Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

When the party began, Ning Xuan unsurprisingly became the center of attention. He stole the limelight not only from Tu Yu, but even from Jiang Chan. After she stood to toast Ning Xuan, the atmosphere of the gathering instantly reached a climax.

For the rest of the evening, everyone took turns toasting Ning Xuan. He accepted every toast, and it was impossible to tell how much he had drunk. He drank until he was swaying back and forth. He couldn’t even stand properly, and when he sat in the seat Cheng Dabao had occupied, he wobbled all over.

Yet, he still tried to talk tough. "What are you all staring at? Keep... keep drinking!"

"Ning Xuan, Ning Xuan, you’re drunk!" Cheng Dabao exclaimed, snatching the wine jar from him.

"I’m not drunk! Who do you think you are? Why are you telling me what to do? Get lost!" Ning Xuan yelled, snatching the wine jar right back.

At the head of the table, a glint flashed in Tu Yu’s eyes. He quickly said, "Since Young Master Ning still wishes to drink, you should all keep him company. Oh, and Miss Jiang, my father also brought an oral decree from the Empress. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to accompany me for a moment."

Jiang Chan’s elegant brows furrowed slightly.

"My father is also fond of wine, and he tends to black out easily," Tu Yu continued. "When that happens, he forgets things. If you don’t..."

Before Tu Yu could finish, Jiang Chan nodded. "Fine, I’ll go with you."

"Aunt Jin, Aunt Qin, the party isn’t over. It wouldn’t be right for you to leave," she said. She knew Tu Yu hadn’t given up and that someone would surely make a move against Ning Xuan later, so she wanted her two attendants to stay behind and help.

The two women also understood Tu Yu’s scheme. They knew that Jiang Chan was indebted to Ning Xuan, but their duty was to protect her. Naturally, they would not agree.

To their surprise, however, Tu Yu himself spoke up. "You two can rest assured. Where are we? Even if the Tian Shu Realm Lord can’t guarantee her safety, my father and I are here. If anything happens to her, you can take it out on us."

This took the two women by surprise. But since Tu Yu had said as much and Jiang Chan was insistent, they ultimately had to compromise.

The moment Tu Yu and Jiang Chan left, the atmosphere instantly became even livelier. Everyone crowded around, trying to drink with Ning Xuan. After being yelled at, Cheng Dabao, who had been trying to stop him earlier, not only gave up but started sulking and drinking by herself.

The two women Jiang Chan had left behind looked at Ning Xuan, wanting to speak but hesitating. They also wanted to intervene, but they had no real connection to Ning Xuan. If he lost his temper with them, it would be incredibly awkward. In the end, they could only let him be. Still, the two women scanned the crowd, searching for potential threats.

After three more rounds of drinks, Zhao Guan, who was seated at the front, announced, "Alright, it’s getting late. I shall take my leave." Many others quickly followed suit.

As for Ning Xuan, his gaze was hazy. He muttered incomprehensibly, completely out of his senses. Left with no choice, Cheng Dabao stepped forward to help him up, but he was too heavy for her to move.

Seeing this, the two women Jiang Chan had left behind were just about to help.

"This is terrible! Miss Jiang Chan has been kidnapped!" an urgent voice cried from outside.

The two women’s expressions changed drastically. Without a moment’s hesitation, they shot outside and quickly disappeared from sight.

Just as Cheng Dabao stood there, unsure what to do, a voice rang out. "I’ll help you."

It was You Ruo, her face flushed red from the wine.

Cheng Dabao thanked her. Together, the two women finally managed to prop Ning Xuan up between them.

Once they were on a secluded path, You Ruo suddenly whispered to Ning Xuan, "Stop pretending. You’re not going to catch any big fish tonight."

The surroundings were quiet, with only the three of them present. As for Luo Ji, he had been detained long ago under some pretext.

"How did you know? You mean this didn’t fool them?" Ning Xuan’s voice was completely clear, with no trace of drunkenness.

In fact, Ning Xuan really had been drunk earlier. He only sobered up because Cheng Dabao had used her Cultivation Technique to alert him, after which he promptly activated his own Cultivation Technique in response. This was the only way to lure the big fish to take the bait.

"No, they were sure you were genuinely drunk. They even tested you several times afterward. But that’s precisely why they disdained to make a move."

Hearing this, Ning Xuan immediately understood. The so-called geniuses of the various realms all came from Chi Ming. They had secured their positions by eliminating their peers who also hailed from Chi Ming. Naturally, such people were utterly arrogant. Why would they bother attacking a drunkard?

"Dammit, I miscalculated!" Ning Xuan was incredibly frustrated.

"So, Master Ning, can you walk by yourself now?" You Ruo asked.

"Oof, no way. This wine has quite a kick. My legs feel like jelly."

He had barely finished speaking when You Ruo slipped away like a fish. Ning Xuan started to fall toward Cheng Dabao, but before he could even get close, she sent him flying with a single palm strike.

"Get lost! Ning Xuan, you dared to curse at me! I’m going to beat you to death!"

The girl was clearly still holding a grudge for how he’d cursed at her at the party. Her reaction time is a bit slow, though!

Just as Ning Xuan’s body was sent flying—

WHOOSH!

A bright light tore through the darkness, splitting the very heavens as it slashed directly toward him! The timing of the attack was absolutely perfect. With Ning Xuan’s body in mid-air, dodging the killing blow would be incredibly difficult.

Cheng Dabao and You Ruo both turned pale with shock. The sudden turn of events had stunned them, and by the time they snapped out of it and tried to help, it was already too late.

As the sky-rending blade was about to strike Ning Xuan, the two pale-faced women shut their eyes and murmured, "It’s over..."

But they didn’t hear the sickening sound of a body being sliced in two.

CLANG!

Instead, the air rang with the sound of metal striking metal.

When the two women opened their eyes and looked closely, they saw that Ning Xuan had landed safely on the ground. They glanced at each other, seeing only utter confusion in the other’s eyes. They had no idea how he had dodged that attack.

"Impossible!" the attacker screamed in shock. Just a moment ago, the guy had actually blocked his Long Saber with his bare foot! Flesh and blood meeting his all-out strike had produced the sound of clanging metal. Could it be? Has his Physical Body reached the point of sanctification? Otherwise, how could he possibly have blocked my Long Saber?! After all, even someone with a body of true iron and bone would be sliced apart like tofu by that attack!

"Not bad. You’re pretty tough," Ning Xuan commented. He saw the man was dressed in a night suit with his face masked and had frozen in shock. "That was a good strike. Do you have anything better?"

The man in black came to his senses. With a low shout, he gripped his Long Saber with both hands and raised it high. "Take this!" he roared.

Then he turned and ran.

Ning Xuan was left standing there, dumbfounded. In the next instant, he vanished.

The man ran without stopping, not daring to pause for even a moment until he was panting for breath. Leaning against a wall, he gasped with lingering fear, "Holy hell, good thing I’m fast! That guy is a monster; I’m no match for him! Dammit, I can’t stay in this damn place any longer! I have to get the hell out of here!"