Everyone in the hall was utterly shocked, especially Liao Huachen, who was struck as if by lightning, not even noticing the cigar he held drop to the floor.
No one had anticipated this, not even Bai Nian and Jun Bufan, who were also quite stunned.
After all, these two Grand Elders of the Wudang Sect were Martial King experts with the Three Flowers Gathering at the Pinnacle. Yet, not only were they no match for Xiao Yunlong when they attacked together, but they were also defeated and heavily injured by him in a single move.
"Although I knew Mr. Xiao was strong, I never imagined he was this strong!"
Old Bai shook his head and gave a wry smile, realizing he had been the clown all along.
Xiao Yunlong flicked his horsetail whisk and said coldly, "With such meager abilities, you dare to act presumptuously before me? Such overestimation of yourselves!"
The old Taoist holding a long sword gritted his teeth and said, "Your skills at such a young age are remarkable. You must be no ordinary person. May I ask your origin and identity? Perhaps you have some connection with our Wudang Sect!"
Xiao Yunlong curled his lips into a cold sneer. "You only inquire about my origin and identity now. Do you think it's not too late?"
With that, Xiao Yunlong changed his tone and said with a deep hum, "Moreover, the two of you old geezers are not worthy of knowing my origin!"
"You..." The old Taoist with the sword was furious, but the situation dictated his actions, so he dared not speak his mind.
Xiao Yunlong threw his horsetail whisk in front of the old Taoists and shouted, "To dare attempt to kill me is a capital offense. Will you two commit suicide, or shall I send you on your way?"
The old Taoist with the horsetail whisk endured the intense pain, crawled up from the ground, and gritted his teeth, "Are you... are you planning to kill us both? Do you not know that we are Grand Elders of the Wudang Sect? Our sect's status in the martial world, not just in Jiangdong, but throughout the Eastern Region and Southern Border of the Dragon Country, is..."
"In that case, I shall send you on your way!"
Xiao Yunlong's expression turned grim, and killing intent surged.
The old Taoist with the horsetail whisk suddenly lunged forward and roared, "Senior Brother, I'll hold him off, you escape quickly!"
The old Taoist with the sword hesitated for a moment, then stomped his foot and swiftly fled towards the main entrance.
Xiao Yunlong let out a disdainful snort, flashed his body, and struck out with a palm towards the old Taoist with the horsetail whisk, killing him instantly.
"I told you to leave earlier, but you refused. Now you realize you should flee, but can you escape!"
Xiao Yunlong let out a cold snort, his toes hooked the broken sword on the ground, and kicked it.
The broken sword instantly shot through the air, whistling as it embedded itself into the back of the Wudang Grand Elder with the bull-like nose.
"You... you actually dared to kill us. The Wudang Sect will never... never let you go. Just you wait..."
Before the old Taoist with the bull-like nose could finish speaking, he died on the spot.
The remaining dozen or so Wudang disciples were instantly pale with fear. They wanted to seize the opportunity to run, but their feet felt as if they were cast in lead, unable to move.
Xiao Yunlong swept his gaze over them one by one and said with resolute words, "Go back and tell your Mountain Master that according to the rules of the Dragon Country's martial world, sects on the mountains cannot arbitrarily interfere in secular affairs. If you behave yourselves, it's fine. But if you dare to act presumptuously again, I won't hesitate to flatten your Wudang Sect!"
Faced with Xiao Yunlong's domineering declaration, the remaining Wudang disciples simply lowered their heads, not daring to retaliate, not even daring to utter a single word.
"Scram!" Xiao Yunlong said, then pulled out a chair and sat down with his legs spread wide.
These Wudang disciples felt as if they had been granted a great pardon. They immediately carried the three corpses and scattered like startled birds.
Soon, the hall fell into a deathly silence again. The people from the Liao family around, including Liao Huachen, stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do.
"You, come here!" Xiao Yunlong pointed at Liao Huachen.
Liao Huachen trembled all over. He intended to call the family's dozen or so guards to accompany him.
However, when these guards saw Liao Huachen looking at them, they all retreated, none daring to step forward.
Liao Huachen swallowed hard and could only brace himself and walk forward.
Suddenly, with a thud, Liao Huachen knelt directly on the ground and begged, "I was wrong, Mr. Xiao!"
Xiao Yunlong sneered, "You know you were wrong now? Weren't you quite defiant earlier?"
Liao Huachen clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth, "Mr. Xiao, your martial arts are peerless. It was my overestimation of myself. I should never have offended you. But no matter what, I am the Deputy City Lord of Jiangdong City. Behind me, I represent the Dragon Country, so..."
"You represent the Dragon Country behind you?"
Xiao Yunlong laughed and snorted coldly, "You truly know how to flatter yourself. Even I don't dare to represent the Dragon Country, yet you, this old dog, can utter such shameless words!"
Liao Huachen retorted, "It is true that I am the Deputy City Lord of Jiangdong, and I was appointed by the state. Moreover, I have already knelt and apologized. What more do you want from me? Do you... do you still intend to kill me?"
"Kill you? You trash like you are not worthy of me taking action. Today, I will let you die with clarity!"
Xiao Yunlong snorted coldly, took out a token from his pocket, and directly threw it in front of him.
Liao Huachen looked closely, and his entire body was struck as if by lightning again. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"This... this is actually..."
Liao Huachen suddenly felt as if his spine had been removed. He collapsed directly onto the ground.
"I didn't expect you to... to actually be from the North... Damn it, I truly deserve to die!"
"You indeed deserve to die. If you don't want to implicate your family, then take your own life!" Xiao Yunlong took back the token, stood up, and started to walk away.
Liao Huachen suddenly said, "Mr. Xiao, if I atone with my death, and also send my family to invite you with a grand sedan chair as you instructed, can you then treat my father? My father has dedicated his life to Jiangdong. I hope Mr. Xiao will consider this and help save the old man!"
Xiao Yunlong, who had already reached the door, stopped upon hearing this and said lightly, "I eliminated the person who placed the curse last night. The่ poison in your father's body has actually died on its own. There's no need for me to act. He only needs proper recuperation to recover on his own!"
"This..."
Liao Huachen was dumbfounded. After a long while, he threw his head back and laughed maniacally, "I deserve it, I truly deserve it. If I had known this would happen, why did I act this way in the first place? All Liao family members, listen up. This matter ends here. No one is allowed to seek revenge for me. I, Liao Huachen, accept my fate!"
With that, he suddenly channeled his strength and struck his own forehead fiercely with a palm. The Liao family members immediately cried out in alarm, descending into chaos.
Xiao Yunlong couldn't be bothered to pay them any more attention. He walked out of the Liao family hall, got into the car, and left directly with Jun Bufan.
Bai Nian was still in a daze. It was only now that he recovered and sighed, "Who would have thought that things would turn out this way in the end? With the deaths of two senior uncles, the Wudang Sect will never let this go. This is going to be a big problem!"
"Alas, they are Wudang disciples after all. With such an incident, I still have to go back."
Old Bai shook his head and left dejectedly.
It was already noon when they returned to Purple Cloud Villa.
After lunch, Xiao Yunlong saw that there was nothing else to do and, having some rare free time, went down to the basement to practice.
After the attacks on the mountain peak's Taoist temple in the past few days and last night, Xiao Yunlong was well aware that the major powers in the capital were closely monitoring his movements. He could imagine that there would undoubtedly be a series of assassination attempts to follow, and they would only become more intense.
Therefore, what Xiao Yunlong could do now was to improve his martial arts cultivation and strengthen his own power to the greatest extent possible!
Of course, if he had not obtained the "Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms Technique," Xiao Yunlong might have remained completely hidden, concealing his whereabouts as much as possible.
But now, with this supreme divine technique, he had absolute confidence. No matter what schemes or methods these so-called aristocratic families and influential clans in the capital employed, he could crush them!
Sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion, Xiao Yunlong exhaled a long breath to calm his mind, slowly closed his eyes, and entered a state of cultivation.
With continuous cultivation over this period, his "Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms Technique" had opened thirty-five divine kingdoms. Not only had his body been strengthened, but his meridians and even his dantian had been expanded.
His internal energy had also greatly increased. Now, even Xiao Yunlong himself did not know how powerful his combat strength had become!
With his current combat power, he could completely overwhelm Martial Kings at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Pinnacle. Even against those in the Innate Opening Aperture realm, Xiao Yunlong was confident he could contend!
"It's still not enough. These ancient aristocratic families and influential clans in the capital have deep foundations. To uproot them, my current martial arts cultivation is still insufficient!"
Xiao Yunlong followed the circulation routes and methods of the "Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms Technique," continuously channeling the powerful internal energy in his dantian, repeatedly impacting the next divine kingdom.
Time flowed by quietly. In the blink of an eye, night fell. It was only when Liu Ruyan returned from the film crew that Xiao Yunlong ended his cultivation and came to the hall on the first floor.
"How was it, Ruyan? Did everything go smoothly with the film crew today?" Xiao Yunlong asked.
Liu Ruyan knew what he was worried about and nodded, "Everything went smoothly. Qitian Entertainment didn't make any moves today."
Xiao Yunlong nodded slightly. "It's good that nothing happened. Let's go, we should eat!"
However, just as the three of them sat down to prepare for dinner, Buddha and the one-armed Master Mo rushed in, followed by a stout, middle-aged man. https:/
"Mr. Xiao, something has happened!" Buddha said.
"What is it?" Xiao Yunlong asked, engrossed in his meal, without looking up.
"It's the Jiangdong Pavilion. The mastermind behind the Jiangdong Pavilion has come looking for you!" Buddha said.
Xiao Yunlong looked up and glanced at the stout, middle-aged man behind them. "Is this perhaps the Pavilion Master of the Jiangdong Pavilion?"
The stout middle-aged man shook his head and chuckled, "I am not the Pavilion Master of the Jiangdong Pavilion. I am Zhu Neng, an attendant of the Jiangdong Pavilion. I have come on the orders of the Pavilion Master."
With that, before Xiao Yunlong could speak, Zhu Neng immediately handed over a gilded invitation with both hands.
"What is this?" Xiao Yunlong asked, raising his eyebrows.
"This is an invitation to our Jiangdong Pavilion's Hegemony Competition!"
Zhu Neng smiled and continued, "It's like this, every year at this time, our Jiangdong Pavilion regularly holds a Hegemony Competition, primarily participated in by the seven great protectors of the pavilion. Its purpose is to delineate the spheres of influence in the Jiangdong martial arts world. This year's competition concerns the demarcation of major industries in the newly developed area of Jiangdong, so the competition will be even more intense!"
"Hegemony Competition? You are inviting me to participate?" Xiao Yunlong finally took the gilded invitation and opened it to read.
Attendant Zhu Neng nodded. "Yes, Mr. Xiao. Because you successively eliminated Boss An and Tu Sandao, the various big shots in the pavilion initially proposed to jointly suppress you. However, considering that the Hegemony Competition is about to begin, the Pavilion Master finally decided to resolve the conflict on the arena!"
Xiao Yunlong listened and smiled slightly. "How will the conflict be resolved on the arena?"
"It's very simple. According to the Pavilion Master's wishes, we invite you to participate in the Hegemony Competition. If you win, the spheres of influence originally belonging to Boss An and Tu Sandao will belong to Mr. Xiao. There are currently five great protectors in the pavilion. As long as Mr. Xiao can enter the top three, it will be considered a victory!"
Zhu Neng paused and continued, "If Mr. Xiao wins the championship, not only will you take over the original spheres of influence of Boss An and Tu Sandao, but you will also occupy the new territories in the newly developed area. At that time, you will leap to become the head of the six great protectors!"
Buddha couldn't help but ask, "What if you fail?"
"If you fail," Zhu Neng hesitated slightly, "if you lose, then you die. You will pay with your life to Boss An and Tu Sandao!"
Saying that, Zhu Neng chuckled to himself and added, "We are all involved in the martial arts world. I think this is very fair, isn't it?"
Xiao Yunlong also smiled and nodded, "Indeed, this is very fair!"
"So, Mr. Xiao agrees?" Zhu Neng asked.
Xiao Yunlong said, "Resolving things out in the open is better than making moves in private, isn't it?"
"Of course. In that case, I will return to report. All the big shots of the Jiangdong Pavilion will await your arrival on Jiangdong Island tomorrow!" Zhu Neng said.
"Go back and tell them, I will definitely be there tomorrow!" Xiao Yunlong said, placing the gilded invitation on the table.
Zhu Neng cupped his hands and turned to leave. Just before leaving, he paused and said, "I heard from Tu Sandao's subordinates that Mr. Xiao is a devil who kills without blinking. But now, it seems you are quite approachable."
Xiao Yunlong chuckled and said, "That's because you are reasonably polite. Try to barge in here and see what happens."
Zhu Neng's face stiffened, and he finally shook his head and left, feeling rather embarrassed.
Only after Zhu Neng drove his car out of the courtyard did the silent, one-armed Master Mo speak up, "Mr. Xiao, are you really going to the Jiangdong Pavilion headquarters tomorrow?"
"What, is there a problem with that?" Xiao Yunlong asked him back.
Master Mo hesitated for a moment before saying, "As far as I know, the Jiangdong Pavilion Master is not someone easy to deal with. Anyone who has offended him in the past has died. Now that he has invited you to go, I am worried that he might be plotting some scheme behind your back."
Jun Bufan sneered, "If Master Mo's meaning is correct, is the Jiangdong Pavilion headquarters a dragon's pool and a tiger's den?"
Master Mo said with a wry smile, "In a sense, the Jiangdong Pavilion headquarters is indeed a dragon's pool and a tiger's den. The Jiangdong Pavilion headquarters is located on an island in the river. Once you get on the island, it's not so easy to leave. Furthermore, there are rumors that the Jiangdong Pavilion Master is also involved with Southern Shaolin."
"Southern Shaolin?" Xiao Yunlong raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, it is said that the Jiangdong Pavilion is actually a force secretly cultivated by Mount Shaoshi in the south in Jiangdong, so..."
Before Master Mo could finish, Xiao Yunlong waved his hand to interrupt him and said coldly, "If that is the case, then I must go even more. If the Jiangdong Pavilion Master dares to act presumptuously and disrespectfully tomorrow, I will destroy this evil dragon!"
Master Mo heard this and did not say much more, only shaking his head inwardly with a face full of helplessness and worry.
"Come, let's eat. Tomorrow, we will all go to Jiangdong Island to enjoy the scenery. I heard the views there are quite good!"
Xiao Yunlong smiled faintly, picked up his chopsticks, and continued to eat.