Ye Ju shifted the blame without any psychological burden.
"You~"
Li Qihong's rage intensified upon hearing this. Fortunately, she had a protective treasure, or she would have been knocked unconscious this time.
How could this wretch possess such divine strength?
Ye Ju, disregarding Xiao Bai's wishes, stuffed it into her spiritual beast bag. It was no joke; she considered Xiao Bai a family member, like her own sister. If anyone dared to snatch it, they'd have to ask her first!
Li Qihong quickly sprang up, flying into mid-air. She exchanged her whip for a long sword, its gleam chilling, and a fierce killing intent shot towards Ye Ju.
Ye Ju softly called out, "Yu Shou," and her body suddenly ascended. The elongated Yu Shou ferociously smashed towards Li Qihong. Before Li Qihong could land, Ye Ju swiftly appeared before her again, striking her with a backhanded blow. As Li Qihong was sent flying towards another shop, Ye Ju shouted:
"She smashed this too. Go find Miss Li for compensation!"
With a thunderous crash! The shop's facade shattered into pieces. The onlookers nearby scattered like startled birds, inwardly lamenting how savage this little immortal cultivator was!
Poor Miss Li was first hit squarely like a mole in a game, and before she could even land, she was swept sideways by another blow and smashed into the shop. Even with her protective treasure, she was now in a sorry state, her hair disheveled, blood trickling from her mouth, and her clothes stained with dust and dirt.
She staggered to her feet, her eyes filled with venom as she glared at Ye Ju. She slapped the maid who was helping her, screaming hoarsely:
"You useless wretches just watched me get beaten? Aren't you going to attack?!"
Seven or eight figures, brandishing long swords, rapidly lunged towards Ye Ju. Ye Ju swung her self-created staff techniques: horizontal, chop, sweep, and jab, her movements vigorous and powerful. One force to overcome ten, she knocked everyone back.
For a moment, shops along the street suffered! Ye Ju cried out in alarm, "This has nothing to do with me! Don't come looking for me for compensation!"
The crowd on the street was speechless. This young lady's demeanor was so peculiar!
Suddenly, a majestic voice echoed from mid-air:
"Stop! Fighting is strictly forbidden in Pearl City! Who are you, and why are you violating the regulations?"
Ye Ju curled her lips. As expected, the peacekeepers always arrived last.
"Senior, I am Ye Ju. I have not violated any regulations. I was acting in self-defense. This Miss Li attempted to seize my spiritual beast from the outset, and these damaged shops were caused by them."
The surrounding crowd...
They inexplicably felt a bit of sympathy for Miss Li, who was trying to snatch her spiritual beast.
"Bold! To commit violence in the street and injure my child! Take her down!"
A handsome middle-aged man wearing a golden crown and a long beard with a goatee hurried down from a flying boat, followed by several guards. Upon seeing Li Qihong's pathetic state, he immediately ordered his guards to apprehend Ye Ju without investigating the cause.
Ye Ju flickered, evading the guards, and gave a sarcastic smile.
"What? Senior, aren't you going to uphold justice? This person tried to capture me without asking any questions. What kind of reasoning is that?"
The onlookers began to whisper amongst themselves.
Bystander A: "This little immortal cultivator has offended one of the four great families of Pearl City, the Li family. This is going to be difficult for her today."
Bystander B: "Everyone knows that the eldest daughter of the Li family is spoiled and willful. Whatever she desires, she takes by force."
Bystander C: "The Li family head has profound cultivation, already at the Golden Core stage. He dotes on his daughter, indulging her and allowing her to act with impunity in Pearl City! No one dares to provoke her!"
Bystander D: "Right~ Right~ This young lady is in grave danger today!"
Some were rooting for Ye Ju.
A burly man exclaimed excitedly, "It seems the Li family has met their match today. The little immortal cultivator possesses immense strength. Although her cultivation level is unclear, I feel she is unfathomably deep."
...
Ye Ju's mouth twitched. They were speaking so loudly, as if afraid she wouldn't hear.
Even the Li family head, hearing these discussions, turned grim and enraged. If he didn't capture this wretch today, the Li family would lose its standing in Pearl City!
After a while, an elder's voice resonated from the sky:
"Fighting is not permitted in Pearl City. If the conflict between the two parties cannot be resolved, you may proceed to the arena of life and death for a duel.
Li family head, it is indeed your beloved daughter who initiated the provocation. This fellow Daoist Ye was forced to retaliate. All the people on this street can bear witness!"
The Li family head looked at Ye Ju with the gaze of a dead person and cupped his fists in salute towards the sky.
"Then, as Senior has said, we shall meet at the arena of life and death!"
Although the Li family head was one of the four great families of Pearl City, he still dared not defy the Super Sect, Chaotian Sect. The elder speaking was an elder of the Chaotian Sect, rumored to be at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, close to the Deity Transformation stage!
"Agreed!"
Ye Ju readily accepted. She should be at the Golden Core stage too, right? The two golden cores shimmering in her dantian had weathered heavenly tribulations.
Xiao Bai, inside the spiritual beast bag, was anxiously scurrying around. Someone was bullying its sister, and it wanted to help its sister fight. Ye Ju had no choice but to release Xiao Bai, who was already extremely restless in the spiritual beast bag.
Ye Ju no longer feared being high-profile. She instructed Xiao Bai to transform into its true form. The three-meter-tall, colossal five-tailed white fox, stepping on fire clouds, soared into the air. Its spiritual beast aura was released, and all the spiritual beasts in Pearl City felt the pressure from an ancient spiritual beast, prostrating themselves on the ground, trembling. The spiritual beasts were arranged in a strict hierarchy, and the bloodline suppression threw cultivators with spiritual pets into a panic. Ye Ju leaped onto Xiao Bai and flew towards the arena.
The onlookers were dumbfounded. They all lit a candle for Miss Li in their hearts. Her taste was truly remarkable, to have set her sights on an ancient spiritual beast, a Nine-Tailed White Fox, right from the start. Although it only had five tails now, people in the cultivation world would never misidentify it! They all flocked towards the arena.
Those who originally had flying beasts could no longer fly, suppressed by the bloodline of the ancient spiritual beast. Those with flying boats seized the opportunity to charge for spirit stones; it cost one mid-grade spirit stone per person to ride. Some felt it was expensive but had no choice. No one wanted to miss the duel at the arena of life and death! This was the owner of an ancient spiritual beast, the Nine-Tailed Fox, a once-in-a-millennium encounter!
The crowd was in an uproar, feeling that Miss Li was seeking death by provoking this formidable being. Could a little immortal cultivator who could contract an ancient spiritual beast be an ordinary person? Ancient spiritual beasts were all proud; if one's soul was not powerful enough, they would suffer a backlash during the contract and become a slave to the spiritual beast!
Coincidentally, Chaoyangzi, who was patrolling the shops under the Chaotian Sect on the same street, witnessed the entire process. Recalling how he had eaten a meal at the little immortal cultivator's place, he had intended to help her out of a predicament, but who would have thought she would give him such a great surprise? Her spiritual beast's transformation had suppressed his own spiritual pet, the Qilin, meaning her spiritual pet's bloodline was even stronger than the auspicious Qilin. Where did this Nine-Tailed White Fox come from?
Chaoyangzi, wearing a mask, also leaped onto a flying boat and instructed his attendants to fly towards the arena of life and death! His attendant was slightly surprised, as his master had never been one to meddle in others' affairs!
Meanwhile, Yu Zhenyan had intended to help Ye Ju, but she hadn't expected Little Immortal Cultivator Ye Ju to be so fierce. Before she could react, Ye Ju had already beaten Li Qihong like a stray dog. Even more unexpectedly, she had also clashed with the Li family head and was heading to the arena of life and death.
She knew Ye Ju had deliberately left the shop before fighting to avoid fighting inside her establishment. She smiled meaningfully, considering Daoist Ye a friend worth making. She instructed her subordinates to repair the shop walls, tally the damages, and send the bill to the Li residence to compensate for the shop's losses.