Chapter 1179: I Am Xu Lao

Grass!

Yi Zhong nearly cursed aloud, his lips twitching violently.

Now he was virtually certain that Xu Que's possession claim was a lie—back at Yaochi, he hadn't sensed any Divine Soul Power approaching at all; he'd merely been stupid enough to try to turn the tables, while the other had already been waiting to lure him in, leaving him beaten senseless with no chance to retaliate!

The worst part was this incident had spread, turning him into a laughingstock in Tianxiang City, and now Xu Que was pulling the same trick again, making Yi Zhong tremble with rage, barely holding back the urge to slap Xu Que dead.

But Xu Que had clearly moved faster—he finished speaking and immediately pointed at Yi Zhong, barking: "Young Brother Yi, what are you standing there for? Come over quickly! Old man has ordered his son to possess your body, or none of us will leave alive today!"

"Scoundrel!" Yi Zhong erupted in fury, roaring and raising his hand to strike Xu Que.

Bai Cailing stood right beside Xu Que and instantly stepped in front of him, her jade hand sweeping—ten fingertips emitted streaks of starlight, forming a radiant curtain that stretched between the two.

"Young Brother Yi, what are you doing? Had it not been for Old Man Xu's intervention, you'd all have been corrupted by malevolent energy and slaughtered each other!" Bai Cailing said coldly, fixing Yi Zhong with a icy gaze.

"Holy Maiden Bai, can't you see this old man is just putting on a show?" Yi Zhong snapped, but he didn't advance further—he didn't want to truly fight Bai Cailing.

Yet he was furious: under these circumstances, anyone could see Xu Que was deliberately humiliating him, yet Bai Cailing still shielded him, which made Yi Zhong seethe.

"Old Man Xu is a honored guest of Yaochi. He's injured, yet still came to save you—do you intend to repay kindness with malice?" Bai Cailing replied coldly.

At this moment, Xu Que also shook his head repeatedly, sighing: "Alas, the world's morals have decayed! Fine then, daughter-in-law—if Young Brother Yi feels uneasy, let him kill Old Man here!"

Daughter-in-law?

The moment that word surfaced, everyone from the major factions present froze, staring in shock at Bai Cailing.

When had the Holy Maiden of Yaochi been betrothed? How had she become this old man's daughter-in-law?

"You old scoundrel, how dare you slander Holy Maiden Bai's purity?!" Yi Zhong roared again, voice heavy with fury.

"Stop!" Bai Cailing immediately silenced him, inwardly feeling utterly exasperated.

Though she'd secretly planned to honor the marriage contract and believed she could privately get Xu Que to void it, she never intended to make this public—yet now that Xu Que had spoken it aloud, she couldn't retract or deny it.

"Old Man Xu speaks truth—I've already pledged myself to Xu Que. From this moment on, I am Old Man Xu's daughter-in-law!" Bai Cailing said calmly, though her heart felt strangely complex.

She'd once thought she could never utter such words—but now that they were spoken, she felt no revulsion whatsoever, as if even if this marriage ultimately came to pass, she wouldn't oppose it.

Meanwhile, everyone present was stunned by Bai Cailing's words.

Yaochi's people were relatively calm—they'd already been informed—but the Heavenly Prides of the other major factions had no knowledge of this, and were now deeply shaken.

The Holy Maiden of Yaochi, a young representative of one of Tianxiang Immortal Domain's dominant powers, had just pledged herself to someone no one had ever heard of—a complete nobody.

Yi Zhong found it utterly unbelievable; his fury burned fiercely—he'd only been gone a few days, and the marriage contract denied at Yaochi Holy Land had now become real!

"Holy Maiden Bai, are you certain you wish to do this?" Yi Zhong said coldly, staring at Bai Cailing, his tone laced with warning.

When he departed from the Shennong Clan, the Yaochi Holy Mother was visiting the Taiyin Immortal Domain and had discussed marriage prospects with the Shennong Clan Leader—both sides intended to unite the Holy Maiden with the Divine Son, which was why he'd rushed ahead to secure the advantage.

Of course, he knew even if he failed, this Holy Maiden would still eventually marry into the Shennong Clan, wedded to another Heavenly Pride.

But now, Bai Cailing had publicly acknowledged her betrothal to Xu Que—effectively ending any chance of alliance between Shennong Clan and Yaochi, and utterly humiliating Yi Zhong.

After all, everyone here could see he was courting this Holy Maiden—and now this? He'd lost all face.

"Young Brother Yi, my affairs are none of your concern," Bai Cailing replied coldly.

Well, now his face was completely shattered!

Bai Cailing wasn't a puppet Holy Maiden—she had her own will, and even the Holy Mother couldn't truly force her into marriage with the Shennong Clan!

Besides, her choice to stand with Xu Que was for Yaochi's benefit—especially after the Pantao Garden revived, Yaochi's rise was merely a matter of time; there was no need to fear the Shennong Clan.

"Good, good, very good," Yi Zhong laughed bitterly with rage, glaring venomously at Bai Cailing and Xu Que before retreating.

At this moment, the other Heavenly Prides from the major factions present began studying Xu Que, baffled: how could this sickly old man, barely at Half-Immortal Realm, command such unwavering loyalty from Holy Maiden Bai?

"Enough," said a Heavenly Pride. "Holy Maiden Bai spoke truly—this place is no place to linger. We should leave quickly. Everyone, bring out your Residual Soul Fragments—don't hide them, or you'll only bring ruin upon yourselves!"

He was Ji Wu Yun, a Heavenly Pride from the Shadow Pagoda of Qisha Immortal Domain, already at Heavenly Immortal Mid-stage—extremely powerful, his strength rivaling even the Shadow Pagoda's Divine Son; he hadn't become Divine Son only because the position was held by his elder brother, whom he willingly stepped aside for.

Bai Cailing held deep respect for this Heavenly Pride and immediately nodded: "We've also investigated—unless we reassemble the Divine Spirit's Remnant Soul, we cannot break the Altar's Restriction to proceed."

Everyone present fell silent.

Clearly, they all understood the situation: if they continued forward, everyone must surrender their Residual Soul Fragments; if they chose to retreat, they could leave with their fragments and claim some Inheritance.

Two choices. Originally seven Heavenly Prides had obtained fragments, but one had just been killed by the Restriction, his fragment seized first by Ji Wu Yun—so now only six remained who could decide.

If they continued forward, it was simple: just hand over all fragments.

But if someone wished to retreat, matters grew complex—how could those who wished to proceed willingly let them leave?

"Forgive me, everyone," said a Heavenly Pride, breaking the silence. "My sect has suffered heavy losses—even my Guardian is now the only one left. We won't continue further!"

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