Chapter 60 General Shi Xing

Listening to Wang Sheng's words, Qin Liang's face sank slightly.

He truly wanted to directly unleash his spiritual coercion and use a top-grade Yuan artifact to catch the other off guard and execute him on the spot.

However, he managed to restrain himself in the end.

Back in the Arena Pavilion, he had used that method to take Jiang Tao completely by surprise. Right now, however, Wang Sheng was visibly alert and on guard. Even with his speed, he doubted he could smoothly eliminate Wang Sheng.

If he failed, his identity would undoubtedly be exposed, and in that case, the subsequent play would become difficult to perform.

After his thoughts raced through his mind, Qin Liang decisively released a terrifying wave of spiritual pressure.

Buzz!

Faintly, Wang Sheng felt a buzzing sound echo in his mind. As he looked at the figure in the black robe, an ungrounded sense of dread welled up within his heart, and he felt pressure originating from the depths of his soul.

"Hmm?"

Wang Sheng's expression changed drastically. In just a split second, he sensed a crisis of life and death.

At the same time, a shout came from not far away: "Stop right there!"

A man clad in armor flashed to the scene, gripping a long spear and blocking the path of the group of Jiang family experts. A terrifying aura of cultivation poured out from his body, enveloping the entire area.

It seemed that anyone who made even the slightest rash move at this moment would perish beneath his spear.

"General Shi?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Mo Xiaochi immediately wore a look of delight. "General Shi, you've arrived just in time. The Wang family is rebelling and has long since stopped taking the City Lord's Mansion seriously. They actually dare to come out in broad daylight to make arrests."

Shi邢 served in the City Lord's Mansion, commanding the city defense forces and answering only to City Lord Shen Yue. He was likewise a Genuine Origin realm expert who could not be underestimated.

Hearing this, his face instantly turned cold, and he questioned, "Patriarch Wang, is this true?"

"This..."

Cold sweat beaded on Wang Sheng's forehead. He hastily pointed at Qin Liang and said, "This person's identity is unknown, and he secretly sneaked into Liucheng, likely harboring malicious intentions. As a resident of Liucheng, I have the right to safeguard Liucheng's safety."

"The Wang family enjoys the protection of the City Lord's Mansion and is naturally filled with gratitude. We did not wish to trouble the City Lord's Mansion with such a trivial matter; maintaining Liucheng's safety is the Wang family's bounden duty."

His words were airtight, causing even Shi邢 to fall into a brief hesitation.

However, he had after all been entrusted with an important mission by the City Lord and had been thoroughly instructed by Shen Yue before leaving. His voice turned slightly cold as he asked, "Master Mu is a distinguished guest invited by the City Lord himself. Does he need to report to you?"

Shortly before, he had already arrived nearby and, upon hearing Qin Liang introduce himself in such a manner, had immediately seized the opportunity to go along with it.

Ever since the auction, the City Lord had secretly dispatched him to investigate the matter of the tier-two alchemist. Today, there was finally some headway, and Shi邢 naturally would not miss such a golden opportunity to win over Master "Mu He."

Mo Xiaochi and Qian Youcai were startled. So this master was secretly invited by the City Lord? What precisely was the purpose?

"This..."

Wang Sheng's face paled, and he hurriedly shook his head. "I wouldn't dare, absolutely not."

"Since he is a distinguished guest of the City Lord, he naturally must be treated with utmost hospitality. This incident is purely a misunderstanding, and I ask Master Mu to forgive us." Wang Sheng forced a smile on his face, hoping the master would be magnanimous.

"Get lost!" Qin Liang said in a deep voice.

Wang Sheng and the others did not dare to linger. They hurriedly turned and fled in a panic, their retreating figures resembling stray dogs.

The Patriarch of the Wang family had personally led a team out, coming with high-sounding confidence, only to return in ignominy. In the eyes of the onlookers, it was nothing more than a joke, leaving Wang Sheng and the others feeling profoundly humiliated.

"Master Mu, the City Lord invites you." Shi邢 turned around and cupped his fists toward Qin Liang.

Qin Liang could not help but hesitate. At present, it seemed that City Lord Shen Yue had set his sights on him. If he went rashly, his identity might be exposed; yet if he refused, Shi邢 probably would not let the matter rest easily.

"What a dilemma!" Qin Liang thought helplessly.

His thoughts quickly cleared, and he said, "Please convey my words to City Lord Shen. I still have some minor personal matters to attend to recently, and once I am finished, I will naturally pay a visit. If pill refinement is needed, just send someone to relay the message."

The purpose of trying to win over an alchemist was nothing more than having a few pills refined.

Qin Liang did not truly believe the other party simply wanted to share a cup of tea with him. He cared little for pretense, but he had also made his stance clear: he could conditionally refine pills for them to repay today's favor of relieving the siege, thereby maintaining peace between them.

"In that case, I shall not disturb Master Mu any further."

Shi邢 cupped his fists in salute, turned around, and left, quickly vanishing down the street.

Given the foundation of the City Lord's Mansion, now that they had spoken, it would not be a difficult task to contact him again.

"Farewell!"

Qin Liang bid farewell to Mo Xiaochi and Qian Youcai, entered an alleyway, and quickly vanished.

Wang Sheng led his men chasing all the way to the alley entrance, only to find they had lost the trail, leaving him extremely resentful.

"Patriarch, is he really a tier-two alchemist?" someone beside him asked in a low voice.

Wang Sheng nodded, his expression quite solemn as he said, "Earlier at the auction house entrance, I felt his murderous intent. Had General Shi not appeared in time, I likely would have perished."

"That formidable?" Several experts all wore expressions of shock.

Wang Sheng still felt a lingering fear. "Never underestimate a tier-two alchemist. Someone who possesses spiritual power is fully capable of sweeping through all adversaries of the same realm."

"Then are we just going to let this rest?" someone else asked.

Wang Sheng pondered briefly before replying, "Under the current circumstances, we can only continue to maintain friendly ties with the Feng family and bide our time. Although Shen Yue is the City Lord of Liucheng, he may not always be present at the City Lord's Mansion."

"The Patriarch is wise," the sycophants beside him immediately chimed in.

After shaking off his pursuers, Qin Liang removed his black robe, changed into white garments, and returned to the marketplace.

The hour was still early, and he intended to wander around the market a bit longer to see if there were any other items worth purchasing, while also gathering news regarding the recent developments concerning Rainbow Glow Mountain, preparing himself to enter the mountains at any moment.

The ones sent by the Wang and Feng families to participate in the battle would undoubtedly be the younger generation of ninth-tier spiritual refiners.

With his current strength, wielding a top-grade Yuan artifact, and cooperating with his spiritual coercion, he could make experts in the initial stage of the Genuine Origin realm feel apprehensive.

Therefore, merely contending for a quota was no longer Qin Liang's goal.

His sights were set on the Hundred Cities War, and even the fight for the Bell Spirit Pagoda that followed it. To profit from these competitions, he had to continuously enhance his strength and strive to head toward the Azure Glow Sect at the earliest possible date.

Beneath the shadow of Rainbow Glow Mountain, enveloped in perpetual mist, it was gloomy and eerie year-round.

The Profound Yin Hall practiced a specialized cultivation technique that required places brimming with heavy yin energy, making this location an ideal choice.

"Hall Master, Hall Master, please see the truth!"

In the gloomy, ghost-filled hall, Ji Gang knelt flat in the center, his face the color of dirt. "The one who slaughtered the Black Tiger Gang is precisely Qin Liang, a junior of the Qin family. According to that girl Ling Fei, he is a prominent figure in the Jiang family."

"Oh?"

At the head of the hall, a figure shrouded in a mass of yin energy said with a hint of amusement, "He actually dared to wipe out an affiliated gang of my Profound Yin Hall. This Jiang family is simply determined to go against us!"

"That Qin Liang possesses extraordinary talent; presumably, he will be able to reach the Genuine Origin realm before long. I implore the Hall Master to eliminate this threat early," Ji Gang said, his voice trembling.

Having defected from the Liuhuo Mercenary Corps and subsequently been targeted by Qin Liang, he found it difficult to eat or sleep in peace day and night.

Now, both the Liuhuo Mercenary Corps and Qin Liang had become thorns in his side, and he wished he could eradicate them as soon as possible.

Hall Master Tian Cheng shook his head. "I have heard that an ancestor of the Jiang family is traveling afar, and his return date remains uncertain. If he were to return suddenly, it would be difficult to deal with him. Therefore, the Jiang family can be set aside for now."

"As for that Qin Liang, even with outstanding talent, in a barren place like Liucheng lacking sufficient cultivation resources, achieving the Genuine Origin realm in a short period of time is nothing short of a fantasy. Thus, he is not worth worrying about."

"What I care about more is the Liuhuo Mercenary Corps. I heard they have relocated to Lion Tiger Town. Wu'er, make a trip there. Aside from Ling Dehai, kill as many as you can."