YM778.TV Chapter 75 - 4 - The Sword (Fourth Update) !
Hoe Yao’s words provided Shen Yuan with a whole new understanding of the so-called Qing Province King’s Liu Family.
“For them to have such confidence, I imagine I am not the first victim.
However, the Liu family’s power is too great, if it wasn’t for today’s desperate situation, I wouldn’t dare voice my feelings to Friend Shen.”
At this moment, Hoe Yao seemed to think he had been too submissive in front of Shen Yuan, and struggled to say:
“If I had known something like this would happen today, I should have dragged some of the Liu family’s people down with me, at least then I could vent some of my anger.”
As they were talking, a ruckus suddenly broke out from the forest nearby.
Shen Yuan and Hoe Yao looked over and saw a gracefully walking gentleman dressed in green, holding a folding fan, making his way here, surrounded by a crowd.
The gentleman in green was very well dressed and carried an extraordinary aura, and behind him, a monk holding prayer beads followed. The monk’s cultivation had impressively reached the Qi Transformation Stage.
Behind him were a group of cultivators all dressed in various ways, all of whom were discussing something in excited voices.
“Who would have thought we would meet Young Master Liu here, it has been over a month since our last encounter in the state mansion.”
“Young Master Liu has been personally invited to this feast by Fubo Dragon Monarch, how could we even compare to him?”
“If it weren’t for Young Master Liu’s intervention, I fear I would have been eaten by the pursuing monster tribe.”
Hoe Yao, standing next to Shen Yuan, had an abrupt change of expression when he saw the young gentleman, and anger seemed to burn in his eyes.
“Liu Yao!”
Upon hearing this name, Shen Yuan showed slight movement of his emotions: “Does Friend Hoe know this man?”
Hoe Yao said hatefully:
“He is the sixth son of the main branch of the Liu family, and one of the individuals with the highest cultivation talent in the current generation of the Liu family.
It was him who initially invited me to join the Liu family and later deceived me into signing the Spirit Beast Contract.”
Shen Yuan appeared thoughtful. This was not the first time he had heard the name Liu Yao. Back at the Dragon Sovereign Temple, he had heard from a finch monster that Liu Yao had once visited Fubo Dragon Monarch.
In other words, Liu Yao was likely the one who orchestrated the deal between the Liu family and Fubo Dragon Monarch.
As the legitimate son of the imperial family of Qing province, Liu Yao was incredibly famous. His mere presence was enough to make the trapped cultivators noticeably relieved.
One by one, the human cultivators rushed forward to greet Liu Yao:
“Young Master Liu!”
“I didn’t expect to see Young Master Liu here.”
“It’s been a while since we last met.”
Liu Yao appeared to be quite familiar with the cultivators present, and he returned their greetings with a smile. In a matter of minutes, almost all the cultivators had gathered around Liu Yao.
Sticking together when facing danger is instinctive, especially when Liu Yao came from a prominent family and even had a Qi Transformation Stage powerhouse protecting him. Naturally, he was regarded as a lifesaver by the cultivators present.
As the human cultivators consciously moved toward Liu Yao, the group behind him became increasingly large, with a rough count of over thirty people.
In contrast, Hoe Yao and Shen Yuan stood alone off to the side, in sharp contrast to the hubbub on the other side.
Liu Yao naturally noticed Hoe Yao and, with a friendly smile, slowly walked towards him.
“Friend Hoe from Chunyang County? I didn’t expect to meet you here.
Last time, I heard that you turned down my seventeenth cousin’s proposal, which saddened me a bit.
The Dragon Sovereign feast is about to begin, why don’t you join me?”
Liu Yao made an enthusiastic invitation, not resembling someone who had previously sabotaged Hoe Yao.”
Hoe Yao’s face turned red and his tightly clenched fist trembled=” ” >
“Liu Yao, don’t push me too far!”
Upon hearing this, the cultivators behind Liu Yao immediately expressed their displeasure.
“How can you speak to Young Master Liu like that?”
“Just because you have a bit of talent, you think highly of yourself. Don’t forget where you are!”
“Young Master Liu earnestly wanted to help you, but you showed such an ungrateful attitude. It’s truly incomprehensible!”
Each rebuke stoked Hoe Yao’s anger, turning his face a deep shade of unhappiness.
“Liu, I don’t need your hypocritical help. Get lost!”
Despite Hoe Yao’s rebuke, Liu Yao remained calm and unruffled. Without showing any signs of anger, he shook his head regretfully:
“Alas! It seems that Friend Hoe still carries some prejudice against our Liu family. In that case, I won’t bother you anymore.
Still, we share some common history. To avoid any conflicts, I’ll warn the monster tribe. Of course, I can’t guarantee that this will definitely work. After all, we are on Fubo Dragon Monarch’s territory and those monsters might not respect my words.”
As soon as these words were spoken, a chorus of agreement echoed in the crowd.
“Young Master Liu is noble indeed!”
Liu Yao, with a hint of confusion, glanced at Shen Yuan, who was standing next to Hoe Yao, then walked away taking the crowd with him.
A servant accompanying him, moved towards a Qi Transformation Stage wolf demon loitering at the foot of the mountain and pointed in the direction of Hoe Yao and Shen Yuan.
As Liu Yao and his group disappeared from view, Hoe Yao’s anger abated and he gradually regained clarity.
The wolf demon, informed by the Liu Family’s servant, looked at Shen Yuan and Hoe Yao with greedy eyes, seeming ready to attack at will.
“I just wanted to save face, but I regret involved Shen Yuan in this, my apologies!”
Hoe Yao sighed and said to Shen Yuan.
He didn’t believe that Liu Yao would truly shield him. The greedy gaze of the wolf demon said it all.
He had anticipated being caught in a hopeless situation, but he felt bad for dragging Shen Yuan into it.
Shen Yuan, unperturbed, said, “Friend Hoe, you shouldn’t blame yourself. Even if we had followed the Liu family up the mountain, our survival wasn’t guaranteed.”
“What do you mean by that?” Hoe Yao was puzzled.
“The one who added fuel to the fire behind this Dragon Sovereign banquet is none other than Liu Yao.”
If previously Shen Yuan only suspected the Liu family of spreading the news of the Dragon Sovereign banquet throughout the Cultivation World.
Now, however, Shen Yuan was almost certain that the Liu family must be driving force behind it.
“What did you say?” Hoe Yao looked horrified, then quickly asked,
“I despise the Liu family, but do you have any evidence to back up this accusation?”
Shen Yuan softly said,” I heard a rumour that Liu Yao has visited Fubo Dragon Monarch several days ago.
The rumor of the Dragon Sovereign banquet has spread so widely throughout Qing Province, it’s obvious someone is pulling the strings. The cultivators lured here are mostly at Essence Refining Stage which lacks the ability to fight. This can be regarded as a calculated tactic used by the Liu Family.
The motive of the Liu family is simple. They’re forcing all Human Clan cultivators into a desperate situation, where they will temporarily save them. Then at the Dragon Sovereign banquet, the caretaker Fubo Dragon Monarch will pressure them to sign a Spirit Contract with the Liu family.”
“Throughout this process, the Liu Family doesn’t have to do anything, even earning themselves a good reputation.
After all, the real threat to the cultivators is Fubo Dragon Monarch and his monster tribe, not the Liu family.”
On the conclusion of Shen Yuan’s words, Hoe Yao’s face was filled with rage:
“The Liu Family actually colluded with the monster tribe to plot against us Human Clan cultivators. If I get out of here, I’ll absolutely report this to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau!”
But as Hoe Yao’s eyes swept over the monster tribe members who were gradually closing in, his fury turned into overwhelming bitterness.
These monster tribe members showed their large and ferocious teeth, their eyes flashed with undisguised brutality, seeming eager to attack humans.
Hoe Yao took out several bright yellow talismans from his bosom, looked determinedly at the approaching monster tribe, and whispered to Shen Yuan:
“I’ve dragged Friend Shen into this, when I activate the talismans with my Essence Element, you can use this opportunity to escape.
If Shen Yuan can successfully escape, please make sure to expose the crimes of the Liu family!”
Shen Yuan, surprised, glanced at Hoe Yao and shook his head:
“Friend Hoe, why would you do such a thing?”
Hoe Yao hurriedly explained:
“Although there’s only one Qi Transformation Great Demon left at the foot of the mountain, there are too many Essence Refining Stage monsters. If we both escape together, we might expose our weaknesses.
So, I can only create an opportunity for you, you must…”
Before Hoe Yao could finish his sentence, Shen Yuan’s hand rested lightly on his Bronze Ancient Sword around his waist.
“Zing!”
Without making any visible sword-drawing movement, a faint sword hum, intermixed with the breeze, quietly spread in all directions.
That feeble sound was almost nonexistent, but the dozens of Essence Refining Stage monsters guarding the foot of the mountain felt a chilling sensation.
That sword hum, gliding through the wind over their bodies seemed to freeze their consciousness, drained their vitality, and destroyed every essence in their body, transforming their once powerful monster bodies into hollow shells.
“Thump!”
Like dominoes, as the first monster tribe member fell, dozens of them started dropping one by one, with a large cloud of dust rising from the ground.
This included the Qi Transformation Stage wolf demon.
Even before he could sense any magical fluctuations, the life within his body already dissipated, his once greedy wolf eyes now showed only bewilderment and fear.
Hoe Yao, who had been prepared to fight to the death, stood in place with a dazed look, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Shen Yuan withdrew his hand from the Bronze Ancient Sword and gently asked Hoe Yao:
“Friend Hoe, are you now ready to accompany me to the banquet?”