The banquet hall.
A low buzz of discussion filled the air, constant and noisy.
"Shameful, too shameful!"
Someone stared angrily at the challenge platform, their eyes blazing with fury.
"That Wei family's Zongshi is utterly shameless. Look at his age, almost thirty probably. How can he possibly have the nerve to step onto the stage and challenge a young girl like Su Qianqian?"
"Absolutely shameless and thick-skinned!"
"Hmm... if I'm not mistaken, this is the seventeenth round, right?"
"Su Qianqian truly lives up to her reputation as a direct descendant of one of Tian Sang City's four major powers, and she's definitely worthy of being hailed as a rare genius in Tian Sang County over the past century."
"Any challenger below the Zongshi level has been defeated with a single sword strike! Even those at half-step Zongshi haven't managed to force her to draw her sword a second time."
"How terrifying! Not to mention Xiantian level, even Zongshi-level experts, as long as they aren't in the Tianxiang realm, can't withstand three strikes from her. Is this the fearsome power of Jian Zong?"
The entire hall was abuzz with excitement.
Everyone was stirred to a fever pitch by this final challenge match.
Jiu Jian Ke Gu Qing'er stared intently at Su Qianqian on the platform, who was breathing heavily.
This was the second swordsmanship genius he had discovered after Xu Xiaoshou.
Who could have known how young this girl was?
Still a minor, right?
And already at Jian Zong level?
He had heard that earlier, she was even the wielder of the famous sword "Mu Ming Cheng Xue."
Gu Qing'er clicked his tongue in amazement.
Such talent, even if placed in Zang Jian Zong, would be unprecedented and dazzling!
At the very least, among their three Jian Ke brothers, when it came to innate ability, probably only his eldest brother, Gu Qing'yi, could be somewhat comparable.
To be precise, if we only consider achievements at the same age, perhaps he truly couldn't match up!
As for the others, at that age...
It was embarrassing to admit, they hadn't even begun to comprehend their Xiantian Jian Yi yet!
But observing the current situation...
"This is tough!"
Gu Qing'er could see the blatant targeting happening right in front of him.
This battle was far too difficult.
From the beginning of the challenge match, everyone had held back, yet they singled out this frail young girl.
The various great families from different counties took turns, with each family sending only one person, and they hadn't even started repeating yet.
Despite this onslaught, Su Qianqian faced it all without fear, taking on every single challenger.
From Xiantian peak to Zongshi, and even some who were no longer morally fit to compete but were still within the age limit—middle-aged and elderly Zongshi.
Wave after wave of these shameless attacks.
Even as a Jian Zong, Su Qianqian couldn't possibly hold out forever!
Gu Qing'er thought that if they had all attacked at once, Su Qianqian might have fared better, but these people were dragging it out, chipping away bit by bit...
If this continued, Su Qianqian would eventually be worn down to death!
"Dammit."
Gripping his sword, Gu Qing'er couldn't bear to watch any longer.
But the rules of the challenge match were absolute.
He couldn't help her.
If he were to step in, he'd just be joining these shameless people in challenging Su Qianqian.
"What a mess?"
There was no way out!
"Hum!"
The ground trembled slightly, but Gu Qing'er's attention was completely focused elsewhere.
In fact, everyone in the hall was so absorbed in the ongoing battles that they paid no mind to it.
Only Shou Ye sensed the faint vibration underfoot and vaguely caught a whiff of something amiss.
But Su Qianqian was in such a dire state.
Plus, she was someone he was watching over, so he had to keep an eye on her to prevent these people from going for the kill.
If things got really bad, he would forcibly take her away.
At the very least, he couldn't let her talent be wasted in this chaos.
So, no one paid any attention to the subtle tremor of the ground.
In the arena.
A man with a somewhat stiff expression walked onto the platform, following the figure that had just been carried away.
"Su Qianqian, admit defeat!"
"There are still over a dozen families lined up, and each family has more than just one Zongshi."
"How long can you possibly hold out?"
"The Su family has declined. Give up those five Bai Ku spots, and you can step down from here and continue enjoying your reputation as a genius. Why persist like this?"
He advised her earnestly.
Su Qianqian pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
Her Ling Yuan was already depleted by more than half, and her physical strength was nearly exhausted after facing over a dozen veteran Zongshi.
But...
Su Qianqian glanced at the snow-white Ling Jian in her hand.
This was the last fifth-grade Ling Jian of the Su family.
Even if "Mu Ming Cheng Xue" was lost, as long as the sword wasn't broken, she wouldn't give up!
That was the will of a Jian Ke!
"Clang!"
As if sensing its master's fighting spirit, the giant sword trembled in Su Qianqian's small hand, letting out a resonant sword cry.
Normally, the young girl chatted innocently and joyfully with Xu Xiaoshou, but when facing enemies, she became a fierce little loli.
A killing intent pressed down.
"Boom!"
Just then, the ground shook violently, and the entire banquet hall swayed intensely.
"Thump, thump!"
The man opposite her immediately retreated two steps, his face filled with shock.
"You, you..."
"Still not giving up?"
"Are you insane? Even now, you're using so much force against me?"
"There's still a long line behind me!"
The man blustered, trying to hide his fear.
He was a Zongshi, but on this continent, unless you came from a major city or county family, most Zongshi were barely qualified.
His strength could steadily defeat those at Xiantian level (except for Xu Xiaoshou).
But compared to Su Qianqian, he was in a completely different league.
Now, this girl had gone berserk and was starting to kill as a warning?
And he had to face it?
The panicked man didn't realize that when the tremor started, Su Qianqian's face had also shown astonishment.
But that astonishment lasted less than half a breath before the young girl abruptly raised her giant sword.
No matter what the unexpected event was, it couldn't stop her will to fight!
She had no intention of wasting words with this man.
Her energy was for battling the challengers!
"Rumble—"
At that moment, another massive quake hit.
This time, even the newly laid stone slabs around them cracked open.
Everyone was stunned.
"What, what kind of Ling Ji is this?"
"A momentum-type, wide-range attack?"
The crowd stared at Su Qianqian raising her sword, baffled.
"There's no Ling Yuan fluctuation at all, yet she can cover the entire area with momentum. This strike might directly split that Wen family Zongshi in half?"
"Boom, boom, boom..."
The violent shaking of the ground didn't stop even as Su Qianqian's momentum dropped in surprise; instead, the rumbling continued.
"What's going on?"
Now, everyone realized something was wrong.
This clearly wasn't from Su Qianqian's sword; it was a tremor from outside!
An earthquake?
A natural disaster?
That was the first thought for everyone.
After all, if it were an attack on the city lord's mansion causing this, it would have to be terrifyingly powerful!
But in the next second, their thoughts changed.
In the air, amidst the ground's roar, a hint of scorching scent appeared.
It was faint, just a wisp.
Yet, in that instant, everyone's faces changed.
"Xu, Xu Xiaoshou?"
The scene froze like stone, plunging into dead silence.
This familiar aura of a furnace explosion—who didn't know it?
Was Xu Xiaoshou stepping in because he couldn't stand by?
Everyone knew Xu Xiaoshou and Su Qianqian were on good terms.
But when they looked around, they couldn't spot any trace of him.
"Where's Xu Xiaoshou?"
"Gone?"
"Could that scorching aura just now have been..."
"An illusion?"
Fu Yin Hong's face changed first.
Others might think it was an illusion, but she wouldn't.
That faint scorching energy, even just a trace, was far more domineering than ordinary fire abilities.
This had to be Xu Xiaoshou's doing!
But...
"Isn't that kid being watched by Sun Lao?"
Fu Yin Hong suddenly froze, as if struck by lightning.
She recalled the last time she saw Xu Xiaoshou, when he jokingly said he would blow up the city lord's mansion.
She hadn't believed it then, but now, with this earth-shaking tremor, it didn't seem impossible!
"Sun Lao... right, Sun Lao!"
Fu Yin Hong panicked.
She quickly pulled out her transmission jade slip and activated the spiritual connection.
But after three breaths, the jade slip remained silent.
Fu Yin Hong's heart sank.
When she assigned Sun Lao to watch over Xu Xiaoshou, she had specifically instructed him to stay connected at all times.
If the transmission wasn't answered within three breaths, it meant the watch had failed!
Xu Xiaoshou had caused trouble!
"This..."
Fu Yin Hong's face turned deathly pale.
In that moment, Xu Xiaoshou's joking tone echoed in her mind again.
"Kill Wang Zuo?"
Could it be that he really meant to kill, not just challenge?
She scanned the surroundings and noticed that one Wang Zuo was indeed missing.
"Zhang Tai Ying?"
Fu Yin Hong's eyes widened in disbelief.
She knew Zhang Tai Ying and Xu Xiaoshou had a grudge.
But the two of them... fighting in the city lord's mansion?
Fu Yin Hong suddenly turned to look at Shou Ye beside her.
"Shou Ye Qianbei..."
Even though she didn't finish the sentence, Shou Ye saw the plea in her eyes.
Indeed, in the banquet hall right now, there were no other Wang Zuo from the city lord's side, so she could only turn to him.
But...
Shou Ye glanced at the four Ling Zhen Zongshi nearby.
Those four had already figured out the double-nested structure of the threshold Ling Zhen, and two of them had unraveled it.
Now, they were studying the true Bai Ku Ling Zhen in the jade slip—the Thirty-Six Tian Feng Wu Zhen!
As a Hong Yi, his mission here was to ensure the progress of the Ling Zhen comprehension.
As for the city lord's mansion affairs, he clearly couldn't get involved for now.
"Don't panic."
Shou Ye calmly soothed Fu Yin Hong's emotions.
After all, she was like a niece to him. Even if he couldn't help directly, he could use his spiritual sense to probe a bit.
The city lord's mansion was vast, but not beyond a Wang Zuo's spiritual sense.
Shou Ye simply closed his eyes and scanned the situation afar.
"Qianbei, what do you see?" Fu Yin Hong asked urgently.
"It's not a big problem."
"But there is a small issue."
Shou Ye's spiritual sense locked onto the flower sea area.
Despite the Ling Zhen's concealment, that faint domain aura might fool ordinary Wang Zuo, but not him, who had been relentlessly attacking Ling Zhen in Bai Ku for months!
Something was wrong there!
"There's a scorched area with domain energy; clearly, the disturbance came from there. You can send someone to check it out," Shou Ye said.
"A scorched area?"
Fu Yin Hong furrowed her brows, then her eyes flashed with realization.
"The back garden?"
The scorched area—wasn't that the flower sea Xu Xiaoshou had blown up?
Were Xu Xiaoshou and Zhang Tai Ying fighting there?
This was something Fu Yin Hong never expected.
She immediately took out another jade slip to contact Liu Jing and ask her to go check.
"Huh?"
But at that moment, Shou Ye let out a sound of surprise.
"What is it?"
Fu Yin Hong paused, her intuition telling her the situation had changed.
"It's nothing much—just that the Ling Zhen over there suddenly exploded, and a domain appeared."
Shou Ye nodded: "Yes, exactly in that direction. You should know it; it's your home."
"A Ling Zhen?"
Fu Yin Hong was confused.
Hadn't the back garden's Ling Zhen already been destroyed?
How could it explode again?
This didn't make sense. Could Shou Ye be seeing another one in the city lord's mansion?
But the scorched area—there was only the back garden!
"Hmm?"
As she pondered, Shou Ye made another nasal sound.
Fu Yin Hong felt her heart skip a beat.
Any small action from Shou Ye now made her think things were worsening.
The ground shook even more violently.
Fu Yin Hong clutched her chest and asked tremblingly: "What, what else happened?"
"It should be fine, really..."
Shou Ye frowned, then raised his arm and casually deployed a domain, enveloping the entire banquet hall.
Fu Yin Hong's legs went weak.
This was "fine"?
Watching the woman's skeptical gaze, Shou Ye gave an awkward smile:
"I might have overdone it. That domain is turning red—it's quite odd, as if it's about to explode any second..."
Fu Yin Hong: ???
A domain...
Turning red...
Exploding...
Wasn't that Xu Xiaoshou's trademark?
With a "beep," she quickly activated Liu Jing's transmission jade slip.
"Damn!"
Just then, a shocked exclamation came from beside her.
At that moment, Fu Yin Hong's scalp tingled.
Shou Ye, the Hong Yi, swearing?
"What, what did you see?"
Shou Ye had no time to explain and shouted to everyone in the hall:
"Get down! The domain's exploding!"
Everyone: ???
Fu Yin Hong and Shou Ye's conversation wasn't private, so everyone heard the Hong Yi's live update.
The Hong Yi, who had just said it was no big deal, now suddenly yelled "Get down, it's exploding?"
Before anyone could react,
The scorching heat in the air surged wildly, then swept through like a storm.
"Boom—"
Even through the domain, the deafening explosion almost shattered everyone's eardrums.
Shou Ye's domain dipped sharply.
Not from his control.
It was being forced down!
The people inside, though not hit by the storm, were suddenly yanked into the air.
The protected floor in the domain shattered completely at that moment!
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The newly installed stone tables, the freshly built challenge platform, the entire setup...
Everything and everyone was blasted into the sky by the wave of heat!
Fu Xing's unconscious body slammed into the domain barrier, blood dripping down.
Then, carried by the raging wind, it crashed into countless flying stone tables.
Fu Yin Hong watched in shock and despair as all the people and objects floated up, her body freezing on the spot.
"This..."
"Crack, crack!"
Before she could fully process it, Shou Ye's domain started cracking with fissures.
Even Shou Ye was stunned.
He poured his Ling Yuan frantically to hold the space in the banquet hall.
Though he was a Hong Yi, mainly tasked with hunting Gui Shou,
If Tian Sang County's talents all died in this inexplicable explosion right in front of him, it would be an irredeemable sin!
"What the hell!"
"A domain exploding?"
"Is this a Zhan Dao attack?"
Shou Ye was baffled.
"Buzz—"
Almost the next instant after the explosion began, a faint light curtain enveloped the entire city lord's mansion.
"The protective grand array!"
Everyone's faces showed hope.
This was the second line of defense that activated only when the city lord's mansion was attacked; as long as the attack didn't surpass Zhan Dao, no one could break through.
Yet, that hope didn't last long, as despair returned to their eyes.
"Pop, pop, pop—"
Like firecrackers bursting, in just one breath, the grand array shattered under the scorching explosive energy.
"How is that possible?"
No one could believe it.
Could this explosion really reach that level?
Was its power beyond Zhan Dao?
Shou Ye was certain it wasn't!
But...
Suddenly, everyone's minds flashed back to a shocking scene from a few days ago.
Back then, a giant axe capable of Zhan Dao had fallen from the sky, striking this very grand array!
"In other words, this array isn't in perfect condition right now."
"It's still in the repair phase, and it's facing another near-Wang Zuo peak level assault?"
Stunned!
Everyone who had been shaken from the sky and barely survived thanks to the domain was completely stunned.
At that moment, even Shou Ye was no exception.
Unlike the others, he fully knew the city lord's mansion's foundations.
But even this array couldn't withstand the explosion?
"This aura..."
"This scorching energy..."
Shou Ye sniffed the intense heat, panic finally flashing in his eyes.
"Xu Xiaoshou?"
In front of a courtyard's Ling Zhen.
Fu Zhi was still fumbling around.
He couldn't understand or believe it.
How could he have forgotten the method to unravel the nested Ling Zhen at his own doorstep in just a few years?
It was like locking your door and then losing the key outside!
"But how is that possible?"
Fu Zhi refused to accept it.
The key to Ling Zhen was in his mind; how could it be lost?
As he tried to unravel it, things got more wrong, and Fu Zhi finally noticed the anomaly in the Ling Zhen.
"A nested Ling Zhen?"
"And six layers at that?"
"This..."
Fu Zhi was dumbfounded.
A few years ago, he couldn't have created a six-layer nested Ling Zhen. What was going on?
This Ling Zhen had clearly been altered!
"Who could it be?"
"Who has the ability to sneak in and modify my Ling Zhen?"
"This is insane!"
Fu Zhi was sure the city lord's mansion's security couldn't have failed like this.
The only explanation...
"Fu Xing?"
"Has that guy's Ling Zhen skills reached this level?"
"This, this... doesn't that make him even more talented than me?"
The nested Ling Zhen here wasn't perfect, and with Fu Zhi's strength, he could have forced his way through.
But realizing it might be his son's work, he felt unwilling and chose to unravel it instead.
And so, he spent the whole night on it.
"Fu Lao Da, there's no need for this. I've really come in to find you!"
"There's probably still trouble in the banquet hall!"
Feng Ma was stuck outside, neither entering nor leaving.
He regretted telling Fu Zhi that Fu Xing had studied the Ling Zhen here multiple times.
But this...
This was too exaggerated!
Why skip the banquet hall and get addicted to unraveling arrays here?
The flower sea trapping you for years wasn't enough?
"Give me one more quarter-hour, just one! I'll definitely unravel that foolish kid's array!"
"Hah, just a mere Ling Zhen!"
Fu Zhi's voice transmitted through the nested Ling Zhen.
Feng Ma rubbed his forehead.
He had been standing there for hours.
He'd heard phrases like "give me one more quarter-hour" countless times.
If not for the lack of instructions from the banquet hall, he wouldn't be wasting time here with the old city lord.
"Buzz—"
Suddenly, the ground trembled, and Feng Ma sensed something was wrong.
He turned back.
With his spiritual sense, he saw the back garden's Ling Zhen explode, and that terrifying scorching energy blast out, sweeping the entire city lord's mansion!
"Oh my god..."
Feng Ma's eyes glazed over.
That familiar force—wasn't it the flame aura from Xu Xiaoshou?
Had that guy gone wild without anyone watching?
"But how could the energy be this powerful?"
Feng Ma quickly crouched and formed a barrier around himself, then tried to contact Fu Xing's transmission jade slip.
No response.
Stone-cold silence.
"Fu Xing... is dead?"
Feng Ma concluded in shock.
This was his and Fu Xing's special jade slip; even in seclusion, Fu Xing had to answer!
But now, no reply?
"Old city lord!"
"We can't play around anymore; the city lord's mansion is done for!"
"Your son, Fu Xing, he... he..."
Feng Ma couldn't finish.
He retracted his barrier and saw the nested Ling Zhen in front of him flipped over by the explosion, revealing Fu Zhi—his hair scorched, clothes burned away.
"You, you're the city lord?"
"Fu Lao Da?"
Feng Ma's lips went dry.
Fu Zhi was dazed.
He felt the deafening roar and his mind replayed the flower sea explosion scene.
But this time, it seemed even more intense?
"Shou, Shou Xiong?"
"Is that you, Shou Xiong?"
In the flower sea.
Yuan Fu's light flashed, and Xu Xiaoshou emerged from it.
What his "perception" showed was an endless desolation.
No flower sea, no back garden...
Even his spiritual sense's vast range showed only barren wasteland.
"Oh my god, did I just blow up the city lord's mansion?"
Xu Xiaoshou was shocked.
He swore this wasn't his intention.
He only meant to kill Zhang Tai Ying.
The city lord's mansion wasn't even in his plans!
"Trouble, big trouble..."
He didn't care where Zhang Tai Ying was.
After such an explosion, who could still be alive?
Not even Zhang Tai Ying, let alone if Shou Ye were there...
"Cough, cough."
A light cough interrupted Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts.
"Under observation, passive value +1."
"Under resentment, passive value +1."
Xu Xiaoshou froze.
"Still... alive?"
He turned and saw a large pit nearby—clearly man-made—where a staggering figure flew out.
But unlike before, behind this armless, legless, half-ruined body, Xu Xiaoshou saw a hazy, majestic phantom, as if imbued with sacred power.
"A virtual image?!"
Xin Gu Gu, also staggering out of Yuan Fu, froze on the spot, his high-pitched voice laced with disbelief and hidden fear.
"How could it be a virtual image?"
"Zhang Tai Ying... does Zhang Tai Ying have Tai Xu World behind him?"
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