Personally Welcoming Him

Yue Qianchou glanced at the group from the Azure Palace, his expression carrying a hint of disdain. However, to the surrounding cultivators, this was no big deal; avoiding the strong and shunning the weak was the most basic survival Principle in the Cultivation World. If they didn't know how to avoid even a master like Niu Youde and insisted on fighting head-on, then everyone would laugh at them for overestimating their own abilities.

Guan Zhongkai walked into the arena with a bitter face, cupped his hands to Yue Qianchou and said, "Senior, please calm down. This is, after all, the headquarters of the World Commerce Association, and no one is allowed to cause trouble. Please, for the sake of my master, let them go for now."

"I will give an explanation to Yin Baikang. Besides..." Yue Qianchou's eyes sharpened as he glanced around the room before finally settling on Lan Feng's face. He said calmly, "It's not that your World Commerce Association failed in its duties, but that I stopped them."

Lan Feng was shocked. He hadn't expected the other party to disregard even the World Commerce Association's reputation, and judging from his tone, he still intended to kill him. Since that was the case, he had no choice but to flee. Without another word, he flashed into action...

But after leaping a few meters into the air, I felt myself crash into a cloud of cold air. Besides the bone-chilling cold, there were also various extreme negative emotions that were overwhelming. These emotions easily shattered my guarded will and crashed directly and forcefully into my consciousness. My consciousness sank into a state of despair and unconsciousness; my body stiffened, and I uncontrollably plummeted downwards...

Before everyone's eyes, Lan Feng had just leaped up when his eyes rolled back, and he crashed to the ground with a thud, his limbs stiff. It was unclear what attack he had been hit by. Looking at Niu Youde, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. They didn't even know how he had done it; his cultivation level was indeed ridiculously high.

"You had a slim chance to live, but you didn't take it. I told you not to think about running away from me, but you wouldn't listen." Yue Qianchou said calmly, staring at Lan Feng on the ground.

In truth, his cultivation level was similar to Lan Feng's, but he anticipated Lan Feng's attempt to escape, as a desperate struggle is human nature. Therefore, he secretly planted black flame energy above Lan Feng's head as a precaution. Since reaching the Tribulation Transcendence stage, such tactical maneuvers over short distances were not difficult for him. Unless there was someone of extremely high cultivation present, under his deliberate suppression, ordinary experts would find it difficult to detect unless they were directly involved. Because this kind of thing wasn't something that could be seen with a mere glance.

So what if someone finds out? It doesn't prove anything. What's truly shameful is that we made a boast before, and if we can't keep Lan Feng, that would be even more embarrassing.

Several disciples of the Azure Palace were shocked and surrounded Lan Feng. The leader said sternly, "Guan Zhongkai, is this the credibility that your World Commerce Association boasts about?"

The Law Enforcement Guard of the World Commerce Association exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do. In truth, everyone knew that rules were utterly worthless when faced with power. Rules only bound the majority of ordinary people; they had no effect whatsoever on those at the top. Guan Zhongkai, with a pained expression, said, "Senior, please don't put the World Commerce Association in such a difficult position!"

"I've said it before, it's not that your World Commerce Association failed in its duties, it's that I stopped you." Yue Qianchou his arms, and a powerful, terrifying aura surged outwards. Although it was broad daylight, those present felt as if they had fallen into the underworld, each one swaying precariously.

Yue Qianchou wanted to establish his authority, so he wasn't about to back down! If he didn't show some skill, how would he be qualified to negotiate with a master like Yin Baikang later? Everyone thought Yan Zhuixing was lying, and Yin Baikang might be sharpening his knives right now. Therefore, he needed to make the other party think twice, or at least make them believe they were on the same level.

That way, both sides can have the patience to talk things out calmly and patiently. Otherwise, if a master like Yin Baikang were to personally test the waters, there would be loopholes one after another, and nothing would be able to hide from the other side's discerning eyes. At that point, no matter how eloquently you speak, it would all be for naught; strength is the most intimidating thing.

I believe Yin Baikang will know what happened here... Yue Qianchou looked up at the God of Wealth Peak.

At the God of Wealth Peak, a single ancient pine tree stands beside a long, blue stone platform. A cultivator lies unconscious upon it; he is one of Yin Baikang's disciples, late Tribulation Transcendence stage expert who was injured by Yue Qianchou in the passage.

"Niu Youde, you completely disregard me! How dare you injure my disciple at the Treasure Gathering Basin!" Yin Baikang said angrily. Even the gentle breeze and flowing clouds could not dispel the gloom on his face.

Sikong Jue said, "According to the disciples who brought him here, it was my junior brother who provoked Niu Youde first, and as a result, he couldn't withstand Niu Youde's momentum..."

Yin Baikang was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "How could he not know that Niu Youde's cultivation was higher than his, yet he still provoked Niu Youde first?"

Sikong Jue guiltily, "My junior brother's three disciples all perished in the battle to capture Yan Zhuixing, which is why he showed no respect to Niu Youde." As expected, Yin Baikang glared at him fiercely after he said this.

Yin Baikang pressed one hand against the chest of his unconscious disciple, and after assessing the injuries, his brow furrowed. He then spread his fingers, and a white mist enveloped the disciple on the bluestone platform. A moment later, a faint gray mist slowly rose from the disciple's body, gradually forming a dark gray sphere in the palm of his hand.

The white mist dissipated, Yin Baikang examined the gray ball in his palm, squinting as he said, "It's actually death aura. This is something that only the dead have. It's unheard of for someone to exude death aura. It seems that Niu Youde held back. Once the life force in his body is completely taken over by death aura, he will be dead."

With a flick of his wrist, the gray ball flew far away and scattered into a puff of smoke. A moment later, the cultivator on the bluestone platform slowly awoke. Seeing him standing beside him, he struggled to sit up and weakly said, "Master. Senior Brother."

Sikong Jue reached out to help him up, a figure flashed down from the foot of the mountain. The latter nodded to Sikong Jue, then bowed to Yin Baikang and said, "Master, Yue Qianchou has clashed with people from the Azure Palace outside the Spring Sleep Tower. Judging from his intentions, he might very well try to kill them all..."

The man recounted the general events. Yin Baikang and Sikong Jue were taken aback. The former then waved his hand and said, "I understand. Help your junior brother down to rest first."

After the two descended the mountain, Yin Baikang stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "Could it be that this Niu Youde really has such strength that he doesn't even put the late Spirit Transformation stage, Fatty Pei, in his eyes?"

He had also weighed his own importance in his heart, and now he was somewhat worried about the consequences of inviting Niu Youde. What if it was easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away? That would be disastrous. The matter of Yan Zhuixing had been temporarily put aside by him.

Just then, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop slightly. The master and disciple almost simultaneously turned sharply to look down the mountain, both releasing their Divine Sense to probe downwards. They immediately discovered that the lower their Divine Sense went, the lower the temperature became. Not only the temperature, but they also sensed a strange, unsettling aura. Yin Baikang was immediately horrified...

Sikong Jue dared not extend his Divine Sense too far, as he was finding it somewhat overwhelming. He withdrew his Divine Sense and nodded repeatedly, saying, "It is Niu Youde. I have experienced it before. This is the aura emanating from Niu Youde's body."

Without him saying a word, Yin Baikang guessed that the source of this terrifying aura was the direction of Spring Sleep Tower at the foot of the mountain. However, what alarmed him was that the closer his Divine Sense got, the more uncomfortable it became. Even with his cultivation level, he couldn't get too close and had to withdraw.

Good heavens! Could it be that Niu Youde's cultivation level is actually higher than his own? Yin Baikang took a deep breath and said decisively, "Let's go, down the mountain, I will personally go to greet him."

"This mere Niu Youde is no match for me; I'll go greet him myself. Why should Master trouble himself to come down the mountain to welcome him?" Sikong Jue said. He had more or less guessed the reason in his heart. However, he still had to be respectful. Because he had guessed it, he was even more secretly astonished by Niu Youde's cultivation level.

"With his cultivation level, he wouldn't need to make such a fuss to deal with a few small fry. He's doing this to make me think twice. I shouldn't put on airs anymore, otherwise it'll be difficult to talk to him when we meet. Let's go!" Yin Baikang shook his head helplessly.

He had indeed initially intended to project an air of authority as one of the top ten experts, harboring a slight thought of taming this Spirit Transformation stage master for his own use. However, it now seemed that the other party's cultivation was likely even higher than his own, and it was uncertain who would be putting on airs in the end. Whether provoking this powerful figure was a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.

Yue Qianchou shifted his gaze from God of Wealth Peak, a smile playing on his lips. Within the area teeming with aura, his senses could perceive it; he had sensed both probing Divine Sense. One was strong, the other weak. Leaving aside the weaker one, it had already clashed with the stronger one, ultimately yielding to the challenge. That person was likely Yin Baikang.

Hmph! Even my master, the Number One Expert Under Heaven, is wary of the Netherworld Ghost Fire. How could you possibly resist it! Yue Qianchou glanced around expressionlessly, but secretly rejoiced in his heart.

The residual power of the ghost fire he had just gathered, while not comparable to the actual ghost fire, was still not much weaker when concentrated. Yin Baikang was only using his Divine Sense to resist, which put him at a significant disadvantage. The ghost fire's restraint on Divine Sense was extremely powerful, so how could he not be defeated?

"What are you three waiting for? The person is already lying on the ground, are you still afraid to make a move?" Yue Qianchou sneered.

Tian Ye and his two companions looked around in bewilderment, suddenly realizing that everyone around them was swaying precariously, some already collapsed to the ground. Strangely, however, the three of them were completely unharmed. Although they also felt a chilling and terrifying aura surrounding them, it didn't seem to have a significant impact on them. Why were those with higher cultivation levels unable to withstand it?

Hearing Niu Youde's cold snort, the three were startled, immediately realizing it was Senior Niu's Divine Abilities. Without hesitation, three cold lights flashed, instantly dismembering Lan Feng's body on the ground. Blood splattered, flowing crimson down the street...

No one stopped them, and Lan Feng offered no resistance, easily succeeding. The three sheathed their flying swords. They looked at each other in silence, then all turned to Yue Qianchou, their eyes filled with worry. From this day forward, they were Niu Youde's men. If Niu Youde abandoned them, their fate would be dire; the Azure Palace would certainly not let them off the hook...

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