Chapter 637: Chapter Six Hundred and Thirty Three: Welcome Back

Liu Shutong’s face underwent several changes before eventually settling into a resigned expression as he let out a deep sigh: “Master Li is right.” He turned to look at the still chaotic council hall with a helpless shake of his head, “Let’s go.”

“Then let’s go,” Li Huangxuan did not feel any joy in Liu Shulong’s agreement. He knew this decision was not genuinely made, but merely for the moment.

Having taken charge of the family for many years, they’ve made many such decisions prioritizing the family over personal feelings, becoming numb to the routine.

The eight men from Fuling Mountain were already near the cave entrance. Since they had made up their minds, there was no need for hesitation. Seeing the unguarded entrance, Li Huangxuan shook his head and sighed inwardly: it seems the Tang family in Xiling has indeed fallen into decay.

With heavy hearts, the group walked along the mountain path of Yunfeng. The echoing sound of their footsteps was the only thing breaking the silence. Once they had distanced themselves from the bustling council hall, they regained their composure. Eyes focused on the light emanating from the distant cave mouth, the clan leaders resolved to work hard for their people on Fuling Mountain, but their gratitude towards the Tang clan would have to wait for another time.

Suddenly, Zhou Shun’s face changed dramatically. He promptly invoked his protective martial arts technique and shouted, “Prepare for battle, there are people outside the hole!”

Zhou’s martial arts techniques have always been recognized for their perceptiveness, and Zhou Shun was one of the best among them. In terms of vigilance and quick responses, he was second to none in the four families of Fuling Mountain.

A few months of standing watch together had cemented a tacit understanding among the Fuling Mountain group. Almost immediately as Zhou Shun called out, the eight of them took their positions.

Li Huangxuan of the Li family stood in the forefront with his clan members, his Xuanhuang Body power erupting fully. His naturally dark skin turned earthy yellow, an aggressive blue aura shielding his body.

The Wu and Zhou families also took their positions beside the Li family members, tightly grasping the weapons conjured with their spiritual power. Liu Shu, the scholarly middle-aged man, stood at the back, gripping a magical seal in his hand, perpetually on guard towards the light at the end of the cave.

Each performing their duties and working in unison, this was how the Fuling Mountain group had managed to take root in Fuling City during the toughest of times, and this time was no exception.

Although Li Huangxuan, at the front, appeared calm, he was secretly wondering if it could be Tang Zuo revealing something to the Mi Clan during the gathering and allowing them to send someone to test the waters. Without looking back, he promptly ordered, “If the people coming are martial artists from the Mi clan, Liu, you must immediately return to the hall to inform everyone.”

Although the Tang and Mi clans had a reputation, everyone present was unafraid. This was because the council hall held hundreds of Fierce Realm’s powerful experts. Even if a Grandmaster arrived, they would not yield any advantage.

Liu Shutong, at the rear, nodded his head and subtly retreated another step with his younger brother.

However, a nagging sense of curiosity loomed in his mind. Given Zhou Shun’s ability to sense an approaching spiritual power, the individuals must not be far off. However, considering the speed of a Fierce Realm expert, why had they not revealed themselves yet?

“Could it be that these people want to shake the mountain?” Liu Shutong couldn’t help but think so, his expression dramatically changing as he felt the imposing spiritual power.

It wasn’t merely strong, it was terrifying!

The aura of a Fierce Realm martial artist is generally composed of three parts. The first is the vitality inherent in the physical body of the martial artist, strong in those with imposing physical health.

The second part is the quantity of spiritual power- those with vigorous spiritual power exude an aura that applies massive pressure on lower-ranking martial artists.

The final part is the strength of the divine soul. If physical health and spiritual power form the basis of the aura, then the divine soul determines the upper limit of this aura.

A Fierce Realm warrior with extraordinary vitality might not have an aura as strong as a frail old man, and the difference lies in their divine souls.

Thousands of souls nurture thousands of powers, and the strength of the divine soul is most directly felt through divine soul sensing.

Liu Shutong felt as though the people standing at the cave entrance were fierce beasts in human skin.

They walked from outside the cave with steady steps, and the closer they got, the stronger their aura became; when they were near, their aura was as fierce as dragons and tigers.

Li Huangxuan, standing at the forefront, stared intently at the man leading the group. He was ready to attack but dared not make a move because there were several ferocious auras as fierce as dragons locked onto him. His hair standing on end and his trembling divine soul were all telling him: move and you die!

He had once thought that once he reached the Xuanhuang Body level, he would never lose his courage. He was wrong.

This protective technique on par with top-tier spiritual armors did not offer him a sense of security at the moment. His body was rigid because he knew that the moment he attacked, he would be torn to pieces.

Since these people did not show hostility, he did not want to move rashly and possibly lead to misunderstandings, and so he froze awkwardly.

He was not cowardly; it’s just that there were individuals in the approaching group whom they all recognized.

The four families of Fuling Mountain would never forget the figures that descended from the ice boat a few months ago. The golden palms that lit up the night sky like a canopy, the three of them wiped out the strongest bandits on Fuling Mountain with just a few blows.

And now, these three were trailing at the end of this group, seeming like followers.

Thirty-six people walked right through the defense line that the eight men from Fuling Mountain had carefully set up, disregarding them entirely.

Only when the footsteps of the group had faded into the distance did the eight men dare to turn around. Gazing at the now empty passageway, the eight of them exchanged glances and, weakened, leaned against the mountain wall to catch their breath.

Despite only standing there, they felt as if they had gone through a major battle; their fronts and backs soaked with sweat.

“What.. what just happened?” said Wu Guang, his back against the rock wall and his fists clenched. “I recognize a few of those following at the back. They are the ones who came with Captain Tang Zuo, but why are they here? Shouldn’t these people be trapped in Shangyun Valley?”

“How would I know?” snapped Zhou Shun. As the most perceptive of the eight, he felt the strength of the group’s aura the most. When they emotionlessly walked past him one by one, he felt like a small fish rubbing shoulders with a giant shark in the deep sea.

These were not people; they were clearly fierce beasts in human skin.

In contrast, the aura emitted by the martial ancestors who impressed him in the past were the weakest. At this point, Zhou Shun’s mind was in chaos.

“Let’s go back!” Li Huangxuan released his Xuanhuang Body technique, shook his head as if trying to forget the humiliation of not daring to attack, and said in a low voice with red eyes: “Yes, let’s go back!”

Having said that, Li Huangxuan began to walk towards the hall they came from. After exchanging glances, the others decided to grit their teeth and follow suit.

A short passageway, but their hearts were in turmoil.

They were desperate to know: what kind of scheme was Tang Zuo playing out in the grand assembly!Text © 2024 .

With thirty-six martial ancestors, they could breach the encirclement of Xiangyun Valley from any angle, so how could the Tang family possibly be surrounded?

By the time they arrived back at the council hall, the previously boisterous hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, so that the hurried footsteps of the arrivals seemed loud.

The thirty-six terrifyingly powerful figures had already gone onstage and were standing behind Tang Zuo. The captain, with his usual composed expression, saw the men from Fuling Mountain appear at the entrance, chuckled, and gave a nod: “Welcome back.”