Immortal of the Nine Realms

Everyone fell silent. Among the sword cultivators who had come with them, some were from the Kunlun Sword Sect, but most of them came from Prison Wind.

Upon hearing Li Changsheng’s words, their eyes instinctively shifted toward the tea cups.

Everyone’s expressions turned odd.

Was he really going to make Lu Qingshu drink that murky tea with sediment in it?

If Lu Qingshu truly drank that, his sword heart would likely shatter, and he would lose all hope of further advancing in cultivation.

”What’s the meaning of this, Li Changsheng?” Lu Qingshu asked coldly, his gaze filled with frost.

Li Changsheng did not speak. He merely glanced at Elder Xun’s arm. Lu Qingshu caught the hint and took a look. Immediately, a look of shock appeared on his face.

It’s that spiritual treasure! But isn’t it supposed to be in Prison Wind? How could it appear here?

In an instant, Lu Qingshu’s mind raced through several possibilities, with the most likely one being the Puyuan Pearl.

A second-transformation sword cultivator with a spiritual treasure....

Even against another sword cultivator of the same level, the advantage would be negligible. No matter how powerful one’s flying sword or how terrifying their sword domain was, against a spirit treasure, the odds were at best fifty-fifty.

Elder Xun chuckled. ”Still not coming down for tea? Must I, an old man, personally invite you?”

Lu Qingshu’s face was a storm of shifting emotions. In the end, he recovered his composure and sneered. ”Don’t get too cocky. With my master’s strength, all he needs to crush you is a finger.” ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The mention of Lu Qingshu’s master sent a cold shiver through those present.

Ouyang Xuanzhen and the others exchanged stunned glances, their hearts gripped with tension. His master?!

These two had even stronger sword cultivators behind them!? How is that possible?!

They had heard of Prison Wind but had never had the chance to visit. From the information they had gathered, they could tell that the sword cultivators there were not nearly as arrogant. In fact, they were in quite dire straits!

”Then let your master come personally, but I’m afraid that even if he arrives today, he will have to drink a cup before leaving,” Elder Xun said calmly.

Lu Qingshu’s face darkened. ”Xun Guozhu, you are very bold.”

Elder Xun’s expression darkened. ”I absolutely hate when others call me by my name, especially someone like you, who doesn’t even belong to the orthodox path.”

He waved his hand, and a black light flashed. The Black Profound Heaven Locking Flag shot out.

Lu Qingshu erupted with terrifying immortal essence, attempting to shatter the Black Profound Heaven Locking Flag with his sword. However, his attack was completely suppressed. Before he knew it, he had been tightly bound by the Black Profound Heaven Locking Flag and thrown to kneel in front of Elder Xun.

His face went from pale to green. Then, it turned bright red from the humiliation.

To think he had been so utterly disgraced before these ants! He dare that old man do this to him!

The sword cultivators who had come with him quickly summoned their flying swords and glared at and Elder Xun. However, . However, without Li Changsheng’s command, they didn’t dare make a move.

The nearby Immortal Kings felt their hearts go cold.

”That person’s strength....”

Someone they saw as nearly invincible—a first-transformation sword cultivator—had been handled so easily? Such power was beyond their comprehension. Perhaps only upon becoming First Rate Sect Leaders themselves could they begin to understand how powerful that truly was.

”You few, bring the tea and serve it to him,” Elder Xun glanced at Zhou Bufan and the others.

Zhou Bufan’s expression shifted as his gaze fell on the Beggar Daoist. ”Did you not hear what the elder said?”

”You...” The Beggar Daoist was caught in a dilemma. He couldn’t move or stay still. He could only glare at Zhou Bufan with resentment. It seemed that he was being set up to take the blame. He would rather sit here and drink a hundred years’ worth of plain water than serve tea to a first rate sect leader. This was no longer a matter of life or death! His future could very well be far worse than death, likely a thousand times worse than his current situation.

”You dare to insult me?!” Lu Qingshu roared, trying to rise from the ground.

Elder Xun immediately stretched out his legs and placed them on Lu Qingshu’s head, pinning him down so that he couldn’t move an inch.

”Insult you? What will you do about it? Try to bite me, see if you can,” Elder Xun said with a sneer. ”I still gave some face to the people behind you. Otherwise, don’t talk about insults... You’d be dead by now.”

Elder Xun smiled faintly. ”You think this is some backwater place where you can do whatever you want without paying any price? I’m not like Pu Yuanzhu. He couldn’t afford to provoke you and moved the Divine Dao Sect away, but my Desolate Academy has been passed down here for countless years. Even if you have the upper hand, if it comes to a life-or-death struggle, I can fight with you to the end.”

Lu Qingshu felt a deathly chill close in, and for a moment, he swallowed back the vulgar words he had intended to say. He glared at Elder Xun, silent.

”Li Changsheng, you deliberately lured me here today to see me make a fool of myself, right? When I return to Qiufeng, I’ll have my master take care of this!” Lu Qingshu turned his anger toward Li Changsheng.

Everyone was stunned.

Ouyang Xuanzhen felt a chill run down his spine. Li Changsheng had never intended to target the Three Thousand Dao Sect; he had simply aimed to embarrass this person on purpose!? If the other’s speculation was correct, then there was a huge problem here.

”Utter nonsense! If you hadn’t been so arrogant and reckless, there would have been no need for this,” Li Changsheng said coldly. He then cupped his hands toward Elder Xun. ”Elder, would you please give me some face and spare him this time? How about letting someone else drink the tea on his behalf?”

Most people didn’t see anything wrong with this; it was a very normal plea for mercy. However, Ouyang Xuanzhen’s heart trembled, and he quietly took half a step back, hiding behind Immortal King Gu Xi.

”Why should I do that? I heard Bai Qingming didn’t die on the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps,” Elder Xun chuckled lightly. ”And besides, you took that brat Fang Chen away but never brought him back intact. Your face doesn’t hold much weight in my eyes anymore.”

Elder Xun’s smile turned slightly colder. ”I’ve said it before, compared to Li Jingnian, you’re too petty. You’ll never amount to anything substantial.”

Li Changsheng’s expression changed slightly, and then he fell silent, no longer speaking.

Immortal Peak King’s expression shifted, and he respectfully asked, “Elder Xun, how did my son die?”

“Bai Qingming died a miserable death, chased by a third tribulation Loose Immortal. Before he died, he had already comprehended a very powerful sword scripture at the end of the Sword Burial Heavenly Steps. It’s a pity, such a pity,” Elder Xun responded.

Immortal Peak King nodded lightly and stepped back to stand beside a few others, saying no more. It seemed his only goal was to learn the circumstances of Bai Qingming’s death.

“What about the tea?” Elder Xun scanned the group, his gaze falling on Zhou Bufan and the others. “Did you take my words as wind in one ear and out the other? Do you think drinking tea here isn’t enough, and want to go to the Desolate Courtyard for a few hundred years?”

Zhou Bufan and the others trembled in their hearts. He immediately cast a vicious glare at the Beggar Daoist, transmitting a message through their spiritual connection. “If you don’t pour this tea today, you will die without a doubt. If you do, there might be a slim chance of survival!”

The Beggar Daoist clenched his fists, his anger boiling but unable to be released. He could only endure the humiliation, pour a cup of tea, and tremblingly walk to Elder Xun.

Elder Xun raised an eyebrow. “Do I need to feed it to you?”

“...” The Beggar Daoist silently handed the cup to Lu Qingshu’s lips, his voice shaking as he said, “Senior... Please drink the tea...”