72: Chapter 72 Unexpected

However, right at that moment, a wave of heart-palpitating Devilish Qi came billowing from the distant horizon!

Rumble!

A pitch-black, hideously shaped flying vessel tore through the clouds and descended upon the square, carrying an endless malevolent Aura!

"It's the people from the Jiuyou Sect!"

The Disciples of the Tianyan Sect all had their expressions change simultaneously.

A group of Jiuyou Sect Disciples dressed in black robes and radiating a cold Aura stepped off that Demonic Path warship.

"Why would the Disciples of the Jiuyou Sect come back?!"

Clearly, the appearance of the Jiuyou Sect filled the hearts of all the Tianyan Sect Disciples with doubt.

After all, logically speaking, the Jiuyou Sect had no business being at this Four Sects Competition.

The appearance of the Jiuyou Sect also caused Elder Ling Yun to frown, as this was clearly unexpected.

Soon, the Jiuyou Sect's flying vessel came to a steady halt.

The Jiuyou Sect Disciples filed out from the vessel one by one.

As soon as they landed, their hostile gazes locked firmly onto the people of the Tianyan Sect.

Especially onto Chu Xiao, who was standing in the crowd!

The atmosphere instantly froze to the breaking point!

"Jie jie jie jie..."

A harsh laughter, like that of a night owl, echoed from the warship.

Following that, a withered figure slowly emerged.

He wore a black robe embroidered with a Poisonous Scorpion pattern.

He had a hooked nose and triangular eyes, and the Nascent Soul Realm pressure radiating from him was actually three points colder than that of Elder Ghost Sha!

"Old man Ling Yun, I trust you've been well!"

That Poisonous Scorpion Elder spoke in a sinister tone.

"Elder Xing Tu! What does our Four Sects Competition have to do with your Jiuyou Sect?!"

"Why have you come?"

Elder Ling Yun asked with a frown.

"Jie jie, what does it have to do with you!" Elder Xing Tu smiled sinisterly and then said, "I heard your Tianyan Sect produced a remarkable monster who even dared to slap the face of my Jiuyou Sect. Such audacity!"

Immortal Master Ling Yun's face darkened, and he snorted coldly, "Elder Xing Tu! In matters between the younger generation, life and death are determined by fate; this is a rule that hasn't changed for ten thousand years."

"As a dignified Nascent Soul, do you also want to follow that old fellow Ghost Sha and make a fool of yourself here in Tianyuan City?"

"Rules?"

The Poisonous Scorpion Elder known as Elder Xing Tu burst into wild laughter, his gaze sweeping across the people of the Tianyan Sect.

Finally, his gaze fixed firmly on Chu Xiao!

"It was you, you little beast, who killed my most beloved grandson, Xing Sha, in the Feixiao Secret Realm!!"

Boom!!!

A killing intent even more violent and venomous than the one at the Secret Realm's exit erupted!

"You destroyed my grandson's cultivation path; today, this old man wants blood for blood! Give me your life!!"

Elder Xing Tu didn't even bother with another word of nonsense, killing intent flashing in his eyes.

He actually completely disregarded that this was Tianyuan City and struck out brazenly in front of everyone!

A massive scorpion claw, condensed entirely from dark green toxic Devilish Qi, manifested out of thin air.

It carried a terrifying power capable of corroding all things and tearing through space.

It lunged straight down at Chu Xiao, who was locked in place by the pressure!

This strike was both sudden and fast, ruthless to the extreme!

"I knew you old poisoner wouldn't stay quiet!"

Immortal Master Ling Yun shouted, his body instantly blocking the path in front of Chu Xiao. Holding his horsetail whisk, he swung it fiercely!

Buzz!

Thousands of azure silk threads transformed into an indestructible azure sword astral.

Striking later but arriving first, it met the toxic scorpion claw!

Rumble—!!!

An earth-shattering explosion erupted in the sky above the entire square!

...

The wrath of a Nascent Soul Realm Cultivator is a natural disaster capable of burning mountains and boiling seas.

When the pressure and magic power of Immortal Master Ling Yun and the Poisonous Scorpion Elder, Elder Xing Tu...

...collided violently above the square of Tianyuan City...

...the entire world seemed to lose its color!

The azure sword astral and the dark green scorpion claw clashed fiercely in the air.

Every collision erupted with ripples of terrifying energy enough to easily obliterate a Golden Core Cultivator.

The incredibly hard ground of the square, inscribed with defensive array runes, cracked inch by inch.

Countless fragments of stone were swept into the high sky and ground into fine dust by the violent energy flows!

Had the City Lord's Mansion's City Protection Array not been activated immediately, raising a curtain of light to shroud the entire city...

...the aftershocks of this single exchange between the two...

...would have been enough to level everything within a hundred miles and turn billions of living beings into fly ash!

"Elder Xing Tu! Have you gone mad?! This is Tianyuan City. To dare act so insolently here, do you want your Jiuyou Sect to be exterminated?!"

Immortal Master Ling Yun's hair and beard were flared out as he brandished his horsetail whisk to send out sharp azure silk threads, shredding all the toxic Devilish Qi while letting out a thunderous roar.

"Jie jie jie... Exterminated? Old man Ling Yun, don't try to use the Imperial Dynasty to pressure me!"

Elder Xing Tu's withered face was filled with resentment. "My grandson died miserably, his cultivation path severed! Today, even if I have to risk damaging my Dao foundation, I will tear this little beast into ten thousand pieces to vent the hatred in my heart!"

He acted like a mad demon, the Nascent Soul power within him erupting without reservation. That cold Devilish Qi...

...actually showed a slight trend of suppressing Immortal Master Ling Yun's Daoist profound light!

Immortal Master Ling Yun's expression grew increasingly grave. Although he did not fear Elder Xing Tu, this kind of life-for-life fighting style was dangerous.

If they truly fought it out here, regardless of the outcome, the Tianyan Sect would fall into a position of great disadvantage.

Just as the situation was as tense as a drawn bow and about to explode...

...a majestic and icy voice, like a divine oracle from the Nine Heavens, descended thunderously from high above.

"Enough!"

Just two words, yet they seemed to contain the heavenly principles of words carrying the weight of law!

The energy storm raging above the square actually froze instantly under those two words and then quietly dissipated.

Whether it was Immortal Master Ling Yun's azure sword astral or Elder Xing Tu's toxic Devilish Qi, both seemed to have encountered their natural enemy and were forced back into their respective bodies by an invisible, overwhelming force!

Both Immortal Master Ling Yun and Elder Xing Tu turned pale, their bodies shaking violently.

They looked toward the direction the voice came from, their eyes filled with shock and wariness.

A middle-aged man with a cold expression, wearing the dark azure official robes of the City Lord's Mansion, had appeared floating above the square at some unknown point.

He did not radiate any world-shaking pressure, but merely by standing there, he seemed to have merged with the entirety of Tianyuan City, giving off a terrifying feeling of being unshakeable and inviolable.

"Steward Feng!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the Nascent Soul Realm steward of the City Lord's Mansion hurriedly bowed in greeting, his attitude respectful to the extreme.

"Greetings, Elder Feng Long!"

Immortal Master Ling Yun and Elder Xing Tu also withdrew their respective Auras and clasped their hands in greeting to the middle-aged man.

Tianyuan City Lord's Mansion, Grand Elder, Feng Long!

A terrifying existence at the ninth-level Nascent Soul Realm Peak.

It was said that he already had one foot in the Soul Transformation Realm.

He was a top-tier expert who was well-known throughout the entire Great Qian Dynasty!

Feng Long's gaze coldly swept over Elder Xing Tu. "Xing Tu, this seat does not care whether your grandson is dead or alive, nor do I care what grudges you have with the Tianyan Sect. But private fighting is prohibited within Tianyuan City; that is an iron rule. Do you wish to test if this iron rule is hard enough?"

"Furthermore, allowing you to attend the Four Sects Competition was already an exception. Do you no longer want your qualification?!"

Being watched by Feng Long's gaze...

...Elder Xing Tu felt as if his very Divine Soul was about to be frozen.

That boiling killing intent had a bucket of ice water poured over it.

Most of it was instantly extinguished.

His expression changed again and again, but finally, that madness was forcibly suppressed!

"Elder Feng Long is right. It was I... who was reckless."

Immediately after, his eyes turned toward Chu Xiao.

"Little beast, consider yourself lucky!"

His voice was full of resentment and threats. "But don't get ahead of yourself. This old man may not be able to kill you, but there are plenty of others who can! I'll let you live for two more days!"

With that, he fiercely flicked his sleeves and led the group of Jiuyou Sect Disciples, who also looked murderous...

...toward the accommodations arranged by the City Lord's Mansion without looking back.

However, just as they were about to depart...

...among the Jiuyou Sect Disciples, a tall young man with a sinister face who shared a seventy percent resemblance to the deceased Xing Sha suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head, his eyes firmly locking onto Chu Xiao.

"You are Chu Xiao?"

His voice was raspy and low.

A terrifying Aura not at all weaker than Shen Fei's from before erupted from his body, pressing directly toward Chu Xiao!

Ninth-level Golden Core Peak!

This person was none other than the current Chief True Disciple of the Jiuyou Sect and the biological older brother of Xing Sha—Xing Lie!

"You are quite something."

Xing Lie looked at Chu Xiao, who remained unfazed under that pressure, and a cold smile appeared on his face. "I don't care what underhanded schemes you used in the Secret Realm to kill my useless brother. I will only tell you one thing."

"On the arena of the competition, I will personally crush your bones, inch by inch!"

"I will pull your Divine Soul out of your body and burn it with Nine Nether Netherworld Fire for a hundred years!"

"I will make you... wish you were dead!"

This bloody rant made the Tianyan Sect Disciples present feel a wave of hair-raising horror.

However, in the face of such a blatant threat...

...Chu Xiao's reaction remained calm.

He slowly lifted his eyelids and looked directly at Xing Lie, speaking indifferently with only two words.

"Noisy."

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was shocked!

The smile on Xing Lie's face instantly froze.

He never imagined that this fellow, who in his eyes was like an ant and only dared to breathe because of the protection of his Sect Elders, would dare to speak to him in such a tone!

"You are seeking death!!"

Xing Lie roared, the Devilish Qi in his body instantly going wild as he prepared to charge forward regardless of the consequences.

"Lie'er, come back!"

Elder Xing Tu's cold voice rang out in time, stopping his equally impulsive grandson.

Xing Lie glared at Chu Xiao, his gaze looking as if he wanted to swallow him whole.

Ultimately, he still suppressed his anger and turned to leave.

The storm temporarily subsided.

...

"Junior Brother Chu, are you alright?"

Xu Linger's voice carried a hint of worry.

She walked quickly to Chu Xiao's side, her beautiful eyes scanning him from head to toe.

She was afraid he had been injured by the Nascent Soul Realm pressure just now.

"I am fine."

Chu Xiao shook his head, his expression still calm.

"Kid Chu, you... Sigh!"

Immortal Master Ling Yun also walked over with a look of lingering fear. Looking at Chu Xiao, he was both appreciative and helpless. "Your ability to cause trouble is truly not a bit inferior to your talent!"