Lijing Pavilion Shattered Again

Menban's gaze also turned to Chu Xuanao. He was waiting for his prince's decision—whatever His Highness said went. He would not disrupt His Highness's arrangements.

Seeing the battle intent Menban had forcibly suppressed in his eyes, Chu Xuanao had already made his choice.

His gaze turned to Black Chicken with amused interest. My people cannot suffer indignity. Then I'll just have to wrong you instead.

Turning around, Chu Xuanao met Menban's eyes and said, "Don't you always tell me that all the Martial World seeks is the joy of settling grudges and repaying enmity?

"Today, act according to your heart. Seek only to set your mind at ease.

"Don't be afraid. If anything happens, I'll bear it."

Hearing his prince's words, battle intent surged in Menban's eyes as he rose to his feet.

With one hand, he swung the Mount Tai Sword onto his shoulder and looked at Black Chicken, pulling a grin across his rough face.

Nearly three meters tall, broad and brawny, with the enormous Mount Tai Sword in hand, he exuded an overwhelming pressure.

And with that wild, teasing grin aimed at Black Chicken, he looked exactly like a ferocious bandit.

Seeing Menban about to make his move, Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an smashed the jade cup in his hand onto the floor. With a sharp crack, the cup shattered, scattering jade fragments everywhere.

His face dark, he looked at Chu Xuanao and said, "Sixth Brother, are you truly going this far?"

Gens had already sent him a voice transmission: Black Chicken was no match for that Yue Shan. Victory would be difficult.

Because of his birth and appearance, he had never been favored by Imperial Father, nor did he have many supporters in Dagan.

Quite a few powerful figures could not even be bothered to give him the time of day. Fortunately, his mother consort's family had proven capable and given him sufficient support.

There were quite a few Ascension Realm experts, even Celestial Phenomenon Realm ones. Yet even so, no one in Dagan supported him.

Most of the respect he received was only because he was, after all, a prince of Dagan, and because the Divine Kingdom behind him supported him with all its strength.

But he, Chu Xuan'an, was also a prince of Dagan. When he went out, he could not only bring foreigners with him, could he?

It made it seem as though he had nothing at all in Dagan.

Though that was indeed the truth, how could those beneath him know?

Face was something one gave oneself.

For this reason, Chu Xuan'an had spent no small amount of valuable goods before he finally managed to recruit Black Chicken.

Naturally, he could not watch Black Chicken come to harm. That was the only local Ascension Realm expert in his residence.

With the atmosphere having reached this point, the surrounding dancing girls were all silent as cicadas in winter. Yaxin, seated beside Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an, wore a frightened expression as well, treading carefully for fear that one careless move might provoke this lord.

Chu Xuanao turned around, resting his right arm on the table and propping up his head with his right hand. He looked at his fourth brother with an utterly casual expression.

Smashing cups? Who did not know how to do that?

From childhood to adulthood, had Chu Xuanao smashed too few?

Had he ever smashed Imperial Father's white jade crimson-blood dragon-patterned cup?

How much was that lousy cup of yours even worth?

Who were you trying to scare?

"Fourth Brother, it's just a spar. A contest between two peak experts is far more exciting than the dance of a group of dancing girls.

"You may all leave. There is nothing for you here."

Seeing Chu Xuanao point at them, the dancing girls hurriedly made for the exit, wishing they could grow two more legs.

If they stayed any longer, they feared their little lives would be lost.

After bowing to the two princes, Yaxin, who had been seated beside Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an, withdrew with a bitter expression. She had to hurry and find the madam—Lijing Pavilion was probably not going to survive today either.

Once all irrelevant people had left, Chu Xuanao directly told Menban to act.

"Menban, make your move. I'm still waiting to watch the show."

Menban leaped into the air, the Mount Tai Sword in his hand smashing straight toward Black Chicken. True qi flooded into the Mount Tai Sword, and an aura as heavy as a mountain pressed down from the blade.

Black Chicken reached behind him and, as if performing a magic trick, pulled out a one-meter-long white jade chicken claw. Judging by its appearance, it should have been pickled in chili peppers.

And it was not a boneless chicken claw.

Black Chicken gripped the Spicy Pickled Chicken Claws—no, the phoenix claw. True qi surged around him. His eyes were fierce yet filled with fear as he assumed a fighting stance.

"Sixth Brother, how dare you! Gens!"

Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an roared.

Gens, whose seat was one level higher than Black Chicken's and closer to Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an's seat of honor, instantly stepped in front of Black Chicken. Holding a cross sword horizontally before him, he blocked Menban's heavy sword as it came crashing down.

In an instant, sparks burst and scattered, while the screech of grinding metal pierced the ears.

The true qi collided with a boom, and Gale Force blasted outward in all directions. Sledgehammer stood before Chu Xuanao, blocking the aftershock of true qi; Black Chicken, too, had enough sense to stand before Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an.

In a battle against Menban, he, Black Chicken, might not suffer much. But if he watched Fourth Prince come to harm before his very eyes, then he would truly be finished.

And Lijing Pavilion suffered once more. As true qi and Gale Force scattered everywhere, many of the polished crystal mirrors within Lijing Pavilion shattered onto the floor with a series of crackles.

After a single blow, Gens spun once, striking a strange stance. His body tilted slightly backward, his right foot stepped back, then stomped fiercely against the ground. The earth beneath his foot cracked inch by inch under the tremendous force, the fractures spreading several meters behind him.

With that step, Gens dissipated Menban's force.

Menban was jolted back six steps, unable to stop retreating. Every step left a huge crater in the ground. The Mount Tai Sword in his hand seemed to be swung backward and smashed into the earth, blasting out another deep pit.

Once he steadied himself, Menban felt his right hand trembling. He stared at Gens with grave eyes.

"Peak Ascension Realm."

"Sixth Brother, enough."

Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an spoke at that moment as well. He had brought two Ascension Realm experts with him on this trip. It was not only Sixth Brother's side that had a Peak Ascension Realm expert. With Chu Xuan'an backed by the Divine Kingdom, he even had Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts at his disposal. Why would he fear Sixth Brother?

Chu Xuanao paid no heed to his fourth brother's words.

"Ghost Servant, stop him."

A black shadow flashed into the pavilion, appearing merely three steps away from Gens.

As Chu Xuanao's personal guard, how could Ghost Servant, whose movement technique was Unparalleled, have strayed far away? He had merely remained hidden in the shadows, leaving no trace of himself.

Looking at the masked man before him, Gens immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Sure enough, Menban carried the Mount Tai Sword and strode toward Black Chicken.

Just as Gens was about to step forward, Ghost Servant's sleeve whipped at him. He could only turn back to deal with it.

It was clearly only an ordinary sleeve, yet in Ghost Servant's hands it was like a steel whip—fierce beyond measure. True energy clung to it, making it no less formidable than the treasured sword in Gens's hand.

For the moment, Gens could barely look after himself.

Seeing Menban slowly approaching, Black Chicken had no choice but to tell several guards beside him:

"Protect Your Highness."

Then he leaped away from Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an.

He could not, and dared not, use the Fourth Prince as a shield.

That would truly be making a joke of his nine clans.

The instant Black Chicken sprang into the air, Menban shot after him like a cannonball.

Just as Black Chicken landed, the Mount Tai Sword cleaved toward his head. Black Chicken twisted aside to evade it, while the white chicken claw in his hand struck straight at Menban's face.

The Mount Tai Sword smashed into the ground, sending dust flying everywhere. Menban gripped the sword with both hands, his true energy taking form. A phantom of a small mountain emerged around him as he held the Mount Tai Sword.

Holding the sword in both hands, he spun and swung it wide.

One end of the small mountain shifted onto the blade. From afar, it looked as though Menban were spinning a small mountain around in his hands.

Black Chicken had no choice but to temporarily avoid its edge.

Well, there were no mirrors left in Lijing Pavilion by now. Whether it was Menban's battle or the fight between Ghost Servant and Gens on the other side, neither was something Lijing Pavilion could withstand.

Forget the mirrors—even more than a dozen of the pillars supporting Lijing Pavilion had collapsed. The entire pavilion was already swaying on the verge of collapse.

Sledgehammer's true energy isolated an area around him, keeping the debris and dust from the battle away from Chu Xuanao.

Watching Chu Xuanao continue to sip wine and enjoy the show, Sledgehammer asked with an honest-looking face:

"Your Highness, how about I carry this table together with you? You can drink as we walk. This building looks like it can't hold up much longer."

Four of the twelve main load-bearing pillars had already fallen. The beams above the broken sections had cracked, producing creaking sounds.

Lijing Pavilion looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an issued the order to retreat with a gloomy expression.

"Withdraw."

He swiftly led the guards out.