Chapter 176: The First Among the Grandmasters

As Zhao Min's voice, trembling slightly with expectation, fell.

Inside the valley, everyone's gaze involuntarily converged upon the mysterious figure beside her, who had remained silent all along, entirely shrouded beneath a black cloak.

They were all curious: who exactly was this person that the dignified Great Yuan Princess, even in such a desperate situation, still regarded as her final reliance?

Could he withstand that terrifying black flood dragon, akin to a god or demon?

Under the tense yet curious gazes of the crowd.

That black-clothed figure slowly took a few steps forward.

His movements were neither hurried nor slow; every step seemed to contain a unique rhythm, quietly harmonizing with some breath between heaven and earth.

As he walked, the aura he had originally suppressed to the extreme began to rise slowly, like a volcano awakening!

A peerless sharpness, as if capable of piercing the firmament and piercing through all things, a fierce spear intent, spread out from him!

The strength of that spear intent was such that even the surrounding air seemed to solidify, causing many experts present to feel a wave of heart palpitations and skin stinging!

He slowly raised his hand and gently lifted the black cloak from his head.

Revealing a face with sharp angles, weathered by wind and frost, yet carrying an indescribable determination and lonely pride.

His eyes were calm and deep, like an ancient well, without the slightest ripple.

But if one looked closely, one could discover that deep within his eyes, a flame that would never extinguish seemed to be burning!

It was the ultimate pursuit and supreme obsession with the Dao of the Spear!

After Wang Chongyang, the Supreme Divine Ability, saw the face of that black-clothed man, he was first slightly stunned, then a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.

He carefully sized up the other, feeling the increasingly powerful and terrifying spear intent emanating from him.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, his expression changed drastically!

His eyes were filled with disbelief, shock, solemnity, and deep... apprehension!

He had traveled for a time in the Liyang Dynasty and, regarding that Spear Dao Supreme, hailed as a mythical existence in the Liyang Jianghu, naturally had heard of him, even one could say his name was as thunderous as a drum!

"Is it you?!" Wang Chongyang exclaimed in a lost voice, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief and horror.

"From the Northern Liang Wang Fu, beneath the Tingchao Pavilion, the one who could suppress the entire Jianghu with a single ordinary wooden spear, spearing countless experts..."

"The Spear Saint—Xu Yanbing?!"

"The Spear Saint Xu Yanbing?!"

Hearing this name, Ma Yu, Qiu Chuji, and other disciples of the Menquanzhen Sect all trembled violently, their mouths agape in shock!

This name, throughout the entire Jianghu, represented a legend! A myth!

Unrivaled in the Spear Dao!

An existence nearly invincible beneath the Immortal Realm!

Within the Northern Liang Wang Fu, aside from that unfathomable Northern Liang King Xu Xiao, the undisputed number one expert!

Rumor had it that the wooden spear in his hand had long attained spiritual awareness, capable of summoning the wind and thunder of heaven and earth; the intricacy of his spear technique and the terror of its power had long surpassed the Fan Chou of mundane martial arts!

They never expected that this legendary Spear Dao Supreme would actually appear here!

Moreover, it seemed he was the guard of that Mongol Yuan Princess?!

This... this is simply too incredible?!

Seeing Xu Yanbing appear and reveal that earth-shattering spear intent, Zhao Min...

... on her beautiful face, which had turned somewhat pale due to Ning Chuan's terrifying strength, a trace of color returned, and a spark of hope and confidence reignited in her eyes.

In her view, although Ning Chuan was powerful, the might he displayed also seemed not yet to have truly reached the legendary Immortal Realm.

But Mr. Xu Yanbing was almost universally recognized as the number one person beneath the Immortal Realm in Liyang!

With him intervening, it might not be impossible to contend with this flood dragon!

Even suppressing it was not impossible!

Ning Chuan's pale golden dragon eyes calmly gazed at the Xu Yanbing before him.

From the terrifying spear intent emanating from the other, which had been refined to the extreme and seemed to merge with heaven and earth as one.

He could clearly feel that this person's strength was far beyond that of Xiao Xiao Yuanshan, Southern Murong Bo, and even Li Qiushui before!

This was a true supreme expert standing at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, differing by only one step from glimpsing the mysteries of the Immortal Realm!

"It seems the mastermind behind today's play is that Northern Liang King, Xu Xiao?"

Ning Chuan's voice remained calm, without the slightest ripple, as if speaking of a trivial matter.

Xu Yanbing's eyes, as calm as an ancient well, also gazed calmly at Ning Chuan.

His voice, like the long spear in his hand, was concise and direct:

"Prince Heir, to establish the martial arts Foundation Establishment, one needs a flood dragon inner core as a medicinal guide."

The implication was self-evident.

He had come this time specifically for that flood dragon core within Ning Chuan's body!

Spear intent shot towards the sky!

The entire valley seemed to be shrouded by this peerless, sharp spear intent!

The air became solemn, filled with a killing aura!

Hearing Xu Yanbing's words, and recalling the rumors circulating in the Jianghu previously about the Northern Liang Prince Heir Xu Feng,

Wang Chongyang instantly sorted out the cause and effect of the matter!

This was clearly an earth-shattering conspiracy targeting Taohuadao, or rather, targeting this mysterious flood dragon!

The Mongol Yuan Princess Zhao Min was probably merely a pawn pushed to the forefront!

Their true purpose was to draw out this flood dragon, then have this Spear Saint Xu Yanbing intervene, hunt it down, and seize the flood dragon core!

And their Menquanzhen Sect, along with those Daoist canons that were hijacked, were merely bait and sacrifices within this conspiracy!

Thinking of this, Wang Chongyang's heart instantly burned with rage!

He had actually been used as a gun by these treacherous scoundrels!

It was simply a disgrace!

He let out an angry roar and was about to throw caution to the wind, stepping in to aid Brother Ning Chuan and face this Northern Liang Spear Saint together!

However, before he could make any move—

Ning Chuan's calm voice, carrying an unquestionable authority, had already sounded in his ear:

"Stand down."

"A mere cur of Northern Liang — it's not your place to interfere."

Wang Chongyang heard this, his figure faltering, a wry bitter smile crossing his face.

He knew too that, with his current strength, even if he stepped in, he probably wouldn't be of much help and might instead become a burden to Brother Ning Chuan.

He could only sigh helplessly and retreat to the side.

Ning Chuan's pale-golden dragon pupils turned once more toward Xu Yanbing, his voice carrying a thread of icy killing intent:

"Very well."

"This Seat has noted you, and noted the Northern Liang Wang Fu as well."

"One day, This Seat will personally trample your Northern Liang flat and raze that so-called Listening Tide Pavilion to the ground!"

He rarely grew this angry, but the Northern Liang Wang Fu's scheming this time had undeniably struck his reverse scale!

Xu Yanbing heard this, and on that face as still as an ancient well, a faint trace of derision finally appeared:

"You won't have that chance."

His voice remained calm, yet carried a powerful confidence born of absolute self-assurance!

Before the words had even faded—

He moved!