by Shian Jeen
Su Yan’s reminder struck a chord in Huwang Xiao. If the Clear Cloud Pavilion was making trouble in such a blatant manner, could there really be a hidden plot?
“Very well, Mother, I will pay attention.” Huwang Xiao nodded.
After talking with their son for a while, Huwang Peng and Su Yan left the main hall.
Huwang Xiao remained in the main hall alone, pondering the words his Mother had just said.
If the Clear Cloud Pavilion has a hidden plot against him, then, what would they do? Lure him over and then kill him? A sharp, cold glint flitted across Huwang Xiao’s eyes.
It was a beautiful night tonight.
Huwang Xiao activated the God Binding Ring and entered the ancient battlefield. After swallowing a Fire Dragon Pearl, he commenced his practice.
Even while rushing back and forth performing the class advancement task, Huwang Xiao did not relax his cultivation. Five months had passed and Huwang Xiao had already broken through to mid-Tenth Order, just half a step away from peak mid-Tenth Order.
Not long from now, he could break through to the peak mid-Tenth Order.
But, he was still quite far off from reaching late-Tenth Order.
Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the ancient battlefield, Huwang Xiao ran the Asura Tactics repeatedly while the twin dragons, one black and one blue, devoured the netherworld spiritual aura gushing down from the void.
The netherworld battle qi coursed along his meridians and surged in his Qi Sea.
Due to the continuous enhancement from the Fire Dragon Pearls he had consumed, the battle qi in running along his meridians and Qi Sea had completely turned ink black with a hint of a purple glow.
Despite that, Huwang Xiao could not confirm if his netherworld battle qi had transformed into another type of battle qi altogether. The one point he was sure of though, was the fact that the current netherworld battle qi was at least a grade higher than before he started practicing using the Fire Dragon Pearls.
Because the power he felt from them were on different levels.
As Huwang Xiao continued running Asura Tactics, the battle and killing intent lingering in the ancient battlefield tempered his soul and will. It was close to a year since he refined the God Binding Ring, and he had been practicing in this ancient battlefield every single day. The benefits were obvious.
The carnage qi intertwined within the spiritual energy in the ancient battlefield not only sped up Huwang Xiao’s cultivation, but it also strengthened his soul and toughened his will. Marshal Haotian and Fei Hou both said it was difficult to step into the Xiantian realm. Not only did one need one’s battle qi to be strong enough to break the Xiantian barrier, it required the support of a tough soul and will to be successful.
If the soul and will were weak and the attempt of breakthrough failed, the battle qi in the meridians and Qi Sea would inversely flow, damaging one’s cultivation.
The night passed.
Huwang Xiao stopped running the Asura Tactics technique, stood up, then began practicing the God Binding Palm.
One of the things Huwang Xiao noticed was that while practicing the God Binding Palm in the ancient battlefield, it required half the effort yet provided twice the result.
Only after spending some time practicing the God Binding Palm did Huwang Xiao exit the ancient battlefield space.
When he appeared in the main hall, Fei Hou was already waiting for him.
Marshal Haotian was present too.
Seeing Huwang Xiao arrive, Marshal Haotian and Fei Hou walked up to greet him.
Permitting both of them to rise, Huwang Xiao said to Marshal Haotian, “Haotian, you’re going to come with us to Big Dawn County.”
“Me too?” Not only was Marshal Haotian surprised by Huwang Xiao’s command, Fei Hou was too.
With these small matters, Fei Hou alone was more than sufficient to handle them. Now, not only was the Sovereign coming along, but he even told Marshal Haotian to go as well?
“I feel this Clear Cloud Pavilion’s matter is not as simple as it seems to be on the surface.” Huwang Xiao asserted.
“Not so simple?” Marshal Haotian and Fei Hou exchanged a look between them.
“Sovereign, you’re saying the Clear Cloud Pavilion acted deliberately with the aim of baiting you over to Big Dawn County?” Haotian asked in a solemn voice.
Huwang Xiao nodded: “Although I can’t confirm this, it is better that we act with caution. However, on the way, Fei Hou and I will move in the open while Haotian, you stay hidden in the dark.”
“Yes, Sovereign!” Both of them acknowledged respectfully.
Then, two silhouettes were seen leaving Tianxuan Mansion in the direction of Big Dawn County.
Traveling from Luo Tong Royal City, the Big Dawn County was not far, separated only by one other county in between.
Five days later, Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou arrived in the Big Dawn’s County City.
Big Dawn County was one of the several bigger counties of the Luo Tong Kingdom, and it boasted the best growth amongst them. The Big Dawn’s County City was bustling and prosperous, almost at a level comparable to the Luo Tong Royal City.
The streets of Big Dawn County City were filled with an endless stream of people.
Entering the city, Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou headed straight to the Nine Tripod Commerce shop.
An hour later, the two of them appeared at the front entrance of the Nine Tripod Commerce.
The entrance of the Nine Tripod Commerce Big Dawn County branch was a two-floor structure built in the shape of an arch, and the architecture was similar to old European buildings. The design was specifically requested by Huwang Xiao.
Every Nine Tripod Commerce branch located throughout the Luo Tong Kingdom was constructed in the same style.
The people of the Nine Tripod Commerce branch weren’t informed of Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou’s visit. Therefore, no one came out to welcome Huwang Xiao’s arrival.
When Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou entered the hall, the sight of a Nine Tripod Commerce disciple sitting on a chair with a forlorn expression entered their eyes. Moreover, his right arm was wrapped in a bandage, evidence of his injury.
Noticing that there were people entering, this Nine Tripod Commerce disciple raised his head listlessly and when he saw it was Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou, his dispirited expression was replaced with surprise. He quickly stood up from the chair and rushed up to Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou: “Young Lord, Steward Fei Hou!”
All the Nine Tripod Commerce disciples could recognize Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou.
Huwang Xiao allowed this disciple to rise and speak.
“Where is Li Bin?” Huwang Xiao asked.
Li Bin was the overseer for Nine Tripod Commerce Big Dawn County.
“Supervisor Li Bin is healing inside the inner hall. This subordinate will go inform the Supervisor and the others immediately!” That disciple replied respectfully.
Seeing Huwang Xiao nodding his head, that disciple saluted and quickly ran into the inner hall to inform Supervisor Li Bin and the others. A short while later, that disciple returned with a big group of people. Leading them was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and broad shoulders. This was Li Bin. However, when Li Bin came out, he was leaning on a wooden crutch and limping weakly, whereas the other disciples behind him were mostly wounded and bandaged.
Limping over, Li Bin and the rest of the disciples walked out with their eyes shining after seeing Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou in front of them.
“Greetings Young Lord, Big Steward Fei Hou!”
All of them knelt down in salute before Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou.
Huwang Xiao looked at these people who were injured, yet still kneeling before him in greeting, and a cold light glinted in his eyes. Before he arrived, he had no idea that Li Bin’s and these disciples’ injuries were so severe.
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Huwang Xiao could see Li Bin’s right leg was slanted out at an odd angle, and from the looks of it, the bones inside were shattered. E
ven if he healed, his future mobility would not be as agile as it was before.
Not only his leg, but Li Bin’s internal injuries were also severe and his meridians were traumatized.
If Li Bin was in such a condition, then the rest of the Nine Tripod Commerce must have suffered worse injuries. And they did-- one of the disciples even had his left ear cut off.
Seeing the severity of Li Bin’s and the disciples’ injuries, the killing intent in Fei Hou’s eyes surged intensely.
“All of you, stand up.” Huwang Xiao allowed them to stand.
Hearing this, Li Bin and the branch disciples answered yes and stood up from their kneeling position.
“You all have suffered and been wronged these past few months.” Huwang Xiao said as he looked at Li Bin’s and each of the disciples’ faces.
Everyone’s eyes became red-rimmed.
“Young Lord, we did not feel wronged.” Li Bin stated as his eyes grew redder, “Really, we don’t feel wronged at all. We just hate that we are not strong enough to resist those Clear Cloud Pavilion’s lackeys.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll ensure that the Clear Cloud Pavilion pays a hundred times over for the injuries you’ve all suffered!” Huwang Xiao looked straight at Li Bin and the injured disciples, swearing an oath.
“Thank you Young Lord!” Once again, Li Bin and the group of disciples knelt down in gratitude.
Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou’s arrival was like a stabilizer in Li Bin’s and the rest of the disciples’ hearts – it was their pillar of strength.
Seeing that they were about to kneel down again, Huwang Xiao quickly walked up to stop them, having failed in his attempt to keep them from dropping.
“Fei Hou, give Li Bin and the disciples one Mysterious Yin Yang Dan each!” Huwang Xiao looked over and said to Fei Hou.
Fei Hou, Li Bin, and the disciples were stunned, but Fei Hou recovered quickly and did as he was told.
“Young Lord, this… this, we truly cannot accept!” At this point, Li Bin blurted out suddenly: “This Mysterious Yin Yang Dan is too precious!”
Mysterious Yin Yang Dan was a high Grade Three Spirit Dan, one of the best medicines for healing injuries. However, it didn’t come cheap. One Mysterious Yin Yang Dan costs more than several thousand gold coins. There were roughly one hundred people in their Big Dawn branch, so didn’t that mean several hundred thousand gold coins?
After Li Bin declined, the branch disciples also followed and declined the precious pill.
Huwang Xiao shook his head, and dissuaded, “Very well, you don’t need to say more.” His eyes indicated Fei Hou to pass out the Mysterious Yin Yang Dans to everyone.
Moments later, there was a little round pill in Li Bin’s hand, and it was the same with the other one hundred disciples. Their eyes turned red as they stared at the little pill in their hands, conveying their gratitude to Huwang Xiao.
After everyone had calmed down a little, Huwang Xiao asked, “The people from Clear Cloud Pavilion, do they come over every day to make trouble?”
“Yes, Young Lord; the people from Clear Cloud pavilion come here to make trouble every single day.” Li Bin limped forward and replied to Huwang Xiao respectfully. “They usually show up at noon, around this time.”
“Around this time?” Huwang Xiao nodded. Cold killing intent flitted passed his eyes.
Suddenly, at the front entrance, a loud, impetuous voice sounded in the hall, “The Nine Tripod Commerce group of pathetic grandsons, your Grandfather is here. Why aren’t you all rushing out to kowtow and greet my arrival?”
Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou both turned around.
“Young Lord, the people from Clear Cloud Pavilion are here!” Li Bin was startled, and he swiftly informed Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou.
Just as Li Bin had finished saying this, a group consisting of more than twenty people swaggered in through the front entrance.
This group of people wore light, ash-colored robes which were embroidered with a cyan cloud. This was the official uniform worn by Clear Cloud Pavilion disciples.
At the front of the pack was a young man, about twenty-eight years old at most. He had an insufferable, arrogant demeanor.
“The one in front is Clear Cloud Pavilion Branch President Mei Sen’s son, Mei Pengliang.” Li Bin explained to Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou.
Huwang Xiao nodded his head, and he observed this Mei Pengliang. His physique was on the thinner side, with elongated narrow eyes and a flat mouth. His entire presence gave off an insidious feeling akin to a poisonous snake that could strike at any time.
When Mei Pengliang walked in and saw Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou present in the hall, he couldn’t help but be startled. Earlier, both Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou had changed into the Nine Tripod Commerce’s disciple robe.
“Hey kid, were you sent over from other Nine Tripod Commerce branch? It seems that the Nine Tripod Commerce is so lacking in capable people that they actually sent a greenhorn here?” Mei Pengliang chuckled, his flat mouth curving into a charming smile.
When the Clear Cloud Pavilion disciples heard this, all of them broke out in ugly, unscrupulous laughter.
It was evident that neither Mei Pengliang nor any of the Clear Cloud Pavilion disciples recognized Huwang Xiao or Fei Hou. None of them expected that Huwang Xiao and Fei Hou would arrive in Big Dawn County in such a short time and that they would actually come in person.
The Nine Tripod branch disciples along with Li Bin were all furious hearing Mei Pengliang’s disrespectful words towards Huwang Xiao. When Li Bin wanted to speak out, Huwang Xiao waved a hand at him, preventing his subsequent action.
Instead, Huwang Xiao asked Li Bin, “Who was the one that crippled your leg?”
Li Bin pointed at Mei Pengliang: “Young Lord, it was this Mei Pengliang!”
Young Lord? Before Mei Pengliang or any of the Clear Cloud Pavilion disciples could react, Huwang Xiao’s silhouette flashed and closed the distance between him and Mei Pengliang. A palm struck out without reserve.
The hit landed silently, but Mei Pengliang’s face changed drastically in that moment. Fear crept into his eyes, but it was already too late for him to dodge.
“Little punk, how dare you hurt my Young Lord!” An expert standing behind Mei Pengliang shouted in shock and anger. Without delay, both of his hands slapped out in Huwang Xiao’s direction. The force from this expert’s palms whistled through the air, and then sounds of steel colliding rang out in the hall.
Just when Fei Hou was about to take action, Huwang Xiao’s aloof voice sounded: “No need.”
Fei Hou’s movements halted and retreated to the side with the disciples.
At this point, Huwang Xiao’s palm had landed on Mei Pengliang’s chest, a low sound of explosion sounded as Mei Pengliang flew back from the great force. Letting out a miserable scream, Mei Pengliang’s body seemed caved in from his chest.
At the same time, the attack from the expert behind Mei Pengliang struck Huwang Xiao. A sound of impact was heard, yet all the Clear Cloud Pavilion disciples clearly saw Huwang Xiao actually standing in the same spot without moving, maintaining an indifferent expression on his face. It was as if the person struck by the palm just now was not him.
“How, how can this be?!” That expert found it harder to believe than anyone else in the hall. He was, after all, a peak late-Eighth Order expert. Even if it was a late-Ninth Order expert being hit by his palm at full force, they would vomit blood and suffer serious injury.
Huwang Xiao had advanced into the Tenth Order. Coupled with his third level cultivation achievement in the Golden Linglong Physique and the endless consumption of Fire Dragon Pearl’s that also tempered his physical attributes, Huwang Xiao’s body defense had already reached a formidable degree. To say he was undefeatable below the Xiantian realm was no exaggeration.
Not to mention a peak late-Eighth Order’s full force strike, even if it was a peak late-Ninth Order’s full force attack, Huwang Xiao could take it without so much as moving an inch.
The Clear Cloud Pavilion disciples that watched what happened had ugly expressions on their faces.
The strongest person amongst them that traveled to the Nine Tripod branch this time was the expert that was hit by a simple turn of Huwang Xiao’s wrist.
“You, you are Huwang Xiao?!” Recalling Li Bin’s words when he spoke to Huwang Xiao, Mei Pengliang exclaimed aloud in a hoarse voice as he struggled to get up. Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood. The fear in his eyes was difficult to conceal.
Huwang Xiao was actually more terrifying than the rumors had described him to be. Before this, he had heard of these rumors and had not believed one word of it, thinking it was spread out deliberately by certain people.
A while back, a rumor said that Huwang Xiao had already advanced to the Ninth Order. This was one of the most unbelievable rumors to him thus far; a boy no more than sixteen-year-old is a Ninth Order Warrior? Even if you killed him, he would not believe it!
However, he believed them now even though he wasn’t dead yet.
Huwang Xiao slowly walked over to Mei Pengliang, his face indifferent, “That’s right, I am Huwang Xiao.”
Seeing Huwang Xiao approaching, Mei Pengliang staggered back in a panic, looking terrified.
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The Clear Cloud Pavilion crowd watched warily as Huwang Xiao approached Mei Pengliang with malice, and all of them quickly surrounded Mei Pengliang in a protective circle.
Seeing their reaction, Huwang Xiao let out a cold smirk. With a flash, he appeared in front of the Clear Cloud Pavilion crowd and struck out a palm, instantly smacking one of the experts in their group away. Huwang Xiao continued, and every palm and fist he attacked with caused one disciple of Clear Cloud Pavilion to be sent flying.
