193: Chapter 193 Lotus Has a Background

"Cough, cough—"

Xiang Tian coughed twice, feigning composure.

"What kind of scene haven't I witnessed?"

But in his heart, he was secretly muttering: Was it really appropriate for her to flirt with him in public like this?

In the end, he had become the very kind of person he once hated most.

Seeing this, Ling Xiao was consumed with rage.

He shouted sternly, "Lotus, this is a grudge between our Yinshi Sect and this kid. What do you mean by sticking your nose in?"

He was only one step away from getting his revenge and successfully achieving his goals.

But the appearance of Lotus had completely ruined everything.

Lotus looked up, her tone cold, as the Aura of a powerful expert spread out from her without reservation.

"What do you mean by sticking my nose in? I announced to the world months ago that Xiang Tian is my fiancé! Your grudge with him is a grudge with me!"

For a moment, the two locked Auras, evenly matched.

It was obvious that neither could make a Move in the short term.

However, the ruthlessness in Ling Xiao's eyes did not diminish, and he lacked none of his usual confidence.

"Good, good, good!" Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow and sneered.

"Did you think our Yinshi Sect didn't have a backup plan?"

He paused for a moment.

He called out loudly toward the Void Realm, "Family Head Tantai, since things have come to this, there's no need to stay hidden, is there?"

Just as he finished speaking, a series of rapid footsteps were heard.

A middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes hurried over, leading a group of subordinates with chilling Auras.

"Ling Xiao, do not try to command this Family Head." The middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, his tone icy.

Ling Xiao immediately reined in his sharp edge.

He gave a sheepish smile. "Family Head Tantai, you must be joking. How would I dare command you? Why don't we just continue as we previously agreed?"

Family Head Tantai pondered for a moment before slowly nodding.

But he didn't forget to warn, "But let me remind you, this is only a temporary cooperation between us."

Ling Xiao completely ignored those words.

Xiang Tian's True Dragon was full of treasures.

Even if he could only obtain a few drops of True Dragon blood, it would be enough for him to benefit immensely.

At that moment, the Great Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect frowned deeply.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands to Lotus, and said, "President Lotus, please take Xiang Tian away. We will cover your retreat!"

"Mhm, that works." Lotus didn't hesitate for a second and immediately agreed.

She had already considered this; the enemy's target from start to finish was only Xiang Tian.

They certainly wouldn't easily attack the Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples or the members of the Lotus Society.

This was a good Opportunity to escape.

But just as Lotus reached out to grab Xiang Tian and prepared to turn and leave,

another large group of figures arrived in a grand fashion.

The old man leading them laughed heartily, breaking the tension in the area.

"Oh my, it's quite lively here!"

Seeing this, Family Head Tantai's frown deepened.

"Patriarch Yan, what do the grievances between me, Ling Xiao, and Lotus have to do with your Yan Family from Yan Province?"

The Yan Family's power was by no means inferior to theirs.

They held sole control over an entire province and possessed deep foundations; they were definitely not a group to be trifled with.

Before Patriarch Yan could speak, Yan Lingtian stepped out from the crowd behind him.

He cupped his hands to the crowd and announced loudly, "Family Head Tantai may not know, but Xiang Tian is my prospective son-in-law."

"Oh? Such a thing exists?" Family Head Tantai whipped his head around, his gaze sharp as he looked at Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao looked completely bewildered.

He spread his hands and said, "How would this Sect Master know about such a thing?"

Patriarch Yan laughed. "Since this child Xiang Tian is our Yan Family's prospective son-in-law, how could I possibly ignore this? Otherwise, if word got out, wouldn't people with ulterior motives mock our Yan Family for being incompetent, unable to even protect our own prospective son-in-law?"

In truth, from the moment he stepped into this place, he had already seen through the strength of every faction present.

Xiang Tian possessed a True Dragon and was an existence that various forces were scrambling to recruit.

Helping him now was merely doing a favor at no cost; why wouldn't he do it?

Such a massive Opportunity was not something one encountered every day.

"Good, good, good!" Ling Xiao was trembling with rage.

"Since you people from Yan Province insist on sticking your oars in, then don't blame this Sect Master for being impolite!"

How could he not be furious when such a perfect situation had been ruined by the Yan Family?

Patriarch Yan's expression remained calm. "If you have the ability, go ahead and try. A bunch of rats lingering in the gutters—how are you worthy of shouting in front of this Patriarch?"

"Patriarch Yan, are you declaring war on our Yinshi Sect?" Ling Xiao shouted sternly.

The malevolence around him grew even heavier.

"Heh, based on your Yinshi Sect alone, are you even worthy of the Yan Family declaring war?" Patriarch Yan chuckled, his tone filled with undisguised contempt.

These words completely ignited Ling Xiao's fury.

He was so angry his face turned red and his neck thickened as he cursed loudly, "F*ck! Even if we both perish, I will tear you, old dog, into ten thousand pieces!"

The Aura around him suddenly surged as a violent wave of spiritual power swept out.

Dense black Qi gathered in his palm, and he slammed a palm strike toward Patriarch Yan with unstoppable force.

"Boom—"

Patriarch Yan's expression turned solemn as a powerful Aura also erupted from him.

He was not afraid in the slightest. "Would this old man fear you?"

As he spoke, he also struck out with a palm, and the two powerful forces collided.

A deafening explosion rang out, and a wave of Qi swept in all directions.

The great battle between the two was triggered instantly.

"Sect Master!"

"Family Head!"

Seeing this, the Disciples of the Yinshi Sect and the Yan Family also charged forward.

The two sides engaged in a brawl; shouts of killing and the clashing of weapons intertwined, turning the scene into total chaos.

Family Head Tantai's eyes darkened.

He gave an order to his subordinates: "We're going in!"

A chaotic battle involving multiple factions had officially begun.

Spiritual power surged between heaven and earth, and the sound of rumbling was incessant.

"Bang!"

Another loud explosion echoed.

Xiang Tian was being carried by Lotus as she dodged the splashing aftershocks of spiritual power.

He couldn't help but feel speechless. "Lotus, let me go first. Carrying me like this is affecting your performance."

This woman was fighting a battle, yet she was still carrying him like a little chick.

It was too embarrassing!

Lotus looked down and glared at him fiercely.

Her usual charming and moving appearance had long since vanished.

"Shut up! Fists and feet have no eyes. This is a battle where everyone is in the Saint Realm. You're just a tiny Martial Emperor Realm; one mistake and you'll be turned to dust by the aftershocks!"

Xiang Tian curled his lip.

He could only mutter unwillingly, "Fine, fine, fine. For now, you're stronger than me, so I'll defer to you. Just wait until I'm powerful in the future—see if I don't give you a thrashing!"

Those words were less of a threat

and more of an outcry of incompetence.

Upon hearing this,

Lotus didn't get angry; instead, her eyes curved, and she was in high spirits.

"Hehe, quite ambitious. This President is looking forward to that day—if you really can become stronger than me, won't I have a backer then?"

Xiang Tian was completely helpless and opened his mouth,

but in the end, he couldn't say anything.

There was simply no reasoning with this woman.

Not far away.

Family Head Tantai caught a glimpse of their intimate behavior, and his brow twitched.

"President Lotus, you are the dignified President of the Lotus Society, a person of noble status. To willingly lower yourself to be so intimate with such a young brat is surely a breach of etiquette, isn't it?"

Lotus was a rare beauty in the world and powerful to boot.

She was the woman of every man's dreams, and he was naturally no exception.

Hearing this, a wicked grin immediately appeared on Xiang Tian's face as he deliberately leaned closer to Lotus.

"Family Head Tantai, I think you're just green with envy, aren't you?"

"Hmph! To be so young and yet lack ambition, willing to be a kept man by a woman—and you're actually proud of it?" Family Head Tantai snorted coldly.

"Oh? So what if I'm a kept man?" Xiang Tian raised an eyebrow.

He reached out and wrapped his arm around Lotus's waist.

Lotus's body suddenly stiffened, and an imperceptible blush flashed in her eyes.

However, she quickly regained her composure, though the tips of her ears were slightly burning.

"Kid, you dare provoke me!" Family Head Tantai could no longer contain the rage in his heart.

He roared sternly, "You're looking for death!"

"Oh my, I'm so scared!" Xiang Tian mockingly shrunk his neck, but his eyes were full of playfulness.

Lotus shook her head helplessly.

She reached out and tapped him on the head. "Xiang Tian, you troublemaker. If you keep messing around, this President will throw you right out!"

Ultimately, this kid still had the Heart-Nature of a child and loved to cause trouble.

Xiang Tian gave a sheepish smile and quickly put away his joking expression.

"Don't, don't! I was just teasing him."

Lotus ignored him and drew her longsword.

Her eyes sharpened as she shouted, "Lotus Art, First Move—Lotus Sword Transformation!"

As she spoke, her wrist flicked, and she swept her sword out.

Majestic spiritual power surged along the blade, transforming into countless sharp strands of Sword Qi.

Like lotuses blooming across the sky, they sliced through the air and raced toward Family Head Tantai.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—"

"Clang!"

Family Head Tantai's expression turned serious, not daring to be the least bit careless.

He quickly drew his own sword and blocked horizontally, taking the hit head-on.

The blade vibrated violently.

He was forced to switch from offense to defense, his expression becoming increasingly grave.

"Hmph! As expected of someone from the Central Province, your foundations are indeed extraordinary." Family Head Tantai snorted coldly, with a hint of wariness.

A cold smile played on Lotus's lips. "Since you know my background, you still dare to insist on opposing me?"

"President Lotus, I have never intended to target you," Family Head Tantai said slowly.

"My target, from beginning to end, has only been Xiang Tian alone."

Xiang Tian was still being held by Lotus.

Listening to their conversation, he couldn't help but stroke his chin and ponder.

So it turned out that Lotus was also from the Central Province, and her background was actually this powerful.

It seemed the 'thigh' I'm clinging to isn't just any ordinary one!

"If your target is Xiang Tian, that's even less acceptable!" Lotus's eyes turned cold.

She thrust her sword out again, the Sword Qi sharp and aimed directly at Family Head Tantai's vitals.

"I've already said, Xiang Tian is my fiancé. Whoever touches him is my enemy!"

But Family Head Tantai slowly shook his head.

"Do you think I'll believe your words? Even if you are willing, would the Family behind you agree to let you marry such a boy with no background and low cultivation?"

People from great families valued social standing above all else.

This was a truth known to everyone.

Lotus's status was noble, and the Family behind her was surely extraordinary.

How could they allow her to marry an unknown nobody like Xiang Tian?

"Whether my Family agrees or not is our business and has nothing to do with you." Lotus's tone was icy, and her Moves became increasingly sharp.

"If you dare touch a single hair on Xiang Tian's head, I will make you pay a painful price!"

"Clang!"

The two longswords collided fiercely once again, sending sparks flying.

A powerful wave of Qi swept in all directions.

"Hmph! Stupid woman!" Family Head Tantai snorted coldly.

"Die!" Lotus shouted angrily.

The spiritual power around her surged once more, her sword techniques becoming more ferocious, each strike carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth.

"Clang!"

After a crisp sound,

Family Head Tantai was knocked back repeatedly by Lotus's strike, his chest feeling tight.

"So strong!" Family Head Tantai was shocked and gritted his teeth secretly.

"It seems I can't hold back; I must use my ultimate Move!"