The elderly man surnamed
In that direction, another alien at the pinnacle of the Void Refinement stage also stared over with an expressionless face, their gaze meeting the old man’s precisely.
The old man’s pupils contracted sharply.
This alien’s skin was rough, marked with green lines, but their facial features and form were remarkably similar to those of a human. They wore silver battle armor studded with blood-red spikes, from which a faint, sinister scent of blood emanated.
Furthermore, the alien’s gaze was utterly wooden, regarding them as one might a pile of corpses—completely devoid of emotion.
Even the old man shivered involuntarily upon making eye contact.
A sense of dread sank in his heart.
Given his experience, he naturally understood that the opponent likely cultivated some exceptionally formidable technique. Otherwise, as someone of the same rank, he wouldn’t have such a visceral reaction.
The old man maintained his composure, shifting his gaze to quickly scan the area around the alien.
Although not all the outsiders who had arrived here had banded together, over a dozen of the twenty-odd individuals were clustered near that person.
After a glance at his own group of seven or eight, including
In his estimation, even counting Yue Zong and Han Li’s group, they merely matched the opponent in numbers. Moreover, while both sides had two beings of the Upper Clan, ninth rank, the opposition held the advantage among the higher-ranked individuals.
The opponent had four more in the seventh or eighth rank of the Upper Clan.
On his side, besides himself, the only other cultivator above the seventh rank was the silent, long-haired giant.
The old man sighed inwardly. He knew the opposition was clearly planning to bully the weak, hence their brazen behavior.
“Nephew Yue has some connection with me. I cannot stand by and watch you take him away. Furthermore, allow me to remind you, fellow Daoist: this is Thundercloud Town, not a place where one can act without restraint. Even if you intend to cause trouble, you must follow this town’s rules.” The old man finally spoke, his voice cold.
“Rules? What rules?” Elder Yan’s words somewhat surprised the green-haired alien, who asked with a sharp glint of ferocity in his eyes.
“Within this town, if two parties have a dispute, they must settle it through a contest in the local arena. Whoever prevails holds the right.” Elder Yan said grimly.
“Haha! Are you suggesting this brat duel me?” The green-haired alien was taken aback for a moment, then burst into wild laughter.
“Nephue Yue naturally cannot face you directly. I forgot to remind you, fellow Daoist: according to town rules, such duels can only proceed when the cultivators’ ranks are comparable. If you insist on taking Nephue Yue, you must either find another cultivator of his level to fight in his stead, or naturally, I will take his place.” Elder Yan said calmly.
“Comparable ranks? Whose rule is this? What if I refuse?” The green-haired alien was momentarily stunned, then twisted his features into a savage look.
“If you refuse, then you are causing a disturbance in Thundercloud Town. Naturally, the Elder Council enforcers stationed here will revoke your qualification to enter the Molten Gold Mountains and expel you from the town directly. Do you intend to openly oppose the Elder Council?” Elder Yan’s eyes flashed with a sharp light, his tone remaining unperturbed.
“The Elder Council?” The green-haired alien hesitated, then instinctively turned to look at the alien clad in the battle armor.
That alien frowned slightly, suddenly turning to ask a question of someone behind him.
“Is what he says true? Does this Thundercloud Town really have such a rule?”
“Reporting to Senior Gui: this place does indeed have such a rule. However, this rule was established when the town was first built. It has been many years since anyone mentioned it.” The speaker was a figure shrouded in a black robe and hood, completely concealing their form. Yet they seemed quite familiar with Thundercloud Town and answered respectfully.
The woman in the ceremonial dress and the others looked at this person, suspicion evident on their faces.
This individual had entered the place in this peculiar attire from the very beginning. They had previously assumed the person was also an outsider, but now it seemed that might not be the case.
“Leave the rest aside. I only wish to know: if a conflict arises here, will the Elder Council enforcers truly intervene?” Senior Gui, the armored alien, asked in a detached tone.
“Hard to say. They might intervene, or they might turn a blind eye. However, I hear the new enforcer posted here is a very rigid individual. There is a high probability they would intervene,” the black-robed figure said in a low voice.
“In that case, we really cannot make a move here. Very well, we’ll follow your rules. Once we have collected the Thunder Warding Umbrellas, I will personally exchange a few moves with you, fellow Daoist, to test our abilities. If I win, Daoist Yue must come with us. If I lose, we will let him go?” Senior Gui declared.
Elder Yan’s expression grew solemn upon hearing this. He nodded, then turned to address Yue Zong, whose face was livid.
“Nephue Yue, I will fight this match against the opponent on your behalf. What do you think?”
“Senior Yan! They are targeting me. How can I involve you? I should take the field myself and insist they send another.” Yue Zong shook his head repeatedly.
“Another? Do you think we are muddled? Either he fights on your behalf, or I duel you. Those are the two options. There is no third choice.” The green-haired alien first mocked, then declared with overbearing arrogance.
Yue Zong fell silent upon hearing this, but his expression became extremely unsightly.
“Senior Han, you cannot let them take Daoist Yue away. Without Brother Yue to guide us, it will be impossible to reach the lair of that Sacred-tier demonic beast in time before the eruption of the demonic qi,” Han Li’s ear suddenly caught Qian Qian’s urgent mental transmission as he watched coldly from the side.
Han Li glanced at the woman without changing his expression.
He saw her looking at him, a hint of anxiety visible on her face.
“Fellow Daoist thinks too highly of me. I am merely at the seventh rank of the Upper Clan. How could I stop this?” Han Li replied calmly, his lips barely moving as he sent a transmission back.
“Senior Han need not hide it from me. Although my cultivation is low, my sources of information are quite reliable. When you rescued Senior Jia of the Myriad Ancient Clan, you single-handedly slew several cultivators of the same rank in an instant. Your abilities likely far surpass those of an ordinary Upper Clan ninth-ranker.” The Crystal Clan woman gritted her teeth and suddenly spoke words that startled Han Li.