Otherwordly Evil Monarch

Chapters 181~190

Chapter 181 – Masters in Confrontation

The Third Elder’s face was clearly reflecting his confidence now that his two brothers were standing next to him. Their biggest enemy tonight was Shi Chang Xiao, but as long as the three of them were together, they were sure that they wouldn’t fall short of him; however, the present situation had become far more volatile than they had initially expected!

Firstly, the strength of the man in the black mask was unpredictable, but moreover, they weren’t just opposed by Shi Chang Xiao alone, but the Solitary Falcon as well. On top of that, several of the Li Wu Bei’s disciples had also shown up, and then the Yu Tang Empire’s Imperial Teacher Fei Meng Chen also had a squad of six Sky Xuan experts standing behind him!

This situation was most unexpected!

Moreover, this situation was extremely delicate.

The weakest in strength amongst them all was Jun Mo Xie, who was audaciously and arrogantly eyeing the others while holding the Peak Level Nine Xuan Core in his hands. The three Elders from the Silver Blizzard City were standing on one end, while Fei Meng Chen was standing on the other. As the periphery of the battlefield extended, the Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao were stationed confrontationally.

The ten determined disciple of the Li Wu Bei, and the six Sky Xuan assistants of Shi Chang Xiao were standing in the outer most encirclement! The weakest amongst this entire line up was at least as strong as the peak of Earth Xuan.

Standing in the middle of such encirclement was a matter of honor and prestige, but also a matter of grave desperation. However Jun Mo Xie’s mind was only brimming with excitement.

Finally all the competitors have arrived in one place!

Now, it’s time for me to throw away this Xuan Core and run!

I may not be able to fight in this battle, but I’m definitely the best when it comes to escaping out of here!

Jun Mo Xie’s eyes flickered since he was just about to move into action, but then he suddenly changed his mind since he saw four flickering lights approaching from a distance at a very fast pace.

Out of these four individuals, Jun Mo Xie could actually recognize two!

Xiao Han, and Mu Xue Tong!

There was a young, crooked-nosed man beside Xiao Han, while Mu Xue Tong seemed to be accompanying a picturesque white-robed maiden; her hair were white like the clouds, her skin was as white as snow, and her face was delicate and beautiful. Her big round eyes seemed quite excited at the sight of this gathering of peerless experts.

They arrived in a few moments; Mu Xue Tong quickly extended his arm and pulled out an umbrella, and placed above the young maiden’s head. There was a picture of a black bear on the umbrella’s surface…….

The three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City starting whining inwardly the moment they saw her approaching. Ah, why did she have to come here when we’re in so much trouble already! Is no one going to take pity on our life today?

Another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky for a moment, clearly exposing the nervous faces of everyone present.

Shi Chang Xiao’s eye scanned the entire gathering, but eventually came to a halt upon the Solitary Falcon’s face: “Falcon, do you really want this Xuan Core? I have always believed that there is only one man amongst us all who doesn’t care about materialistic objects…. And that man is you; the Solitary Falcon!”

As long as he was able to convince the Solitary Falcon to stay out, the Xuan Core was his for the taking! Shi Chang Xiao was sure of being able to fight away anyone one else; even the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City!

“Nonsense! This Xuan Core is such a rare item, so what’s so surprising about my interest in it? Don’t you want it too? Did you just come out in the rain for a bath?” the Solitary Falcon smiled in ridicule: “Shi Chang Xiao! You’re such a disappointment! I’ve come here all this way to fight you; and since you and your stinking arrogance have showed up here today, I’m going to have some fun!”

Shi Chang Xiao started fuming with anger!

Do you really believe that I’m a madman like you who thinks that fighting is fun? Ah, first you consider yourself to be one of the ‘Eight Great Masters’ and then you start talking like a scoundrel in the middle of a town?

Besides, couldn’t you have picked a better timing for pulling me away for a fight? Do you think I’m in a comfortable position here? What am I supposed to do about that Xuan Core, huh?

“Ha ha, who wants that Xuan Core? I’ve nothing to do with that Xuan Core!” the Solitary Falcon looked skywards and laughed out loudly. Then he looked around and started counting the number of Spirit Xuan experts present….. One… two.. three… four…..this looks like a fun game today!

“Falcon, if you sit out today, then I’ll agree to fight you on any day in the future!” Shi Chang Xiao smiled coldly as his expressionless eyes stared at the Solitary Falcon through the dense cover of rain: “I’m well aware that this Xuan Core has never been your goal, and I’m more than willing to give you a chance to face me later!”

“To hell with your bargain! You’re only offering this chance for the sake of this Xuan Core! I have no alliance with you, so why should I listen to your request?! I want to fight you today; what option do you have, ah?” The Solitary Falcon stared right back at Shi Chang Xiao, showing no signs of weakness.

Even though the two men were at the peak of the Spirit Xuan realm, but it was evident from their ranking in the list of the ‘Eight Great Masters’ that the Solitary Falcon was marginally weaker than Shi Chang Xiao. However, if the two men actually started battling each other, then there would still be no winner or loser unless the two men decided to battle till only one survived!

Therefore, if the Solitary Falcon was hell-bent on battling Shi Chang Xiao, then the latter would have no other option but to face him in vain!

These ‘Eight Great Masters’ were practically unbeatable in battle, so much so that even if two or more people were confronted against each other, neither man was sure to lose since either man was capable of escaping away at any time during the fight!

The opportunity of grabbing this Xuan Core could best be described as a ‘fleeting’ one at the moment, and in case one of the competitors entered into a long drawn battle against an equal, then he was sure to miss out on the Xuan Core!

Especially when Fei Meng Chen and the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City were eying the prize as well!

Even those Sky Xuan experts, who were no more than ants in the eyes of these Spirit Xuan experts, were looking determined to obtain the Xuan Core!

Moreover, sounds of movement had been coming from a distance for quite some time now. Several more people had been hastily making their way towards the source of the Xuan Core, and these people weren’t just limited to Spirit Xuan experts; several Sky Xuan experts, Earth Xuan experts, Jade Xuan experts, and even Gold Xuan experts had burst into action from the distant parts of the city. Since there was an abundance of high-level experts at the center of his scene, most of these people were planning on waiting at a safe distance to investigate and observe the situation; neither stepping forward, nor retreating. They were obviously waiting for an opportunity to steal the treasure, and had long forgotten the limitation of their own strength in the lust for this prize.

The Solitary Falcon’s cold eyes scanned the distance through the curtains of rain, seeing everyone regardless of their distance from the main scene; then, he suddenly looked upwards and shouted. His roar filled the sky, almost like the sound of a thunderbolt would have, while the effect of his wild howl suppressed the hearts and desires of many experts in an instant!

Some of the weaker experts amongst these approaching or hiding ones instantly sensed the danger, and their hearts and brain started urging them to scuttle away, while some even stopped in their steads out of fear as their faces went pale from the fear of facing the terror behind this voice!

“I am the Solitary Falcon! And I’m standing opposite to Shi Chang Xiao!” The Solitary Falcon laughed loudly: “For those who’ve overestimated themselves: act sensibly, or else I’ll be happy to knock some into you!”

Almost all of these approaching experts froze in their steads!

Who would have thought that two amongst the ‘Eight Great Masters’ would actually arrive in the Tian Xiang City on the same day?!

Snatching the Xuan Core from the hands of these two men? What’s the difference between that and death? This thought emerged in the minds of several people, and they immediately sighed, turned away, and disappeared into the rain; and away from this competition for the Xuan Core.

However, there were several who refused to return. So what if you guys are actually Spirit Xuan experts? Can’t we just wait for you and Shi Chang Xiao to beat each other up, and then steal the Xuan Core when you’re lying dead?

There were several who were carrying this idea in their minds.

“That man is the ‘Solitary Falcon’? One of the ‘Eight Great Masters’ of the Xuan Xuan continent? He’s so fierce…. and so calm at the same time……” That delicate looking maiden asked in a mischievous sounding tone.

Mu Xue Tong, who was standing beside her, sighed deeply, and replied with a wry smile: “Little Princess, this really isn’t the time to be here….. it is too dangerous.”

“Mu Xue Tong, are you incapable of protecting the Little Princess?” Xiao Han laughed: “If you’re so scared of being here, then why don’t you just hand over the responsibility of her protection to me? You’re obviously a spineless man!”

Mu Xue Tong grunted as he replied: “The Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao are present here; if our Silver Blizzard City actually manages to get the Xuan Core, then these two men will likely turn hostile… even the three Elders may not be able to fight those two guys off….. don’t you think that we’ll end up getting our heads smashed in then? Can’t you see the number of advanced Xuan experts here? Do you really think that a Sky Xuan expert is capable of beating them all?! Idiot!”

Mu Xue Tong’s words were obviously very sensible; the strength of the men gathered here was simply too high for a Sky Xuan expert to be lingering around alone; in case a battle actually broke out here, then the result was sure to be a very tragic one…. It was needless to mention the possible fate of Xiao Han, a mere Sky Xuan-base expert, when the fate of the Spirit Xuan experts such as the Third, The Sixth and the Ninth Elder wasn’t certain to be very safe….

Xiao Han furiously opened his mouth to ridicule his companion as he scanned the surroundings, but then realized that enormity of the situation, palpitated, and finally swallowed down a mouthful of saliva in silence.

The situation on the field was extremely delicate at the moment; the Xuan Core was in the hands of Jun Mo Xie, who was standing in the middle of the encirclement…. The first layer of encirclement was composed of several opposing parties with the weakest member of the layer being a Sky Xuan expert! The outermost layer consisted of about sixteen more experts, the weakest being an Earth Xuan expert; the strength of the final layer may not be as high in merit, but their sheer number was quite impressive!

This was obviously the most high-ended line-up that Jun Mo Xie had ever seen, in fact, this sort of an opposition was bound to give anyone a headache; even Yun Bei Chen!

However, even though there were so many powerful individuals and groups in this gathering…. No one had the courage to make the first move!

With two peak Spirit Xuan experts facing each other confrontationally, who would have the courage to make a move?

The entire situation was delicate placed in a balance! And such a balance was not good for Jun Mo Xie’s interests! He obviously needed to break it!

So I guess it’s time to start this ‘Battle Royale’, ah.

Chapter 182 – The Xuan Core changes hands

Li Wu Bei’s ten disciples were simply waiting along the outer periphery for the Three Elders of Silver Blizzard City, the Solitary Falcon, and Shi Chang Xiao to move into action. As long as these five men started fighting, this ten man team would immediately make a move for the Xuan Core, and would then try to escape with it.

They were well aware that they wouldn’t be able to fight against some of the best warriors in the world, but were extremely confident that they could succeed in snatching the Xuan Core and escape thereafter, owing to the virtue of their combined strength and team work!

The three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City were thinking the exact same thing, and were waiting for Shi Chang Xiao and Solitary Falcon to start fighting. The moment these two masters started engaging each other in combat, they would no longer be able to obstruct them. The only remaining threat would be Fei Meng Chen, who alone wouldn’t be able to stop them from procuring the Xuan Core.

Shi Chang Xiao was caught up in his own dilemma; he was the strongest individual on the scene, and even had seven more experts to assist him if needed. However, he was also aware of the strength of the other parties involved, and was well aware that he couldn’t neglect any side’s challenge. He could understand that in case he started the fight, then the balance of power would shift against him, and therefore he needed to wait for someone else to start the battle!

Moreover, Solitary Falcon’s presence had made the situation even harder for him. Even though he was sure of being able to defeat the Solitary Falcon in battle, he was also aware that he wouldn’t be able to grab the Xuan Core in case he was forced into a battle with the man! What’s the point of it all if I don’t get the Xuan Core? I’m not here for sightseeing…..

Especially now that there are so many experts present on the scene….. even if I am guaranteed to come out of this battle unharmed, the same cannot be presumed for the rest of my team. If a battle breaks out between this mix of powerful experts, then not all of my companions are assured to come out alive. If all my companions end up dying in this battle, then even winning the Xuan Core wouldn’t be enough to compensate the loss!

And then there’s the situation surrounding the Solitary Falcon’s interests…. He’s obviously not here for the Xuan Core… moreover, he’s alone, and has nothing to lose… he’s a war-seeking madman just looking for a good fight…. I’m afraid that he won’t let this opportunity slip by.

Even though Shi Chang Xiao was trying very hard to figure out a solution, he still hadn’t been able to thus far!

As far as the other Peak Spirit Xuan was concerned, all these people have gathered here for the Xuan Core’s sake, and they would all prefer avoiding a fight…unlike me. In case someone was able to snatch that Xuan Core from that Black-masked man’s hands, then this will turn into a long-drawn chase, and Shi Chang Xiao is very highly unlikely to pay any attention to me if that happens.

As a result, even though all the parties were quite strong in their own merits, but no one was willing to make the first move.

A husky, ice-cold voice suddenly rang: “Damn it, have all you blockheads been paralyzed or something? Get a move on! I’ve almost caught a cold because of this rain. Even women aren’t so afraid of getting in a fight!”

These audacious words infuriated everyone present. Generally speaking, words were rarely enough to instigate these men, but these bold and courageous words did the trick beautifully!

Everyone’s eyes immediately shifted towards the source of the sound, and were rather surprised to realize that it was coming from the center of the encirclement where that black-masked man was standing and shouting excitedly, while his fingers were pointed at the two Peak Spirit Xuan experts.

What’s this guy thinking…. He’s obviously incapable of defending the Xuan Core, and even then he’s intentionally provoking everyone….. is he just ignorant and bold, or simply an idiot?!

“Shut up!” five or six people shouted out at the same time as their nostrils flared up in anger.

“Let me teach you a lesson!” the Solitary Falcon was naturally angrier than anyone else by nature, and flashed forward. His body moved at a ghostly speed and was soon upon the black-masked man’s, while his hand was stretched out in order to slap the guy across the face. I’ve got to teach this moron a lesson! He should know his place!

The third Elder of the Silver Blizzard City stared nervously.

The Solitary Falcon had inevitably started the fight!

The others weren’t aware of what the Third Elder had witnessed earlier. This guy is no ordinary man….. even the Solitary Falcon won’t be able to defeat him very easily. And in case I’m still underestimating this guy, then I simply can’t fathom the Solitary Falcon’s fate!

This black-masked man is most likely some super-being; or at least a very high-level mysterious expert!

The thought of those changing Xuan color lights were still sending shivers down the Third Elder’s heart! He was well aware that his own Xuan Qi was nowhere near capable of pulling off such stunts! In fact, forget about his own strength, even Han Feng Xue wasn’t powerful enough to do something like that!

However, the Third Elder was also aware that he wouldn’t be able to deal with the Solitary Falcon, and hence didn’t mind the fact that his enemy was walking into a trap, which would most likely result in misfortune for the said-man. He simply stood there and waited for the Solitary Falcon to get the shock!

However……..

The mysterious black-masked man frantically tried to dodge instead, “Pop!” a crisp sound was issued as the Solitary Falcon’s hand slapped the man’s chest, “Ah!… I ……” the man cried out in fear as his body was sent out flying in the air, almost like a broken kite as he started shouting: “Help ah….. somebody save me… spare my life…….”

Everyone was left shell-shocked! Each pair of eyes were practically coming out of their sockets at the moment, What is going on?! He was acting so boldly….. like he was a peerless expert, and now he’s actually screaming for help……

The most surprising part was that this black-masked man had actually gotten rid of the Xuan Core in the hope of blocking the strike, and had been unable to retrieve it before flying out under the effect of the strike…..and now that Xuan Core was slowly falling into the Solitary Falcon’s hands……..

The Solitary Falcon suddenly felt an enormous and surging Xuan Qi field falling into his hands, and he suddenly found his fingers subconsciously clutching the Xuan Core.

He had never expected that his slap would actually land on the man’s body! That masked-man had been holding the Xuan Core in his hands, and had been standing in the middle of so many peerless experts in a very calm and composed manner for a very long time now. Moreover, he had even managed to muster the courage to openly and brazenly curse everyone present, including his own self and Shi Chang Xiao. The Solitary Falcon was expecting this man to be an expert in his own merit.

Truth be told, the Solitary Falcon hadn’t attacked this man in order to procure the Xuan Core, but because he desired to combat this mysterious expert. In fact, contrary to looking down upon this man, the Solitary Falcon had been rating him very highly!

Thus, the Solitary Falcon had concealed his other hand behind his back, and was preparing to use it to strike the man once the man had blocked his first strike.

This hidden palm strike was an extremely powerful and dangerous one.

But compared to this hidden strike, the first strike was only a superficial one, and was only intended to divert the man’s attention rather than sending him flying in the air!

The Solitary Falcon was left completely confused to see that black-masked man flying out under the effect of his strike, that was too easy, wasn’t it? I thought he was going to be a very good opponent…. But he turned out to be completely useless!

Then, he gently raised his hand and looked at the Xuan Core he was undeservedly holding in his hands; it was a while before he was able to find his words: “I……huh!”

Out of all the people who had gathered here, the Solitary Falcon was the only who wasn’t seeking the Xuan Core, and now, by a hilarious twist of fate…beyond all expectations, he was the one in possession of the Xuan Core!

And he had succeeded in doing so with too much ease!

This change of events had left even everyone startled; so much so that even Shi Chang Xiao’s mouth was hung open in shock!

Who would have actually though that the black-masked man would turn out to be a silver colored wax candle?!

Even wax candles don’t melt before a certain temperature…. This man is far too useless for that comparison!

Even though the Solitary Falcon was one of the ‘Eight Great Masters’, his strike was so superficial that anyone present could have blocked it with ease!

As a result, everyone was left repenting their fate!

Naturally, no one would dare to attack the Solitary Falcon in haste; not even Shi Chang Xiao. Attacking this man in haste would be tantamount to courting one’s death!

As a result, everyone’s eyes followed after the flying shadow of that mysterious and useless man, hoping that he would land in front of them so that they could beat and cut him to pieces. Their faces were clearly reflecting their hatred for the man!

Damn it! He was actually completely powerless? Ah…. I lost my opportunity because of him!

I wish I had attacked that man instead of the Solitary Falcon! …he was too easy a target!

As the eyes of everyone stared after his flying body, the black-masked man quietly and suddenly disappeared into thin air!

Was this kid made of paper…. Did he actually die in just one strike?

A large human body had just disappeared into thin air in front of two Peak Spirit Xuan experts, four Spirit Xuan experts, almost twenty Sky Xuan experts, and a few Earth Xuan peaks! And they were all under the impression that it was due to the Solitary Falcon’s attack!

“Snap!” A crisp and clear sound was issued.

No one had yet been able to recover from this first shock as their eyes subconsciously refocused to origination point of this new sound, and found its destination in the Silver Blizzard City’s Third Elder’s direction, who had just extended his arm and had managed to slap his own face!

The crisp, loud, and melodious sound had come as music to several ears!

Now what?

The Sixth and the Ninth Elder came forward and asked in a concerned tone: “What happened Third Bother?”

The Third, the Sixth and the Ninth Elder had always maintained a very good relation, and an even better understanding!

“Uh…. Nothing…. Too many mosquitos here.” The Third Elder replied in an embarrassing tone.

Some people practically fainted on the spot!

Rain is pouring down on a late autumn evening; the Solitary Falcon is holding the Xuan Core at the moment; and he’s more worried about the mosquitoes……?! Since when did mosquitoes become so dangerous?

Little could anyone imagine the plight of the Third Elder’s heart!

Chapter 183 – Qing Han’s fury

That guy was nothing! I had him to myself earlier, I just needed to extend my arm and grab that Xuan Core…. And then I could have easily returned to the Silver Blizzard City…. I would have been able to achieve my target so easily!

I can’t believe I allowed that guy to fool me!

I knew that such a feat wasn’t possible… those changing Xuan Qi colors didn’t make any sense… how did I get fooled by it?

I’m the world’s biggest idiot ah! Damn it! Damn me…..

Whilst the Third Elder was busy repenting and redressing his mistakes, all the other experts were nervously staring at the Solitary Falcon, afraid that in case he decided to flee from the spot with all his strength then no one would be able to catch up with him; not even Shi Chang Xiao!

Shi Chang Xiao furiously roared, and then suddenly plunged into the sky like a soaring dragon: “Falcon! You wanted to fight me ah? Let’s fight!”

Raindrops started scattering away from his body under the effect of his enormous Xuan Qi, and started crashing against the faces of the other people present!

The Solitary Falcon laughed loudly as he tucked the Xuan Core into his robes: “Good, let’s go!” he stretched out his arms like a hawk and his body started to rise up in the sky as well!

The two Peak Spirit Xuan masters had formally acknowledged their confrontation!

Fei Meng Chen, the Three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City, Shi Chang Xiao’s six helpers, and Li Wu Bei’s ten disciples simultaneously leaped into the sky, and flashed forward at ghostly speeds; all of them converged at one point: The Solitary Falcon!

The Solitary Falcon laughed as he roared: “This is going to be fun!” He didn’t hold anything back, ‘bang’, a loud explosion sounded as fragments of his Xuan Qi burst out of his body, and sent everyone scattering and flying outwards. The Solitary Falcon remained standing his ground, upright… ready for a battle!

~ The Jun Residence ~

Guan Qing Han’s mind was heavy with thoughts as she walked towards her courtyard. The events of this day had been like a pipe-dream for her; her heart had felt absolute desperation and desolation at one moment, and the next moment she was left feeling happy and content.

Although my own father abandoned me in my hour of need, but since I have such a great Uncle, and such an amazing Brother-in-law, why should I be afraid of anything? It’s like Mo Xie said….. a life of shame has no meaning!

Is the Xue Hun Manor really invincible? Even if they really are undefeatable…. They can only kill us….. and I won’t have to worry about the complexities of this world in my death; so why should I fear death!

“I couldn’t have imagined that he would have such a heroic spirit within him. He has proved that he is a true son of the Jun Family! And he had proved that he is Mo You’s younger brother. If Mo You was here today…. Would he have made the same choice? Yes, of course… there’s no doubt about it.”

Qing Han’s heart wasn’t feeling as uncomfortable thinking about Mo You as it used to… the pain of her heart seemed a bit… very distant now……

She was walking with her head down, and didn’t realize that she was almost about to bump into a person.

A burly figure was standing in front of her courtyard’s doorstep.

This man was her biological father; Guan Dong Liu!

Guan Dong Liu’s clothes were drenched since he had been standing in the rain for quite a while now. Even though his face was cold, his sad eyes were enough to express the pain of his heart as he looked at his daughter, but was unable to say anything to her.

Qing Han stared back at him in silence, unable to find any words to start a conversation with, and hence this father-daughter duo stood motionlessly in the rain, caught in a strange and wordless world of their own desolation.

A bolt of lightning lit up the courtyard for a split second, revealing the traces of sadness and concern on Guan Dong Liu’s face.

Guan Qing Han was suddenly reminded of her childhood days, and how her father used to worry about her well-being, and suddenly her heart turned soft. Her ice-cold expression melted in an instant as she opened her mouth and whispered: “Daddy……”

“Qing Han, do you blame your daddy?” Guan Dong Liu looked at his daughter through the rain which was pouring over his head.

Qing Han blankly shook her head as an empty feeling overtook her heart.

“I don’t blame you, father.” She deliriously raved, “You’re my father; but before that…. you’re Guan Family’s master. And as the master of the family, you have to bear the burden of thousands of lives and their fates on your shoulder. I understand the problem of your position, daddy……”

Guan Dong Liu sighed as he sadly bowed his head, but then raised his head again, revealing his pain-stricken but firm eyes: “Qing Han, your father obviously feels sorry for you, however, if I ever had a chance to go back in time and……I… I……”

Guan Dong Liu’s deep eyes were clearly exposing the intense struggle which was taking place inside his heart as he finally finished his sentence: “….. I would still make the same choice! Since I’m the master of the family…. I will probably never be able to be a good father to you, but I ……”

Guan Qing Han shook her head: “ ……. Don’t say that… don’t….” she suddenly realized that her father was getting wet in the rain, and quickly said: “Daddy, let’s go inside and talk.”

“No, let’s talk right here… in the rain. At least I feel sober in the rain….. I have a lot of things to say, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to say them if we go inside!” Guan Dong Liu smiled bitterly: “About the Xue Hun Manor and this entire matter….. even though it won’t matter now, but there are a few more things that I thought that you should know……”

Guan Qing Han sighed and said: “Please tell me father…..”

“At the time when we received that proposal from the Xue Hun manor, several Elders advised me to agree to the proposal immediately.” Guan Dong Liu painfully closed his eyes and looked upwards at the sky, unable to look at his daughter’s pale face anymore, “We aren’t capable of provoking the Xue Hun Manor, but in case you were to marry Li Teng Yun, then our family would have been able to build a good relationship with them and we would have been able to climb up the ladders, which not only would not have brought the family any harm, but would have worked out in the Family’s best interests…..”

Guan Qing Han softly bit her lips, and grunted while her eyes started to deepen with anger; the previous ice-cold expression of her face had been restored now.

“There were two separate opinions on this matter within our house as well; Qing Bo has always been ambitious, and has wanted to dominate the entire south-east region as well, and thus he urged me to respond in agreement.” Guan Dong Liu’s voice became even softer: “Qing Yue and your mother insisted that I don’t agree to the proposal; your mother……. Your mother has been bathing her face in tears every day since…..”

Qing Han’s delicate body started shivering, and tears gushed out of her eyes while her shoulders sunk in.

“Later, the Xue Hun manor put forth another condition.” Guan Dong Liu was gazing at a distance: “They added that even though you will be married into their family, you wouldn’t receive the title of the ‘first wife’, but you would still receive the same treatment otherwise. Qing Bo met with Li Jue Tian to counter this proposal, but he was denied!”

Guan Dong Liu’s tone of speech was enough to indicate his sorrows: “Thereafter, Qing Bo, Qing Yue, and I travelled to the Tian Xiang City to talk to you……”

“I don’t even know what I am in the eyes of the family…… a commodity? Or perhaps a bargaining chip? Something they can just trade for the family’s growth? Is that all I am?!”

Qing Han smiled desolately: “I didn’t object when these two families decided to get engaged! Although I didn’t know about Mo You’s heroic temperament then, and I didn’t know if he would ever shame or humiliate me, but I still couldn’t object either way; because this decision was the Family’s to make, and I wasn’t given a choice. After I met him three times, I realized that he was very noble man, and I started liking his nature. And I was indeed very pleased with the family for making this decision, and I was very grateful to you for arranging this marriage……”

Guan Dong Liu seemed to be aware of what she was going to say, and hence he just bowed his head down.

“But later when Mo You died for the country… he died a hero! And yes, I would have spent a lifetime as his widow! And even though I was already prepared to spend my life as his widow, and even though I was already preparing to convince you and mother about it, along with the Elders of the family; at that time, the Elders actually unanimously decided that I should spend my life as a widow in the Jun Family! The reason being that the Guan Family didn’t want to lose the Jun Family’s patronage! Being the Guan Family’s daughter, I was used an investment!”

Guan Qing Han laughed in mockery: “At that time, even though they tried to force me into it, I didn’t object because I wanted to do the same anyway…. But I was doing it in the memory of my husband, whereas the Family was simply using me as a bargaining chip… a tool to maintain the relationship between the two families! I had never felt so ashamed in my entire life!”

“Shamed! A girl’s most beautiful dream had been shattered, but even then her widowhood was being used to as a commodity by her family!”

“Father, as yourself, how many times has the Guan Family used the Jun Family’s influence and assistance to expand their control and business in these last few years?! And now that the wind is going against us, and there’s another Family, more powerful than the Jun Family, the Elders of the Guan Family have actually immediately agreed to change their stance? And now they are asking me to remarry?!”

“Daddy, what kind of reasoning is this? Isn’t it enough for them to force me into marriage once? Aren’t I someone else’s daughter now? And moreover, I’m the daughter-in-law of their own benefactors! And now they want to sell their benefactor’s daughter as well?!”

Chapter 184 – I want to act as a father

A strange fusion of anger and sadness made up Qing Han’s tone.

“Even though I’m spending my life as a widow in the Jun Family, I’m still given the status of a ‘daughter-in-law’. But if I marry into the Li Family, then I will become a concubine! If Yun Bei Chen takes a shine to me someday, then the Li Family will simply send me off to him to be his concubine…. Slaves don’t have opinions; they are slaves! And the Guan Family will probably approve of it as well because Yun Bei Chen is more powerful than Li Jue Tian, and an alliance with him will be more beneficial for the Guan Family!”

“The head of the Family will still be thinking about the family?! Daddy, how could our family have no shame at all?! How can they not see my dishonor! I would rather live in the Jun Family as a widowed daughter-in-law than live a life of such shame! And never for such shameless people’s cause!”

“I would rather let the Guan Family die as heroes before I allow a useless bunch of white-haired old men to beg the powers of this world for pity!”

Guan Qing Han’s final sentence almost exploded out of her mouth.

Guan Dong Liu stood blankly staring at his daughter, his face reveling in the pain of this conversation. Even though his body was still as burly as ever, but his body-language didn’t reflect it.

He had no answer for his daughter’s sharp words; none at all. His heart was riddled with guilt and shame, and he started biting his teeth as a painful spasm overtook his entire body!

“As a daughter, I just want to know what my father has planned for now…..” Guan Qing Han looked at her father again; her voice sounded even more desolate, weak, but was still showing her anger…..

“Jun Wu Yi has already answered that question!” Guan Dong Liu smiled sadly: “As things are at the moment….. even if we withdraw this marriage, we’ll only be able to send you to the Li Family over the corpses of the Jun Family!”

Guan Dong Liu exposed a self-deprecating smile: “I may be Guan Dong Liu…. The master of the Guan Family…. But I can’t touch the Jun Family…. Or the Li Family.”

“Moreover, it is as you said earlier…. The Jun Family is our benefactor, and I will not kick my benefactor in the teeth!”

Guan Dong Liu’s voice suddenly strengthened up: “This was my decision; I decided to renounce my own daughter for the welfare of my family! I didn’t even act when the Jun Family decided to rise up to protect you! I agreed to allow the Xue Hun Manor to insult and dishonor my daughter! I’ve wronged you for a lifetime…. Because I chose to look at the future of the family first, but now I want to…….”

“I want to act as a father!” Guan Dong Liu’s face stiffened up, and his blood-red eyes started to shine while his pupils dilated.

“I want to act as father again!”

Guan Dong Liu’s heart suddenly felt a burst of ease as he stated this sentence; almost as if he had suddenly unloaded a heavy burden off his heart!

Screw life and death!

That Jun boy was right…. If a family has no backbone, then they will just linger around the death’s door for ever… what’s the point of such a survival?!

“Daddy!” Guan Qing Han’s entire body vibrated as she looked at her father again; but with a pleasantly surprised look in her eyes this time.

Guan Dong Liu smiled profoundly as he nodded: “Qing Han, the Jun aren’t the only men in this world; the Guan are also men!”

Guan Qing Han’s face exposed a proud look as she spoke up: “I never knew that my father would have such an indomitable spirit inside him……”

Guan Dong Liu forced a wry smile as he said: “Your little Brother-in-law’s curse was surely very ruthless, but thanks to him…. Your father now understands that there are a few things in this world that are more important than the ‘big picture’.”

He laughed twice, but then asked in a confused tone: “You’ve told me a lot about him, but your young brother-in-law is nothing like the debauchee you said he was?”

Guan Qing Han’s face suddenly reddened as she was unable to find her words again: “Daddy… don’t make fun of me….. he’s changed a lot recently… he’s nothing like the guy he used to be earlier…. He’s become a real man now.”

Guan Dong Liu smiled playfully: “Is that so? So because he scolded your dad, you’ve suddenly started to respect him?”

Guan Qing Han suddenly reverted back to being a spoilt young girl again, and started throwing tantrums: “I hate you daddy!”

Guan Dong Liu broke into laughter.

“Daddy, come in else you’ll catch a cold in this autumn rain.” Guan Qing Han suddenly realized her father’s plight.

“Ah, and now you’re finally caring about me? The rain has already seeped into your daddy’s old bones now.” Guan Dong Liu laughed jokingly: “However, this rain was good for me! It won me back my daughter’s heart and it also woke me up from my slumber…. I was about to trade my own daughter’s innocence for my family’s survival…… such a survival was no better than life anyway.” He finished his sentence, looked at his daughter lovingly once again, and then turned around.

His burly body braved through the rain and wind, one step at a time, but each step was stable and firm!

Guan Qing Han’s eyes blurred once again…..

A few meters away, Jun Wu Yi was standing quietly in a corner with rigid line creasing his face. He smiled to himself as he said in an undertone: “Guan Dong Liu, you’ve only been Guan Dong Liu to me till now…. but now you’re a qualified father, and an iron-blooded man in my eyes!”

His eyes gazed at a distance through the curtains of rain: “Jun Mo Xie left at such a weird timing…..Why do I feel that something big is about to happen? Why hasn’t he returned yet? I don’t know what to do with my nephew… he’s really strange… I allowed him to work free of my authority, but he becomes more mysterious with each passing day!”

He sighed as light flashed from his body, and then he disappeared without a trace.

…… ……..

The black-masked man, young master Jun had flown out of the encirclement under the effect of the Solitary Falcon’s strike, but had managed to conveniently drop the Xuan Core into his attacker’s hand before being thrown away.

His body was almost about to ram into a tree, but Jun Mo Xie immediately used the Yin Yang escape method and disappeared in front of everyone’s eyes, and resurfaced away from everyone’s notice. He was sitting clutching his chest at the moment.

After all, he had been struck by a Peak Spirit Xuan! Even though the Solitary Falcon’s strike was only a superficial one in his eyes, but his strike was still powerful enough to cause extreme discomfort to Jun Mo Xie’s body, and had left him with a feeling of nausea.

Even though Jun Mo Xie wasn’t injured very seriously, but his body was still under a shock!

Damn that Falcon! I’m going to get back at him for this one day! Jun Mo Xie was silently cursing the man as he watched the fight unfold in front of his eyes!

Jun Mo Xie continued to watch the fight from a distance with a frowning face, while his mouth would mummer in silence from time to time, I never intended to cause such a big battle…..

Jun Mo Xie hadn’t actually intended on starting such a fierce battle, and had only planned on causing some chaos at the most. His main intention was to check his idea surrounding the ‘Xuan Core fakes’ for future use.

Of course, had this matter surrounding the Xue Hun Manor not surfaced at this time, then Jun Mo Xie would have planned this more carefully, and would have waited until he was ready with a foolproof plan instead. Moreover, he would have also waited for more experts to gather in the city before making this move. After all, this hasty occurrence of the Xuan Core so shortly after its theft was more likely to raise skepticism in the minds of most people.

But the affair surrounding the Xue Hun Manor had disrupted Jun Mo Xie’s plans, and although the threat from the Li Family wasn’t very imminent, but it was like that bomb in one’s backside which could detonate at any time. Therefore, Jun Mo Xie threw out this fake Xuan Core ahead of scheduled time, and was now left with no other option but to watch it bear an undesired fruit. Had he delayed the plan any further, then it could have hindered the safety of the Guan and the Jun Family.

At the moment, Shi Chang Xiao was preparing to launch an attack on the Solitary Falcon, whilst keeping his guard against the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City, who were also lingering around the Solitary Falcon, same as the ten disciples of the Li Wu Bei, and the six Sky Xuan helping hands of Shi Chang Xiao. They were all circling him from a distance with no man willing to go any closer without a backup.

They weren’t exactly afraid of his high Xuan Qi, but more of his expertise in general. The man in the middle of the encirclement was so quick that no expert lesser than a Sky Xuan peak was capable of lasting against him for more than a second.

The ten disciples of Li Wu Bei, whom Li You Ran had invited to contest for this Xuan Core seemed more than willing to confront these two supreme beings without any traces of fear in their eyes; in fact, they looked rather confident at the moment!

Since the speed of the fighters was too fast, Jun Mo Xie was only vaguely able to see their shadows, but couldn’t tell the men apart.

Suddenly, almost a dozen figures converged to attack the Solitary Falcon again. Solitary Falcon’s Xuan Qi burst out of his body as he fearlessly shouted: “Come!” then, his body arched strangely like a hawk in mid-air as he first dodged Shi Chang Xiao’s attack, and then rotated mid-air again, and kicked-out!

Shi Chang Xiao was forced to recoil backwards!

And, Shi Chang Xiao was left roaring furiously!

Although he was the first one to launch an attack, but he was a Peak Spirit Xuan at the end of the day! Moreover, he was ranked above the Solitary Falcon! If he was unable to kill the Solitary Falcon in this siege, then the rumors would start spreading that he was beneath the Solitary Falcon; especially considering that he had other people assisting him!

The bad name that this one rumor would bring would be…. Irredeemable!

After all, people would only ask one thing: why did he allow so many shrimps to intervene in a battle between two whales?

Chapter 185 – A tragedy of exceptional speed

Shi Chang Xiao grunted; his powerful voice resounded through the sky, and it seemed as if it had startled the rain. It appeared as if an invisible wave had hammered the pouring rain away from his body, and towards the rest of the crowd……

Shi Chang Xiao had just been repelled by the Solitary Falcon’s counter-attack, and had been forced to retreat a short distance. However, he had immediately extended his arms and had cast out this new and strange move almost immediately……

Everyone felt a strange nip in the air, and immediately retreated backwards, and away from the Solitary Falcon’s body due this extremely strange feeling!

Shi Chang Xiao powerful move wasn’t intended to hurt the Solitary Falcon, but only to ward off the other experts away from him, and succeeded in carrying his plan out to perfection since the other experts were too afraid to get caught in the scope of his fierce move, and were forced to retreat.

Two silhouettes swiftly drifted away to a tree about forty or fifty feet away from the center of the combat, and quietly positioned themselves on its top branch amidst this chaotic movement.

The Hongjun Pagoda was still revolving at full speed and was still providing energy to Jun Mo Xie’ body as he tried to recover from the shock of the Solitary Falcon’s strike. Jun Mo Xie almost jumped up the moment he saw this action taking place on the battlefield: finally! My plan can already be considered half-successful, but I still don’t know if……

Shi Chang Xiao’s angry and powerful strike had sent everyone scuttling away to safety, so much so that even the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City, all Spirit Xuan experts in their own merit had decided to retreat immediately; even Li Wu Bei’s disciples were left with no choice but to retreat since they also knew that weren’t capable of facing a Peak Spirit Xuan’s explosive strength head-on, and were forced to resign into blankly staring at each other in despair.

The remaining Spirit Xuan expert, Fei Meng Chen wasn’t looking any better either. He had also been targeting striking the Solitary Falcon like everyone else, and was only a fingertip away when Shi Chang Xiao’s violent strike forced him to retreat backwards due to fear of injury. Even though he managed to escape unharmed, he was still left cursing his subordinate in authority.

But the most unfortunate was the sixth brother amongst the ten acquaintances of Li You Ran!

Because his speed was too quick!

He had rushed in like everyone else to take advantage of the situation; however, the man was even faster than the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City and Fei Meng Chen; the man was actually faster than Spirit Xuan experts! Li Wu Bei must have indeed been proud of his disciple’s speed and agility!

But therein lay his biggest mistake….. he was too fast!

He was almost upon the Solitary Falcon at the time when Shi Chang Xiao went berserk, forcing his unknowing backups, the four Spirit Xuan experts away from the Solitary Falcon!

Because he was too fast, he was somehow able to escape Shi Chang Xiao’s attack’s scope; but inwards rather than outwards!

Because he was too fast, he was now placed in the same vacuum zone as the Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao; alone, without any backups! And to make matters worse, he was so quick that he had actually managed to reach the Solitary Falcon before anyone else, and simply had no place to go now!

At this moment, even though his mind had already started to panic from the surprise of the situation, but his hands were still moving in their previously intended direction, and were nimbly making their into the Solitary Falcon’s pocket…….

An exceptional trait may not always be the best thing…… this exceptionally agile man was an excellent example of this truth!

Solitary Falcon was obviously very disappointed by Shi Chang Xiao’s move, which had forced everyone to drop their plan of attacking him, and then he suddenly realized that one bold and fearless hand was reaching into his pocket to extract the Xuan Core! This obviously made the Solitary Falcon angrier!

If any man from the entire Xuan Xuan continent was ever successfully able to pick-pocket one of the ‘Eight Great Masters’……. This news would bring the Solitary Falcon more shame than actually dying in battle facing a weaker man; it would turn him into a laughing stock!

If it hadn’t been for Shi Chang Xiao’s intervention, this exceptionally fast man would have actually been able to succeed in his attempt undetected! He had selected the most appropriate time to execute this stealth move; his timing was nothing short of perfection!

Moreover, once he had succeeded, he could have easily escaped away since the only person who would notice this theft, the Solitary Falcon, would have been forced to repel four Spirit Xuan experts! ‘….. one of the ‘Eight Great Masters’ was robbed by a pick-pocket…. This news would have shocked the entire world!’

Hence, one could obviously understand the Solitary Falcon’s rage…..

The Sixth Brother was obviously aware of his own exceptional speed, and knew that he was even faster than an average Peak Sky Xuan expert, but he was completely unaware that the Solitary Falcon was as fast….. in his own league. The only difference was…. The Solitary Falcon was a Peak Spirit Xuan expert!

He was only vaguely able to see Solitary Falcon’s hand extending to grab his wrist, which was followed by a snapping sound made by his shattering hand, post which the Solitary Falcon released his wrist and then slapped his waist, and then moved his hand upwards to tilt the man’s head backwards. The usually agile and nimble man wasn’t even able to offer even a shred-worth’s resistance in front of the Solitary Falcon’s speed and strength, and ended up turning into a punching doll for the Solitary Falcon.

The Solitary Falcon was completely indifferent to the life and death of such sideshows, and simply threw the death body, sending it spinning like a windmill in the direction of deceased’s remaining companions.

The nine people reached out to grab their falling brother, but the rotation speed of their brother’s dead body was too fast from them to catch him, and several of these nine men were sent flying down to the ground under the force of the collision, along with their dead companion. The dead body of the Sixth Brother fell to the ground and continued to spin on the ground for a while, splashing and spraying the water in all directions like a beautiful and colorful fountain before finally coming to a stop under the effect of the friction from the turf underneath!

His companions quickly approached their fallen comrade, and were left shrieking angrily after seeing the plight of their brother’s body.

It can be awfully difficult to imagine the dead body of a man spinning like a windmill; but it was even worse to see it after it had stopped spinning!

His arms had been broken in more than seventy eight places under the effect of the Solitary Falcon’s powerful grip; his legs had been folded backwards since the slap on his waist had completely shattered his hip bone, along with his Dan Tian, while his head was turned backwards. Even if the man had survived these strikes, he would have been left worse than paralyzed!

There is no problem with courage as it is, or with hoping to take advantage of a situation, but the one rash mistake that this man had made was that: he hadn’t been able to interpret that he was contesting against a man far beyond his league.

The leader of the platoon, Lei Jian Hong howled in grief and indignation, stood up and thundered: “Solitary Falcon! You’re ruthless! And since you’ve killed our brother, we will see to it that you die an even worse death!”

The Solitary Falcon obviously wasn’t in a very good mood at the moment, and therefore cursed back: “Go to your mother! This guy dared to offend me, and so he deserves what he got! If you also dare to annoy me, then Li Wu Bei will lose more disciples today!”

The hearts of the remaining nine people puffed up with rage, but they suppressed their anger anyway. There was nothing they could do against this man right now. In case they attacked him as recklessly as their brother had, then the Solitary Falcon was more than capable of killing all nine of them as well. Naturally, their best plan of action would be to temporarily endure the pain of their loss, and then slowly channel that anger into plotting their revenge.

Moreover, it was rather obvious that offending the sanctity a Peak Spirit Xuan would come with a considerable price to pay!

“Falcon, this fight is too boring, it’s not as much fun as you and me alone. So how about you and I join hands and sort these guys out first, and then we can go and find some quite place. I’ll let you enjoy a good ‘Three days and three nights’ worth of fighting, and you can give me that Xuan Core in return…. What do you say?” Shi Chang Xiao’s one sentence turned everyone’s faces pale with fright!

If these two Peak Spirit Xuan masters joined hands, then no one apart from the Three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City would have any chances of escaping their combined strength; even Fei Meng Chen, a Spirit Xuan expert wouldn’t be an exception.

After all he was only one man, and wouldn’t be able to escape the combined wrath of two men who were both far more powerful than himself.

The Solitary Falcon laughed as his eyes slowly started turning in a circle, scanning the bodies of all the men, who had already started to step back in fear. As they saw the sharp and blood-thirsty eyes of the Solitary Falcon, some people even started preparing to drop their weapons so they could turn around and run in full force at a moment’s notice.

The Solitary Falcon started laughing even louder: “Shi Chang Xiao, do you really think I’m stupid enough to help you and your men kill everyone here so that you and your men could get this Xuan Core from me later on with ease?! If I help you kill everyone first, then you and your men will be able to take this Xuan Core from me in a heartbeat, but if I don’t… then I can still enjoy a good fight.”

Solitary Falcon’s argument immediately woke everyone with a start; in case the Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao reached an agreement, then these two Peak Spirit Xuan masters would easily be able to annihilate everyone present on the scene; they may not even spare the lives of Shi Chang Xiao’s own comrades. Later however, even though the Solitary Falcon would prove out to be weaker than Shi Chang Xiao in their one-on-one combat, he wouldn’t mind paying the Xuan Core as a price for a good and satisfying fight; especially considering the fact that he would be guaranteed to survive the fight since he could escape the lone Peak Spirit Xuan master at any time!

In fact, this meant that Shi Chang Xiao would earn far more than the Xuan Core in this deal. It was evident that some of the best experts from all over the continent had gathered to contest for this Xuan Core, and the deaths of these men would be enough to shake the entire power structure of their backing organizations, which would prove out to be a priceless gift for the Shen Ci Empire’s Emperor. And thus, using the Solitary Falcon’s assistance to slaughter so many powerful experts could even earn Shi Chang Xiao the title of the Shen Ci Empire’s Imperial State Teacher!

Chapter 186 – Talking tree?

Shi Chang Xiao was still looking at the Solitary Falcon in the hope that his counterpart would reply in acceptance, but the man turned around without a word and ‘bang’ ‘bang’ ‘bang’ broke into the circle where the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City were standing. Then, his figure flashed forward and made a beeline for Fei Meng Chen and struck him thrice in quick succession, and was then upon the nine remaining disciples of Li Wu Bei before Fei Meng Chen had even shrieked out from pain; he slapped the nine people in their faces, and then proceeded to slapping the six Sky Xuan experts of Shi Chang Xiao’s team……

In a matter of seconds, this Peak Spirit Xuan maniac had managed to demonstrate his prowess by striking almost twenty experts!

This burst of movement clearly demonstrated why he had managed to kill off the Six Brother of the ten disciples of Li Wu Bei; The Solitary Falcon’s speed and agility had no equal!

Jun Mo Xie loudly applauded the Solitary Falcon’s skill inwardly from his secret hiding place, even though the Solitary Falcon was actually spoiling his entire hard-worked plan; given the temperament of the young master Jun, he wasn’t the kind of man to ignore someone’s talents!

The Solitary Falcon’s violent and aggressive move obviously infuriated everyone present, and undoubtedly aroused their tempers; after all, everyone else was busy trying to understand the twist and turns of the wild schemes in play here, while this warmongering maniac was actually trying to take advantage of it!

Everyone’s eyes reddened; not for the Xuan Core’s sake, but from rage; and they charged right back at him, not for their rage, but for the sake of the Xuan Core! The Solitary Falcon’s expression started becoming increasingly excited as the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City charged towards him again, and he stretched his arms out whilst laughing and roaring, prepared to face them all again!

Another silhouette flashed, and Shi Chang Xiao joined the battle circle with one hand dedicated to fight the Solitary Falcon, while his other hand was attacking the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City; the five men started revolving in a carousel like circle, divided into three sides with each man fighting against at least two enemies at the same time.

Shi Chang Xiao had already identified that neither of the two sides was capable of competing against him on their own, and in case he was able to weaken even side, then he could easily use his full force and settle the fight in his favor!

“Ha ha, this is interesting!” Fei Meng Chen laughed as he flashed forward and joined this group of Spirit Xuan experts, punching the Solitary Falcon’s back and kicking Shi Chang Xiao’s waist to mark his arrival.

Fei Meng Chen was the Yu Tang Empire’s State Teacher, and was naturally smart enough to analyze the situation in an instant. He had already realized that in case Shi Chang Xiao succeeded in weakening either of his two oppositions, then the man could easily turn the tables on everyone. However, his own personal strength was even weaker than each of the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City, and therefore all he could do was balance the power of this battle by balancing the three sides so that the battle could continue for as long as possible!

The Six Spirit Xuan experts were presently revolving around in mid-air like a ball……

Apart from the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City, each of the other men in this battle-ball was being attacked from at least three sides at the same time since they were all completely surrounded by their enemies from all directions; front, right, right, and back. The eyes of each man were constantly revolving in all four directions in order to thwart the constant wave of incoming attacks……

All the six Spirit Xuan experts were trying to control the scope of their shot range, after all, if the power of the Xuan Qi was to spread out, then they would end up annihilating the entire city; even Shi Chang Xiao was no exception. Although Shi Chang Xiao had attempted to plot against everyone earlier, he was still reluctant to let his own men die since the lives of six Sky Xuan experts was worth more than the Xuan Core itself. However, as the battle started becoming fiercer and fiercer, their control started to decrease.

A silhouette flickered as the Solitary Falcon surged higher into the Sky in the middle fighting everyone, and then rushed back into the circle laughing loudly.

This move evidently demonstrated the one advantage that the Solitary Falcon had above everyone else; even Shi Chang Xiao: Owing to his exceptional speed, he was capable of withdrawing himself from this battle at any time!

Lei Jing Hong and his companions were busy spectating this battle; but at time when the Solitary Falcon rose up in the sky, another silhouette flickered to his side, leaving him startled. This Silhouette slapped him straight in his face, and then disappeared like a blowing breeze; leaving the victim understandably infuriated!

The Solitary Falcon is up in the air, so who attacked me this time?

Several of his companions turned around to see their leader, Lei Jian Hong falling to ground, trying to grab onto his comrade’s arm for support, and clenched their fists in anger upon realizing that their companion had been sneakily attacked again.

Naturally, they felt that his sneak attack must have been the doing of the Six Sky Xuan experts from the Yu Tang Empire since a faint blue light had flashed at the time of the attack. Believing that their brother was attacked by the Six Yu Tang experts, they angrily charged towards those six men. Lei Jian Hong’s team had no idea what had happened, but figured that standing idly could cost them their lives; after all they believed that this mischief was caused by a team of Six Sky Xuan experts, and hence they withdrew their swords without any hesitation and charged out for a battle!

That sly slap on Lei Jian Hong’s face was obviously Jun Mo Xie’s doing!

The Young Master Jun had cast out the Yin Yang Escape law, and had escaped into the ground, and then the falling rain. Plus, he had even issued a faint blue light to divert the blame; and since the heavens hadn’t yet decided to stop the rain from pouring down, Jun Mo Xie managed to escape undetected!

Lei Jian Hong was obviously not able to realize this truth, and charged out feeling anguished by this slap.

And thus, the young master Jun managed to stir up a conflict between these two idly spectating teams as well.

Since Jun Mo Xie’s plan wasn’t going as intended, the next most beneficial thing to do would be to cause more chaos; the more chaos, the higher the number of dead bodies would be, and the higher the number of dead bodies, the weaker his enemies would become…….

At first, both these parties were trying to save their energies in order to facilitate their plans of stealing the Xuan Core later on, but now that they were charging at each other like mad men.

A piercing scream filled the sky amidst the howling and clashing of sword, marking the sight of first blood!

“AAAAAA!” Even though the Solitary Falcon was the fastest amongst everyone present, but he wasn’t the strongest. And even though he was enjoying this battle more than anyone, he was also the one under the maximum amount of pressure…….

The Solitary Falcon roared wildly, and spread out his arms as his Peak Spirit Xuan level Xuan Qi spread out unabashedly in all directions.

Shi Chang Xiao trembled with fear for one second, by then immediately solidified his stance, and released his own Xuan Qi to withstand the Solitary Falcon’s attack.

Fei Meng Chen and the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City immediately flew out! The difference in strength of these six experts was clearly visible in this moment.

The two powerful Qi fields collided mid-air; a fierce and piercing sound was issued and it seemed as if the entire space had come to a stand-still; the rain ceased from pouring down, and started flowing skywards instead, making for a miraculous spectacle.

All building within a twenty meter radius collapsed to the ground almost instantaneously, and all the grass and bushed were uprooted while the trees trunks snapped into two regardless of their thickness, and were sent out flying in all directions.

The fierce after-effect of this collision left everyone staring blackly at each other; even the two Peak Spirit Xuan masters were staring at each other dumbstruck!

Because this annihilation was accompanied by another very strange occurrence…….

One of the breaking trees had very clearly spoken something before snapping into two. The two words of this tree were brief, powerful and sonorous:

“Damn it!”

Did that tree actually talk?

And then the tree actually spoke another sentence:

“Fight if you want to, but why are you punishing trees like me?”

“This is the voice of that mysterious black-masked man!” the Third Elder blurted out.

It seems that guy has been hiding in that tree all along; this was no miracle…. It has to be him!

Even though Shi Chang Xiao and the Solitary Falcon felt rather strange about this new development, they both simultaneously flew out, and smashed that tree to sawdust!

But they were very disappointed with this talking tree……

Even though they had all heard the tree talk, there was no one inside it!

The two supreme beings were left staring at each blankly, ashamed at their skill: the two of them had undertaken the task together……. And still the person had somehow managed to slip away!

Jun Mo Xie had been cheerfully hiding inside the trunk of the tree, and was analyzing the merit and demerit of his actions; the benefits he felt he could derive from this situation, the happier he would become. But then suddenly the tree’s trunk snapped into two……

The size of this tree’s trunk was enough to conceal Jun Mo Xie’s body, so naturally the force that broke it was enough to hurt his spine. He somehow managed to restrain his scream, but wasn’t able to restrain his abuses.

He immediately realized his mistake after cursing out, and then tried to make up for it with the sentence he spoke immediately after; however, knowing that he had exposed his hiding spot, he immediately vanished into the ground below……

The two Peak Spirit Xuan experts immediately felt an empty feeling inside their stomach.

Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao was staring at each other with confused look on their faces at the moment, and were soon joined by the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City. They all started looking at each other, trying to assess if this cheap trickster had somehow managed to fool them all. The Solitary Falcon removed the Xuan Core from his pocket and shouted: “This thing is broken; I don’t want it!” his hands trembled as he threw the Xuan Core in Fei Meng Chen’s direction.

Fei Meng Chen had already resigned to the fact that he would never get his hands on the Xuan Core, and was naturally overjoyed to realize that the Xuan Core was now falling straight into his hands by a twist of fate. He stepped forward to garb the Xuan Core, but instantly heard a rustling-like sound, which was obviously being made by everyone else’s movement in his background…….

Chapter 187 – Fishing in troubled waters

Fei Meng Chen grunted and started blaming the Solitary Falcon for his personal misfortunes; this guy has intentionally thrown the Xuan Core in my direction so he can reduce the pressure on himself. If things had remained as they were earlier, the five of us would have easily injured him… we might have even killed him!

He decisively threw the Xuan Core away the moment it touched his palm since this thought crossed his mind, and shouted: “I don’t want it!” The Xuan Core suddenly changed its direction and made a beeline for the Third Elder of the Silver Blizzard City.

Fei Meng Chen and the Solitary Falcon were both quite smart, and had intentionally made sure that they didn’t toss the Xuan Core towards Shi Chang Xiao. Shi Chang Xiao would have bluntly grabbed the Xuan Core, and would have then fled away with it! His objective was obviously not the same as the Solitary Falcon’s since he was here to procure the Xuan Core!

And no one present on this scene was capable of stopping him!

The Solitary Falcon might have the ability to catch up to him, but he was rather unlikely to chase after the man since he only wished to fight.

The Xuan Core continued to fly back and forth the battlefield since no one had the courage to seize it…..

This Xuan Core was no longer a treasure at this point, but was more like a messenger of death! Whoever tried to grab the Xuan Core would inevitably become the target of everyone else!

Shi Chang Xiao had tried to rush in to grab the Xuan Core several times during this time, but ended up getting frustrated since he was obstructed each time by a laughing and giggling Solitary Falcon, and would eventually have to submit into fighting his counterpart master…..

The Solitary Falcon was really enjoying himself, and was laughing non-stop; however Shi Chang Xiao was looking extremely depressed. Although his speed was quite extraordinary, but it was nothing compared to the Solitary Falcon’s, and hence there was no way in which he could block the Solitary Falcon’s strikes while hoping to acquire the Xuan Core simultaneously. All he could do was anxiously look on and continue to fight against his competition with full force, and turn their faces pale with fright. Even Fei Meng Chen was having a hard time…..

The Xuan Core on the other hand, continued to get transferred back and forth the battlefield for a long time; neither falling to the ground, nor staying in anyone’s hands for more than half-a-second……

In case a modern volleyball player had managed to witness this superb game, the player would have inevitably prostrated in front of these five Spirit Xuan experts in admiration!

The Solitary Falcon’s deliberation had allowed Jun Mo Xie to cause more mischief as well; the young master Jun had been stealthily circling around the battlefield, and had been causing more causality; in fact, even Shi Chang Xiao had been cut twice by now.

Jun Mo Xie had managed to find himself a relatively neutral place between the Spirit Xuan experts and the Sky Xuan experts at the time when the Solitary Falcon had tossed the Xuan Core away. However, his situation could best be described as that of a man who’s performing a dance on a wire.

Although his body was in a stealth state, but his body was still real, and in case even one of these experts brushed his body, then they would realize his presence, and his life would end-up in a whole lot of danger; after all, the young master Jun was considerably weaker than every man present on the scene.

But he was still willing to undertake this risky task since it was important for him to control the criticality of this situation. The first most important thing was that, he simply couldn’t allow this Xuan Core to fall into Shi Chang Xiao’s hands; else his entire plan would crumble. The next most important thing was to ensure Fei Meng Chen’s survival; in case he died, then the consequences of the aftermath would be too severe. And the third; he needed to ensure that the Solitary Falcon was able to realize his true potential.

The Tian Xiang Empire’s foreign affairs had been keeping a peaceful approach in these past few years, but the Emperor was still slyly trying to weaken the enemy’s forces. Fei Meng Chen and Shi Chang Xiao were powerful and influential men in their country, so much so that they could be regarded as the cornerstones of the Yu Tang Empire. Therefore, the Jun Family had been asked to ensure that such military powers of the enemy states be weakened, but without starting a war.

Their deaths would obviously be the best way of achieving this objective; however Jun Mo Xie was shamelessly enjoying playing this role of a ‘semi-traitor’ at the moment.

Whenever Jun Mo Xie would get a chance, he would deliberately try to push the Xuan Core between the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City and the nine remaining disciples of Li Wu Bei; the result was obviously very, very, very effective. The Three Elders were simply unable to cope up with this pressure, in fact, the Sixth and the Ninth Elder had already started to bleed from the corner of their mouths.

As for the nine remaining disciples of Li Wu Bei, they were fighting against an equally strong opposition at the moment. Jun Mo Xie had tactically redirected the Xuan Core towards them about four or five times by now, giving them hope; and whoever received this Xuan Core would inevitably try to flee in full speed in the hope of getting away by fluke, but would inevitably find their way obstructed by either Shi Chang Xiao or the Solitary Falcon, and would have to toss the Xuan Core back towards someone else at the cost sustaining a few additional injuries.

Even though Shi Chang Xiao and the Solitary Falcon had noticed something strange about this Xuan Core’s movement on occasion, but since they had never heard of a possibility of Jun Mo Xie’s stealth abilities in their entire lifetime, they never paid much attention to it.

The Solitary Falcon was obviously really enjoying this confusion, but Jun Mo Xie was enjoying it even more. However, two black dressed men were secretly hiding on top of a tree branch a few meters away; their hawk-like eyes were staring at this confusing battle scene, but it was arousing more and more doubts in their hearts.

“Third Brother, you see that Xuan Core….. I’ve been trying to read the purity of its aura for a long time now, and there’s no doubt that it’s a top-notch Xuan Core, but why do I feel something strange about it still?” one of the black-dressed man blinked his eyes twice: “It looks so mouth-watering…. Like I almost want to bite it? I’ve seen a lot of top-notch Xuan Cores in my lifetime, but I’ve never felt this way before…….” he gulped a mouthful of saliva down his throat.

“Something is wrong; but it’s not with the purity of this Xuan Core’s aura. However, its force seems more……” the man being referred to as ‘Third Brother’ paused for a second, shook his head and then continued: “This force seems very similar to one that comes from the Tian Fa cave, but it’s still more tempting than the Tian Fa cave!”

“We must find a way to seize this Core, else the boss will…….” the third Brother stopped mid-sentence as his entire body trembled with fear.

“Uh……. Third Brother, please don’t mention the boss when it’s just the two of us….. it gives me the chills.” The other black-dressed man also shivered in fear, and sneakily looked backwards; seemingly afraid that his ‘boss’ might have suddenly appeared behind him.

“The boss certainly has no time to care for you right now; ever since the second brother has left, the boss has been angrily looking for him. If the boss was to catch a hold of second Brother then… he he he……” the third Brother’s face exposed a sly smile, almost as if he would enjoy the sight of this so-called ‘second brother’ being sorted out by their boss.

“The Second Brother left in search of better future, but is he really better off than us in his freedom? I really don’t understand this.” The black-dressed man shook his head: “If I ever see him again, I will definitely attack him; I’ll tear him apart!”

“You? Hmmmm….. If you were to face him alone, then I think the Second Brother would simply kill you on the spot!” the Third Brother looked dismissingly at his companion: “You’re nothing in front of him; do you really think that you can face the Second Brother’s claws? Did you even consider them?”

“His claws are indeed powerful, buy I’m sure I can handle myself! Although, they are really powerful, that I must admit!” The man may not be convinced of his inferiority, but he still respected the threat.

“Take note that Shi Chang Xiao is the most powerful one here, and he would try hard to garb the Xuan Core! Prepare to move into action, we’re going in for the Xuan Core!” The third brother issued the command and the two men moved into action like a gust of wind. Their foot movement was so magnificently stealth, that it seemed as if they were walking on the raindrops!

However, even though there were several Spirit Xuan experts on the scene, no one noticed them; not even Shi Chang Xiao and the Solitary Falcon!

It was unclear if these men were even stronger than these two Peak Spirit Xuan experts…. But it was rather obvious that the two supreme beings had taken no notice of their presence thus far!

Shi Chang Xiao roared, and then issued a Qi field from his body; then, he rushed forward to grab the falling Xuan Core once again. The Xuan Core was flying closely by his body at the moment, and the Solitary Falcon was busy fighting with Fei Meng Chen; this was the best chance that he had seen since the starting of this entire confusion!

The remaining five Spirit Xuan experts were all aware of his intention, but failed to obstruct him anyway. The three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City weren’t strong enough to withstand his strength and ducked away pitying their fortunes, only to rejoice in the fact that they wouldn’t sustain any further injuries, and looked on helplessly as Shi Chang Xiao advanced towards the Xuan Core.

Although Fei Meng Chen was reluctant to let the Xuan Core fall into Shi Chang Xiao’s hands, but his strength was barely at par with the Third Elder of the Silver Blizzard city, and wasn’t even remotely enough to match up to Shi Chang Xiao. He had only intended to balance the power of this battle, and had now somehow managed to get himself tangled with the Solitary Falcon in a battle; ah, why am I so unfortunate…? there’s nothing I can do but watch…..

Only one man was capable of stopping Shi Chang Xiao, and that one man was the Solitary Falcon. The Solitary Falcon was the quickest and most agile man amongst the ‘Eight Great Master’, and was second to none; even Shi Chang Xiao wasn’t capable of matching his speed. He was the only one who could get to this Xuan Core in time enough to thwart Shi Chang Xiao’s plans, but would then have to face the angry man’s desperation.

Unfortunately, the Solitary Falcon had no intention of doing so; after all, his intention wasn’t to win over the Xuan Core since his addiction for battles was far more powerful than his desire for worldly objects. As far as he was concerned, if could cross swords with Fei Meng Chen for as long as he wished to, then he was more than willing to let Shi Chang Xiao take the Xuan Core!

The Solitary Falcon had already made up his mind, and Shi Chang Xiao had understood this fact, which is why he had moved into action in full force since he knew that even though several powerful experts were present on the scene, no one would be able to stop him unless the Solitary Falcon decided to cause trouble!

He extended his right hand to grab the Xuan Core as he flew closer to the flying Xuan Core!

Shi Chang Xiao was flying at full speed, just waiting to welcome the Xuan Core in his hands!

The hearts of this supreme master was obviously very excited: Peak level Nine Xuan Core ah! Finally it’s coming into my hands!

Chapter 188 – An unforeseen event

Shi Chang Xiao had already decided that he’d flee once he had gotten his hands on the Xuan Core. His cultivation level had already reached the peak of Spirit Xuan realm several years ago, but there hadn’t been any progress ever since. However, he could attack the next bottleneck with the help of this Xuan Core, and could then reach new and insurmountable heights!

Shi Chang Xiao was confident that he would become capable of waging and winning a battle against Mo Wen Tian after he had succeeded in expanding his Xuan Qi further, and was sure that he could even challenge Li Jue Tian thereafter, which meant that he would rise up in the list of the ‘Eight Great Masters’!

If he was successful in defeating Li Jue Tian, then his name would be spoken in the same breath as Yun Bei Chen!

He’d be at the peak of the world!

Even the Yu Tang Empire would benefit from this, and would become the overlord of the Xuan Xuan continent! After all, the strongest man alive, Shi Chang Xiao would belong to the Yu Tang Empire!

Shi Chang Xiao couldn’t control his excitement as these thoughts gushed about in his head, so much so that he had even started to thank the Solitary Falcon for allowing him to seize this opportunity!

The Three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City were flatly unable to understand the reason behind the Solitary Falcon’s lack of action at the moment, but knew that they simply couldn’t allow Shi Chang Xiao to succeed. Therefore, the three of them joined hands once again, and rallied to attack Shi Chang Xiao!

However, Shi Chang Xiao was so close to success at the moment that he completely ignored their advance, and focused his attention on getting his hands on the Xuan Core first! The three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City had been refraining from using their Qi fields to contest against Shi Chang Xiao for the fear of sustaining injuries, but that fear was nothing compared to the terror that Shi Chang Xiao would reek in case he succeeded in capturing this Xuan Core!

The situation however, had already gotten out of hand now……

Jun Mo Xie stared at the proceeding helplessly; even though the Yin and Yang Escape law was beyond anyone’s strangest imagination, and even though the Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao were unable to detect his presence as a result, but even though his silhouette was invisible, his body was real. If he rashly rushed into Shi Chang Xiao’s Qi field, and something went wrong then he’d end up in a significant amount of danger; after all, his strength was much weaker in comparison!

Aren’t those two weird looking guys going to do anything? Jun Mo Xie was rather angry at the moment, and had already started cursing inwardly. In fact, Jun Mo Xie had even forgotten that those two strange looking men weren’t under his control…..

Should I use the Hongjun Pagoda’s burst as a last resort? The Young Master Jun couldn’t help wondering; If things get out of control then I’ll use it as a last resort!

However, another unexpected turn of events startled everyone again……

“That Xuan Core belongs to me!” a loud voice rang!

Coincidentally this loud voice’s sound coincided with a bolt of thunder; however, the booming sound of this voice actually managed to suppress the sound of the thunder!

The powerful and sonorous voice rang in everyone’s ears, and seeped all the way down to the bottom of their souls!

Two black colored figures emerged from their hiding spot at speeds surpassing that of thunder strikes; one of the two men was in humanly big and burly! In fact, his body was so huge that even Dugu Wudi’s stature seemed humble in from of him!

He smashed his way forward and past the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City, and then landing straight in front of Fei Meng Chen and the Solitary Falcon, and started punching them wildly.

The other man floated through the air swiftly and towards Shi Chang Xiao; comparing his body’s stealth to smoke would have been an understatement as he casually extended his arm and grabbed the Xuan Core right from under Shi Chang Xiao’s nose. Meanwhile, his other hand firmly stretched out to confront the angered Shi Chang Xiao’s desperate attack, and solidly collided with Shi Chang Xiao’s palm!

“Bang” their collision gave rise to a loud noise, and Shi Chang Xiao was sent staggering back in the air, unable to control his decreasing altitude; the black colored man was already sent out somersaulting through the air, creating a marvelous air show, but then his body suddenly changed its direction in the most bizarre of ways, and he starting speeding away with the Xuan Core!

“Got it, let’s go!”

Jun Mo Xie’s mind was thrown in a state of complete shock all of a sudden, and he immediately started pushing his Qi into the Hongjun Pagoda to incite the Pagoda into full force rotations in the hope of using its energy to regain control over the situation.

Since Jun Mo Xie had deployed the Pagoda into action under the cover of the Yin Yang Escape Law’s stealth, the Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao took no notice of it, but the body of that black colored man who was bolting away with the Xuan Core immediately trembled, and he suddenly turned around. His sparkling eyes started searching for the source of this momentum, clearly reflecting the desires of his heart; however, his speed of escape still didn’t reduce.

Even the other black colored man’s body trembled at the instant when the Hongjun Pagoda was set into motion, and he too started looking around in all directions.

That big and burly man was engaged in combat against five Spirit Xuan experts at the moment, but he was making no attempt to dodge their attacks. In fact, he was readily exchanging blows with them, kicking them back for every kick, and punching them back for every punch he received. His body had turned into a punching bag for the five Spirit Xuan Experts, and all five of them punched and kicked him several times in quick succession, forcing the man to cover his stomach with his hands for protection as he screamed twice to relieve himself of his physical pain.

However, his other hand still continued to punch the three Elder of the Silver Blizzard City, and the sheer weight of his hands was enough to give three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City something to think about!

This man continued to exchange blows with the five Spirit Xuan experts till his comrade issued to command for retreat. However, once the command was given, he changing his strategy and started trying to escape away from his enemies. However, everyone had already realized his intention, and they all quickly formed a circle around him, kicking and punching him in unison to ensure that he wouldn’t be able to escape out alive!

Suddenly another astonishing thing happened…….

The burly man made no move to defend himself this time either, and charged out of the encirclement, taking all the attacks on his body. Even though his body trembled under the effect of the paralyzing pain, he paid no attention to it until he had forced his way out of the encirclement; then, he howled in pain, twisted his waist, and spat out a mouthful of blood….

And then, he spread out his giant feet, and bolted away from the crowd to safety.

The Solitary Falcon, Fei Meng Chen and the three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City simply looked on with dismal in their eyes!

This man cultivation level must have already reached the Spirit Xuan realm, which was quite an exceptional and rare feat in its own merit. However, even though it seemed as if he was marginally stronger than Fei Meng Chen, he was still visibly much weaker than the Solitary Falcon! Everyone present had already been able to assess this very clearly by now!

However, even then this mad maniac had somehow pulled off a stunt such as fighting solo against five Spirit Xuan experts without defending himself; a feat that even Yun Bei Chen wouldn’t dream of attempting!

Even though these Spirit Xuan experts had already consumed a fair amount of their energies, they were still all Spirit Xuan experts! Even if a team of five Spirit Xuan strong had confronted these experts, they wouldn’t have acted in such a bold manner either; especially when one considers the fact that these five Spirit Xuan experts were all in a very desperate and hysterical state of mind at the moment…..

This man had not only survived so many blows, but had actually managed to escape away at the mere cost of some blood loss! And even though he had sustained some injuries, his injuries still didn’t affect the speed at which he was fleeing away from them! What is going on? Isn’t this affair getting stranger with every passing moment?!

This sudden change of events had obviously left Shi Chang Xiao the most depressed out of the lot, after all, he was closest to success at the time these two men had intervened. Even though his anger was on the verge of exploding, the suspicion of his heart suppressed it……

There are barely a handful of people in this world who are actually capable of walking straight past my Qi Field, and then repel me in combat to steal away something from right under my nose… and I can name all of them…… but who was this guy?

The only thing that I’m sure is that, this man isn’t one of the ‘Eight Great Master’….. but who apart from us would have the courage to charge into a tiger’s den in this manner?

The other black colored man’s scream instantly woke up Shi Chang Xiao from his train of thoughts, and he immediately realized that this man had a partner, and therefore he naturally thought of intercepting the man’s partner instead. However, he turned around and witnessed the madness with which that man was making his escape from an encirclement of five Spirit Xuan experts, and was left glued to his spot with his mouth hung open in shock……

A team of two people had somehow managed to sneak in, and had then managed to steal a Xuan Core from the hands of two Peak Spirit Xuan experts, four Spirit Xuan experts, and about twenty Sky Xuan experts…..

If this news ever got out, it would bring them all a whole lot of shame.

However, no one had any time to think about all the disgrace they would have to suffer since they were still busy standing glued to their spot speechlessly out of utter shock and disbelief! The fighting capabilities of these two people were unheard off! Even Yun Bei Chen wasn’t capable of doing what these two men had just demonstrated!

“My God, who were those monsters?” an Earth Xuan who had been spectating the fight from the outermost periphery after injuring himself severely in battle, opened his mouth in horror and spoke up, not even bothering about the raindrops that went straight into his mouth.

Even though his reaction was a fairly normal one, but Shi Chang Xiao and the Solitary Falcon immediately halted in their steads even though they had just decided to follow after these two people! They both stared at each other with eyes wide open; anyone could clearly see the look of horror in their usually confident eyes!

Fei Meng Chen slowly flew over towards them, and asked with a serious look on his face, “Were they?” he spoke his sentence in a rather soft tone.

The Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao grunted; the face of these two Peak Spirit Xuan masters had already turned pale. Fei Meng Chen’s face also changed colors, making a total ‘pale face’ count of three……

The three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City were also looking at each other in horror. The Sixth Elder wiped the wisps of blood which was staining the corner of his mouth: “The Tian Fa is……”

“My ass!” the Third Elder snapped angrily: “You think you’re so smart? Haven’t we been ashamed enough for one day… isn’t this already enough?” then he sighed, and said: “Since they have already joined this fray, we should immediately pack up and get out of here with the Little Princess.”

“Would they come back again?” Shi Chang Xiao frowned as he muttered to himself; he stretched out his hand, and looked at his palm which now had four red marks on it! If it wasn’t for my Qi field’s protection, then I would have lost my hand! This palm mark resembles that of a wild beast rather than that of a human…….

Shi Chang Xiao flexed his fingers, sighed and said: “and now my hand has touched them, but is that legend really true?” the fear of the trauma he had just suffered was still lingering in his voice.

Chapter 189 – Lethal flying knives

(TL: hey guys, I might have accidently mentioned that Shi Chang Xiao was from Yu Tang Empire because he was kind of teaming up with Fei Meng Chen initially, but he’s actually from the Shen Ci Empire [as mentioned in his introduction back in the ‘Eight Great master, chapter 161’].)

“You’ve already given up? I think you are capable of catching up with them, beating them up and recovering that Xuan Core if you want to….. you just need to have the spine for it!” the Solitary Falcon gloated a schadenfreude smile: “That’s right! And maybe you’ll encounter a supreme being… and who knows, maybe you’ll win and your epic battle will be remembered for an eternity to come……”

Shi Chang Xiao’s entire body stiffened as he heard these words; he furiously turned around and ferociously roared: “Shut your trap! Keep your damned words to yourself unless you wish to die!”

It must be mentioned that Shi Chang Xiao was not only one of the ‘Eight Great Masters’, but also a rather old-fashioned and civilized man, and therefore it was quite difficult for most people to imagine him screaming abuses at anyone; let alone another member of the ‘Eight Great Masters’! He was staring right in the eyes of the Solitary Falcon, and everyone else had already started preparing themselves for the inevitable fight which would normally follow after such an exchange!

However, beyond all expectations, this exchange failed to rekindle the flame of war!

If these words had been spoken under any other circumstances, then it would have resulted in a very sharp response from the Solitary Falcon, and would have aroused a fierce battle between the two masters. However, the Solitary Falcon not only did not lose his temper, but actually broke into laughter instead.

Most people were left standing dumbstruck with a perplexed look on their face, unable to understand the reason. However, several people seemed to be depriving pleasure from the misfortunes of their counterparts at the moment: if an ‘Eight Great Masters’ like figure was left tumbling in the air, then why should I feel ashamed?

The nine disciples of Li Wu Bei had already realized that even though their Sixth Brother wasn’t moving after facing the Solitary Falcon, he hadn’t yet succumbed to his death, but was in a coma at the moment; inching closer to his death. They were all huddled next to a big tree at the moment, using one hand to assist their injured comrades, while using the other to maintain their guard. Out of these ten people, six had sustained injuries in the battle which had just taken place, while the Sixth Brother wasn’t just very seriously injured, but had also managed to land himself in a coma.

“The Xuan Core is gone, so what’s the plan now? Young Li will be very disappointed.” Lei Jian Hong sighed, and said: “Who could have thought that even using our entire strength in a battle would turn out to be completely useless…..”

“No one could have…… since even two of the ‘Eight Great Masters’ were unable to do anything, I believe that even our own Master would have come out empty handed in this battle…. So please don’t take this to your heart Big Brother.”

The young woman stationed behind him spoke in a low tone: “Moreover, even the Three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City were rendered useless, so what are we worth in such a fight?” her words immediately eased the tension inside their group.

“The Six Brother is now…… Young Li would have wanted to use him to keep an eye on Jun Mo Xie, so what about that now?” Lei Jian Hong frowned under the effect of the pain he felt upon watching his comrade’s nearly lifeless body.

“Young Li hails from the Imperial Tutor’s household; he’s clever and resourceful, and he’ll surely find someone else to carry out this task.” The woman replied: “If he isn’t able to find any suitable candidates, then I’ll take over that responsibility.”

“I’m interested in knowing who those two black people were? How could they have been so powerful? There are only a handful of people in this world with so much power, but I didn’t recognize either of those two! What’s even more surprising is that even though they were weaker than Shi Chang Xiao and the Solitary Falcon, these two men still aren’t chasing after them……. The Solitary Falcon didn’t come here for the Xuan Core, so I can understand his inaction, but even Shi Chang isn’t chasing after them….. which is very surprising since he was willing to risk everything for that Xuan Core earlier…..”

“You’re right; I believe that even though the strength of those two people was lesser than the Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao, they have surely reached the Spirit Xuan realm. Although we don’t know who these mysterious experts are… therefore I can only conclude that their origination must be beyond the scope of our knowledge!”

The woman’s beautiful eyebrows puckered in puzzlement as she asked: “But what’s bothering me even more is this…… Why do the Solitary Falcon and Shi Chang Xiao seem afraid of them? Is there a force in this world that even these two masters are afraid of provoking?”

“Could there really be a force in this world that even the ‘Eight Great Masters’ are afraid to provoke?” Lei Jian Hong frowned.

No member in his team was capable of answering this question.

But their conversation had already caught the attention of Jun Mo Xie, who was still in his stealth state. Jun Mo Xie’s hands had already started to itch at the time he heard that they were Li You Ran’s companions, and this itch got even worse when he heard that Li You Ran had asked them to keep an eye on him. As a result, Jun Mo Xie simply couldn’t control his urge to kill again.

The rain was finally beginning to ease down a bit.

“Brother Shi, Brother Falcon, Brother Fei Meng Chen, if the three of us have wronged you today, then please allow us to make up for it with some of our finest tea the next time we meet.” The Third Elder of the Silver Blizzard City stepped forward, and said: “If there’s nothing else left to say, then we will take your leave now.”

Several distant silhouettes had already started dispersing by now; several of the City’s forces including the military had gathered to plunder the Xuan Core. They had all already realized that it was fruitless to linger around anymore since the Xuan Core was already gone, and had chosen to return to their shelters over standing pointlessly in the rain.

Shi Chang Xiao replied lightly as the Three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City started to leave: “Please don’t blame yourself for the falling out here today; but I will take you up on that invitation later on.”

The three Elders chuckled, leaped upwards, converged with their other four companions, and left.

A hurricane stormed the sky as soon as they left, and it seemed that the Solitary Falcon had also decided to leave; but without even properly saying his goodbyes. Although he did say a few parting words before he left, however it seemed that his voice was sounding from a fair distance away: “It offends me that the Silver Blizzard City thinks they can charm us all by their silly tea, and oh, tell Han Feng Xue that I’ll come looking for him! Li Wu Bei’s disciples, tell your master that I’ll be ready in case he wishes to come around causing trouble!”

Even though his voice was still echoing in the sky, his body had already vanished.

“Falcon, be careful of what you say.” Shi Chang Xiao quickly responded, but it was unclear if the Solitary Falcon heard his remark since there was no reply.

Fei Meng Chen chuckled, turned around, and leisurely floated away! He had travelled thousands of miles from the Yu Tang Empire with the sole goal of capturing the Xuan Core, but even though the Xuan Core had disappeared away in front of his eyes, he didn’t seem very disappointed since he was wise enough to realize that he was lucky to be alive.

Seeing that the crowd had already dispersed, Shi Chang Xiao sighed: Those people are still out there…. I must meet with Yun Bei Chen and Li Jue Tian to discuss some proposals…… his heart was becoming more and more upset with the turn of events, which was making him extremely anxious since the Xuan Core had slipped right out of his hands……

“Sir.” A Sky Xuan expert respectfully addressed Shi Chang Xiao.

“You will return to the Shen Ci camp, and you’ll stay there. I have something I need to take care of personally; I will join you there later on.” Shi Chang Xiao stated after pondering for a long while.

“Yes!” the six men accepted their order. Four of these men extended their arms to support the two men who had sustained some injuries; they glared wildly at Li Wu Bei’s disciples once again, then turned around to salute Shi Chang Xiao, and then dispersed into the rain.

Shi Chang looked at his hands again as slowly paced about alone in the air; it seemed as if a strange but desolate feeling had overtaken his heart.

He suddenly looked skywards, and then sighed as he took out a vial, and tossed it towards Lei Jian Hong before he flashed away; his flickering body was seen speeding away from Lei Jing Hong’s team once, then a few meters away in a blur, and then completely vanished from sight….

Lei Jian Hong looked carefully at the small jade vial in his hand, and spotted two words on it: Resurrection Fluid! He couldn’t help rejoicing his fortune and looked up to thank Shi Chang Xiao, but the man had already left by then.

This ‘Resurrection Fluid’ was a trade mark of Shi Chang Xiao’s family, and they were the only ones capable of manufacturing it. Although this secret medicine may not necessarily be capable of reviving the dead, but it was more than capable of ensuring the survival of anyone alive!

Lei Jian Hong quickly ordered his comrades, who immediately and carefully picked up the Six Brother’s body. Lei Jian Hong’s senses suddenly started tingling to warn him of an impending danger as he opened the Jade vial, and his body subconsciously ducked away to avoid this unseen danger.

Several screams sounded almost simultaneously!

Four of the people who had gathered around the Six Brother immediately started to bleed from their nose and mouth, and then silently dropped to the ground in front of them!

A small throwing knife was sticking out of their chest, and it was evident from the manner in which the blade had pierced their bodies that the blade had already buried itself all the way into their hearts!

Each knife had demanded a life!

And all four men had died a silent death!

Three of them were Earth Xuan experts, while the fourth one was a Sky Xuan expert!

“Young…..” Lei Jian Hong reached out. His body immediately stiffened as he crazily jumped, “Who are you? Come and stand in front of me! Don’t hide in the dark and attack us behind our backs….. come out you son of a bitch….. come out…. You … you…. You… where are you……”

Lei Jian Hong roared furiously as he continued to curse, while his eyes had already reddened with rage! It seemed that he had already lost his mind to chaos since he had already started running in circles in a frenzied attempt to find his attacker, but was unable to locate anyone even after searching for a long time; he finally knelt down to the ground, and burst into tears!

The other four remaining companions of his’ were all as shocked as he was, and had also started rushing about screaming and crying.

The five of them tried to search again, but were unable to find any traces of their enemy; they had never imagined that the ten of them would be able to get out of a fight against a team of Sky Xuan experts and even some Spirit Xuan experts with just one casualty. But now they had suddenly been caught off-guard after the battle had ended, and four more of their people had suddenly died!

Lei Jian Hong bent down and pulled out the knife sticking out of the Ninth Brother’s chest to inspect it, and gnashed his teeth as he said: “I’ve never seen anything like this throwing knife before…. our enemy obviously designed this specially to fool us; as long as you’re able to spot the origin of this knife, attack ruthlessly! We must avenge the death of our brothers!”

“They won’t die in vain, we vow to avenge each fallen man!” the four others simultaneously shouted out in anger.

The woman suddenly exclaimed: “Where are the other three knives?” they all turned around, and then the suddenly froze in fear. Someone had actually managed to remove the three remaining knives from the chests of their fallen victims, and this mysterious attacker had even gone ahead and ruthlessly slit the throats of these men to confirm the kills!

Someone had somehow managed to steal those three remaining knives in a very short period of time, leaving the blood these victims to flow out of their open wounds!

Everyone looked at each other as a burst of horror surged through their psyches!

Chapter 190 – A second time

The blood was constantly pouring out of the dead bodies while the rain continued to pour from of the sky above. The blood slowly started turning pink instead of red, and the soon became colorless.

The young woman had just turned around to retrieve the knife from the dead body closest to her since she wished to compare the blades. Her entire body started to shake from fear upon realizing that the blade had disappeared from such close proximity.

Do ghosts really exist? All five people were completely shocked!

Someone actually managed to silently sneak into a circle of five Sky Xuan experts undetected! Even an normal Spirit Xuan expert may not be capable of accomplishing this feat; and in case this man has already reached the Spirit Xuan realm, then why would he need to act in much a secretive manner to fight us?!

But if this man isn’t a Spirit Xuan experts, then what other possible explanation could there be?

Explanation or no explanation, we definitely shouldn’t stay here for one more second!

But we can’t leave our brothers here….

The five of us could easily get out if we leave the four dead ones here, but what about the Sixth Brother? He’s still alive…. Only barely so….. but if we leave him here then he will die for sure!

Could things get any worse?

The five of them decided to pick up one person each, and even though they were trying to get away as far as possible, as quickly as possible, their eyes would still glance back from time to time; even the pouring rain wasn’t enough to simmer down the fire of hatred in their eyes, and it seemed that they were looking back to get just one glimpse of their attacker…..

Those throwing knives belonged to Jun Mo Xie; he had already decided to kill them at the time when he realized that they were Li You Ran’s friends. They had obviously been asked to participate in the fight for the Xuan Core by him, and would most likely leave the Tian Xiang City once the fight for the Xuan Core was over, but since Li You Ran was able to seek their assistance once….. he could always do it again!

Moreover, since these people were Li You Ran’s seniors, Jun Mo Xie simply couldn’t take any chances with them. These Sky Xuan experts might have turned out to be completely useless in this fight since they were contesting against Spirit Xuan experts, but these people would still be capable of threatening the Jun Family’s existence under normal circumstances! If the Li Family decided to pick a fight with the Jun Family, then they could easily use these people to a terrifying effect!

These people had just fought a tough battle, and had already exhausted the majority of their Xuan Qi; had the hitman Jun allowed this opportunity to slip by, then he would have regretted it forever.

And therefore, the young master Jun had decided to murder them under the cover of this rain!

However, the young master Jun had never imagined that he would actually succeed in killing all four of his intended targets! Controlling the direction of four knives while being in a stealth state had already pushed Jun Mo Xie to his current limits, which is why he had never thought that each of his strike would actually claim a life…..

I actually managed to kill a Sky Xuan expert! The young master Jun couldn’t help feeling complacent about his achievement.

Everyone had already left the scene, while any remaining dead bodies had been cleared up the City’s patrol. The venue which had been the center of an enormous and fierce battle between some legendary warriors was now completely empty, leaving behind only the rubble of the broken buildings and the decapitated vegetation as a requiem. Even the blood had already been washed away by the rain, but the intense smell of blood was surely going to linger for a long time to come……

Lei Jian Hong’s remaining team had been walking in silence for a long, long time now when he suddenly turned around and whispered to a tree: “Ha Ha, I’m still waiting for you…..”

He waited a while, and then whispered to another tree: “You think I won’t catch you someday?”

His voice was soft and low, but contained almost traces of anger; it seemed rather indifferent instead, almost as if he was talking to a friend in general. But there was no one present…..

He waited for some time, and then his voice rang again in an indifferent tone as he repeated his sentence: “I’m still waiting for you……”

He paused for a while, and then spoke again: “Come out? Don’t you want me to personally chop your body to pieces?”

He repeated himself again after a while.

But still no one answered him.

He continued to whisper to the trees on the way from time to time, seemingly not getting disheartened by the lack of response from the other end. Had a doctor been listening to his emotionless threats then that doctor would have diagnosed Lei Jian Hong with a mental illness…..

He continued to repeat himself, seemingly never lacking the perseverance to stop…..

The two black colored men reappeared in the field again. The big and burly man opened his big lips and announced: “Who are you? You know we are here now? Stop playing games, and quickly come out!”

These two mysterious people were obviously the ones who had captured the Xuan Core earlier, and had then fled the scene. However, Jun Mo Xie had initiated the Hongjun Pagoda’s spin at full force at the time they were escaping away, hoping that it would attract them into coming back here to meet with him.

The logic was very simple; even an expert of Shi Chang Xiao’s caliber had been unable to figure out the falsehood of this Xuan Core, but these two men had realized that this Xuan Core was different than a normal one. In fact, it almost felt as if these two people were extremely sensitive to the Aura coming from this fake Xuan Core….

Obviously, in case Jun Mo Xie’s assumption was incorrect, then his wait would have been fruitless.

Although these two people had sensed the Aura which coming out from the Hongjun Pagoda, they had also assumed that the source of this Aura would be extremely powerful. Moreover, they had also come prepared to return empty handed since they weren’t sure if the source of the Aura would actually reveal itself.

However, even though the source of Aura didn’t reveal itself immediately, these people were a bit skeptical to leave so early; if someone has intentionally exuded this aura, then the person obviously had something mind. Perhaps another plan; or maybe he just wanted to say hello to us….. since the purity of that Aura had already coveted their desires, these men had immediately decided to take the risk of coming around a second time, fully aware that it could be very dangerous. Thus, these two people hid themselves immediately after escaping away with the Xuan Core, and waited till everyone had left, and then returned to the battle scene again.

After all, the purity of this Aura was the world’s most seductive thing for them! No jewels, no riches, no techniques or power, and no medicines could ever have attracted them into taking such a big risk!

Even though Jun Mo Xie hadn’t been sure of it at the time, but the plan had gone exactly as intended thus far!

Jun Mo Xie had managed to use the Xuan Core to instigate a battle between the competitors; he had managed to damage Li You Ran’s strength by killing and weakening Lei Jian Hong’s team, and had even managed to hurt the Three Elders of the Silver Blizzard City. This plan had indeed worked out very well so far, because these people were sworn enemies of the Jun Family and could cause some major trouble for the Jun Family in the future. Even though he hadn’t succeeded in completely eliminating his enemies, he had at least managed to delay the arrival of their threats!

Jun Mo Xie had managed to plan all this, and had somehow managed to execute this plan to perfection with the help of some improvisation! But as far as these two mysterious people were concerned, it was time for Jun Mo Xie to start wracking his brain again!

‘Ha Ha’, the sound of a low, weirdly mystical, but powerful and sonorous laughter originated from a few meters in front of these two men. There is nothing in front… just a tree! But that sound definitely comes from in front of us!

Although the origination of these two people was very mysterious, but even they had never witnessed something this strange in their entire lives! They simultaneously stepped back, and immediately brought their hands up to their chests in defense!

“What the hell are you? Come out!”

Without any signs of warning, a third black robed man unexpectedly emerged in front of these two men in the most bizarre of ways! This man’s body drilled its path out of the ground, almost as if the ground underneath his feet was just an illusion! The strength of these two men had already reached the Spirit Xuan realm, but even then they had never heard of a technique as weird as this one!

It could be said that even Yun Bei Chen would’ve refused to believe that something like this was ever possible!

It was simply to strange!

But another very strange this had happened right before this mysterious third man had made his entry; just before this man appeared, the two mysterious black people had sensed a faint hint of that same Aura which had lured them here, and it seemed to be coming straight from the body of this third man.

The two of them were now completely sure that this was no illusion!

“What is your name sire? What’s your purpose for bringing us here?” the tall and slender man asked cautiously.

“I obviously have my reasons for bringing you here.” The newly emerged mysterious man replied lightly: “I’m Feng Jue Qing; may I know your names?”

“You don’t know our history?” the burly man asked with a puzzled look on his face, I though this man was something extraordinary when he broke out of the ground in that manner, but his name is obviously fake…. I have a strange feeling about this……

“I know your history, but I don’t know your names; after all, isn’t it very difficult to guess them given your history, right?” this third man was obviously Jun Mo Xie. If I hadn’t guessed your origination, then why would I have come here?

“Oh, that’s right…. I’m Long Crane, and this is my fourth Brother, Big Bear.” The slender black man, Long Crane nodded as he spoke: “We’ve heard a lot about you Brother Feng Jue Qing! We’ve been dying to meet a man of your renowned reputation; we consider ourselves very fortunate for your company today!”

“You’ve heard the name Feng Jue Qing before?” Jun Mo Xie tilted his head, I’ve heard this name for the first time in my life, but you’ve actually heard it before? Don’t tell me…. have I carelessly borrowed a famous celebrity’s name?

The man called Big Bear replied with a straight face: “Isn’t that what your people say as a courtesy remark? Don’t they just pretend that they’ve already heard of your name?”

Ah! Damn it!

“He he, you’ve actually travelled two thousand miles to the Tian Xiang City for a peak level nine Xuan Core?” Jun Mo Xie scratched his nose.

“This is a condensed peak level nine Xuan Core! Ordinary experts might have been taken in by it, but fortunately, we have too many years of experience…..” Long Crane turned and tossed the fake Xuan Core which Jun Mo Xie had fabricated, this trip had turned out to be completely useless, but it seems that things could get better now.

He looked at Jun Mo Xie meaningfully and spoke: “However, we don’t think that our trip would be a complete waste now that we’ve met you sire; we now believe that there are a lot of unknown great things awaiting us here!”