Urban Martial Saint

Upon hearing Shijia’s words, the Immortal Lord was momentarily speechless.

Buddhist Shakya and Taoist Wuji are the top figures in the Buddhist and Taoist world; the Immortal Lord was well aware of this fact.

The Immortal Lord was suppressed by Taoist Wuji at the Gate of the Dead for a hundred years. Their powers were evenly matched; the Immortal Lord couldn’t break Wuji’s constraints, yet Wuji couldn’t kill him either.

Since Shijia is as famous as Wuji, their strengths should be similar, meaning the Immortal Lord and Shijia are also evenly matched. If they were to fight, they could go head-to-head.

However, there is a precondition—the Immortal Lord must be at his peak condition to be evenly matched with Shijia. But having been suppressed for a hundred years, he has only regained less than fifty percent of his strength, while Shijia is well-rested and has lost none of his power. Such a fight would certainly not favor the Immortal Lord!

Therefore, upon Shijia’s statement, the Immortal Lord was at a loss for how to respond. If he were to insist on keeping Fu Qingping, it seemed he would have to fight Shijia. But in this state, fighting would surely mean his downfall.

”Hey, are you going to show some respect or not? Say something!” Seeing no response from the Immortal Lord, Shijia impatiently said, ”If you won’t respect me, then I’ll beat respect into you. If you do, Buddha Master will leave. Don’t waste time, even just farting will do, letting me know your stance!”

The Immortal Lord subtly glanced at Wanyan Hongsheng, hinting at him to unleash the Corpse Ghost Dragon against Shijia for a life-and-death match. Alone, he wasn’t Shijia’s opponent, but with the Corpse Ghost Dragon’s help, defeating Shijia would be effortless.

Wanyan Hongsheng grasped the Immortal Lord’s intent immediately, turning his head away as if he hadn’t seen the Immortal Lord. Wanyan Hongsheng knew the Corpse Ghost Dragon was still fusing its body, unfit for fierce combat. It was enough to frighten and kill Peak Masters easily. But if it came to fierce combat with someone like Shijia, the risk was high. Even if the Corpse Ghost Dragon could overpower Shijia, its current state made a fierce battle hazardous; any error, and he’d have no explanations for the family upon returning.

The Wanyan Family’s accumulated strength and a century of planning aimed at commandeering the Heaven Earth Man Three Gates through this opportunity. The Corpse Ghost Dragon was a pivotal part of this plan. Thus, Wanyan Hongsheng will not unleash the Corpse Ghost Dragon at this critical time for a confrontation with Shijia. This relates to family affairs of great importance, not to be dealt with imprudently. Only when the Corpse Ghost Dragon has fully fused and the family has the Buddha’s Relic, can they act recklessly and rule the world.

Receiving no response from Wanyan Hongsheng, the Immortal Lord was silently enraged. However, he couldn’t show weakness now. Otherwise, if word spread that he was humiliated by Shijia on the first day of his emergence, his reputation would be ruined. So after a moment of pondering, he suddenly looked up at Shijia.

”Bald donkey, I give you respect, not out of fear. We are from the same era, meeting old acquaintances is rare now, hence this courtesy.” The Immortal Lord coldly glared at Shijia and said, ”But if I let you take him away, wouldn’t it spread the misunderstanding that I fear you? Today, you may take him, but we must fight eventually. One month later, at the summit of Mount Tai, do you dare to confront me?”

Upon hearing the Immortal Lord, Wanyan Hongsheng silently admired his cleverness. Unable to stop Shijia now, yet unwilling to lose face, he scheduled this battle with Shijia. Today, he avoids the fight while preserving his dignity. A month is enough for him to restore his strength; then, the result of their fight will be uncertain.

”Buddha Master despises people like you the most; either fight now or not at all, what’s with scheduling a time and place?” Shijia sneered and said, ”So, we’re not fighting today, right? If not, Buddha Master will take him away!”

The Immortal Lord remained silent, prompting Shijia to curse again, ”Did you become mute or brain-dead? Buddha Master asks, you should at least grunt like a donkey!”

Shijia’s words were truly harsh, making the Immortal Lord’s face grim. Yet, he dared not provoke Shijia now. With his strength not fully restored, fighting Shijia meant great loss. Hence, he swallowed the insult.

”You may take him, but let the agreement one month hence not disappoint me!” The Immortal Lord coldly said, ”I will spread news of the fight across the land, inviting everyone to witness it. Shijia, I hope you arrive on time!”

Shijia replied, ”Don’t worry about Buddha Master; you should worry about yourself. In this month, be careful not to die accidentally, or you’d make everyone wait in vain.”

The Immortal Lord’s expression darkened coldly, saying, ”No need for others to worry about my affairs.”

”I’m not worrying, just a reminder.” Shijia grumbled, then addressed Wolf Monk and the bloodstained Fu Qingping, ”Alright, let’s go. The old monster dares not fight me; today, I shall spare him!”

”You...” The Immortal Lord was furious, wanting to retort, but recalling Shijia’s shameless nature, he dared not speak further. If he did, Shijia might force a battle, causing major inconvenience. He chose to ignore the insult, swallowing it, planning to exact revenge once his strength returned.

Wolf Monk supported Fu Qingping and followed Shijia out of the canyon at the Gate of the Dead. Wanyan Hongsheng, watching them leave, immediately approached the Immortal Lord and whispered, ”Undying Senior is indeed formidable; Fu Qingping’s sword moves were almost transcendent. Yet, Undying Senior nonchalantly nullified them, surely divine technique!”

The Immortal Lord coldly glanced at Wanyan Hongsheng, looking at his own torn clothing from the Qingping Sword and said sternly, ”This Fu Qingping is remarkable. I suspect he might break the limitation of Acme and achieve a power beyond it. Such a person must not be left unchecked and should be eliminated as soon as possible to prevent another surpassing master from emerging in the world!”

Wanyan Hongsheng didn’t expect such high regard for Fu Qingping from the Immortal Lord and quickly nodded, ”Of course, Undying Senior can rest assured; I’ll arrange for the Wanyan Family to track Fu Qingping relentlessly. Once he’s away from Shijia, we’ll strike with all our might to kill him!”

”Your Wanyan Family may find it difficult to kill him; I’ll handle him myself.” The Immortal Lord said coldly, driven by personal motives. Fu Qingping’s sword moves astounded him, prompting his desire to acquire them. Mastering Fu Qingping’s sword technique could enhance his power by half—given the technique’s terrifying attack power, breaking his Qi Shield unprecedentedly piqued his interest exceedingly.

Wanyan Hongsheng also desired Fu Qingping’s sword technique but acknowledged its power from before. Despite the Wanyan Family’s numerous masters, killing Fu Qingping wouldn’t be easy; some might fall victim to his counterattack, rendering losses. After considering, it’s most fitting to let the Immortal Lord handle it. Currently, the priority is eliminating Fu Qingping to avert hindering the Wanyan Family’s plans, which they intensely wish against. As for acquiring the sword moves, if the Immortal Lord gets it, how could he compete against the fully fused Corpse Ghost Dragon, which remains the family’s trump card? Even with Fu Qingping’s technique, he’d be no match, ultimately under Wanyan Family’s control.

After pondering these matters, Wanyan Hongsheng nodded and said, ”Rest assured, Undying Senior; the Wanyan Family’s spies cover the land. Once my message is out, wherever Fu Qingping escapes, we shall find him!”

”That’s best!” The Immortal Lord nodded and said, ”Also, you promised to help me restore my strength; this must be expedited. I must regain full power before my battle with Shijia at the summit of Mount Tai!”

”No problem.” Wanyan Hongsheng promptly smiled and said, ”The Wanyan Family possesses secret techniques, capable of restoring Senior’s full power swiftly, ensuring no delay for this Mount Tai duel!”

The Immortal Lord ogled Wanyan Hongsheng in surprise. Despite absorbing substantial Inner Strength from Church masters earlier, his power restored only fifty percent, indicating the arduousness of regaining full strength. However, Wanyan Hongsheng’s confidence puzzled him about the Wanyan Family’s methods.