Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

In the eyes of everyone in the Gouchen Realm Capital, the Two Realms Mountain had only one purpose: to highlight the Jiang Family's extraordinary status. The mountain demarcated the entire Realm Capital. On the other side lay the complete territory of the Jiang Family. Although the Jiang Family had always kept a low profile, cultivators living on this side of the Two Realms Mountain would not, under normal circumstances, cross it.

Today, however, the Two Realms Mountain had five uninvited guests: Hu Ming and his party.

"Are you sure he's going to cross the Two Realms Mountain?"

"It's the shortest route to the Jiang Family's territory."

"True. By the way, Big Brother, with your current strength, you're more than qualified to visit the Jiang Family, aren't you?"

Hu Ming rejected the idea without a second thought. "No way. I just managed to jump out of one fire pit. Why would I leap into another?"

"Big Brother is wise! As long as we take that guy down and get his Divine Crystal, we can find a place for closed-door cultivation. When we emerge, the world will be our oyster!"

"Wait... Ning Xuan is here!"

The five men immediately held their breath and peered down. A moment later, one asked, "What is he doing?"

They were all baffled. Ning Xuan was gesturing wildly with his hands, looking like a complete lunatic.

"Quiet, let me listen!" a cultivator with superior hearing spoke up. Then, he furrowed his brow and said haltingly, "He's talking about... a tunnel... something about killing people, a belt, and... what was it... corpses, I think..."

The men glanced at each other, completely clueless.

Fortunately, Ning Xuan didn't leave them confused for long. He had just realized something. This is a damn fantasy world! If someone really wanted to forge a path, they could probably just move the mountain. It's not even that tall.

"This really is a great place for a bit of murder and arson," Ning Xuan muttered to himself, looking at the dense forest around him as he crossed the Two Realms Mountain on his strange beast.

Two of Hu Ming's party immediately sent him voice transmissions.

"Big Brother, has he discovered us?"

"Big Brother, should we make our move?"

"Don't rush. Let him get a little closer," Hu Ming commanded the four. "You all attack together, and we'll finish this in one fell swoop! Don't worry, I'll provide cover. If anything goes wrong, I'll intervene immediately!"

Greatly encouraged, the four men eagerly responded. Unfortunately for them, Hu Ming had no intention of acting at all. If his four men proved useless, he would be the first to flee. Only he knew his own limits.

The poor foursome still fantasized about seizing Ning Xuan's Divine Crystal and becoming super-powerful—strong enough to beat up old folks at the local nursing home and kick over toddlers at the nearest kindergarten.

When Hu Ming saw what the four buffoons did next, he wanted to slap them dead. Instead of a sneak attack, the four idiots had waited for Ning Xuan to get close, then leaped out in unison, each taking a position to surround him.

The four bellowed, their faces and voices fierce.

"Ning Xuan, we've been waiting for you!"

"If you know what's good for you, hand over the Divine Crystals you got from the Kong Family!"

"That's right! Hand them over, now! Or we won't be so polite!"

"We'll make you regret it!"

Ning Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Just the four of you?" Before they could answer, he continued, "Are you idiots? Didn't you see my display of strength at the Kong Family's estate?"

The four men exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"Oh, Ning Xuan. Don't you realize where you are?"

"That little bit of strength you have is nothing! You probably couldn't even take a single slap from our Big Brother!"

"You actually have a Big Brother?" Ning Xuan asked with genuine curiosity.

"Of course!"

"Our Big Brother is a supreme expert!"

"You saw those two lions at the Kong Family's entrance, right? They were carved from Divine Crystal ore! Incredibly hard, comparable to Peerless Divine Weapons! And yet, our Big Brother just gave them a light pat. Guess what happened?"

Hearing this, Ning Xuan's expression turned odd. "What happened? Did the ore lions explode?"

As Ning Xuan finished speaking, one of the others showed a strange look, but the man who had been speaking just shook his head. "Too small-minded. Explode? You underestimate our Big Brother. There wasn't even a sound. The lions just turned to dust!"

The man finished his boast with a look of immense pride, as if he had performed the feat himself.

Ning Xuan's expression grew even stranger. He glanced around and couldn't help but ask, "So, where is this Big Brother of yours?"

"You're not worthy of our Big Brother's attention!" the most talkative one blurted out without thinking.

Hidden nearby, Hu Ming breathed a secret sigh of relief. That idiot's boasting was making me so uncomfortable, I almost ran away. Thank goodness. At least he has some conscience and didn't sell me out.

A moment later, however, his expression changed drastically. He turned to flee without a second thought. In just a few moments, all four of his men were on the ground. Hu Ming didn't even have time to wonder if they were alive or dead. Not that it mattered. At that moment, his mind was consumed by a single thought: escape.

"Are you their Big Brother?"

The voice that suddenly whispered in his ear scared Hu Ming half to death. He screamed, instinctively throwing a palm strike behind him.

"Alas, what a disappointment," Ning Xuan's voice murmured in his ear again. His attack had been completely useless.

"No, no! I'm not their Big Brother!" Hu Ming was on the verge of tears. Only now, facing Ning Xuan directly, did he realize how terrifying the man was. He could kill me as easily as flipping his hand!

"You don't seem like it. My mistake. You can go," Ning Xuan's voice sounded again.

Immediately, Hu Ming felt the crushing pressure on him vanish. It seemed Ning Xuan had really left. He could hardly believe it. But then, a wave of humiliation washed over him. 'You don't seem like it'?! What an insult!

Hu Ming wanted to erupt in anger, but he quickly suppressed the urge. Being insulted is better than being dead. This thought instantly calmed his mind.

But just then, his vision blurred. Suddenly, someone was standing in front of him. Taking a closer look, he saw it was Ning Xuan!

Hu Ming stumbled back several steps in fright. He then saw Ning Xuan point a finger at him. The finger was like a sword, emanating an endless sharpness. To his horror, Hu Ming discovered that his own aura had been completely locked down by his opponent. He couldn't dodge this strike.

But even an ant struggles for survival. How could he simply wait for death? With a roar, a torrent of sanguine energy erupted from his body, instantly condensing before him into a Blood Shield to block Ning Xuan's fatal attack.

Ning Xuan chuckled. "You've got a little something, but not much."

BANG!

Ning Xuan's Finger Sword struck the Blood Shield. The seemingly sturdy shield was a complete joke. Constructed from Hu Ming's own True Blood, it shattered like plaster.