Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Jiang Donglin was beheaded with a single sword strike. The reason no blood flowed was due to the Stilling Body Curse.

Once cast, this curse would still the body, the spirit, the void, and all of creation! It could bring everything to a complete standstill. This was an alternative form of control over time. Once it took effect, no matter how fast an opponent moved, they were but a snail in the caster’s eyes. This allowed the caster to kill their opponent with ease.

They had chosen this location precisely because this very space had long been enchanted with the curse. And yet, it had failed.

"You’re not from the Bi Luo Palace! Who in the world are you?!" The man under the weeping willow suddenly tensed.

He already regarded Ning Xuan as an old monster who hadn’t appeared in ages. In his experience, only such an existence was capable of this feat.

"You want to know who I am? Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first?" Ning Xuan countered.

He wasn’t arrogant or overbearing, but the calmer he appeared, the more unnerved the other man became.

"I am Xie Luetian. Thanks to the unwavering support of my brothers, I have the honor of serving as the leader of the Plunder Gang," the man said, immediately cupping his fists and stating his name.

"Xie Luetian... quite an arrogant name," Ning Xuan nodded, his tone still unhurried. "No wonder you dared to steal my things."

"A misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding! If we had known these were your belongings, we wouldn’t have dared to anger a master like you, not even if you gave us a hundred times the courage!" Xie Luetian replied at once with an apologetic smile.

Then, he and the others sprang into action. Treasures appeared from thin air, one after another, and were laid out on the ground. Soon, nine small mountains of riches stood around Ning Xuan. Xie Luetian and his group all voluntarily took a step back.

"Aside from what we took from the Bi Luo Palace, many of these items are from our brothers’ private collections. We hope Senior will not find them lacking."

After a sweeping glance, Ning Xuan stood his ground and casually levitated treasures from three of the piles, examining them in his hands. Then, he nodded with satisfaction. "These are all quite nice. However, a gentleman obtains wealth through righteous means, so I won’t take everything."

Despite his words, Ning Xuan proceeded to pocket the vast majority of the nine piles of treasures.

Xie Luetian and his brothers felt their hearts bleed. Of course, they weren’t actually this compliant. The only reason they feigned submission was that one of the piles of treasure had been tampered with. Yet, their target hadn’t touched that specific pile. This made them uneasy and anxious.

Several of them were already sending telepathic messages to Xie Luetian.

"Boss, could he have discovered our trick?!"

"Boss, who is he, really? Are you sure he’s an old monster?!"

"Something’s not right... how does he manage to perfectly avoid it every time?"

Xie Luetian was just as bewildered. The longer this went on, the less he dared to act rashly. If it was a coincidence, it was one thing. But if this man was doing it on purpose, then he was terrifying. It would mean he had seen right through their ploy.

"Brothers, this target is tough! Prepare to attack! Remember, once we move, use your strongest techniques!" Xie Luetian transmitted telepathically, readying for a desperate, all-or-nothing struggle.

But just then, a flash of joy appeared in their eyes. The man was heading straight for the booby-trapped pile of treasure.

Then, Ning Xuan asked them, "I like all these treasures. I’ll take them all. You don’t mind, do you?"

"Not at all!"

"Please, be our guest!"

How could they object? This was exactly what they had been hoping for.

"Excellent." As Ning Xuan spoke, he picked up one of the items from the rigged pile, caressing it in his hand. The next moment, his mental storage space opened like a ravenous maw, instantly swallowing the rest.

The men all let out a collective sigh of relief. They grew even more excited when they saw a fleeting wisp of black energy flash in Ning Xuan’s eyes. Someone couldn’t hold it in any longer and was about to burst out laughing.

However, the wild laughter was cut short as his head flew from his shoulders.

PFFT! PFFT!

With two more soft sounds, another two men were instantly killed.

The remaining men were stunned. Just as they were about to make their move, Ning Xuan dropped to his knees and collapsed, falling utterly still.

"Damn it, I really thought my Godslaying Bugs had failed!" a voice immediately rang out.

"This bastard is horrifying! To think he could still instantly kill three people after being hit!"

"Luckily, Boss had the foresight, otherwise we would’ve been in deep trouble!"

"That’s right—" PFFT!

The last man had just begun to nod when his head nodded right off his neck.

The headless corpse toppled forward with a heavy thud. By the time the few remaining men reacted to this sudden turn of events, Ning Xuan’s assault was already upon them.

In the end, only two were left standing: the man who controlled the Godslaying Bugs and, naturally, Xie Luetian. The two of them huddled together, watching Ning Xuan with terror-filled eyes.

"Se-Senior, we..."

Ning Xuan’s forceful attack was their only answer.

BOOM!

Billows of black energy surged from the Godslaying Bug master. Following the dark energy were countless willow leaves, which transformed into the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade!

To their astonishment, Ning Xuan showed no intention of dodging.

BANG!

He took a single step forward, his fist striking like a dragon. The sky full of Godslaying Bugs and the Heavenly Sword Absolute Blade shattered under that single punch!

The two were utterly horrified. Escape! A single thought screamed in their minds. This guy is not someone we can handle! All our previously unbeatable techniques have failed! If we don’t escape now, we’ll be buried here forever!

"Did I say you could leave?"

They fled at extreme speed, but Ning Xuan’s voice pursued them like a death warrant from Yama himself, inescapable.

"Ahhh!" the man who controlled the Godslaying Bugs screamed, wishing he could sprout a few more legs.

"You like playing with bugs, don’t you? Have them back!"

The moment Ning Xuan’s voice rang out, countless wisps of black energy—the bugs—rushed toward their master. The man then realized Ning Xuan had ignored him and was now chasing Xie Luetian.

A wave of elation washed over him. This guy is too arrogant, trying to use my own techniques against me! I’m a grandmaster of raising insects; how could I possibly be harmed by my own creations?

He spread his arms wide, calmly welcoming the approaching Godslaying Bugs. In an instant, they all entered his body. A smile spread across his face. Seeing that he had put enough distance between himself and his pursuer, he even waved at Ning Xuan, who was now heading in the opposite direction. "Heh heh heh, old fo—"

He never finished the word. His face was suddenly covered in countless black bristles.

The next moment—BOOM!—he disintegrated like a statue made of sand, crumbling into dust.

"Stop!"

On the other side, Xie Luetian, knowing he couldn’t escape, screamed to a halt.

THUD!

He dropped to his knees before Ning Xuan and began kowtowing repeatedly. "Senior, spare me! Please, spare my life!" He was like a beaten dog, capable only of cowering and begging for mercy.

Ning Xuan reached out, and an unseen force seized him. Instantly, the mobile villa and its Energy Cannon materialized. Ning Xuan stuffed him into one of the cannons and fired it straight into the sky.

BANG!

High above, a firework of blood bloomed in the sky.

Far away, in the city that housed the Bi Luo Palace, Cheng Dafei looked up at the sky, a smile on his face as he collapsed.