Immortal Mountain

They did not fear Huo Ling'er, their host, and dared to disregard her, but they could not disregard this Sword Immortal Maiden-not unless they wanted to experience the strike with which she had set a record in the Void God Realm.

"Sword Immortal Maiden, this is between us and Little Shi. It has nothing to do with you. Please do not interfere."

The king of the Flame Python Clan spoke gravely, flames flickering from his crystalline crimson hair.

"Indeed, Sword Immortal Maiden. This is our grievance with Little Shi. Please watch from the sidelines."

The king of the Black Cloud Clan echoed him, and the king of the Fire Bull Clan also declared his stance.

Young experts from all three clans had died at Shi Hao's hands, so they had come for revenge.

Immortal Mountain, however, had come for a different reason. Shi Hao had slapped the descendant of one of their great figures, smashing every tooth in his mouth, and they had come to settle the score.

Immortal Mountain had sent two kings, an elder and a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was also missing an arm.

Though neither spoke, their attitude was the same. Unlike the other three kings, they hailed from Immortal Mountain, a supreme inheritance beyond this domain, and thus still held themselves above the others.

Moreover, they had brought an immensely powerful magical artifact, which gave them every reason not to fear this Sword Immortal Maiden.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the crowd. Several people pushed their way in, all cultivators from Immortal Mountain. Among them was a purple-haired young man who stared at Shi Hao with murderous fury and utter hatred.

This purple-haired young man was the descendant of a great figure from Immortal Mountain. His name was Qin Chao, and he was the one whose teeth Shi Hao had smashed.

"Wonderful! Let's see where you can run now. Elder Shoucheng, kill him for me!"

Qin Chao spoke coldly.

"They're from Immortal Mountain?"

A peculiar look entered Yun Ying's eyes. By her reckoning, Shi Hao's mother should have come from Immortal Mountain beyond this domain. Why, then, were her own people coming after Shi Hao?

"Yes." Shi Hao nodded. Many doubts lingered in his heart, but he could not learn the truth without traveling beyond the domain to see his parents.

The newly arrived Qin Chao saw Shi Hao talking to a woman whose beauty could topple cities and kingdoms, and his eyes went wide. He had been pursuing Princess Qianqian, one of the Mystic Domain's ten beauties, but now he had encountered an even lovelier woman, and he could no longer tear his gaze away.

"They want to kill you. You'd better pray for your own good fortune."

A moment later, Yun Ying left him with those words, turned around, and returned to Yun Xi's side.

"Uh..."

Shi Hao had no idea what to do with that. Everyone else was stunned as well. They had thought Yun Ying would intervene and protect him, only for her to wash her hands of the matter entirely.

The corner of Huo Ling'er's mouth twitched. Why had she suddenly changed her mind? Huo Ling'er had been hoping to borrow her influence to deal with those fellows.

Seeing that Yun Ying would not concern herself with the matter, the kings all breathed sighs of relief. Now they could focus on dealing with Shi Hao.

"Little Ying, we still need him for something," Yun Xi said anxiously. Several kings wanted to kill Shi Hao. Could he handle them?

Yun Ying patted her hand. "Don't worry, Sister. He'll be fine."

"Brat, meet your death!"

The kings looked at Shi Hao, their gazes icy as they released their killing intent.

Shi Hao merely gave them an indifferent glance. They were nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs; a few slaps would kill the lot of them. Still, he offered a warning. "If you want to take me on, weigh your own strength first. Don't say I didn't warn you, and don't regret it when you're dead."

"Hmph, how arrogant!"

The king of the Fire Bull Clan attacked at once. An enormous fire bull strode through the air and stamped down toward Shi Hao, flames surging as its runes shone crimson.

"Then I'll cut you down first-kill the chicken to warn the monkeys." Shi Hao's gaze chilled slightly. He stepped forward like a divine king setting out, unleashed a terrifying aura, and punched.

With a thunderous boom, the king of the Fire Bull Clan burst apart in midair. Blood and bone flew everywhere, leaving everyone dumbstruck.

Gasp!

Everyone drew in a sharp breath. A king had been blown apart by a single punch. Little Shi was far too powerful!

"A king! Little Shi is a king too!"

Then realization struck, and the crowd cried out in disbelief.

To reach the array formation realm at fifteen was simply monstrous. If he were allowed to grow unhindered, his future achievements would be unimaginable.

Seeing the king of the Fire Bull Clan blown apart, the kings of the Black Cloud Clan and the Flame Python Clan recoiled several steps in fright. They knew full well that, at the same cultivation level, even a hundred of them would be no match for Shi Hao.

"Now, do you still want to take me on?"

Shi Hao stood with his hands behind his back and swept his gaze over the kings of the Flame Python Clan and the Black Cloud Clan. Their faces darkened, and neither could utter a word.

"An impressive Little Shi. Truly, heroes emerge from the young. However, Immortal Mountain's dignity cannot be violated. Allow this old man to offer you some advice: apologize and admit your guilt here, then surrender and return with me to Immortal Mountain, and we can consider leniency."

Qin Shoucheng, the elder from Immortal Mountain, narrowed his eyes. Even after witnessing Shi Hao's display, he remained composed.

"Are you awake yet?" Shi Hao retorted.

Qin Shoucheng's expression darkened. "Good. Very good. Then this old man will have to act personally. Fellow Daoists, would you join me in subduing this demon?"

Seeing that Immortal Mountain's people were about to act, the kings of the Flame Python Clan and the Black Cloud Clan seemed as though they had been injected with chicken blood. Their courage surged anew, and they stepped forward again.

"Good. With you two Daoist brothers taking action, that will be enough." Qin Shoucheng smiled faintly.

As his words fell, he opened his mouth and spat out a ball of light roughly an inch across. It blossomed with five colors and rapidly expanded into a precious ring that radiated mysterious fluctuations.

Everyone wanted to retreat, afraid of getting caught up in the fight. Yet, to their horror, the entire courtyard had been sealed. They could not move, as though they had sunk into a mire.

"What kind of treasure is this?"

They were terrified. It had sealed an entire courtyard in an instant and suppressed everyone within it as well. Its power was simply overwhelming.

The people in the courtyard seemed frozen in place, terror showing on their faces.

Qin Shoucheng seemed quite pleased with their reaction. This was precisely the effect he wanted: a show of force. If he wished, he could easily take the lives of everyone present.

But before the smile had fully formed on his face, a sword's ringing cry sounded.

Yun Ying extended her hand. Her slender fingers were crystalline as jade and emitted a clear, misty light. The keen edge of the Sword Dao erupted like a divine sword leaving its sheath, startling heaven and earth and making ghosts and gods weep.

Her five fingers seemed to become five sword mountains, wreathed in sword light as five-colored radiance flowed around them. Astonishingly, their aura bore some resemblance to that of the precious ring in the sky.

"What? These are... the five elements!"

Qin Shoucheng's eyes widened as he watched, utterly aghast. The artifact he had summoned was called the Five Elements Ring, a replica of Immortal Mountain's supreme treasure. It manifested the five elements and formed a world of its own, which was why it could seal a region of heaven and earth.

Yet now, as Yun Ying acted, she too was manifesting the five elements. Her five fingers resembled five heavenly swords, five-colored light surged into the sky, and the five elements cycled. A small world evolved and took shape, as though heaven and earth were being created anew.