Chapter 70: Weirdness

Two people shot down from the sky and landed outside the door. One was Xu Tianci who just left earlier. Behind Xu Tianci stood a person who looked similar to him. That imposing aura was radiating from his body.

As soon as Xu Tianci landed on the ground, he yelled toward the Spirit Hall, “Xu Ziyan, come out right now!”

Xu Ziyan stood up from her seat and slowly walked out the main door, looking toward the opposite side. She directly ignored Xu Tianci and locked her gaze on Xu Tianyang. Her heart couldn’t help but stir:

“Third Layer of Qi Refining Stage?”

She slightly furrowed her brows and secretly calculated in her mind, “I’m afraid my Houtian cultivation level can’t beat him. Do I really have to expose my true cultivation level for such a matter? But… right now, I can’t back down either!”

As soon as Xu Ziyan walked out of the Spirit Hall, Xu Tianyang, who stood behind Xu Tianci, had a glint in his eyes. That day at the Central Plaza, he was very far from Xu Ziyan, and since he belonged to Xu Tianlang’s faction, he didn’t approach Xu Ziyan back then, so he hadn’t seen her appearance clearly.

Now, seeing her up close like this, Xu Ziyan’s beauty made his heart race. Xu Tianyang was different from Xu Tianci; while Xu Tianci appreciated talent, Xu Tianyang was lustful. But when he saw Xu Ziyan’s cold, fearless gaze directed at him, he immediately snapped out of his lustful thoughts. He snorted coldly, concentrated his aura pressure in one direction, and pressed it toward Xu Ziyan.

Feeling the opponent’s sharp aura pressure, Xu Ziyan sneered slightly in her heart, thinking to herself:

“Comparing aura pressure? That’s what I fear the least right now!”

She concentrated her own aura pressure in one direction too, using the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining Stage’s aura pressure to counterattack toward Xu Tianyang.

Between Xu Ziyan and Xu Tianyang, a vortex silently appeared, swirling the snow on the ground into flurries. Xu Tianyang only felt a stifling sensation in his heart. The overwhelming aura pressure made him feel breathless. Startled, he quickly scrutinized Xu Ziyan carefully, but this inspection made him even more puzzled:

“She’s only at the Eleventh Layer of Houtian! Why do I feel like I’m facing someone with a higher cultivation level than me?”

Xu Ziyan coldly stared at Xu Tianyang, her eyes flashing with icy electricity. At this moment, what Xu Ziyan thought was that it would be best if she could make Xu Tianyang wary with her aura pressure. That way, she could resolve the current predicament without publicly exposing her true cultivation level. Of course, this would still leave people suspicious, but that was just suspicion—much better than publicly revealing her cultivation level.

Xu Ziyan’s strong attitude made Xu Tianyang even more confused. In Xu Tianyang’s eyes, Xu Ziyan became mysterious. As someone at the Third Layer of Qi Refining Stage, he firmly believed that the Xu Ziyan opposite him definitely wasn’t at the Eleventh Layer of Houtian; otherwise, she wouldn’t have such strong aura pressure.

However, he didn’t feel much fear in his heart. Although his aura pressure seemed slightly weaker than Xu Ziyan’s, aura pressure didn’t represent actual strength. Xu Tianyang believed that if they fought, he might not necessarily lose to Xu Ziyan. But Xu Ziyan’s mysterious aura made him somewhat cautious. If he, a Third Layer of Qi Refining Stage cultivator, fought for too long against someone who appeared to be only at the Eleventh Layer of Houtian, even if others didn’t say anything, wouldn’t he feel embarrassed himself?

Consciously, he slowly withdrew his aura pressure while pondering how to handle the situation. Seeing the other side start to retract his aura pressure, Xu Ziyan also gradually withdrew her own, but her beautiful eyes still tightly watched Xu Tianyang.

Xu Tianyang kept thinking to himself, although his brother was defeated by Xu Ziyan, he wasn’t harmed. He only needed to save some face; surely Xu Ziyan wouldn’t refuse to give him any face, right? At most, regarding the dissolution of the Plum Blossom Gang, he could let Xu Ziyan have a share of the benefits too.

Thinking this, Xu Tianyang looked toward the opposite side. Suddenly, his gaze froze—he saw Xu Hualing standing behind Xu Ziyan.

Xu Ziyan was beautiful, but she was clearly a rose with thorns. Xu Hualing was different; she only had the cultivation level of the Ninth Layer of Houtian, and most importantly, although her face wasn’t particularly beautiful, her figure was exceptional among women. Standing there gracefully, around twenty years old, dressed in plain white due to the gang leader’s death, her face filled with sorrow, she looked delicate and fragile.

Her delicate, flawless complexion was like a blooming petal, dewy and fresh—utterly charming and irresistibly tempting. Xu Hualing blushed under Xu Tianyang’s gaze and slightly lowered her head. Xu Tianyang reluctantly withdrew his gaze, having already changed his earlier plan. He cleared his throat lightly, straightened his expression, and said to Xu Ziyan:

“You are Xu Ziyan, right?”

“Yes!” Xu Ziyan replied coldly, unaware that Xu Tianyang had already changed his mind.

“I am Xu Tianyang, a disciple of the Inner Hall.”

“Greetings, Senior Brother!” Xu Ziyan gave a slight bow.

Xu Tianyang nodded slightly and said amiably, “You came because of the Plum Blossom Gang matter, right?”

“Yes!” Xu Ziyan frowned slightly, feeling somewhat confused.

“The Plum Blossom Gang doesn’t have to disband, and the issue with my brother can be overlooked. But there is one matter I need to discuss with the Plum Blossom Gang, and you cannot be involved!”

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao’s expressions change, but even Xu Tianci’s face turned very unpleasant.

“Discuss?” Xu Ziyan was taken aback, then asked again, “Just discuss?”

“Of course!” Xu Tianyang confirmed with a nod.

“Alright!”

Xu Ziyan nodded and stepped aside. She wanted to see how Xu Tianyang intended to “discuss” things. If it was unfair, she wouldn’t mind confronting Xu Tianyang again. Since she had already stepped forward about the Plum Blossom Gang matter, she couldn’t retreat now. Besides, she wouldn’t lose anyway—she’d just have to reveal her cultivation level earlier.

Seeing Xu Ziyan step aside, Xu Tianyang was quite pleased. He looked at Xu Hualing and said softly:

“This Junior Sister, are you a disciple of the Plum Blossom Gang?”

Xu Hualing was startled by the question, not knowing why Xu Tianyang was speaking to her, but she still respectfully bowed deeply and said in a small voice:

“Replying to Senior, this humble girl is indeed a disciple of the Plum Blossom Gang!”

“Hehehe…” Xu Tianyang laughed gently and said, “No need for ‘Senior’ this and ‘Senior’ that. Just call me Senior Brother!”

Xu Hualing looked stunned again. Behind Xu Tianyang, Xu Tianci’s face grew even more unpleasant. By now, he understood what his younger brother was thinking—how could he not know his brother’s nature? But he didn’t dare say anything out loud, just angrily turned his face away, thinking sadly to himself:

“Ah! It seems my face is completely lost today!”