Standing Up for Justice
Silence! Utter silence. Everyone present was stunned. Those who had been gleefully watching the spectacle were now gaping in disbelief. Lan Feng was utterly dumbfounded; his Law Artifact, used to attack the opponent, had been pulverized with a mere flick of a finger...
My God! Who exactly is this guy? Just how high is his cultivation level? He actually managed to pulverize the Azure Palace's Law Artifact with a single flick of his finger! That's just too powerful! Incredibly powerful!
The chattering women of Spring Sleep Tower were startled like a flock of quails. They were only selling themselves here because of their low cultivation level, and had never seen such high skill before. The beautiful and graceful proprietress's eyes gleamed with admiration.
Guan Zhongkai and Yu Landu exchanged a glance, both seeing the lingering fear in each other's eyes. Previously, they had somewhat thought that Niu Youde's terrifying aura used to suppress people was somewhat unorthodox, quite different from the aura emitted by most masters, perhaps indicating that his true cultivation was still somewhat lacking compared to the top ten masters. But this flick of his finger had undeniably and unequivocally subdued them.
He shattered the Law Artifact of the Azure Palace into dust! This is not something that can be done by trickery, but by genuine skill!
There was no earth-shattering aura, nor any frightening loud noise, just a soft "ding." It was hard to imagine the immense power contained within that single finger strike; such cultivation had likely reached the legendary state of returning to simplicity! They believed that even the top ten masters could shatter the Law Artifact in Lan Feng's hand, but to shatter it into dust... the two couldn't help but doubt whether the top ten masters could even achieve that.
They had vaguely heard that Niu Youde had used a similar technique at the Ghost Manor before, but their understanding was limited to shattering, not the terrifying pulverization they were witnessing now. Incredible! Their gazes towards Niu Youde grew increasingly awe-inspiring; this man was undoubtedly a true top-tier expert.
"He is Niu Youde!" someone in the crowd said weakly.
"Ah! He's the Ruthless Judge Niu Youde?" Many people couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Who hasn't heard of the Ruthless Judge Niu Youde these days? His name is renowned throughout the Cultivation World. He's caused quite a stir in the Cultivation World recently, and he's a truly audacious character. He even dared to swindle Spirit Stone from the top ten experts, and it's said that he's also a ruthless killer.
The people who had formed a circle to watch the commotion instinctively squeezed back; damn, this guy was too close, it wasn't a good thing.
"You're Niu Youde, Senior Niu?" Lan Feng's arrogant demeanor had vanished without a trace, and he no longer dared to make the first move as before. Having been hit, his tone was now somewhat respectful. At this moment, his biggest worry was whether Niu Youde would make another move.
"Ah!" Yue Qianchou waved his hand dismissively and said, "A little bit of fame is really not worth mentioning in front of your Azure Palace."
Some people in the crowd chuckled. What do you mean by saying that a little bit of fame is insignificant in front of the Azure Palace? You dared to hit someone from the Azure Palace in public, and you still say it so humbly.
Even the beautiful proprietress couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, staring at Yue Qianchou with great interest.
Guan Zhongkai openly wore a grinning expression. Pei Fang and his grandmaster Yin Baikang had always been mortal enemies, but the World Commerce Association did business with everyone and prioritized reputation, so it wasn't appropriate to cause trouble for each other at the Treasure Gathering Basin. Now that Niu Youde had stepped in, it couldn't be better. This guy was notoriously reckless; others might be wary of Fatty Pei, but he probably wouldn't be afraid of him. The facts had already proven that.
The Law Enforcement Guard of the World Commerce Association rushed over from the street, but Guan Zhongkai stepped forward and blocked their path. After saying something to them, the men exchanged smiles, then stood on a nearby rooftop to watch the spectacle, deciding to temporarily refrain from enforcing the law.
Seeing the mocking looks from the crowd, Lan Feng's face immediately turned red, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Senior is a master of this era, why do you deliberately make things difficult for me?"
"Damn it!" Yue Qianchou waved his hand dismissively, "You yourself said I'm a master of this era, do you think I would deliberately make things difficult for you?"
A chuckle rippled through the crowd again, realizing that Niu Youde's words were rather unscrupulous and lacked any semblance of a master's demeanor. But then again, it made sense; semblance of skill seemed completely out of place with Niu Youde.
"Then why did you strike me, senior?" Lan Feng's tone hardened slightly. After all, it was in front of everyone, and if he continued to tarnish the reputation of the Azure Palace, his fate back home would likely be no better.
Yue Qianchou said, "There's no other reason, it's just that your mouth is so foul that I can't help but want to slap you. Do you have a problem with that?"
The surrounding crowd burst into laughter. Lan Feng was so angry that he trembled slightly. He said sternly, "Niu Youde, don't push your luck. Do you really think the disciples of my Azure Palace are easy to bully?"
Yue Qianchou sneered, "That's right! It's precisely because your Azure Palace disciples are not easy to bully that female Rogue Cultivator in the Cultivation World suffer whenever they encounter you. How dare you say in public that playing with them is giving them face? You're truly shameless and have disgraced all men. Damn it! You can play with them if you want, it's a matter of mutual consent and no one can interfere, but you have to say it in such a disgusting way and show it off. I can't eat or sleep if I don't slap you. I came here because of your reputation to see just how difficult your Azure Palace disciples are to bully."
These words... caused the group of beautiful women at Spring Sleep Tower to heave with excitement, their breasts trembling. The alluring proprietress watched him silently, her eyes unblinking.
"You... you really want to openly provoke our Azure Palace?" Helpless, Lan Feng could only bring up the Azure Palace again to intimidate the other party, hoping that they would back down.
Yue Qianchou smiled faintly, then turned his gaze to Tian Ye and the other two, saying, "Tian Ye!"
"Tian Ye greets Senior Niu." Tian Ye quickly came over to bow, appearing somewhat excited, not expecting that such a person would actually remember his name. The other two also hurriedly followed suit.
A soft murmur arose from the surroundings. Judging from Niu Youde's address, it was clear he knew these three people; no wonder. The beautiful proprietress's eyes dimmed slightly. She had thought Niu Youde was Rogue Cultivator for the humiliated female cultivator, but it turned out he was there for these three.
The woman in the pink gauze dress beside her, the female protagonist of this affair, suddenly brightened up. Seemingly surprised that the three of them would know someone like Niu Youde, her expression shifting uncertainly...
Yue Qianchou nodded slightly and said, "It's been a long time since we parted ways at the Ghost Manor. I never expected to see the three of you here. It seems we are truly destined to meet."
"Yes!" The three bowed deeply, so excited they were almost speechless.
"Tian Ye, I heard you say earlier that you wanted to kill the disciples of the Azure Palace. Did I hear you correctly?" Yue Qianchou said, glancing at Lan Feng. The latter's expression changed, sensing something was amiss. The people around them exchanged glances, all sensing something was amiss in his words.
"Yes!" Tian Ye replied, but he seemed somewhat uneasy.
"Alright, I'll give you a chance." Yue Qianchou raised his chin at Lan Feng and said, "The three of you go and kill him."
Lan Feng was startled and said sternly, "Niu Youde, you are openly opposing our Azure Palace! My ancestor will not let you get away with this!" He then shouted at Tian Ye and the other two, "How dare you!"
The three of Tian Ye hesitated. They didn't have the guts to kill the disciples of the Azure Palace unless they wanted to die.
Yue Qianchou glanced at the three men and said calmly, "Where did your guts go to cause trouble at the World Commerce Association? I don't take in spineless men."
These words caused an uproar, with many looking at Tian Ye and his companions with envy. The meaning behind their words was clear: if they killed Lan Feng, they would be under their control.
The three weren't fools; they naturally understood the meaning behind those words. As Rogue Cultivator, they knew how rare this opportunity was. Even if it meant risking their lives, it was worth it. Back then, Fu Chun and Qin Jiaxing of the Ghost Manor were incredibly powerful after following Niu Youde, bossing around late Tribulation Transcendence stage Transcending experts from all over the world—truly the envy of all Rogue Cultivator.
Something they could only dream of actually happening to them had a chance to happen to them. The three exchanged glances, their spirits soaring as if they'd been injected with adrenaline. They knew they'd be doing themselves a disservice if they didn't give it their all. So they nodded heavily to each other, swords in hand, and darted away, instantly forming a triangle to surround Lan Feng.
"You dare touch me and see what happens!" Lan Feng threatened, a blue blade reappearing in his hand. He glanced around, seemingly unwilling to fight, and wanted to escape!
"Kid, I'm right here. If you dare to run away, I guarantee you'll die a horrible death." Yue Qianchou said indifferently, "If you can defeat those three, I'll spare your life. If you dare to run away, I'll make sure you die a violent death immediately."
Lan Feng's face paled instantly, and he immediately abandoned the idea of fleeing, as he had no confidence whatsoever in escaping from such a terrifying expert as Niu Youde. His gaze flickered, then suddenly stopped, landing on Guan Zhongkai in the crowd. He immediately shouted, "Senior Guan, our Azure Palace does business in the Treasure Gathering Basin and has paid every single penny of tax. We are entitled to the protection of your World Commerce Association. Does your World Commerce Association truly turn a blind eye and ignore this? Where is the credibility your World Commerce Association boasts of?"
"This is too much of a accusation, "Guan Zhongkai's expression changed, and he waved towards the roof. The guards quickly moved to the center, surrounding Lan Feng, who breathed a slight sigh of relief. He wasn't afraid of Tian Ye and the other two, but rather of Niu Youde; the latter was clearly determined to kill him. If such a master were to use any tricks during the fight, he probably wouldn't even know how he died.
Just then, five or six more men in blue appeared out of nowhere, flashing into the arena and protecting Lan Feng as well. Lan Feng glanced at them, silently gritting his teeth, not daring to say anything at this moment. However, he knew perfectly well that these fellow disciples had obviously been nearby, but had probably seen Niu Youde causing trouble for the Azure Palace and dared not come out. Now that the people from the World Commerce Association had stepped forward, they all appeared one by one...
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