The young man looked practically feral, lacking the faintest trace of powerful immortal treasures within him.
Wasn't it blatantly obvious that he was a rogue cultivator?!
Yet a rogue cultivator had advanced through two realms and nine minor stages in a single year!
What kind of concept was that?
If Immortal Elder Yu hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, he would have slapped anyone who told him such a thing twice across the face and called it utter nonsense.
The corners of Immortal Elder Yu's mouth curled upward slightly as thoughts raced through his mind.
Li Guanqi looked up at the cloud boat. He truly hadn't expected to reunite with Wanshu so soon.
Only, given his current state, he looked a bit too wretched.
Meng Wanshu, on the other hand—even Li Guanqi could no longer see through the aura radiating from her.
She was at least in the fifth layer of the Heavenly Immortal realm or higher.
And it had only been a single year...
Li Guanqi also noticed the thirty Golden Immortal guards standing in formation, as well as the four men flanking them. Every single one possessed an extraordinary aura.
Li Guanqi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned up at Meng Wanshu.
Their eyes met, brimming with tenderness and longing.
Li Guanqi parted his lips and called out softly,
"Wife."
Those two brief words caused tears to spill from Meng Wanshu's eyes.
Yet a moment later, she sniffled, raised her sleeve, and wiped the clear streaks from her cheeks.
Her entire bearing grew proud and aloof, her gaze turning cold and hostile as she looked toward the old man and the woman in midair.
Pengluo shuddered, feeling that the mistress was utterly terrifying right now!
Even so, Pengluo stood up and pointed accusingly at Su Mei.
"Mistress! It's that stinking bitch! It was her!!"
Having stood up, Pengluo finally caught sight of Li Guanqi's gruesome state and immediately leapt into the air!
Under everyone's stunned gazes, the large white radish transformed into a burly, zhang-tall figure.
With both hands, it desperately tore open the barrier of Xutian Palace and squeezed inside...
"How could that radish breach the barrier?!"
In a flash, Pengluo darted straight to Li Guanqi's side, its eyes brimming with frantic tears.
It hurled the Xutian Stone to the ground, yanked a large handful of green leaves from atop its head, and stuffed them toward Li Guanqi's mouth.
"Master, eat quickly! These injuries are too severe—any more delay, and you'll suffer permanent damage!"
Li Guanqi looked at the handful of leaves and couldn't help rubbing its head. He picked out two leaves, placed them in his mouth, returned the rest, and said softly,
"That's enough."
Right at that moment, Su Mei turned back with a frown, on the verge of erupting, but the old man beside her held her back.
Looking at the cloud boat coming to a slow halt, they were just about to withdraw the sect-protecting grand formation to go out and welcome them.
Yet the white-haired elder aboard merely gave a slight wave of his hand. In an instant, the heavy barrier guarding the entirety of Xutian Palace shattered with a thunderous crash!
Yang Qing hurriedly bowed alongside Su Mei.
"First Elder Yang Qing of Xutian Palace pays respects to the seniors of our sovereign sect, Jiuding Heavenly Palace."
"Su Mei, daughter of Su Jinshan, Palace Master of Xutian Palace, pays respects to the seniors of our sovereign sect, Jiuding Heavenly Palace."
Just as the two prepared to bow, the white-haired elder pressed a hand downward.
*Thump! Thump!*
Two figures plunged from the sky, crashing against the paving stones of the square.
The blue bricks shattered as both landed solidly on their knees.
A trace of blood leaked from the corner of Su Mei's lips, her eyes trembling in bewilderment.
Immortal Elder Yu sneered.
"A mere elder and a daughter of the lineage—kneel before you speak."
*Boom!*
A vast boundary seal depicting a sea of stars manifested behind the elder.
Yang Qing's terror reached absolute heights!
"An Immortal Venerable! An Immortal Venerable! They aren't from a branch sect in the Eight Desolations—they are from the main sect in the Nine Heavens!!"
Under this suffocating pressure, every cultivator of Xutian Palace was forced to their knees!
And that was not all. Thirty Golden Immortals lined up on either side.
Four Immortal Monarchs guarded the flanks.
With one hand behind his back, Immortal Elder Yu bowed slowly toward the railing.
"Saintess, you may descend."
As his words fell, the surrounding temperature plummeted drastically.
The woman stepped into the air barefoot, ice lotuses blooming beneath her feet. Behind her, an Immortal Venerable bowed and Immortal Monarchs guarded her flanks—an aura of supreme majesty!
Yet the frost-faced woman walked straight toward Li Guanqi.
At the same time, Meng Wanshu locked her gaze firmly onto Su Mei.
Kneeling on the ground with blood trickling from her lips, Su Mei could not understand...
She could not understand why this woman radiated such intense killing intent toward her!
Now that she was close, Meng Wanshu could see Li Guanqi's injuries clearly.
In a flash, she arrived at his side and crouched down, reaching to lift the hem of his robe.
Li Guanqi reached out to stop her. Despite his pale face, he held her hand with a gentle smile and murmured,
"Look at the wounds later. Hug me first."
Meng Wanshu's expression softened considerably. Opening her arms, she embraced Li Guanqi right in front of everyone.
Closing their eyes, they felt the beat of each other's hearts, as if everything around them had vanished.
"It's so good to see you..."
Deeply moved, Meng Wanshu understood how much longing and worry were poured into those words.
Her throat hitched slightly. Gently pulling back from Li Guanqi, she uncorked a jade vial and poured its contents into his mouth without giving him room to refuse.
A tremendous medicinal power surged through Li Guanqi's body, leaving him no choice but to close his eyes and refine the energy.
Nearby, Yang Qing's heart turned to ash at the sight.
The same was true for Su Mei. She knew... she seemed to have provoked an existence she should never have touched!
Meng Wanshu slowly rose to her feet, her face cold as frost, her body enveloped in freezing mist.
Her killing intent nearly condensed into something tangible, making the very air tremble.
Whirling around, a trembling roar tore from her throat:
"Who humiliated my husband?! Step forward!"
Her face deathly pale, Su Mei slowly stood up; this calamity could not be avoided.
Yet the moment she stood, the crowd caught only the fleeting blur of a blue afterimage!
*Boom! Thud!*
Meng Wanshu kicked Su Mei squarely in the chest.
*Whoosh!*
The woman's body flew backward like a broken sandbag.
The terrifying force sent her hurtling a hundred zhang back, slamming violently into the stone pillar by the gates of Xutian Palace's grand hall.
The pillar was crafted from grade-two immortal ore, exceptionally durable.
Even so, Su Mei's impact smashed a deep crater into the stone.
Rattled by the recoil, Su Mei felt a splitting headache and spewed a large mouthful of blood.
Her vision blurred, and a sharp pain flared across her scalp.
The woman in the azure gown landed firmly on both feet.
Reaching out with her right hand, she seized Su Mei's hair, twisted her body, and hurled her violently toward the plaza before the hall!
An overwhelming surge of power hit Su Mei instantly!
*Whoosh! Bang!*
Like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, Su Mei crashed heavily against the plaza stones.
Meng Wanshu tossed aside the clump of hair and scalp in her grip.
Blue bricks shattered as Su Mei skidded tens of zhang across the ground, wracked with agony as if every bone in her body had splintered.
She hurriedly begged for mercy:
"No... please... I..."
*Whoosh!*
Meng Wanshu had already learned much from Pengluo.
Yet when she saw Li Guanqi's legs pulverized into mangled flesh, fury threatened to devour her reason.
Meng Wanshu's body blurred into an afterimage. As she dashed forward, she scooped up the great hammer lying on the ground.
Arriving in a flash, bloodshot veins crept into her eyes as her right arm drew the hammer back like a fully bent bow!
She swung the massive hammer straight into Su Mei's jaw!
A chilling, enraged roar tore through the air:
"Shut your damn mouth!"
"Bitch!!"
*Bang!*
Blood splattered everywhere as the great hammer smashed half of Su Mei's face to pulp.
Her body was flung backward, skidding over a hundred zhang across the stone before slamming against a stone stele!
Seeing this, even Immortal Elder Yu could not help twitching his face...
This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a fierce side to Meng Wanshu.
*Crash!*
Su Mei crashed into the stele, but before she could recover her senses, Meng Wanshu had already stepped on both of her wrists.
Meng Wanshu abruptly ripped the sleeves from her robe and bound the iron hammer tightly to her wrist.
With a ferocious snarl, she leaned down and roared,
"You stinking whore, you dared humiliate my husband?"
"You like hammers, don't you? You're proud, aren't you?"
*Riiip!*
"Ah!! My clothes!! What are you doing?!"
Chapter 1701