Before Flower Butterfly Immortal could finish speaking, Mu Lingyao, holding the black-gold whip, lashed it directly across Liu Shuangyan's face. The whip then coiled around Liu Shuangyan's neck, and with a fierce yank, Mu Lingyao pulled her forward, immediately slapping her across the face with the back of her hand.
The scene unfolded far too quickly for anyone to react. No one gathered at the Tower of Stolen Gold had expected Mu Lingyao to dare take action in such a public setting.
First struck by the whip, then slapped, Liu Shuangyan was momentarily stunned. When she regained her senses, she immediately circulated her Immortal Spirit, intending to fight back. As radiant light shimmered around her, the black-gold whip coiled around her neck suddenly transformed. It became a black-gold python, which swiftly wrapped around Liu Shuangyan's entire body, growing larger and larger. In the blink of an eye, it had become a massive black-gold serpent, seven to eight meters long and as thick as a man's thigh.
The black-gold serpent possessed a pair of deep blue eyes. It tightly constricted Liu Shuangyan, whose face turned ashen with terror. She struggled violently, but the more she struggled, the tighter the serpent coiled. When the black-gold serpent opened its massive maw before her, Liu Shuangyan dared not struggle any further, collapsing to the ground in sheer fright.
"You little bitch! Move one more time, and this Grandaunt will have Little Black swallow you alive!"
Mu Lingyao glared at the terrified Liu Shuangyan, her voice filled with fury. "To tell you the truth, this Grandaunt has been tolerating you for a long time. Did you really think I wouldn't dare do anything to you? Today, I'll make sure you remember this lesson!"
With that, Mu Lingyao slapped Liu Shuangyan across the face. *Slap! Slap! Slap!* One slap followed another in rapid succession.
"Stop this!"
Young Lord Qianxing wanted to intervene, but the moment he moved, Flower Butterfly Immortal stopped him. Although Young Lord Qianxing was a profound Morning Star Golden Immortal, he was far from being a match for Flower Butterfly Immortal.
Furious beyond measure, Young Lord Qianxing roared, "Mu Lingyao, don't push people too far! Stop this at once!"
"This Grandaunt is pushing you today, so what of it?" Mu Lingyao turned and glared at Young Lord Qianxing, shouting, "Sister Flower Butterfly, don't stop him. Let him make a move. This Grandaunt is determined to teach this despicable pair a lesson they won't forget today."
"The black-gold serpent Yao'er keeps is an ancient ferocious beast, the Black Gold Crimson-Striped Snake. If you don't want Liu Shuangyan swallowed alive, you'd best stand down quietly," Flower Butterfly Immortal's voice rang out.
Upon hearing that the black-gold serpent constricting Liu Shuangyan was actually the ancient ferocious beast, the Black Gold Crimson-Striped Snake, the crowd recoiled in fear. Young Lord Qianxing's face also paled dramatically at the mention of the name.
"Miss Mu, even if Liu Shuangyan was at fault first, surely you needn't resort to such vicious methods," Liu Feng rushed forward, shouting angrily. "By beating her like this in public, aren't you slapping the face of our Golden Crow Liu Family?"
Both Liu Feng and Liu Shuangyan were descendants of the Golden Crow Liu Family. Although Liu Feng usually disapproved of some of Liu Shuangyan's actions, they were still from the same family, so he naturally couldn't stand idly by.
"This Grandaunt is beating this little bitch precisely because of who she is!" Mu Lingyao didn't give Liu Feng the slightest regard. Bai Yufei and Xuan Yun, who had come with Liu Feng, stepped forward to try and mediate.
"Miss Mu, could you perhaps give us some face and calm down for a moment?"
The moment they spoke, Mu Lingyao retorted angrily, "Sorry, but the two of you have no face to speak of in front of this Mu Lingyao!"
Such words left Xuan Yun and Bai Yufei utterly embarrassed, their expressions extremely unpleasant, feeling thoroughly humiliated. However, intimidated by Mu Lingyao's powerful family background, neither dared to say anything more.
Meanwhile, after being slapped several times by Mu Lingyao, Liu Shuangyan's originally somewhat pretty face was already swollen. Constricted by the ancient ferocious beast, the Black Gold Crimson-Striped Snake, she trembled uncontrollably with fear. She was terrified, completely terrified, and began to plead, "I was wrong... Let me go! Please let me go!"
Nearby, Flower Butterfly Immortal also advised, "Yao'er, since she admits her mistake, perhaps you should release her now."
"No! This Grandaunt is determined to properly discipline this little bitch today!"
Flower Butterfly Immortal glanced at the crowd gathered near the Tower of Stolen Gold and whispered, "Don't let this escalate."
"I intend to escalate it this time! This Grandaunt has been honest and restrained all these years, constantly yielding and avoiding trouble. This little bitch has repeatedly provoked us. If I don't teach her a lesson today, she'll think this Grandaunt is truly easy to bully!"
"Why won't you listen to reason... If the Golden Crow Liu Family members arrive, this situation will be difficult to resolve."
As Flower Butterfly Immortal spoke, she suddenly saw a group of people approaching. Her heart sank, for she knew this group was none other than members of the Golden Crow Liu Family. Moreover, they were elders of the family, led by a highly respected senior of the Golden Crow Liu Family who wielded significant influence even within the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain—Liu Kaiyun.
"Great-Grandfather!"
Seeing his family elder arrive, Liu Feng felt a surge of relief and hurried forward to greet him. Young Lord Qianxing, Bai Yufei, and Xuan Yun did likewise. Liu Shuangyan cried out desperately, "Great-Grandfather, save me! Save me quickly!"
When the Golden Crow Liu Family members saw Liu Shuangyan's swollen face, their expressions turned increasingly grim. Upon spotting the ancient ferocious beast, the Black Gold Crimson-Striped Snake, coiled around her, their faces shifted with alarm.
"Miss Mu, may I ask how our Liu Family's little granddaughter has offended you, that you would use such an ancient ferocious beast against her?"
Worried that Mu Lingyao might clash with the Golden Crow Liu Family elder, Flower Butterfly Immortal immediately stepped forward to explain. "Esteemed Elder, the situation is this: Liu Shuangyan has repeatedly slandered and provoked Yao'er and me before. We never held it against her. This time, coming to the Tower of Stolen Gold, we merely wished to challenge ourselves. Yet Liu Shuangyan stepped forward again, insisting on a wager. We refused, but she pressed aggressively. Finally, we agreed to the bet. After losing, she refused to acknowledge it."
Although Flower Butterfly Immortal's nature was gentle, it didn't mean she feared trouble. Given her own status and background, she had little to fear.
Even though she didn't approve of Mu Lingyao attacking Liu Shuangyan in public, now that it had happened and the Golden Crow Liu Family had arrived, she naturally wouldn't back down. She stepped forward to share the responsibility with Mu Lingyao.
"That earlier bet was just a joke! I never refused to acknowledge it, never! They're lying!"
Now that the Golden Crow Liu Family was here, Liu Shuangyan regained her confidence and began to argue again.
Flower Butterfly Immortal looked at her and said calmly, "Everyone present can bear witness."
Flower Butterfly Immortal was highly popular; many in the crowd regarded her as their goddess. Most importantly, she spoke the truth. Therefore, after she finished speaking, quite a few people stepped forward to corroborate her account.
"Even if Shuangyan was at fault, surely the two of you needn't have resorted to such severe measures against her!"