'So soon?' Xuefeng asked disappointed, wanting to play more. The power of the Judgment Vine was just too satisfying.
'It's better if we leave early before the City Lord arrives. Every City has a Celestial Stage Cultivator protecting it, but they only come out if the City is in critical danger,' Ming explained as the Judgment Vine retracted back to the original spot. 'We don't want to face any Celestial Stage Cultivators at our current stage.'
'How much Qi did we use?' Xuefeng questioned, using the time as Tianshi volunteered to collect the Storage Rings from the dead bodies. They would never pass on some free loot.
'Almost one-third of our resources, but it's not like we had a choice. You used Sect Master Liu's name in front of so many people, and even Wu's grandpa will hear about it. He will for sure visit the Spirit Land House of Dragons to ask about you. Only by showing your skills will there be a chance that Sect Master Liu won't expose you,'Ming replied.
Xuefeng was momentarily stunned by the amount of lost Qi, but something else bothered him more. 'Won't expose me?' Xuefeng repeated.
'Yes. Imagine if you learned that someone could forge your Personal Disciple tokens. Would you admit that you weren't the one who issued them and lose your face in front of everyone?' Ming questioned.
'Of course not. I would search my fake disciples in private and ask them how did they forge it,' Xuefeng replied simply, finally realizing what Ming wanted to achieve. 'I see it now. By displaying our strength, there is a chance we can receive the real invite to the House of Dragons. But I don't think I want to have another master. I have you and Ling to help me when I need anything.'
'Silly, with how things are right now, I can't really protect you. Trade Union wants to hunt you down, so we can't trust or leech resources from them. Unless you defeat Wu's Grandpa and collect another Elemental Stone, at the same time taking control of the Trade Union using Wu's influence, you will need to find someone else to depend on,' Ming struck him with the reality.
'Then House of Dragons it is. I can't see myself flying around to collect Upgrade Fragments,' Xuefeng replied, knowing how time-consuming that would be.
'You just need to get into the Dragon Steps, and we will receive the resources we need. My tokens might look the same, but they don't register you to the House of Dragons. You will need one of the insiders to register you in the database, so they can start tracking your accomplishments and measure your power.'
Ming's explanation made sense. At first, Xuefeng thought they could go by without joining any powers, but it seems it wasn't possible. Resources were scarce, so the help from powerful Sects was required to be relevant to the scene.
'I got them all!' Tianshi suddenly called out, and Xuefeng saw her come back from the sky. He smiled and extended his arms, accepting her again. She didn't hesitate and passed him one of the rings, which contained all of the loot.
They realized it was full of stuff they didn't even need with a quick scan, so Xuefeng thought of a particular idea.
"Let's finish it all with one last act," Xuefeng announced, gazing at the crowd who still laid on the ground without moving.
"Everyone! You are free to go! I, Liu Xuefeng, and my wife Xiao Tianshi deeply apologize you got involved in this conflict," Xuefeng called out loudly, his voice resounding throughout the plane. "Trade Union has a small conflict with us, but it's between them and us. I have nothing against the City Guards and the people of this City."
The affected Cultivators were a bit hesitant at first, seeing that the Vine was still active, swinging left and right next to Xuefeng, but under Xuefeng's smile, they eventually stood up one by one.
"To clear our names, we didn't do anything wrong. It's the Trade Union which suddenly decided to hunt us down," Xuefeng continued. "But don't worry. No matter who it is, anyone who goes against us will end up just like them."
Xuefeng pointed at the black-clothed bodies on the ground, showing what happened to people who went against him. No one was brave enough to deny his words. The place was in absolute silence.
Xuefeng expected it. He smiled coolly and touched the Judgment Vine once again. It came back to life, scaring everyone gathered. Contrary to their thoughts, it didn't turn on them but instead slapped at the Safe Zone Barrier.
Bang!
It pierced through the barrier with ease before ripping away a gaping hole the size of a house. The barrier immediately started regenerating, but it would take some time before it healed completely with how big it was.
"Alright! Time for us to go!" Xuefeng announced as his Golden Wings spread on his back, and he flew in the sky with Tianshi lying on his chest. She didn't seem to mind at all, hugging him to her heart content.
He leveled with the barrier's hole, ready to pass through it when he stopped, turning around.
"Oh, I almost forgot. We involved you with our fight, and I don't think apologies are enough. Please accept those gifts as a compensation for your loss," Xuefeng said apologetically and swung with his arm, throwing a Storage Ring.
Boom!
It exploded right as it reached the crowd, spilling all of its treasures: Spirit Artefacts, high-ranked pills, or Spirit Herbs. Every person received at least one of them as the gift fell from the sky into their hands.
"Thank you, Boss!" the crowd instantly burst into cheers. None of them suffered, and they even received gifts. No one complained.
"No need. It's our gift for you. We are sorry for disturbing your afternoon," Xuefeng replied humbly and turned around. "Farewell!"
Poof!
Their bodies blinked into the hole before it closed, disappearing from the place. With Xuefeng gone, the Judgment Vine quickly decomposed, entering back to the ground where it belonged.
The land returned to its calm state, but the people were still in their excited mode.
"He was so cool! Killing the Trade Union pursuers as if it was nothing and even gifting us their loot! I knew House of Dragons' disciples were awesome, but he topped them!" One of the teen ladies in the crowd commented as she gazed at the Safe Zone barrier with a loving gaze. "As expected of the Sect Master Liu Personal Disciple. Did you see his jawline? So handsome!"
"Too bad, he has a wife already. She was such a beauty as well," her friend replied with a sigh. "If only I could get such a man, I would also be stuck to him like glue."
When the men heard her, they only rolled their eyes, but not many were jealous. He was already out of their reach with such powerful Arts, stepping into the idol level instead. If they could become this strong, they would also get one of the Hidden Realm's prettiest beauties.
"What was his name again? My eyes were blankly admiring his beauty that I missed what he said."
"Liu Xuefeng and his wife's name was Tianshi!"
"Such a pretty name!" The teen nodded eagerly as if she was coding the name into her mind and called out, "I have a friend in the Spirit Land. I will send her a message tonight to check his rank for us! If he is in the Dragon Steps, she will find him."