Chapter Thirty: Gu You Appears

"Well? Have you thought it over, Pavilion Master Su? Will you surrender to my Heavenly Underworld Sect and become our affiliated sect?"

Seeing that the time was about right, Heavenly Underworld Son spoke.

After casting a disdainful glance at Heavenly Underworld Son, Ye Jianxin suddenly said, "Heavenly Underworld Son, you're the leader of a sect, yet you're still spouting such meaningless nonsense. Aren't you ashamed?

"If you're really that bored, this Grand Elder will have a match with you."

As he spoke, he drew the Clear Wind Sword, and his aura suddenly erupted.

"Nine-Star Dou Zun?!"

Heavenly Underworld Son grew startled and suspicious. It wasn't that he was afraid. He was a Dou Zun Peak, after all. There was no way he would fear a Nine Star.

He was the Grand Elder of Langya Pavilion, not Ice Saint.

Ye Jianxin's speed of advancement was simply astonishing. A year ago, he had still been at the Eight Star level. In such a short time, he had actually broken through?

"I have to say, the three of you from Langya Pavilion really are top-tier geniuses rarely seen in ten thousand years." Heavenly Underworld Old Demon praised them.

"But precisely because of that, all of you must die. Otherwise, the one who dies in the future will be my Heavenly Underworld Sect." His voice was filled with killing intent.

This trip to Langya Pavilion to cause trouble wasn't merely a transaction. More importantly, it came from his own intentions.

Anyone with eyes could see that Langya Pavilion and the Heavenly Underworld Sect had already become mortal enemies.

If he gave the three of them more time to develop—or if Heavenly Underworld Old Demon died first—the one that ended up destroyed would definitely be the Heavenly Underworld Sect.

"Heavenly Underworld Old Demon, do you think breaking through to Dou Sheng means you can toy with me?"

Xiao Han's voice was calm and unruffled.

"Oh? Is that not the case?" Although he felt vaguely uneasy, he refused to lose face. Heavenly Underworld Old Demon remained dismissive.

"Heh, have you forgotten?" A cold laugh rang out, and an even more powerful aura erupted from Xiao Han, instantly suppressing Heavenly Underworld Old Demon's momentum.

"I never said I was a Half-Saint!"

The onlookers immediately started making noise again.

"I never thought Ice Saint would be able to break through the two great bottlenecks of Half-Saint and Dou Sheng within a hundred years. He truly deserves to be called one of the top geniuses of the Central Plains back then."

An observing expert spoke with a face full of amazement.

"Exactly. Now it's still anyone's guess who will come out on top!"

"But I think the Heavenly Underworld Sect is finished." An expert spoke with certainty.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" the person beside him asked.

"Hmph, it's obvious. The two of them are in the same realm, and Pavilion Master Su's cultivation is even slightly stronger than Heavenly Underworld Old Demon's.

"Do you think Ice Saint's reputation for being invincible among his peers is just empty talk?" After speaking, he shot the other man a disdainful look.

"That's true. It makes perfect sense."

"Excellent insight, fellow cultivator!" The people nearby chimed in one after another.

At this moment, the elders of Langya Pavilion also relaxed their tense bodies. Then, they felt like covering their pounding hearts.

This day had been far too exciting. At first, they had thought they could directly wipe out the Heavenly Underworld Sect's higher-ups and steamroll the sect.

Then Heavenly Underworld Old Demon had broken through to Dou Sheng, and their side had instantly fallen into a disadvantageous position, facing the danger of annihilation.

Now their own Pavilion Master was also a Dou Sheng, and the situation had instantly reversed. The advantage had returned to their side.

He was already a Dou Sheng? Heavenly Underworld Old Demon's mood fluctuated uncertainly. Although he was extremely displeased with Xiao Han, he truly had to admit that he was inferior to Xiao Han in combat strength.

Fortunately, he still had a backup plan. He simply didn't know when that fellow would make his move.

At the thought of that person's identity and the conditions he had agreed to, Heavenly Underworld Old Demon shuddered.

Still refusing to yield verbally, though his tone had softened somewhat, he said, "Pavilion Master Su, since you and I are in the same realm, rather than both sides suffering heavy losses, why don't our two factions join hands and advance and retreat together?"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire scene was stunned.

At the same time, everyone was impressed by the thickness of Heavenly Underworld Old Demon's skin.

He had already thrown a worn-out shoe straight into someone's face, yet he still wanted to advance and retreat together with them? Was he joking?

Just as expected, Xiao Han said, "I told you. Since you dared to come here and cause trouble today, I won't let you leave alive."

At this moment, the space around Xiao Han seemed to have been frozen by the Cold Qi he radiated.

"Not good, run!" Some clever people immediately sensed the danger and fled the scene.

Two Dou Sheng experts were about to fight. How could people like them watch from the sidelines?

"Hmph, my Heavenly Underworld Sect isn't made of clay." Heavenly Underworld Old Demon snorted coldly.

Although things had gone as expected, he still felt somewhat troubled. This strength was difficult to deal with!

However, Xiao Han did not continue wasting words with Heavenly Underworld Old Demon. "Everyone, retreat."

Hearing Xiao Han's order, the other elders of Langya Pavilion did not linger. They immediately fled into the distance, even using their movement Dou Techniques. After all, their lives were more important.

The moment his voice fell, a powerful Dou Qi Stream shot from Xiao Han's hand. The frigid Cold Qi formed an ice bridge as it swept toward the people of the Heavenly Underworld Sect.

Heavenly Underworld Old Demon's pupils suddenly contracted. He wanted to dodge, but if he did, the people from the Heavenly Underworld Sect behind him would be finished. Taking a strike like this head-on would kill at least half of them.

He immediately struck out with his palm and directly blocked it. However, the consequences were also rather serious.

Calmly lowering his hand, he said, "What other moves do you have? Bring them on."

This drew a burst of cheers from the people behind him in the Heavenly Underworld Sect.

"You retreat first." Heavenly Underworld Old Demon's tone was calm.

"Yes. We wish Ancestor a triumphant return."

Afterward, the people of the Heavenly Underworld Sect also immediately withdrew from the battlefield.

What they failed to notice was that the hand Heavenly Underworld Old Demon had lowered was trembling incessantly inside his sleeve, with a faint layer of frost condensing over it.

"Heavenly Underworld Old Demon, that move didn't feel good, did it?" The others couldn't tell, but how could Xiao Han not know the power of his own attack?

Moreover, to prevent him from dodging, Xiao Han had deliberately played a trick and attacked the crowd of the Heavenly Underworld Sect, leaving him no way to avoid it.

"Hmph!" Heavenly Underworld Old Demon merely snorted and said nothing.

However, this was only the beginning of Heavenly Underworld Old Demon's torment.

"Oh? I hope you can remain this tough after what comes next." Xiao Han's teasing voice echoed through the air.

Yet by the time Heavenly Underworld Old Demon looked over, Xiao Han's figure had already vanished.

His heart suddenly tightened. At that moment, his powerful danger instinct saved his life. His entire body tensed abruptly, and he circulated his Dou Qi before hammering it heavily to the side. In the next instant, the sounds of collision and exploding Dou Qi rang out, and Xiao Han's figure appeared.

Yet under Xiao Han's tremendous force, Heavenly Underworld Old Demon still staggered back several steps.

He stared at Xiao Han in shock and fury. "How can you possibly be this strong?"

There was no denying that Xiao Han's strength had completely exceeded Heavenly Underworld Old Demon's expectations.

Although he had known that Xiao Han was powerful and had even guessed that he might not be Xiao Han's match—especially since Xiao Han had once been known throughout the Central Plains as invincible among those of the same realm—

he had never truly fought Xiao Han. His understanding was limited to hearsay, and even those legends dated back a hundred years.

After Xiao Han's return, this was still the first time he had actually fought.

All his information concerned Xiao Han's time as a Dou Zun. Everything about his strength as a Dou Sheng was a blank slate.

Thus, Heavenly Underworld Old Demon suffered a major loss right away.

If he had fought Xiao Han before, he would have known that he absolutely could not allow his Dou Qi to come into direct contact with Xiao Han's.

Even Dou Qi protecting his body would not be enough.

That frigid low temperature would follow the Dou Qi and seep into the body in an instant, making it extremely difficult to expel.

Yet he had committed this taboo twice. As a result, Heavenly Underworld Old Demon, who should have been able to exchange a few moves with Xiao Han, was instantly defeated.

Heavenly Underworld Old Demon knew that if this continued, he would eventually be finished, so he stopped trying to show off.

He took a deep breath. Xiao Han thought he was preparing a powerful move and deliberately gave him time to prepare.

Then he suddenly heard, "Gu You, are you still not coming out?"

When his voice fell, a withered old man leaning on a skull-headed cane slowly walked out of the space.

"Alas, in the end, I still need to make an appearance!"