Chapter 96

"Such a great show of power and such a fierce aura! You’ve beaten the Lady Qingyi, Miss Xiaolian, and the heirs of the Duke of Zhengdong and the Duke of Beian! Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused?" Li Liyun looked at Fang Ling, her words filled with anger.

Fang Ling, looking at Li Liyun’s face, which could be considered as beautiful as a city, said lightly, "They started it first. If they’re not good enough, who can they blame?"

"Being not good enough, you say it so easily! Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused for the Marquis?" Li Liyun’s slender fingers pointed at Fang Ling, "Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused for the House of the Martial Marquis?"

"Should I just let them beat me to a pulp?" Fang Ling sat steadily on the stone bench. Without waiting for Li Liyun to say more, he said calmly, "I will take responsibility for my actions alone. There’s no need for the House of the Martial Marquis to get involved."

Li Liyun was almost amused to the point of anger. "Hmph, you want to take responsibility for your actions alone? Who do you think you are! Don’t think that just because you’re good at martial arts, you mean anything in front of those Immortal Masters. Capturing you would be a matter of moments!"

She took a deep breath and said coldly, "Now, come with me. I’ll have you apologize to each of them, especially to Miss Xiaolian. You must kneel and apologize to her to let her vent her anger. Otherwise..."

As she was speaking, a series of urgent hoofbeats came from outside, followed by a voice, "The Dragon Blood Guard is on duty. Those who obstruct will be killed without mercy."

This shout made Li Liyun’s face even paler. She then instructed a tall, thin old man behind her, "Second Uncle, give the order that no one is to move."

With a chaotic sound of hooves, over a hundred men in blood-red robes charged into the courtyard where Fang Ling was. These men were all agile, and upon closer inspection, each had the cultivation of the Fifth Level of Qi Practice. A Fifth Level of Qi Practice was considered a skilled warrior. So many Fifth Level of Qi Practice cultivators gathered together had the power to sweep through an area.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a pale face, but this paleness was not unhealthy; it was a chilling paleness. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he cast a cold, sinister gaze toward Fang Ling.

"Lord Zheng!" Li Liyun’s face quickly showed a bright smile upon seeing this man.

"Madam Li, the people in your house are really lacking in discipline. I have been ordered by the Empress Dowager to take away this arrogant person and give him a good lesson. I believe with your intelligence, you wouldn’t make things difficult for me!" The middle-aged man said, then waved his hand and said sternly, "Men, take him away!"

"Wait!" Li Liyun waved her hand and said with a smile, "Lord Zheng, this is the House of the Martial Marquis. This matter is best left to the Marquis..."

The voice of Lord Zheng was hoarse, "Madam, this person threw the Lady into the lake and molested her. The Empress Dowager is very angry. If you interfere, be careful not to burn yourself!"

Lord Zheng then looked at Fang Ling with a sinister gaze and said, "I know you are skilled, but it’s best not to resist. I have sixty crossbows that can break through any defense. Even if you were a cultivator, you wouldn’t escape!"

Four men at the Sixth Level of Qi Practice rushed toward Fang Ling with lightning speed, and four iron chains, like venomous snakes, shot toward him.

Fang Ling sneered and was about to grab the chains when a cold voice said, "Bold scoundrel, you dare to resist!" As these words were spoken, a green sword light suddenly shot over the chains, aiming directly at Fang Ling’s waist. The sword light was like lightning, and the momentum clearly indicated that it was meant to take Fang Ling’s life.

I haven’t even resisted yet! Fang Ling instantly realized that someone was trying to take him down. He sneered and suddenly leaped into the air, using the Golden Goose Technique, making him seem like a ghost, spinning in the air.

The person controlling the treasure talisman, though skilled, was far inferior to Fang Ling. Despite the grand momentum of the sword talisman, it was child’s play in front of Fang Ling, a true Foundation Establishment cultivator. The sword talisman couldn’t even get close to Fang Ling.

"Stop!" A deep voice suddenly rang out as the sword light approached Fang Ling. A Taoist priest in his sixties waved his sleeve, and a green shield suddenly appeared in front of the small sword.

"Cheng Jian, this is the Fang residence. Who gave you the right to act wildly here!" Liu Xu hurried over, glaring at the young man controlling the sword light, and shouted sternly.

The young man had an average appearance but a proud look in his eyes. He retracted the sword light and sneered, "I’ve always heard that the House of the Martial Marquis has skilled warriors. Indeed, the reputation is well-deserved! But, Marquis, by protecting this criminal and obstructing the orders of the Palace of Joy and the Empress Dowager, aren’t you afraid of being exterminated?" The last four words were said with a sinister tone.

This made the faces of the people in the Liu residence change, as their fate was tied to the Liu family. If the Liu family was exterminated, they would not fare well either.

"The Empress Dowager wants to take Fang Ling for questioning, and the House of the Martial Marquis will not resist. Fang Ling did not resist; it was you who attacked him first, forcing him to escape." Liu Xu said, looking up at the sky, "Both the Liu residence and the Dragon Blood Guard saw clearly. You can’t just make false accusations!"

Liu Xu’s words were clear and logical, but in this clear logic, Fang Ling could sense that his father clearly had no means to counter this Cheng Jian.

"Is that so? Did everyone see that?" Cheng Jian hummed, his gaze falling on Lord Zheng’s face, "Old Zheng, did you see that?"

Lord Zheng’s face showed a moment of difficulty, then he chuckled, "No, I didn’t see it. I only saw Fang Ling resisting the capture by my subordinates, and then you acted."

"Lord Zheng, you..." Liu Xu’s face changed, his words filled with anger.

Lord Zheng chuckled, not saying anything, while Cheng Jian’s gaze fell on Fang Ling, and he said calmly, "Lord Zheng, for this rebel, shoot him with arrows. As for the consequences, the Palace of Joy will take responsibility!"

"Shoot!" Lord Zheng did not hesitate, and he shouted to the surrounding warriors. The warriors had already taken out their black crossbows, and upon hearing Lord Zheng’s order, a hundred arrows shot toward Fang Ling like a storm.

"Master Zhao..." Liu Xu shouted to the Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest shook his head, "Marquis, we should consider the bigger picture."

All eyes were on Fang Ling. In their eyes, Fang Ling was already a dead man. No matter how skilled he was, even a cultivator couldn’t withstand the fierce arrows.

Fang Ling did not move. Just as the arrows were about to hit him, a two-colored ruyi suddenly appeared in his hand. He waved it lightly, and a wall of light formed in front of him.

"Clap, clap, clap!" The arrows all fell to the ground, unable to penetrate the light wall. These arrows, which could pierce through iron and stone, were like floating dust trying to shake a tree, having no effect at all.

"Cultivator!" Lord Zheng exclaimed in shock!

And with his exclamation, the old Taoist priest’s voice of shock followed, "A Foundation Establishment cultivator, a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

The men with the crossbows were stunned. Cheng Jian, holding the treasure talisman, stared with wide eyes. A Foundation Establishment cultivator! He had seen it when Fang Ling wielded the two-colored ruyi.

But he didn’t dare to shout it out; he couldn’t believe what he saw. He had come here to kill Fang Ling and diminish the prestige of the House of the Martial Marquis, and to win favor with a beauty. He thought it was a threefold gain, but he never expected that this seemingly insignificant illegitimate son of the House of the Martial Marquis was actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator. A Foundation Establishment cultivator, he couldn’t provoke at all!

This was a hard blow, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to do.

Lord Zheng wanted to speak, but a huge pressure suddenly rose in his heart. Before he could react, his body involuntarily knelt down. The Dragon Blood Guard warriors, mere mortals, were even worse. Under Fang Ling’s spiritual pressure, they could hardly stand steady.

Liu Xu stared at Fang Ling in shock. He couldn’t believe that his illegitimate son was actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator. A Foundation Establishment cultivator, something he had only heard of in legends, was not only alive before him but was his son.

Li Liyun’s mouth was wide open. She had always been hostile toward Fang Ling and didn’t care about his life or death. She had only intervened because of her status.

Thinking about what Fang Ling had said earlier, she found it laughable. But now, she truly believed that Fang Ling was telling the truth. He could take responsibility for everything he did. Even if he had killed those nobles, he could still bear the consequences.

The surroundings were silent, no one spoke, no one opened their mouth.

And at the center of it all was still Fang Ling.

Fang Ling looked coldly at Cheng Jian. Despite standing steadily, Cheng Jian was trembling.

"Pre... predecessor, I really didn’t know you were... I am Cheng Jian, a disciple of the Palace of Joy. My aunt is... a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Spring Rain Valley. I beg you to consider my aunt’s sake, and let bygones be bygones. This matter... this matter..."

At this moment, a deep voice suddenly said, "Which Daoist brother has come to Qudu City? I, Teng Sheng of the Qingyuan Sect, greet you!"

PS: First update after going live, please vote.

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