Chapter 562: Sun Xuerong's Appearance

Chapter 562: Sun Xuerong's Appearance

January 25th, 2025

The third day of Su Chen's stay in Lin You City.

Several major powers of the Zhou Kingdom had already arrived.

The Yunyang Sect, Wanli Sect, Tianmu Society, and several other prominent sects, including Lanjun Mountain, were all present.

Among them, there was no sign of Heaven Pole City.

Heaven Pole City had already made its stance clear to the public.

There was no need to discuss Sun Xuerong further.

Heaven Pole City would constantly seek opportunities to take action against her.

As long as the chance presented itself, and she showed any weakness, Heaven Pole City would show no mercy.

Since they had publicly declared their intentions, it was unlikely that Heaven Pole City would participate in these talks.

After all, Heaven Pole City's position was significantly different from the other sects.

Heaven Pole City firmly stood behind Su Chen.

Moreover, Su Chen would continue to provide Heaven Pole City with endless benefits.

For instance, the Jin State Transformation Realm experts who had been protecting Heaven Pole City all along.

No one knew what kind of benefits Su Chen had offered them, but they remained steadfast in their support.

The other sects couldn't obtain as many advantages from Su Chen, so they couldn't stand as firmly behind him as Heaven Pole City did.

This time, they had come to address the issue of Sun Xuerong primarily because it affected their interests.

Representatives from the major sects had all arrived at Lin You City.

Outside the city lord's manor, the crowd awaited Sun Xuerong's appearance.

The area surrounding the city lord's manor was spacious and open.

Lin You City had suffered greatly from demonic beast attacks in the past.

To boost morale, the previous city lord had the citizens retreat behind the manor.

The city lord's manor became the vanguard in the battle against the demonic beasts.

This move did indeed raise morale, and during the subsequent battles against the demonic beasts, the entire city's populace united as one.

This vast open space outside the city lord's manor was also left over from those times.

It had been preserved over the years.

Nowadays, this area had become the designated spot for Lin You City to handle important matters.

The choice of this location for the negotiations was due to the fear that Sun Xuerong might not show up.

In some narrow and confined spaces, she might feel endangered and refuse to appear.

It was still early in the day.

But Sun Xuerong's influence was indeed significant, as she managed to make several major sects wait for her here.

Su Chen mingled with the crowd, quietly awaiting Sun Xuerong's arrival.

He wanted to see how this gathering would unfold.

Many onlookers surrounded the area, far exceeding Lin You City's usual population.

It was evident that people from other places had come to witness the spectacle.

During the wait, these people chatted a lot, mostly in support of Su Chen.

Su Chen was aware that since his battle with Liu Siyun, his reputation in the Zhou Kingdom had skyrocketed.

By boosting everyone's morale, they naturally supported Su Chen.

On the other hand, Sun Xuerong had tarnished her reputation, and during the incident in Heaven Pole City, she had broken her word.

In many people's eyes, this negotiation shouldn't have taken place.

What was there to discuss with someone like Sun Xuerong?

As the hour approached the evening, a few people strolled leisurely from a distance.

Sun Xuerong, Fu Jianyun, and another individual sent by Fan Chengyan from Wuluan Mansion.

The message Su Chen received only mentioned these three individuals.

However, today, behind them, an old woman followed at a leisurely pace.

Su Chen recognized her; she was from the Liu family.

This old woman had accompanied Liu Siyun during her visit.

During the competition, this old woman had intervened twice.

The second time, she even attempted to strike Su Chen hard.

Despite Liu Siyun's heavier blows during the competition and the common occurrence of injuries, this old woman had directly launched a sneak attack after seeing Liu Siyun get hurt.

If not for Su Chen's anticipation of her move, he might have lost half his life.

This old woman was at the initial stages of the Transformation Realm, but her cultivation was unstable.

When Su Chen witnessed her intervention, he could clearly sense something amiss.

Her cultivation was only slightly above the Fifth Rank.

Of course, for Su Chen at that time, this old woman's sneak attack could have been fatal.

Su Chen assumed that only Sun Xuerong and the Wuluan Mansion behind her were targeting him.

He never expected the Liu family to get involved.

But it didn't matter.

Her half-baked Transformation Realm cultivation held no significance against his current abilities.

In front of the city lord's manor, Sun Xuerong's face carried a hint of coldness and arrogance.

Especially when she looked at the Yunyang Sect crowd, she seemed to puff out her chest intentionally.

This gesture seemed to convey that she was not at a disadvantage and even had a hint of boasting.

By her side, Fu Jianyun fetched a chair for her to sit.

The once proud Fu Jianyun had lost his former arrogance. In the past, he was regarded as the number one genius of the Zhou Kingdom. Even the elders of many sects treated him with utmost respect, for his displayed talent and potential foretold a bright future, a path to great heights.

However, everything changed upon his return from the Jin State. It was as if Fu Jianyun had suddenly lost his wit. Among his peers, several who were once less renowned than him had already advanced to the Fifth Rank. Meanwhile, Fu Jianyun lagged behind, only recently achieving the Fifth Rank.

Seeing that Su Chen was able to engage with the young geniuses of the Jin State, he became even more aware of the gap between them. The Xuan Ying Conference in Jin State was the moment his confidence shattered. Despite exerting his full strength, he couldn't defeat an opponent who, in front of Su Chen, couldn't even last a few moves.

Recently, Sun Xuerong had given him much encouragement, restoring a portion of his once-lost confidence. But even as he served her by carrying her chair, it was evident that he was no longer the same Fu Jianyun.

After Sun Xuerong sat down, she swept a cold gaze over the onlookers. Those who had been chatty earlier fell silent under her stare, wisely choosing to keep their mouths shut.

Initially, they had eagerly discussed taking action against Sun Xuerong, but now, no one dared to utter such words. The pressure from a Transformation Realm warrior was enough to keep them in line.

While the martial prowess of the Zhou Kingdom might be inferior, a Transformation Realm expert was still formidable. The common folk of Lin Yucheng had no choice but to endure.

"The Jin State Court has repeatedly stated that they will no longer interfere in the affairs of our Zhou Kingdom," said Liu Xingwan, taking the lead in speaking. "If I recall correctly, you are from the Liu family of Jin State. Are you here today to defy the orders of your own court?"

Liu Xingwan had already begun to demonstrate her ability to stand on her own. Her words and demeanor exuded maturity.

Hearing this, the Liu family's elderly woman, who had been standing a bit further away, let out a cold huff. "Rest assured, I have no interest in meddling in your affairs. However, our young mistress specifically requested this young man named Su Chen. Last time, he managed to win against our mistress by relying on some sinister tricks. But now, our mistress has figured out how to counter his methods, and I can even tell you that it's quite simple. It was only because our mistress was disturbed by the situation that she reluctantly lost the competition."

The Liu family's elderly woman continued her monologue, her words filled with excuses for Liu Siyun. But no matter how she tried to justify it, the people of Zhou Kingdom weren't buying it.

The crowd only remembered that Liu Siyun had lost to Su Chen, and that even in her full strength, she had been defeated. The people of Zhou Kingdom were already inclined towards Su Chen, so they paid no heed to the elderly woman's words. Many around them looked at her with puzzled expressions.

They wondered why she was following Sun Xuerong, as she kept making excuses for Liu Siyun, clearly answering a different question.

After a moment, the Liu family's elderly woman, having spoken at length, seemed to realize the futility of her words. "I came here with the intention of keeping Su Chen for a while. How you handle your internal struggles within the Zhou Kingdom is none of our business. However, before Su Chen dies, he must have one more match with our young mistress."

Upon hearing this, many people in the room couldn't help but frown. The Jin State people were indeed domineering. Even if Sun Xuerong captured Su Chen, she would have to wait and couldn't take action against him.

The representatives of the major powers in the Zhou Kingdom also frowned upon hearing this. It was a slight to their dignity, but no one spoke up in rebuttal.

The Jin State people did have the strength to act arrogantly. However, with the interference of the Liu family's elderly woman, negotiations with Sun Xuerong seemed even more difficult.

It was unclear whether this elderly woman would truly refrain from intervening in the internal affairs of the Zhou Kingdom.

Amidst the silence, Sun Xuerong was the first to speak. "You're not the only ones tired of all this chasing and running. I'm tired of it too. Since you've come to talk today, let's talk. If we can't reach an agreement, then it's up to you."

Sun Xuerong raised her eyes to look at the crowd, and compared to her previous role as an elder of the Yunyang Sect, she seemed much more unrestrained.

"Let me give you all a heads-up. If you're here to persuade me to give up, we might as well not talk at all. It's pointless to say more."

This Su Chen, I, Sun Xerong, will definitely deal with him."

Among the crowd, people from various powers furrowed their brows.

It had only just begun, and Sun Xerong's words left everyone feeling speechless.

Many people turned their gazes towards Liu Xingwan, looking at the third elder of Yunyang Sect.

Sun Xerong was a disciple of Yunyang Sect.

When it came to dealing with the matter, Yunyang Sect should take the lead.

In the moment of hesitation, Liu Xingwan, her former disciple, stepped forward.

"Master."

As Liu Xingwan spoke, she still addressed Sun Xerong as 'Master'.

Hearing these words, Sun Xerong didn't show much reaction.

Of her two direct disciples, she had always favored Fu Jianyun more.

Liu Xingwan had not chosen to follow her, and now she was here to hinder her.

Under such circumstances, Sun Xerong naturally treated Liu Xingwan with even less respect.

"Our master-disciple relationship has come to an end. It's better if you address me as 'Senior' from now on."

Sun Xerong spoke coldly, and upon hearing this, Liu Xingwan's expression remained unchanged.

Everyone thought that Liu Xingwan would be affected by Sun Xerong's words and that her state of mind would be disturbed.

However, the truth was that Liu Xingwan was now much more composed than before.

In Yunyang Sect, she had already started to independently handle many affairs.

As the senior disciple of Yunyang Sect, the matters she managed were no less than those of an elder.

Moreover, she was even more respected by the sect members than Sun Xerong.

How could she be affected by Sun Xerong's words?

"Master, your current actions are no longer tolerated by Yunyang Sect and the Great Zhou.

But as your disciple, I still remember the past.

I implore you, Master, not to make the same mistake again and to turn back in time.

The Transformation Realm is not invincible in this world. If you insist on your delusions, we, the various sects, will not stand by idly.

Even the Celestial Demons, as powerful as they are, have met their demise in the Great Zhou."

Liu Xingwan's words remained true to her thoughts.

Sun Xerong's response did not affect Liu Xingwan.

Instead, her calm demeanor made Sun Xerong feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Making the same mistake again?

Do you think I, Sun Xerong, am alone and helpless now?

Let me tell you, the resources I receive every month are more than what each of you elders have.

With Jianyun by my side, he will have access to even more resources than he did in Yunyang Sect."

Liu Xingwan looked at Sun Xerong and continued her response.

"Under your favoritism, Fu Jianyun's cultivation has already fallen behind.

Can the former number one genius of the Great Zhou, even reach half of Su Chen's strength?

Master, you have always underestimated Su Chen.

Even when faced with irrefutable evidence, everyone knows his abilities, yet you still make excuses.

In the end, it's all for the sake of your reputation."

Liu Xingwan's expression was solemn, and as a junior, she spoke with the demeanor of a strong cultivator.

"Master, what's the point of stubbornly holding onto your reputation?

In the current situation, your reputation has already been tarnished.

Even Wulan Mansion openly despises and dislikes you.

Despite helping them, they still send people to monitor you.

The actions you are taking now have no future."

Liu Xingwan spoke with ease and confidence.

Her state was even more impressive than that of some sect elders.

The elders from other sects looked at Liu Xingwan, then at their own juniors, and shook their heads helplessly.

Liu Xingwan had matured and was no longer naive, except for her slightly inferior martial power.

In other aspects, she already possessed the qualities to lead a sect.

After Liu Xingwan's words, Sun Xerong's face showed more anger than before.

"What? Are you here to lecture me now?

Don't talk to me with that condescending attitude.

My future, Sun Xerong's future, will be much better than yours.

The development of Jianyun will also surpass yours.

Once we settle the matter with Su Chen, we will establish ourselves in Jin State.

As for your claims about Su Chen's abilities and talents, rest assured that the Fifth Rank is already his limit.

Throughout history, no martial cultivator has ever hidden and cowered like him.

If he truly has the capability, let him show himself. But does he dare?"

Sun Xerong's words grew more agitated.

"Jianyun is only temporarily lagging behind Su Chen, but in the future, he will surely catch up and surpass him.

If you continue with these old and worn-out arguments, there's no need to say more.

I, Sun Xerong, have no interest in listening further."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end