RETURNING FROM THE IMMORTAL WORLD

Chapter 1001 - Chapter 1010

Chapter 1001: The Poison's Effect

 

A small jade bottle appeared in Tang Xiu's hand as he moved his finger. Using his thoughts, he wound the cork up its neck. In but a moment, the bottle cap was pulled out, and the colorless and odorless gas floated out from the bottle mouth. He then exerted his power to wrap the gas to drift toward Singtuo and the old man.

He did all of that very secretively, causing Singtuo and the old man inside the ancestral hall to be unable to detect his actions, as even Singluen who stood next to him was unaware of what he was doing.

"So, which one of you is really in charge of the Dark Shaman Clan then?" asked Tang Xiu smilingly as he looked at Singtuo and the old man. There was a bit of a playful tone in his voice.

"Tuo'er is the patriarch. He naturally holds the right to manage the clan," answered the old man indifferently.

"Well, then it's much easier for us to deal with this issue since the one with the rights is here, don't you think?" Tang Xiu nodded and said, "Anyway, don't you feel that the Dark Shaman Clan has been stagnant for too long all these years? You see, even your own son, who is supposed to be the Young Master of Dark Shaman Clan, is so dirt poor that he doesn't have enough money to buy things, no?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" responded Singtuo coldly.

"What I mean is very simple. Just step down from your position and give way to a more qualified person." Tang Xiu grinned and said, "But of course, it's best to give it to Singluen, though. I believe that your Dark Shaman Clan will become more formidable under his leadership."

"Heh, this is the internal affairs of my Dark Shaman Clan. Why should your distinguished self worry about that anyway?"

"What I'm telling you is the truth; it's the intention Singluen has always had in his heart." Tang Xiu shrugged and lightly smiled. "Just ask him if you don't believe me."

Upon seeing how calm Tang Xiu's expression was, Singluen, who had been inwardly restless after seeing the sudden appearance of his grandfather, took a deep breath. He then looked straight at Singtuo and said, "Father, you're old and you being the clan's patriarch will affect your own cultivation. Hence, you might as well pass on the patriarch seat to me. You can rest your worries about the clan's prosperity. I'll definitely able to develop our Dark Shaman Clan's power as long as I'm the clan's patriarch. I'll make every clansman's strength progress by leaps and bounds in a short period of time; that way you can have a peaceful time cultivating in seclusion, no longer affected by the mundane affairs in the clan."

"Shut the hell up, you unfilial son!" roared Singtuo angrily. "I could've considered passing on the patriarchal seat to you prior to this. But you have colluded with outsiders; you've committed treason just to deal with your own father! A man like you is worthless! You're unworthy of being the Dark Shaman Clan's patriarch—you're even unworthy of being a member of the clan!"

Singluen's expression turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "So, you're that adamant to not pass the patriarch seat to me, Father. You know, Singkuo is as good as dead already. You no longer have another son to pass on the position except me."

Singtuo's eyes lit up and he asked in a deep voice, "So you say that Singkuo is still alive?"

"He is now... But you can expect his death soon," replied Singluen coldly.

"Where is he?" asked Singtuo in a deep voice.

"You still care about where your damned eldest son is?" Singluen scornfully talked back with a bitter laugh," Hahaha... I knew it. You've always been partial to him, but I really didn't expect you favor him to this degree. Singkuo has been suppressing me all these years, leaving me no room to breathe at all. So much so that he'd push me to my end just for the sake of becoming the patriarch. And yet you've never once helped me. Instead, you helped him all the way through. I... I'm so very fed up and disappointed with you..."

"Singkuo is more resourceful and bold—someone who is the most suitable to inherit the patriarch seat of the Dark Shaman Clan. I just chose who's the most outstanding; you can't compare with him," said Singtuo regretfully. "Aside from all that, I never wanted you to die. Back before you had a final stand with Singkuo, I sent Singli and the 13 Shaman Guardians to catch up and protect you."

Tang Xiu patted Singluen's shoulder and lightly said, "It's no use talking anymore. Things have gotten to this point; it's obvious that he won't give you the patriarch seat easily. So, we can only threaten with our combat forces, unless they're not afraid of death."

"It seems like you really want to meddle in our internal affairs, huh, Chinese man?" Singtuo glared at Tang Xiu and shouted, "Are you not afraid of meeting your own demise here?"

"Me? Dying here? Are you an idiot dreaming of the impossible?" mocked Tang Xiu. "Just try to circulate your mana, Singtuo, then tell me what you feel."

Singtuo was stunned and secretly circulate his mana immediately. His face was devoid of color as he faintly felt a weakening sensation in his body. He tried to circulate his mana in the meridians and found that it was hard to control.

'What's going on?'

He quickly turned his head to look at his father.

The old man frowned and secretly circulate his mana in his body. His complexion changed in a similar fashion as fear flashed in his eyes. He looked up to stare at Tang Xiu and growled, "What the hell did you do? Why..."

"You mean why you're finding it hard to circulate the mana in your body, and why you feel a numb sensation on the insides, yes?" interrupted Tang Xiu with a grin. "Well, you see, I'm someone who loves a happy ending, so I'll satisfy your curiosity. I poisoned you secretly when we just arrived, along with everyone else in the temple. No one but me in this world can remove that poison."

"DAMN!!!"

The old man's complexion greatly changed and he flung himself toward Tang Xiu instantly.

Tang Xiu grabbed Singluen's shoulder and towed him back by jumping backwards dozens of meters away. Then he laughed loudly and said, "Hahaha, I think it's best for you to hurry up if you want to deal with us. The longer you waste the time, the more difficult it will be for you to circulate your mana and the more weakened your body will be. Of course, you must be prepared once you really want to battle us, as I'll kill you after your strength has greatly decreased. Well, I can still help Singluen to train a batch of wizards though."

"Go back!"

Suddenly, Tang Guang appeared in front of Tang Xiu and fiercely brandished his immortal sword, causing the old man's heartbeat to thump faster. Right as he was about to parry it, another immortal sword appeared in front of him soundlessly. The sword's power appeared much weaker, yet it was too fast and extremely cunning. He didn't have a choice but to give up attacking Tang Xiu, retreating back to the ancestral hall instantly.

Tang Xiu took out a cigarette from his pocket before lighting it up and taking two puffs. He spoke after blowing the smoke out, "All of you, people say that those who know times are wise. We came here, meaning that we are fully prepared. No matter how hard you struggle, your fate is still ultimately under my control. If you want to live, let Singluen be the new Patriarch of Dark Shaman Clan. Though if you wanna die, it'd be even easier since I'll definitely help you with that wish."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Singtuo instantly unsheathed the crescent machete from his waist. Raising the staff in his left hand, he chopped the machete in his right hand toward Tang Xiu.

"ENOUGH!"

The old man flashed and directly canceled Singtuo's attack. Under the disbelieving eyes of Singtuo, he looked at Tang Xiu and said, "Is your goal really that simple? Just to help Singluen be our Dark Shaman Clan's patriarch? Or is there another deal between you and him?"

Raising his thumbs-up, Tang Xiu praised, "Well, old ginger really is hotter than the younger ones. You've guessed it. I do have a deal with Singluen and the transaction is beneficial for both of us since I don't want it to be one-sided. Am I right, Singluen?"

"Yes." Singluen nodded.

The old man narrowed his eyes and asked again, "I want to know the content of the transaction first. Don't try to conceal anything or lie about it. A lie can never be hidden forever, while more unforeseen accidents can happen once it is exposed."

"Mr. Tang needs Sorcerer Stone, Grandpa. He's willing to exchange it with pills," explained Singluen. "I didn't know that such pills existed before Mr. Tang gave them to me. I found that the pills can greatly help our wizardry cultivation."

At his words, the old man responded with an incredulous face before angrily shouting, "SHUT UP! Don't tell me you don't know the meaning of Sorcerer Stone to our clan?!! That's our foundation and the best supplement for our cultivation. Without it, our clan will no longer be able to reach the higher cultivation realms. You... you're really a bastard!!!"

Singluen just brushed the curses aside and continued his explanation, "Grandpa, you don't know yet what that pill can do for us. Just one pill was enough to enhance my power by leaps and bounds in just a few days. I've advanced my cultivation by two stages since I've known Mr. Tang. Just think, would I be able to break through two stages in such a short time if I just relied on absorbing the Sorcerer Stone?"

The old man was surprised, yet was still doubtful as he looked at Singluen. After staying silent for a long while, then he said, "Nonsense! If that pill is useful to our cultivators, why haven't any clan elders found out about it before?"

Singluen then pointed to the woman and his five guardian elders, saying with a serious face, "I didn't lie, nor do I need to. All of them have taken the pill and their cultivation and power have been greatly promoted. You may not know about it, but Father definitely knows about my strength and these six's. Father, can you sense it? Aren't we much stronger than before?"

Singtuo sensed the aura released by Singluen and the other six. After a few seconds, his expression was that of disbelief, and he was so dumbfounded that he was paralyzed.

Prior to this, he had heard from the 13 Shaman Guardian that Singluen and his subordinate had their strength progressed by leaps and bounds, on par with Singkuo's five guardian elders. He didn't believe it then, but the fact had now been proven otherwise!

"You're surnamed Tang?" asked Singkuo as he looked at Tang Xiu.

"That's right. Surnamed Tang, Xiu as my given name," answered Tang Xiu smilingly. "If you're well-versed with the situation in China, you'd probably know about me."

Chapter 1002: Tang Xiu's Fury

 

Singtuo shot a deep look at Tang Xiu before turning to the old man and whispering something. He had never heard of Tang Xiu since he never paid attention to the situation in China. At this time, however, they were just a fish on the chopping block. They had been poisoned, and the poison was spreading all over their bodies at an extremely fast rate, erasing any chance for them to fight the other party.

After a long while, he then looked back at Tang Xiu and asked in a deep voice, "Are you going to leave immediately if I pass my position on to Singluen?"

"Yes. I have no enmity with your Dark Shaman Clan." Tang Xiu nodded. "I came here purely to help Singluen to sit on the top seat, so naturally, I won't stay any longer after reaching my goal."

Singtuo slowly asked, "What about the antidote?"

Tang Xiu flicked a porcelain bottle to Singtuo and said, "This is the antidote. But the poison in your system is very special and cannot be fully removed all at once. You'll need to take the antidote once a year, though I've given enough of it to Singluen for 10 years. If you guys are loyal to him and don't make things difficult for Singluen for a decade, I'll naturally remove the poison from your system."

What?!

The expression of Singtuo and the old man drastically changed, while several top clansmen of the Dark Shaman Clan looked pale. They glared at Tang Xiu, but dared not say anything for fear of offending him. They could sense that they were beginning to feel weaker and weaker at this time, even experiencing painful sensations in their bodies.

"Don't misunderstand me. It's not like I'm trying to control your life," said Tang Xiu sternly. "It's all for the sake of Singluen since he's in a weak position in your clan. What can he do if you bully him after I leave? All things considered, you got only two options before you. One is to keep resisting so you can die without a grave, while the second option is to fully support Singluen to be the clan's patriarch. The last option will not only give you benefits, but you can also witness your clan growing in power."

The old man paced two steps forward to Tang Xiu and said, "Tang Xiu, isn't it? You keep telling us today that letting Singluen take the patriarch seat will give us huge benefits. But what exactly are the benefits? Suppose that we exchanged the pills with the Sorcerer Stone, will the pill be as potent as Singluen said?"

"If you don't believe it, you can exchange the pills with your Sorcerer Stone," replied Tang Xiu calmly. "But I can only give you 1 pill for 200 Sorcerer Stones."

"Come again?"

The old man's face greatly changed to incredulity.

'200 Sorcerer Stones are only worth 1 pill? It's simply greedy—daylight robbery! It's just treating us as profligate idiots?!'

"Mr. Tang, what are you..." interjected Singluen as he looked at Tang Xiu in surprise.

Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him. He looked at the old man and said, "Well, the price is naturally not the exchange rate with Singluen of course. We are friends; I can't just screw him over like that. But what am I to you? Do we even have a relationship? You want the pill, you must be prepared to get robbed, no?"

Singluen instantly understood Tang Xiu's intention and shot a grateful glance at him. The more he knew Tang Xiu, the more he felt that this man was a huge benefit to him.

"You see, Singluen himself has gotten quite a lot of pills, though it's just the advance payment I gave him." Tang Xiu let out a dry smile. "I'm now waiting for him to pay me back with Sorcerer Stone. If he has taken over the Dark Shaman Clan's patriarch seat, I don't think it'd be a problem."

The statement made Singluen shocked yet again, deepening his gratitude towards Tang Xiu. He realized that Tang Xiu was helping him to gain recognition from his clan. He suddenly realized that all the actions Tang Xiu did since coming to Bangkok were all for one purpose—to help him, be it by establishing a friendship with Bangkok's underground leader Kanaja, or now after coming to his clan.

'This is what a real brother is.'

He couldn't help but compare Tang Xiu with his blood brother Singkuo, only to find that the latter was a villain with malice to him, while the former truly regarded him as a brother.

Tang Xiu himself was unaware of the thoughts Singluen had in mind. As he looked at his distracted face, he reminded, "It's your call to take a shot, Singluen."

The reminder made Singluen wake up from his daze. He shot a deep look at Tang Xiu before shifting his eyes to the top clansmen of his clan. "Grandpa, Father, and Clan Elders. You all have raised me and have seen me grow up. I've never harmed our clan's interests since the beginning. Not now, not before. But Singkuo, my own blood brother, is always looking at me as a thorn in his side. He's always wanting to remove me. I don't wanna die, but be it strength or power, I've never been his equal at all. Resisting is the only thing I can do, which is the very reason why I relied on Mr. Tang's strength."

"I wouldn't have dared imagined taking over the patriarch seat prior to this. But since I got the pill Mr. Tang refined himself, my cultivation has been progressing very fast; I am at least 10 times stronger than I used to be. The same thing happened to my subordinates, the five guardian elders. I've literally changed the circumstances of myself and my men, especially in cultivation. So I thought, why can't I do so for the entire clan and propel the overall strength of our clan even more?"

"I promise you that I'll definitely make everyone's cultivation advance a level higher within 3 months after I become the Dark Shaman Clan's patriarch. I'll give the patriarch seat back to Father should I fail to achieve it, and I'll exile myself, severing any relationship with the clan. That's my promise."

Singtuo was shaken and asked in a deep voice, "Are you serious?"

"I'm an adult. My words are my weight; I'll take responsibility for what I said," said Singluen with a dead serious face. "You can disown and do anything should there be any falsehood in what I do."

Singtuo looked at his father who nodded to him in response. Then he immediately said, "Today I'm declaring that I step down as the clan patriarch and pass the seat to Singluen. From today onward, he is the Dark Shaman Clan's patriarch. The ceremonial homage will be held 3 days from now. Also, Mr. Tang. Since Singluen is your friend, I hope you can stay to attend it."

3 days later?

Tang Xiu slightly knitted his brows. He wanted to leave Bangkok as soon as possible as he needed to go back to Jingmen Island. He wanted to cast a secret are to move Gu Yan'er's hidden exquisite pagoda to Nine Dragons Island.

Ring, ring, ring...

His mobile phone suddenly sounded at this moment.

He frowned yet again and took his mobile phone out. An inquisitive look suddenly flashed in his eyes as he saw the screen. He picked up the call, saying, "Something happened?"

"We got a situation here, Boss." Tom Reggie's voice came out of the phone. "Some people spread the news that some kind of treasure will be born in the waters near Nine Dragons Island. The treasure is rumored to be very beneficial for many practitioners. There have been many suspicious foreigners appearing in Saipan as of late. Most of them have contacted local shipping companies and have gone out to sea."

Tang Xiu's complexion changed as intense killing intent filled his eyes. Nine Dragons Island was located deep in the Pacific Ocean. A treasure being born there was simply impossible. The people who spread this news definitely harbored malice and simply wanted to expose Nine Dragons Island to all practitioners.

As of now, he had already learned that there were many practitioners on Earth. Although the number of Daoist cultivators were few, there were too many practitioners from other cultivation systems, such as those of the wizardry lineage, Buddhist schools, and the divergent races in the Dark Council. If all the practitioners in the world were to head to the vicinity of Nine Dragons Island, stating that the island would never be exposed was impossible.

By that time, if some people were to brew another sensational rumor that the treasure was on the island, he would become a public enemy and would have to face all the forces of the practitioners.

'Goddammit! That damned Celestial Wizard Clan!'

Tang Xiu clenched his fists with eyes full of murderous intent. He had to admit how ruthless the scheme played by this Celestial Wizard Clan was. For the sake of aiding in their revenge against him, they lured practitioners from all over the world there. It was very likely that they planned to strike when all the forces, including those on Nine Dragons Island, had been damaged. At that time, the Celestial Wizard clansmen would come out and reap the benefits.

By now, everyone presented at the scene turned their attention to Tang Xiu, looking confused. They didn't understand why such an enormous killing pressure erupted from him.

"Boss!"

Mo Awu came to Tang Xiu's side and called out in a whisper with a concerned face.

"Relay my orders to our people. Hunt and assassinate any clansmen of the Celestial Wizard Clan and resort to any means to kill any of them who leave their land!" said Tang Xiu with an awe-inspiring voice. "The more you kill them, the more rewards you'll get from me! Also, contact the world's largest hitman organization. List a total bounty reward of 1 billion USD. I'll pay 1 million USD for one Celestial Wizard life. The bounty will go until 1 billion USD is used up!"

Mo Awu's complexion changed. They just had a battle with the Celestial Wizard Clan's experts recently, defeating them completely until they miserably fled. But now, Boss issued such an order in a fury. The Celestial Wizard Clan had definitely done something that made him extremely furious.

"I'll contact them right away, Boss."

Similar killing intent filled Mo Awu's eyes as he walked in strides toward the distance.

Tang Xiu then looked at Tang Guang and said in a deep voice, "Do you still remember the plan I ordered you to carry out? Go find Kuwako immediately and be sure to accomplish it. I give you 3 months to assemble a group of elite experts that can be dispatched at any time for me."

"I'll take my leave now, Grand Master."

Tang Guang cupped his fists and replied before flashing toward the distance fast.

Tang Xiu spoke again, "An, Jin Shi's team is under your command from now on. I don't want any clansman of the Celestial Wizard Clan to appear outside of their clan's territory! Also, pay attention to anyone from the Stygian Club. Assassinate any member of this club should you find them outside alone. Leave no traces so there aren't future troubles."

"Acknowledged!"

Chapter 1003: Enemy's Foes Are My Ally

 

As the chilling voice drifted in the air, the black-suited Tang An appeared in front of everyone. She quickly made a gesture to Jin Shi's team to immediately follow her.

Tang Xiu looked straight at Singtuo and the old man, saying, "I know your clan once belonged to the Celestial Wizard Clan, but the blood feud between me and the Celestial Wizard Clan will only end until one of us is gone. I want your clan to make a stance now. If you still want to come back to them, then we're enemies. If you have no friendship with them, then you're my friend!"

Singtuo's eyes sparkled and he replied in a deep voice, "The ancestors of Dark Shaman Clan were chased and hunted by the Celestial Wizard Clan's experts in the past. Many of our clansmen died in their hands as well. If there's any relationship between us and them, it should be as enemies and never as friends!"

One of the top clansmen of the Dark Shaman Clan, a white-haired old man echoed. "It's as Patriarch said. The Celestial Wizard Clan once hunted our ancestors and damaged our lineage greatly. It has been so many years, but we have never forgotten this hatred. Pity that our clan is too weak compared to them, or we could've sought justice for our ancestors."

Singluen took a deep breath and solemnly stated. "What my father and everyone else said is correct, Mr. Tang. We never had any good impression toward the Celestial Wizard Clan, and have been wanting them destroyed instead. We won't meddle in the blood feud between you and them. But if you provide us with many pills by which we can enhance the strength of the entire clan greatly, we can even help you in the future should you need our assistance."

"SINGLUEN!"

Singtuo's expression changed and he shouted. He didn't want the Dark Shaman Clan to be involved in the blood feud between Tang Xiu and the Celestial Wizard Clan. Although he knew how close Singluen and Tang Xiu were, he still shouted to prevent it.

The old man, Singtuo's father, however, looked surprised and slowly said, "Tuo'er, I approve Singluen's suggestion. Our clan has never been able to seek justice for our ancestors. It's all because we're weak. But if our clansmen's strength grows by leaps and bounds, I don't see any reason why we can't help Mr. Tang later."

Singtuo quickly retorted. "But father, this matter is..."

The old man raised his hand to interrupt him and said to Tang Xiu, "Mr. Tang, we need the pills, but I hope you can exchange it with our clan at a fair price. I'm certain that you've heard from Singluen that the amount of Sorcerer Stones our clan has is but a few, so I hope you won't cut us off from this resource."

"You can rest assured about that. I've already considered it." Tang Xiu nodded. "Also, I hope that all the Dark Shaman Clan's senior members can keep this matter a secret. I don't want my men's hunt to kill the Celestial Wizard clansmen to be affected because of you."

The old man raised his hand and vowed in a deep voice. "The Dark Shaman Clan will keep your secret as long as I'm alive. Should any of us violate it, they'll be charged with treason! However, there's one presumptuous request I'd like to ask you. And I hope Mr. Tang can help us."

"Speak then!" Tang Xiu nodded.

"Singli is a senior member of our clan, and his strength is second only to my son, Singtuo," said the old man. "He has betrayed the clan and is a sinner. If your men find his trail during their missions, I hope you can tell us promptly."

"No problem. I'll tell you his whereabouts should we find any news of Singli," replied Tang Xiu. "Also, I can't attend the ceremonial homage for the patriarch seat coronation. I also hope that we can be friends and not enemies in the future."

"Hmm."

The members of Dark Shaman Clan nodded together. They may not like Tang Xiu since many of their clansmen died in Tang Xiu's hands, but their lives were in Tang Xiu's hands now, and it was very likely that they and the clan would obtain many benefits from him in the future. It was just natural that they didn't dare to act otherwise.

A few minutes later, in order to fulfill his promise, Singluen asked his father to open the clan's vault and hand over all the Demon Stones he owed Tang Xiu. He even gifted the Radiance Bloodstone to Tang Xiu to thank him for his help.

****

Bangkok, at the coconut plantation.

After Tang Xiu and Mo Awu returned to this place, he found that Zuo Daquan was supervising his men as they cleaned up the rubble. Upon seeing his sweaty and tired face, Tang Xiu took a porcelain bottle from his interspatial ring, then took a drop of Body Tempering Liquid and put it in the bottle before coming before him.

"Mr. Zuo."

Upon seeing Tang Xiu's arrival, Zuo Daquan immediately looked pleasantly surprised and a bit respectful, saying, "You're back, Mr. Tang. Kanaja has just left, but he left a message for you inviting you to his place if you have time."

"I already called him on the way here," replied Tang Xiu. "Anyway, I need to leave soon since there's an urgent matter, so I won't be able to visit him. Also, I'd like to borrow your place to do something and will immediately leave after that."

"Here?" Zuo Daquan's expression turned strange. "But this place is already a ruin, Mr. Tang. I've settled Qing'er and my two grandsons in the hotel. May I know why do you want to borrow my place?"

"I need that underground warehouse of yours," replied Tang Xiu. "As for what I wanna do, you'll know after I'm done."

"Since Mr. Tang needs it, please use it freely," said Zuo Daquan hurriedly. "Also, I'll order someone to prepare daily necessities if you'd like to stay here for a long time. They will also serve you meals on time if you'd like to."

"There's no need for all that." Tang Xiu waved his hand and said, "I won't be here for a long time. It'll take up to two days at the most. I'll leave Bangkok and return to China once I'm done, so there's one thing I need your assistance with."

"Please tell me!" said Zuo Daquan respectfully.

"You also know that I and my men came to Bangkok illegally on a smuggling ship. I'm done handling all the things I need to do here and am in a hurry to return to China directly by plane. Can you get me a temporary passport and arrange it at the airport?"

"It's quite difficult to apply for passports here, Mr. Tang. You're not a Thai, and the passport you hold is a Chinese one," said Zuo Daquan looking a bit embarrassed. "Also, I don't know anyone at the Airport, so I can't help you with that. But..."

"But what?" asked Tang Xiu.

"But Kanaja may be able to deal with that," said Zuo Daquan. "You don't need to buy a ticket, neither will you need a passport and other documents. He can also send the plane for you and your men."

Kanaja?

Being reminded of this man's identity, Tang Xiu nodded. "Then help me contact Kanaja about this matter! Also, get however much gold you can as fast as possible in the next two days. I'll give a magic tool if you get enough of it before I leave."

"No problem!"

It was a happy surprise for Zuo Daquan. He immediately grabbed his mobile phone and dialed Kanaja's phone number.

Tang Xiu then came to the underground warehouse and entered it directly. The ventilation and lighting were excellent, so he had no problem to adapt to the environment.

"Come out!"

He took out the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron from his interspatial ring and then placed it in the middle of the warehouse. He had hoarded a lot of precious ores in the ring, so the first thing he needed to do was to extract the gold essence.

"True Fire!"

As Tang Xiu cast the technique, the True Fire was ignited under the cauldron. He then continuously threw the massive piled-up gold in the warehouse into the furnace.

Melting the gold itself was a very simple process since one just needed to burn all its impurities, leaving only the gold essence. With the powerful True Fire, the gold would be easily smelted and leave a trace of gold essence. After a long time, all the gold in the warehouse had been smelted, leaving only liquid gold essence the size of a table tennis ball floating in the center of the furnace.

"Refining immortal tools with this little gold essence is nothing but a ridiculous dream. But this amount is enough to manufacture quite a number of magical tools. The Everlasting Feast Hall has a lot of people now, but weapons and tools are few in number. Except for the immortal swords Ji Chimei refined for Mo Awu and his team, there are only a few magical tools for the rest. Not to mention the magic weapons and tools needed by those children after they have grown and can enter combat. The number will be huge.

"If this gold essence is well distributed to complement other material, it should be enough to refine 20 magic tools. Yet, it's still too few. It seems like I need to rely on Zuo Daquan and Kanaja's power to get me a constant supply of refining materials."

Gold, silver, bronze and pig iron respectively could be refined into gold, silver, copper, and iron essences.

The mineral deposits of these four ores were the easiest to find on Earth nowadays, and they were also the most common materials to refine magic tools and weapons. As long as the precious ores were added into the smelted essence, a lot of magic weapons could be manufactured.

Tang Xiu fished out his mobile phone. After finding that he got a signal in the underground warehouse, he immediately dialed Zuo Daquan and Kanaja, telling them that he needed a lot of gold, silver, bronze, and pig iron. Afterward, he used the precious ores in his interspatial ring and began refining some magic tools.

"Sword is the most common weapon for cultivators. Back when in the Immortal World, I also trained a group of powerful men excelling in swordsmanship."

As Tang Xiu himself had mastered sword formations, the sword array he had developed in the past was able to make his men produce fearsome might by themselves. The sword formation he developed could be formed by ten, hundred, thousand, or even ten thousand people. He even had developed an array that was suitable to be performed by one million immortals.

"If Zuo Daquan and Kanaja can send a lot of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, I can refine more than a hundred magic swords in two days."

Chapter 1004: Beyond Expectation

 

With such a tight time schedule he gave to Zuo Daquan and Kanaja, Tang Xiu thought that they wouldn't be able to get many refining materials. But he was left stunned once he saw container trucks coming one after another and carts of bronze and pig iron with over a thousand porters moving them into the underground warehouse.

Furthermore, gold and silver were also sent in large numbers. A lot of them were even manufactured products such as fine jewelry. Although he didn't do a specific calculation, he could estimate the value of all the gold and silver. If they were converted into cash, it would definitely exceed 100 million USD.

However, no matter how fast the gold, silver, copper, and iron were sent, the rate at which they were thrown into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron was faster. With the True Fire kept burning, the refining and extraction process to get the essences of gold, silver, copper, and iron were unceasingly carried out, and Tang Xiu eventually stored all of them into the jade bottles.

"I have enough now."

After calling Kanaja and Zuo Daquan, the container trucks coming from all over Bangkok stopped coming and the porters gradually decreased.

Tang Xiu then stood in front of the cauldron, his eyes sparkling. The impression he had toward Zuo Daquan was neither good nor bad, but he found Kanaja to be a very interesting man. This man had an outstanding intellect, was prudent, and was also meticulously astute. Just for a piece of magic tool, he didn't hesitate to invest so much. It was beyond his expectations. The refining materials in his interspatial ring added with the gold, silver, copper, and iron essences he just extracted from each respective ore were enough for him to manufacture magic-rank swords.

"Haih... refining is always a waste of time!"

Tang Xiu muttered. His eyes swept over the neatly placed jade bottles. When the last pig iron had been smelted, he collected the iron essence into the jade bottle and removed the precious ores from the ring lightning-fast, throwing them into the Demon God Spirit Devourer Cauldron.

The most important step in the refining process was to inscribe the array, integrate it to the embryo of the shaped sword, and then use the True Fire to burn through until it eventually formed a perfect magic-rank sword. Furthermore, due to the needs of massive mental power, Tang Xiu decided to refine many weapons at once.

"Melt the spirit—form the sword."

As Tang Xiu controlled the lid of the cauldron and lift it up, a full set of 20 swords quickly flew out from the cauldron. With his spiritual power, he controlled them to hover around him unceasingly.

Standing ten meters away from him was Mo Awu. He watched dumbly at the 20 swords that flying around Tang Xiu with a gaping mouth. He knew that Tang Xiu was refining weapons, but never once had he expected that he would actually produce 20 swords at one shot.

Truly worthy of a Boss. His artificer skills are truly amazing.

Sighing inwardly, Mo Awu paced back. He suddenly felt a bit funny deep down. He had been watching the Boss refining something, yet he was unable to learn anything from it. Had it been Jin Shi, he was sure he would surely be able to learn a lot.

He knew that Jin Shi was very interested in array formations, while the basis of being an artificer was the requirement to draw the arrays for specific uses. If Jin Shi was here now, he'd definitely study it tirelessly and would ask Boss for advice if he couldn't understand something.

Ah, forget it. It's just an auxiliary technique. I'm still good at frontal clashes, so I don't need to care much about arrays and refining techniques.

With a smiling face, Tang Xiu gently raised his hand. 20 scabbards then flew out of the cauldron. With his exquisite control, he manipulated the 20 swords to be sheathed in the scabbards instantly and wrapped the blades' brilliant light.

At this time, Mo Awu spoke. "Boss, two days have just passed. Are we not in a hurry to go back to China?"

Tang Xiu hesitated for a moment and then said, "Let's wait for a while. No need to rush even if we need to hurry. Spending a little more time won't be a problem. But after we return to Jingmen Island and meet Yan'er, it's necessary to store the refined magic weapons into our armory. They will be distributed to those who perform great merits and contributions in the future. Also..."

Seeing that Tang Xiu paused, Mo Awu was confused and immediately asked, "Also what, Boss?"

"We are facing archenemies at hand nowadays, so the more magic weapons we have, the better it will be for all of us," said Tang Xiu in a deep voice. "I've been preparing to test all the peripheral members of the Everlasting Feast Hall to face strong enemies. If they can pass this trial, they will be incorporated into the core members. They will also be taught more advanced and profound cultivation arts. I'll also open the Classics Library Pavilion for them, so they can learn other magic spells and the necessary knowledge for cultivators."

"Classics Library Pavilion? Where is that?" asked Mo Awu with a confused face.

His question made Tang Xiu roll his eyes at him and snap. "Did you notice that I wrote a large number of books back when we left Nine Dragons Island? I put a lot of cultivation manuals, rare magic spells, general knowledge on cultivation, as well books that covered various aspects into the attic room. I wrote the inscription there myself and named it Classics Library Pavilion. Don't tell me you don't know about that?"

"Ugh..." Mo Awu shook his head vacantly and muttered, "I never heard of anyone mention it! When Boss was busy with something, I got nothing to do and went to seclusion and cultivated every day. But it's strange, though. Why haven't Jin Shi and the rest mentioned it to me?"

At his muttering, Tang Xiu forced a wry smile and said, "Awu, I know that you're a cultivation lunatic. You always spend your time in cultivation whenever you're not with me. But you must keep in mind that being a cultivator needs not only cultivation, you also need to understand more practical knowledge, learn various spells, and delve into all kinds of secret arts. All things considered, you must still learn other important skills, be it array formations, refining, or alchemy, even if you're not proficient at any of them. Still, you must grasp at least common arrays, refining, alchemy, and other skills. Otherwise, you'll suffer losses when you follow me to a new place someday."

"I thought that as long as my cultivation is high enough and I'm powerful enough, wouldn't it be just fine if I don't learn other subjects, Boss?" asked Mo Awu.

"You also know that you must know yourself and your enemies to be unbeatable, don't you?" Tang Xiu became serious and solemnly said, 

"What if your enemy is an array master and trapped you inside the array he created? How can you fight with him head-on? You've seen that I also laid out a big array to trap and kill enemies before, haven't you? In the case of alchemy, you'll need to concoct heavenly and earthly treasures into pills to provide yourself cultivation resources. 

What if you happen to go to some places in the future and there's no alchemy expert to help you concoct them? Are you just going to watch the resources go to waste and lament at your weakness? Another example is being an artificer. You can always refine the most suitable weapon for yourself whenever you need it. Even if you have your immortal sword now, what about it? How much do you really know how to master it and how much power it can unleash?

"Magic spells are also another aspect you must know."

Chapter 1005: Curiosity Might Kill The Cat

While observing Mo Awu, whose face turned serious, Tang Xiu continued, "You will fight enemies where you must use magic spells in the future. Some amazing spells have fearsome power, and you'll find yourself in a very difficult situation if you have no spells equal in power. If you battle powerhouses, you may lose your life no matter how trivial the difference in skills between you and your enemies is."

Mo Awu fell into silence. What Tang Xiu had said shook him to the core. Only at this moment did he realize how naïve had he always been. Being a cultivator turned out that one didn't need to be a versatile person, yet one must have enough proficiency in everything.

More so that having more skills was never a bad thing. As long as one had enough skills, plus his own strength, one would be able to sweep the enemies away. Only then did one truly become the best warrior.

With a respectful face, Mo Awu saluted. "I understand your admonishment, Boss. Please rest assured that I'll definitely learn more knowledge and master more skills in the future. I wish to be the best warrior under you, and I'd like you to instruct me more in the future."

"I'll support you as long as you're willing, Awu," said Tang Xiu with a faint smile. "You must remember that what I need is true powerhouses. Only those who're truly powerful who will be qualified to follow me in the future. You won't keep staying beside me and charge forward to face the enemies if you are surpassed by others."

Mo Awu tightly gripped his fist and firmly said, "I will definitely double my efforts, Boss. Rest assured."

"Alright, go to Ji Chimei and ask her cultivation resources for half a year once we return to Nine Dragons Island." Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, "Consider it as the compensation for the blood of the high-rank fierce beast you gave me!"

Mo Awu didn't decline and respectfully said, "Thank you, Boss!"

He didn't decline because cultivation resources were a very significant need for every cultivator. Although he was not short on cultivation resources at the present, he knew that the higher his cultivation level was, the more he needed those cultivation resources in the future. Rather than having a headache due to being short on cultivation resources in the future, it was better to hoard more of them now.

After giving Mo Awu a short lecture, Tang Xiu spent all day long refining and was finally able to manufacture 200 magic swords. However, he refined two more to give Zuo Daquan and Kanaja one each.

"Let's leave!"

After storing everything into his interspatial ring, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu left the underground warehouse. When he appeared above ground, the rubble had been cleaned up and many trucks with building materials had arrived at the site. There were also several cranes working to place a large number of building materials everywhere.

"Divine Doctor Tang!"

Zuo Qing grabbed her two son's little hands and came to Tang Xiu. A vibrant smile painted her face as she looked at Tang Xiu with a warm expression.

"How come are you here? Didn't your father arrange for you to stay in downtown Bangkok?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.

"Ah, living there is so boring, so we kind of escaped and ran back here," replied Zuo Qing with a smile. "Anyway, I heard from Dad that you were in the underground warehouse, so we waited here. Also, are you going back to China soon, Divine Doctor Tang?"

"Yeah." Tang Xiu nodded. "I'll immediately rush to the airport."

The smile on Zuo Qing's face disappeared and she said in a low voice, "Well... could you help me with something?"

"Just say it. What is it can I do for you?" asked Tang Xiu with a smile.

Zuo Qing said, "I was able to flee China with my two sons due to the help of my father's friend and my bosom friend. But for the sake of helping me, she ended up offending a gangster-like guy in Jingmen Island. She said that she immediately went to Beijing to hide after the three of us left Jingmen Island. I called her a few times but couldn't contact her at all. Could you find and help her after returning to China?"

"What's her name? Give me her number and home address," said Tang Xiu. "Don't worry! As long as I can find her and she's in trouble, I'll help her."

"Thank you, Divine Doctor Tang. You're really a good person," said Zuo Qing gratefully.

"Alright, but please don't label me as a good guy." Tang Xiu smilingly said, "Anyway, I got not much time since we need to rush to Jingmen Island. I also have some gifts for these two little guys!"

"No need to..." said Zuo Qing.

Tang Xiu interrupted her by raising his hand. He took two jade pendant necklaces from his interspatial ring and hung them on their necks, and then smilingly said, "Remember, don't take them off no matter what happens. Keep them wearing it as it may save their lives when they encounter any danger in the future.

****

As dusk came, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu arrived at Bangkok Airport. Just as their car parked in the parking lot, Kanaja hurried rushed to them with several bodyguards.

"Everything has been arranged, Mr. Tang. Your flight will take off at 8:30 PM and you should arrive at Jingmen Island Airport at 1:00 AM. Since you have no passport and proper visa to enter Thailand, the flight attendants will arrange for you to stay in their workplace. Are you alright with this arrangement?" asked Kanaja respectfully.

"It's fine as long as we can return to China smoothly." Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly said, "Nobody can stop me once we arrive in China. That's right. I'm giving you this magic sword. It doesn't have many uses for you, but it's a genuine magic weapon nonetheless. You can regard it as a family heirloom you can pass on to your descendants in the future, though."

Kanaja looked excited and seemed to regard the sword as an exquisite art. The moment he received it, he could sense a cool aura entering his arm and body through his palm. He originally felt a bit uncomfortable due to the hot weather, but he now felt cool and refreshed.

He couldn't help but sigh in praise. "What a great treasure!"

Inwardly, Tang Xiu felt a bit amused. This man was not a cultivator. How could he tell the quality of magic tools? However, without breaking Kanaja's imagination, he said smilingly, "The magic weapons and tools I refine are always of top quality. You provided me a lot of gold, silver, bronze, and iron before, so I'll give you another one aside from this magic weapon."

"What is it?"

Curiosity appeared on Kanaja's face and his heart was full of expectation. For someone as extraordinary as Tang Xiu, he thought that anything Tang Xiu gave him would very likely be unordinary.

Tang Xiu took out a jade pendant from his interspatial ring and handed it to him. "I refined this magic tool for protection purposes when I had some free time. But I didn't have enough refining materials back then, so the effect only lasts for three uses. But you must remember to wear it every day since it can protect you from any danger thrice."

"But this is just a jade pendant, Mr. Tang. How can it help me, exactly?" asked Kanaja, looking confused.

"It will form an invisible protective shield that will cover your body once you are attacked," said Tang Xiu with a smile. "Even if someone shoots you with a powerful sniper rifle at a close range, it's impossible to kill you."

"This object is that powerful?" Kanaja was shocked to hear how powerful this body protection tool was. For it to be able to nullify a sniper rifle's bullet at point-blank range, wasn't it something that even the best bulletproof vest was unable to achieve? If the effect was really as good as Tang Xiu said, then it was equal to having three more lives!

"Don't worry. I'd never lie to you about that!" Assured Tang Xiu with a smile. "Well, you can, of course, test it if you don't believe it, though."

"Test it? How?" asked Kanaja hurriedly.

"Wear this jade pendant magic tool after you get back and order one of your men to shoot at you at close range," Tang Xiu explained smilingly. "Well, if you're afraid to try it, you can just tell someone else to wear it and shoot him yourself."

"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Tang," said Kanaja respectfully. "This jade pendant magic tool is much better for me than the magic sword, actually."

****

At Bangkok Airport.

The flight from Bangkok to China's Jingmen Island had finally landed. To show his regard and concern to Tang Xiu as someone of great importance, Kanaja personally led Tang Xiu and Mo Awu to the plane, where he greeted the captain and other staff and smoothly brought them to the staff cabin.

"Mr. Tang, we have prepared a meal for you. Mr. Kan bought it from the outside. Please enjoy it," said an elegant and beautiful flight attendant respectfully after bringing delicious dishes to Tang Xiu and Mo Awu.

Tang Xiu raised his thumbs up and praised. "Seriously, I didn't expect Kanaja to be this good at handling things. This guy's wisdom really can't be underestimated. Anyway, Kanaja seems very capable. Is he a bigshot in Bangkok?"

"We dare not judge Mr. Kan privately, Mr. Tang," replied the flight attendant in a whisper. "But as far as I know, he is indeed very powerful. Even the owner of our airline acts very respectfully whenever he sees him."

At 1:00 AM sharp, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu exited from Jingman Island Airport. Someone from the Everlasting Feast Hall had long been waiting for them since they had been notified in advance. The person turned out to be Chi Nan, who Tang Xiu had not seen for a while.

"Welcome back to China, Boss!"

With a bright smile on her face, Chi Nan greeted and slightly bowed.

"Eh? How come you're the one picking us up, Chi Nan?" Tang Xiu nodded and smilingly replied.

"Well, most of our people have left Jingmen Island to our base, Boss," answered Chi Nan with a smile. "But I need to take care of the business, so I'm not in a hurry to leave for Nine Dragons Island. I just heard about your return to China, so I volunteered to pick you up."

Tang Xiu nodded and then said, "Anyways, let's go back! We'll go to the headquarters here since I have an important matter to do there."

"What are you going to do, Boss?" asked Chi Nan curiously.

"You seem to have many issues at hand yourself, Chi Nan. But remember, don't ask all sorts of questions from now on." Tang Xiu looked at her and said, "Oftentimes, the more you know, the less good it will do you."

Chapter 1006: There's Always Someone Better Than You

 

The existence of the exquisite pagoda was an absolute secret that only six people in the entire Everlasting Feast Hall knew about. Aside from Gu Yan'er and the loyal Ji Chimei, only he and Gu Yan'er's three disciples knew of its existence.

Therefore, even though Chi Nan was a core member of the Everlasting Feast Hall and also loyal to him, he still couldn't tell her the existence of the exquisite pagoda, or at least not now.

Chi Nan's smiling face vanished, replaced by a bit of veneration as she replied in a low voice, "Your subordinate accepts her mistake, Boss."

"Knowing and admitting one's own mistakes is the best way to improve oneself, Chi Nan. And the warning I gave you is for your own good," said Tang Xiu faintly. "We'll face a lot more problems in the future and the more you know, the more you'll expose yourself to dangers. The most important thing for you is to cultivate with seriousness. Only by becoming stronger will you have the qualification to make me value you highly in the future."

"This subordinate has just broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and won't be someone that can be neglected in the future. I'm sure I'm at the top of the list among all the core members of our Everlasting Feast Hall," said Chi Nan hurriedly.

At her reply, a strange expression appeared on Tang Xiu's face as a look of sarcasm flashed in his eyes. Then, he said indifferently, "Hearing from your tone, you seem to think that reaching the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment is great? You think you're now among the best of all members, huh?"

"This subordinate doesn't dare think so," said Chi Nan quickly.

"Out of responsibility I have to remind you, among the less than 200 core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall at present, three of them have broken through the Golden Core Stage with two at the mid-stage of Golden Core, 19 have reached the late-stage of Foundation Establishment, and 46 others are at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. You just broke through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and just barely entered the list of the 46 people in this realm. Do you think you can regard yourself as one of the best among less than 200 people?"

'What?' With disbelief evident on her face, Chi Nan gaped and was unable to utter anything for a long time. 'I'm placed at 46th?'

She had been spending most of her time cultivating aside from her work and spent quite a fortune to buy a lot of cultivation resources from the Everlasting Feast Hall. She had done all she could and yet was still ranked at 46th?

'This... how is this possible?'

As Tang Xiu walked toward outside, he spoke again, "What you just heard is the truth. You're ranked at 46th even at your cultivation stage among nearly 200 core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Combat experience and battle efficiency-wise, you can't even be ranked at 46th. Cultivation realm is not a measure of one's strength, for only those who frequent the edge of life and death and battle the best experts can be called true powerhouses. Aside from those who are in Nine Dragons Island and some who stayed in Jingmen Island, many others have experienced brutal battles and even some of our core members have fallen."

As of now, Chi Nan had been completely shaken, for she never thought that enemies had appeared on Nine Dragons Island and even engaged in a frantic battle with her other comrades. It also never occurred to her that some of her brothers and sisters had died in battle.

What exactly happened there?

Only then did she feel embarrassed to be that conceited just because she had advanced to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. It turned out that rest had also been improving and many of them were likely more hardworking than her.

"I was wrong, Boss," said Chi Nan with an ashamed look as she lowered her head.

Tang Xiu stopped walking and turned to look at her. Then, he lightly said, "We are relatively close since you have more contact with me, so you must remember that there's always someone better than you. The ultimate result of arrogance and conceitedness is finding yourself to keep being surpassed by others. In actuality, I think highly of you, and you will still have great achievements in the future as long as you're willing to work hard."

"I'll definitely work harder for that, Boss," replied Chi Nan firmly.

Tang Xiu no longer talked. After they came to the parking long, he just sat in the back seat as he looked at Chi Nan in the driver seat and said, "Also, investigate a woman named Yang Yan. She's a fashion designer and has her own studio..."

"Understood!" replied Chi Nan. She then started the car and headed towards the Everlasting Feast Hall headquarters.

****

Paradise Club of Jingmen Island.

The super-luxury cruise ship had quietly docked at the port. It was late at night, yet a lot of visitors still entered and exited the ship. Most of them were well-dressed with the bearing of successful people. Eight middle-aged men dressed in black suits were seen standing on both sides of the passage as they carefully examined all the guests entering and exiting.

Donning a red evening gown and wearing a sparkling platinum necklace on her neck was Ouyang Yun. A charming smile was on her face as she checked the membership card of the guests coming in.

"Hello, could you please show me your membership card?"

Still smiling, she looked at the female whose eyes always looked evasive and seemed to be in a tight corner.

The female whose name was Yang Yan touched the corner of her dress with her fingers. She hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Dining in the Paradise Club needs a membership card? I know a waiter here; he's my brother. Could you let me pass? I need to see him."

Ouyang Yun slightly knitted her brows and faintly said, "I'm sorry. I can't let you in if you don't have a membership card. If you want to find your brother, you can call him. Tell him to come outside to see you."

"I already called him, but my call didn't get through," replied Yang Yan quickly.

"What's your brother's name?" asked Ouyang Yun.

"Yang Fei," answered Yang Yan.

Ouyang Yun looked at the middle-aged man on the side and said in a deep voice, "Go inside and ask whether we have a waiter named Yang Fein in our club. Bring him here if there is."

"Alright." The sturdy middle-aged man replied and strode towards the luxury liner.

A few minutes later, he came back with a sleepy young man. When they arrived at the entrance the youth looked surprised as he strode towards Yang Yan and said, "Why are you here, Sis? Didn't I tell you that you can't come to disturb me at work unless there's something important?"

Yang Yan shot a glance at Ouyang Yun and seemed to hesitate to speak.

Ouyang Yun, who had just checked the membership of several guests, noticed Yang Yan's expression and immediately said, "You can go to a farther place if your conversation is inconvenient for outsiders. However, the liner will set sail in half an hour and I don't want any personal matters interferes with your work here as a waiter."

"I understand, General Manager," replied Yang Fei quickly.

After a short while, Yang Yan and Yang Fei came to a spot ten meters away from the entrance. The latter wore a curious look and asked in a low voice, "What's the matter, Sis? Why did you come here?"

"Little Fei, you have to hurry and quit your work here," said Yang Yan bitterly. "We must immediately leave for Beijing. I've called my classmate. We'll stay in her place for some time while making our plans."

"Why must we go to the capital, Sis?" asked Yang Fei, looking confused.

"I just offended someone and he's a powerful man in Jingmen Island. They are chasing me now and they should be here soon to get me through you," explained Yang Yan. "That's why we must leave Jingmen Island first. We must stay in Beijing for some time until things have cooled down. We'll come back in secret later to sell our property since this place is no longer suitable for us to live."

Yang Fei's complexion turned pale and he quickly asked, "Who is it you've offended, Sis? What exactly happened? Please tell me clearly."

"I offended the stud farm's owner in the countryside in order to save my close friend," said Yang Yan with a bitter smile. "You and I used to go to that racecourse for horseriding, so you should know the owner, Gu Fugui. He's a powerful man here. Even if his palm can't cover the heaven, it's easy for him to deal with people like us. Also, there's still someone behind Guo Fugui who is likely much bigger than him. That's why we must run away to Beijing to lie low until things cool down."

The sudden news scared Yang Fei so much that a chill ran down his back. He naturally knew who Guo Fugui was. What he knew about this man was even more than his sister.

On the surface, Guo Fugui was just a countryside stud farm's owner. However, he controlled more than ten casinos, a few five-star hotels, and was one of the major money laundering players in Jingmen Island.

To think that his sister had caused such big trouble by offending this man was something Yang Fei could not imagine. Guo Fugui was infamous for being an extremely ruthless man in Jingmen Island and those who offended him hardly ended up in a good ending. And yet there was still a much powerful person behind him? This... this was simply a disaster for life!

"Wait here for me, Sis. I'll see the manager and tell her that I'm resigning. We'll then leave Jingmen Island as fast as possible," said Yang Fei in a deep voice.

Yang Yan nodded wordlessly and watched the back of his brother walking into the distance while guilt filled her heart. Their parents passed away five years ago and they had been living and sharing hardship together since. Although she worked to meet ends meet and support her younger brother until he graduated from university, he never asked her a dime since and often bought her gifts with his salary.

And yet, he got implicated by her this time.

Yang Fei strode to the ship's boarding entrance. As he saw Ouyang Yun, he hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. "I want to resign, General Manager."

"And your reason?" asked Ouyang Yun indifferently.

"My older sister has offended someone, so we must leave Jingmen Island immediately," answered Yang Fei with a bitter face.

A look of surprise was cast on Ouyang Yun's face and she asked again, "Offended someone? Can you tell me who the person is?"

Yang Fei also knew the Paradise Club's background and the identity of Ouyang Yun. After thinking deeply for a short while, he whispered, "It's Guo Fugui."

Chapter 1007: Getting Snatched From The Jaws of Death

 

As a member of the Ouyang Family of Jingmen Island and one that was assigned as the General Manager of Paradise Club, Ouyang Yun naturally had extraordinary status and identity. Even the princess of the Ouyangs, Lulu, must call her elder cousin. It was just natural that she knew Guo Fugui's identity.

Still, she couldn't imagine how would this waiter's sister had the guts to provoke Guo Fugui.

After being silent for a few seconds, Ouyang Yun slowly said, "Your sister has offended Guo Fugui and has been forced to hide. But you're one of Paradise Club's people, so you don't need to fear any retaliation from him."

"I can't, General Manager." Yang Fei shook his head and said, "Big Sis is the only relative I have left. There's no way I can leave her alone. Please approve my resignation."

"Haih." Ouyang Yun sighed. "Then I agree since you insist on leaving. Go inside and hand over your resignation, then..."

Suddenly, she stopped talking and a quaint expression appeared on her face. She then shook her head and sighed again. "I think it's impossible for you to leave now. There are at least ten of Guo Fugui's men in the surroundings and they are quite powerful hunting dogs. Even that ruthless Earth Mole person came."

Yang Fei immediately turned his head and found his sister Yang Yan looking panicked, running toward him. He glanced around and saw that a few figures had appeared in the illuminated spot. Two men were walking behind his sister with seething killing intent.

"Little Fei, leave quickly!"

Yang Yan frantically pulled out a fruit knife from his bag and hurriedly called out while running.

"I can't, Sis." Yang Fei shook his head and said, "Be it a fortune or misfortune, we can't avoid the calamity if it's meant to come. But rest assured for I will never let them harm you as long as I'm still standing. General Manager, I'm grateful for your agreeing to my resignation. I'm not Paradise Club's staff now. I hope that we siblings won't cause trouble for you."

"Just Guo Fugui alone is not enough to bring trouble to me," Ouyang Yun disdainfully said. "But what about you? Have you clearly thought about it? Once you leave Paradise Club, the next thing awaits you is only death that will have nothing to do with us."

For a moment, Yang Fei was silent, before he replied with a bitter face, "I understand about the custom, General Manager. Whether I live or die today, it's not related to you anymore."

Having said that, he snatched the fruit knife in Yang Yan's hand and pulled her behind him as he coldly watched the two men striding towards them.

Watching his actions, Ouyang Yun somehow felt a bit regretful. She shook her head and inwardly sighed. She appreciated Yang Fei's courage and uprightness, but her Ouyang Family and Guo Fugui had never interfered with each other and she didn't want to cause any conflict between them, even though her side was not afraid of him.

"Ms. Ouyang."

A black-suited middle-aged man with a scar on his face only glanced at Yang Yan and Yang Fei before greeting her a bit respectfully.

"Earth Mole, you guys rarely show up in the middle of the night for no reason," replied Ouyang Yun smilingly. "You brought so many people here today, do you want to provoke us or is there something else?"

"Ms. Ouyang is mistaken. I dare not bring my men to provoke you even if I got more courage." The scar-faced man shook his head and said, "I came here for this bitch. She has injured our brothers, so I'll take her back and hand her over to our Boss."

"Looking at her, she doesn't have any strength to even unfeather a chicken, how would she able to cause any harm to your people? Aren't you mistaken about something here?" asked Ouyang Yun with a smile.

"We've investigated it clearly, Ms. Ouyang. She's the one who has injured one of our brothers, and cruelly at that." The scar-faced man shook his head and said, "My brother is now being hospitalized and probably will have to live in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Is she... is she one of your people?"

With a look of surprise, Ouyang Yun gazed at Yang Yan before shaking her head. "She isn't related to my Ouyang clan at all, and I won't meddle in the affairs between you all. But know it well, this place belongs to the Ouyangs. Please leave if you must resolve your private conflict."

The scar-faced man nodded and shot a grim look at Yang Fei, coldly saying, "You must be Yang Fei, Yang Yan's younger brother, right, Kid? We've investigated you siblings. Please follow us now!"

Yang Fei took a deep breath as his hand reached out to grab Yang Yan's hand, saying in a deep voice, "Alright, we'll go with you."

Ouyang Yun just looked at their backs as they left. She secretly shook her head since she was well aware that once Yang Yan and Yang Fei left with this Earth Mole fella, it was nearly impossible for them to survive. However, she had seen too many of such a death struggles to count ever since she took over the Paradise Club and couldn't care less to involve herself in this matter.

Tut, tut, tut...

Text incoming sounds suddenly rang from her mobile phone. As she took it out and opened the MMS, a surprised look was suddenly cast on her beautiful face, because the photo on the message was Yang Yan who just left before.

It's strange really!

She muttered and was about to dial the number that sent the MMS when her phone suddenly rang. It was exactly the number that just sent the MMS.

"What's the matter?" asked Ouyang Yun.

After a short while listening, she hung up and shouted an order, "Stop them immediately! Take the woman named Yang Yan and bring her to me!"

In a flash, eight stalwart men rushed toward the people who brought Yang Yan and Yang Fei and were just tens of meters away. Upon seeing that they were blocked off, the scar-faced man pulled out a Mitsubishi army knife and watched Ouyang Yun approaching step by step with his snake-like eyes.

"Ms. Ouyang, what's the meaning of this?"

While shaking the mobile phone in her hand, Ouyang Yun wore a helpless expression as she replied, "I didn't want to meddle in your business before, but I got a call from the seniors in the clan to find her, so I have no choice but to take action."

She then pointed at Yang Yan.

The scar-faced man frowned and asked, "What did she do? Did she also provoke your Ouyang Family?"

"I don't think I need to explain to you about what she did, do I?" Ouyang Yun shook her head and said, "You just need to know that she's very important to me since someone has asked my Ouyang Family to guarantee her safety. Well, off you go fellas."

"Ms. Ouyang! Are you saying you want to go against our custom?!" roared the scar-faced man. "She has harmed my brother and my Boss has commanded me to capture her, yet you actually want to protect her? Is it worth it to go to such lengths to make my Boss unhappy?"

"Heh, why wouldn't I dare to make your Boss unhappy, huh?" Ouyang Yun's complexion turned cold and she sneered at the man. "Even if we must tear all decorum with your Boss, what about it? Do you think the Ouyang Family fears Guo Fugui and can do nothing to him? Scram. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

The scar-faced man was furious inwardly, yet he suppressed all the anger deep down since he knew Ouyang Yun's identity. He turned to look at Yang Yan and said in a heavy voice, "You're damned, bitch. You're lucky the Ouyang is protecting you. But just wait and hope they can protect you forever... if not... hmph!"

Yang Yan and Yang Fei had been despairing a moment ago, as only a tragic end waited for them after they fell into Guo Fugui's hands. Never did they ever expect that Ouyang Yun would suddenly intervene.

Yang Yan watched the scar-faced man leave with the rest. Only fater their figures disappeared did she retract her vision. She then turned to look at Ouyang Yun, looking somewhat uneasy as she spoke, "Ms. Ouyang, thank you..."

"You don't need to thank me. I just got a call that someone is looking for you. I've sent the message back that I've found you and I believe that some people will come over soon," said Ouyang Yun vaguely. "Anyway, you're to wait here until they come to fetch you, so I won't have anything to do with you anymore."

"Who are these people?" asked Yang Yan hurriedly.

"I don't know either." Ouyang Yun shook her head.

****

On the coastal road, a black car speedily moved towards the Everlasting Feast Hall's headquarters. The one who was driving it, Chi Nan, suddenly had her expression shift. She put on her earphones and picked up the call. After listening to the caller and conversed for a few moments, she said, "Thank you. Please wait for a moment."

She took away the earphones afterward and spoke, "The woman has been found, Boss. She's in the Bay Port and had been caught by her enemy just now. I sent the news that we're searching for her half an hour ago, and the Ouyang's intelligence division kinda helped us greatly this time."

The Bay Port? Tang Xiu knitted his brows and asked, "How far is it from here to the Bay Port?"

"Not far, about 10 minutes driving," answered Chi Nan.

"Then head to the Bay Port first," ordered Tang Xiu.

"Roger that!"

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Bay Port. Tang Xiu saw through the window and had already seen the situation in the surroundings. His attention was especially focused on Yang Yan, who stood next to Ouyang Yun. He could recognize her at a glance.

Ouyang Yun led four middle-aged men, approaching the car in strides. She wanted to know what kind of bigshot could move the person in charge of the Ouyang's intel division to help him.

After Mo Awu got out of the car, he indifferently glanced around and then walked to the back to open the rear door. An astonished look appeared on Ouyang Yun's face upon seeing Tang Xiu come out of the car.

Isn't it Tang Xiu? The owner of Magnificent Tang Corporation and the future son-in-law of the Ouyang family? How could it be him?

She strode a few steps towards Tang Xiu's and smilingly said, "Hello, Mr. Tang. I'm Ouyang Yun, Lulu's older cousin."

Tang Xiu shook hands with her and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Sister Yun. It seems I've troubled you this time."

At his words, Ouyang Yun shook her head and smiled. "Not really. Today's incident is just an accident. Yet I never thought that the person who's looking for Yang Yan was actually you, though."

"I was entrusted to find and help a woman named Yang Yan by someone," said Tang Xiu with a chuckle. "Also, Sis Yu. You're Lulu's older cousin, so we're related. Please don't call me, Mr. Tang. Just call me Tang Xiu directly."

Chapter 1008: A Crisp Yet A Bit Upset Feeling

 

"Well, I'll take the liberty since we're now relatives, then," replied Ouyang Yun smilingly. "Anyway, Yang Yan has provoked some troubles—you can see from the people in the surroundings. They are Jingmen Island's locals, Guo Fugui's men. They only scattered under my threats and are waiting around, hoping to seize a chance to take Yang Yan and her younger brother, Yang Fei."

Tang Xiu glanced at the dimly lit area dozens of meters away from them, asking with a curious face, "Who is this Guo Fugui fella?"

"He's a quite capable man in Jingmen Island and has a lot of shady business here," answered Ouyang Yun. "Though my Ouyang Family never put him in our eye."

"Then just ignore him since he's only small fry," said Tang Xiu smilingly. "Anyway, I'll send someone to warn this Guo Fugui later. Sis Yun, I just came back from abroad and still have many things to do. I'll take Yang Yan away, but I'll be sure to thank you later should the opportunity come."

"Nah, no need to thank me. Just treat my little sis well, I'll already be satisfied if you do that," replied Ouyang Yun smilingly.

"Lulu is my woman, so of course I must treat her well. You can rest assured about that, Sis Yun," said Tang Xiu with a smile.

Ouyang Yun nodded with a smile in response.

Tang Xiu strode towards Yang Yan and then inquired. "Are you Yang Yan, Zuo Qing's best friend?"

Yang Yan's pupil instantly shrunk and she retreated a step. With a vigilant face, she asked, "Who are you? How do you know Zuo Qing?"

"You don't need to be afraid of me. I and Zuo Qing... can be called friends! She bade me to tell you that she has arrived safely with her two children in Thailand. They are now safe under her father's protection. But she believed that you, who helped her flee China, must have provoked the Huang. Even though Huang has written off the enmity they had with the Zuo, Zuo Qing was sure that you'd be in trouble, so she asked me to come over and help you out. She also asked me to ask you whether you're willing to leave for Thailand."

"Are you really Zuo Qing's friend?" asked Yang Yan in astonishment.

"I don't think there's a need for me to lie, right?" Tang Xiu nodded.

"Your name is Yang Yan, right? I think you should know about my Ouyang Family, right? Tang Xiu is the son-in-law of my family. He's my little cousin, Ouyang Lulu's man, and what he said is the truth. You don't have anything that forces him to deceive you."

Ouyang Lulu? The infamous devilish woman of Jingmen Island? This handsome young man is actually her man?

A feverish expression suddenly appeared on Yang Fei's face as he respectfully spoke, "I'm really happy to see you again, Mr. Tang. Big Sis, I can vouch that Mr. Tang is really the Ouyang's Ms. Lulu's boyfriend. I've seen him in the Paradise Club before and heard many of his legendary feats!"

Cough, cough...

Yang Fei's vouch left Tang Xiu between laughs and tears as he looked at this young man. What the hell is this about me being a legend? How can there be any legendary stories about me? He shook his head and smilingly asked, "And you are?"

"Hello, Mr. Tang. My name is Yang Fei. I was a waiter in the Paradise Club prior to this. Yang Yan is my big sister, my blood sister," answered Yang Fei.

"I see." Tang Xiu finally understood and smilingly said, "Well, I have to advise your sister and you to leave Jingmen Island earlier, though. Although I'll send some men to warn Guo Fugui, the lackeys are much troublesome to deal with than their Boss. I'm sure he'll immediately send his men to pester you again whenever I don't pay attention. That would be quite troublesome."

Yang Fei hesitant before nodding. "Mr. Tang is right, Big Sis. We must indeed leave Jingmen Island. I know some facts about Guo Fugui. He's a very ruthless man and is also infamous for taking revenge over the slightest offense. Leaving for Thailand is indeed the best and only choice we have."

Yang Yan nodded repeatedly. She and her brother had gone through such a turbulent and winding journey. Now that they had a chance to guarantee their safety, she thanked Heaven for the sudden emergence of their savior, and she'd agree regardless of what Tang Xiu told them to do.

After saying goodbye to Ouyang Yun, Tang Xiu brought the siblings to his car. Then, he said in a deep voice, "Chi Nan, assign some men to escort them to Thailand, precisely Bangkok. I don't want any mishap to happen on the journey. Also, you are to go and see Guo Fugui in person. Warn him to never pester Yang Yan again in the future."

"What if he is adamant to make trouble for Miss Yang, Boss?" asked Chi Nan.

"If he refuses, then there's no need for him to set his foot in Jingmen Island ever again," said Tang Xiu indifferently. "Go and deal with it fast so you can go back earlier to the headquarters."

Chi Nan nodded and suddenly asked again, "Boss, that's the only car for you, so..."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. Just go!" Tang Xiu ordered with a light smile.

After her departure, Tang Xiu walked back to Ouyang Yun and asked, "Sis Yun, can you lend me a car? I still got something important, so I want to deal with it quickly."

"It's just a minor matter. I'll immediately tell someone to bring you one." Ouyang Yun smilingly replied, "Anyway, I just called my cousin and told him that you are here. Whether you want to wait for him, he'll be here soon."

Her cousin? Tang Xiu asked again, "Who's this cousin of yours? Is it Ouyang Lei?"

"Yeah, it's him," replied Ouyang Yun smilingly. "He was born four days earlier than me, so I call him cousin."

Tang Xiu pondered for a moment and nodded. "Alright. I'll wait for him for a while since he's coming over! Also, this reminded me of something. Wasn't this Paradise Club the one Lulu managed before? How is it still under the Ouyang's management?"

"Ah, Lulu did sell this luxurious cruise ship, but the buyer was one of the Ouyang Family's members," answered Ouyang Yun with a smile. "You know, Lulu said that she'd be stuck with her man and be contented with him regardless of his lot no matter what happens. She has decided to be with you, so she kinda rushed to make sure to be out of touch with the family. You see, uncle has been kinda lamenting, wondering why his daughter ran away like that. She hasn't gotten married yet, but she has begun to carry out her plan to manage the household of her future husband."

Cough, cough...

Tang Xiu could only cough twice to cover up his awkwardness. But as he recalled everything Ouyang Lulu had done, he realized the truthfulness of what Ouyang Yun just said. Whenever he was with Lulu, the girl had always been calculating to figure out how many things and how much her Ouyang Family would need to prepare the dowry for her in the future!

Half an hour passed by. Tang Xiu was now sitting in the most luxurious hall of the Paradise Club while chatting with Ouyang Yun, waiting for Ouyang Lei to arrive.

Bang...

The hall's door was thrust hard from the outside as the burly Ouyang Lei strode in a rush into the room. As he saw Tang Xiu, he immediately showed a pleasantly surprised face and opened his arms, shouting, "Wow, it's really you, future bro-in-law! I thought the Intel Director pranked me when he told me you were here! Hahaha... it's been six months since the last time we met, right? I never thought you'd be so much more handsome now!"

Tang Xiu couldn't help but burst into laughter and gave him a big hug. After the hug, he smilingly said, "It's so late and you haven't slept yet, Brother Lei. Anyway, I heard that you've gradually taken over the Ouyang Family's affairs recently. I believe you're going to be the new Patriarch of the Ouyang Family soon, no?"

"Nah, that old man of mine's still hale and vigorous. He's even much stronger than me nowadays." Ouyang Lei waved and smilingly said, "No way I'll be the Ouyang Patriarch any time soon! Then, what about you yourself, huh? Your business is doing so well, and I can see your power and influence are getting bigger by the day. Whenever I called Lulu, she always said you're always busy and doesn't have much time to accompany her!"

"I don't deny that. I always have some things that need to be dealt with." Tang Xiu smilingly replied, "But you know her. She always oppresses me and makes me promise to accompany her for a while after some time. Anyways, what about you? Lulu told me that you just found your sweetheart? So, when will you get married? You can expect to get a lavish gift from me by then!"

"Hehe." Ouyang Lei grinned and said, "Soon. Maybe by the end of this year. Anyway, why don't you just give me the gift first?"

His response left Tang Xiu between laughs and tears. "Heh, what the hell are you asking the gift first for? You haven't gotten married yet! But I do have some good things I wanna gift you, though."

Having said that, Tang Xiu took a porcelain bottle from his interspatial ring and handed it over to Ouyang Lei. "There are ten drops of Body Tempering Liquid in it. Drop one into the bathtub and soak yourself in it. The process will be a bit painful, but it will be very beneficial to your physique. Keep in mind, the longer you soak yourself, the bigger the benefits you can get. Also, this is a manual for a tempering physique that should be suitable for your cultivation."

Joy and surprise covered Ouyang Lei's face, and he almost rushed to grab the porcelain bottle and manual. He looked like he would never put it down as he fiddled with them. He then nodded and said, "Well, my Lil' sis can find such a husband like you is truly a blessing, bro-in-law. Anyway, I heard you've seen my Mom, though! Did she make you bleed?"

"Ugh..."

Tang Xiu's heart couldn't help but skip a beat. He recalled the meeting he had with his profiteer mother-in-law previously, and he did get fleeced by her literally. Looking at the excited Ouyang Lei, Tang Xiu rolled his eyes and grinningly said, "Well, are you interested in becoming a true expert, Brother Lei? Like those who can fly to the roof, vault over the walls, and use a leaf to injure their opponents?"

Ouyang Lei rolled his eyes, but he grinned and replied back, "I already can do all that. Don't look down on me, dude. I can be regarded as an expert myself now. I just challenged a martial art expert at the grandmaster level recently and I only needed a dozen moves to beat him!"

Tang Xiu instantly understood that his profiteer mother-in-law must have taught Ouyang Lei the cultivation art manual he gave her. Tang Xiu himself was just a bit upset upon finding a bit shameful conduct from her, but he didn't show it on the surface and spoke in a low voice, "Brother Lei, you've probably learned something else about me, haven't you? But one must seize every opportunity he encounters to become stronger. So now, I'm giving you a chance. Do you want to be trained by my men? I can guarantee that you'll be ten times stronger or even more after the training!"

"More than ten times stronger? Are you kidding me?" exclaimed Ouyang Lei. "No way I'll refuse that. I'll do everything you tell me to as long as I can become stronger!"

Tang Xiu clapped and smilingly said, "Well, you got the desire to be much better and stronger, huh? Then, put away everything you got at hand and hand them over to someone else. I'll send you to the training place after that."

Chapter 1009: Tang Xiu's Plan

 

While looking at Ouyang Lei who was full of excitement, Tang Xiu secretly laughed inwardly. This guy had just leaped into the Qi Refining Stage that was even much weaker than the first batch of homeless children's cultivation level. Tang Xiu could imagine a very interesting scene after he sent this guy to train with the children he had been fostering on Clam Island.

"It's getting late. It's time for me to go back and rest."

"No rush, Brother. I still got something to tell you," said Ouyang Lei quickly.

"Pray tell," replied Tang Xiu.

"My family just got a treasure recently, but all my relatives can't figure out what it is. We have even invited various domestic antique experts and famous collectors, yet none of them managed to get a clue. Ah, there were also some famous figures from the Occult Sect who tried to examine it but to no avail. Can you help me identify it?" asked Ouyang Lei.

"Ehh? Why are you so sure to call it a treasure even though you can't identify it?" asked Tang Xiu with a surprised face.

"I dunno what it is, but that thing is definitely a treasure. I just know it." Ouyang Lei proudly said, "Do you know what material it's made from? The scientists said that it was made from some alien meteorite or something. Moreover, it's not some kind of ordinary meteorite but one that contains rich energy substances."

"Is it as in a lump meteorite or what?" asked Tang Xiu.

"Naturally not, Dude." Ouyang Lei shook his head and said, "It's an oval-shaped container with many patterns etched on it, kinda similar to some bizarre runes or something. Unfortunately, even the most famous historian in China couldn't figure out the content of those runes."

Tang Xiu's curiosity perked up and he asked, "Where's it? Lemme take a look at it."

Ouyang Lei said, "It's stored in my family's vault. Let's head to my house then, shall we?"

Tang Xiu slightly furrowed his brows since he'd rather not go to the Ouyang's.

'Lulu may have become my woman, yet I couldn't give status nor marry her. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing if I were to visit them with my son-in-law status?'

He pondered for a moment and then said, "Brother Lei, I still got some important things to do in the Everlasting Feast Hall, so I gotta go there first. Also, it's so late at night and it's kinda inappropriate to visit your family home at this time, no? How about you bring that treasure to the Everlasting Feast Hall? I'm gonna deal with my things first and will be waiting for you there afterward, how about it?"

Ouyang Lei gave it a thought. It was indeed inappropriate for Tang Xiu to follow him to his family's residence in the middle of the night. Thus, he nodded and said, "Well, I'm fine with that. Then, I'll go to the Everlasting Feast Hall with that treasure later."

****

At the countryside stud farm.

In a western-styled villa, Guo Fugui was sleeping soundly with two fair-skinned pretty girls like kittens in his arms. Their white thighs and arms were like octopus tentacles that wrapped around his body.

Ring, ring, ring...

The rapid ringtone of his mobile phone broke the silence amid the darkness and woke Guo Fugui up. A scowl appeared on his face as he shoved the two girls' limbs. Then, he grabbed the phone on the bedside table and looked at the caller. After picking it up, he angrily cursed. "Do you fucking wanna die, Hao Zi? It's so late at night, for fuck sake. Don't you already know I hate to be disturbed when sleeping?!!"

"Things went wrong, Boss," the voice from the phone replied in a low voice.

Guo Fugui looked vacant for a moment. He turned to look at the two girls sitting up with blurry and dazed eyes. Then, got out of bed and walked to the window, asking in a low voice, "What happened?"

"We caught Yang Yan along with Yang Fei, her younger brother, in the Bay Port where the Ouyang's luxurious cruiser is docked, boss. But the Paradise Club's General Manager, Ouyang Yun, intervened all of a sudden and took them back by force. We're still here, but Ouyang Yun seems to have given them to someone," replied the low voice from the phone again.

The Ouyang's Ouyang Yun?

A cold light flashed in Guo Fugui's eyes. He used to fear the Ouyangs since this family was one of the most powerful families in Jingmen Island with a deep background. Yet now, he no longer feared them and just dreaded them at most.

The Huang Family from the Fukang Province was his backer, as his sister married to a prominent junior of the Huangs last year, so he and the Huangs were now relatives. Moreover, sending his men to chase Yang Yan was also in line with the Huang Family's intention, and they wouldn't stay still if the Ouyangs were to deal with him.

"Where are they now?"

"They have been taken away. I sent some men to follow and snatch them halfway, but the other party has outstanding counter detection measures and shook us off after detecting our tracks. I brought some men back to the Bay Port to keep tabs on the Ouyangs and the person who brought the Yang siblings away."

"Trash! Wait for me there. I'll be over shortly." Guo Fugui cursed coldly.

"But Boss, Ouyang Lei just came and entered the Paradise Club. If you come here in person, in case..."

Ouyang Lei? Why did he go over? What exactly is the identity of the person who wants to save the Yang siblings? To think that he can make Ouyang Lei come over in the middle of the night? Could it be that his background is much more powerful than the Ouyangs?

As Guo Fugui fell into silence and then was about to speak, the voice came out of the phone again suddenly:

"Boss, Ouyang Lei just came out with a young man. They are going to leave the Paradise Club from the looks of it. What should I do? Should we follow the young man?"

"Track them and figure out who they are!"

"Acknowledged!"

Guo Fugui hung up the phone. His sleepiness had completely disappeared, but his eyes were glittering with a thoughtful look, silently analyzing the key issues of this matter.

He was instructed by the Huang Patriarch to find and chase Zuo Qing! In the end, this woman had been able to leave Jingmen Island secretly with Yang Yan's help, making him fail to accomplish the Huang Family's request, thus smearing his face towards the Huang Family's patriarch.

This was the cause of this hatred for Yang Yan, since she was the one who helped Zuo Qing. Thus, he sent his men to investigate her identity and background. He also sent many men to chase and kill her. Unfortunately, that cunning woman was able to escape and they had not been able to capture her even after several days.

At thirty past three in the morning, Tang Xiu and Mo Awu rushed to the Everlasting Feast Hall's headquarters. Most of the members had left for Nine Dragons Island, so there were only a dozen members staying here, although Gu Xiaxue had returned back ahead of time.

"You're staying here, Awu."

As they came to the parking lot, Tang Xiu issued an order and walked towards the beach. Just as he arrived there, he saw Gu Xiaoxue sitting cross-legged in cultivation on a lone boat on the sea under the starlight. Tang Xiu let out a faint smile and floated upward, appearing on the boat's bow in a flash.

"Grand Master," called out Gu Xiaoxue immediately with a pleasantly surprised look.

"So diligent. That's great!" Tang Xiu nodded at her and said, "However, Tang Guang and Tang An are now stronger than you, so you need to work harder to advance to the late-stage of Golden Core earlier."

"I'll work harder, Grand Master." Gu Xiaoxue nodded.

Tang Xiu let out a faint smile again and looked at the sea in front. He immediately cast a secret art as a stream of qi entered the sea surface. In but a moment, the sea split and created a passageway. A white-clad Gu Yan'er then jumped out lightning-fast and instantly appeared in front of Tang Xiu.

"Master!"

Gu Yan'er seemed like a young girl as she let out crisp laughter and swiftly held Tang Xiu's arm.

"Get prepared to leave this place!" said Tang Xiu smilingly. "I've already arranged an array in the waters near Nine Dragons Island suitable for the exquisite pagoda."

"Are you also going to stay in Nine Dragons Island in the future, Master?" asked Gu Yan'er with a smile.

"I still got a lot of things to do, so I can't stay in Nine Dragons Island for the time being." Tang Xiu shook his head. "But I'll be there any time soon to remove all the enemies who dare eye the island."

"They are nothing but insects to me, Master. Just tell who the enemies are. I can kill them easily," Gu Yan'er chuckled and replied lightly.

"I can't let you do that. Earth is a too peaceful place to live nowadays and rather unsuitable to train our talents." Tang Xiu shook his head. "I want our men to deal with the enemies and survive on the border of life and death. Those who survive will have the qualifications to follow us in the future."

"As you wish, Master," replied Gu Yan'er smilingly.

Tang Xiu stretched his hand to stroke her long black hair and said with a smile, "Anyways, I'm going to found a sect there and am thinking of a name. Do you have any opinions about it?"

"Why do you have to ask, Master? All Yan'er has is all yours," said Gu Yan'er bluntly. "Besides, I found the Everlasting Feast Hall and trained a group of talents to help me find you as the main purpose. Now that I've found you, they mean nothing much to me."

"No. They are our people, Yan'er." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "I know what you think, but you must remember something. You raised them up and taught them. They are equal to family now. You also know what identity I once had. And yet I neglected one aspect—the more people we have, the more powerful we are. If I had followers who followed me all the way to the apex all around me back then, those bastards wouldn't have had any chance to scheme against me."

His statement made Gu Yan'er's eyes glitter with a thoughtful look as she silently nodded and said, "I'll keep your words in mind, Master."

Tang Xiu looked up at the starry sky. His deep eyes seemed to be able to pierce through the layers of clouds and shoot through space, as if he was seeing the magnificent scenes of the vast Immortal World, gazing at his enemies who also kept progressing and advancing.

And yet, there was no dread nor fear in his heart. He was once a Supreme in the Immortal World and possessed millenniums of knowledge as well as the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis as his greatest advantage—the top cultivation art of the Demon God. He once spent 8,000 years to reach Supremacy. He was confident he would only need a shorter time to make a comeback now.

Chapter 1010: Knocked Out By A Single Blow

 

The law of survival in the Immortal World was extraordinarily brutal and only the strongest would survive. One must have a big background if one wanted to get ahead in that world, or could only resign to his fate.

It was rather fortunate that Tang Xiu had nothing left to lose when he left that world. Although he couldn't contact his followers and was unable to inform them that he was still alive, he still had his disciple, Gu Yan'er. She may be injured and her cultivation level had dropped to the point where she was like a new Immortal, but once she returned to the Immortal World, she would be able to restore her power at an extremely fast pace.

It must be noted that Gu Yan'er's cultivation had reached the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage before she came to Earth and nearly reached Supremacy Stage, yet she was still a force to be reckoned with there. No Supreme in the Immortal World could underestimate her power.

"Yan'er, do you think you can refine the Nascent Shattering Pill now?" asked Tang Xiu after shifting his eyes to Gu Yan'er.

Gu Yan'er hesitated but still replied, "Not only that pill, but I think I can also refine Immortal Pills now, Master. It's just that Earth is scarce on the main alchemy materials needed to concoct the Nascent Shattering Pill. I only know that this planet has Soul Collapsing Grass and nothing else, so it's very difficult to refine Nascent Shattering Pills here."

"You don't need to worry about alchemy materials. I'll solve this problem." Tang Xiu said, "I'm also thinking about a set of rules since we're going back there in the future. Those who are eligible to follow us must have enough strength. Hence, those who haven't reached the Spirit Formation Stage are not eligible to leave with us."

"Don't you think the limit is a bit low, Master?" asked Gu Yan'er in hesitation. "We can find people at the Spirit Formation Stage literally everywhere in the Immortal World, yet they are but weak people there. In my opinion, it's best to set the limit at the Great Ascension Stage. Any lower than that is not eligible to follow us."

"Not really." Tang Xiu shook his head and said, "You're also well aware of the cultivation environment on Earth, Yan'er. The environment here is harsh and resources are also scarce. Advancing to the Great Ascension Stage is very difficult here. Even I myself dare not to say that I can advance and compete with experts at this cultivation realm. That's why I think the limit at Spirit Formation Stage is already enough. We can find a blessed land when we return to the Immortal World. After gathering massive cultivation resources there, I believe we can stimulate their potential to the limits, which I reckon will make their cultivation advance enormously. I'm sure they can break through the Immortal Stage in 100 years."

Gu Yan'er thought about it and approved Tang Xiu's point. She then nodded and said, "You can rest assured, Master! I can refine a lot of Nascent Shattering Pills as long as there are enough ingredients. With that pill, I believe it won't be long for us to have a large number of Nascent Soul Stage experts."

****

At the countryside stud farm.

Dozens of burly men had gathered outside the western-styled villa and Guo Fugui, whose face was full of murderous intent, came out of the villa followed by two strong men. He glanced around at the group of his men indifferently and began speaking in a deep voice, "Men! You must have heard of a restaurant called Everlasting Feast Hall. This restaurant is now sheltering the murderer who has injured our brothers, so the owner of this restaurant must die! You're going with me to force them to hand over the culprit and ask for justice or we'll teach them a hard lesson!"

"Teach them a lesson!"

The tens of strong men raised their fists and roared aggressively.

Guo Fugui nodded happily and strode towards the row of cars nearby. After getting on the cars fast, the convoy headed to the Everlasting Feast Hall's headquarters.

Sitting on the back seat, Guo Fugui's eyes glittered. He had been to the Everlasting Feast Hall several times. The dishes there were really good and it was also a good place for recreation. But what he remembered the most was its celestial maiden-like Little Boss, Gu Xiaoxue.

He had seen a lot of beauties in his life, but only a handful of them could compare to such a peerless beauty like Gu Xiaoxue. There were only two stunning beauties in the entirety of Jingmen Island, one of whom was Gu Xiaoxue and the other was the princess of the Ouyang Family, Ouyang Lulu.

He didn't dare to harbor any thoughts toward the latter since he was afraid that the Ouyangs would go all out to exterminate him. Gu Xiaoxue, however, was a different case as she seemed to have no background and had nothing to be feared of aside from the number of security guards in the Everlasting Feast Hall.

****

At the parking lot of the Everlasting Feast Hall.

Mo Awu was leaning on the car while clamping a cigarette. He looked to be deep in thought. He was well aware that the Everlasting Feast Hall had many secrets, the biggest of which should the Boss, Gu Yan'er. He didn't know much about her even though she had literally raised him up and taught him some skills.

Be it her origins, age, or how powerful she was, he practically knew nothing about all that. Yet he knew that Boss Gu Yan'er was equal to his mother, his closest relatives, while Tang Xiu was a man he admired the most and served with absolute loyalty.

'Guang, An, and Gu Xiaxue have all broken through to the Golden Core Stage. The three of them should be strongest experts in the entirety of the Everlasting Feast Hall. But my cultivation only reaches the late-stage of Foundation Establishment. I may be at the front of the list among all members here, yet it's still far from what I want it to be.'

'I know the two Bosses have an extremely fearsome origin since they are related to the existence of another plane. Let's not say anything about Boss Gu Yan'er, just Boss Tang Xiu's strength advancement is way too fast. If I can't advance to the Golden Core Stage in a short time, I'll become further and further away from him and may lose the opportunity to keep following him in the future.'

'I must become stronger—much stronger. Tang Guang, Tang An, and Gu Xiaoxue are stronger than me since they started cultivating earlier. But I don't think my talent and efforts are inferior to them.'

Mo Awu tightly gripped his fists and a resolute look filled his eyes.

Suddenly, his complexion shifted slightly as he looked at the flickering figure that moved lightning-fast towards him. Then he asked, "What's the matter?"

"Some people have been following you and Boss, but they have yet to enter our manor and are just lingering in the vicinity." Reported the figure.

Mo Awu furrowed his brows and said in a cold voice, "Let's have a look at them. They should be experts since they can track us and come here while avoiding our detection."

A few minutes later.

At the road junction outside the Everlasting Feast Hall was a plot of land full of lush trees and vegetation. Shielded by the darkness and hiding in the thick patch of bushes was the scar-faced man Liu Hao, who was like a cat that quietly observed the interior of the Everlasting Feast Hall with binoculars in hands. At this time, he had observed most parts of the site clearly.

By his side were three lean young men tightly grasping their machetes while vigilantly watching the surroundings. Any slightest movement or sound would be noticed by them immediately.

"Brother Mole, how long will it take for Boss to arrive here?" asked one of the youths in a low voice after he leaned toward Liu Hao.

"They should've just left and Boss must be bringing quite a lot of our brothers with him now," replied Liu Hao grimly. "No matter how many security guards the Everlasting Feast Hall has, they will be nothing but flies who will beg for mercy by then. Those bastards, hmph. If it wasn't for the sake of not alerting them, the four of us would've been broken in and captured those two already."

"Hehe, we're Boss' men, Brother Mole." The youth proudly grinned and said, "Who doesn't know Boss Guo Fugui's name in the whole Jingmen Island? Just relying on the security guards of the Everlasting feast Hall, yet they dare to fight us? I don't think they can even fart if we break in to catch some people."

Liu Hao just lightly smiled at his words. He was very content with his current life. As the top lieutenant of Boss Fugui, he was respected by a lot of people. He may have been nicknamed as Mole, but nobody really dared to trample this rat whatsoever. Over the years, he had been enjoying a good life and always got what he wanted; be it money or women, proving how comfy and easy his life was.

"Who is it?"

Suddenly, Liu Hao's face drastically changed and a shocked look burst in his eyes. He was a capable fighter himself and had been practicing Sanda freestyle boxing for twenty-odd years. Normally, just seven-odd experienced gangsters were not enough to defeat him, yet he wasn't able to notice some people approaching him in the dark.

In a flash, the other three youths raised their machetes and quickly gathered around Liu Hao, glaring at the light outside the shade of trees. Under the street lights five-plus meters away from them, Mo Awu, with hands crossed behind his back, was followed by four experts of the Everlasting Feast Hall. Their killing aura had locked the four men.

"You still ask as if you didn't know, huh? You've tracked us here, yet you still ask who we are. What stupidity is that? So tell me, from which group of rascals and thieves are you? How dare you follow us and spy on our restaurant?" asked Mo Awu lightly.

Upon hearing the question, Liu Hao's stiff body suddenly relaxed with a contemptuous look gleaming in his eyes. He stood up and walked out of the dark shades of the trees and sneered. "Heh, you're really the people of the Everlasting Feast Hall, including that Kiddo? Why didn't he come with you?"

"Man, things won't end up peacefully judging from your words, will it?" Mo Awu shook his head and vaguely said, "Just tell me, who are you and why are you following us?"

Liu Hao rolled his eyes and observed Mo Awu and the four core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall instead. He then shook his head and said, "Looking at your burly physiques and all, you're all look but no bite. I believe you'll know about it soon, but only bad luck will await you by then."

Mo Awu slightly furrowed his brows and ordered in a deep voice. "Capture them! We'll interrogate them later."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two stalwart middle-aged men appeared in front of the four men in a flash. Their movements were very precise and neat as they used palm strikes to hit the four men's neck and directly stunned them.

At this sight, Mo Awu rolled his eyes and couldn't help chuckling. "Heh, I thought you were all great experts or something! To think that you're all just shrimps. You got knocked out with one blow, truly disappointing. Drag them in, guys! They must have a purpose for daring to track me and Boss here."