The wine immortal Taoist looked at Xu Mu, fell silent, took out a jar of osmanthus wine, and handed it to Xu Mu.
Xu Mu took the wine and drank a mouthful, enduring the sharp pain from his wounds. A surge of searing heat instantly flooded his body.
But immediately, the Yin spirit energy and resentful souls hidden within his body were forced out by the wine. His injuries also began to heal. It was clear that this wine was not merely wine, but medicine.
“Rest well. Leave this to me,” the wine immortal said, slowly turning his head.
Facing the ghost elder, who was enveloped in Yin energy, he drew the peach wood sword from his waist. Instantly, a sense of divinity emanated from him.
The ghost elder’s eyes narrowed, and his expression turned grim. He hadn't expected that just as he was about to kill Xu Mu, a powerful expert at the Domain Lord realm would break through the blockade and save the other party.
Furthermore, the two seemed to have a deep connection.
“Who are you, and why are you interfering in the private affairs of my Jialan clan?” the ghost elder asked calmly, his voice steady, though a hint of nervousness showed. He worried that this powerful old man might be Xu Mu’s master.
If that were the case, they might not be able to kill Xu Mu today.
“You are from the Jialan clan? No wonder.” The wine immortal Taoist looked at the old man across the alley and instantly understood why he exuded such heavy Yin energy; he was from the Ghost Realm.
“Since you know of my Jialan clan, please be accommodating and let us pass,” the ghost elder continued.
“I know, but I have no intention of letting you pass,” the wine immortal Taoist said, beginning to stride forward. His aged eyes held a sharp glint. “Regardless of the reason, you two, come and apologize!”
Upon hearing this, Jialan Lou’s face turned ashen, not from fear, but from anger.
No one had ever dared to speak to him like that, especially not in the presence of a Domain Lord of the Jialan clan!
The ghost elder’s face turned cold, and he said in a chilling voice, “Aren’t you being a bit too arrogant? To be frank, this brat has offended our Jialan clan. No matter who you are, we are determined to kill him today!”
“Say that again, you motherfucker!” The wine immortal Taoist took an angry step forward and slashed with his peach wood sword. An dark golden sword energy spanned the heavens and earth, like a crescent moon in broad daylight, abruptly cleaving through the dark domain.
*Screech!*
The domain was split by a single sword strike. The ghost elder’s face contorted in shock. He unleashed a mass of terrifying, dark, resentful spirits, forming a wall to intercept the sword energy.
But the moment they collided, the power of the resentful spirits was severed by the sword strike. Dark golden Dao source dripped from the sword energy, splashing and incinerating all the Yin energy in the surrounding space.
The ghost elder’s face filled with terror, his eyes wide. He grabbed Jialan Lou and attempted to flee high into the sky, but he was instantly engulfed by a sea of wine, forcing him to retreat.
*Boom!*
Dao source attached to the sword light, transforming into countless threads of sword energy that tore through space, piercing the defenses in front of the ghost elder and Jialan Lou.
In an instant, Jialan Lou was heavily injured, spitting blood as he fell to the ground. The ghost elder sustained minor injuries, his face pale.
“This… this is a Daoist sect sword technique, and Dao source. Who exactly are you!” The ghost elder no longer dared to be arrogant. He gazed at the wine immortal Taoist approaching them, filled with immense fear.
He had never expected the newcomer to be a sword dao expert from a Daoist sect, and the cultivation methods of Daoist sects were always aimed at exterminating demons and monsters, perfectly countering the techniques of the Jialan clan.
The Jialan clan's standing before the Daoist sect was akin to the relationship between the Gold and Silver Merchant Association and the Demon Slaying Division in the Domain of Gloomy Nights; they simply couldn’t afford to offend them!
“Apologize!”
The wine immortal Taoist commanded forcefully, his aura pressing down on the two, making it difficult for them to breathe.
“But… this matter is not our fault, senior. Even if you are a powerful Daoist, you should be reasonable, right?” The ghost elder’s face was grim as he shielded Jialan Lou, ready to escape at any moment.
“Now that our Jialan clan’s junior is heavily injured, it’s even with that brat. Moreover, he swindled us out of tens of millions of gold taels. This matter should be settled here, shouldn’t it!”
The ghost elder spoke, feeling a surge of humiliation. He had been a Domain Lord for so many years, respected everywhere, and had never suffered such indignity before.
The wine immortal Taoist clenched the peach wood sword in his hand and said coldly, “It seems you have no intention of apologizing. Then you shall die!”
With that, he swung his hand again, unleashing an even more potent sword strike. The sword energy towered into the heavens, churning the clouds above the Holy City. The rumbling sound shook space, causing countless people to look up, wondering what had happened.
The ghost elder’s eyes widened. He used all his might to resist this sword strike, while frantically shouting, “Are you crazy? If you attract the Guardians, we’ll both be finished!”
The wine immortal Taoist ignored him completely and, with a blank expression, unleashed another sword strike, tearing through all the darkness before him.
The ghost elder, filled with dread, turned to flee but was blocked by a domain formed by a sea of wine. When he turned back, the wine immortal Taoist’s sword light was already upon his face.
“Stop!!!”
At this moment, a deafening explosion echoed from the horizon. A middle-aged man clad in armor then crashed down, positioning himself between the ghost elder and the wine immortal Taoist.
He exuded a heavy aura of steel. All their attacks were blocked, Yin energy could not penetrate, and sword light shattered.
“Guardian!” The ghost elder’s heart trembled. Steel armor and golden helmet—they had indeed attracted a Guardian of the Xuanyuan clan!
“This is a restricted martial zone. Engaging in private combat within the Holy City will result in punishment!” The Guardian, seemingly surprised by the potency of the wine immortal Taoist’s sword strike, paused for several seconds before managing to dissipate its force. He spoke in a deep voice.
“I already told him, but he wouldn’t listen and insisted on killing me, even injuring our Jialan clan’s junior. I request the esteemed friend from the Xuanyuan clan to investigate impartially!” The ghost elder, as if having found a lifeline, spoke first.
Behind them, Qiong Qi, enduring the pain within his body, roared in human speech, “You old scoundrel, the wicked accuse first! It was you who tried to intercept us!”
The wine immortal Taoist looked at the Guardian from the Xuanyuan clan and calmly stated, “When I arrived, he had sealed the space and intended to kill my junior.”
“If I hadn't intervened in time, only two corpses would remain over there by now.”
The Guardian with the golden helmet and steel armor looked down at the lotus-throne pagoda artifact that had fallen to the ground, sensed the dense Yin energy emanating from it, and his gaze immediately turned cold.
He turned back to the ghost elder and asked, “Is what he said true?”
The ghost elder’s face was grim. With eyewitnesses and evidence present, he couldn’t deny it. He could only brace himself and say, “It was us who stayed here.”
“However, they deliberately threw the game at the gambling house and swindled us out of tens of millions of gold taels. They violated the rules first, and this is the punishment they deserve!”
The Guardian’s brow furrowed, and a palpable killing intent emanated from him. He spoke with a roar, “Violators will be dealt with by our Xuanyuan clan. It is not your place to lecture us!”
“I also wanted you to deal with them, but that monstrous beast is a descendant of an ancient divine beast named Qiong Qi, skilled in the Great Dao of Space!” the ghost elder gritted out, fixing a venomous gaze on Qiong Qi. “If I hadn’t intervened, they would have escaped!”
The Guardian was momentarily speechless upon hearing this.
“An ancient divine beast, skilled in the Great Dao of Space?” He slowly turned and gazed at Qiong Qi, as if discerning the truth.
But at this moment, the wine immortal Taoist stepped aside, blocking his view, and said calmly,
“They did not violate any rules, nor could they have.”
The Guardian and the wine immortal locked eyes. The ferocity on the Guardian’s face undiminished as he roared, “Move aside!”
“You fought privately in the Holy City. Your crime has yet to be judged!”
The wine immortal Taoist snorted and took another step forward, almost pressing against the Guardian. His voice was deep, “Are you worthy of judging me?”
“You bully the disciples of my Baiyun Daoist Temple. Today, I, Jiu Xian, want to see just how arrogant your Xuanyuan family truly is!”
*Boom!*
With the wine immortal Taoist’s thunderous roar, a Dharmakaya, thousands of feet tall, materialized in the heavens and earth. It wore a radiant lotus crown, held a magical wine gourd in its left hand, and a dark golden peach wood long sword in its right. Its feet were clad in cloud-treading boots, its eyes blazed, and its aura was majestic and terrifying.
“Heavenly Dharmakaya!”
The hearts of the ghost elder and the Guardian simultaneously trembled violently. They hadn’t expected this Taoist to be an ultimate expert possessing a Dharmakaya.
As for Jialan Lou, his strength was too weak. The moment the Dharmakaya appeared, he was already knocked unconscious by the terrifying pressure of the Dao source it released.
The ghost elder’s face turned ashen because he remembered who the wine immortal Taoist was. He was a Domain Lord on the Realm Ranking, hailing from the Baiyun Daoist Temple, where there were even Human Kings!
Their Jialan clan, let alone Human Kings, could only create a combat power equivalent to a half-step Human King by pooling their entire clan’s strength and employing evil secret techniques.
But such an existence could never compare to a true half-step Human King, and this was none other than the wine immortal Taoist!
“So it’s a senior from the Baiyun Daoist Temple. This junior is disrespectful!” The Guardian, being closest to the Dharmakaya, bore the brunt of the pressure. Sweat even trickled from his golden helmet. He hurriedly clasped his fists in a salute to the wine immortal.
That’s right, fighting was forbidden in the Holy City, but that applied only to those who could be targeted.
Someone like the wine immortal Taoist, a half-step Human King ranked among the top hundred in combat power on the Eastern Continent, clearly did not fall into that category.
“You’re no longer pursuing my responsibility?” the wine immortal Taoist asked, looking down, his voice resonating like a divine decree.
“This junior dares not,” the Guardian replied, cupping his hands. His posture was extremely humble. Although he was also a Domain Lord, his strength was not on the same level as the wine immortal’s. He had no choice but to show respect.
Moreover, the other party was from the Baiyun Daoist Temple, a force that, within the Hundred Clans Alliance, held a status comparable to the Demon Slaying Division in the Great Xia Dynasty. Their position was self-evident. And the people of the Baiyun Daoist Temple were renowned for their righteousness and their efforts in slaying demons and monsters. Every cultivator in the Hundred Clans Land admired them. Who dared to accuse them of wrongdoing?
Even if they were at fault, who would dare to punish them?
“This matter has nothing to do with you, and I have no intention of violating your established rules. After this matter is resolved, I will personally visit and offer my apologies to your clan leader,” the wine immortal Taoist said. He then controlled the Dharmakaya, slowly raising the long sword that was planted vertically in the sky.
The tip of the sword pointed at Jialan.
The ghost elder’s face turned grim. Trembling, he bowed his head and said with a hint of fear, “I was wrong. Please spare my life, senior.”
“I am willing to treat your junior’s injuries and offer compensation. Please do not vent your anger on my Jialan clan.”
Upon hearing this, the wine immortal Taoist gripped his wooden sword, suppressing the urge to split the ghost elder in half with a single strike. He turned his head to look at Xu Mu and asked,
“Little Xu Zi, what are your intentions?”
Xu Mu opened his eyes. His external injuries had already recovered by more than half. He looked at the ghost elder, his gaze icy, and said, “Kill him.”
Hearing this answer, the ghost elder and the Guardian’s hearts sank. Just as they were about to plead, they heard Xu Mu continue, “Kill Jialan Lou.”
“As for the elder, he can make a Heavenly Dao oath, never to retaliate or target me again, and then let him go. After all, he has the Jialan clan behind him, and I don’t want to make more enemies.”
The wine immortal nodded and turned to ask sternly, “Did you understand?”
The ghost elder’s face was grim. He still wanted to struggle and plead, “But… but young master Jialan Lou is the direct son of our clan leader. The clan leader dotes on him greatly…”
Upon hearing this, the wine immortal Taoist’s peach wood sword in his hand suddenly lit up, and Dao source surged, as if it were about to strike in the next second.
“I asked you, did you understand!”
…