Bai family.
Bai Qi wasn’t sleeping because he couldn’t fall asleep.
Tomorrow was the start of the battle.
He didn’t really want to go to sleep either.
Just a few minutes ago, a disciple came to report that the patriarchs of the Zhang and Li families had been assassinated.
When he was wondering what was going on, Bai Lingling rushed into the main hall and shouted, “Father! Luo Tian is gone!”
At this moment, Bai Qi immediately connected Luo Tian’s disappearance with the death of the Zhang and Li family patriarchs. He immediately exclaimed, “Not good!”
“He has definitely gone to the Ouyang family.”
“I just got the news that the Deng family had sent out several elders to the Ouyang family. If that’s the case…”
“It’s going to be a disaster!”
Bai Qi instantly stood up and shouted, “Someone come! Relay my command that all elite disciples of the Bai family shall immediately come with me to the Ouyang family!”
A disciple asked, “Patriarch, do we need to leave some people behind to guard the Bai family?”
Bai Qi replied, “No need. Everyone should head out together.”
Bai Lingling thought of something and asked, “Father, are you saying Luo Tian went to the Ouyang family? And the Deng family already foresaw this, and there are many people waiting to ambush him?”
Bai Qi nodded, “I’m afraid so.”
Bai Lingling didn’t hesitate and turned around to run out of the main hall. She exerted her peak Condensation Element 6th rank strength and disappeared off into the dark in just a few leaps. She was naturally heading in the direction of the Ouyang family.
Bai Qi shouted Bai Lingling’s name a few times with a frown, but she didn’t return.
At this moment, Bai Qi became even more anxious. He shouted, “Quickly go! Why are you still standing here?! Also, go send someone to notify Bai Xiong and Lin Dong to quickly rush to the Ouyang family as well!”
Swords were drawn, and the situation was hanging by a thread.
Bai Qi’s heart was beating quickly in anxiety. He looked at the dark night sky just prior to dawn and muttered, “It looks like the battle has been brought forward.”
Ouyang family.
Luo Tian’s expression changed as he said to himself, “I was too negligent and careless.”
Luo Tian didn’t expect the whole situation to go wrong after fighting a few battles in bed.
He thought that the Zhang and Li family wouldn’t confront the Deng family that quickly. In reality, both families had rushed to the Deng family right after their patriarchs were killed.
Deng Leigong saw through the ploy and immediately came up with a countermeasure. He waited at the Ouyang residence for half the night before Luo Tian finally showed up.
“Hahaha…”
“Luo Tian, you’re finally here! You’ve made me wait a long time!” Ouyang Lie walked out from a room in another courtyard. He had a smug smile on his face when he saw how surprised Luo Tian looked.
Ouyang Lie then said, “You never expected this, right? Hahaha… I didn’t expect this either. Old Master Deng said that you would come to assassinate me, but I didn’t believe him. Now, I have to believe him. Old Master Deng is simply like a divine strategist!”
“Luo Tian, you damn dog thing! Tell us if it was you that killed our patriarch?!”
“There’s also our Li family’s patriarch! Was he killed by you as well?!”
The Zhang and Li family disciples rushed into the courtyard with bloodshot eyes. They were covered in hatred and killing intent like they were going to swallow Luo Tian whole.
Since the situation had turned out this way, Luo Tian didn’t bother hiding it. He walked out of the bedroom slowly and into the courtyard. He swept his gaze past all the ambushers present and smiled, “So what if I did? You four great families are allowed to plot against me, but I’m not allowed to assassinate your people?”
“Hahaha, it’s good that you’ve admitted it. It’s much easier to handle things from here on out.”
At this moment, Deng Leigong walked out from a dark area with a crafty fox-like smile. When he stared at Luo Tian standing in the courtyard, he said to himself, “You’re simply too young. There’s no way you can fight with me based on your immature plans. If it weren’t for that woman Yi Yunmeng protecting you, you would’ve already become a wandering spirit under my blade!”
The crowd split apart to allow Deng Leigong to walk through. Behind him were several Deng family elders and the six Bai family elders who defected.
This meant that a majority of the experts of Towering Cloud City were now present.
The elite disciples from all four great families were pretty much present as well.
This courtyard had basically become an absolute kill zone.
Luo Tian maintained his smile and said, “It looks like it will be very tough for me to leave here today.”
Deng Leigong smiled, “It really wasn’t easy to plan to kill you. Luo Tian, you should feel honored because, after so many years of living, I have never spent as much effort as I have today to kill a person. You are the first one.”
Ouyang Lei shouted, “Today, I shall avenge my son! Even if you have a hundred lives, you won’t be able to escape your death!”
“Someone come!”
“Take action now!”
Deng Leigong suddenly raised his hand and said, “Hold on.”
Ouyang Lei said with surprise, “Old Master Deng, why are you talking so much nonsense with him? Just kill him already.”
Deng Leigong stared at Luo Tian and said, “Luo Tian, you are really not bad. The martial skills you’ve cultivated are something this old man has never seen before. I can definitely say that I have never seen them before in both the lower and middle realms. Your potential is limitless. If you were to pledge your loyalty to me and swear to work for the Deng family for all eternity, I will let you live. This will be the only chance I’m giving you to keep your life!”
Ouyang Lie’s expression underwent a drastic change.
The expression from the people of the Zhang and Li families also changed. They all turned to stare at Deng Leigong.
Ouyang Lie said gravely, “Old Master Deng, what do you mean by this? I thought we’d already talked about this beforehand. The words you’ve said to him aren’t funny anymore. Luo Tian has to die today.”
An elder from the Zhang family added, “What Patriarch Ouyang said is right. We have to take revenge for the death of our patriarch.”
An elder from the Li family also chimed in, “That’s right! We want vengeance!”
Deng Leigong narrowed his eyes and said, “The Deng family won’t take any territory, businesses, or stores from the Bai family. They will all be split between your three families. I only want Luo Tian.”
“Huh?”
“This…”
“Old Master Deng, are you sure of what you’ve said?”
The three elders who spoke up didn’t even think about it.
What vengeance? What son got killed? What patriarch was killed? In front of huge benefits, everything else is but fleeting clouds.
The expressions of those three recovered, and there was even a hint of a smile on their faces.
They were very satisfied with those conditions.
Deng Leigong replied, “I am true to my words as long as you guys agree to give this kid to me.”
The eldest son of Deng Leigong walked up to him and whispered, “Father, Luo Tian offended Lord Ao and the Hai family. Keeping someone like him in the Deng family will only attract trouble. He must absolutely not be kept.”
Deng Leigong furrowed his brow and replied, “Don’t worry, I have already made preparations for those issues.”
This was natural. As an old fox, Deng Leigong had already planned things out. He was only waiting for Luo Tian’s agreement.
Deng Leigong looked at Luo Tian and said, “What do you say? Have you thought it over? As long as you nod, no one in Towering Cloud City will dare to touch you. And what the Bai family cannot give you, the Deng family can. Don’t you need Blood Spirits? There will be a large auction in Misty Cloud City in a few months, and there will be some high ranking Blood Spirits then. I will use everything the Deng family has to buy them for you. All I need is a nod from you.”
The surrounding people were shocked. Has Old Master Deng lost his marbles?
Did he actually say such words out loud?
And he was going to buy some Blood Spirits for Luo Tian? Did water enter his brain?
Even the expressions of his sons and the family’s elders underwent a change. They were all confused about what their old patriarch was trying to do.
Luo Tian was also shocked.
One has to mention that Deng Leigong’s conditions were very tempting. And all those things he said were quite beneficial to Luo Tian.
But one should never judge a book by its cover.
Luo Tian showed a shocked expression and said, “Wow, what a tempting offer! Old Master Deng, you are really generous. But I know there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Just asking me to be your subordinate isn’t enough, right?”
Deng Leigong smiled, “You are smart. What I like the most is making deals with smart people.”
After saying that, Deng Leigong took out a tiny pill from his person and said, “If you are willing to swallow this pill, I will do everything I have said just now. And I can provide you with any cultivation resources the Deng family has in its possession!”
“Oh?”
Luo Tian looked at the unremarkable pill in Deng Leigong’s hand.
He was pretty sure Deng Leigong was going to use this pill to control him. But who was he? How can he be controlled by a mere tiny pill?
But the moment Deng Leigong brought out that pill, Ouyang Lie was the only person who revealed a shocked expression on his face.
His body started trembling unconsciously!
Small beads of sweat appeared on Ouyang Lie’s forehead while he stared at the pill. No one noticed it, but Luo Tian did. He secretly shuddered and thought to himself, “It seems like I underestimated this pill.”
Deng Leigong asked, “What do you say? Luo Tian, you will immediately become the Deng family’s head elder once you swallow this pill. Tonight, no one will dare to move against you.”
Luo Tian replied with a smile, “How can I bear to reject such good conditions?”
“Of course I accept it!”
Luo Tian walked over with large strides after saying that.
Deng Leigong was a little surprised but sneered inwardly, “Who isn’t afraid of death? I just didn’t expect this kid to be so afraid of death. Humph~! Kid, you’ll know how powerful this pill is once you swallow it. From now on, you’ll become a dog by my side, hahaha…”
Ouyang Lie’s body faintly shivered.
Deng Leigong noticed this and glared at him. Ouyang Lie was like an obedient dog and immediately stopped trembling.
Luo Tian walked over and took the pill from Deng Leigong. He held the pill up to observe it and then smelled it. He then said internally, “Sister Illusion, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
Illusion Fairy replied, “Why would I lie to you? If I say it is, then it definitely is. This pill contains the properties to control a person’s nerves in the brain. If harnessed correctly, this property can become one of the ingredients for making an antidote for Soul Poison. It’s just that it’s rather surprising to see this Heavenly Soul Capturing Pill in a place like this. It seems that this old man is quite a sinister individual. Once this pill is swallowed, even a powerful expert in the Holy Spirit realm cannot escape from being controlled by others.”
“An incredibly powerful poisonous pill.”
The moment Deng Leigong took out the Heavenly Soul Capturing Pill, Illusion Fairy suddenly spoke inside Luo Tian, asking him to take the pill.
Otherwise, Luo Tian wouldn’t be dumb enough to walk over and grab it.
Luo Tian looked left, right, up, and down at the pill. What was most surprising to him was that the system was unable to identify it. Could it be that the level of this pill was too high, and it couldn’t be identified with his current system level? But since Illusion Fairy said that this pill was useful, then it shouldn’t be wrong.
Deng Leigong said with a smile, “Luo Tian, enough looking. It’s just an ordinary medicinal pill. You can go ahead and swallow it now.”
Luo Tian opened his mouth like he was about to swallow the pill, but a figure suddenly appeared at this moment.
It was Bai Qi!
Bai Qi shouted with a dark expression, “Don’t swallow it!”
Deng Leigong’s expression turned fierce as his gaze instantly shone with killing intent. He said to himself, “Ruining my plans?! Bai Qi, you must be tired of living!”
Bai Qi walked over to Luo Tian and said, “You can’t swallow that pill, or else you will follow the footsteps of the former overlord of Towering Cloud City, Zhu Fengcheng. Deng Leigong, you are truly quite vicious. I never imagined that you would still have this type of pill in your possession. If you hadn’t used such despicable means back then and convinced City Lord Zhu to take this pill, would you have the power you have right now? You took over everything in the Zhu family and didn’t spare the old or young. What a devious move on your part!”
Deng Leigong became furious. His gaze became gloomy as he said, “Bai Qi, you will soon be a dead man. Luo Tian, a man who recognizes the reality of the situation, is a hero among men. Bai Qi will die soon, and his Bai family will be eradicated before dawn and forever be removed from the records of Towering Cloud City. As long as you swallow this pill, my promise just now will still stand.”
“Luo Tian, I know you are a smart person. You definitely won’t survive under these current circumstances. I think you are better off by obediently taking the pill.” Deng Leigong had a smug sneer and looked like he had already won.
Luo Tian revealed a scared expression, quickly opening his mouth and bringing the pill close.
Deng Leigong started laughing loudly with a smug expression plastered on his face.
Bai Qi kept insisting, “Luo Tian, you can’t eat it! You can’t!”
Just when everyone thought Luo Tian was going to eat the pill, he stopped and put the pill away. “Old Master Deng, thank you very much for the Heavenly Soul Capturing Pill. I will gladly accept it.”
Deng Leigong’s expression looked like he had been struck by lightning.
He was frozen in place. He never imagined that Luo Tian would know the name of the pill, and what’s more, he never imagined that he had just handed over a pill worth a million xuan coins.
He wanted to throw up blood this very instance.
He thought he was very intelligent, but he was viciously played by Luo Tian.
Deng Leigong’s expression darkened as it turned ice cold. “Before you die, I want to know how you know the name of this pill. You have been in the Ancient World for a very short amount of time. No matter what kind of special encounters you have had, it’s impossible for you to know about the Heavenly Soul Capturing Pill.”
Luo Tian replied with a smile, “It was your mother who told me last night.”
“Luo Tian! You are courting death!” shouted Deng Leigong.
Luo Tian wasn’t afraid and shouted back arrogantly, “Come at me, motherfucker!”
In an instant, the atmosphere became tense, like a barrel of gunpowder about to explode.
Killing intent permeated the surrounding area.
Ouyang Lie spoke up and said, “Old Master Deng, there’s no need to talk so much with these kinds of people. Let’s just kill them all.”
Deng Leigong smiled, “Patriarch Ouyang, what you’ve said is right. I seem to be too merciful in wanting to give him a chance at life. But since he doesn’t want that chance, he shouldn’t blame me for being ruthless.”
“All Deng family disciples, listen up! Kill them!”
There was no room for compromise anymore.
The existence of the Heavenly Soul Capturing Pill must never be revealed.
The reason is that this was an evil and vicious pill concocted by a high priest from the devil sects. A pill that he bought at a high price. There were only two of them in total, and one was used decades ago. This was the only one left. Once it is discovered by the orthodox sects or someone from Misty Cloud Academy, he will definitely be hunted down.
Luo Tian had to be killed, and the Heavenly Soul Capturing Pill taken back.
Luo Tian softly said, “Uncle Bai, find a chance to escape. I can leave anytime on my own.”
The courtyard was already similar to an impenetrable fortress.
A peak Martial Void expert might find it difficult to escape here. Even if Bai Qi could escape, Luo Tian definitely could not. Bai Qi gave a slight smile and said, “Luo Tian, I want to thank you. Even in this situation, you have not betrayed the Bai family. If I survive today, I will definitely betroth my daughter to you.”
“Uhhh… Uncle Bai, didn’t you already tell me that you were going to marry your daughter to me? Never mind, your daughter is already a person of mine anyway, hahaha…”
Bai Qi sighed, “A grown daughter cannot be kept unmarried for long…”
After saying that, Bai Qi grabbed Luo Tian and exploded forth with his Martial Void 6th rank powers. He then threw Luo Tian out with all his strength and shouted, “My good son-in-law, don’t ever make my daughter sad!”
Bai Qi then said to himself, “Luo Tian, I believe you will not disappoint me. Your martial path cannot stop here. I believe you will eventually achieve the peak of martial arts one day, hahaha! If that does happen, I can still smile even when I am in the netherworld.”
This was Bai Qi’s choice!
He already knew that making such a choice meant he would die.
But if he doesn’t do this, Luo Tian will die here. Even though Luo Tian had learned a lot of strong martial skills, he knew about their time limitations. And he didn’t want Luo Tian to endanger his life here.
This was all for the Bai family and his daughter!
Bai Qi then laughed, “Old Fox Deng, come at me! Hahaha…”
The power of a Martial Void 6th ranker was terrifying in a small place like Towering Cloud City.
Luo Tian never expected that Bai Qi would suddenly grab him and throw him out. The roof of the courtyard was full of archers, and the courtyard was full of Martial Void realm experts. They were all standing there dumbstruck in this so-called impenetrable killing formation.
Just like Luo Tian, none of them reacted in time.
As Luo Tian was flying out, Deng Leigong revealed his most vicious expression, shouting in rage, “Bai Qi! Die for me!”
Bai Qi, who was wearing all white, pulled out his sword with a ringing sound. He then said, “Old Fox Deng, let me experience your Lei family’s Thunderbolt Sword Technique. I would love to see the power of a spirit level sword technique.”
As Bai Qi finished speaking, his body blurred into three figures.
From three different directions, the sword pierced straight for Deng Leigong.
A very powerful attack!
Deng Leigong was filled with rage, and he didn’t even give Bai Qi a glance. He furrowed his brow, “Experience the suppression of a Martial Void 9th ranker…”
“Suppress!”
“Ommm~!”
The natural suppression from a higher realm martial artist smashed down on everyone in the courtyard. Time seemed to have stopped as everyone’s movement was frozen in place. Deng Leigong moved at lightning speed as his hands formed into a palm form, which was then slammed toward Bai Qi’s chest.
“Soul Splitting Palm! Die for me!”