Xiang Tian stepped forward, looked at the Queen Mother of the West, and pointed at his own chest. "Didn't you want to kill me? I'm standing right here, fulfilling your wish."
Sure enough, Immortal King Changning sheathed his sword, leaving everyone else astonished.
Seeing Xiang Tian deliver himself right to her doorstep, Qu Ying burst into laughter. "Kid, then don't blame me!"
As soon as she spoke, she extended one finger, and a streak of immortal light shot forth. Everyone believed Xiang Tian was doomed beyond doubt.
Before an Immortal King, every method was futile, because standing before him was an Immortal King!
Bang!
Yet with a muffled boom, that streak of immortal light suddenly vanished.
?
The entire crowd was stunned, including Qu Ying herself.
"What trick did you pull, brat?"
Qu Ying asked in confusion.
Behind Xiang Tian, the Yellow Springs Black and White Division appeared once more.
Xiang Tian looked at Qu Ying expressionlessly. "What trick? Just a trick you don't know about."
Looking at the two strangely dressed figures behind Xiang Tian, Qu Ying sneered disdainfully. "A pair of frauds playing at ghosts and gods."
With that, two blazing suns scorched the earth. The temperature of the entire space rose sharply, making it hard to breathe, and everyone discovered that the circulation of their magical power had begun to slow.
Yet the Yellow Springs Black and White Division was utterly unaffected. At Xiang Tian's command, the two vanished where they stood.
The Queen Mother of the West's expression changed drastically. A ring of magical power rippled around her body, shielding her.
But it was utterly useless. She only felt a violent blow strike her lower abdomen, sending her flying backward through the palace. Everyone saw only two points of light darting back and forth through the sky, while the Queen Mother of the West hung between them like a balloon, flying from one end to the other and dropping from the other end back again. Buildings were punched full of holes.
Bang!
At last, the Queen Mother of the West exhausted all her strength and unleashed her magical shield, forcing the two back. The entire sky flared white as day, dazzling beyond measure.
Taking advantage of the moment to catch her breath, the Queen Mother of the West teleported directly beside Xiang Tian, intending to take his life from behind.
But another scene she had never expected unfolded. Her face felt as though it had been savagely stabbed, while something seemed to tighten around her neck, leaving her completely unable to move.
As the daylight faded, everyone's eyes widened.
They saw Qu Ying hooked around the neck by the black-robed figure's iron chain, unable to move. The white-robed figure held a soul-summoning banner pointed at Qu Ying's forehead.
Qu Ying looked utterly wretched. Her entire face was bruised and swollen, while her body was covered in dust.
Everyone fell silent. They were shocked, and they were afraid.
They had never seen the Queen Mother of the West in such a miserable state. They would not even have dared imagine it!
Qu Ying's eyes widened. She simply could not understand how these two had done it. She was an Immortal King, an existence standing at the pinnacle of the Nine Heavens!
"You called me a lowly bastard, while you are the lofty Queen Mother of the West, high above all others. I can understand you saying such things. After all, in your eyes, many things are as insignificant as ants. But you are far too arrogant."
"I believe that between heaven and earth, setting aside every living thing and speaking only of people, everyone should respect one another. Once, because a beggar gave the food he had begged for to a stray dog on the verge of starving to death, I quietly changed his fate and made the rest of his life wealthy, carefree, and free from worries over food and clothing. To this day, he has kept that kind heart and helps those in need. It is not because I am so great. I merely believe that a kind person deserves to be treated this way."
"Whether it was you or Ning Rong, I yielded before. I wanted to properly discuss how to resolve this matter. But you were overbearing and believed I was unworthy of discussing a solution with you properly. Since you believe that the bigger fist is reason, I have no choice but to settle this matter in the way you think is right."
Xiang Tian stood right beside Qu Ying, his expression calm as he spoke.
Then Xiang Tian stared directly at Qu Ying. "Well? Do you like this method?"
"Hehehe, you lowly bastard. Relying on outside power will never make you as strong as relying on yourself. What are you so arrogant about?"
Bang!
The moment the Queen Mother of the West finished speaking, Xiang Tian slapped her across the face.
Smack!
The sound was incomparably crisp, and everyone present was left dumbfounded.
Qu Ying flew into a towering rage and roared, "You dare hit me!"
She tried to break free, but no matter what she did, she could not escape the Yellow Springs Black and White Division's iron chain.
Smack!
Smack!
Several more slaps followed in rapid succession. The Yellow Springs Black and White Division bound Qu Ying's limbs with the iron chains, allowing Xiang Tian to keep slapping her.
The crowd heard nothing but one sharp crack after another. They could not even count how many slaps Xiang Tian had delivered!
In the end, Xiang Tian stopped only when his arm had gone numb. By then, the Queen Mother of the West's entire face was swollen. For the first time in her life, she had suffered such monstrous humiliation! Qu Ying's eyes brimmed with madness as she stared at the boy, wishing she could flay him alive, pull out his tendons, drink his blood, and eat his flesh!
Xiang Tian seized the Queen Mother of the West by the throat and looked at her expressionlessly. "How was it? It must have felt great when you slapped me like this back then. Don't worry, it isn't over yet. Today, I'll let you experience what your granddaughter experienced!"
With that, he dragged the Queen Mother of the West down and smashed her violently into the ground. With a boom, the entire ground caved in, dust billowing everywhere.
The crowd heard only muffled impacts, one after another. After a long while, the dust dispersed, and when the two reappeared, the Queen Mother of the West's face was swollen beyond recognition, blood streaming from the corners of her mouth and eyes.
Everyone watching felt their eyelids twitch.
"Grandmother!"
Ning Rong cried out, her voice choked with tears as she tried to rush forward, only to be tightly held back by an elder beside her, who did not dare let go.
But at that moment, another change arose. Space tore open, and Immortal King Guang Hao appeared with his great blade over his shoulder. Before he could even see the scene clearly, he shouted in his booming voice, "Everyone, talk things over properly. Don't be in such a hurry to—"
His voice came to an abrupt halt. Everyone looked at him, and he saw Xiang Tian pressing the Queen Mother of the West into the ground and grinding her down.
He felt somewhat awkward. Silently putting away his blade, he lifted his wine gourd, uncorked it, took a fierce swig, then walked to Immortal King Changning's side and pretended he knew nothing and that nothing had happened.
At the sight, Ning Rong nearly fainted from rage.
The others were speechless as well. Wasn't this a little too double-standard? Hadn't he come to mediate? Xiang Tian beating the Queen Mother of the West did not count as beating someone?
Fortunately, Guang Hao's skin was absolutely thick enough. He simply ignored their questioning gazes.
At last, Xiang Tian dragged the Queen Mother of the West along like a dead dog. He truly, desperately wanted to kill this vile woman outright, but he suddenly remembered the words of the old chief of the demon ape clan. A truly powerful person should think for the world and for all living beings. Should he really learn to do the same?
After struggling for a long time, Xiang Tian's eyes reddened. He suppressed the killing intent in his heart and leaned close to her ear. "Do you know something? I truly wanted to kill you, but I held back. I hope you understand that I spared your Jade Pool for the martial fortune of the Nine Heavens, for the countless cultivators beneath heaven. However, I will not let you go so easily. I remember it was your left arm that slapped me, wasn't it? Today, I'll cripple one of your arms. Don't even think about healing it, because it will be useless!"
As he spoke, Divine Source surged from the Companion Bracelet in Xiang Tian's hand. With a sharp pull, the Queen Mother of the West's left arm was torn off. A pillar of blood shot into the sky, while black Divine Source gnawed at the wound like maggots clinging to bone.
"Ah!"
The Queen Mother of the West let out a scream and actually passed out from the pain on the spot.
Xiang Tian tossed her aside and turned to look at Ning Rong, whose face was deathly pale and whose expression was blank.
"I'll say it again. If you want to use your status to suppress me, fine. Then I can use my status to suppress you too. Forget accidentally seeing your body—even if I had done it deliberately, or even gone further and had my way with you, there would be nothing you could do to me!"
This time, Ning Rong truly rolled her eyes back and fainted.
Everyone in the Jade Pool wore shocked expressions. Only now did they learn that Xiang Tian's feud with Ning Rong had actually begun because of this!
Immortal King Guang Hao smacked his lips with amusement and whispered to Chang Ning, "This kid is something else. Earlier, Qu Ying sent word for this kid to come marry Ning Rong. I thought that old woman had finally come to her senses. I even thought the Jade Pool was about to soar into the heavens. Who would have thought they would play themselves to death?"
Immortal King Changning snorted coldly. "Marriage? Whether in status, position, or character, Ning Rong is not worthy of Xiang Tian."
"Still, this kid really held back and left the Jade Pool a chance. It seems that trip to the ice plains did have an effect."
Guang Hao smacked his lips. This truly lay beyond his expectations.
"Mm."
Immortal King Changning said only that single word. Xiang Tian's actions had, in truth, already been a major concession. He had not stirred the Nine Heavens into utter ruin.
He clearly had the status to disregard all this and do whatever he pleased, following the desires in his heart. Yet he understood how to consider others and this world. In that respect, there was truly nothing to criticize about what Xiang Tian had done.
With righteousness in his heart, this little fellow was truly becoming more and more pleasing to him!
Before you continue