When the Silver Mountain Four Freaks saw Ding Chongshan, they respectfully bowed.
But Ding Chongshan had no mind to spare for them. He stared at Xiang Tian in disbelief. With his half-step True Immortal cultivation, he actually could not see through any disguise. Could it be real?
He still found it hard to believe. Black Abyss had sent word that Xiang Tian's true combat strength was formidable, and Gu You had died by his hand. Gu You's Divine Armor was enough to rival the Ascension Realm!
Yet Xiang Tian was merely at Spirit Transformation, with the Void Shattering Realm still separating them!
Ding Chongshan was bewildered and began sizing up the Silver Mountain Four Freaks. How had these four fools captured Xiang Tian?
"Hehe, Ding Family Head, this fellow was exceptionally crafty. The four of us brothers put in tremendous effort and emptied our entire fortunes before we managed to restrain him."
The eldest of Silver Mountain chuckled and spoke quietly.
"You restrained him?"
Ding Chongshan clearly did not believe it. Could someone capable of crushing Ding Yang's Life Immortal Sword with his bare hands be captured by two Spirit Transformation cultivators and two Nascent Soul cultivators?
"Yes, yes. This fellow was so stupid that he shackled himself."
The simple-minded fourth brother blurted it out, afraid Ding Chongshan would not believe them.
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere turned strange. The eldest, second, and third brothers instantly tensed from head to toe, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Ding Chongshan was dumbfounded. Xiang Tian had shackled himself?
Xiang Tian was speechless. You people dared take on bounty notices while bringing along a fourth brother whose brain was clearly offline?
He simply spoke up and asked Ding Chongshan, "What, has your son been rescued? Don't tell me he's still an idiot now?"
Hearing this, Ding Chongshan exploded in fury. He leaped up in rage, pointed at Xiang Tian, and snarled viciously, "No matter what tricks you try today, I will skin you and tear out your tendons! I'll stuff your soul into a furnace and refine it day after day, until you can neither live nor die!"
Xiang Tian was utterly unmoved by his words.
"Brat, did you hear that? He's going to skin you and tear out your tendons, so behave yourself. Um... Clan Head Ding, our bounty..."
The foolish fourth brother rubbed his hands together, completely failing to notice the strange looks on his three elder brothers' faces. All he wanted now was to get the Sky Crystals and go live it up.
Fuck, shut up already, you gigantic idiot! The three brothers were on the verge of collapse.
Ding Chongshan shot him a vicious glance, then struck out with his palm. The foolish fourth brother instantly turned into a puddle of flesh.
Blood and meat splattered across the three brothers. They all shuddered, their faces pale with terror and their bodies trembling.
The three hurriedly dropped to their knees and began banging their heads against the floor. The eldest said in a panic, "Clan Head Ding, we dare swear upon our Dao Hearts that although this kid went willingly, our Spirit-Sealing Shackles were absolutely genuine. He is now no different from an ordinary person!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Xiang Tian looked puzzled. Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, he spread his arms, and the shackles shattered at once. Without ceremony, he pulled over a chair and sat down, crossing one leg over the other as he watched the show.
The remaining three brothers were completely dumbfounded. They stammered without managing a single coherent sentence. This... this was simply too bizarre.
"Damn it!"
Ding Chongshan was enraged beyond measure. He immediately sent all three of them to join their fourth brother, then turned to look at Xiang Tian.
The entire hall was filled with the stench of blood.
Xiang Tian remained unmoved. Facing Ding Chongshan's cannibalistic gaze, he merely said calmly, "I didn't expect the Ding Family to move so quickly. You actually hooked the fish first. Well? Now that you've seen me again, how do you feel, Clan Head Ding?"
Ding Chongshan laughed in extreme anger. "Hehehe, how do I feel? Whenever I look at my child, I itch to crush every bone in your body inch by inch, chew your flesh and blood, and eat your heart and liver with my food."
"Then you have your chance now. I'm looking forward to your performance."
After hearing Xiang Tian's indifferent words, Ding Chongshan finally could not endure any longer. With a long howl, he stopped considering what schemes Xiang Tian might have and attacked directly. His five fingers curled into a claw as he reached straight for Xiang Tian's head.
But just as he was about to touch him, he was flung away by an invisible barrier. The impact left his head spinning. When he focused his eyes, there was nothing in front of Xiang Tian.
Xiang Tian sat there quietly, watching Ding Chongshan's performance with a smile. Behind him, ripples spread like waves, and two figures appeared. Clad in black and white robes that concealed them from head to toe, they floated in midair.
Ding Chongshan was greatly alarmed. "Who are you people?!"
He could not sense the slightest aura from either of them, but he had enough discernment to know they were anything but simple.
After asking several times without receiving an answer, Ding Chongshan began to feel uncertain and called to his father through divine sense.
Ding Heshan, who was in secluded cultivation, sensed the message and opened his eyes. A faint golden light filled his pupils. Strangely enough, ever since his grandson had been crippled, he had discovered a trace of an opportunity within the Great Dao. As for the Golden Immortal realm above True Immortal, he now possessed some confidence.
He was also puzzled by the message from his son. What could there possibly be that his son could not handle?
He hastily set out for the main hall. The first person he saw was Xiang Tian.
"You little thief, we've finally caught you!"
He shouted furiously, still unaware of the strange atmosphere.
"Father, look at the two people behind him."
Only after Ding Chongshan's reminder did he notice the two figures standing behind Xiang Tian like twin pillars.
"Playing tricks!"
Ding Heshan scoffed. Forming a seal with his hands, he sent a streak of golden light toward them. Yet strangely, it seemed as though a transparent barrier stood before them, and the golden light stopped directly in midair. Ding Heshan's heart jolted. This attack had contained seventy percent of his power.
"Who are you two? My Ding Family and Xiang Tian have an irreconcilable hatred. I ask that you refrain from interfering."
Ding Heshan likewise could not gauge the two of them, so he tried to persuade them.
Xiang Tian yawned. "Tell the old Ding Family Head. After all, when visiting someone else's home, it's truly rather impolite not to announce your names."
Then an empty, distant voice rang out through the hall. Once they heard it clearly, everyone's hairs stood on end, chilled to the bone.
"Yellow Springs Black and White Division."
Yellow Springs was said to be the place that governed the life and death of all beings. No one could say for certain whether it truly counted as a faction. Since ancient times, there had been tales that it had existed from the very birth of humanity.
The Great Dao of life and death, the Six Paths of Reincarnation—all lay within its control. Even immortals were no exception. It was more like a law, like nature, like the Heavenly Dao.
Of course, that was only a legend, and whether it was true still required investigation. Yet throughout countless years, no one had ever been able to investigate it!
At first hearing, it was naturally shocking. But upon thinking it over, wasn't this utter nonsense? Yellow Springs Black and White Division? You were using a legendary identity as a tiger's skin to intimidate others. You truly had some nerve.
Ding Heshan, who had initially felt uncertain, relaxed as he laughed. If they had named some great power he could not afford to provoke, they might have been able to bluff him. But this... forget it. He was not buying it.
Seeing Ding Heshan's once-serious face relax, Xiang Tian immediately understood what he was thinking.
"Looks like Old Ding Family Head doesn't believe it. No matter. Bring Young Master Ding Yang over to me."
Xiang Tian spoke with a smile. In an instant, the vacant and foolish Ding Yang was brought to Xiang Tian's side by the Black Officer using a divine ability.
"Wuya... wuya..."
He clutched his beloved toy in his hands, drool hanging from the corner of his mouth as he looked around blankly.
Father and son, Ding Heshan and Ding Chongshan, were both shocked and enraged. They shouted sharply, "What are you trying to do?!"
Xiang Tian rose to his feet. "What am I doing? Didn't I say it already? You are the fish. Once the fish is hooked, naturally it must be killed."
Before you continue