His sincerity seemed to have come from the depths of his heart. It carried a natural charm that compelled the trust of others, leaving others unable to doubt him.
“The item is not important. What is more important is the two thieves who stole from the City Lord Manor. If they aren’t captured, what will become of the authority and dignity of Jingyuan City?” Seemingly infected by the ‘earnesty’ of the other party, the guard replied.
“Indeed! One who dares to steal from the City Lord Manor must be severely punished for his actions!” Zhang Xuan exclaimed vehemently in agreement. “However, I feel that it won’t do for you to continue searching in such an open manner. If the other party is truly hidden here, he would have realized that you are in the vicinity and quickly make his escape. Why don’t you allow Boss Hu to activate the formations in the surroundings first so that the enemy has nowhere to escape? This way, we will have all the time to search for the two thieves!”
“This…” The guard dared not make a decision, so he turned his gaze towards the Violetleaf King to seek his approval.
“Un.” After a moment of hesitation, the Violetleaf King nodded in approval. “Those two fellows have a deep understanding of formations, so it will be best if you can activate the strongest formation of your Inkcloud Quarter. Otherwise, the both of them will still be able to get away easily!”
That fellow who saved Elder Xu was able to alter and activate the formation in the courtyard within moments after coming into contact with it. This was a feat which even he was incapable of accomplishing. From this in itself, it could be seen that the other party had a deep understanding of the Way of Formations. As such, it was unlikely that ordinary formations would be able to stop him.
“He’s so formidable? I see… It is fortunate that I have a powerful formation plate in my possession. I will activate it right now!” With a smile, Zhang Xuan said.
“A formation plate?” The Violetleaf King frowned.
“Yes, I obtained it while I was on an expedition a while ago. It’s a grade-7 formation, so I don’t really have much of a chance to use it usually. Since the two scoundrels you speak of are so formidable, I feel that it will be safer to use it!” Zhang Xuan nodded.
“Grade-7?” The Violetleaf King’s eyes lit up.
It would be difficult for even an expert of his tier to escape from a formation plate of that grade. Who could have thought that the lowly Inkcloud Quarter would actually have such a treasure amongst them? It was no wonder they had so many treasures to auction!
It really shouldn’t be underestimated just because it was located in a remote city.
“That’s right.” Zhang Xuan nodded as he flicked his wrist.
A formation plate appeared in his palm. Infusing zhenqi into it, a loud buzz sounded in the air as dense mist swiftly filled the surroundings.
“Incredible!” The Violetleaf King nodded in approval.
It was a simple Beguilement Formation, but it was extremely stable. Even if he were to exert his full strength, it would take at least ten minutes or so for him to break free. If it was used against a Saint 2-dan or 3-dan cultivator, there was no way the other party would be able to escape from it.
After I capture those two fellows later on, I should grab this formation plate as well…
A cold glint flashed across the Violetleaf King’s eyes.
As an Otherworldly Demon, he harbored a deep-seated hatred for the humans. Once those two fellows were found, there would be no need for him to put up an appearance before the other party anymore. Naturally, the first thing he should do then was to get that formation plate from the other party.
If he had such a formation plate back in the City Lord Manor, those two fellows wouldn’t have been able to escape in the first place.
“This formation is not too bad. Alright, bring our men to search for them!” The Violetleaf King waved his hand and said.
Under the effects of the formation, if those two escapees were really at Inkcloud Quarter, there was no way they would be able to escape. However… considering the thickness of the mist, there was no way their men would be able to maneuver around the formation easily. They would require a guide to bring them around.
“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded before instructing, “Hu Yunsheng, bring our friends from the City Lord Manor to take a look around. Right, bring some fine wine over as well. I will be sitting here with Elder Violetleaf here, awaiting the results of the search!”
“Yes!” Even though Hu Yunsheng had no idea why Elder Sun Qiang was obeying the orders of the City Lord Manor, he could tell that the other party had an idea in mind. Thus, he nodded his head before leading the guards away.
Where they advanced, the mist would automatically part, as if someone was leading them around.
“It will suffice to find the two thieves as soon as possible. There is no need to prepare wine or that sort!” The Violetleaf King waved his hand impatiently.
“That won’t do! You are a person whom even our city lord has to address as elder, it is only right for us to offer a grand welcome to someone as esteemed as you…” Zhang Xuan smiled courteously.
As the person controlling the formation plate, he could easily manipulate where the guards were heading to with his thoughts, so he need not fear them finding Elder Xu.
Not too long later, Zhu Xiao carried a tray of alcohol and side dishes in.
“Elder, please!” Zhang Xuan poured a cup of wine out politely and offered it to the Violetleaf King earnestly.
“Un.”
The Violetleaf King was initially reluctant to drink, but facing the other party’s clear eyes and earnest gesture, he eventually nodded in agreement and took the cup.
Even so, he still extended his Spiritual Perception to the wine to check on it.
A moment later, he heaved a sigh of relief. A hint of embarrassment surfaced in his eyes.
After checking on the content of the wine, he realized that there was no problem with it. The other party was earnestly offering him a cup of wine, but he actually ended up viewing the kind gesture with skepticism…
Raising his gaze, he saw that the middle-aged man opposite to him had already gulped down the cup of fine wine before him.
“Is the wine not to your liking? Men, bring us another bottle of…” Seeing that the other party wasn’t drinking, Zhang Xuan asked worriedly.
“There is no need for that!” The Violetleaf King raised his hand to stop the other party before gulping down the cup of wine heartily.
In his view, it was a mere cup of wine, so there was no harm drinking it. Putting aside the fact that he had already ascertained that there was no poison contained within the wine, even if it had been spiked, with his powerful cultivation, he would surely be able to suppress it easily.
“Good!”
Seeing the Violetleaf King gulp down the wine, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. “You are indeed straightforward, Violetleaf King, unlike that… what is his name called again? Yes, Waterleaf King! I had to speak until the point that my lips were about to crack before he was willing to take a single sip. He sure was a difficult person to deal with!”
“Waterleaf King?” Hearing those words right after putting his wine cup down, the Violetleaf King’s eyes narrowed in astonishment. His face immediately turned grim, “Who are you?”
Previously, the guards had only addressed him as Elder Violetleaf and not Violetleaf King.
And more importantly… the other party actually spoke about the Waterleaf King!
It wasn’t too long ago that his companion had been killed, and thinking back, it seemed like the guard that saved Elder Xu from before had said that his companion was offered a cup of wine as well… Could there be some kind of link between the two?
“Sit down, sit down. There’s no need to get too anxious over here. Worse come to worse, you will only be killed like the Waterleaf King. There is no need to make a huge fuss over something as small as this.” Zhang Xuan waved his hands nonchalantly as he continued pouring two more cups of wine for the both of them.
“You… Are you the one who killed the Waterleaf King? You are that 7-star master teacher?” Upon coming to that realization, the eyes of the Violetleaf King narrowed, and all of a sudden, he realized that his entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
If the other party was capable of killing the Waterleaf King, it went without saying that the other party had the ability to kill him as well. How could he have been so negligent as to allow such a powerful expert to get into proximity to him without him noticing?
“7-star master teacher? You still can’t tell at this point? I was the one who saved Elder Xu!” With a look of displeasure, Zhang Xuan began warping his muscles and bones, reverting back to the form of the guard from before.
“Y-you… I will kill you!”
Overwhelmed by fury and craze, the Violetleaf King roared furiously. He abruptly got to his feet and struck his palm at a downward trajectory towards Zhang Xuan, intending to smash the other party into the ground.
To think that they, members of the Ten Great Kings of the Qingtian Lineage, would end up being toyed by a human like that. The Violetleaf King felt so angry that he could explode.
“Hai, youngsters nowadays sure don’t know how to rein in their temper…” Seeing that the other party had made a move against him, Zhang Xuan shook his head sighed.
In the next moment, the Violetleaf King’s face abruptly paled, and his body began trembling non-stop. Zhang Xuan didn’t even move a single finger throughout the entire duration, but the other party’s knee had already caved in, leaving him kneeling on the floor as huge mouthfuls of blood spurted from his mouth.
Contained within the cup of fine wine was his Heaven’s Path zhenqi. After infiltrating into the Violetleaf King’s body, Zhang Xuan could turn it into lethal poison at his whim.
“You poisoned me…” Upon coming to a realization, the Violetleaf King’s body trembled non-stop with fear reflected in his eyes.
“Of course. If I don’t poison you, do you think that a Nascent Saint like me will be able to defeat you?”
Huala!
While speaking, he filled the two wine cups to the brim without spilling a droplet.
“Nascent Saint? You are… a Nascent Saint?” The Violetleaf King could hardly believe his ears.
He could still resign himself to his defeat had the enemy been a 7-star master teacher, but a Nascent Saint cultivator actually managed to poison him? How could this be?
“Are you really unable to see through my cultivation?” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
“Nascent Saint… Then how can you possibly kill the Waterleaf King? I don’t believe you!” The Violetleaf King shook his head vehemently and roared furiously.
Even if the Waterleaf King had been poisoned, he was still a Saint 4-dan expert. Considering that the Waterleaf King had gone to the extent of using their secret art to forcefully draw his Primordial Spirit from his body, it shouldn’t have been difficult for him to kill the Nascent Saint fellow before his eyes. Even if that wasn’t the case, the Waterleaf King should have been able to flee and alert him of the matter. How could he have been killed without letting out the slightest bit of news?
“There is no need to get anxious here. The Waterleaf King isn’t the only one. I have also killed the Goldenleaf King and Greenleaf King as well, so this is really nothing to make a fuss over. Don’t worry, I will have you reunite with the rest of them very soon!” Lifting up a cup of wine, Zhang Xuan sipped on it before saying nonchalantly.
“You… Pu!” The Violetleaf King’s body staggered weakly.
It was for certain that the Waterleaf King had been killed; he had seen the corpse personally. Yet, for the Goldenleaf King and Greenleaf King to be dead as well… the Violetleaf King nearly lost his sanity.
Which of the Qingtian Ten Great Kings weren’t famous figures who had made a name for themselves? Putting aside a small Tier-1 Empire like Hongyuan, not even Qingyuan Conferred Empire would dare to underestimate them.
Massacring an entire city might still be beyond him at the moment, but he could definitely cause devastating damage, and there would be no humans that could stop them.
To think that after the heavy price the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe spent to send the four of them over, three of them had ended up dying without accomplishing anything at all… Could this really be true?
The Violetleaf King’s eyes flickered with fear. He knew that since the other party was able to name his other comrades, there was a good chance that it was true. Not daring to remain there for a moment longer, the Violetleaf King immediately turned around to flee.
Goldenleaf, Greenleaf, and Waterleaf, none of these three Kings were any weaker than him. Yet, they ended up being killed in that Nascent Saint cultivator’s hands. The Violetleaf King didn’t feel that he would be an exception.
In any case, it would be best for him to flee and rethink his next move. The current situation was simply not to his advantage.
As for his poison, he should be able to find a way to deal with it eventually…
“Trying to flee? I have already set up a formation for you here. Don’t you think it’s a little impolite of you to leave like that?” Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan snapped his finger.
In the next moment, the Violetleaf King, who had just barely begun flying, felt a sharp pain coursing through his entire body, causing him to convulse uncontrollably. In the next moment, he plummeted from the sky and fell back onto the ground.
“If I can’t get away, I will just have to bring you down with me!” Feeling the lethal poison tear his body apart, the Violetleaf King felt death slowly approaching him. Knowing that it was unlikely that he would be able to escape with his life today, he gritted his teeth in resolution and charged towards the middle-aged man before his eyes.
Since he wasn’t getting out of here alive, he decided to bring someone down with him!
“Why do all of you like to resort to suicide attacks?” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
He had already dealt with a couple of the Qingtian Ten Great Kings, but all of them ended up resorting to a suicide attack in the end… They really could use some creativity!
“You guys, go and dig out the pill in his mouth. After that, give him a good thrashing!”
With a flick of his wrist, eight Otherworldly Demon puppets immediately appeared before his eyes before charging towards the Violetleaf King.
“Those are Otherworldly Demons? No, they are puppets!” Seeing the eight figures charging towards him, the Violetleaf King’s body trembled.
Shouldn’t the privilege of being escorted by so many Otherworldly Demon puppets something that only Otherworldly Demon Kings possessed?
Am I the Otherworldly Demon King, or you are?
Why does it feel like… I am completely alone in this world? Not even having a single subordinate or ally, what a cruel life I am living…
