Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

A sudden surge of malevolence rose in Zhou Yuanshan's heart, and immediately, sharp blades materialized around the four restrained women. With just a thought from him, they would be decapitated, their fragrance fading as their beauty shattered.

However, Ning Xuan's eyes betrayed no hint of urgency or panic, and even held a trace of mockery.

Zhou Yuanshan's face filled with astonishment as he asked, "You don't care if they live or die?!"

"Women only hinder my strikes! If you can solve my problem with all four at once, I wouldn't have time to thank you enough," Ning Xuan said, his face an emotionless mask.

But Zhou Yuanshan laughed. "The more you say that, the more it proves you care about them! One for one! If you refuse the trade, you're free to make your move!"

Finally, a flicker of change crossed Ning Xuan's expression. Seeing this, Zhou Yuanshan roared with laughter.

"Dao Body!" Ning Xuan suddenly bellowed. Two Dao Bodies materialized and attacked Zhou Yuanshan simultaneously.

But alas, it was utterly futile. Both Dao Bodies were instantly restrained and then crushed. Ning Xuan tasted sweetness in his throat as he forced down a surge of blood, his face turning pale.

"My patience is limited. If you don't make a decision, I'll have to choose for you!" As Zhou Yuanshan spoke, the blades hovering around the four women drew closer.

"Do you even know who they are to me?" Ning Xuan's gaze swept over the four of them, his face a mask of conflict.

"Do tell!" Zhou Yuanshan didn't mind hearing about their relationships.

"The fiercest one is my senior sister, Wu Pianpian. She usually acts erratically, but she cares deeply for me. The trouble she stirred up in the Yao Guang Realm, plundering Divine Crystals from the major families, was all for my sake."

"The one with the resolute expression, who wants me to choose her, is named Qian Yourong. Her intelligence is almost demonic. She could have achieved earth-shattering feats in the Cloud Summit Heavenly Palace, but she chose to follow me in silence instead."

"As for the other two... I'm not telling you."

Ning Xuan's words were so abrupt they caught everyone off guard. Everyone present was stunned. What was this guy playing at?!

Zhou Yuanshan was the first to sense that something was wrong. He had just started to turn around.

THWACK!

A head soared into the sky as the headless corpse gushed blood three meters high! The last thing the falling head saw was a young girl wielding a great saber!

I was beheaded by a mere slip of a girl?!

Those were Zhou Yuanshan's last thoughts. His falling head was immediately pierced by a long spear.

The one who struck was Wu Pianpian. After finishing the deed, her eyes fell upon Zhou Fan.

"Xuan... Xuan Ge..." Zhou Fan forced out the two words with immense effort.

"Xuan Ge? What the hell is that?" Ning Xuan asked, loosening his grip on the youth.

"My grand-uncle claimed he brought us here for training, but that was just a pretense. Our true objective is Xuan Ge. It has another name: the Guardian Spear!"

The more Zhou Fan tried to explain, the more confused Ning Xuan became. "And what the hell is a Guardian Spear? Seriously, couldn't they have come up with a less random name?" Ning Xuan couldn't help but complain.

Cheng Dabao shot Ning Xuan a disdainful look.

Wu Pianpian, however, grew excited. "Are you certain Xuan Ge is here?"

"Absolutely! Don't kill me, I can help! My grand-uncle said that Xuan Ge only chooses a young prodigy at the Venerable Realm to be its master."

Zhou Fan was terrified.

Qian Yourong asked in confusion, "Why the Venerable Realm?"

"Because if one's Cultivation is too low, they can't control Xuan Ge. If it's too high, they would have difficulty accepting its inheritance." This time, it was Cheng Dabao who answered her, not Zhou Fan.

"This sister uses a spear; she's definitely the perfect choice for Xuan Ge! I can help you find Xuan—"

Before Zhou Fan could finish, Wu Pianpian's spear lanced through his throat.

Ning Xuan himself was startled. "Senior Sister, you..."

"With you around, is there anything we can't find? He was useless, so of course he had to die," Wu Pianpian said self-righteously.

For a moment, Ning Xuan was at a loss for words.

"Thanks. Once I get Xuan Ge, we'll have a proper fight!" Retracting her spear, Wu Pianpian paused before Cheng Dabao to leave her with this remark, then sped away.

Ning Xuan was about to speak, but Cheng Dabao cut him off. "If you really want to thank me, then come with me somewhere."

"I wasn't going to thank you," Ning Xuan retorted. "I was going to ask why you took so long! My Dao Body went to find you immediately. If you'd been any later, I would've died of embarrassment!"

Ning Xuan's words made Cheng Dabao want to slice him in two. Damn it all! What kind of person is he? I have to stay away from him!

Cheng Dabao quickened her pace, rapidly putting distance between herself and Ning Xuan.

San Wu and Xiaobai walked past Ning Xuan, their faces etched with reproachful looks. He immediately went over, throwing an arm over each of their shoulders and starting to whisper to them.

Soon, Ning Xuan's group followed Cheng Dabao, leaving the place behind. They left a crowd of young men and women who, having lost their leader, could only stare at each other in confusion.

An unknown amount of time passed.

"What do we do now?" someone asked.

Many of them simply looked at one another, completely lost.

"Xuan Ge! We'll go for Xuan Ge!" a voice suddenly cried out.

They all turned towards the sound. Then, someone asked doubtfully, "Zhou Yuan, how can we possibly seize Xuan Ge with just us?"

"We'll follow them from a distance. Even if they spot us, they probably won't do anything. They don't see us as a threat in the slightest!"

This suggestion immediately won the approval of many of the youths.

Zhou Yuan continued, "We can't be the only ones who have come for Xuan Ge's appearance. A great battle is inevitable! We can hide on the sidelines. Even if we don't get Xuan Ge, we can still pick up some treasures from the experts who fall!"

At these words, everyone was in unanimous agreement. The group, led by Zhou Yuan, immediately set off in the direction Ning Xuan and the others had gone.

Not long after they departed, several more groups arrived at the scene. Without exception, after a brief pause, they all pursued in the same direction.

From within a massive boulder, a voice suddenly emerged. "Junior Brother, that's the fourth group that has passed. How much longer are we going to wait?" It was Wu Pianpian's voice.

"No rush, no rush. Xuan Ge hasn't even shown up yet. Let's just lie low a bit longer," Ning Xuan replied calmly.

"What does 'lie low' even mean? Hiding like a turtle in its shell? None of them are that strong! I could go out there and cut down a whole swath of them with a single slash! What's the point of lying low?!" Cheng Dabao's voice rang out. Perhaps realizing there was no turning back and accepting her fate, she was gradually returning to her more girlish temperament.

"There are definitely still masters hiding in the shadows. If we go out now, we'll just become the primary target!" Ning Xuan explained patiently.

"Ning Xuan is right. We should wait patiently. It's best if we can let them tear each other apart," Qian Yourong said, siding with Ning Xuan.

"Right, right."

"Agreed, agreed."

San Wu and Xiaobai immediately chimed in. Though they hadn't really had a say before, Ning Xuan's earlier words had given them a boost of confidence.

Inside the boulder, formed from a strange substance, Cheng Dabao and Wu Pianpian exchanged a look, a silent alliance seeming to form between them.

Suddenly, Ning Xuan hissed, "Silence! A powerful expert is approaching!"