, met Elder Cangwu's gaze for a fleeting second, and then nodded slightly.

Elder Cangwu withdrew his Divine Sense, his gaze remaining calm as he looked toward the third-floor private room of the teahouse across the street.

Behind that half-open lattice window, that Tribulation Transcendence aura no longer deliberately concealed itself, instead faintly exuding a sense of readiness to strike.

The corners of Elder Cangwu's mouth turned up slightly. The smile was extremely faint, yet it carried an interest that only manifested when meeting a match of equal skill.

"He is waiting for people." Elder Cangwu transmitted his voice to Cang Song and Elder Jianchi beside him with a definitive tone, "Right now, three auras are rushing over here from three directions. They will arrive in half a cup of tea at the latest."

Cang Song nodded slowly, his expression remaining as tranquil and unruffled as before.

The Dao he cultivated was never about striving for supremacy or winning through aggression, but if anyone dared to bully their way onto Kunlun's head, he would not mind letting Kunlun's name resound across Zhongzhou.