Upon hearing this...
Thirteen Wu shook his head, offering no direct answer to the topic.
Instead, he took a step forward.
His tattered Daoist robes billowed despite the lack of wind.
An ethereal yet vast aura, as boundless as the sea, slowly seeped from his body.
It was not domineering and tyrannical like that of the Taiyuan Demon Emperor.
Rather, it was like a towering mountain—heavy, deep, and profound.
"Since the Demon Emperor has heard of this old Daoist's name... then things are simple."
"Regarding today's matter, why doesn't the Demon Emperor give this old Daoist some Face? The commoners in this city have sour flesh and stinking blood; there's nothing worth chewing on."
"If the Demon Emperor is hungry, you are more than welcome to seek food elsewhere."
"Let's just act as if... nothing happened today."
"What do you say?"
As his words fell...
A deathly silence enveloped heaven and earth.
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor did not answer immediately.
He merely narrowed his eyes slightly, the light within his vertical pupils flickering uncertainly.
He seemed to be weighing the pros and cons.
Time trickled by, second by second.
Every breath felt as long as a year.
Below, the Imperial Ancestor and the others were already sweating profusely, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Although the Great Tang had transitioned to the Way of Incense and everything was progressing for the better... the problem was that they currently lacked the confidence to truly Face off against a Denglou Realm grand cultivator of such extraordinary origin... An unknown amount of time passed.
Just as everyone was reaching their limit, their heartstrings tightened to the point of snapping...
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor suddenly grinned.
"Fine."
He nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the Old Daoist Priest, his tone quite easygoing: "Since Immortal Master Thirteen Wu of the Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven has spoken..."
"This Emperor must give you this Face, no matter what."
Hearing these words...
White Jade Tower and the others below felt the heavy stone in their hearts finally drop.
Their originally tense bodies involuntarily relaxed a few degrees.
Thank goodness... thank goodness Thirteen Wu's reputation was loud enough.
Otherwise, rivers of blood would have truly flowed through Chang'an City today.
Only the Old Daoist Priest standing at the very front...
...showed no change in expression whatsoever.
He maintained that same calm, half-smiling expression from before.
However... Wang Ziyu, who had been standing behind the old man, stole a glance toward him.
He saw that his Master's palm, hidden behind his back...
...was actually trembling slightly at this moment.
Wang Ziyu's heart skipped a beat.
A strong sense of unease instantly surged into his heart.
He quickly withdrew his gaze and instinctively looked up toward the Taiyuan Demon Emperor in the clouds.
He saw that the other party was also looking at him.
Their eyes met.
Within those shimmering vertical pupils, where was the easygoing nature from just now? A savage sneer curled at the corners of the Taiyuan Demon Emperor's mouth.
In the next instant...
BOOM—!!!
High in the firmament, the clouds suddenly shattered.
A white tiger claw that blotted out the sun, carrying a terrifying power capable of destroying heaven and earth, pressed down indifferently from the sky!
The tiger claw was so large it could cover half of Chang'an City.
Every hair on it was like an ancient tree, and every claw was like a pillar supporting the sky.
Even before it landed...
...the terrifying wind pressure had already crushed countless houses below into powder.
"Still trying to bluff before this Emperor? 'Thirteen Wu'? At most, you're just a little nobody right now."
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor's cold laugh echoed between heaven and earth: "Did you really think this Emperor was born yesterday?!"
The hearts that everyone had just pulled back into their chests instantly leaped into their throats again.
No one expected...
...that one moment he would say he'd give Face, and the next he would turn hostile and strike with lethal intent!
But there was no time to worry about that now.
"Kill—!!!"
White Jade Tower let out a sharp cry.
The long sword in his hand vibrated violently.
Rolling crimson sword light roared forth.
By his side...
You Wujiang's hands quickly wove incantations.
A great sun, woven of gold and blue, hovered behind his head.
With his thunderous shout...
The great sun trembled.
Countless silver liquids seeped out from the Void Realm, transforming into a sky full of sharp swords that shot out instantly!
As for Gu Wanlan, she did not use a sword.
She pressed her palms together and then violently pulled them apart.
ROAR—!!!
Three high-pitched Dragon roars resounded through the clouds.
Three flood dragon phantoms charged out from her body.
One was entwined with lightning, one was bathed in raging fire, and one commanded black water.
The three colors of lightning, fire, and water intertwined, forming a terrifying spiral pillar of light that shot toward the firmament!
These three were currently the top combat powers of the Great Tang.
They were also the first batch to transition to the Way of Incense and glimpse the path of the Golden Body Technique.
They had learned various incredible Divine Abilities from Jiang Yuechu.
Usually, they only meditated on them, finding them profoundly mysterious.
Though this was their first time truly unleashing them...
...only they themselves knew...
...just how Prodigy Her Highness's methods truly were!
BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!
The three attacks, one after another, slammed heavily into the descending sun-blotting tiger claw.
Under these three attacks...
...the tiger claw actually paused for a moment.
And then...
RIIIP—
The incredibly tough fur and skin were torn open.
Three deep, bone-deep wounds appeared on that tiger palm!
Crimson demonic blood cascaded down like a waterfall.
White Jade Tower was one thing, as he was at least in the Lamp-Lighting Realm... but You Wujiang and Gu Wanlan were only in the Mountain Gazing Realm!
At merely the Mountain Gazing Realm...
...they had relied on the methods left by Jiang Yuechu to injure a Demon Emperor of the Denglou Realm!
If word of this got out...
...it would be enough for the world to find it unbelievable, and it would even shake the entire cultivation world!
In normal times...
...everyone would be overjoyed by such a result, and it would be enough to brag about for a lifetime.
But right now...
...it clearly wasn't enough.
Though the wounds were deep and the blood flowed freely...
...to a tiger claw as massive as a mountain...
...it was nothing more than a flesh wound.
The Taiyuan Demon Emperor didn't even knit his brows.
The giant claw didn't even pause, continuing its indifferent vertical descent!
"Sigh..."
A long sigh echoed once more.
In the midst of the booming sounds of collapse, it sounded exceptionally clear.
Thirteen Wu slowly withdrew his gaze from the horizon.
There wasn't much fear in his old eyes; instead, they were filled with helplessness: "I was seen through after all."
Facing the Taiyuan Demon Emperor's wrathful strike...
...the old Immortal Master from the Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven did not immediately move to intercept it.
Instead, he slowly turned around.
He looked at the delicate Daoist boy behind him.
"Ziyu."
"Keep this Formation Plate safe."
Thirteen Wu pulled a simple, ancient Formation Plate from his sleeve and, regardless of whether the other would take it, forced it into the boy's arms.
"After this matter, do not linger in the Great Tang. Return to the Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven on your own."
Wang Ziyu held the Formation Plate blankly.
He looked at his Master before him in a daze.
Above his head was the world-destroying Demonic Qi; all around were cries of despair.
"Master..."
Wang Ziyu opened his mouth, just about to ask.
But in the next moment...
...his pupils suddenly constricted.
A thick, concentrated Death Qi was uncontrollably seeping out from the old Daoist's body.
Where was there even a hint of the presence of a Denglou Realm Immortal Master?
"Master... you..."
How could this be?
Master... when was he injured?
He was clearly fine before they came.
Why... why did he suddenly become like this?