https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-554-The-First-Battle-in-Western-Hong/12948187/
Chapter 555: Releasing the Tiger Back to the Mountains
Chapter 555: Releasing the Tiger Back to the Mountains
In the vast hall of the Jade Mountain in Western Hong, all the maidservants and bodyguards had withdrawn.
It was rare for them to witness the Dragon Consort taking action herself, and the chilling and palpable killing intent that emanated from her was an extremely unusual display for a Purple Beard White Dragon. It proved that she was truly enraged.
"Stop!"
Zixuan no longer referred to herself as 'this humble one', and under the dragon claw covered in snow-white scales, An Tingfeng's head had already transformed into a tiger's, and this hideous and ferocious skull was gradually deforming within the sharp dragon claws.
She could tell that the situation on the other side was extremely tense.
Otherwise, this ferocious tiger wouldn't have been continuously nourishing its clansmen.
Many things could be inferred from this.
It meant that there should be other Patriarchs present beside Shen Yi, but it was unlikely to be Ji Jingxi, as even with her Heaven Realm cultivation, it wouldn't make a difference even if this tiger exhausted all its essence.
Precisely because of this, Zixuan became even more anxious.
If she let An Tingfeng succeed, and two Patriarchs of the Southern Flood Seven Sons perished on her own territory... How could she face Jingxi again?
"I'm telling you to stop!"
With a low rebuke, Zixuan suddenly exerted force, and a crisp cracking sound was heard. Instantly, fine cracks appeared on An Tingfeng's head, and crimson blood oozed out, staining the white fur and black markings on his face.
"Heh... Heh..."
Through the gaps in the dragon claws, An Tingfeng revealed his gaping mouth, emitting an eerie, sharp laugh.
It turned out that even a great demon comparable to the Heaven Realm, who had experienced ten thousand years of tribulations, would become so weak and fragile once they had attachments. Despite having the realm, their fear was evident to others.
The secret technique had already been activated, and as soon as he died, his cultivation would be transferred to the elders of his clan.
This woman didn't dare to take the risk. She still held onto the hope that the Southern Flood Seven Sons could survive, so she didn't want to add any pressure to the other side.
On the contrary, he currently had nothing to lose.
An Yi... Father is coming for you.
An Tingfeng grinned menacingly, revealing two fangs: "Dragon Consort, once this matter is settled, and my daughter returns, I will still serve you in consideration of those Soul Continuation Treasures."
"Do you still want to live?" Zixuan narrowed her eyes, almost laughing in anger.
If something happened to the Southern Flood Seven Sons, this ferocious tiger wouldn't think he could walk out of this hall unscathed. The entire Western Hong forces had never imagined that the Eastern Dragon King, who was rumored to have been backstabbed by Xuan Qing, actually felt indebted to the Southern Flood Seven Sons.
For this reason, Father King had even endured the feeling of swallowing a bucket of feces and pulled Zi Ling's tiger skin, diverting the Immortal's attention from Southern Flood and intimidating the other forces to protect the remaining six sects.
Even if killing this Moonlit Frost Tiger Clan Leader would cause those barely appeased forces to become suspicious, affecting the overall situation, Father King would never blame him.
"If you want to take action, it's best to do it now. If you wait until that side settles... Tingfeng will definitely lose to the Dragon Consort, but temporarily reaching the Heaven Realm cultivation will ensure his survival."
With his head held firmly, An Tingfeng's smile faded, but he remained calm and composed.
"... "
As she observed his expression, especially after sensing the diminishing aura on this ferocious tiger, Zixuan felt a suffocating frustration she had never experienced before.
She closed her eyes, and the once steady dragon claws began to tremble in anger.
An Tingfeng's feigned calm laughter grated on her ears.
Since arriving in Western Hong, this was the first time Zixuan had been at a disadvantage in this remote place. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and shifted her gaze elsewhere: "Everything can be negotiated..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Zixuan suddenly realized that the tiger in her palm was trembling even more violently than herself.
She looked back with a hint of surprise.
But An Tingfeng abruptly stopped laughing, and beneath his blood-soaked fur, his originally sharp eyes became somewhat dazed and uncertain.
He stared blankly into the void, and his aura was rapidly recovering.
In an instant, An Tingfeng clenched his palms tightly, desperately trying to transfer his cultivation to the other side, but no matter how hard he tried, it was to no avail.
His aura continued to recover uncontrollably, returning to its peak state.
"How is this possible—?"
An Tingfeng's face was filled with panic, obviously, the situation had spiraled out of his control.
Peering through the gaps in the dragon claws, he fixed his gaze on Zixuan, his composure in his voice now gone: "Dragon Consort, Dragon Consort! You just said we could negotiate..."
"Negotiate what?"
Zixuan raised her eyebrows and finally released her palm. To her surprise, this tiger demon, whose cultivation was slightly above the Earth Realm, staggered backward, his steps unsteady.
She immediately understood: "Did I say that?"
Instead of fleeing, An Tingfeng hurriedly stopped her, his voice anxious: "It's Tingfeng who wants to discuss with the Dragon Consort. As long as you return my daughter to me, I'm willing to fight for the Dragon Consort, and I'll never regret it even if I die ten thousand times!"
Witnessing this strange scene, Zixuan's pent-up frustration vanished, and she became quite curious.
What had happened to cause such a drastic change in this ferocious tiger?
Nevertheless, since he had suffered a loss, it meant that the Southern Flood Patriarch had gained an advantage.
That young man with the surname Shen, his luck is indeed extraordinary... Excellent, excellent! He has truly restored my dignity! The previous dissatisfaction towards that young Shen Patriarch due to Ji Jingxi had now dissipated.
Thinking of this, Zixuan slowly retracted her gaze: "I'm sorry, I don't have the habit of discussing matters with the dead."
For what this tiger had done today, dying ten thousand times wouldn't be excessive.
She really thought the Eastern Dragon Palace was a great philanthropist!
As her words fell, she vigorously waved her sleeves, and a mighty demonic power surged forth. Compared to the casualness when she struck Qi Jia's seventh elder down Jade Mountain, this time, she clearly carried a killing intent, aiming to take his life.
An Tingfeng was already in a daze, and with his cultivation far inferior to hers, before he could utter another word, his robust body was sent flying backward with a loud bang! The demonic power was like a gale, tearing through his mystic white cloak, and even his sturdy demonic body was torn open, revealing white bones.
Without any restraints, Zixuan finally displayed the terrifying dominance of the Heaven Realm over the Earth Realm.
She took another step forward, and the dragon claws transformed back into slender jade hands, with a long dragon scale sword appearing in her palm.
Just as she was about to take the tiger's life, Zixuan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she slowly stopped in her tracks.
After An Tingfeng collided with Jade Mountain, a painting appeared in the clear waters, enveloping him and pulling him into the painting. The landscape within the painting shook violently, completely dissipating the demonic power.
The next moment, the painting threw An Tingfeng back into the hall.
"Tsk, what's with Zixuan Senior's sudden outburst?"
In front of An Tingfeng, several figures had appeared at some point, and the one leading them wore a long golden-yellow robe. Despite the eye-catching color, he didn't appear rustic at all; instead, he exuded a hint of an upper-class aura.
The middle-aged man twirled his goatee and smiled at Zixuan, then cupped his hands: "Junrui came uninvited, please forgive me, Zixuan Senior."
He didn't address the Dragon Consort; instead, he called her Zixuan, and his words subtly carried a hint of looking down on Western Hong.
"Situ?"
Zixuan recognized the attire of the visitors, and a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes: "What, have you broken through to the Heaven Realm? Dare to come to Jade Mountain."
It was common knowledge that the Eastern Dragon Palace treated all Northern Hong forces equally, and they all despised them!
"Almost, almost."
Situ Junrui smiled and waved his hands repeatedly: "I'm just here on business for the Boundless Dao Emperor Sect in Western Hong. I should inform Zixuan Senior as a courtesy, so as not to affect the harmony between my sect and the Eastern Dragon Palace."
"Harmony?" Zixuan lifted her lips, glancing at the junior with a hint of mockery.
This person was the patriarch of the sixteenth branch sect of the Boundless Dao Emperor Sect, and aside from Xue Yan, he was the youngest among them.
But as a top-tier force in Northern Hong, any branch sect patriarch was among the top three in the Dao Soldier Register during their youth, meaning they were all top-notch talents who had crossed four tribulations in Hongze.
"Perhaps there were some misunderstandings in the past, but relationships like these take time to develop."
"For example, right now."
Situ Junrui lowered his gaze towards the tiger demon beneath him: "Junrui doesn't mind carrying out the act of killing on behalf of the senior, to spare her hands from being tainted. As everyone knows, Purple Beard White Dragon dislikes slaughter. This demon beast, I'll take care of it myself."
Upon hearing this, Zixuan fell silent for a moment, then coldly smiled: "If you're searching for demons for Xue Yan, just say so directly. Don't act like you're considering my interests. Our relationship hasn't reached that level yet."
"That's not entirely false. The Boundless Dao Emperor Sect will remember this favor from the senior. However, if the news of you personally killing him spreads, it might affect your reputation."
After hearing this, Zixuan pondered for a moment and didn't say much more, implicitly agreeing: "..."
Situ Junrui cupped his hands again and slowly squatted down. Although his cultivation was not far from An Tingfeng's, he now seemed to be gently patting the head of a harmless creature: "Be a good boy. I have other matters to attend to. Go find a place to heal your injuries and stop causing trouble. I'll come to fetch you later."
An Tingfeng was speechless.
When he was sucked into the landscape scroll, numerous talisman shadows appeared on his body, and at this moment, he was firmly pinned to the ground. Only when Situ Junrui lifted his palm did he have the strength to stand up.
Compared to the previous suppression of his cultivation realm, the current situation was more of a disparity in abilities.
In front of the Boundless Dao Emperor Sect, the demon clan of Western Hong and the country bumpkins were no different.
"Go."
Situ Junrui smiled and waved them off.
An Tingfeng's face turned wooden, and he took a deep look at the few people in the hall before turning and walking out.
After his figure completely disappeared from sight.
Zixuan sat back on the throne, "Now, tell me about your matter."
"Senior Zixuan, there's no need to worry. We didn't intend to ask for your help; we just came to greet you."
Situ Junrui revealed a kind smile, but his eyes flashed with a sharp light, "For my sect's disciples to perish outside, it's not an uncommon occurrence. This is part of their training, but it has caused a huge stir in Western Hong, and everyone knows about it... Even the news has reached my Northern Hong, which is quite rare."
"If we don't do something, it's as if the people of the Dao Emperor Sect can be bullied at will."
"Of course, we won't make a big deal out of this. Please rest assured, Senior Zixuan, we just want to seek justice."
"Junior takes his leave," Situ Junrui said, bowing again before leaving the hall with his disciples.
The hall became empty once more.
Zixuan leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples with a slight headache. As the de facto ruler of Western Hong, she couldn't understand how things had gotten so chaotic here all of a sudden.
However, she had no intention of getting involved.
The Boundless Dao Emperor Sect was most likely here for the Ten Thousand Demon Hall, and both parties had nothing to do with her or the Southern Flood Seven Sons. Let them deal with it.
Thinking of the Southern Flood Seven Sons, Zixuan's face finally relaxed a little. The next time she met that young Shen Patriarch, she must ask what had happened today. Surviving the attack of the Moonlight Frost Tiger Clan was no easy feat, even with the support of another sect leader.
This young Shen Patriarch was quite unlucky. Just after making an enemy of the tiger demon, the Treasure Moon Tomb incident occurred, resulting in this unforeseen disaster. One could only wonder what the other party was thinking.
Zixuan couldn't help but shake her head and smile, and her figure disappeared from the hall.
At the same time.
Outside Jade Mountain, the group from the Boundless Dao Emperor Sect swiftly left the waters.
Situ Junrui's face no longer carried the previous humility. He casually summoned the vast landscape scroll, and his figure transformed into a stream of light, landing on the meditation cushion.
"Huff."
He sat cross-legged, his gaze fixed forward.
In the Dao Emperor Palace, an old man, disheveled and battered, was tied to a large pillar, his face contorted in agony, and his breath weak, clearly having endured inhuman torture.
"Being able to enter my Dao Emperor Palace is a blessing you've cultivated over several lifetimes."
"I advise you to tell me the reason behind this without omitting a single word. I will then grant you the chance to return to your sect and be buried with your fellow disciples. Otherwise... you shall enter my landscape scroll."
Although the old man's face was covered in blood and flesh, his features could still be vaguely discerned.
It was Yang Yunheng, the Great Elder of the Mountain Moving Sect.
"I... I showed you... that jade slip..." Yang Yunheng's voice was weak.
"Oh?" Situ Junrui stroked his beard, "You mean that thing that everyone in Western Hong has a copy of? Do I still need to get it from you?"
"No... there's nothing else." Yang Yunheng struggled to open his eyes.
"Good." Situ Junrui nodded, "Then tell me, who recorded the contents of that jade slip? Your sect leader or a disciple?"
At this, Yang Yunheng's heart skipped a beat. After clenching his teeth for a long time, he finally said, "I recorded it myself."
"In that case, tell me what you saw. For example, what did the owner of the Mystic Golden Light look like? What was their cultivation level, and what were they wearing?" Situ Junrui continued with a mocking tone.
Yang Yunheng fell silent again, his face changing repeatedly as he glanced at the landscape scroll with apprehension. Finally, he closed his eyes and said, "It's all in the jade slip. I didn't see anything else."
"Ha—"
Situ Junrui suddenly burst into loud laughter, laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath. He rubbed his eyes and said to his disciples, "He's treating me like a fool... Tell him how the Boundless Dao Emperor Sect handles matters."
The disciples of the Boundless Dao Emperor Sect stood with their hands hanging by their sides, responding indifferently, "If the true culprit can't be found, then no one will be spared."
(End of Chapter)
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