Chapter 40: Overwhelming Suppression
October 10th, Star Calendar Year 756.
On this day, nearly everyone in Xingzhou turned their gaze toward the Archipelago. It was as though the World had become a grand stage, with the Shu Family as the protagonists.
The Founding Ceremony!
“The Archipelago has been in turmoil since the successive fall of the Five Virtue Kings. After millions of years, a grand occasion like this has finally arrived!” Meng Fei, the Little Arrow God, led more than ten people as representatives of the Mengyuan Kingdom to attend the ceremony.
“The Shu Family’s ability to unite the Archipelago is truly a miracle of millions of years, exceeding everyone’s expectations. Heroes rise from humble beginnings; life is unpredictable,” the representative of the Grand Alliance of Academies sighed.
…”Hmph, they might not even succeed in establishing their kingdom. The Shu Family still has a difficult hurdle to overcome. The Land Whale King keeps his word. I, the Black Mountain Barbarian Lord, will see how the Shu Family gets through this crisis.” Not only the Black Mountain Barbarian Lord from the Yao Shan Kingdom, but also the Nine-tailed Demon Lord from the Anding Kingdom, the Lightning Rain Sword Lord from the Jianghan Kingdom, the Wolf Fang Lord from the Iron Rock Kingdom, the Li Longdi Jun of the Barren Dragon Association from the Great Wilderness Country, the Young Master of the Molten Lava Gang, Sun Yan, the next City Lord of Nine Nether City, Gui Li, the Zen Lord of Ku Tuo Temple…
Heroes and hegemons from various island countries, academies, and wanderer sects, whether they were the cream of the younger generation or seasoned veterans of the older generation, gathered at the Shu Family’s main island, Huode City, today. For a time, talent converged and martial prowess shone, creating an unprecedented grand occasion in Xingzhou for centuries.
“Esteemed guests, please follow me.” Hua Ying greeted them. Today, he wore a wide-sleeved long robe, looking bright and dashing. He was naturally adept at socializing and possessed a glib tongue.
“Hmph! The Shu Family puts on airs. The one who greets me is merely a small hegemonic-level figure.”
“Gui Li. Where is Shu Tianhao? Why isn’t he here to greet me? No, he’s just a weakling at the quasi-Jun level. Call out the Drunken Snow Fox Lord. Only he is qualified to converse with me,” a Jun-level expert clamored.
“Who is this person?” Chu Yun stood on the mountainside, looking down and taking in all the sights.
“This person is also from the Great Wilderness Country and hails from the Yin Yang Tower. He is an old lord named Luo Bei. He is cautious and cruel. He is one of the three Jun-level experts in the Yin Yang Tower and a pillar of the elder generation,” Yan Que explained beside Chu Yun.
Chu Yun gave a cold laugh. “So it’s Old Lord Luo Bei. I’ve heard of him. He’s changed his usual demeanor to be making such a racket here. This is clearly a probe of our Shu Family. These people are ostensibly here to observe the ceremony, but in reality, the vast majority have ill intentions. Some want to watch the excitement, some want to get involved, and some want to profit from it.”
“However, expelling them and preventing them from entering the Archipelago is neither realistic nor would it make our Shu Family look magnanimous. It’s better to invite them all into Huode City and keep them under surveillance. After all, it’s easier to dodge overt arrows than concealed ones,” Yan Que added in agreement.
“Are all other preparations in place?” Chu Yun asked.
“The banquet hall has been ready for a long time. Huode City itself is a composite demon weapon. The traps and arrow towers in the city have all been activated, and thirty thousand Fire Copper Puppets are on standby. Even if they suddenly riot, they can hold them off for a while. If worst comes to worst, Master Yu Ya has also prepared a final resort: to detonate the volcano and sacrifice Huode City to destroy both sides, leaving them dead or severely injured.”
After a pause, Yan Que continued his report. “However, just now, intelligence from spies revealed that several fleets from the Jianghan Kingdom have been quietly mobilized. But this is within our expectations. The fleet personally commanded by the Dunhuang Country Lord is now stationed at the edge of the Archipelago’s waters, defending against this force.”
“I see,” Chu Yun breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried earlier because Jin Bihan’s name was not among the crowd, fearing she had fallen victim to a mysterious dream-speaking master. It turned out that the Jianghan Kingdom’s unusual movements had forced this force from the Dunhuang Kingdom to temporarily halt their operations overseas.
“The Jianghan Country Lord is cunning and has always coveted our Archipelago. During the unification war, he dispatched the Mad Confucian General. Now that the Land Whale King is attacking with the East Sea Faction, he sees hope. Other forces are also stirring because of this. This Old Lord Luo Bei is just the first to step out. Very well, I’ll make an example of you first to warn the others.”
As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in Chu Yun’s eyes, and a chilling smile crept onto his lips. He tapped his Immortal Pouch, and in an instant, a mysterious white light shot out.
Whoosh!
The white light was as fast as lightning, incredibly swift. It tore through the air, crossing a hundred zhang distance, appearing before Old Lord Luo Bei almost instantaneously.
Old Lord Luo Bei’s expression changed drastically. He had stepped forward to provoke them precisely to test the Shu Family’s mettle. He had anticipated someone would make a move, but he never expected someone to attack with such ferocity, like they had gone mad!
The white light, like a point of a star, was dazzling and pierced directly towards Old Lord Luo Bei’s throat. In that instant, Old Lord Luo Bei felt a vast, boundless chill engulfing him. His heart pounded. Years of rich combat experience made his body react before his mind could.
“Black Tortoise Heavy Armor Shield!” he roared internally, and a dark light flashed before his eyes. Thick radiance instantly formed a solid barrier, protecting him completely.
Boom!
In the next moment, a small explosion generated billowing shockwaves, with black and white light flashing erratically, causing pain to the eyes. As everyone retreated like lightning, they saw Old Lord Luo Bei’s figure, like a tattered sack, being flung far from the center of the explosion, scattering blood along the way before finally crashing onto the ground with a thud.
“Ugh!” Old Lord Luo Bei’s brows were furrowed, his eyes wide open. He tried to get up immediately but instead spat out a mouthful of blood and fell backward.
“Old Lord!” his companions exclaimed and rushed forward.
A wave of shock swept through the hearts of the others like a hurricane.
“How could this be? Old Lord Luo Bei is a veteran expert, and he was defeated in one move!”
“Incredible! The Black Tortoise Heavy Armor Shield is a renowned defensive artifact in Xingzhou, with a cultivation of eighty thousand years. Old Lord Luo Bei’s primary demon weapon was useless!”
“Who made the move?!”
Everyone looked in the direction from which the attack had come. Their expressions instantly stiffened as they saw Chu Yun, in white, standing proudly on the mountainside.
It was him!
The Young Master of the Shu Family, Chu Yun, known as the Drunken Snow Fox Lord!
“He has indeed advanced to Marquis level, otherwise, how could he have defeated Old Lord Luo Bei on the spot?” The Black Mountain Barbarian Lord frowned deeply, sensing Chu Yun’s terrifying growth rate. He had troubled Chu Yun in the Dragon Gate World when Chu Yun had only recently advanced to Jun level. To see him as a Marquis-level expert now, surpassing himself, was unexpected.
“No. Even a Marquis-level expert cannot achieve victory in one move. The defensive power of the Black Tortoise Heavy Armor Shield is astonishing. It has troubled Marquis-level experts before; how could Chu Yun break through it in one move? There must be something strange about this. Yes, he must have used some trick!” The Nine-tailed Demon Lord cried out internally, unable to accept the current reality.
When the unofficial news of Chu Yun’s advancement to Marquis level spread throughout Xingzhou, he had scoffed, never believing it. Now, even though he had witnessed Chu Yun’s power firsthand with one strike, he still refused to acknowledge this possibility.
However, the next moment, a fact as hard as iron and beyond dispute shattered the Nine-tailed Demon Lord’s wishful thinking. A pervasive Marquis-level spiritual pressure erupted from the mountainside, soaring into the sky and sweeping in all directions.
The Nine-tailed Demon Lord’s face turned pale, and everyone else was profoundly moved.
“Marquis-level spiritual pressure, genuine Marquis-level spiritual pressure!”
“Chu Yun has truly advanced to Marquis level. My heavens, the rumors were not baseless!”
“This spiritual pressure is so strong, pressing down like a mountain. The spiritual energy within my body is trembling. This is definitely not the early stage of Marquis level, at least the middle stage, or even the late stage!”
The people were incredibly shocked. Some had beads of sweat on their foreheads, some had dry faces, and they lowered their heads, no longer daring to look at Chu Yun. The gazes that remained fixed on Chu Yun were now filled with shock, astonishment, panic, apprehension, and envy.
“Today, my Shu Family establishes its kingdom, and we welcome friends from all corners of the world to witness this ceremony. I hope you will cherish this kindness. Those who arbitrarily provoke and test the Shu Family’s bottom line will not be treated kindly by me, Chu Yun,” Chu Yun said calmly. His voice was not loud but echoed throughout Huode City, as sonorous as a bell.
“Young Master is mighty! Young Master is mighty!” In Huode City, countless guards heard this voice and erupted into thunderous cheers.
Hua Ying’s face flushed, and he felt his back stiffen. His gaze towards Old Lord Luo Bei was filled with unconcealed playful mockery. It was an arrogance, a silent provocation.
However, Old Lord Luo Bei, who had been loudly clamoring with a contemptuous and arrogant expression just moments before, ignored this provocation as if he didn’t see it. He had chickened out!
His heart was still trembling, his ears ringing. He couldn’t understand it: “To break through my Black Tortoise Heavy Armor Shield’s defense in one go! How is that possible? At the moment of the attack, I seemed to lose control of the Black Tortoise Heavy Armor Shield. What kind of method is this!” Unconsciously, he was already drenched in sweat. He couldn’t see through Chu Yun’s methods at all, which filled him with deep fear.
“Use the Innate Drunken Snow Saber for the main attack, and then use the Spirit Snake to interfere with the Black Tortoise Heavy Armor Shield. It’s an honor to receive such care. You can be proud, Old Lord Luo Bei…” Chu Yun sneered inwardly as she watched them obediently enter the city under Hua Ying’s guidance.
Old Lord Luo Bei’s Black Tortoise Heavy Armor Shield had the cultivation of a eighty-thousand-year Tribulation Demon. However, Chu Yun’s Drunken Snow Saber and Spirit Snake had both surged to cultivation levels of millions of years. Chu Yun had only tested his strength and had not killed him; otherwise, would Old Lord Luo Bei still be alive?
After all, this was the founding ceremony, and the Land Whale King was a formidable enemy. If he had truly killed Old Lord Luo Bei, this kind of madness would immediately alert others and unnecessarily provoke the Yin Yang Tower, a strong enemy. Only by striking hard, like killing a chicken to warn the monkeys, could he temporarily quell these restless and ill-intentioned heroes and hegemons.
“Currently, the Shu Family is walking a tightrope. Only by deterring the petty individuals with a high posture can the situation be stabilized. Constant weakness is not advisable, but at the same time, it’s not appropriate to create too many strong enemies. The provocation by Old Lord Luo Bei will be noted for now; we’ll settle the score later.”
Chu Yun descended the mountainside. According to the arrangements, he would preside over the state banquet, specifically to deal with these “distinguished guests.”
***
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