Earth Ranking's Foremost Venerable, Bai Wanli

The First Honored of the Earth Ranking, Bai Wanli

Just as the crowd retreated into the small town, two figures appeared on the mountain peak.

Both of them possessed extraordinary auras.

Though they did their utmost to restrain themselves, they still shone above all living beings in the darkness.

"Brother, in your view, did Ouyang Ke use his full strength?"

One of them spoke and asked. Judging by the voice, it should have been a woman.

The other person was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "In that final move, Unrestrained Blade, Ouyang Ke did indeed hold back some sentiment."

His voice was warm yet rough, brimming with confidence.

"Oh!?" the woman cried out in surprise. "Has this Ouyang Ke truly improved so swiftly?"

"With your ability, Brother, if you personally guided Ouyang Ke, could you make him improve so greatly in such a short time?"

After a moment of silence, the man said, "His Unrestrained Blade must have been enlightened by someone, allowing him to comprehend a deeper profound meaning. With my ability, I could do it as well."

Though he said this, the woman could hear the slight hesitation in his words.

After following him for so many years, this was the first time the woman had heard him give such an unconfident answer.

"Brother, are you confident?" the woman pressed again, some worry in her words, though she likely was not asking about the question from just now.

"Hmph..." The man gave a cold laugh. "Since I accepted this task, I never considered the possibility of failure."

The woman took up the thread and said, "Mm. Looking across all of Hengshan Prefecture, the only one whose aptitude can be mentioned in the same breath as yours is the Shen Family's young master, Shen Bijun. But that Shen Bijun is softhearted and merciful, destined never to become a great vessel."

"Once you obtain the bounty this time, Brother, you'll be able to buy that Dragon Marrow Heart. At that time, you'll be able to break through your realm with ease."

The man chuckled after hearing this. "Don't worry. When the time comes, I'll naturally give the Jade Prayer Mat to you. With your aptitude, if you cultivate on the Jade Prayer Mat for ten years, it won't be hard for you to stand shoulder to shoulder with Shen Bijun."

The man paused as he spoke. "As for Jiang Feng, he will be like those other proud sons of heaven, reduced to a stepping stone for me, Bai Wanli, to ascend to the heavens!"

So it turned out that he was Bai Wanli, the number one expert on the Earth Ranking!

That man who stood at the peak of the Earth Martial Realm in Hengshan Prefecture!

For Bai Wanli to have what he had today, he had climbed up by treading on the bones and corpses of countless proud sons of heaven.

In his view, Jiang Feng's fate would be the same as those other proud sons of heaven—he would fall because of him!

After the Qi Family released the information through the Bounty Alliance that they wanted Jiang Feng's head, Bai Wanli, as a member of the Bounty Alliance, immediately received the mission posting.

He had steeped himself in the Earth Martial Realm for decades, and not long ago, he had finally touched the threshold of the Heaven Martial Realm. However, he lacked one crucial heavenly treasure—the Dragon Marrow Heart.

The Dragon Marrow Heart was the essence of power within a fourth-rank high-tier Magic Beast, the "Earth Dragon Beast," and was extremely rare. To kill an Earth Dragon Beast, one needed at least a cultivation above the fifth level of the Heaven Martial Realm.

Although Bai Wanli possessed the strength to slay ordinary Heaven Martial Realm martial artists, that Earth Dragon Beast was still something he could only gaze after, unable to catch up.

After making inquiries in every direction, he found a ready-made Dragon Marrow Heart, but the other party asked for three hundred thousand gold coins.

Three hundred thousand gold coins was not something even he could take out.

Thus, after learning of the bounty mission released by the Qi Family, he immediately accepted it.

To him, killing a junior ranked fifth on the Earth Ranking was nothing more than something easily picked up in passing.

After the mission was completed, the Bounty Alliance would take a twenty-percent cut, and he would be able to get four hundred thousand gold coins, enough for the Dragon Marrow Heart.

"Let's go. We'll take his life!"

The two of them swiftly vanished from the mountain peak and headed toward the small town.

Tonight, the small town was destined to be anything but peaceful!

Amid the lamplight, a woven stream of people was pouring into the town from outside. The crowd was full of discussion, speaking at length about their own insights after watching the battle just now and exchanging thoughts with one another.

"Mm, who is that?"

Someone noticed that in the direction of the inn where Jiang Feng was in seclusion, a person stood on an eave.

This person wore a black robe, and under the night wind, his aura moved with the breeze. Very quickly, he attracted the attention of those passing by.

"An expert!" someone immediately judged.

Someone who could release such an aura had to be an expert!

He simply stood there, yet there was a sense of a tree standing tall above the forest.

So much so that everyone directly ignored the other person standing beside him.

"Could someone else have come to challenge Jiang Feng?"

"This person's aura is so strong!"

"I sense an aura from him even more powerful than Ouyang Ke and Tang Wanjing's."

"Who could it be?"

"Could it be a Heaven Martial Realm expert?"

Ouyang Ke and Tang Wanjing had just returned to the inn when they felt an immense aura envelop the entire building.

The two exchanged a glance, and each understood the look in the other's eyes.

"Looks like you weren't the only one who came here tonight," Ouyang Ke said with a smile.

Tang Wanjing nodded. "I'll have to trouble you a little more. That slash of yours just now nearly took my life."

Ouyang Ke nodded. "Rest and recover. I'll go out and meet him."

Once he left the inn, Ouyang Ke immediately saw the person standing on the rooftop opposite.

The moment he saw that figure dressed all in black, his heart could not help tightening.

"Bai Wanli!!"

As an expert on the Earth Ranking, it would be a joke if he did not recognize Bai Wanli.

"To think even Bai Wanli, the First Exalted of the Earth Ranking, has come."

Ouyang Ke could not help being polite, after all, Bai Wanli's strength was terrifying indeed. The number one of the Earth Ranking had another elegant title: First Exalted of the Earth Ranking, used to highlight his status.

In the past, Ouyang Ke would never have dared address Bai Wanli by name.

On the Earth Ranking, only one person dared address Bai Wanli by name, and that was the second on the Earth Ranking, Shen Bijun!

That young master of the Shen Family, whose talent was on par with Bai Wanli's.

"Bai Wanli, with your status, are you really going to challenge my young master?" Unless absolutely necessary, Ouyang Ke was unwilling to clash with Bai Wanli, but at the same time, he also very much hoped to exchange blows with Bai Wanli and use it to test his own strength.

"My young master is fifth on the Earth Ranking. I imagine that as the First Exalted, you wouldn't lower your own status to spar with him, would you?"

In truth, facing Bai Wanli, Ouyang Ke still felt somewhat lacking in confidence.

"Where did this little dog come from, yapping nonstop?" The one who spoke was not Bai Wanli, but the woman beside him.

Ouyang Ke turned to look at that woman, his brows furrowing, because Bai Wanli's matchless presence had truly made him overlook the woman at Bai Wanli's side just now.

"Yu Xiaoxun!?"

Yu Xiaoxun, the third-ranked expert on the Earth Ranking! Known as "a slave of two surnames."

That was because she had originally been a little maid of the Shen Family, one of the eight great families of Hengshan Prefecture, and had served the Shen Family's young master Shen Bijun since childhood. Shen Bijun had treated her extremely well, to the point that she had the chance to reveal her exceptionally high talent. Because of this, the Shen Family had also nurtured her, allowing her to grow alongside Shen Bijun.

Not only did she fail to repay that kindness, she even secretly ate Shen Bijun's pills.

The Shen Family intended to punish her, but she seized the chance to flee the Shen Family, and in the end actually followed Bai Wanli, the First Exalted of the Earth Ranking.

For so many Earth Ranking experts to gather in Zhushan Town tonight was truly astonishing.

Thinking about it, there had probably never been a small town capable of gathering so many Earth Ranking experts before.

"Yu Xiaoxun, I had long heard that you followed Bai Wanli. Seeing you today, it seems the rumors are true." Ouyang Ke remained calm and composed.

"Hmph..." Yu Xiaoxun had no desire to waste words with Ouyang Ke. She was third on the Earth Ranking, and her strength was far above Ouyang Ke's.

"Bai Wanli, First Exalted of the Earth Ranking, is here..." Yu Xiaoxun called out in a clear voice.

"He has come to take Jiang Feng's life."

"Unrelated people, withdraw. Otherwise, if you are accidentally injured, blame only yourselves!"

When everyone heard this, they were all shocked.

"I knew Bai Wanli couldn't possibly lower his own worth to challenge Jiang Feng. So he came to take Jiang Feng's life."

"That's right, I should have thought of it earlier. The Qi Family has already issued a mission through the Bounty Alliance: five hundred thousand gold coins for Jiang Feng's head. Looks like Bai Wanli couldn't resist the temptation of such a huge sum and is going to make his move!"

"Exactly. Jiang Feng is fifth on the Earth Ranking, so Heaven Martial Realm experts wouldn't lower their status by coming to kill him. And beneath the Heaven Martial Realm, the only ones capable of killing him are Bai Wanli, the First Exalted of the Earth Ranking, and Shen Bijun, the second on the Earth Ranking. Shen Bijun is the young master of the Shen Family. Not only does he not lack money, he naturally wouldn't be used by the Qi Family and kill Jiang Feng to benefit them."

"But Bai Wanli is different!"

"Bai Wanli was born ordinary, and the reason he climbed step by step to the top seat of the Earth Ranking was by killing other favored sons of heaven."

"Tonight, Jiang Feng is probably... doomed beyond doubt!"

"Go, quickly! Anyone below the Earth Martial Realm, leave at once! Those below the fifth level of the Earth Martial Realm, retreat three kilometers!"

"When Bai Wanli attacks, he won't care whether bystanders live or die!"