Chapter 437: City Lord's Mansion Struck by Thunder, Old Fu Zhi Lost Twice

The banquet hall.

A cacophony of discussions filled the air.

"Disgraceful! Absolutely disgraceful!" someone glared at the challenge platform, seething with anger.

"That Grandmaster from the Wei family is utterly shameless. He must be almost thirty! How can he have the nerve to step onto the stage and challenge a young girl like Su Qianqian?"

"He's completely without shame or decency!"

"Hmm... if I haven't miscounted, this should be the seventeenth round, right?"

"Su Qianqian truly lives up to her reputation as a direct descendant of one of Tianxang City's Four Great Families, and certainly deserves her title as Tianxang County's rarest genius in a century."

"All challengers below the Grandmaster level were defeated with a single sword stroke! Even Half-Grandmasters couldn't force her to draw her sword a second time, could they?"

"This is terrifying. Forget about Xiantian realm cultivators; even Grandmasters, as long as they aren't in the Heavenly Image Realm, can't withstand three of her sword strokes. Is this... the terrifying power of a Sword Sovereign?"

The entire hall was abuzz with excitement, everyone thoroughly invigorated by this final challenge.

Gu Qing’er, the Ninth Swordsman, likewise stared intently at the breathless Su Qianqian on stage. This was the second sword talent he had discovered after Xu Xiaoshou. Goodness, how old was this girl this year? She must be underage, right? And she's already a Sword Sovereign? He'd heard she was even the wielder of the famous sword "Grave-Marked City Snow" in a previous generation?

Gu Qing’er clicked his tongue in amazement. Such talent would be unprecedented, even in the Sword Tomb! At the very least, among their three swordsman brothers, only the eldest brother, Gu Qingyi, could somewhat compare in terms of pure talent. To be precise, considering achievements at the same age, perhaps she truly surpasses him! As for the others, at this age... it's shameful to admit, but they hadn't even begun to comprehend Xiantian sword intent!

But observing the current situation... "It's tough!" Gu Qing’er could see the blatant targeting in the arena. This battle was too difficult. From the very beginning of the challenge, everyone else remained still, but they singled out this frail young girl. Various prominent families from different counties took turns, with only one family and one person participating each time. Up until now, no one had even begun repeating.

Yet, despite these challenges, Su Qianqian remained fearless and accepted every single one. From Xiantian Peak cultivators to Grandmasters, and even some older, middle-aged Grandmasters who morally shouldn't have participated but still met the age requirement, they all came forward. With each shameless attack, even if Su Qianqian was a Sword Sovereign, she couldn't possibly withstand all of it!

Gu Qing’er felt that if all these people attacked together, Su Qianqian might have an easier time. But these individuals were slowly wearing her down, meticulously calculating their moves... At this rate, Su Qianqian would inevitably die!

"Damn it." Gu Qing’er gripped his sword, unable to watch any longer. But those were the rules of the challenge. He couldn't help. If he were to participate, he'd only be helping this group of shameless people challenge Su Qianqian. "What solution is there?" None!

"Buzz!"

The ground trembled slightly, but Gu Qing’er's attention wasn't on it at all. In fact, everyone present was too engrossed in the continuous battle to notice anything else. Only Shouye, sensing the subtle tremor beneath his feet, vaguely caught a hint of something amiss. But Su Qianqian's situation was too dire. Moreover, she was someone he was concerned about, so he had to keep watching to prevent these individuals from truly attempting to kill her. If it came down to it, he would forcibly take the girl away. At the very least, her talent couldn't be wasted in today's chaos. Therefore, no one paid any attention to the slight tremor of the ground beforehand.

In the arena, a man with a somewhat rigid expression walked onto the platform, following the direction of the figure who had just been carried away from the challenge stage.

"Su Qianqian, surrender!" he urged. "There are still over ten families queuing behind me, and each family faction has more than just one Grandmaster. How long can you last? The Su family has declined. Give up those five White Cave slots, and you can step down from here, continuing to enjoy your reputation as a genius. Why persist like this?"

He tried to persuade her with heartfelt words. Su Qianqian, however, pressed her lower lip together, remaining silent. Most of her spiritual energy was depleted, and her physical strength was nearing its end after being continuously drained by a dozen or so shameless veteran Grandmasters. But... Su Qianqian gazed at the snow-white spiritual sword in her hand. This was the Su family's last Fifth-Grade spiritual sword. And even if "Grave-Marked City Snow" was lost, as long as the sword wasn't broken, she would never give up! This was the will of a swordsman!

"Clang!" As if sensing its master's fighting intent, the great sword's blade rotated with a flick of Su Qianqian's small hand, and a profound sword hum reverberated through the air. While the young girl might chat innocently and joyfully with Xu Xiaoshou on ordinary days, facing enemies, she transformed into a violent little loli. Killing intent surged.

"Boom!"

Just then, the ground suddenly shook violently, and the entire banquet hall swayed intensely.

"Thump! Thump!" The man opposite in the arena immediately retreated two steps, his face filled with terror.

"You, you..." he stammered. "Still not giving up? Are you truly insane? At this point, you still dare to expend such great effort to deal with me? Behind me, there's still a long line!" The man feigned strength but was inwardly timid. There was nothing he could do. Although he was also a Grandmaster cultivator, on this continent, unless they came from a major family in a large city or county, many Grandmasters were essentially "water goods," meaning they were not truly strong. His strength could certainly defeat Xiantian realm cultivators (except for Xu Xiaoshou), but compared to Su Qianqian, he wasn't on the same level at all. Now, this girl had fought to the point of madness; was she starting to kill people to make a statement? And he just happened to run into her? The flustered man didn't realize that when the ground tremor occurred, Su Qianqian's small face was also filled with astonishment.

But this astonishment lasted for less than half a breath before the young girl suddenly raised her great sword upright. No matter what unexpected event occurred, it couldn't stop her fighting spirit! She had no time to waste words on this man. Her energy was meant for battling challengers!

"Rumble—"

Just then, another earth-shattering tremor occurred. This time, even the newly laid stone slabs around them cracked open. Everyone was dumbfounded.

"What... what kind of spiritual technique is this?"

"A momentum-type, large-scale attack?" Everyone looked at Su Qianqian raising her sword, feeling a bit confused. "There's clearly no spiritual energy fluctuation, yet she can overwhelm the entire area with her aura. This strike might just split that Grandmaster from the Wen family in half!"

"Boom, boom, boom..." The violent shaking of the ground didn't stop as Su Qianqian's aura suddenly dropped after her astonishment; on the contrary, the rumbling continued even as the young girl surprisingly retracted her sword.

"What's going on?" By now, everyone realized something was amiss. This was clearly not a fluctuation caused by Su Qianqian raising her sword, but a tremor coming from outside! An earthquake? A natural disaster? Everyone's first thought was this. After all, if this tremor was caused by an attack on the City Lord's Mansion, how terrifying would that be! But the next second, everyone's thoughts began to change. In the air, with the violent shaking of the ground, there seemed to be a faint scent of scorching. Not much, just a wisp. Yet, at this moment, everyone's expressions changed.

"Xu... Xu Xiaoshou?"

The scene turned as if petrified, directly falling into dead silence. Who didn't know, who wasn't aware of this familiar aura of an exploding furnace? Xu Xiaoshou couldn't stand it anymore and was about to make a move? Everyone already knew that Xu Xiaoshou and Su Qianqian had a good relationship. But after a quick look around, they couldn't see any trace of that guy in the hall?

"Where's Xu Xiaoshou?"

"He's gone?"

"Could it be that the scorching aura just now..."

"A hallucination?"

Fu Yinhong's expression changed instantly. Others might think it was a hallucination, but she knew better. Even if it was just a faint wisp, the domineering nature of this scorching energy was unlike ordinary fire-attribute abilities. This was definitely Xu Xiaoshou's doing! But... "Wasn't Elder Sun watching that kid?"

Fu Yinhong suddenly froze, as if struck by lightning. She remembered Xu Xiaoshou saying he'd blow up the City Lord's Mansion when she last saw him. At the time, she didn't believe him, but now, seeing such earth-shattering tremors, it wasn't entirely impossible!

"Elder Sun... right, Elder Sun!" Fu Yinhong grew anxious. She immediately pulled out her communication jade slip and swiftly connected her spiritual sense. However, after three breaths, the jade slip remained silent. Fu Yinhong's heart sank directly to rock bottom. When she had assigned Elder Sun this monitoring task, she had specifically instructed him to always maintain contact. If the communication jade slip wasn't answered within three breaths, it meant the watch had failed! Xu Xiaoshou was causing trouble!

"This..." Fu Yinhong's pretty face turned deathly pale. At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou's joking tone from back then echoed in her mind again. "Kill a Sovereign?" Could it be that this guy was truly fighting a Sovereign from the City Lord's Mansion right now? He was insane!

"No, wait!" Fu Yinhong's thoughts halted abruptly, realizing she might have misunderstood. What if what Xu Xiaoshou meant by "kill a Sovereign" wasn't challenging one, but actually murdering one? She glanced around and indeed noticed that one Sovereign was truly missing from the premises.

"Zhang Taiying?" Fu Yinhong's beautiful eyes instantly widened. Her crimson lips parted, and her eyes held disbelief. She knew Zhang Taiying and Xu Xiaoshou had a grudge. But these two... were fighting inside the City Lord's Mansion?

Fu Yinhong suddenly turned her head to look at the Red Cloak beside her. "Senior Shouye..." Even though the rest of the sentence wasn't spoken, Shouye still saw the plea in the girl's eyes. Indeed, there were no other Sovereigns from the City Lord's Mansion in the banquet hall at that moment, so the girl could only turn to him for help.

But... Shouye, however, glanced at the four Grandmasters of Spiritual Arrays on one side. Two of these four had already deciphered the double-nested structure of the threshold spiritual array, having learned about it in advance. And now, they were studying the true White Cave spiritual array within the jade slip—the Thirty-Six Heavens Sealing Array! As a Red Cloak, he had a mission here. That was to ensure the progress of the spiritual array's comprehension. As for matters concerning the City Lord's Mansion, it was clear that he was currently preoccupied.

"Don't panic," Shouye calmly appeased Fu Yinhong. After all, she was like a niece to him. Even if he couldn't directly intervene, it wouldn't hurt to use his spiritual sense to observe. The City Lord's Mansion was vast. But no matter how vast, it couldn't exceed a Sovereign's spiritual sense. Shouye merely closed his eyes for a moment and perceived the situation in the distance.

"Senior, what's the situation?" Fu Yinhong asked anxiously.

"No major problem," Shouye replied. "However, there is indeed a minor issue." Shouye's spiritual sense locked onto the range of the flower sea. Although concealed by a spiritual array, the faint domain aura could deceive ordinary Sovereigns, but it couldn't fool him, a Red Cloak who had been frantically attacking spiritual arrays in the White Cave for months! That place had a problem!

"There's a scorched area, and it has a domain aura. Clearly, the disturbance is coming from there. You can send someone to investigate," Shouye said.

"A scorched area?" Fu Yinhong's delicate brows furrowed, then her eyes suddenly gleamed. "The back garden?" The scorched area, wasn't that the flower sea Xu Xiaoshou had blown up? Xu Xiaoshou and Zhang Taiying were fighting there? This was something Fu Yinhong had never expected. She immediately pulled out another jade slip, intending to contact Liu Jing to go and check.

"Huh?" But at this moment, Shouye uttered a surprised sound.

"What is it?" Fu Yinhong's action paused; her intuition told her the situation might have changed.

"Nothing much, just that the spiritual array there suddenly exploded, and then a domain indeed appeared." Shouye nodded: "Yes, that's the direction. You should know, this is your home."

"Spiritual array?" Fu Yinhong, however, was dumbfounded. The spiritual array in the back garden, hadn't it already been blown up before? It could explode again? This wasn't right. Could it be that Shouye saw another location in the City Lord's Mansion? But as for scorched areas, currently, the City Lord's Mansion only had this one back garden!

"Hmm?" While she was thinking, Shouye hummed again. Fu Yinhong felt her heart skip a beat. At this point, any small action from Shouye made her feel the situation was worsening. The ground shook even more violently. Fu Yinhong, clutching her chest, asked tremblingly, "What, what else happened?"

"That's not right, it should be nothing serious..." Shouye frowned, then raised his arm and casually conjured a domain, enveloping the entire banquet hall.

Fu Yinhong's legs instantly went weak. This was "nothing serious"? If it was nothing serious, would you need to envelop the banquet hall with a domain? Seeing the woman's direct, questioning gaze, Shouye gave an awkward smile: "I overreacted. That domain is actually turning red, which is quite strange, as if it's about to explode any second..."

Fu Yinhong: ??? Domain... Turning red... Exploding... Wasn't that synonymous with Xu Xiaoshou?!

With a "beep," she immediately pressed open Liu Jing's communication jade slip.

"What the hell!" Just then, Shouye's shocked cry came from beside her. At this moment, Fu Yinhong's scalp tingled. Red Cloak Shouye, cursing?

"What, what did you see?" Shouye no longer had time to explain and shouted loudly to the crowd in the hall. "Get down! The domain exploded!"

Everyone: ???

Fu Yinhong and Shouye's conversation wasn't a private telepathic message, so everyone could hear the Red Cloak Shouye's live commentary. And the Red Cloak who had just been insisting that nothing was wrong, suddenly blurted out, "Get down, it exploded?" Everyone hadn't yet reacted. The surging scorching heat in the air suddenly intensified, then swept through with immense power.

"Boom—"

Even through the domain, the deafening roar almost shattered everyone's eardrums. The Red Cloak's domain suddenly shrank. It wasn't being manipulated manually. It was being suppressed! The people inside, though not swept by the storm, were suddenly pulled into the void. The floor inside the domain, despite being protected, completely shattered at this moment!

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The newly installed stone tables, the newly erected challenge platform, the new-style challenge tournament... All people and objects were blasted skyward during this wave of scorching heat! Fu Xing's unconscious body slammed into the domain's boundary, and blood dripped down. Then, as the violent wind swept across, it directly smashed countless flying stone tables. Fu Yinhong watched in shock and despair as all the people and objects floated in mid-air, her delicate body freezing on the spot.

"This..."

"Crack! Crack!" Before she could even react in horror, Shouye's domain began to crackle and then split with numerous fissures. Shouye himself was stunned now. His spiritual energy surged, and he forcefully protected the small space of the banquet hall. Although he was a Red Cloak, his primary duty was to hunt ghost beasts. But tonight, if all the talents of Tianxang County were inexplicably blown to death right in front of him, that would also be an irreparable sin!

"What the hell!"

"The domain exploded?"

"Was it a Tragic Realm attack?" Shouye was bewildered.

"Buzz—"

Almost immediately after the explosion began, a faint light curtain rose to envelop the entire City Lord's Mansion.

"The Mansion-Protecting Grand Array!" Hope appeared on everyone's faces. This was the second ultimate defensive line that would activate when the City Lord's Mansion was under attack; no one below the Tragic Realm could break through it. However, hope didn't last long, and despair reappeared in everyone's eyes.

"Pop, pop, pop—" Like exploding firecrackers, after just one breath, this second defensive line, the Mansion-Protecting Grand Array, was directly shattered by that scorching explosive energy.

"How is this possible?" Everyone absolutely couldn't believe it. That explosion could actually reach this level? Its power looked significant, but did it surpass the Tragic Realm? Shouye could confirm this: absolutely not!

But... Suddenly, a shocking scene from a few days ago flashed in everyone's minds. At that time, a giant axe capable of slicing through the Tragic Realm had fallen from the sky, and what it severed was this very Mansion-Protecting Grand Array!

"In other words, this Grand Array isn't in perfect condition right now."

"It's still undergoing repairs, yet it's encountered another terrifying attack, nearly at the peak of Sovereign power?" Stunned! Everyone, shaken from the sky and having luckily survived under the domain's protection, was utterly stunned. At this moment, even Shouye was no exception. Unlike others, he fully understood the foundation of City Lord Fu Zhi's mansion. But this time, it couldn't even withstand such an explosion?

"This aura..."

"This scorching energy..." Shouye smelled the intense heat, and panic finally flashed in his eyes. "Xu Xiaoshou?"

In front of a spiritual array in a courtyard, Fu Zhi was still pacing. He didn't understand, nor could he believe. In just a few years, he had actually forgotten how to decipher the nested spiritual array at his own doorstep. This was like locking your door after leaving home, only to lose the key while away!

"But how is that possible?" Fu Zhi didn't believe it. The key to spiritual array mastery was in his mind; how could it be lost? Fu Zhi, who felt increasingly uneasy the more he tried to decipher it, finally discovered the anomaly of the spiritual array.

"A nested spiritual array?"

"And six layers?"

"This..." Fu Zhi was dumbfounded. A few years ago, he couldn't possibly have known how to set up a six-layered nested spiritual array. What in the world was going on? This spiritual array had clearly been altered by someone!

"Who could it be?"

"Who possesses the strength to secretly infiltrate my home and alter my spiritual array?"

"This is madness!" Fu Zhi concluded that the City Lord's Mansion's security couldn't possibly have such a vulnerability. The only explanation, then...

"Fu Xing?"

"Has this guy's spiritual array mastery reached this level?"

"This... isn't he more of a genius than me?" The nested spiritual array here wasn't perfect, and with Fu Zhi's strength, he could easily break through it if he wanted to force his way out. But after realizing this might be his son's masterpiece, he reluctantly chose to decipher the array. This deciphering, it took an entire night.

"Boss Fu, there's no need for this. Should I really go in and find you?"

"Something might be happening at the banquet hall!" Feng Ma was stuck outside, unable to advance or retreat. At this moment, he hated himself for telling Fu Zhi that Fu Xing had indeed come here more than once to study spiritual arrays. But this... This was simply too exaggerated! You're not going to the perfectly fine banquet hall; instead, you're addicted to deciphering arrays here? Wasn't being trapped in the flower sea for several years enough to satisfy your addiction?

"Just give me another quarter of an hour. A quarter of an hour, and I can certainly decipher that foolish child's array!"

"Hah, a mere spiritual array!" Fu Zhi's telepathic message flew out through the nested spiritual array.

Feng Ma massaged his forehead. He had been standing there for many hours. He had heard similar phrases like "just give me another quarter of an hour" countless times. If it weren't for the fact that Fu Xing had indeed sent no instructions from the banquet hall, he wouldn't possibly be playing around with the old City Lord here.

"Buzz—"

The ground suddenly trembled violently, and Feng Ma immediately realized something was wrong. He turned his head. Under his spiritual sense, he saw the spiritual array in the back garden explode, and then, that terrifying scorching energy directly burst forth, sweeping through the entire City Lord's Mansion!

"Oh my goodness..." Feng Ma's eyes instantly became vacant. That familiar power, wasn't it the fiery aura from Xu Xiaoshou? This guy, he hadn't watched him closely, and he went berserk?

"But this energy, how is it possible?" After quickly crouching down and casting a barrier around himself, Feng Ma immediately dialed Fu Xing's communication jade slip. It was like a stone sinking into the ocean. No response!

"Fu Xing... was killed?" Feng Ma was shocked to draw this conclusion on the spot. This was his special jade slip with Fu Xing; even if he was in secluded cultivation, he had to answer it! But now, this kid wasn't responding?

"Old City Lord!"

"We can't play anymore, the City Lord's Mansion is finished!"

"Your son, Fu Xing, he, he..." Feng Ma was speechless. As he withdrew his barrier, he suddenly saw the nested spiritual array in front of him, directly overturned by the explosion. And revealed along with it was Fu Zhi, with burnt, matted hair and clothes instantly incinerated.

"You, you're the City Lord?"

"Boss Fu?" Feng Ma's lips felt dry.

Fu Zhi was dizzy. Feeling the deafening roar, the scene of the flower sea explosion materialized in his mind once again. Only this time, it seemed even more intense?

"Brother Shou, Shou?"

"Is that you, Brother Shou?"

The flower sea. The light of the Yuan Mansion flashed and disappeared. Xu Xiaoshou flashed out from within. The scene "Perception" relayed directly was one of boundless desolation. What flower sea, what back garden... There was simply no such boundary anymore. Even the ultra-long range covered by his spiritual sense was nothing but desolation.

"Oh my god, I blew up the City Lord's Mansion?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled. He swore this wasn't his intention. His original intention was merely to blow up Zhang Taiying. The City Lord's Mansion was completely outside his consideration!

"I've caused trouble, big trouble..." Xu Xiaoshou didn't care at all where Zhang Taiying had gone. After such an explosion, who could possibly still be alive? Forget about Zhang Taiying; even if it were Shouye right now...

"Cough, cough." A light cough interrupted Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts.

"Gazed upon, passive value, 1."

"Resented, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou froze. "He's... still alive?" He glanced over; from a large crater nearby, clearly blasted out by an external force, a stumbling figure suddenly flew out. However, what was completely different from what he had seen before was this: Behind this armless, legless, half-torso figure, Xu Xiaoshou saw a faint, majestic, and sacred-looking phantom that was impossible to look at directly.

"A phantom?!" Xin Gugu, who also stumbled out of the Yuan Mansion, froze in place, his incredulous, high-pitched cry laced with hidden fear. "How could it be a phantom?"

"Zhang Taiying... Zhang Taiying actually has the Tai Xu family behind him?"