"At present, Liu Qing is at the late Divine Soul Realm; Liu Ming is at the peak Spirit Wheel Realm, and we can't rule out the possibility of him advancing to the Divine Soul Realm after returning this time; Liu Jingshan is at the peak Divine Soul Realm, and he may already have entered the Fusion Realm."
Su Qing gave his analysis in the Mu Domain's council hall.
"Even after losing a Divine Soul Realm expert in the Black Nether Abyss, they remain formidable. Once they return, the Liu Domain certainly won't sit still and wait for death."
"Our first priority is to stop Liu Jing from breaking through to the Fusion Realm. Dad, what do you think?" At this point, Su Qing turned toward Mu Feng and asked.
"We should join forces with the other domains to pressure the Liu Domain," Mu Feng said after a moment's thought.
"If we attack the Liu Domain, even setting aside whether the other domains would intervene, powers friendly with them, such as Mangyin Mountain, won't simply stand by."
"Then..." Su Qing had barely opened his mouth when a deafening crash erupted outside Mu Domain Main City. Smoke and dust billowed from the distant city wall.
"You there! Pay with your life for my grandson!" An enraged roar rang out from that direction.
With that roar, several savage waves of spiritual pressure spread outward.
Inside the council hall, everyone's expression froze, their faces turning ashen.
Su Qing, Mu Feng, and the others left the council hall and rose into the air above the courtyard, looking beyond the city.
Dozens of figures swept toward the city from the horizon. Leading them were Liu Qing, Liu Ming, and a gaunt old man in black robes, presumably Liu Jingshan.
Judging by their spiritual energy fluctuations, Liu Qing remained at the late Divine Soul Realm, and Liu Ming remained at the late Spirit Wheel Realm.
Liu Jingshan, however, had already advanced into the Three Realm. His aura was somewhat unstable, suggesting that he had taken a shortcut upon hearing what had happened in the Liu Domain and had only just broken through.
The dozens of figures behind those three were all capable Spirit Wheel Realm fighters.
To think the Liu Domain could still muster such reserves after losing so many men in the Black Nether Abyss. It truly deserved its standing as the greatest domain in the Northern Spiritual Realm.
After the attack on the wall, the city's guards gathered behind Mu Feng, awaiting orders.
"Liu Jingshan... we were still one step too late!"
Mu Feng stared fixedly at Liu Jingshan and spoke through gritted teeth.
Su Qing also stared at Liu Jingshan, his expression shifting uncertainly.
"Hiss... whew!"
Su Qing drew a breath through his teeth, then exhaled.
Fuck!
According to the original story's timeline, this old bastard shouldn't have emerged from seclusion for at least another two months. But now...
Better to have no book than to believe every word in one. Reading the original had only shackled me.
At that thought, Su Qing slapped himself hard across the face.
Smack!
Hiss!
Too hard.
After that slap, Su Qing calmed himself. The agitation in his heart vanished, replaced by composure and unparalleled killing intent.
What the hell am I panicking for? Fuck him!
In the blink of an eye, the Liu Domain's forces arrived above the city wall, facing the Mu Domain's men head-on.
"Old Master Liu, it's been years. What is the meaning of coming to my Mu Domain and throwing a tantrum today?"
Mu Feng demanded an answer, his expression grave.
"Heh heh heh!" Liu Jingshan gave a sinister laugh. His face twisted viciously, his sunken eyes resembling those of an Asura Demon, and he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Mu Feng? When you first rose to fame, you were nothing but a young brat. Who would have thought? Who would have thought..."
"Who would have thought you'd carve out what you have today from the cracks between the great powers? And who would have thought your Mu Domain would dare kill my son and grandson?"
"Today, I'll make you pay blood for blood for my son and grandson."
Liu Jingshan delivered those words as though blood were seeping between his teeth, only to hear mocking laughter from the other side.
"Heh!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
It was Su Qing.
"Old Master Liu, how come you aren't dead yet?" Su Qing asked.
"Do you know what they call someone who grows old but refuses to die? An old thief!"
"That's exactly what you are now. Our two domains were already as incompatible as fire and water. Why are you acting as though you've suffered some great injustice?"
At this point, Su Qing let out another few mocking laughs.
"If you're going to kill us or carve us up, get on with it. Are you a brothel's star courtesan? You want to murder someone and still have a monument raised to your virtue? Pah! Shameless!"
"Good, good, good!" Each repetition rose higher than the last as it left Liu Jingshan's mouth, and savage spiritual pressure swept outward around him.
A blur flashed past, and a bell-like clang exploded in front of Su Qing. Liu Jingshan's fist had hammered down, only to be blocked by Su Qing's Kunwu sword.
Although Su Qing blocked Liu Jingshan's punch, it still drove him back more than ten steps before he could dissipate its force.
The instant Liu Jingshan attacked, the Liu Domain's forces surged forward as well, clashing with the Mu Domain's guards.
Liu Qing also brought Liu Ming along as he swept toward Mu Feng and Zhou Ye. Though Liu Ming remained a step short of the Divine Soul Realm, his coordination with Liu Qing kept both men occupied, leaving them unable to break away for the moment.
Su Qing dodged with all his might, but sometimes he still had no choice but to raise his sword and block. By now, he was panting, blood dripping from the torn web of his hand.
"Thunderbolt!"
With a fierce shout, Su Qing summoned another bolt of lightning to strike Liu Jingshan, briefly checking his movements and allowing Su Qing to evade his attack.
By this point, Su Qing was gasping for breath, his mind racing for a way out of this deadlock.
Asking the Nine Nether Sparrow for help was a last resort. Why? Because he had just talked so tough that he couldn't bear to lose face.
As Su Qing's thoughts ranged farther afield, an idea that seemed utterly rotten surfaced in his mind. Still, it had a fairly high chance of working, and for the moment, he truly couldn't think of anything better.
Heh, this is it! Su Qing immediately sent voice transmissions to Mu Feng and Zhou Ye, asking them to cooperate in carrying out the plan.
Once he had finished transmitting, Su Qing dodged sideways and let out another fierce shout, calling down lightning.
Seizing the instant of stiffness after the lightning struck Liu Jingshan, Su Qing advanced instead of retreating and grabbed his sleeve.
Then he spat out a mouthful of blood, creating a bloody mist that enveloped them both. A golden light burst forth in an instant, and the two vanished within the mist.
Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Arts: Earth-Traversing Golden Light!
In an instant, the two had escaped hundreds of li away, while Su Qing's aura had grown extremely weak.
The bloody mist dispersed. Liu Jingshan recovered from that momentary stiffness and immediately gathered his spiritual energy, striking with his palm at Su Qing, who had released his sleeve and was retreating.
Clang!
Another bell-like clang rang out.
Using the force of that palm strike, Su Qing rapidly widened the distance between himself and Liu Jingshan. Then he spat out another mouthful of bloody mist, this time enveloping only himself.
Golden light erupted, and Su Qing sped away across the earth.
Only Liu Jingshan remained, his face dark. This place lay hundreds of li from Mu Domain Main City.
Gritting his teeth, Liu Jingshan had no choice but to determine the direction and fly back at full speed.
Meanwhile, when Liu Qing and Liu Ming saw Su Qing take Liu Jingshan away, neither felt any concern for Liu Qing's father.
Even a Three Realm expert with an unstable aura from emerging early was invincible within the Northern Spiritual Realm.
Just as Liu Qing swung his palm toward Mu Feng, Mu Feng deliberately took the blow on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around Liu Qing.
At the same time, a cloud of bloody mist rose behind Liu Qing. Within it, Su Qing's paper-white face resembled an evil demon's, his savage grin exposing blood-streaked teeth.
Within Three Feet, in the space of a breath!
A sword's shadow, like Autumn-Water Radiance, glided across Liu Qing's neck. Then Su Qing went limp and fell toward the ground.