Go Wake Yourself Up! Scared Off!

As Taishu Yun and the others were about to leave, a voice rang out behind them, carrying a trace of gritted fury.

"You two, stop right there for this heir!"

Turning around, they saw Steward Mu chasing after them with Liu Ruying. Taishu Jing glanced at him. "Well, well, looks like this guy wants to save face. Little Fire, roast the bastard."

Screech!

Little Fire beat its wings and soared into the sky. It circled back through the air, opened its beak at Steward Mu and Liu Ruying as they approached, and spat out a stream of purple flames wrapped in lightning.

Spiritual power gathered in Steward Mu's hand. He struck out with his palm, shattering Little Fire's flames. The purple fire scattered into sparks across the lake's surface, hissing as it fell.

Screech!

Little Fire immediately unleashed another stream of purple flame, larger and hotter than before. Its heat could be felt from far away, and even the air warped around it.

"Young Master, these flames are extremely tyrannical. You should stay farther back," Steward Mu said. He sensed danger from the flames, sent Liu Ruying to the shore, and fixed his gaze on the blazing torrent rushing toward him.

Giant Spirit Hand!

Steward Mu gave a low shout. Spiritual power converged in his hand as immense spiritual energy was drawn from Heaven and Earth, forming a gigantic palm of spiritual power four zhang wide that descended to suppress the flames.

Boom!

The massive palm of spiritual power collided with the flames and erupted in a violent explosion. A tremendous shockwave swept outward, shaking the air and sending endless ripples across the lake below.

Steward Mu fled from his original position, not daring to be caught in the blast. The spiritual power within was wildly violent, and tyrannical purple flames still lingered there. Even a trace of them would likely be impossible to extinguish and could cost him half his life. His expression turned grave. Those purple flames felt like natural fire, born from Heaven and Earth.

What shocked Steward Mu most was Little Fire's identity. Those brilliantly colored feathers, that noble phoenix crest, those five divine tail feathers—it was undoubtedly one of the noblest bloodlines among fierce beasts: the Phoenix Clan.

"I never expected to encounter a Divine Phoenix in a place like this."

A strange gleam appeared in Steward Mu's eyes. He could tell that Little Fire was still in its infancy, no different from a human child, just like the two children on its back. Perhaps this was a stroke of fortune.

"Damn, this guy still dares to entertain crooked thoughts. He's got some nerve. Brother, I can't take it anymore. Watch me send him down for a cold bath and make him wake himself up properly."

Taishu Jing saw through Steward Mu's thoughts at a glance and could no longer stay calm. Those utterly naked eyes clearly showed that the man did not take him seriously at all. How could he tolerate that?

"Do as you like. Just teach him a lesson," Taishu Yun said. He did not like that man's gaze either—arrogant and greedy.

Taishu Jing gave a thumbs-up toward Steward Mu, then pointed down at the lake beneath him and nodded.

"Go down and cool your head, brat."

Clang!

Clear arrow cries rang out from every direction. A vast force erupted from Taishu Jing's body, like invisible arrows racing toward Steward Mu.

Danger!

Steward Mu's scalp tightened. From the instant the arrow cries sounded, his body had been warning him. It was as though something terrifying was drawing near, and even the air had turned cold. He chose to trust his instincts and prepared to leave at once.

Buzz!

A vast Arrow Momentum descended from the heavens and enveloped him. Steward Mu felt as though he had fallen into an ice pit, as if thousands upon thousands of arrows were aimed at him. The sharp aura at their tips made his skin sting.

Steward Mu's eyes widened. This feeling was just like the pressure Carefree Daoist had released at the end in the ruins—heavy and vast, yet with an added sharpness that made resistance impossible.

"Could it be Carefree Daoist? No, impossible. He sank to the bottom of the lake along with the ruins. Then who is it? Could there be another expert here equal to Carefree Daoist?"

Steward Mu's entire body went cold. His thoughts raced, yet he still could not understand why this was happening, why this powerful force was targeting him. Was it because he had attacked this Divine Phoenix earlier? Very likely. Perhaps there was a terrifying existence behind this Divine Phoenix.

At that moment, Steward Mu felt that his thoughts had never been so clear. He stared at Little Fire and the others in terror, wanting to say something, yet unable to make a sound.

"Regretting it now? Down you go."

Taishu Jing saw the fear in Steward Mu's eyes and smiled disdainfully. He immediately increased the Arrow Momentum by another measure. Endless Power of Heaven and Earth pressed down on Steward Mu like an ancient divine mountain, sending him plummeting into the lake like a falling meteor.

Splash!

Water surged from the lake as Steward Mu's figure sank beneath the surface. He would not be climbing back out anytime soon.

Taishu Jing's Arrow Momentum was a truly complete force. It differed from the remnant will left behind by Carefree Daoist. With only that sliver of will, Carefree Daoist could not display the true might of force, because doing so would hasten the will's dissipation.

In Taishu Jing's view, Carefree Daoist had comprehended Mountain Momentum and had mastered at least ninety percent of it, perhaps even reached perfection. Yet the power he had displayed was less than forty percent of his original strength.

If Carefree Daoist could have unleashed sixty percent of his power, then every Blood Bone Realm and Spirit Vein Realm cultivator below the Soul Palace Realm would have exploded to death in an instant. Even ordinary Soul Palace Realm cultivators would have coughed blood and suffered severe injuries. That was how tyrannical the power of force was.

Against Steward Mu, Taishu Jing only needed thirty percent of his Arrow Momentum to suppress him. That alone was enough to show how terrifying force was.

"I've yet to grasp even seventy percent of my Arrow Momentum. The farther I go, the harder it becomes."

Taishu Jing estimated that the growth of his Arrow Momentum would only slow further. This was within his expectations, but to ordinary people, it was already astonishing enough. Peerless comprehension was no lie.

"Steward Mu!"

Seeing Steward Mu get struck into the depths of the lake in an instant, Liu Ruying cried out in alarm. He had no idea what had just happened. He had only seen Steward Mu suddenly freeze, then fall into the lake. It was truly bizarre.

"What did you do?"

Liu Ruying glared at Taishu Jing and the others as he shouted harshly.

"Nothing much. Just sent him down to wash his face and wake himself up. What, do you want to go too?"

Taishu Jing replied lazily.

"You..." Liu Ruying's face darkened. Even Steward Mu had been defeated without a trace of how it happened. He stood even less of a chance.

Splash!

A figure shot out from the water, looking somewhat bedraggled and drenched from head to toe. He hovered in the air as lake water continued dripping from his body.

"Steward Mu, are you all right?" Liu Ruying cried out in delight when he saw him.

Steward Mu circulated his spiritual power and shook all the lake water from his body, restoring his former appearance. Yet lingering terror remained on his face.

After landing beside Liu Ruying, Steward Mu said, "Young Master, I'm fine. We should leave this place. There is an extremely powerful existence behind them. This place is dangerous."

"Leave, leave, leave! Steward Mu, let's go at once. I never want to stay in this damned place again."

Hearing Steward Mu's words and recalling what had just happened, fear surged in Liu Ruying's heart. He feared dying here, and he also feared that the King-tier Great Technique in his hands would be snatched away.

Steward Mu gave Taishu Jing and the others one last look, then returned to the carriage with Liu Ruying and hurried away. The Black Iron Desolate Oxen let out a cry and pulled the carriage swiftly into the distance.

"They ran pretty fast. They bully the weak and fear the strong. They can only pick on those weaker than themselves," Taishu Jing said with a curl of his lip.

"That is why they are destined to remain confined within this small patch of Heaven and Earth," Taishu Yun said with a smile, his gaze distant, as though he could see far beyond the entire Great Marsh of Cloud Dream.

"Pfft, Brother, someone should capture that expression of yours. It looks pretty profound," Taishu Jing laughed.

"You," Taishu Yun said, smiling as he shook his head.

Screech!

Little Fire gave a soft cry and issued a warning toward the person approaching from ahead.

"Young sirs, this old man bears no ill will. My young lady merely wishes to speak with you."

Uncle Lin came before them and explained his purpose.

"Speak with us? What could there possibly be to discuss between us?" Taishu Jing asked curiously, glancing at the woman waiting below.

"Young sirs, could you spare my young lady a little time? Perhaps this matter concerns you as well," Uncle Lin said to them earnestly.

Taishu Yun and Taishu Jing exchanged a glance, then nodded.

"Fine, we'll speak with her. We're rather curious about anything that concerns us."

Little Fire descended with the two brothers before the woman, and they jumped down.

"Young Lady," Uncle Lin said as he walked to her side.

As Taishu Jing carefully examined the woman, he too felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. It was strange—he had clearly never met her before.