"I say, Young Lord Zhou Ting, this newly emerged Monarch seems to kill without batting an eye, acts with utter impunity, and most importantly, his very existence commands such reverence even from the Chixiao veterans who possess the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant. Tsk tsk."
Qiao Yu said with a laugh, "You'd best be careful. Don't let that Minor Mandate you just got your hands on be snatched away before it's even warmed up..."
"Hmph!"
Faced with Qiao Yu's malicious mockery, Zhou Ting responded with a cold fury, his eyes shooting out intimidating rays of light as he arrogantly declared, "I've been looking for him these past few days. If I run into him, I'll definitely reduce him to ashes. That newly emerged Gu Tianlang is nothing but a fake! Even if he were the real deal, so what? He merely got lucky, born in a declining era!"
Li Juncai of the Taiji Sect immediately chimed in. Though he also disliked Zhou Ting, he despised Monarch Chixiao Gu Tianlang even more. "That's right. I've always said Gu Tianlang was nothing but a fraud who deceived the world to steal fame."
"Whether Gu Tianlang was a fraud or a fame-thief, let's set that aside for now."
Qiao Yu, who had just been locking horns with Zhou Ting, suddenly shifted his tone. "However, he was indeed the luckiest man in the worst era of antiquity. The times made him, that's all."
Li Juncai spoke up because, compared to Zhou Ting, he found Monarch Chixiao Gu Tianlang even more grating.
Qiao Yu was no exception.
Li Juncai's reason was his master, Cang Yun.
As for Qiao Yu, it was because of the Nandou Sect.
Back then, Monarch Chixiao had beaten Cang Yun half to death. And when he swept through the four great families and six major sects, the Nandou Sect suffered the most devastating losses, nearly being annihilated single-handedly by Monarch Chixiao. This incident remained a lasting disgrace for the Nandou Sect. As a direct disciple of the sect, Qiao Yu naturally also resented the very existence of Monarch Chixiao.
"Well, well, when did you three start sharing the same pair of pants? What's the plan? Did you agree today to come pick a fight with me?"
Haoyang, bare-chested, holding a wine pot, bared his teeth in anger. "Daring to spout such nonsense beneath the tombstone of His Majesty the Monarch? A fraud? Deceiving the world to steal fame? Made by the times? Dumb luck?"
Haoyang glanced at Li Juncai and sneered. "When His Majesty beat your master half to death back then, was that luck?"
Then he looked at Qiao Yu. "When His Majesty charged alone into the Nandou Sect, pinned your sect master to the ground until he bled from all seven orifices, swept through all your sect's experts, and nearly wiped you out—was that luck? Or was it the times?"
He then fixed his gaze on Zhou Ting. "And you, Zhou Ting. Go back and tell your grandfather to behave himself. He'd better pray His Majesty hasn't truly returned yet. Once the real Monarch returns, he'll slaughter every last one of you traitors who betrayed your ancestors!"
"Haoyang! You're courting death!"
Whoosh!
Brilliant light erupted wildly around Zhou Ting's body as a surging power burst forth, shaking the surrounding earth violently. Seeing this, Qiao Yu, Lan Xingyu, and Li Juncai all paled in shock. No one expected Zhou Ting to attack so suddenly, nor did they anticipate the power he could unleash with a mere thought to be so earth-shattering.
Was this Zhou Ting's strength after fusing with the Breath of the Mandate?
No!
Far from it.
Because both Qiao Yu and Lan Xingyu could tell Zhou Ting hadn't even tapped into the power of his Minor Mandate, nor had he summoned his Nascent Soul Manifestation. This was just an ordinary display of immortal martial arts, yet it was already so formidable. It was unimaginable how terrifying his true strength must be.
"You think I'm afraid of you?!"
In the blink of an eye, as Zhou Ting made his move, Haoyang's body also erupted with radiant light, unleashing a violent force!
Their fists clashed, causing a thunderous explosion.
The powerful shockwave spread out, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to crackle and pop. Crack! The ground fractured, splitting open with numerous fissures.
"Stop! Do you want to destroy the Monarch's tombstone?!"
Elder Qinghua of the Meishan Branch immediately acted, activating a formation to protect the Monarch's tombstone. Simultaneously, Elder Xu Mu of the Taiji Sect swiftly moved to shield the frightened Princess Rou.
In the span of a few snaps of the fingers, the two exchanged several blows, each more powerful and terrifying than the last. Haoyang was clearly no match for Zhou Ting. With each clash, he could feel Zhou Ting's overwhelming strength.
"Hmph! After fusing with the Breath of the Mandate, I have been completely reborn. Today, even without using the Breath of the Mandate or summoning my Nascent Soul Manifestation, my spiritual power and immortal arts alone are enough to erase you!"
Zhou Ting was truly imposing, one hand held behind his back, using only the other to fight Haoyang. As he raised his hand, it left afterimages. The light in his palm blazed like the sun as power madly coalesced. With a push of his palm—Bang!—Haoyang was sent staggering back by the tremendous force, grunting in pain.
"Seems I underestimated you!"
Zhou Ting hadn't used his full strength, and neither had Haoyang. After losing a round, just as Haoyang was about to activate his Nascent Soul Manifestation, a sharp shout rang out.
"Stop!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures arrived in an instant.
Two women.
Two women whose beauty was like a painting.
One, wearing a long jade-green dress, was tall and slender with an orchid-like, somewhat aloof aura. It was Princess-Royal Tang Manqing.
The other, in white, appeared heroic and graceful, gentle and moving. She was Haoyang's sister, Liuyue.
Both Tang Manqing and Liuyue enjoyed great fame within Yanluo Kingdom and were known throughout the land as heaven-favored daughters, hailed as the Twin Flowers of Yanluo.
No one expected them to appear here.
Seeing Haoyang's somewhat pale face, Liuyue asked with concern, "Brother, are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Haoyang glared at Zhou Ting, displeased. "That bastard Zhou Ting has become truly formidable after obtaining that Minor Mandate!"
Liuyue turned to face Zhou Ting and said bluntly, "Zhou Ting, what are you trying to do?"
"Heh heh!" Zhou Ting chuckled, clapping his hands innocently. "I just came here to take a look. I don't want to do anything. Your elder brother offended me first, so I had no choice but to act."
"You bastard! You came here deliberately to pick a fight, didn't you?!"
Zhou Ting shrugged, neither confirming nor denying, his expression seeming to say, 'So what if I did come to pick a fight? What can you do about it?'
"This is the royal mausoleum. No one is permitted to fight here."
Tang Manqing, also shielding Princess Rou, glared at Zhou Ting and shouted, "Zhou Ting, I'm warning you, behave yourself!"
"Heh heh, why are both of you coming at me?"
Just as Tang Manqing was about to say more, Princess Rou beside her seemed frightened, clinging tightly to her embrace. Tang Manqing held Princess Rou and, sensing her fear, felt a surge of anger rise in her heart. Her cold, sharp eyes swept over them as she barked, "Get out of here!"