Chapter 67

Seeing Xu Ziyang step in, the expression of the man in black changed slightly, clearly recognizing her. However, after a brief moment of surprise, he merely sneered and paid no more attention to her.

Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao, upon seeing Xu Ziyang enter, struggled to stand up and greeted her with a bow:

"Junior Sister Ziyang!"

Xu Ziyang also bowed in return and said, "Greetings to the three senior brothers!"

At this moment, Xu Huniu strode over and urgently said to Xu Ziyang:

"Little Sister Ziyang, they are here to force us to dissolve the Plum Blossom Gang and then divide our disciples among themselves."

Xu Ziyang turned her gaze to Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao, ignoring the sneering man in black. Seeing Xu Ziyang look at them, the three exchanged glances. Finally, Xu Wen waved his folding fan, stood up, and said coolly:

"Junior Sister Ziyang, this matter has nothing to do with you. I suggest you stay out of it!"

Xu Ziyang's face remained calm, but a flash of determination appeared in her eyes. She said coolly, "What if I don't agree?"

"Are you sure you want to meddle in this?" Xu Wen snapped his fan shut with a "snap," and his face darkened.

"I am sure!" Xu Ziyang's voice was even colder.

"Then let's settle it with a fight!" Xu Gan jumped up, clenching his fist as big as a sandbag.

"More than willing!" Xu Ziyang coldly spat out four words.

Xu Tianxiao also stood up but said nothing, only staring at Xu Ziyang with a cold, intense gaze, like a sharp arrow, filled with the excitement of battle.

The aura around the four of them suddenly erupted, creating a field of pressure between them. Instantly, a storm raged in the memorial hall, and the paper money in front of the altar was scattered everywhere.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

A voice like a drake's suddenly sounded. Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao glared fiercely at Xu Ziyang, then dispersed their auras and retreated to their seats, falling silent.

Xu Ziyang also retracted her aura and turned her gaze to the sneering man in black. At this moment, the aura of the man in black changed dramatically. Although he remained seated, the aura he emitted was sharp and intimidating. Xu Huniu and Xu Hualing, standing behind Xu Ziyang, could not withstand his aura and involuntarily took a few steps back, their faces filled with shock.

However, Xu Ziyang felt nothing. After all, her true cultivation was at the fifth level of the Qi Condensation stage. She glanced at the man in black and found that he was only at the first level of the Qi Condensation stage. But this was only in comparison to Xu Ziyang; for others at the Later Heaven stage, the pressure was overwhelming.

After all, the Qi Condensation stage was already at the innate level, which was like heaven compared to the Later Heaven stage. Having clearly seen the man's true strength, Xu Ziyang's mind was at ease, and a surge of fighting spirit arose within her. She pondered whether, as a spirit body, she could withstand the innate cultivation while controlling her strength at the Later Heaven stage.

Sensing Xu Ziyang's fighting spirit, the man in black's expression clearly changed. His eyes showed great displeasure, and his mouth curled even more. He looked at Xu Ziyang with arrogance, sizing her up from head to toe, and said with a sneer:

"You are Xu Ziyang?"

Xu Ziyang found the man's behavior distasteful. A first-level Qi Condensation cultivator was merely a bottom-rung existence in the inner hall, yet he came to the outer hall to show off. This was the mindset of an ant. She glanced at the man in black with disdain, then ignored him and looked at Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao, saying coldly:

"Matters of the outer hall should be resolved by the people of the outer hall. Draw your line!"

Xu Ziyang's disregard immediately enraged the man in black. In the inner hall, as a first-level Qi Condensation cultivator, he was often bullied. Today, Xu Wen, Xu Gan, and Xu Tianxiao pooled their resources to give him some respect and asked him to help them subdue the Plum Blossom Gang. He had planned to show off his might and vent the frustrations he had endured in the inner hall. Since he arrived, the people at the Later Heaven stage had shown him great fear and respect, which greatly boosted his ego. His mouth was so curled that it would have reached the back of his head if not for his ears.

Inner hall disciples usually did not bother with outer hall disciples. The competition in the inner hall was more intense, and every step forward in cultivation brought greater rewards and attention from the family. So, the inner hall disciples spent their days cultivating.

The man in black sitting in front of Xu Dongxue's memorial hall was named Xu Tianci. He was already over fifty years old. In the Xu family, many disciples were orphans found and raised by the family, given the Xu surname. Xu Tianci was one of these orphans.

Although he had broken through to the innate stage, he was still at the first level of the Qi Condensation stage at over fifty years old. Realizing that he would not make much progress in cultivation, he began to plan for his future.

A first-level Qi Condensation disciple in the Xu family was not highly regarded and did not receive much family support. So, while other inner hall disciples were cultivating, he started doing business. When Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao approached him, he readily agreed, and the respect he received was quite generous.

As for why Xu Wen, Xu Gan, and Xu Tianxiao invited Xu Tianci, it was not because they feared Xu Ziyang's cultivation. They knew she had broken through to the eleventh level of the Later Heaven stage and had defeated Xu Huniu, who was also at the eleventh level, but they did not fear her. In their minds, the newly eleventh-level Xu Ziyang was far inferior to them, who had reached the peak of the twelfth level of the Later Heaven stage.

The reason they spent a considerable amount of money to invite Xu Tianci was that they feared Xu Ziyang's reputation. Xu Ziyang's reputation in the Xu family was like the midday sun. They were afraid that if they fought her, someone from the inner hall might step in and punish them. So they invited Xu Tianci to act as a shield.

Xu Tianci was not unaware of this. He carefully considered it and concluded that the reason the clan leader had made Xu Ziyang a spiritual leader was because he thought she had died in battle. Now that she was alive and the family had not given her any special treatment, he believed the family would not make a Later Heaven cultivator a spiritual leader. If the Xiao and Wu families found out, they would mock the Xu family. "Does the Xu family have no one left? Making a Later Heaven cultivator a spiritual leader!"

Thus, Xu Tianci was confident that the family was already downplaying the matter and might even secretly resent Xu Ziyang for not dying in the Cangmang Mountains. So, even if something happened to Xu Ziyang, the family would only downplay it. Believing he had thought it through, Xu Tianci accepted the job without hesitation.

New and old friends, if you feel the book is still short, you can follow it and check out my previous book "Phoenix Song of Song," which is linked below.

[bookid=1745284,bookname=Phoenix Song of Song]

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