Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Ning Xuan showed no sign of anger. Instead, he explained with trepidation, "Young... Young Master, you’ve been deceived by them. My real name is Ning Yang. I only told the commander and the others that my name was Ning Xuan to throw them off. If you don’t believe me, look at the invitation."

Liang Peng doubtfully opened the invitation, and sure enough, he saw the name Ning Yang written on it.

"Hahaha! Zhou Cheng, oh, Zhou Cheng, you actually tried to sow discord between my servant and me! How about that? Didn’t see that coming, did you?!" Liang Peng laughed proudly, flaunting the invitation at them.

Zhou Cheng’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t expected Ning Xuan to play him like that.

"Boy, you’re not too bright, are you? You can’t even pick a side properly! Don’t tell me you think that Brother Luo Ji and I, working together, aren’t a match for Liang Peng?!" Zhou Cheng sneered at Ning Xuan, dropping his facade completely.

Ning Xuan ignored him, turning to Liang Peng again. "Young Master, when Ye Piaomiao seeks a Prince Consort, would she select two at the same time?"

Liang Peng roared with laughter. He was starting to like this guy more and more.

Across from them, Zhou Cheng’s face changed dramatically. He reflexively backed away from Luo Ji. He didn’t even consider making a move, because he knew he was no match for Luo Ji.

Luo Ji, who had been expressionless since arriving, narrowed his eyes, giving Ning Xuan a long, deep look. That single glance made his heart clench. We might have all underestimated this Ning fellow.

Just as he was about to speak, the situation changed in a flash. Zhou Cheng from the left and Liang Peng from the front attacked him at the same time!

A murderous glint flashed in Luo Ji’s eyes. He vanished on the spot.

Their attack missed. A chill shot down Zhou Cheng and Liang Peng’s spines. Without a second thought, they roared and retreated explosively.

In the next moment, Luo Ji landed in the center of the area, but Zhou Cheng and Liang Peng had already vanished.

A strange light flickered in Ning Xuan’s eyes. His reason for indulging Liang Peng and siding with him was to manipulate Zhou Cheng and Liang Peng into joining forces against Luo Ji. The moment the three of them had gathered, Ning Xuan had gauged the gap between their strengths. Luo Ji was the strongest.

Though Ning Xuan had already recognized this, the ease with which Luo Ji dodged their lethal assault and forced them to flee was still beyond his expectations. After all, Zhou Cheng and Liang Peng were both incredibly strong in their own right.

"I’ll handle Zhou Cheng," Luo Ji said, his first words since arriving. The moment he finished speaking, he disappeared.

"That guy is impressive," Ning Xuan couldn’t help but remark.

Cheng Dabao immediately asked with concern, "Can you beat him?"

Ning Xuan ruffled her hair. "Sometimes, I really envy that simple little brain of yours."

Cheng Dabao just giggled, completely oblivious to the deeper meaning behind Ning Xuan’s words.

Luo Ji’s words made it clear he had Ning Xuan figured out. He was certain that Ning Xuan would go to settle the score with Liang Peng.

"Fine, you win. I, Ning Xuan, am one to hold a grudge!" With that, Ning Xuan also vanished.

From the moment Liang Peng had tried to lay a hand on Cheng Dabao, he was a dead man in Ning Xuan’s eyes. Moreover, the bastard had dared to be so abusive. If he wasn’t asking to die, who was?!

Behind the courtyard lay a dense forest.

Ning Xuan landed and called out, "Young Master! Young Master, I know you’re in there! Come on out, he went after Zhou Cheng!"

In reality, not far from Ning Xuan, Luo Ji had blended seamlessly with an ancient tree. He raised an eyebrow at Ning Xuan’s words. After dealing with Zhou Cheng, he had come straight here to wait for Ning Xuan. He couldn’t quite gauge Ning Xuan’s true strength and had wanted to observe the fight between him and Liang Peng to probe his abilities. But instead, Ning Xuan had put on this show.

Could he have discovered me? The thought flashed through Luo Ji’s mind, and he instantly became more vigilant. The possibility was minute, but Luo Ji never underestimated an opponent.

"Not here? That’s strange." Down below, Ning Xuan scratched his head, muttering to himself as he turned to leave.

With a CRACK, Ning Xuan snapped a dry twig.

At that very instant, an incredibly faint SWISH cut through the air.

Luo Ji’s eyes narrowed. Liang Peng is best known for his poisons, and he’s a master of Hidden Weapons! The timing of this strike is absolute perfection. The swish of the projectile and the crack of the twig were nearly simultaneous, making it almost impossible to defend against. I’m only an observer. If I were down there, I’m not sure I could have dodged that! Who would have thought that Liang Peng, the most looked-down-upon member of the Liang Family, possessed such combat awareness!

Luo Ji’s heart tightened, but he also felt a wave of secret relief. It’s a good thing I came here. Otherwise, I might have suffered a major loss against him one day. As for the life or death of the Ning fellow below, he couldn’t care less.

With a soft PFFT, the hair-thin hidden weapon found its mark.

With a SLAP, Ning Xuan swatted the spot and grumbled, "Damn! These fucking mosquitoes, daring to bite me!"

The next moment, he collapsed to the ground with a THUMP.

Liang Peng suddenly appeared beside Ning Xuan. After a wary look around, he decided to save him. If this guy died, his little ’chat’ with the girl would be less entertaining without an audience.

Meanwhile, Luo Ji hesitated for a moment before deciding to act.

With a WHOOSH, he vanished, moving at his maximum speed, but his sword strike met only empty air.

"Haha! I knew you were hiding nearby!" Liang Peng roared with laughter from the side.

Luo Ji stared at Liang Peng’s chest, his eyes filled with confusion. Liang Peng looked down and froze, as if struck by lightning. A massive, bowl-sized hole had appeared in his chest.

Just then, Ning Xuan got to his feet. He tossed the bloody object in his hand away like a hot potato and said to Liang Peng, "You may have saved me, but you shouldn’t have had vile intentions toward my sister."

Liang Peng opened his mouth. "I..."

He had barely uttered a single word when Ning Xuan struck again with a savage punch, directly blasting him into a mist of blood.

Then, Ning Xuan turned to face Luo Ji and sneered, "I never thought you’d be the type to launch a sneak attack either."

Luo Ji was dumbfounded. He stared blankly at Ning Xuan, having no idea what the man was talking about.

Ning Xuan sneered. "Still playing innocent? You were the one who shot at me just now, weren’t you!"

Luo Ji was stunned. Why is this guy trying to pin the blame on me? But a moment later, his eyes filled with a chilling killing intent. If I’m not mistaken, he knew I was here from the very beginning. Liang Peng’s hidden weapon attack only seemed to succeed—he must have actually dodged it! And I didn’t see a thing. This man is far stronger than I imagined. He cannot be allowed to live!

Sensing the murderous aura radiating from Luo Ji, Ning Xuan instantly lost his nerve. Damn it. This guy is too sharp! In that case, less theatrics and more honesty.

"Wait! I have something to say!" Ning Xuan said quickly. "I’m already in love with someone else, so I have no interest in becoming the Emperor’s Son-in-Law. Whatever you want, I will fully cooperate."

Luo Ji was taken aback. The search for an imperial son-in-law had thrown the entire realm of Chi Ming into a frenzy. Even ancient monsters who hadn’t been seen for years had emerged from seclusion, all willing to do whatever it took for the sake of their descendants. And this guy wasn’t interested?