Chapter 140: Courting Death!

“Hahaha, truly unexpected! Even at a time like this, stray dogs dare come knocking, they really don’t know how they will die!”

“Hahaha, Brother Wei is exactly right. Those people died so miserably, not a single one escaped!”

“What do you mean ‘not a single one escaped’? They clearly died horribly, without a trace, no burial ground!”

“Hahaha!”

Just as Tang Jinbiao was worried about Tang Zhantian and the others’ safety, several extremely harsh voices rang out from within the city. Immediately after, he saw seven or eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators of varying Cultivation Levels crowding around a powerfully built man as they walked out.

The man was handsome, imposing, and roughly the same height as Tang Jinbiao. However, his frame was considerably more muscular than Jinbiao’s. He looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, in his prime years, and exuded a powerful aura of pressure.

“Third-tier Body Refiner!”

Without even exchanging blows, Tang Jinbiao could clearly sense from the man’s pressure that he was a Third-tier Body Refiner, causing a slight stir within him.

Since developing the Pseudo Qi Sea within his body, he had learned some small tricks from the Ape Art, such as how to conceal his aura and how to control the flow of his Qi Energy. Hence, unless he intentionally released his pressure and imposing manner, most people would just assume he was an early-stage Body Refiner when they looked at him. No one would suspect he was a Body Refining Third Tier Cultivator.

Of course, the main reason was his own lack of appropriate tempering; he simply didn’t possess that strong, intrinsic demeanor one would expect. Therefore, maintaining this disguise didn’t raise suspicions.

“Junior Brother Tang, that man is called Wei Wuya, Body Refining Third Tier Mid-stage. He is a member of the Wei Clan of the Northern Faction Alliance. He cultivates a top-grade Yellow Tier Cultivation Technique and has mastered one Mysterious Tier Low-grade Martial Technique, the Cloud-Parting Palm, and one top-grade Yellow Tier Body Refining Art, the Eight Extremes Step. He excels in speed and ambush. Your Tang Family clan’s extermination… it seems the Wei Clan is also tangled up in it. I can’t help you with much, sorry.”

Seeing these people emerge, Ma Xinghai’s face changed slightly, but he didn’t dare say much aloud. Instead, he secretly transmitted a voice message to Tang Jinbiao.

“Hmm?”

Hearing Ma Xinghai’s voice message surprised Tang Jinbiao momentarily, but he didn’t look towards him. He simply committed this favor to memory.

“Hehe, Senior Brother Wei, may I ask where your group is heading?”

After sending his message, Ma Xinghai put on a smiling face and stepped forward to greet Wei Wuya and the others.

“Get the hell out of the way! This is none of your concern any longer!”

However, just as Ma Xinghai had taken a few steps forward, a Cultivator who was also at the Late Foundation Building Stage immediately advanced. With a flick of his sleeve, Ma Xinghai, caught off guard, was instantly blown backward. He slammed into the city wall, injured immediately. He felt a metallic sweetness well up in his throat and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

“Senior Brother Ma!”

The other gate guards, seeing their leader struck down, quivered where they stood, not daring to go and help him. They could only watch silently.

“Ah!”

The female Cultivators shrieked in fright.

“Hmph!”

The leader, Wei Wuya, cast a brief glance at the fallen Ma Xinghai, a mocking smile curling on his lips.

“It’s shift change, shift change! We’re on duty now. Why aren’t you all pissing off yet?”

The man who had just struck Ma Xinghai felt no remorse whatsoever. He glanced casually at the guards, his face wearing an arrogant expression.

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

Those cultivators reacted swiftly, quickly helping Ma Xinghai to his feet before bowing their heads and scurrying away.

In an instant, only two female cultivators remained from the original guard group. One was the woman named Li Ru at the Mid Foundation Building Stage, while the other was quite unremarkable, merely at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage.

“Hmm, Li Ru, you did very well. This Creation Elixir is yours now!”

Wei Wuya wore an arrogant expression as he glanced at Li Ru, flicked an elixir toward her, and stated coolly.

“Thank you, Young Master! I shall take my leave!”

Li Ru accepted the elixir respectfully yet nervously, uttered her thanks, swallowed the pill immediately, and departed in haste.

Now only the Early Foundation Establishment Stage female cultivator was left, though she showed no intention of leaving.

“Heh heh, Junior Sister Song, the shift has changed. Do you plan to stay longer? Careful or you’ll get splattered with blood soon!”

Wei Wuya gave the remaining female cultivator a level look as he spoke.

“Hmph! Don’t get cocky, Wei Wuya! Relying on the Wei Clan’s influence to do evil now—what goes around comes around! Your retribution will catch up with you sooner or later!”

The female cultivator surnamed Song wore a furious expression, completely unafraid of Wei Wuya as she hurled curses directly at him.

“Heh heh, I look forward to that day immensely. Xiao Wu, escort Junior Sister Song back to the city!”

Wei Wuya seemed aware this woman held an unusual status and dared not offend her further. He replied with a mocking grin.

“Yes!”

The moment Wei Wuya finished speaking, a cultivator at the Late Foundation Building Stage emerged from behind him, preparing to escort Junior Sister Song away.

“No need! I have legs!”

Junior Sister Song’s face flushed with anger as she refused.

She then turned back toward Tang Jinbiao and spat, “You heartless jerk! If you die here today, blame no one! Master can finally be free of you! Hmph!”

After cursing him twice, she stormed off without another word.

“I…”

Tang Jinbiao was dazed, uncertain what was happening, yet instinct shouted that trouble had found him.

“Heh heh, I heard your name is Tang Jinbiao, correct?”

Wei Wuya flashed a jeering smile, sizing up Tang Jinbiao before posing the question coolly.

“So what if I am? So what if I’m not?”

Tang Jinbiao scrutinized the group too. Besides Wei Wuya, who was a Middle Third Tier Body Refiner, the rest were cultivators. Their cultivation levels ranged no lower than Mid Foundation Building Stage, mostly Late Foundation Building Stage. One short, sickly-pale man even radiated intense pressure—clearly a Core Formation Cultivator.

Such power! The Divine Wind Academy’s reputation is truly well-earned. Finding Core Formation or higher cultivators elsewhere is rare, yet even the academy’s gatekeepers possess such strength!

Tang Jinbiao felt a twinge of unease. Despite knowing he’d reached Body Refining Third Tier, his lack of life-or-death combat experience made him nervous. Still, he couldn’t show weakness.

“Oh, so you’re pretty cocky!”

Wei Wuya’s expression shifted to surprise at Tang Jinbiao’s defiance.

“Well, what do you want?”

Tang Jinbiao stood his ground, Qi Energy already stirring within him as he prepared for the unexpected.

“I don’t want much. I just can’t stand people surnamed Tang. Especially those conceited, woman-spongeing Tangs!”

Wei Wuya sneered contemptuously.

“What? Who says I’m living off a woman?”

Tang Jinbiao was bewildered; he had no idea when he had ever lived off a woman, and he couldn’t help but get angry.

“Hah, isn’t this hilarious? Some people clearly live off women and still deny it! Haha!”

Wei Wuya turned to those beside him.

“Haha, funny, so funny!”

“Haha!”

Those people burst into loud laughter one by one.

“You!”

Tang Jinbiao might not know where he had gone wrong, but he still felt enraged; with those people laughing like this, it seemed like he really had become a man living off a woman.

“Hmph, you what you? Fine, if you want to prove you’re not freeloading, why not spar with my brothers here? Anyway, you’ll have to take a test to enter the academy, so take this chance now. Save yourself from getting kicked out later—then it won’t just be about living off a woman! ”

Not knowing if it was deliberate to anger Tang Jinbiao, Wei Wuya kept repeating “living off a woman.”

“Oh, now that makes sense! So that’s what it meant!”

Tang Jinbiao suddenly understood something, and his face showed a look of realization.

Earlier, Ma Xinghai had sent him a transmission, warning him to be careful of Wei Wuya; now he recalled spontaneously that the Wei Clan belonged to the Northern Faction Alliance. The feud between the northern and southern factions had dragged on for ages. Remembering that the Southern Faction also had a Tang Family, he realized what was going on.

“This will do—I see you’re a useless guy, old as you are, not even reaching the Second Tier of Body Refining. Little Nine, come out and fight him. Careful, don’t injure anyone!”

Wei Wuya surveyed Tang Jinbiao, seeming disappointed that Tang Jinbiao didn’t even come close to the Second Tier of Body Refining, and spoke lightly.

“Yes! Subordinate obeys! I won’t injure anyone, I’ll just kill!”

As soon as Wei Wuya’s voice fell, a Mid Foundation Building Stage cultivator immediately stepped forward and spoke.

“Hmm, handle it well. Someone dares to impersonate a student of my Divine Wind Academy and sneak into the Divine Wind Academy—tell me, what’s the crime?”

Wei Wuya stepped back slightly and stood there quietly.

“Subordinate understands. Anyone who dares to impersonate a student of the Divine Wind Academy must be shown no mercy—killed immediately!”

That Mid Foundation Building Stage cultivator, called Little Nine, raised his head, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Immediately after, the cultivator moved his body, and dozens of fist-sized Fireballs transformed into a shower of flames shooting toward Tang Jinbiao.

Although those Fireballs weren’t large, they were intense and powerful—one look revealed their fearsome force. If hit, a person might instantly turn to dust.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

At the same time, Little Nine flipped one hand, and three dark figures transformed into streaks of black light flying over at an even faster speed.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

But Little Nine’s moves didn’t end there; his hands formed a series of hand seals, and a golden bell, visible to the naked eye, instantly appeared before him. With a low shout from Little Nine, the large bell, formed entirely of Spiritual Energy, swiftly shot to surround Tang Jinbiao.

“What the hell? What’s going on?”

Tang Jinbiao was momentarily dazed, but he reacted instantly, cursed, shifted his feet, and immediately retreated backward.

“No good. This Little Nine puts on too much of a show—all flash but no substance!”

Over at the side, Wei Wuya watched as Little Nine unleashed so many flashy attacks at the start. His face showed no admiration, only resignation as he shook his head.

“Hmph!”

Little Nine seemed to hear Wei Wuya’s sigh; his expression changed slightly, but his hands never stopped. He snorted coldly, slapped his Storage Pouch with one hand, and a silver Long Spear immediately began to enlarge in the wind. In a flash, it grew to ten feet long. With a single-handed throw, it transformed into a white streak heading straight toward Tang Jinbiao…