Chapter 146: Wu Valley's Rules

"Who dares?" Wu Qing'er lunged sideways, chin slightly raised, and shouted arrogantly.

The few girls behind Wu Yao, together with the dozens of gate‑guarding warriors, simultaneously stopped, each at a loss as they stared at Wu Yao.

"Take her down!" Wu Yao stepped forward, her chest almost bumping Wu Qing'er's, likewise lifting her chin; compared to the proud Wu Qing'er, she had even more arrogance and viciousness.

"Wu Qing'er, how long has it been since we last sparred?" Wu Yao laughed brightly: "Five years ago? I remember, that time I broke your stupid brother's ribs—how many? Three? Five? Or more?"

Wu Qing'er's face turned cold instantly, and a slap—*pak*—struck Wu Yao's face.

Neat and clean, with no hesitation, like a flash of lightning—this slap from Wu Qing'er was crisp, using full strength, it spun Wu Yao around on the spot and made her head sway wildly in a daze.

The entrance of Wu Palace fell dead silent, then dozens of onlookers suddenly appeared all around.

They stood at the street corner, on rooftops, at the windows of several grand stone forts, staring fixedly this way.

Wu Yao felt a bit dazed from the blow, she shook her head; after three or four breaths she finally came to. Her face burned with pain, her skin turned bright red, and she let out an angry, shrill scream.

With a *whoosh*, a sheet of white cold qi burst from Wu Yao's body; thumb-sized white hexagonal ice crystals rapidly condensed in the chill and began to spin swiftly around her.

The temperature plummeted in all directions; within tens of meters, tiny white ice crystals continually drifted down in the air.

Wu Tie raised his eyebrows, feeling an extremely familiar power fluctuation from Wu Yao—an identical invisible force field, identical manipulation and use of worldly essence. Only, the range of Wu Yao's invisible force field was much smaller than his.

Wu Tie's invisible force field extended over a kilometer in radius, while Wu Yao's seemed to be only about a hundred meters.

With a *boom*, a vast blue storm surged from Wu Qing'er's body; blue gales howled skyward, forming a blue tornado several meters in diameter and a hundred meters tall that enveloped her.

The fierce winds raged, and the massive gusts bodily shoved Wu Yao back a dozen steps.

Thereafter, threads of faint blue electric light flickered in the wind; blue lightning like ripples covered Wu Qing'er's body, she glowed, her long hair rose strand by strand, and tiny electric sparks continually sprayed from her hair.

The two women glanced at each other, then the raging wind and cold qi violently collided.

Countless shards of white ice crystals shattered, and gusts of wind burst apart.

The auras emanating from Wu Qing'er and Wu Yao violently clashed, and the entire Wu Valley echoed with a low, rumbling roar.

Wu Tie jumped down from the back of a giant wolf spider, strolled to behind Wu Qing'er, and coldly said to the annoyed Wu Yao, "You seem to have some grudge against my elder brother?"

Wu Yao let out a strange laugh: "Wu Jin? That lowly male servant—you know how many lashes I've given him? Especially when he first came to Wu Valley, I whipped him several times into bed to recover… ha…"

Wu Yao had just laughed when her laughter was abruptly cut off.

Wu Tie stepped out from behind Wu Qing'er and launched a punch at her alluring little face.

The cold qi froze Wu Tie's flesh, thickening ice crystals on his skin; he let out a low growl, his heavy punch like thunder, shattering the ice and landing squarely on Wu Yao's pert nose.

Wu Yao wailed; Wu Tie's punch drove her nasal bone into her face, two streams of blood spurted from her nostrils, her cheekbones cracked with a piercing sound, her two front teeth were knocked out, and blood mixed with tooth fragments sprayed from her mouth.

The flower‑like, jade‑like gorgeous beauty instantly turned ferocious, like a female ghost.

Wu Yao let out a shrill howl from her throat, the cold qi on her body shattered, her slender form arched beautifully, and she shot headfirst into the gate of Wu Palace.

Wu Tie's punch wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either—it carried a force of several tens of thousands of catties.

Wu Yao is a Chonglou Realm cultivator, but she follows the path of divine abilities, not the Six Dao Palace's gang of mad body‑tempering brutes; frankly, her physique is quite frail.

Of course, being a Chonglou Realm cultivator, her body is still far stronger than an ordinary person's; Wu Tie's punch left her dazed and nearly unconscious, yet she held on, enduring the intense pain to her face without collapsing.

The few girls behind Wu Yao, a group of warriors—everyone just stood there, stunned.

In all these years of Wu Valley, this is the first time an outsider male has dared to strike a noble Wu clan woman, and to do so openly in public!

From near and far, hundreds of people who had somehow gathered to watch the spectacle simultaneously sucked in a cold breath; the *whoosh* of their inhalation sounded like a muffled thunder, rolling across the sky of Wu Valley.

Inside Wu Valley's sole tavern, sudden silence fell; the doors and windows remained shut, but a few windows and hidden doors cracked open, and sneaky, non‑human silhouettes darted out swiftly.

Not long after, the streets and alleys near Wu Palace filled with even more onlookers.

"Mother… mother…" Wu Yao gasped after Wu Tie's punch left her breathless for a while; she violently panted, spat out a mouthful of tooth fragments and blood, then lay on the ground and began to shriek hysterically.

Suddenly, a crowd of figures surged out from within Wu Palace.

From the side wings of Wu Palace, a large unit of heavily armored, burly warriors charged out.

The interiors of those wings obviously conceal something; likely they built a massive underground structure, for in just a few dozen breaths the emerging armored warriors exceeded three thousand.

How could two rows of two‑story buildings only thirty‑odd zhang long hold that many people?

Meanwhile, in the center of Wu Palace, within the towering stone fort, files of agile maidens emerged in single file, forming neat ranks with stern, cold expressions as they hurried toward the palace gate.

Footsteps could be heard coming from both near and far.

Not only Wu Palace, but in the distant stone forts as well, large units of heavily armored warriors poured out.

They swiftly climbed each stone fort and stone tower, armed with various strong bows and crossbows, instantly sealing off the nearby streets and lanes.

Above, a *chir‑chir* sounded; countless large spiders of varying size, their ugly faces alike, hung glittering threads from their rear ends and slowly slid down from the vaulted ceiling.

At a glance, at least three to four thousand of these spiders lurked in the sky of Wu Valley, their either sickly green or deep‑red eyes flashing a cold, sinister light, constantly rubbing their mouthparts to emit a piercing sound.

Even more surprising to Wu Tie, on the rock walls surrounding Wu Valley, within the thick vines, the vines stirred like serpents; twelve openings appeared in the cliffs, each guarded by a tall woman in a black robe, black mask, holding a jade‑stone scepter.

These women's ages were indiscernible, but their auras were all far stronger than that of the Iron Great Sword.

In other words, they were twelve masters of the Life Pool Realm.

Wu Tie felt a little dry‑mouthed; he had only punched Wu Yao once, but now it seemed he had stirred up a hornet's nest.

With a soft *tap‑tap* of footsteps, Wu Xiu, clad in a long robe, a splendid feather robe draped over her shoulders, and holding a bone staff, walked out gracefully from the main hall of Wu Palace.

She approached the weeping Wu Yao, glanced at the dreadful fist mark on her face, and let out a soft hum.

Wu Xiu raised her bone staff; a jade‑green beam shot from its tip, enveloping Wu Yao. The wounds on Wu Yao's face healed at visible speed, and within a single breath she regained her flower‑like beauty and bewitching charm.

Not a trace of injury remained; even the blood on her body vanished completely.

Wu Yao sprang to her feet, pointing at Wu Tie and shouting angrily, "Mother, he…"

Wu Xiu suddenly turned and slapped Wu Yao across the face with a crisp *pak* that rang far away; the slap spun Wu Yao twice on the spot, her head shaking, leaving her completely dazed.

"Mother…" Wu Yao stared blankly at Wu Xiu.

"Trash… actually beaten by a man…" Wu Xiu gave a cold, expressionless snort.

Wu Yao lowered her head, not daring to speak.

Wu Xiu's icy face softened with a hint of a smile; she walked toward Wu Tie, step by step, smiling.

Wa Qing'er took a deep breath, the storm tornado and lightning on her body gradually subsiding, she stood in front of Wu Tie and said in a low voice to Wa Xiu: "Ninth Aunt, listen to me..."

Wa Xiu glanced at Wa Qing'er and slapped her face.

Wu Tie stepped forward and reached out to grab Wa Xiu's hand…… Wa Xiu's slap at Wa Qing'er was much lighter and slower than the one she had just given her own daughter, as if she were waiting for Wu Tie to stop her.

Just as Wu Tie made a move, Wa Qing'er let out a soft shout, she shoved his palm away with her shoulder and actively brought her face forward.

With a crisp sound neither light nor heavy, Wa Qing'er willingly took Wa Xiu's slap.

"Huh?" Wa Xiu let out a soft hum, glanced sideways at Wu Tie, smiled, and gently asked Wa Qing'er: "Do you know why I hit you?"

Wa Qing'er tightly closed her eyes, then opened them, smiling as she bowed deeply to Wa Xiu: "Wa Qing'er knows."

Wa Xiu smiled and nodded: "Knowing you were wrong is good…… Then, I will punish you—will you accept it willingly, or will you resent it?"

Wa Qing'er said in a low voice: "Wa Qing'er was at fault; I accept whatever punishment Ninth Aunt gives."

Wa Xiu smiled even more happily: "Like that, very good—then I will punish you……"

Wu Tie reached out with one hand, originally intending to grab Wa Xiu's hand to stop her from hitting Wa Qing'er, but Wa Qing'er actively shoved his arm away with her shoulder. He didn't withdraw his hand for a while, and hearing Wa Xiu's pretentious display of power, a surge of anger rose in Wu Tie's chest.

According to Wa Qing'er and Wa Yao, Wu Tie already understood that Wu Jin's situation in Wa Valley was not good, and he had even suffered deliberate harsh abuse from Wa Yao.

Wa Yao is Wa Xiu's daughter; evidently Wa Xiu hasn't played any good role in this either.

They had abused Wu Jin, and now, in front of Wu Tie, they wanted to punish Wa Qing'er for actively defending Wu Tie……

"Hey, old woman!" Wu Tie's anger surged to his forehead, he raised his eyebrows, and without restraint he loudly scolded Wa Xiu: "You, are you reasonable?"

Wa Qing'er's face turned deathly pale.

Wa Xiu laughed, very satisfied, and the large group of girls in tight-fitting clothes behind her shouted in unison "Impudent!" while everyone nearby watching the spectacle looked at Wu Tie with astonishment and admiration.

"Reason?" Wa Xiu burst into loud laughter: "In Wa Valley, there's no such thing…… In Wa Valley, one can only obey Wa Valley's rules…… And Wa Valley's sole rule is: our words are heavenly principle!"

Wa Xiu grabbed Wa Qing'er's shoulder and casually threw her out; Wa Qing'er dared not resist, and was flung about ten meters away in a sorry state, almost losing her footing and falling to the ground.

Wa Xiu stepped forward, got up close to Wu Tie's face, looked at his youthful visage and sneered: "If I say you're right, then you're right; if I say you're wrong, then no matter what, you are wrong."

"In Wa Valley, how dare a male dare offend the Wa clan's noble daughter? Heh…… little thing, who gave you the guts?" Wa Xiu still didn't know Wu Tie's identity, she just shouted sternly: "No matter which family or sect you come from, little thing, you will surely die today."

Wa Xiu drew a deep breath, her smile instantly turning icy: "Now I will choose a death for you…… You cannot die too quickly, so you will endure the Ghost Fire Phosphorus Needle piercing your body and refining your soul for three hundred and sixty days, slowly dying in pain—how does that sound?"

Wu Tie looked at Wa Xiu and said word by word: "I am Wu Jin's younger brother, Wu Tie, and I have come to find Wu Jin…… I have no interest in your Wa Valley's rules…… Where is Wu Jin? I have come to find Wu Jin!"

Because of Wa Qing'er, Wu Tie still had considerable goodwill toward Wa Valley.

But because of Wa Xiu and Wa Yao, Wu Tie's goodwill toward Wa Valley vanished instantly; now his heart is filled only with malice and fury.

He clenched his fists tightly, the muscles in his palms aching terribly, a terrifying force transmitted from his bones made his palm muscles bruise and quickly turn purple and swollen.

Wa Xiu suddenly opened her mouth, wearing an expression of astonishment and joy mixed with disbelief as she looked at Wu Tie.

She pointed at Wu Tie's nose and suddenly laughed: "You're Wu Jin's younger brother? Good, good, good, very good— as a Wa clan outsider male…… a lowly male, you dare to offend the Wa clan's noble daughter…… even the suffering of the Ghost Fire Phosphorus Needle soul-refining punishment is not enough to punish you, you must……"

A soft laugh came from within the Wa Palace Main Building, and Wa Mu, dressed in a black robe and draped with a long feathered cape, led a group of tight‑clothed girls out slowly.

"Ninth Sister…… When did it become your turn to set the rules of Wa Valley?"

"If we're talking about rules, in Wa Valley nowadays only my words count as the rules."

Wa Mu lightly clapped her hands and waved casually: "Let's disperse, what's there to watch? Don't you have anything to do?"

The surrounding armored warriors, the countless onlookers, and even the big spiders overhead scattered in a bustle, vanishing without a trace in just a few breaths.

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