Even Death Is but a Nod

A ruthless glint flashed in Gu Qingzhou's eyes. Raising his fist, he swung toward the man's temple. Yet the disparity in their strength rendered his attack as futile as an ant trying to shake a tree. Though Xiang Chun was deemed a mediocre talent within his clan, he remained, after all, a cultivator who had attained the Nascent Soul realm. An invisible barrier of primal energy blocked the blow. The moment the fist struck the barrier, faint ripples dispersed through the air, seeming to mock the challenger's helplessness. Xiang Chun glanced back, cold killing intent flickering in his eyes. Yet when he caught sight of Ling Qingqiu's pitiful state, tears streaming down her face like pear blossoms in the rain, his mind shifted. Dangling Gu Qingzhou with his right hand, he strolled toward the main gate of the Ling manor! *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* All at once, a stern, resonant shout ripped through the heavens. Several whistling sounds pierced the air, sending the gathered onlookers scattering in shock. "Stop!" The crowd immediately erupted into murmurs. "Someone from the Gu clan has finally arrived. Looks like they spent some time weighing the pros and cons back home..." "Tsk, how could they not? That's the Xiang clan!" "One of the ten great clans of the southern Luoxia Domain, with a Body Integration Realm forebear in their ranks!" "The Ling clan was too greedy for wealth and status, stooping to marry off their own daughter as a mere concubine." "Heh, don't talk like that. If you had the chance, you'd probably do the exact same thing!" "How many people under heaven can resist the allure of binding themselves to the Xiang clan by marriage?" "True... Still, that Gu kid is in serious danger. Xiang Chun is hardly one to show mercy." The Gu clan's ancestor and Gu Qingzhou's father had finally arrived. Two Nascent Soul realm auras surged into the sky. The white-haired elder with a youthful complexion took in his grandson's battered state, and a frigid glint flashed in his cloudy eyes. Yet he knew the vast gulf in foundation between the Gu clan and the Xiang clan. For now, he had no choice but to plead in humble supplication. Straightening his white robes, the elder took on a solemn expression and bowed low to the man. "I am Gu Zheng of the Gu clan. I hope Young Master Xiang can grant me some face and release my grandson. "The Gu clan has prepared a modest gift to express our apologies. I guarantee that from this day forward, Qingzhou will never entangle himself with the young lady of the Ling clan again!" With that, the elder—who already had half a foot in the grave—bent deeply at the waist. Holding a storage ring in both hands, he raised it high above his head. Beside him, Gu Qingzhou's father likewise bowed low, offering Xiang Chun the utmost deference. "Tsk, even Old Master Gu Zheng came in person... At his age, and as an eminent figure in Fenhe City, to end up..." "When under someone else's roof, one has no choice but to bow one's head. If you ask me, the eldest young master of the Xiang clan won't let them off so easily. I fear this won't end well today." "Damn, it's suffocating—an outsider swaggering around Fenhe City throwing his weight around!" "That's Gu Zheng... How dignified he usually is... Sigh." Xiang Chun cast a dismissive glance at the two. Given his strength, he did not care about them in the slightest. The Dao protector behind him possessed power capable of utterly crushing everyone in this city. The corners of his mouth curled into an amused smirk. "An apology, is it..." "Yet he was just trying to hit me." Before the man and the elder could speak up to plead, Suddenly! Xiang Chun's eyes narrowed, and his left hand clenched in empty air. In an instant, Gu Qingzhou's bloodcurdling scream pierced the heavens! "Aaargh! It hurts! Aaargh!" Under the grinding force of spatial power, Gu Qingzhou's left hand and arm were twisted inch by inch! The crisp crunch of shattering bone echoed clearly in the ears of the surrounding crowd. Gu Qingzhou's arm was mangled like twisted dough, crushed raw! Hearing his son's agonized wails, Gu Qingzhou's father nearly tore his eyes from their sockets, glaring fixedly at Xiang Chun! His fists clenched inside his sleeves so hard that his fingernails dug into his flesh without him noticing. Veins bulged on his forehead, yet he forced his reason to suppress the impulse. Looking at the drifting, semi-conscious Gu Qingzhou, the father bit down so hard he tore flesh from his lip. The silver-haired elder shut his eyes in agony, his body trembling faintly. "I beg... Young Master Xiang to spare Qingzhou." A playful smirk played across Xiang Chun's lips. He had intended to use this to provoke the two into attacking. The moment either of them made a move, he could command the protector behind him to wipe out the entire Gu clan! Unfortunately, the two remained restrained. A sharp light flashed in Xiang Chun's eyes, and he sneered down at them condescendingly. "Since it's an apology, how could that meager compensation possibly be enough? Or rather... I, Xiang Chun, couldn't care less about your gifts. "Though, I suppose I could see how sincere you are." As he spoke, Xiang Chun shook the limp Gu Qingzhou in his grip, who hung like a dead dog. Where was the youthful spirit Gu Qingzhou had possessed moments ago? Gu Zheng clenched his teeth, looked up at the man, and said in a heavy voice, "The Gu clan naturally has sincerity! "May I ask... what Young Master Xiang considers sincere?" The corners of Xiang Chun's mouth curved slightly as two words slipped from his lips: "Kneel down." The moment those words fell, an uproar broke out among the watching cultivators! A burly man narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Even death is but a nod of the head—such conduct is far too humiliating!" "Indeed. If they truly kneel, the Gu clan won't have any dignity left to stand in Fenhe City." "This Xiang Chun acts with utter tyranny! But... sigh, the Xiang clan's power is too vast." "Never mind an almighty cultivator of the Void Refining Realm; even if a Soul Formation Realm expert arrived, Fenhe City could never bear the consequences..." Li Congxin stood quietly among the crowd, watching everything unfold. At some point, a pitch-black longsword had appeared at his waist. His left hand lightly traced the dark scabbard, his expression inscrutable as his thoughts remained hidden. Gu Qingzhou's father snapped his head up, primal energy surging around him as he prepared to strike! The elder raised a hand to stop him. He knew... the lives of everyone in the Gu clan rested on their shoulders. Before the astonished gazes of the crowd, the veteran cultivator who had labored for centuries in Fenhe City actually sank to his knees! Gu Qingzhou's blurred vision caught the sight, blood oozing from his mouth. Yet he exhausted every ounce of his strength to scream, "No... don't! Don't kneel! Grandfather... don't kneel..." "Father... don't kneel, Father! If you kneel... you'll never stand again!" At that moment, the humiliation in Gu Qingzhou's heart reached its zenith! *Boom!* His early Core Formation realm aura began to surge wildly, threatening to break through to the mid Core Formation realm in the blink of an eye! Yet right at the crucial juncture of his breakthrough, Xiang Chun gave a cold sneer and slammed a fist into Gu Qingzhou's dantian! The blow carried immense force, launching Gu Qingzhou's body into the air, arched like a boiled prawn. Seeing this, Ling Qingqiu tried desperately to rush forward, only to be held back by her father. "Qingzhou!" The young woman's tearful cry rang out abruptly. By then, however, the elder had already pulled the father down to kneel beside him. *Thud! Thud!* Gu Zheng shut his eyes in agony as tears traced down his heavily lined cheeks. With this single kneel, several centuries of pride were erased entirely. Raising his hands, he held the storage ring high above his head. "The Gu clan... apologizes to Young Master Xiang. We beg you to spare my grandson's life." Xiang Chun casually lifted a hand, drawing the storage ring into his grasp. At that moment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Just as even Li Congxin thought the farce was drawing to an end— *Pfft! Pfft, pfft!* Three spiritual swords shot into Gu Qingzhou's body in succession, pinning him firmly to the stone pillar before the Ling clan manor! "My son!" "Qingzhou!"