Chapter 226
"Li Gaoyang? I heard he just broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm recently, what's he doing here?"
The crowd whispered among themselves.
As a disciple of the Holy King, he had been repeatedly rejected in public by an unknown female cultivator. A true man cannot be humiliated any longer!
Li Gaoyang's face turned ashen. "You're refusing a polite toast only to face a forfeit!"
As he spoke, a tremendous aura rose up and pressed down on Xiao Minghuang.
"Snort!"
Xiao Minghuang snorted coldly, and sharp Sword Qi immediately surged around her.
Two streams of energy condensed in the air, just as they were about to collide.
A flash of golden light appeared, and a powerful pressure surged forth, forcefully neutralizing the combined energy of the two.
A majestic voice suddenly rang out.
"According to Article 31 of the Holy Court Law, Hundred Inquiries Pavilion, any disturbance or disruption of the normal bidding order within the auction venue will result in a warning for the first offense, expulsion for the second, and referral to the criminal justice department for the third!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the auctioneer who had been on the stage suddenly appear. His smile had vanished, replaced by an air of authority. Just by standing there, he exuded an extremely powerful aura.
Only then did the cultivators realize what was happening.
The auctioneer at the auction was actually a powerful king.
"If you two have any grudges, please resolve them in the Department of Punishments. Do not disrupt the order of the auction!"
"Snort!"
Li Gaoyang glared at Xiao Minghuang with hatred, then walked away without looking back.
"Thank you, senior!"
Xiao Minghuang cupped his hands in greeting.
"Maintaining order at the auction is my duty."
The auctioneer said calmly, then slipped away.
As an auctioneer at the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion, he naturally knew that Xu Xiuer was the Pavilion Master's disciple and Li Gaoyang was the disciple of Saint King Xuanji.
These are both people you can't afford to offend.
Therefore, his best option is to stay out of it.
The group left the auction house and found a teahouse to rest.
"Princess, will Li Gaoyang retaliate against us?"
Xu Xiuer asked with a worried expression.
Xiao Minghuang asked, "Wanqiu, what do you think of this matter?"
Lin Wanqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Although I don't know him well, I can tell that Li Gaoyang won't let this go so easily. He will definitely seek revenge in the future. Your Highness should be careful; it seems he holds a grudge."
Xiao Minghuang's gaze shifted, and she pondered, "Perhaps we don't need to wait until later..."
Xu Xiuer looked remorseful. "Princess, this is all my fault. If I hadn't brought Li Gaoyang here, I wouldn't have become enemies with you."
Xiao Minghuang shook her head. "This matter has nothing to do with you, don't worry about it, I will handle it."
Lin Wanqiu looked at Xiao Minghuang: "Does Your Highness have any plans?"
"Um..."
Xiao Minghuang pondered for a moment and said, "You all stay in the Marketplace and don't go out. There are too many people here, he won't dare to make a move. I'll go out alone and meet him."
As he spoke, Xiao Minghuang took out a talisman and handed it to Lin Wanqiu.
"We'll stay in touch. If the situation changes, go and call the patrol inspectors over."
Lin Wanqiu nodded. "Okay!"
Lin Wanqiu had no doubt about Xiao Minghuang's strength; even if the opponent was at the Nascent Soul Realm, there was no need to worry.
After giving her instructions, Xiao Minghuang walked straight out.
"Is the princess really confident?"
Xu Xiuer frowned, her face showing worry.
She didn't want the princess to get hurt, after all, Li Gaoyang was already at the Nascent Soul Realm, while the princess was only at the Primal Embryo Realm.
"Don't worry!" Lin Wanqiu said confidently, "Let's just wait for His Highness to return with a full load!"
273. Demonstrating Power in the Sword Dao Domain
Night fell, and the sky turned pitch black.
Xiao Minghuang quietly withdrew from the Marketplace and flew away into the endless mountains.
The Holy Temple covers a vast area, stretching for countless miles.
If a vast area cannot be monitored in real time, then there are bound to be some unknown secret places and blind spots.
These dark places often became the venues for disciples to settle their scores.
Xiao Minghuang traveled swiftly through the forest.
Since emerging from seclusion, she has only had a small test against the Ziwei Sect members, and no blood has been drawn yet.
Right now, it's a good opportunity for Li Gaoyang to test just how far her sword intent has come.
Moreover, she couldn't forget that rusty sword, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to let it go if Li Gaoyang couldn't return it with both hands.
A moment later, Xiao Minghuang arrived at a swamp.
The surroundings were shrouded in mist and poisonous miasma, with the faint sounds of insects chirping and beasts roaring, creating a desolate and terrifying atmosphere.
Suddenly, a soft footstep sound came from afar.
Li Gaoyang, dressed in an exceptionally noble purple robe, walked slowly in, a cold smile playing on his lips and arrogance filling his eyes.
"What an interesting woman." Li Gaoyang stared at Xiao Minghuang, a half-smile on his face. "Did you come out on your own because you're confident you can defeat me, or do you want to throw yourself into my arms?"
Xiao Minghuang remained expressionless and coldly said, "You talk too much nonsense!"
Li Gaoyang's face darkened completely, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Since that's the case, I'll break your hands and feet first, then make you kneel before me and beg for mercy. You'll definitely serve me obediently then."
His eyes flashed with murderous intent, his robes billowed, and he grew taller.
A surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted, transforming into a massive fist shadow that hurtled towards Xiao Minghuang.
Xiao Minghuang remained calm and composed, forming a sword shape with her fingers as she met the attack.
Boom!
The fist's shadow dissipated and vanished.
"A mere Nascent Primal Embryo Realm actually managed to withstand one of my attacks, not bad."
Li Gaoyang narrowed his eyes, a greedy glint in them. "But you are destined to fall into my hands, hahahaha!"
In public, he still maintained a composed demeanor, dressed like a refined gentleman. But here, with no one else around, Li Gaoyang no longer concealed himself, revealing his true nature.
Li Gaoyang moved swiftly, rushing towards Xiao Minghuang with incredible speed, closing in instantly and striking down with his palm.
Boom boom boom--
The two quickly engaged in a fierce battle.
Li Gaoyang's cultivation was superior to Xiao Minghuang's. His attacks were fierce and violent, like a humanoid tiger, and every move he made was ruthless.
Xiao Minghuang, however, was not afraid at all. Every time she thrust out her sword, it carried a mysterious sword intent, as if ripples spread out, causing the void to tremble. The Sword Qi energy crisscrossed, resisting the fist wind of Li Gaoyang.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Amid a series of violent explosions, the two figures crossed paths and quickly created distance between them.
Huff!
Xiao Minghuang a soft sigh, her gaze deep and thoughtful.
The opponent before them was stronger than Qi Chang and the others they had encountered before.
But there were only a few.
After this test, she roughly figured out the other party's strength.
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Minghuang's eyes.
In Li Gaoyang's eyes, a fiery light surged, as if he wanted to devour Xiao Minghuang.
A moment later, Xiao Minghuang suddenly smiled. She reached out her index finger, hooked a strand of hair behind her ear, and said with a faint smile, "Li Gaoyang, if your strength is only this much, you'll probably be disappointed tonight."
As soon as she finished speaking, Sword Qi sword energy surged from her body, and an incomparably sharp aura soared into the sky, enveloping the entire firmament as if to cleave the heavens in two.
Xiao Minghuang's long hair danced in the wind, her figure graceful and elegant, like a celestial being descended to earth, transcending the mortal world.
Li Gaoyang's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.
"You're playing tricks, prepare to die!"
Li Gaoyang roared, his spiritual power surging like a mighty river, continuously flowing into his right arm.
He threw a punch, like a falling meteor, with the force to shatter mountains and the earth, aimed at Xiao Minghuang.
In an instant, the world changed color.
Xiao Minghuang neither dodged nor evaded; her eyes lit up. It was time to use her Sword Dao Domain!
In an instant, a vast and boundless aura rose up, and an invisible Sword Domain suddenly appeared around her.
In an instant, sword Sword Qi filled the sky and the world, turning the entire sky into a shimmering silver expanse, with Sword Qi crisscrossing everywhere.
Standing within the Sword Domain, Xiao Minghuang was like a sword immortal descending to earth, breathtakingly beautiful.
The meteor-like fist shadows were distorted by this terrifying aura, becoming like a dreamlike bubble, utterly vulnerable.
Li Gaoyang suddenly felt disoriented, and the scene before his eyes was surreal and overlapping.
The next moment, he suddenly realized.
"Domain! You have comprehended the Sword Dao Domain!"
Xiao Minghuang parted her lips slightly. "You guessed right, but there's no reward."
As soon as she finished speaking, she swung her sword diagonally.
Sizzle!
The Sword Qi rippled like water, causing mountains, rivers, and vegetation to collapse wherever it passed. Li Gaoyang's protective magic weapon shattered in an instant.
Then, his right shoulder was pierced by a sword.
"Thump!"
Li Gaoyang fell to the ground.
His right shoulder was covered in blood, his bones were shattered, and he was barely breathing, seemingly about to die.
Xiao Minghuang's expression darkened slightly. She didn't know if Li Gaoyang was too weak or if his Sword Dao Domain was too strong. She felt that her attack just now was far from reaching her limit.
Even using only one or two tenths of their full strength, they had already completely defeated their opponent.
Li Gaoyang's eyes were bulging as if they were about to burst.
"How is that possible?!"
"You're only at the Primal Embryo Realm! How did you comprehend the Sword Dao Domain?!"
He didn't believe it.
His master once said that even the most powerful sword masters, who were considered emperors in the sword path, only comprehended the Sword Dao Domain at the Nascent Soul Realm.
But Xiao Minghuang is only at the Primal Embryo Realm; how can she possess Sword Dao Domain?
Xiao Minghuang did not answer, but instead continued forward with her sword.