Myriad Treasures Pavilion

"Cloud Emperor, your humans were the ones who broke the rules first!"

"I don't care who that human is! Hand him over immediately, or we'll go to war!"

The Lion Demon King glared, murderous intent rolling off him.

"War?"

The Cloud Emperor narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Can you speak for the Demon Emperor?"

"Cloud Emperor, spare me the nonsense. If His Majesty the Demon Emperor knew my younger brother had been killed, he would choose war too."

The Cloud Emperor pondered briefly, then said, "I don't know that man. Although he fled toward us, he isn't in the Treehouse Settlement."

"Hmph, don't tell me you don't know. If you truly don't, step aside and let me search for him myself. I've memorized his aura."

The Lion Demon King's voice rang out coldly, booming like a great bell, clearly audible for ten miles around.

"You want to search my Treehouse Settlement? What do you take my dignity for?"

"Enough nonsense. Kill them!"

A furious roar burst from the Lion Demon King's enormous head.

He stamped his foot and charged straight at the Cloud Emperor.

In the forest below, some of the demonic beasts that had stopped fighting lunged at the humans once again.

"Kill!"

The Cloud Emperor shouted, and a longsword appeared in his hand.

In an instant, sword radiance surged along the blade, and a streak of sword light over a hundred feet long slashed straight at the Lion Demon King.

The Lion Demon King neither dodged nor evaded. A blue-green glow spread over his massive body as he rammed straight into the sword light.

Boom...

The sound shook the land in every direction!

Space trembled!

"You broke through?"

A trace of wariness flashed through the Lion Demon King's eyes.

Previously, although he bore the title of Cloud Emperor, he had actually only been at the half-step emperor realm.

Now, however, he was truly at the emperor realm first heaven.

Although the Lion Demon King could contend with an emperor realm cultivator, contending was not the same as defeating one.

The Cloud Emperor watched the Lion Demon King calmly. "What do you think?"

"So what? Die!"

The Lion Demon King roared, the blue-green light around him intensifying as he sprang forward and pounced at the Cloud Emperor.

A circle of light with a radius of a hundred and ten feet suddenly appeared beneath the Cloud Emperor's feet.

Light flickered across the circle, and the Cloud Emperor vanished from his spot.

A brilliant streak of sword light slashed straight down over the Lion Demon King's head.

Clang!

A piercing sound rang out, like metal striking metal.

The spreading shock wave made even space quiver.

Blood splattered.

A wound opened on top of the Lion Demon King's head.

The Cloud Emperor's expression remained unchanged, sword radiance flickering along the longsword in his hand.

"If you wish to die, I can oblige," Yun Xuan said indifferently.

The Lion Demon King glared. That damned Cloud Emperor. That damned sword cultivator.

Sword cultivators were renowned for their powerful attacks. The Cloud Emperor had only just broken through, yet the Lion Demon King was already no match for him.

The Lion Demon King knew full well that if the Cloud Emperor attacked with all his strength, he really might perish here.

"Cloud Emperor, I meant no offense, but that human killed my younger brother. I want him dead."

"If you have the ability, hunt him down yourself. I won't interfere. That man isn't from my Treehouse Settlement. But don't forget the agreement between the Ten Thousand Demons Forest and humanity," Yun Xuan said coldly.

"When His Majesty the Demon Emperor emerges from seclusion, I'll ask him to uphold justice! Hmph..."

The Lion Demon King roared, then turned and left.

The Cloud Emperor silently watched the Lion Demon King depart.

Just then, a figure appeared behind him. The Cloud Emperor asked, "Where is he?"

"Reporting to the Cloud Emperor, I lost him."

"Lost him?" The Cloud Emperor abruptly turned, his expression strange.

"Yes, Cloud Emperor. I've failed you."

The Cloud Emperor fell silent.

His subordinate was a king realm cultivator and an expert tracker, yet even he had lost the trail?

That young fellow has a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Understood. Go back."

The Cloud Emperor turned and left.

The Treehouse Settlement had suffered considerable losses this time. Many people had died, particularly those in the origin command realm and spirit origin realm.

Quite a few profound origin realm cultivators had also been injured.

"That damned bastard had better not let me catch him, or I'll tear him apart with my bare hands. Ow, that hurts... be gentler!"

Many people in the Treehouse Settlement were cursing Xia Yu.

At that moment, Xia Yu was racing along close to the ground on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Demons Forest.

Earlier, he had used Divine Dragon Concealment to pass through the Treehouse Settlement. He had also noticed someone following him.

To shake off his pursuer, he had frantically used Divine Dragon Concealment, switching immediately to Divine Dragon Movement whenever the concealment wore off.

Fortunately, he had just activated his third small world, extending Divine Dragon Concealment's duration by another breath. Otherwise, Xia Yu doubted he could have escaped that man's pursuit.

Glancing back at the Ten Thousand Demons Forest, Xia Yu flickered and appeared nearly a hundred feet away.

Soon, Huai City's walls came faintly into view.

"Sis, I'm back!"

"Your little brother has grown much stronger now. Soon, I'll be able to take you to get treatment."

Xia Yu vaulted over the city wall and sped toward the Xia family estate.

Brimming with joy, Xia Yu had barely entered the little courtyard where he lived when he heard sobbing and harsh reprimands.

"Xia Yu has already run away, and he isn't the young clan leader anymore. The young clan leader has taken a liking to this courtyard. Get out immediately."

"Y-Yu wouldn't run away. He went out on business. Fourth Uncle, he'll be back soon. I want to wait for him here."

"I'll move out as soon as he returns."

"Wait for him? Hmph, everyone in the Xia family knows he fears the young clan leader. Who knows where he's already fled to?"

"So you won't leave? Someone, throw this girl out! Throw her out of the Xia family estate!"

Fourth Uncle?

Xia Yu knew it had to be someone from the clan leader's faction-the Xia family's chief steward, Xia Hongji's younger brother.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a scream rang out.

Xia Yu's eyes instantly reddened, and he lunged forward.

Lightning-fast, he slapped the figure in front of him.

He held nothing back in that slap.

Smack!

The man tugging at Xia Yao went flying.

Blood sprayed through the air.

"Sis, are you all right?"

Xia Yu scooped Xia Yao into his arms.

Her whole body was trembling, one half burning hot and the other freezing cold.

"Sis, why didn't you take your medicine?"

"Medicine? Those are the Xia family's spirit pills. What right does she have to take them?" Fourth Uncle sneered.

"Yu, you're back. You're finally back!"

Xia Yao's eyes lit up when she saw Xia Yu, but a moment later, she lost consciousness.

Without her pills, she had been desperately holding on, waiting for her younger brother to return.

Even unconscious, Xia Yao's brows remained knitted. She was clearly in terrible pain.

In an instant, boundless fury surged through Xia Yu's heart.

"Xia Yu, the young clan leader wants your courtyard. You're no longer worthy of living here. Take this sickly wretch and get out!"

"There's a wooden hut beside the beast pens at the southernmost end. Go live there."

Fourth Uncle folded his arms, his face full of contempt.

An enormous fist answered him.

Boom...

Without making a sound, Fourth Uncle was blasted away, crashing through the door and knocking down the courtyard wall before landing on the ground, motionless.

The other Xia family servants were instantly dumbstruck.

Xia Yu lifted Xia Yao into his arms, his expression grim. "Sis, I'll take you away!"

"There's no reason to stay with the Xia family."

With a flicker, Xia Yu vanished from the spot.

Bang!

A quarter of an hour later, someone kicked open the doors of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in Huai City.

"Who dares cause trouble at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion?"

Several cultivators armed with swords and sabers instantly appeared before Xia Yu.

His eyes red, Xia Yu growled, "I'm Xia Yu. I mean no offense. Please ask your pavilion master to come out. I need his help!"

"Xia Yu? The Xia family's crippled former young clan leader? Heh, do you think you're still their young clan leader? Do you think you can see our pavilion master whenever you please? Pay for the door and get lost!"

The lead guard drew the sword at his side.