Chapter 625

Still Demon-Suppressing City, still beneath the eastern gate tower of the foremost Demon-Suppressing City, Wu Tie sat squarely on the throne, smiling as he looked at Xiang Zhuang sitting opposite the long case, several zhang away.

Behind Wu Tie stood ranks of heavily armored guards, and farther off two massive armies each numbering in the millions had gathered.

By contrast, although Xiang Zhuang had several hundred heavily armored guards behind him, aside from that he had not a single attendant, and there was no doubt he was at a great disadvantage in appearance.

But Xiang Zhuang came in haste, rushing here overnight at top speed, and moreover his household's private spearmen had all been lost in battle; he wanted to make a proper show, but was willing yet unable.

"Lord Xiang!" Wu Tie clasped his hands with a false smile toward Xiang Zhuang: "You're not in Qingqiu City attending to military affairs—what are you doing in this godforsaken backwater?"

On the gate tower behind, Zhao Bo looked at Wu Tie with resentment.

Demon-Suppressing City truly is a godforsaken backwater, but you shouldn't say that out loud!

"Lord Huo!" Xiang Zhuang also clasped his hands toward Wu Tie, his face cold and arrogant, bearing the lofty superiority that an ancient aristocracy feels toward upstarts.

Because they supported Linghu Qingqing's replacement of the Great Jin Divine State and helped her ascend the throne, the Xiang family also earned the title of 'King of Chu.' It is said that this title was dug out from old documents by an elderly retainer of the Xiang family.

It is said that the title 'King of Chu' was an extremely noble rank from the primordial mythic age, and the deity-like figure who originally held it just happened to bear the surname Xiang.

Although both hold the rank of prince, the Xiang family's fief is far larger than Wu Tie's; purely in terms of area, the Xiang fief is at least ten times the size of Wu Tie's Nine Provinces.

The family's deep reserves are evident here, and Xiang Zhuang is also one of the military's top brass; facing Wu Tie, he feels confident. Even though Wu Tie displays vast armies to left and right, a looming threat, Xiang Zhuang acts as if he doesn't see it, sitting steady and unmoved.

"What brings you here?" Wu Tie kept up his false smile and laughed.

Before the gate tower behind him, thousands of wooden poles, each hundreds of zhang tall but only as thick as a bowl's rim, flexible and swaying back and forth, bore thousands of hanging family members who swung with the wind—a truly spectacular sight.

Xiang Zhuang narrowed his eyes, not even glancing at the family members hanging from those poles.

He sized up Wu Tie from head to toe for a long while, then sighed: "Who would have thought that the fortunate youths of yesteryear would today be princes sitting as equals with this king? The world is truly bewildering. Think of my Xiang family, whose merit was carved out with sword and spear…"

Wu Tie rudely cut him off: "You've fought with sword and spear for years, yet the Xiang family only got the title of King of Chu under the new dynasty—do you think you've got face?"

He waved his hand and shouted sternly: "This isn't incompetence, isn't trash—what is it then?"

He tapped his thumb to his nose and said arrogantly: "Lord Xiang, look at me—under a hundred years old, starting from an ordinary military household as a lowly commandant, I've already risen to the rank of prince… What's this talk of earning merit with sword and spear? Boasting of lineage is useless before me."

Xiang Zhuang gritted his teeth, clenched his fists so tightly he could not speak.

Wu Tie's words were true enough, but they cut too deep…

A young Xiang clansman behind Xiang Zhuang strode forward, pointing at Wu Tie and shouting: "Huo Xiong, our Xiang ancestors have always been loyal with red hearts…"

As soon as the four words 'red heart and loyal courage' left his mouth, Wu Tie flickered, lunged at the young Xiang, slapped him to the ground with a backhand, then in a blur returned to his throne.

Pointing at the Xiang youth whose face was flushed and twitching on the ground, Wu Tie looked at Xiang Zhuang and said coldly: "Ashamed, Lord Xiang—you'd better keep your bunch of ignorant brats in check. Those four words 'red heart and loyal courage'—nowadays not a single person in the civil and military establishment has the face to utter them."

Xiang Zhuang grew ever more furious; even if the likes of the cautious Gongyang Sanlü might still keep their composure, Xiang Zhuang, being a pure-blooded Xiang, felt his family's domineering blood surge wildly under Wu Tie's repeated provocations.

His eyes instantly turned bloodshot, a blood‑tinged viscous vapor rose from his skin, his flesh darkened with a metallic sheen, making him seem like a metal‑cast demon god statue as a killing aura rose and he slowly stood.

"How my sons speak and act—what business is that of yours, Huo Xiong?"

Xiang Zhuang's tone grew extremely fierce and uncivil: "In this world, no outsider dares to discipline my Xiang sons, and no one has ever offended the Xiang family and walked away unscathed."

Wu Tie also rose slowly, flames bursting from his palms, he gave Xiang Zhuang a cold stare and sneered: "I've insulted a bunch of your Xiang fools who don't know the height of heaven or depth of earth—what can you do about it?"

Xiang Zhuang said nothing; the long case between them, however long it was, shattered silently, his whole body burning with blood‑colored vapor, he stepped forward in a single stride and threw a straight punch at Wu Tie's cheek.

Wu Tie met him head‑on, without dodging, and threw an equally straight punch at Xiang Zhuang's cheek.

A wild, beast‑like roar rose; the several hundred guards behind Xiang Zhuang surged forward, while behind Wu Tie his brothers Wu Jin, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong, leading an equal number of Wu clan youths, shouted and charged to meet them.

Zhao Bo stood on the gate tower, eyes wide, watching Wu Tie and Xiang Zhuang go at it, and spat heavily onto the ground: "Good, let them all beat each other to death… hey, a bunch of murderous embryos, let them all kill each other… but Prince An really puts his money where his mouth is… well, hey, beat you to death, you old scoundrel Xiang Zhuang!"

Zhao Bo unconsciously rubbed the several places on his body that had once been broken—injuries he'd received as a reckless youth in Qingqiu City at the hands of that ruthless, domineering gang of Xiang thugs.

A deep, bell‑like boom rang out.

Xiang Zhuang's fist landed solidly on Wu Tie's face, and Wu Tie's fist landed just as solidly on Xiang Zhuang's face.

Xiang Zhuang's head tilted slightly; Wu Tie's punch was too heavy, too heavy—unimaginably heavy—and Xiang Zhuang could barely withstand it.

But when Xiang Zhuang's fist struck Wu Tie's face, only countless sparks flew; aside from the muscles of his cheek twisting and deforming, Wu Tie's head didn't budge an inch—he took the blow head‑on.

After retracting their punches, each swung the other hand and slammed it into the opposite cheek of the other.

The two stood firm on the ground, their four fists leaving countless afterimages as they wildly hammered each other's cheeks, producing earth‑shaking booms.

Wu Tie's body didn't move an inch.

Xiang Zhuang's skull kept swaying slightly left and right.

The clansmen of the Xiang family hanging from the wooden poles stared agape; they could see that the family head was already losing. Wu Tie's frame was sturdier than Xiang Zhuang's, and his fists harder!

Yet Xiang Zhuang is the clan's patriarch, cultivating the 'Overlord Cauldron‑Lifting Art'; purely in terms of strength, the Xiang youths in the Qingqiu Divine State are unbeatable among their peers, save for the foremost lineage.

Even the Linghu clan, which has held the military reins of the Great Jin Divine State for years, owes its dominance not to combat prowess but to having the sharpest minds among its generals, excelling at strategy and organization.

But today, Xiang Zhuang is being pressed and beaten by Wu Tie.

"Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art… is it really that powerful?" Many Xiang officers who knew the origin of Wu Tie's cultivation silently wondered.

Wu Tie grinned, eyes narrowed on Xiang Zhuang, his punches coming faster and faster, their force growing ever stronger.

Xiang Zhuang's punches packed power, striking the face and hurting badly.

But this pain carried a genuine, real feeling; Xiang Zhuang made Wu Tie sense a certain pressure—something Wu Tie hadn't felt in a long while.

This solid, flesh‑to‑flesh sensation against an opponent was something Wu Tie found very satisfying.

The flesh of his cheek ached; the meat inside his mouth, under the heavy blows, was scraped raw by his teeth, so blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, then quickly evaporated by his body's heat into a dry crust that clung to his chin.

Wu Tie laughed, his mouth full of blood.

The injury wasn't serious—indeed, barely more than trivial—it just looked a bit ferocious, a bit severe.

His fists inflicted greater damage on Xiang Zhuang.

Xiang Zhuang was not only bleeding from the mouth; his cheekbones were cracked by Wu Tie's punches.

But Xiang Zhuang cared about face; as the current head of the Xiang family, he couldn't let his clansmen and outsiders see him spitting blood after being beaten by a suddenly risen youth.

The Xiang family's honor, the dignity of an old‑line aristocracy, would not allow him to do that.

So he gulped down the blood flowing from his mouth in big mouthfuls; the metallic taste filled him, and his killing intent grew ever fiercer.

Suddenly, Xiang Zhuang withdrew his fist, grabbed at his waist, and swung—an innate spirit‑weapon level dragon‑pattern seven‑star sword flashed forth as a blood‑colored rainbow, slicing horizontally at Wu Tie's waist.

Wu Tie truly didn't expect that Xiang Zhan could be so shameless.

The blood-colored rainbow tore open Wu Tie's waist sash and heavily struck his waist.

A dull thud sounded as the long sword cut Wu Tie's skin and struck his lowest rib. Sparks flew; this innate spiritual weapon-grade Dragon Pattern Seven-Star Sword tore Wu Tie's waist muscles, but could do nothing to his bone.

The long sword left only an extremely fine white trace on Wu Tie's dark, dull rib; then Wu Tie inhaled, and the white trace quickly disappeared. The muscles of his severed waist writhed rapidly, the wound healed rapidly, and the regenerated flesh tightly clamped the long sword inside his body.

"Shameless!" Wu Tie shouted. He originally thought Xiang Zhan was a worthy opponent worthy of respect, but now it seems he overestimated him.

The God-Beating Whip flew out of his sleeve; Wu Tie gripped it tightly and slammed a heavy whip strike down onto Xiang Zhan's head.

Xiang Zhang's head erupted with a streak of golden rosy light; it was a peculiarly shaped Golden Rosy Crown inlaid with over a dozen thumb-sized gold pearls, emitting countless threads of golden rosy light that formed a golden cloud platform blocking the God-Beating Whip.

With a tremendous boom, the God-Beating Whip surged forward, smashing the Golden Rosy Crown to pieces with irresistible force.

Xiang Zhan screamed in terror, desperately trying to pull back his long sword, but the sword was tightly clamped by Wu Tie's muscles; he couldn't draw it for a moment, so he released the hilt and retreated hastily.

The God-Beating Whip almost grazed Xiang Zhan's nose as it fell; a streak of purple-gold whip lash whistled out. Xiang Zhan, hoarse with exhaustion, shouted while straining to dodge aside: "Prince An... everything can be negotiated; this is my fault, I admit my mistake."

Wu Tie slightly eased his grip on the God-Beating Whip; the power that bound space and law, rendering one immobile, vanished. Xiang Zhan's body suddenly lightened, and he darted dozens of li away to one side.

A purple-gold whip lash tens of thousands of zhang long spewed from the God-Beating Whip, lashing heavily against the ground.

Silently, a ground fissure appeared before Wu Tie, nearly a hundred li long, no more than ten zhang wide, and bottomless. Within the fissure, all rocks and sand vanished instantly, leaving not a trace.

Xiang Zhan turned his head to look over here, his face shifting through a myriad of colors.

The ground around Demon-Suppressing City was laid with countless formations and seals; even ordinary battles of those at the Fetal Storage Realm, let alone thousands of them fighting here, could hardly cause serious damage to the ground.

Wu Tie merely flicked his whip lightly, and directly drew out such a fissure…… If this lash struck a person……

Xiang Zhan shuddered violently, then hastily unfurled a cyan-gold scroll and bellowed: "Prince An, I have received the imperial decree to lead my family's commanders to reinforce the Three Kingdoms battlefield…… But you……"

Wu Tie gave a cold snort, retracted the God-Beating Whip, and sat back upon his throne.

He didn't even glance at Xiang Zhan, but pointed behind him and said: "Your family's good-for-nothings are all here…… but we must settle this debt properly."

Xiang Zhan shook the imperial edict in his hand: "Prince An, military affairs are urgent; if we delay state matters……"

Wu Tie laughed, crossed his legs, didn't even look at Xiang Zhan, and shouted at the Wu Jin brothers: "Beat them to death, as long as you don't actually kill them…… hehe, delaying military affairs is just bad luck for your Xiang family, what does it have to do with me?"

Wu Tie laughed even more brightly, finally lifted his head and pointed at Xiang Zhan: "These days I've been busy in Demon-Suppressing City, but my information is also quite well-informed; on the Three Kingdoms battlefield, some unfavorable events for His Majesty have occurred. If your Xiang family delays matters there, His Majesty may well order the extermination of your entire clan."

Xiang Zhan's body tensed slightly; he brought a stream of light back before Wu Tie and gritted his teeth, asking: "Prince An, what do you intend?"

Wu Tie pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands: "I'm not greedy either; your Xiang family's fief is vast—give me a prefectural seat as compensation…… Otherwise, I certainly wouldn't dare kill your Xiang clansmen, but delaying you for a month so you can't reach the Three Kingdoms battlefield in time is still doable."

"A prefectural seat?" Xiang Zhan gritted his teeth again: "Which one?"

Wu Tie chuckled, produced a full map of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom, casually pointed beside his own fief and said: "This is it—Quzhou, right next to my fief—how about it?"

Xiang Zhan fell silent for a moment, lifted his gaze to the thousands of clansmen hanging from the wooden posts, and exhaled heavily: "Prince An, a person cannot be lucky all their life……"

Wu Tie furrowed his brows: "Will you agree or not? This Quzhou was never your territory to begin with; it was only newly granted to you this time, and you haven't held it long—why be so petty?"

Xiang Zhan closed his eyes, then nodded heavily: "Your Highness, agreed—quickly sign the documents, then release my clansmen…… Furthermore, this matter……"

Wu Tie instantly laughed, nodded firmly: "This matter, I will absolutely not leak a shred to the outside—rest assured."