Yin Zhongxiu stepped forward, his foot crushing the high platform. A huge fissure split open from top to bottom, exposing the thick roots of vines, like wild grass swaying on a cliff.
Hum… Crack!
Moonlight shone, and the wild grass snapped in two.
A tenth of a second later, a powerful Yin element spread wantonly. Centered on the spear, everything within ten feet could not withstand the pressure and crumbled.
“Stop!”
Wu Ye and Liang Shanping roared in unison. The golden cores within their bodies opened, their abilities surging, attempting to delay the man’s attack speed.
Yes, merely attempting to delay. Neither of them had used their true Daoist techniques.
Because if they had, as Yin Zhongxiu had said, they would have become the enemy.
“If I kill them, it’s on me. What are you two afraid of!”
Yin Zhongxiu roared.
Whether it was Liang Shanping or Wu Ye, he had some personal connections with them in normal times. At this moment, they should be facing the enemy together. Why were they blocking him now?
Could it be… they were the two who had taken bribes from the Wang family?!
Thinking of this, the man’s expression turned fierce.
Swish!
His red robe fluttered, and Yin Zhongxiu moved with astonishing speed, his muscles bulging.
The spear gleamed, piercing the torrent, and then, as if fighting against the current against Vilitian, he charged directly in front of the two.
Just one step away from striking the bodies of the two Phase Three allies.
“Quick, retreat!”
Under Wu Ye’s furious roar, both of them explosively retreated to the side and then stopped abruptly.
“He’s serious!”
After steadying himself, Wu Ye looked at the bloodstain on his palm, cursed under his breath, and retreated two more steps.
He had almost lost an arm.
Yet, he was clearly doing this for Yin Zhongxiu’s own good!
Wu Ye was frustrated. As the City Lord, he knew better than anyone the consequences of defying orders from above.
Even if Yin Zhongxiu was a governor of a division, he would face terrible punishment, because his direct superior was a member of the Yin family itself.
“They’re all watching. There’s nothing I can do now.”
Liang Shanping also had a grim expression. He was a special envoy sent by the imperial court. Since he couldn’t stop it, he could only act impartially.
He opened his right hand and reached forward as if plunging his hand into space, pulling out a mirror-like magical artifact.
“Now, all I can do is record all of this. I hope you can understand.”
As Liang Shanping finished speaking, he raised the mirror with his right hand, and Yin Zhongxiu’s figure was reflected within it.
Every detail of his movements was perfectly recorded, like a high-tech video recorder.
Seeing this scene, Wu Ye shook his head. He could already imagine what Yin Zhongxiu would have to face once this recording reached those above.
If his Yin family’s main lineage did not intend to take a side based on this, he would likely be locked up directly, for ten or twenty years?
…
Liang Shanping and Wu Ye no longer blocked Yin Zhongxiu’s charge, and he rapidly broke through to within five steps, under Wang Hua’s shadow ability. Seeing that he was about to strike with his spear, no one could stop him.
Those qualified to fight him were unwilling to act, such as Wu Ye and Liang Shanping, as well as the Phase Three ability users standing on the Golden Horn ability.
Most of them just wanted to stay out of it, not get involved.
This was a generally accepted consensus in the cultivation world.
To live long, one must mind their own business less.
So, even Lin Yan, who had a good personal relationship with Yin Zhongxiu, or the governors of the three divisions, chose silence, not attempting to help their brethren.
The only thing they could do was watch.
But just as Wang Jue and Wang Hua were in danger, an old man with a long white beard stepped forward.
He did not step onto the quicksand, because his strength did not require him to avoid anything.
Everyone thought he was simply too lazy to move, but they did not expect this old man to intervene.
Thus, everyone was shocked.
“Benefactor Yin, do not commit further bloodshed!”
The old man blocked in front of the two, raising his hand in a Buddhist salute towards Yin Zhongxiu.
Then, a verdant domain grew from his feet, spreading out like a green lotus suddenly blooming in the summer, making the very air incredibly fresh and intoxicating.
Sensing the dense life force around him, Yin Zhongxiu’s eyes narrowed slightly, incredulous.
“Elder Shuju?”
Even after recognizing the master of the Shuju Medical Hall blocking them, Yin Zhongxiu did not stop. The spear strike became even more powerful.
The phantom of a crescent moon appeared and struck the illusory petals of the green lotus.
This was a collision not of this world.
Crack!
The tip of the spear struck the domain, creating an unimaginably loud sonic wave.
“Rumble…!”
The terrifying sound waves echoed across the vast plaza. Both ability users and civilians quickly covered their ears, fearing they might be deafened.
The earth trembled and the mountains shook. After an unknown period, the sound finally faded, leaving behind silence.
On the verge of collapse, Wang Jue swayed. His face pale, he swallowed and raised his hands helplessly.
He looked at the vibrant green surroundings, then at the familiar figure before him, and realized that he was safe.
“Uncle, you blocked it?”
He couldn’t help but ask.
Yin Zhongxiu’s spear strike had shattered everything. The killing intent had locked onto him, and in that instant, he truly believed he was going to die.
“You’ve stayed in Guie Ye for too long; your vision has become short-sighted,” the hooked-nosed man sighed, shaking his head. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen a Phase Four expert act. I actually foolishly thought Elder Shuju couldn’t protect us.”
“Yin Zhongxiu’s spear strike was so powerful, yet it didn’t even cause a single petal of this lotus flower to tremble.”
Wang Hua, separated by the domain, met Yin Zhongxiu’s gaze from outside, his expression returning to calm.
“It seems we have won today after all.”
…
On the high platform, several ability users simultaneously unleashed their powers. Huge vines, cascading waterfalls, chaotic abilities, and the spear; a lotus then bloomed again, dazzling everyone’s eyes.
Unlike before, this time, the imperial soldiers truly began to evacuate, and the civilians cooperated perfectly, orderly. In a mere few seconds, everyone had retreated to the outermost edges, leaving the majority of the open space.
This Sun Never Sets Plaza could itself be used as a training ground. They had seen ability users fight many times, but the difference was that they had never witnessed such powerful ability users clashing, so they needed to be extra cautious.
And unlike the fearful civilians, Xu Mu stood still, his gaze fixed on the high platform.
He hadn’t expected the imperial court to know that he had rescued Yin Shuier, let alone award him a first-class merit.
He had also not expected that Yin Shuier, upon learning of this, would disregard all obstacles and publicly seize the City Lord’s artifact, seeking revenge in the most direct way.
Revealing the matter in front of the entire city of Buluo, in front of the people of the world, declaring an endless feud.
This truly moved him.
And Yin Zhongxiu had also intervened. But by status, he was merely an insignificant auxiliary member, and he was already dead, with no further value.
In his memory, the only person who had treated him so well without expecting anything in return was Wu Kui.
When he was a child, he was ostracized by the village children, who even ganged up to beat him. But he had beaten them so badly that they cried for their parents, and only then did he suffer a slight disadvantage when the adults from their families arrived.
He then returned home, bruised and battered. When Wu Kui saw him, he would furiously rush to the homes of those families to seek justice for him.
At that time, he was ignorant and didn’t understand how troublesome it was for adults to offend each other. He only knew that Wu Kui had been beaten, and had to pay a lot in medical expenses and animal hides.
But he was very happy because he had vented his anger, and from then on, no adult dared to bully him.
He was seven years old that year, but now he was nineteen, and twelve years had passed.
“It’s good.”
Xu Mu thought of these things, feeling a touch of melancholy as he… pulled back the bolt of his rifle.
The battle on the high platform seemed to have fallen into a disadvantage because the opponent had a Phase Four lord protecting them, and Yin Zhongxiu’s spear couldn’t break through the defense.
So, what could his sniper rifle do?
…
“Hey, you over there, hurry up and leave! Be careful of rocks falling from the high platform!”
Just as Xu Mu was contemplating how to break through that person’s domain, a soldier spotted him.
He then noticed that everyone else had left, including the young lady from the Nangong family. They had all retreated to the edge of the plaza, leaving him standing there alone.
“Come here quickly! If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!”
The soldier shouted again, sounding extremely anxious.
He was too close to the high platform, less than a hundred paces away, and easily susceptible to the battle’s aftermath. If mortals like them got caught up in a battle of this magnitude, even a slight touch would lead to a complete and utter demise.
“Just ignore him, he’s an idiot!”
From the dense crowd, the skinny tavern waiter shouted loudly.
The white-robed girl was not far from him, so she turned to look at him. The person was dressed in dirty robes, with shifty eyes, looking very lecherous.
“Living in Guie Ye, yet the difference is so great.”
Recalling the boy’s clear and handsome face, the girl’s face under her veil flushed slightly, then she quickly shook her head.
…
“He doesn’t even know General Ji Chang, and he didn’t cover his ears just now. He’s probably scared silly!”
The fat waiter also shouted with schadenfreude. He had long wanted to see Xu Mu die!
“Doesn’t know Lord Ji Chang…” The soldier frowned at this. It seemed that this commoner boy might indeed be an idiot.
“Young man, how about you retreat back? You can see more clearly from behind!”
“If you retreat, I’ll buy you steamed buns to eat!”
They really thought he was an idiot. Xu Mu was speechless, and then closed his eyes again.
He wanted to focus all his attention on that slender man.
Because his shadow ability had already quietly attached itself.
So he could see Wang Jue standing there completely unguarded, relying solely on the protection of the domain.
As long as he could aim at his chest and fire a shot.
He would surely die.
…