"Xiao Household Head, what brings you here in person with such a formidable force?"
Xu Xuan stood before the formation, his hemp robe stirring gently in the wind, his expression as composed as ever.
Xiao Yuanshan's gaze flashed like lightning.
It first swept over the imitation tokens hanging at the valley entrance, then fixed firmly on Xu Xuan, whose aura remained concealed.
Seeing him so calm, utterly disregarding his intimidation, only filled Xiao Yuanshan with uncertainty, leaving him unable to fathom the man's depths.
Outwardly, however, Xiao Yuanshan remained as cold and sharp as a blade:
"Hmph, injuring the disciples of my Xiao Household and refusing to pay tribute are crimes enough."
"Now you even dare impersonate an envoy of the Azure Wood Sect, a fox borrowing a tiger's might?"
"If you fail to give me a satisfactory explanation today, I will raze your Spiritual Expanse Mountain and leave neither chicken nor dog alive!"
"Impersonate?"
Unhurriedly, Xu Xuan took the genuine Azure Wood Sect inspector's token from inside his robe.
He released a small measure of pure spiritual power from his body and channeled it into the token.
The token immediately blossomed with a soft, hazy green spiritual glow.
The cloud patterns engraved upon it seemed to come alive, radiating an aura of Dao resonance unique to the Azure Wood Sect.
"Xiao Household Head, why don't you open your eyes wide and take a good look?"
Xu Xuan's voice was level, yet carried an invisible pressure.
Xiao Yuanshan's pupils abruptly contracted.
He had never seen such a token with his own eyes.
But that authentic Azure Wood Sect spiritual glow and the distinctive Dao resonance of those cloud patterns were beyond the ability of ordinary factions to counterfeit.
It was like the might of heaven, impossible to fake.
Could this seemingly ordinary old man, this Xu Household, truly be a hidden piece the Azure Wood Sect had placed here?
Recalling what the Azure Wood Sect's Qi Refining Practitioners had done in the Southern Wilds over the years, Xiao Yuanshan's apprehension was already written across his face, and his tone could not help softening somewhat.
"So you really are an envoy of the Azure Wood Sect..."
"But since you serve the Azure Wood Sect, you should also understand that even a mighty dragon does not overbear the local snake!"
"How can you establish yourselves here while completely disregarding the rules laid down by the Hundred Yue Alliance!"
"Rules?"
Xu Xuan gave a cold, derisive laugh.
Yet that smile held only distance and indifference.
"I have never heard of this Hundred Yue Alliance."
"Besides, I act on behalf of my sect. If I must follow rules, they will be the Azure Wood Sect's rules."
"This Spiritual Expanse Mountain lies within territory designated by the sect and has long since been entered into its registers."
"If the Xiao Household insists on forcing its way in today and harming my clansmen, you will be openly making an enemy of the Azure Wood Sect."
"Even if your superior cultivation lets you slaughter every last one of us, do you also have the means to kill all my clansmen within the sect?"
Xu Xuan glared at Xiao Yuanshan.
The latter felt as though he were looking at some primordial beast and could scarcely meet his eyes.
"If not, the Xiao Household can wait to be exterminated."
Xiao Yuanshan's expression shifted uncertainly.
The might of the Azure Wood Sect was far beyond what his insignificant Xiao Household could withstand.
Even if the possibility was only one in ten thousand, he would never dare gamble his entire clan's fate on it.
He stared fixedly at Xu Xuan, trying to find a trace of panic or bluffing in his eyes.
But Xu Xuan's eyes were simply too deep, like an ancient well without a ripple.
He looked again at the Xu clansmen behind Xu Xuan, their ranks orderly and their gazes firm. Every one of them seemed unafraid of death, ready to stake their lives in a fight against the Xiao Household.
Especially Xu Qingchan, who held a longsword whose blade seemed to hum, poised to strike.
Thus, even with his heart full of fury and resentment, Xiao Yuanshan could not vent it and could only give a heavy snort.
"Fine!"
"What an Azure Wood Sect!"
"For today, I will grant the superior sect this courtesy!"
With that, he actually swallowed his anger and swept his hand, leading the indignant members of the Xiao Household away like an ebbing tide.
Seeing their formidable enemy retreat, everyone in the Xu Household breathed a sigh of relief.
Many of the younger disciples even cheered aloud.
Their gazes toward Xu Xuan were filled with admiration.
With just a few words and a single token, their ancestor had forced a middle Qi Refining stage expert to retreat.
Such methods were nothing short of miraculous!
Yet there was not the slightest joy on Xu Xuan's face.
He knew the other party had only withdrawn temporarily.
Once they had made inquiries and learned the Xu Household's strength and background, they would probably return.
When that time came, only blades would tell the truth.
A fox could not borrow a tiger's might forever; a bluff would eventually be exposed.
To gain a foothold on Spiritual Expanse Mountain, he needed genuine strength to suppress everything.
Only by borrowing a true Buddha could he cow the petty villains.
That very night, he wrote two letters by lamplight.
One was a secret letter, written under the name "Wang Tong."
In earnest terms, he detailed how Spiritual Expanse Mountain was being oppressed by the Xiao Household of Azure Mist Peak, whose boundless demands for tribute had left the situation as precarious as a stack of eggs.
He implored his dear friend Li Jiangping to remember their old friendship and find a way to intercede.
He asked him to find a way to invite a Qi Refining Practitioner from the sect, under the pretext of "patrolling the border."
The cultivator could spend a few days at Spiritual Expanse Mountain as a deterrent.
The letter made clear that he would certainly offer generous gifts in gratitude for this assistance.
Once he had finished writing, he sealed it with wax and dispatched a trusted subordinate to the Azure Wood Sect's outer sect, riding at full speed day and night.
The other letter was sent to the Cloud Arrival Trading House in Cloudmist Market, to be opened personally by Shopkeeper Fang.
In it, he ordered the shopkeeper to swiftly procure a batch of rare spiritual materials for cultivating connections, setting up formations, or refining high-grade pills.
He also ordered a large quantity of spirit stones assembled and secretly transported to Spiritual Expanse Mountain against unforeseen needs.
Ten days later, Li Jiangping received Xu Xuan's secret letter. After reading it, he knew well that Xu Xuan's methods were extraordinary. Now that he had entered the Southern Wilds, he was like a dragon returning to the rivers and seas, and might truly become one of the sect's higher-ups in the future.
Now that Xu Xuan had come to him for help, lending a hand would be like delivering charcoal in the snow.
He immediately stopped hesitating and hurried from place to place, doing everything he could to intercede.
Drawing on the small measure of goodwill owed to his master's lineage.
He actually persuaded a late Qi Refining stage cultivator, who had long patrolled the sect's borders and enjoyed a formidable reputation, to make the trip.
Li Jiangping explained that his old friend "Wang Tong" had been expanding into the Southern Wilds on the sect's orders and had encountered obstruction from powerful local clans. He implored Elder Zhou to take advantage of his patrol to visit Spiritual Expanse Mountain along the way and stay briefly to bolster their standing.
Considering his ties to Li Jiangping's master's lineage, as well as the generous gifts offered in thanks, Elder Zhou agreed.
Within half a month, Elder Zhou duly arrived.
He made no grand display, merely riding a spiritual leaf artifact of lush, glistening green, auspicious clouds and mist faintly accompanying him as he drifted down to land directly before Spiritual Expanse Mountain Valley.
He made no attempt to conceal his late Qi Refining stage spiritual pressure, as profound as an abyss and imposing as a mountain.
The moment he landed, it enveloped the entire valley, bowing the vegetation low and silencing every beast.
The Xu disciples in the valley with lower cultivation felt their breathing catch, and awe rose in their hearts.
Having already received word, Xu Xuan straightened his robes and headwear and led Xu Qingchan, Xu Ziyu, and the clan elders out of the valley to welcome him with the utmost respect.
"Inner sect disciple Wang Tong respectfully welcomes Elder Zhou!"
Elder Zhou's lightning-sharp gaze swept over the Metal and Stone Bulwark Formation at the valley entrance, which had already begun to take shape.
Seeing that the Xu disciples, though plainly dressed, stood in orderly ranks with keen gazes and a faint air of martial severity, he could not help nodding slightly.
He said to Xu Xuan, "Dispense with the formalities, Martial Nephew Wang."
"To establish such a promising foundation in this wilderness in only a few months was no easy feat. Your dedication is clear."
"In recognition of your contributions to expanding its territory, the sect specially dispatched me to inspect the area. If you face any difficulties, speak freely."
Hearing this, Xu Xuan knew the moment had come and took the opportunity to explain how the Xiao Household had pressured them and demanded an enormous annual tribute.
He reported everything in turn, including their threats to raze Spiritual Expanse Mountain.
His words were earnest without overstepping the bounds of propriety.
He said only that the Xu Household was willing to obey the Azure Wood Sect's decrees and pay the sect's offerings on time, but could not endure such extortion by powerful local clans and feared it would damage the sect's dignity.
After hearing him out, Elder Zhou's face abruptly darkened. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes, and he snorted:
"Hmph! A mere little frontier clan, frogs at the bottom of a well, dares bully those under my Azure Wood Sect?"
"Demanding tribute from our own people-they truly have no idea whether they live or die!"
He immediately ordered an accompanying disciple to take his personal token and go at once to the Xiao Household on Azure Mist Peak to deliver his message.
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