"Impossible!"
With Qin'er's startled cry, Tu Gou's rage intensified, and his fist strike became even more ferocious.
"Miss Qin'er, watch closely. He attacked first," Li Xuan said, putting down his teacup. He then raised his head, his gaze turning cold as he unleashed his astonishing sword might, pressing down on Tu Gou.
What!
Qin'er, the closest to Li Xuan, felt as if she were a lone boat on the sea. The fear and bewilderment from the depths of her heart were enough to drive a person mad. Not to mention that Li Xuan's target was Tu Gou, and she had only been affected by the periphery.
Boom.
As Li Xuan's pressure bore down, Tu Gou felt as if a great mountain had descended upon him. His face instantly paled, and his knees were forced to the ground.
"Young Master Li Xuan, show mercy," Qin'er cried out upon seeing this.
"Since Miss Qin'er has spoken, I will spare you this time. If I ever hear you speak ill again, do not blame me for disciplining you on your father's behalf." Li Xuan had no intention of killing Tu Gou and took the opportunity to de-escalate when Qin'er intervened.
"Begone." Li Xuan waved his hand, and the immense pressure that had filled the air instantly vanished.
Tu Gou, however, was so terrified by Li Xuan's display that he was beside himself, sweat streaming down his forehead.
"You... you wait. I will not let this go," Tu Gou said, casting a venomous glare at Li Xuan before turning to leave.
"Miss Qin'er, who exactly is this fellow? So arrogant, could he have a very deep background?" Li Xuan asked after Tu Gou had left.
"This... alas, Young Master Li Xuan, after today's encounter, you must have seen the power of our Lingtian Pavilion. I will be direct. Our Lingtian Pavilion is in the business of trade, and we have always avoided entanglement with any forces. Even more so with the Five Great Families beyond the domain."
Qin'er smiled faintly, a hint of helplessness in her expression.
"Miss Qin'er, as far as I know, the Five Great Families beyond the domain are Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, and Dong. The Tu family does not seem to be among them," Li Xuan said, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
"That's right. Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, and Dong are indeed the Five Great Families. However, the Tu family is related by marriage to the Zhao family. So..." Qin'er looked at Li Xuan with some difficulty.
"I see. I understand now." Li Xuan's eyes lit up with realization. No wonder Tu Gou was so presumptuous and even dared to barge into the VIP room of Lingtian Pavilion.
"By the way, Miss Qin'er. I am new to this domain and have many questions. Would you be willing to enlighten me?" Li Xuan asked after a moment's pause.
"Young Master Li Xuan, please speak," Qin'er nodded.
"Miss Qin'er. Why is everything on Emerald Star so expensive? I've only been here a few days, and I've already noticed that things here are priced in units of top-grade spirit stones. This is terrifying!" Li Xuan suddenly recalled the prices in Emerald City and asked.
"Young Master Li Xuan, Emerald Star is known as the most prosperous planet in the domain. What would cost a mid-grade spirit stone on other planets can fetch a top-grade spirit stone or even more on Emerald Star. So, unless you have a trusted connection, you are certain to be ripped off and left with nothing," Qin'er said with a knowing smile.
"That accursed Dong Cheng! He never told me about this," Li Xuan exclaimed, speechless.
"Dong Cheng? Could it be the Thirteenth Young Master of the Dong family? Young Master Li Xuan, you actually know him?" Qin'er asked, surprised.
"We have a slight acquaintance. He was the one who told me about Emerald Star," Li Xuan said, recounting how he met Dong Cheng to Qin'er.
Of course, the matter of the Sea of Vows was not mentioned.
"Heh heh. It's not entirely his fault. After all, he is a young master from one of the Five Great Families. This small amount of money would not mean much to him," Qin'er said with a laugh after hearing Li Xuan's story.
Creak.
Just as Qin'er finished speaking, an incredibly sharp sound echoed through the air, clearly audible throughout Emerald City.
"Not good!" Li Xuan's mind flashed to Li Jin and Li Li.
That voice was unmistakably theirs!
Li Xuan vanished from the room and flew in the direction of the sound.
"Young Master Li Xuan..." Qin'er frowned slightly and also disappeared from the room.
As Li Xuan materialized in Emerald City, he saw that the sky, which had been bright moments before, was now plunged into darkness. The heavens churned with fierce winds, thunder rumbled, and a torrential downpour began.
Jin, Li!
Li Xuan's heart pounded with anxiety. He unleashed his full power without reservation and sped towards the inn.
What had happened!
Before he reached the inn, Li Xuan saw from a distance that Li Jin and Li Li had transformed into their true forms. They were enveloped in a radiant light, with lightning striking them intermittently.
Each strike left bloody wounds on Li Jin and Li Li, with blood flowing continuously, staining the ground below. Below them, a fierce fire raged. Bizarrely, it rained from above and burned from below, yet neither phenomenon counteracted the other.
Who!
Li Xuan's fury ignited.
His divine sense swept out without restraint, and he quickly discovered Tu Gou holding a spiritual artifact, which he was activating.
The spiritual artifact in Tu Gou's hand resembled a banner, etched with a strange spirit beast. With each wave of Tu Gou's hand, the spirit beast on the banner would spew a stream of flames towards Li Jin and Li Li, who were suspended in mid-air.
Behind him, two women covered their mouths, laughing uncontrollably.
"Tu Gou! Today, no one, be it in heaven or on earth, can save you!" Seeing it was Tu Gou, Li Xuan retracted his divine sense and let out a roar as he shot towards him.
"Damn it! He's here so quickly! Very well, let me show you the power of my Wenming Banner!" Tu Gou's hand trembled upon hearing Li Xuan's voice. He then remembered that he possessed a spiritual artifact from his father and was somewhat reassured.
"Tu Gou, I should have taken your dog life back at Lingtian Pavilion," Li Xuan stopped his advance, looking coldly at Tu Gou.
Creak.
Upon seeing Li Xuan, Li Jin and Li Li in the sky let out incessant roars. The surrounding area was also crowded with onlookers.
"Bumpkin, I never expected these two little ones you brought to be demonic beasts! Fortunately, my father bestowed the Wenming Banner upon me before I left, or I would have had no way to deal with your little brutes. Bumpkin, today, I will get my revenge!"
Tu Gou declared, then forcefully waved the banner again.
Wuu, wuu.
As Tu Gou swung the banner, the piteous cries of Li Jin and Li Li echoed through the sky once more.
"What, the Wenming Banner!" Qin'er, who had arrived in a hurry, gasped in shock. She glanced at the two strange beasts in the sky and then at the banner in Tu Gou's hand, exclaiming.
She had not expected the Star Lord of Tu Lang Star to value Tu Gou so much as to give him this banner! But Li Xuan was a benefactor she had a premonition about, and he was currently in Emerald City. If a fight broke out...
"Stop!"
Qin'er suddenly shouted and flew forward without hesitation. She saw that Li Xuan had somehow acquired a spiritual sword in his hand.
Rumble.
Before Qin'er's voice had even faded, Li Xuan had already swung his sword in anger. Li Xuan himself did not know the extent of his power when enraged, but in the current situation, he could not afford to hold back.
"Ah! No... how is this possible!"
Amidst Tu Gou's unwilling cry, mixed with endless fear, a powerful force erupted.
The sword sliced directly through Tu Gou's body. His body was instantly cut in half as if by a waist cut. The two women behind him were also reduced to a mist of blood by Li Xuan's sword.
Not only that, but the buildings behind Tu Gou in the city collapsed one after another.
The residual force wave instantly reached the high walls of Emerald City, slicing through them as if they were made of tofu, without any resistance. The cracks on the ground stretched for thousands of miles before finally stopping.
"What!"
Qin'er covered her mouth in disbelief.
She knew that Tu Gou's strength was only at the Broken God realm, but he possessed the innate supreme treasure, the Wenming Banner! And yet, it could not withstand the power of Li Xuan's single sword strike!
Could it be that the spiritual sword Li Xuan held was a Chaos Spiritual Treasure!
"Young Master Li Xuan!" With that thought, Qin'er flew towards him again.
"Miss Qin'er, please wait a moment." As Li Xuan was about to rise, he heard Qin'er's call and turned to speak before once again unleashing a sword strike towards the cage in the air.
Buzz.
As Li Xuan swung his sword, the cage in the sky vanished instantly. Li Jin and Li Li, who had been transformed, instantly reverted to human form and fell.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you here," Li Xuan said in a low voice, holding the two little ones, his words filled with self-reproach.
"Daddy, it's okay. We don't hurt..." Li Li looked up and tried to smile. But the corners of her mouth were badly torn, and blood flowed down her forehead.
Qin'er, standing beside them, finally understood why Li Xuan was so enraged.
These two children called him Daddy!
However, Qin'er's head began to ache. Now that Tu Gou had been instantly killed by Li Xuan, the Star Lord of Tu Lang Star would likely arrive soon.
"Heavens! Who is this person, to be so powerful that he killed that man in just one move!"
"That person just now seemed to call himself 'this young master,' and appeared to be the young Star Lord of Tu Lang Star..."
"This is Emerald City, and he destroyed it to this extent with one sword!"
"..."
As Li Xuan arrived and instantly killed Tu Gou, causing immense destruction to Emerald City, the onlookers, who had been stunned into silence, began to chatter.
"Make way, make way, the Star Lord has arrived."
As the crowd was still discussing, a group of people with imposing presence flew towards them, causing everyone to retreat several miles.
Soon, a vast, open space was cleared.
"It was you who destroyed the buildings of my Emerald City and killed people?"
A burly man walked out from the front of a well-disciplined formation. He wore a resplendent yellow robe, and his square face was framed by thick eyebrows that were slightly upturned.
"It was me."
Li Xuan had sensed the approaching party long ago but had not paid them any mind due to Li Jin and Li Li's serious injuries. With a thought, he took Li Jin and Li Li into the Town Prison to be cared for by Xiao Bai.
Seeing the two seemingly alive children suddenly disappear, the crowd was once again shocked. However, with the Star Lord now present, no one dared to speak further.
"And do you know the consequences of causing trouble in my city?" The burly man frowned and spoke sternly, seeing Li Xuan's defiant gaze.
"Oh? I would be glad to hear them." Li Xuan asked, neither subservient nor arrogant.
"Heh heh. There is only one consequence: death!"