“I was wrong, Mr. Xiao, I truly know I was wrong. I’ll change, won’t I? I promise I’ll never again meddle in worldly affairs below the mountain or act presumptuously!”
Yan Lingzi collapsed on the ground, pleading for mercy. He truly didn’t want to die. After all, during his tenure as sect leader, he had amassed an immeasurable fortune in gold and silver. In fact, even his secret chamber deep in the back mountain was nearly overflowing.
That wealth was enough for him to live a life of leisure for the rest of his days. He was truly reluctant to part with such a heavenly existence.
“Change? The moment you secretly sent people to attack my Xiao family, your fate was sealed! You are destined to die!”
Xiao Yunlong’s voice was deep and cold. He raised his hand and unleashed a palm strike, killing Yan Lingzi on the spot.
“These elders were also involved back then, and they are equally culpable. Kill!” Xiao Yunlong commanded.
Zhuge Wushuang and Tu Fu immediately took action. The four elders were already trembling with fear, completely unable to exert their full combat power.
In reality, even if they could fight at one hundred percent of their strength, they would still be no match for the two Martial Kings, Tu Fu and Zhuge Wushuang, who had achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
Soon, the four elders were dispatched, falling silently to the ground.
The vast training square of the Qingcheng Sect fell silent. All the Qingcheng disciples present, whether at the edges or in the corners of the square, trembled, not daring to step forward.
After all, even the sect leader, the two grand elders, and the four elders of the Hall of Law had been annihilated. It could be said that the two generations with the highest seniority and strongest power within the sect had perished. The remaining third-generation disciples were simply not up to par.
Xiao Yunlong’s voice boomed, “Among the third-generation disciples, who is the senior disciple? Step forward!”
As his voice fell, a robust middle-aged man with a square face and a decent appearance, appearing to be in his thirties, nervously stepped forward, bracing himself.
“Mr. Xiao, I am the chief senior disciple of the third generation!” the middle-aged man replied.
“What is your name?”
“My name is Qingshanzi!”
The man answered truthfully. Although his heart was uneasy, he was able to respond fluently in such a situation, showing a commendable composure and courage.
Xiao Yunlong glanced at him and then said, “From this moment on, you are the new sect leader of the Qingcheng Sect!”
Qingshanzi was stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief. Many disciples around him began to murmur amongst themselves.
“Listen carefully. From now on, you will discipline your disciples. If you ever again meddle in worldly affairs or cruelly slaughter innocent people, I will not spare you!”
Xiao Yunlong stared at him coldly and said in a deep voice.
“Yes, I will remember your teachings. From now on, I will discipline my disciples and cultivate in seclusion on the mountain, never to act recklessly again!”
Qingshanzi immediately cupped his hands, his face unable to conceal his excitement. This was akin to a cake falling from the sky and landing directly on his head.
Xiao Yunlong said no more and turned to leave the square.
As for the disciples surrounding the square, he did not trouble them further. After all, eliminating the culprits, Yan Lingzi and the others, was sufficient. Regardless, the Qingcheng Sect of the last century was a righteous and patriotic sect on the mountain.
During the national crisis of the last century, over two hundred disciples of the Qingcheng Sect bravely rushed to the front lines to engage the invading enemy. Many touching stories circulated on the land of Western Sichuan.
Such a loyal and brave sect, Xiao Yunlong naturally could not annihilate it. In fact, after eliminating Yan Lingzi, he did not wish to interfere too much in the internal affairs of the Qingcheng Sect.
However, given that the Qingcheng Sect was currently leaderless, if he did not intervene slightly and forcefully appoint a new sect leader to stabilize the situation, the entire sect would likely fall into chaos, potentially even harming innocent people below the mountain.
These were all things Xiao Yunlong did not wish to see.
After eating a vegetarian meal in the side hall, Xiao Yunlong and his party drove down the mountain and returned to the Century Hotel in Chuan City.
After washing up, Xiao Yunlong sat cross-legged on the bed, preparing to cultivate.
Perhaps due to cultivating the Three Thousand Divine Kingdom techniques, Xiao Yunlong found that even with prolonged lack of sleep, he felt energetic after just one or two hours of sleep each day, without feeling tired.
In fact, this was because after cultivating the Art of the Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms, his mental power was also increasing. Although this increase was minuscule and unknown to Xiao Yunlong at the moment, it did exist.
A very direct and obvious manifestation was that Xiao Yunlong’s memory had greatly improved compared to before, even reaching the point of photographic memory. Furthermore, his eyesight was much better than before, and his hearing was also more acute.
Through diligent cultivation over this period, the number of Divine Kingdoms opened within Xiao Yunlong’s body had reached fifty-five. Tonight, he planned to break through to the fifty-sixth and even more Divine Kingdoms.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yunlong slowly closed his eyes and quickly entered a state of meditation. Then, following the incantations in his mind, he began to cultivate.
Cultivation often made one lose track of time. In the blink of an eye, an entire night had passed. However, what puzzled Xiao Yunlong was that his cultivation throughout the night had yielded no progress. The number of Divine Kingdoms he had opened in his body remained at fifty-five.
“Looking at it this way, at this stage of cultivating the Art of the Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms, the previous method of cultivation is no longer effective.”
Xiao Yunlong sighed inwardly. He had initially fantasized that even if the speed was slow, as long as he could still improve, he would dedicate more time and effort. But now, it seemed he had underestimated the difficulty.
However, it was also normal. This Divine Kingdom technique was extraordinary, and it was naturally difficult to achieve results through ordinary means.
“It seems I need to find another way, or perhaps use something to aid my cultivation,” Xiao Yunlong mused. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
But for now, he was still at a loss. He could only shake his head, get out of bed reluctantly, wash up, and instruct the waiter to bring breakfast.
However, just as Xiao Yunlong was eating breakfast, Tang Bowen rushed in anxiously.
“It’s bad, Master! Lu Zhenghan is in trouble. He’s been arrested by the City Lord’s guards!”
“Arrested by the City Lord’s guards?” Xiao Yunlong lowered his chopsticks upon hearing this, his expression turning grim.
“Yes, early this morning, Lu Zhenghan went to the Zhao family to discuss the handover of their property. Who knew the City Lord’s guards would come and arrest him directly.”
Tang Bowen said with great indignation.
Xiao Yunlong raised his eyebrows and asked, “Didn’t I instruct you and Jun Bufan yesterday to keep an eye on him these few days?”
“This is our fault. We were supposed to follow him, but Lu Zhenghan said that you, Master, needed people more, so he repeatedly refused and insisted we not follow him. He went to the Zhao family early this morning without us knowing. I only realized something was wrong and followed him to discover this!”
Tang Bowen shrugged with a look of helplessness.
“This is not your fault. Uncle Lu is just that kind of person. He is kind-hearted and never likes to trouble others!”
Xiao Yunlong said, suddenly standing up, and then continued, “Call Tu Fu and the others, and come with me to the City Lord’s Mansion. Qi Dengxian, you scoundrel, if you’re tired of living and looking for death, don’t blame me!”
With that, he strode out quickly. Tang Bowen hurried to follow, and the group entered the elevator, quickly arriving at the underground parking lot, then drove directly to the City Lord’s Mansion.
At this moment, in the City Lord’s Mansion, Qi Dengxian was sitting on the grand master’s chair in the main seat of the reception hall, with his legs crossed. In front of him was Lu Zhenghan.
However, Lu Zhenghan’s hands were cuffed, and his face was bruised and swollen, clearly having been beaten not long ago, and quite severely.
Around the reception hall stood over thirty guards. A dignified middle-aged man stood beside Qi Dengxian. This person was Wan Litong, the captain of the City Lord’s Mansion guards.
Of course, being the captain of the City Lord’s Mansion guard force indicated that Wan Litong was no ordinary person. In his youth, he had studied martial arts under a Taoist priest, and with a certain foundation in martial arts, he joined the Southern Border camp army. He then returned to Chuan City and gradually became Qi Dengxian’s confidant.
In addition, in the tea room of the side hall to the left of the reception hall, two elderly men with white hair and beards were leisurely sitting and enjoying tea.
These two old men were none other than the esteemed consultants of the City Lord’s Mansion, whom Qi Dengxian had specifically invited with a hefty sum of money. The fact that they were honored as consultants was enough to indicate their formidable strength.
“Qi Dengxian, I haven’t committed any crime. On what grounds are you arresting me? Even as the City Lord, you cannot abuse your power!”
Lu Zhenghan gritted his teeth and shouted. In fact, due to the events involving the Xiao family years ago, he had a strong dislike for this so-called City Lord of Chuan City.
Qi Dengxian sneered mockingly, “I am the City Lord. Do I need a reason to arrest someone? Besides, you dog, you’ve allied yourself with that stray dog from the Xiao family. I, the City Lord, have sufficient reason to suspect that you were also involved in the Zhao family massacre and are suspected of murder!”
“You’re slandering me! The Zhao family committed all sorts of evil deeds, and their deaths were well-deserved!” Lu Zhenghan bared his teeth.
“You don’t need to be so indignant. I’ll tell you the truth anyway. The reason I’m arresting you today is mainly because I’m worried that that fellow named Xiao will take the opportunity to hide or slip away. With you in my hands, I don’t have to worry about that brat escaping!” Qi Dengxian said with a smirk.
Lu Zhenghan glared at him, gritting his teeth, and said, “So, you want to lure Yunlong here. Let me tell you, Qi Dengxian, Yunlong is not what he used to be. Even if you are the City Lord, you won’t get away with it. If Yunlong dares to return for revenge, it means he has the confidence to do so!”
“Has the confidence?”
Qi Dengxian gave a disdainful smile and snorted, “Do you think that stray dog can contend with me? Do you see those two old men over there? They are both first-class martial arts experts I’ve invited. Furthermore, I contacted the Qingcheng Sect last night. The Qingcheng Sect Leader and the two Grand Elders have agreed to come and assist me.”
“Today, as long as that dog-like brat named Xiao dares to come, I will definitely kill him!!”
Qi Dengxian’s words were filled with absolute confidence, even radiating with a strong sense of mockery and smugness.
Lu Zhenghan was completely stunned upon hearing this. He never imagined that Qi Dengxian would go so far as to invite the Grand Elders of the Qingcheng Sect to deal with Yunlong.
At this moment, Lu Zhenghan stopped speaking, only praying silently in his heart that Xiao Yunlong would absolutely not come.
However, just then, Xiao Yunlong’s distinctive magnetic voice echoed, “Very good, Qi Dengxian. I’m here. I’d like to see how you plan to kill me today!”