Seeing this scene, Hu Guangshan shook his head, "I really didn't expect such a dog-eat-dog scenario to unfold outside the Azure Cloud Immortal Palace. It's truly disheartening."
Zhang Danfeng added, "It just goes to show how the world has changed. Everywhere you look, there are people who bully the weak and fear the strong."
Dugu Xin remained silent, his brow furrowed as he watched the scene unfold.
Tang Ran was chattering incessantly, like a shrew, constantly berating the young man for bullying others.
The young man, at his wit's end, let out a light snort, "Have you said enough? I, Xu Ning, the direct descendant of the Xu family in the Northern Domain, when did it become your place to lecture me, you poor thing?
It's just a lousy bun. If you had spoken to me nicely, I would have given you one. But you insisted on lecturing me with your grand principles.
For a poor thing like you, it's already a kindness from this young master to let you speak a few words. I advise you not to be ungrateful, lest you lose your life."
The young man was none other than Xu Ning, who had previously outmaneuvered Fahai at the Four Extremes Mountain.
Since leaving Four Extremes Mountain, Xu Ning had diligently cultivated every day, and his cultivation had advanced to the sixth rank of the Soul Sea realm.
It wasn't until a change occurred in the Northern Domain that the Xu Family sent Xu Ning to test the New Emperor's attitude, deciding whether the Xu Family should pledge allegiance to the new dynasty.
Tang Ran, upon hearing this, remained unrelenting, revealing a wicked "?" smile, and said viciously, "What? In front of all the cultivators in the world, are you still planning to attack me, a mere mortal?"
"Since you know you're a mortal, you should understand your place. Even ants strive to survive, yet you don't understand this simple principle?
It's only because this young master is in a good mood today that I don't want to bother with a poor nobody like you. Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to stand here and spout so much nonsense!"
After saying this, he directly tossed out two Spirit Crystals, "Here, take these and eat something good. Don't let your poor nobody aura taint this young master.
This young master's future is destined to be brilliant, and I don't want to be defiled by the bad luck you carry!"
Tang Hao quickly picked up the two Spirit Crystals, pulling at Tang Ran, whose face was full of resentment. "Son, these two Spirit Crystals will be enough for us to live on for a long time.
Let bygones be bygones. Let's just leave it at that."
But Tang Ran was clearly worked up and didn't heed Tang Hao's reminder, continuing to shout at Xu Ning, "Are you trying to humiliate me with Spirit Crystals? Hmph, Xu, your behavior is truly disgusting."
Even so, when Tang Ran looked at the two Spirit Crystals in Tang Hao's hand, his eyes were filled with greed and desire.
This was a typical case of being two-faced, the perfect example of wanting to have your cake and eat it too.
Xu Ning frowned, then opened his hand. "Since you, you poor bastard, don't want them, then give the Spirit Crystals back."
Tang Ran, upon hearing this, how could he agree? "These are my Spirit Crystals, are you trying to rob me?"
Xu Ning: ???
His face immediately changed. "You poor bastard, you want to play it like this, huh? No need to say more, you're dead today!"
With that, he directly raised his hand and condensed his True Essence.
A massive pressure swept in from all directions, forcing Tang Hao and his son to their knees.
"Kid, before you reincarnate in your next life, you'd better think carefully about who you should offend and who you shouldn't! I'll give you one last chance, apologize to me immediately."
Tang Ran raised his head with difficulty, glared at Xu Ning with hatred, and then said word by word, "Very good, you have chosen your own path to death."
At this moment, Hu Guangshan and Zhang Danfeng finally couldn't hold back, and whispered to Dugu Xin, "Great Elder, aren't you going to do something about this?"
Dugu Xin took a deep breath. "I didn't want to get involved in these matters during this special period, but we have another identity, which is that of disciples of the Public Arbitration Council.
As supervisors and maintainers of order, if we don't stand up, it will only damage the reputation of the council in the future."
Hu Guangshan: "So, Elder, what exactly do you plan to do?"
Dugu Xin spoke with righteous indignation: "Great responsibilities are bestowed upon those who are worthy. Since we've joined the Public Arbitration Council, we must put upholding justice first."
Then, he immediately pulled out a forty-meter-long blade, his face resolute: "I absolutely will not allow such a thing to happen under my watch."
Hu Guangshan and Zhang Danfeng wore expressions of admiration.
The next moment, Dugu Xin raised his blade, pointed at Xu Ning, and roared, "These two beggars dare to beg in broad daylight!
Truly shameless! Since I've encountered this, I must punish them severely to demonstrate the fresh spirit of the Northern Domain!"
Hu Guangshan: ???
Zhang Danfeng: ???
Just as those two were still racking their brains, Dugu Xin had already rushed to Tang Hao and his son, immediately launching a series of attacks that left the two of them in a miserable state. Even Xu Ning, who was watching, was shocked.
"A-ha-ha!"
"Ooh~~"
"Ah~~"
Seeing that Tang Hao and his son were about to die on the spot, Xu Ning, who had been arrogant just moments before, immediately stopped Dugu Xin: "Fellow Daoist, let it go. They're just two insignificant nobodies; there's no need to be so brutal."
Dugu Xin stopped, looked at Xu Ning, then at Tang Hao and his son, who were kneeling on the ground in a humble manner. He then raised his forty-meter-long blade: "No, these vulgar ants are not worthy of life! Come on, obediently offer your necks for me to chop!"
Tang Hao and his son were startled, truly wanting to cry but having no tears.
Xu Ning quickly pulled Dugu Xin back: "Fellow Daoist, I really didn't intend to kill them. Let's spare their lives and let them go."
Dugu Xin's attitude was resolute: "Impossible. These ants actually dared to beg shamelessly in broad daylight in front of the Azure Cloud Immortal Palace.
It's an insult to the Northern Domain's reputation. If we don't punish them severely, others will surely follow suit. Therefore, they absolutely cannot live today!"
Tang Ran immediately begged for mercy: "Immortal Master, it was our lack of foresight. Please, show mercy and spare us, father and son. We'll leave immediately."
Xu Ning also said, "Yes, fellow Daoist. Judging by your cultivation, killing two mortal ants will only bring you shame. It's best to let it go. Just let them leave."
Dugu Xin thought for a moment, then put away his greatsword and said to Tang Hao and his son, "Fine. Since this young master doesn't want to bother with you, then let's call it a day. I'll spare your lives. Get out of here, quickly."
"Thank you, Immortal Master, for sparing our lives!"
Tang Hao and his son didn't dare to delay. After repeatedly kowtowing in thanks, they vanished in a flash.
The surrounding cultivators, seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, soon dispersed.
After the others left, Xu Ning cupped his hands and said, "I am Xu Ning. May I ask your esteemed name, friend?"
Dugu Xin replied, "I don't change my name, nor do I change my surname. I am Snow Mountain Flying Fox Hu Yidao."
Xu Ning said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Hu. No wonder your actions were so decisive just now. I am inferior."
"It's nothing. Fellow Daoist Xu, you're young and have such spirit. Your future is definitely limitless."
"Thanks to Fellow Daoist Hu, I'm here today on the orders of my family head to observe the New Emperor's Enthronement Ceremony. How about we go together, Fellow Daoist?"
"That's exactly what I had in mind."
Dugu Xin was just wondering how to get into the ceremony. Seeing Xu Ning's invitation, he immediately nodded in agreement.
On the other side, Tang Hao and his son, carrying their grievous injuries, hurried away from the Azure Cloud Immortal Palace, a place of turmoil. They then collapsed against a wall.
As the saying goes, bad luck always finds the unfortunate.
The two men, utterly dejected, watched the people passing by on the street and sighed.
Suddenly, Tang Ran spoke, "Father, I've made a decision. I'm going to become a live-in son-in-law!"
Tang Hao was taken aback, his face filled with disbelief. "My son, why would you debase yourself like this?"
"It's better than starving to death like this!"
"But the profession of a live-in son-in-law isn't something anyone can do!"
"Father, don't worry. I have experience being a live-in son-in-law. I was at the Pang Family for three years. Although it was hard, at least I had enough to eat!"
Tang Hao fell into deep thought. Continuing to wander aimlessly through the streets and alleys wasn't a solution.
They needed to find a reliable place to stay to avoid a repeat of today's humiliation.
"Dad, don't hesitate anymore. If we keep going like this, we'll either starve to death or get beaten to death!"
Hearing Tang Ran's words, Tang Hao could only sigh helplessly, "But, with all this chaos, who would even consider you as a son-in-law?"
Tang Ran said, "Dad, do you remember when we first entered the city, the Wang Family, the wealthiest family in the city, was recruiting a son-in-law? With my qualifications, it shouldn't be a problem to marry into the Wang Family."
Tang Hao said, "But I heard that the Wang Family's young miss is extremely ugly, with a round figure. Many bachelors in the city avoid her. Can your little body handle it?"
Just the thought of his precious son being pinned down by a woman with a higher tonnage, Tang Hao found the image too explosive.
Tang Ran didn't care at all, "Dad, you don't understand. What the Wang Family's young miss looks like has nothing to do with your son."
"What do you mean?"
"I've been married into the Pang Family for three years, but I haven't made any real progress with Pang Feiyan. So, based on my experience, so-called marriage is just a way for rich people to get free labor.
You don't need to worry about your son's virginity being taken away like that. Don't worry, I'm very clever."
"But..."
"No buts, Father. I'm starving. The most important thing now is to solve our food problem."
"Then... alright, but you'll have to be wronged."
"It's not a grievance. When I rise again one day, I will make those who sneer at my father pay back tenfold! What I'm doing now is just enduring."
"Since you've made up your mind, let's go."
Thus, Tang Hao and his son supported each other as they headed towards the Wang Family's recruitment event in Azure Wave City.
At the same time, the New Emperor's Enthronement Ceremony was about to commence.
In front of the Azure Cloud Immortal Palace's main hall, the officials of the Immortal Dynasty had gathered, and various sects and families from the Northern Domain were present, having been invited.
Standing beneath the white jade imperial steps, which symbolized the path to the throne, were three extraordinary cultivators.
From left to right, Ouyang Wudi, Yuwen Xuanji, and Beichen Yuanyin.
The heads of the three major families of the Northern Dark Mystic Domain were all present, which also indicated their support for the Immortal Dynasty's change of emperor.
In addition, on the six cloud peaks surrounding the Azure Cloud Immortal Palace, there stood a Quasi-Emperor realm expert on each peak.
The purpose was to ensure the ceremony proceeded on schedule and to deter any troublemakers.
Three cannon blasts signaled the start. Ning Ruoxue, in a white robe embroidered with gold dragons, floated onto the imperial platform.
Beside her, Lin Feng stood respectfully, a smile on his face as he looked at the crowd.
"He's a handsome devil. I don't trust him at all," Hu Guangshan muttered, clearly displeased with Lin Feng's presence.
"Exactly! Just a pretty boy. I don't know what Sect Master Ning sees in him, that she's willing to try and wipe us all out," Zhang Danfeng added, his face filled with resentment.
Xu Ning frowned, turning to Dugu Xin beside him. "Senior Hu, what do your two friends mean?"
Dugu Xin narrowed his eyes and whispered, "I'll only tell you this, don't tell anyone else."
Xu Ning nodded, "Senior Hu, please rest assured. My lips are famously sealed, I definitely won't say a word."
Dugu Xin said, "That pretty boy standing on the stage stole my friend's woman.
My friend caught them in bed, and the whole neighborhood knows about it. Do you think my friend would be happy to see him?"
Xu Ning's eyes lit up, and he immediately exclaimed, "I didn't expect there to be such a juicy story behind this, I really couldn't tell."
After saying that, he stood up, "Senior, please wait here for a moment. I'll go relieve myself and be right back."
Then, Xu Ning quickly walked to another table and sat down, saying to them, "Brothers, I want to tell you something, but you must not tell anyone else.
See that pretty boy standing on the stage? He once put the horns on a friend of my friend's head,
Later, the two of them got caught street fighting in an alley. The whole city nearby knew about it, even Emperor Xiaoyao himself was alarmed and came in person…"
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition:
" Trapped in Enemy Territory, the Female General Tells Me to Open My Mouth (18+) "
" Douluo: Flame Lance Chongli and Fallen Heart Flame Cheat (18+) "
" Adult Urban: Starting with Qiao Yingzi's Flaw (18+) "
" The Heavenly Demon Begins with Attribute (18+) "
" The Empress Granted Me a Marriage—The Yandere's Favorability (18+) "
" Oh No—The Monster Girl I Picked Up Can Only Recover Mana Through Me (18+) "
" It's Really Hard to Date a Senior (18+) "
" Extraordinary Beguiler, Really Can Do Whatever He Wants(18+) "
" Spring Fills Fragrant Summer (18+) "
" Defying Heaven's: My Wedding Night with Master's Wife (18+) "
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
many more are available 50+
patreon.com/RoyalStories
(End of Chapter)