Li Hong'er had already changed into a new set of clothing, but her hair was still all damp. It was clear how much of a rush for revenge she was in. Also, her elder brother, Li Tianba, had come with her. He was one of the inner court’s top 10 disciples and was a tyrant among tyrants in the palace. He had just turned 20 and was already a sixth-stage Astral Realm cultivator.
Being one of the top 10 in the inner court represented a great status, as that was a ranking including the personal disciples. One could say that the top-10 inner court ranking was no different than being in the top 10 of the entire Martial Hall Palace.
The “Ba” character in Li Tianba's name meant overlord, and he had an appearance that matched his name. He was sturdily built and had a ferocious look. On his back hung a massive axe, and heavy armor protected his body. He looked no different than a general from a battlefield, and his person also constantly emanated a majestic presence. Mounted on an armored lizard, he stared straight at Xiang Shaoyun as a thick killing intent filled the arena.
"You are very brave. You even have the gall to bully the sister of me, Li Tianba? Today, not even the king of gods will be able to protect you!" Li Tianba pointed at Xiang Shaoyun and bellowed. He said to the people beside him, "Take him. I will cripple him before throwing him out of the Martial Hall Palace."
All the disciples in the area were alarmed when they heard those words. Although most of these outer court disciples had never heard Li Tianba's name, from how this person was behaving, it was obvious he wasn't someone who should be provoked. When they looked at Xiang Shaoyun again, different emotions could be seen from their eyes, such as sympathy and joy..
Just a short while ago, Xiang Shaoyun had appeared out of nowhere and created an uproar with his five-star physique. He then proceeded to defeat Wu Mingliang, completely suppressing all the disciples of his generation. But now, he had offended so many people at the same time. Naturally, some people were glad to see him suffer.
"Tianba, stop messing around. He is nineteenth elder's junior brother!" the martial officer said. He could no longer keep on watching.
"Hmph! Not even the Purple Lightning Marquis can protect him today!" Li Tianba declared. His father was the thirteenth elder, ranking even above the Purple Lightning Marquis.
"Senior Brother Li, allow this junior brother to help you with this. I was just about to arrest him myself!" Wu Mingguang said from the side.
"Junior Brother Wu, it's you? Wait, is this the kid you said you were going to take care of for your little brother?" Li Tianba asked.
"That's right. This is the second time he has injured my little brother. Today, I will teach him a proper lesson," Wu Mingguang said. He looked at Li Hong'er and asked, "Junior Sister Li, has he offended you as well?"
"Yes. I want him to suffer a fate worse than death today!" Li Hong'er said while gnashing her teeth.
"Sure, I will take him down for Junior Sister Li. You are free to do whatever you want to him after I get him," Wu Mingguang said before sending a vicious gaze Xiang Shaoyun's way. He approached Xiang Shaoyun, one step at a time.
"B-boss, w-we...should quickly retreat!" Xia Liuhui said while anxiously tugging Xiang Shaoyun's sleeve.
"Retreat? Why? This young master is never afraid of anyone!" Xiang Shaoyun said arrogantly, but inwardly, he further added, A hero will never stay and suffer for nothing! It's better to retreat for now!
Everyone thought Xiang Shaoyun was going to stay unyielding all the way, but they found that the fellow had actually started fleeing. The contrast between his words and his actions stunned everyone.
"Holy shit! Boss, wait for me!" Xia Liuhui finally reacted and quickly ran after his boss, ignoring his aching body.
Wu Mingguang sneered, "Hmph. If you can escape me today, I will write my name in reverse from now on!" He then waved at the people behind him before running after Xiang Shaoyun and Xia Liuhui.
Naturally, Li Tianba's group would not allow Xiang Shaoyun to escape, and thus they joined the pursuit as well.
"Out of the way! Out of the way!" Li Tianba sped forward with his mount and yelled at Wu Mingguang's group.
Wu Mingguang's group quickly scattered while Li Tianba rushed to the forefront on his mount. Soon, he overtook Xia Liuhui and was not far from Xiang Shaoyun. A nasty smile appeared on his face. "Hah, torturing a coward like you is my favorite thing to do!"
After saying that, he sent a blood-red palm flying straight at Xiang Shaoyun's back. For a sixth-stage Astral Realm expert, sending astral energy attacks to a target several meters away was nothing difficult. But right as the blood-red palm was about to land, a figure appeared and blocked it.
"Who's there? You dare ruin my hunt?" Li Tianba bellowed. He had barely spoken those words when that figure dashed toward him and slapped his face.
Pa!
The slap sent Li Tianba flying off his armored lizard.
"You dare raise your voice against this elder? Not even Li Xuemeng has the guts to raise his voice against me!" said the newcomer with a sonorous voice. The newcomer was none other than the Purple Lightning Marquis, Zi Changhe.
Ever since Zi Changhe found out that the Wu Clan had set their eyes on Xiang Shaoyun, he no longer let Xiang Shaoyun cultivate alone. He had been paying close attention to Xiang Shaoyun. He wouldn't be able to escape blame if he allowed something bad to happen to his junior brother. Because of that, he immediately rushed over the moment he found out that Xiang Shaoyun had created a ruckus yet again. Fortunately, he arrived in time. Otherwise, Xiang Shaoyun would have most likely suffered today.
"Z-Zi Changhe! Y-you dare hit me!" Li Tianba stumbled back to his feet and glared at Zi Changhe.
It was no secret that Zi Changhe and his father did not have a friendly relationship. That was also why he had dared to call out Zi Changhe directly by his name.
"You have shown this elder disrespect. So what if I hit you?" Zi Changhe berated. Then, he stared at the group behind Li Tianba and said, "Who gave you permission to use reckless force in the outer court? Just because you are inner court disciples, you can kill as you wish?"
As Zi Changhe questioned them, an imposing aura surged from him, shaking Wu Mingguang and the others so much that they even started stepping backward with anxious looks in their eyes. As the youngest elder of the Martial Hall Palace, Zi Changhe had an extraordinary strength. Disciples like them would not be able to endure his wrath.
"Zi Changhe, Xiang Shaoyun bullied me and pushed me into the lake! I will not let this matter rest! Even if you're an elder, you can't just blindly protect him!" Li Hong'er yelled, showing no fear whatsoever.
"Oh? He was actually able to push you into the lake?" Zi Changhe exclaimed in astonishment.
Xiang Shaoyun was only a first-stage Astral Realm cultivator while Li Hong'er was already at the third stage. With a gap of two stages, Xiang Shaoyun was actually able to suppress her. That was quite a surprise.
"That's right. If you don't give me an answer, I will not let this rest. Even if I have to escalate this to the palace master, I'll do it!" Li Hong'er said.
"Heh, even if you want to let it rest, I won't agree. A month ago, you whipped my face for no reason whatsoever. And earlier at the lake, you attacked me for no reason again. I was merely defending myself. Your words alone are not enough to determine who's at fault here," Xiang Shaoyun smiled and said.
"Who do you think you are? If I want to hit you, you should just take it!" Li Hong'er barked.
"Who do you think you are to be acting so impudently?" Xiang Shaoyun countered.
"I am the daughter of the thirteenth elder!" Li Hong'er declared with pride.