Chapter 535: Chapter 179: Retreat and Seek the Next Best Option

Zhou Yan’s attitude had caused Hou Ting’s expression to turn ugly abruptly; he was startled that a junior would dare to be so presumptuous!

Although he knew Zhou Yan was somewhat unruly, he believed his own proposal was completely reasonable, leaving no excuse for Zhou Yan to decline. Yet surprisingly, the latter showed no sincerity whatsoever.

Hou Ting was taken aback for a moment before his face twisted with anger—humiliated and undermined he felt inside.

Beside him, Elder Hou Xianxian and Caiqing Immortal’s expressions also turned cold, seemingly encountering such an ungrateful person for the first time.

“Zhou Yan, have you considered the consequences of making enemies with our Emperor Sword Lineage? Hou Chen is rebellious and unruly, and Zhou Lingyi has committed insubordination—”

Hou Ting was still fuming when Zhou Yan, having lost his patience, rudely interrupted him, saying, “Rebellious and unruly? Insubordination? Hou Ting, I don’t want to repeat myself. If you think you can defeat me, then go ahead! I allowed you to climb this mountain out of respect for Sect Master Hou Yan, otherwise, you wouldn’t have a say here.”

“Hah, Zhou Xuanzhe is truly remarkable. Since that’s the case, as the Sect Master, I guess I’ll have to take care of you, you who knows not the immensity of heaven and earth.”

Furious yet amused, Hou Ting immediately exerted an oppressive pressure typical of an Ancestor-level powerhouse, intending to force Zhou Yan into submission just by his aura!

Not only that, but his hands also moved with his oppressive force, revealing a sinister killing intent.

His hand, like a beam of light, suddenly twisted and stretched out with incredible flexibility.

Zhou Yan’s figure shifted, displaying the Netherworld Body Technique of the Netherworld Life and Death Bridge, transforming into a form like the Eight-carried sedan chair, disappearing like a phantom to dodge this suppressive strike.

The next moment, he appeared beside Caiqing Immortal, and his hand moved in a lethal strike of the Xingyi Sword Soul Path.

Caiqing Immortal didn’t show any weakness either, her form quickly retreating, trying to evade Zhou Yan’s attack.

But Zhou Yan closely followed Caiqing Immortal’s figure, planning to deal with this clever woman of the Qiankun Lineage first.

It was clear that those who brought her here were not of simple or lowly status.

They acted arrogantly, seeking favors yet still wanting to trample him underfoot, proposing excessive demands as if offering charity!

They seemed to think that Hou Chen devouring the Emperor Blood or Zhou Lingyi retaliating against Hou Ling’s will was inappropriate, which was excessively bullying.

Once the Emperor Blood was refined, how could it be extracted again? If extracted, Hou Chen’s potential would largely be wasted, so how could he still grow?

Based on these reasons and their tone, Zhou Yan knew there was no potential for easing the situation. Since they still made demands, they certainly wouldn’t really turn against him, so he didn’t hold back at all!

Therefore, the instant Hou Ting made his move, Zhou Yan decided to strike down Caiqing Immortal, the weakest first.

A divine light flickered in Zhou Yan’s eyes, his Netherworld movement technique eerie-like, closely following Caiqing’s silhouette. Without further words, his Frost Snow Saint Sword suddenly shone with radiant light, unleashing a power of the Great Dao.

Emperor Qi Sword Body, Emperor Qi Sword Intent manifested, deriving from the Xingyi Swordsmanship the Twelve Battle Beasts Sword Soul. His sword strike was nearly invincible, almost returning to the simplicity and purity of origins.

Without the resonance of the Great Dao or the visibility of immense Divine Power, the sight made the three, including Hou Ting, visibly pale.

They all knew Zhou Yan’s combat power had reached a chilling degree. Paired with a Holy Artifact, just in the blink of an eye, he could kill Caiqing and grievously wound Elder Hou Xianxian!

Even if Hou Ting could defeat Zhou Yan, things would ultimately spiral out of control.

“Zhou Xuanzhe, stop! Let’s talk this over! If you can persuade the Bloodline Ancestor to return or awaken Elder Hou Yao’s memories of her next life, we can negotiate this matter!”

Hou Ting shouted, his face uncertain. His formidable power and killing intent were instantly withdrawn, and his tone was very urgent.

Zhou Yan struck without mercy, delivering a blow that bloomed like splendid fleeting youth, the ringing sound reverberating through heaven and earth. Ancient vital energy in his body erupted in dazzling radiance. Caiqing let out a pained grunt, and immediately, a large amount of blood dyed the void red.

That sword, pure as snow, had already pierced through half of Caiqing’s chest. The terrifying Sword Intent had penetrated her body, causing blood to spray from both her front and back, but she was not dead because, in the final moment, Zhou Yan still held back a trace.

“Zhou Xuanzhe, actually, Lady Caiqing was meant to be given to you as a follower, please don’t be impulsive… We can discuss particulars. The requests we made earlier, we know you couldn’t accept them, so we wanted to use them as a basis to propose an additional request, thus achieving our goal despite initially being presumptuous—it seems we were abrupt.”

Hou Ting said helplessly.

“What are the demands? Speak,”

said Zhou Yan, his expression icy, without sheathing his sword despite Hou Ting’s words.

“Fine… Elder Hou Xianxian, you win, speak your mind.”

Hou Ting had no choice; he glanced at Elder Hou Xianxian next to him. His mustache twitched a few times, but he said nothing, instead showing a somewhat helpless expression.

“I’ve said before that Zhou Yanxuan is different from ordinary outstanding characters, yet you stubbornly refused to believe it, choosing instead to oppress him with your power. Now you’ve seen the outcome, right? You also know about the failure of Hou Ling’er, so you can’t blame Zhou Lingyi. It’s already impressive that she could use Hou Ling’er’s name and inherit her legacy, but it’s a pity for Elder Hou Yao, as all her efforts were in vain.”

Elder Hou Xianxian said to Hou Ting.

Hou Ting remained silent, saying nothing in return.

“As for Hou Chen’s matter, it appears now it was just a promise he made with Hou Ling’er. Unfortunately, Hou Ling’er’s will has completely perished, and there’s no memory inheritance left from her, so all those previous things about Zhou Yanxuan were just our Sect Master’s habitual high demands. I hope Zhou Yanxuan won’t take it to heart.”

Elder Hou Xianxian revealed a kindly smile on her face.

Once one’s cultivation reached this level, there was no longer talk of old or young, especially in the Emperor Sword Lineage. Even an elder could appear as a radiant beauty.

But Zhou Yan had seen many beauties and had grown indifferent to women. He would not be easily swayed.

His action was primarily because he knew they came with requests.

This was enough for him to take the initiative, and if their attacks continued, he would not hesitate to heartlessly destroy them, starting with killing one.

“How would I dare? Zhou Yan is merely an ant from the Void Realm, how could he compare to the Ancestor-level cultivation of the Sect Master Hou Ting?”

Zhou Yan sneered, his eyes filled with playful mockery.

“Zhou Yanxuan, you are well aware that Sect Master Hou Ting bears the Ancestor-level cultivation, comparable to Sect Master Hou Yan. For this reason, if he genuinely intended to strike at you, even with the Holy Sword you possess that actively protects, you would never escape, would you?”

Elder Hou Xianxian earnestly spoke.

“Exactly, which is why I didn’t heartlessly destroy and instantly kill Caiqing Immortal right there in front of you. You must also know that I have a means that could instantly humiliate and compromise Caiqing Immortal, or even you.”

Zhou Yan spoke calmly.

Elder Hou Xianxian paused upon hearing this, looking somewhat helpless.

No matter how you looked at it, she only hoped to gain some leverage, which would facilitate negotiations. But no matter how soft or hard they tried, the other party was just a tough nut to crack.

She was somewhat at a loss for words and fiercely glared at Hou Ting, whose mustache seemed to perk up, and his expression brightened spectacularly.

There seemed to be an ambiguous dynamic between these two.

Sensing Zhou Yan’s perceptive and penetrating gaze, Elder Hou Xianxian’s face blushed slightly. After pondering for a moment, she finally spoke, “Zhou Yanxuan, you are right in this regard—we admit it.

The words said earlier by Sect Master Hou Ting, although slightly disrespectful, were mostly true. But in reality, that was just a way to start a negotiation knowing that, given your personality, you wouldn’t agree.

Of course, although we knew that, it was still partly meant to test you.

In truth, you’re more protective than we imagined, which is truly a good thing. At the root of it, you do share the same bloodline as us—the Emperor Sword Bloodline, right, Zhou Yanxuan?

So, to put it briefly, our goal is actually to select a new Young Master, and for this, we need your help.”

With these words from Elder Hou Xianxian, things started to make more sense to Zhou Yan. He understood that they came with requests, but given their tone which was far from pleasant, he had not given them a chance to speak, thus causing the commotion.

Now that Elder Hou Xianxian spoke thus, it marked a return to calm dialogue, and Zhou Yan was not one to push further when he had the upper hand.

“Let’s hear it.”

Zhou Yan casually sheathed the Frost Snow Saint Sword. The immense suppression from the energy had caused Caiqing Immortal’s delicate body to shiver, and she immediately covered her chest. With a gaze filled with some resentment and fear, she looked at Zhou Yan, deeply aware of his overwhelming combat power, which seemed to haunt her.

Elder Hou Xianxian approached Caiqing, pressing her hand on the wound. Her palm shimmered with radiant light, and in just moments, Caiqing’s injuries significantly healed, no longer severe. Elder Hou Xianxian then sighed and said, “The Qiankun Young Master is a kind of inheritance. Since Hou Ling’er has failed, the second candidate would be Elder Hou Yao.

You know that she has lived through the next cycle, but due to bloodline reasons, we need your help. With Hou Chen’s Emperor Blood as a conductor, we wish to perform a ‘Return to the Origin’ ritual—rest assured, this will not affect Hou Chen at all. It will only use this bloodline as a conduit to help Elder Hou Yao awaken earlier in her next life.”

“That is one thing. Another matter involves the first-generation Emperor Qi Sword Body. Our lineage has issues with inheritance, and the return of the Blood Ancestor,—who, we’ve heard, has old ties with Ni Chang Immortal—compels us. Our lineage split off long ago, and we feel guilty towards the Ancestor. Having heard that the Ancestor is on good terms with you, Zhou Yanxuan, we hope you can persuade the Ancestor to return to his homeland and look at his inheritance. Ideally, we could integrate the two major bloodlines—Qiankun Wuji together.”

Elder Hou Xianxian laid out her demands, or rather, the demands of the entire Qiankun Lineage.