Chapter 67: The candidate is determined.
Chapter 67
Liu Chongshan was trembling with rage. His face, rough and furrowed like dead tree bark, instantly turned an unsightly purple-red. He cursed furiously inwardly, "What a bunch of losers! I sent out so many experts, and they couldn't even handle a yellow-haired brat!"
He stared intently at the young man in front of him and roared viciously, "Do you think you can take Shang Li Ling away so easily?"
With that, he gritted his teeth, biting his tongue hard, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Instantly, a ten-foot-tall, blood-red shadow rose from the tip of his crutch. It was a scarlet python, its ferocious head crowned by three pairs of massive bony wings. Each scale shimmered with a strange, dark light, and pungent, poisonous saliva continuously dripped from the gaps between its scales. Any grass or trees on the cliffside that touched it instantly withered and died, a shrouded venom cloaked in death.
Seeing this, Bu Xingjin rushed forward without hesitation to help. However, as he took a step, the ground beneath his feet suddenly lit up with a complex star array. It turned out that the Liu family's second elder had taken advantage of everyone's unpreparedness and quietly embedded the array into the ground. Once activated, this Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams formation instantly locked down an area several meters in radius, and powerful spiritual energy waves vibrated through the air.
"My friend, this is a grudge between my family and mine, you'd better not get involved." The second elder of the Liu family stood at the edge of the formation diagram, with hexagrams rapidly flowing on his fingertips. Bu Xingjin suddenly felt that the spiritual power around him was out of control, and there were signs that it was being forcibly extracted by the formation. He was shocked and hurriedly practiced his skills to resist.
At the critical moment when the red python opened its bloody mouth and bit down fiercely with its fangs flashing coldly, a clear and melodious dragon roar suddenly sounded above the originally calm sky.
Everyone looked up in astonishment, only to see a dragon claw as smooth as jade yet emitting endless majesty slowly emerging from the clouds. Between the scales of the dragon claw flowed a bright light like star fragments.
Then, the claws clenched lightly, as if grasping the most fragile glass cup in the world. The red python phantom summoned by Liu Chongshan instantly "banged" and shattered into a blood mist in the sky, disappearing into nothingness.
A young woman in green, like a fairy descending from the heavens, gracefully landed in front of Gu Jiuge and blocked the fatal blow for him. The woman had a beautiful face and bright eyes, and her cultivation had reached the late stage of the Spirit Severing Realm. That stunning strike had easily shattered Liu Chongshan's fierce attack.
She waved her jade hand and made a light move towards Bu Xingjin who was trapped in the formation. Bu Xingjin, who was originally trapped in the formation and struggling, only felt a flash of light and shadow in front of his eyes, and the next moment he changed his position and appeared steadily beside Gu Jiuge.
"Who are you? How dare you meddle in the affairs of my Liu family!"
Liu Chongshan held on to his last bit of confidence, his eyes wide open, and slammed the crutch in his hand heavily on the ground, trying to calm his panicked mind, but his slightly trembling hands still mercilessly betrayed his inner tension.
This Cheng Yaojin who suddenly appeared out of nowhere was so powerful that it made him feel extremely uneasy.
"Me?" The woman in green raised the corner of her mouth, revealing a faint smile. Her voice was clear and melodious, like the sound of a spring flowing through the mountains. "I'm just a passerby. I happened to pass by here and saw that this secret realm was about to open. On a whim, I wanted to join in the fun."
"You..." Liu Chongshan was furious, his facial muscles twitching slightly, but he managed to suppress his anger and did not rashly attack again. He gritted his teeth and continued, "I admit that you are very powerful, but do you think you can take this little beast away by yourself?"
"Oh?" A teasing voice came, and another man in blue walked out with a dashing step. He waved a folding fan in his hand, and was very graceful, looking like a suave young man.
As he approached the woman in green, his aura suddenly rose, and his powerful cultivation in the Spiritual Severing Stage was revealed without reservation. "What about me?"
After he finished speaking, he did not forget to turn around, winked at Gu Jiuge, and said teasingly with a smile: "Young Master Gu, please leave me one of the Shangli Orders. I have been thinking about it for a long time."
"Add me, add me."
A short old man with white hair and beard raised his hands like a child and squeezed out of the crowd with difficulty.
He had a purple wine gourd tied around his waist, and his hair, which was messed up by the crowd, blocked his eyes. He raised his hand and casually smoothed his hair, then trotted over to the man in green and stood beside him. He looked a little funny and a little mysterious.
After being slapped in the face one after another, Liu Chongshan was like an active volcano about to erupt, with anger burning in his chest. His face was as gloomy as the night sky before a storm. He stared at the old man who didn't look like a cultivator at all and looked like an ordinary mortal. Without saying a word, he attacked directly.
The red python that was smashed by the woman in green did not completely dissipate. After shrinking a lot, it appeared again with its fangs and claws bared, and rushed straight towards the old man's vitals. It was as fast as lightning and its poisonous saliva splashed everywhere.
"Ha ha!"
The old man, however, acted as if he hadn't seen it, neither flinching nor dodging. He threw back his head and let out a hearty laugh. He raised his hand and untied the purple gourd from his waist, uncorked it skillfully, and pointed the gourd mouth at the incoming red python. His eyes were filled with joy as he laughed loudly, "Such excellent ingredients for making wine, it's a great tonic. Thank you very much!"
A magical scene happened. The closer the ferocious red python got to the purple gourd, the smaller its body became. In the end, it flew straight into the purple gourd with a "whoosh" like a young swallow flying into the forest.
The old man quickly put the cork back in, shaking the purple gourd in a good mood. He looked at Liu Chongshan with a smile and repeated, "You're so polite. This is exactly what I like. Thank you!"
Liu Chongshan watched helplessly as the old man took away the red python that he had spent so much energy and blood to obtain so easily. Then he looked at the man and woman in green clothes next to him with a calm expression, as well as Gu Jiuge and Bu Xingjin who were safe and sound behind them. He felt a mouthful of blood rushing up his throat, and he spat it out with a "puff".
He was filled with frustration and anger, a question echoing in his mind: Where did these weirdos come from? He was absolutely certain he had never offended any of them, so why would they go against him like this? Just because of the Shang Li Order didn't seem reasonable, did it?
At this moment, he felt like a clown being made fun of by others. He had just been hit on the left side of his face, and then he stretched out his right side to be hit by others, but he had no power to fight back.
Liu Chongshan was shocked and angry. His eyes swept back and forth over these uninvited guests, trying to find a flaw in their expressions and find out the real reason why they intervened in this matter. However, all he saw was calmness and playfulness.
He thought to himself that today's situation would be difficult to resolve, but he couldn't bear to give up. Besides, the Shangli Order was of great importance. Even if they couldn't get it, they couldn't let the little beast from the Gu family get it.
"Humph, don't go too far!"
Liu Chongshan gripped his cane tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain. He suppressed his anger, but his voice still trembled slightly, clearly furious. "Do you really think I have no one in the Liu family?"
The woman in green smiled gently, her smile as warm as the spring sun, yet with a hint of distance. "Senior Liu, what you said is wrong. There is indeed someone who is bullying others, but it is definitely not me."
"I just happened to be there at the right time. I can't stand the strong bullying the weak." As she spoke, she turned slightly to protect Gu Jiuge more closely, with a firm look in her eyes.
"That's right!" The short old man shook the wine gourd in his hand and echoed, "You old man, you are already old, why bother to embarrass a young man? I see this young man has a handsome face and a righteous expression, maybe he is the one with whom you are destined. You insist on taking what is rightfully yours, aren't you afraid of retribution?"
Although the old man seemed cynical, the accusation in his words was unambiguous. As he spoke, he smacked his lips, as if he was savoring the taste of the red python he had just put into the gourd. It was unclear whether he was really savoring the taste or deliberately angering Liu Chongshan.
The man in green looked leisurely, and slowly closed the folding fan in his hand. With a slight "pop" sound, the end of the fan hit his palm neither lightly nor heavily. He tilted his head slightly, and raised the corner of his mouth, outlining a hint of sarcasm, as if he was looking at a unreasonable child.
"Senior Liu," he began, his voice clear yet undeniable, "If you're wise today and take your people home, then if we run into each other again in the future, I can still politely address you as Senior, and we can all live in peace. How wonderful it would be."
Having said this, he paused deliberately. His eyes, which originally held a hint of mockery, instantly became as sharp as an eagle, a cold light flashed across them, and the aura around him also changed, like a sword drawn from its sheath, its edge fully exposed.
"But if you insist on being so serious about this and refuse to repent..." He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed on Liu Chongshan, and spoke word by word, "Anyway, this secret realm is about to open. Once inside, a melee is inevitable as various forces vie for the opportunity. In that case, why don't we warm up now and have a fight? This will also allow you to consider whether you have the ability to block others from entering."
Liu Chongshan's chest heaved with rage. He had been roaming Shangli City for years, but had he ever suffered such humiliation? If he really left in disgrace today, what would become of the Liu family's reputation? He would be laughed at in this area for the rest of his life.
"Alright, very good!" He gritted his teeth and said, "Since you are determined to be an enemy of my Liu family, don't blame me for being cruel and ruthless!"
With that, he stomped his cane onto the ground. A dark red light emanated from its base, instantly staining the surrounding ground an eerie blood-red. The once clear sky seemed shrouded in a blood-soaked mist, dimming the light. Seeing this, the Liu family members behind Liu Chongshan summoned their magical weapons and prepared for battle. For a moment, spiritual energy surged, and the tense atmosphere intensified.
The green-clothed woman's eyes narrowed as she whispered to the two men beside her, "Be careful! This old man is going all out." She quickly formed seals with her hands in front of her, and streams of green spiritual energy swirled around her like flowing ribbons. The green-clothed man also dropped his cynical demeanor. He unfurled his folding fan, and the inky bamboo on its surface seemed to come alive, emitting a commanding aura. He poured spiritual energy into the fan, ready to strike at any moment.
The short old man seemed to be fine. He took out a small wine flask from his bosom, tilted his head back and took a sip, muttering: "What's the point of fighting and killing? It only hurts the harmony." But his narrowed eyes kept scanning the battlefield, revealing a bit of shrewdness, and it was obvious that he was secretly on guard.
Gu Jiuge looked at the people who stood up for him, his heart filled with gratitude. He clenched the Shangli Order in his hand and decided to give the three Shangli Orders to these three people.
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