“Hu Bin is dead,” a man in white at the rear smiled wryly and said, “considering his status in the Tiger Talisman Royal Family, I’m afraid that the Tiger Talisman Royal Family will be… outraged.”
“They can’t do anything about it. At present, they only know that someone on the opposite side is called Zhang Hanyang. It’s still unknown whether that master is Zhang Hanyang or not. With just a name, they can’t possibly locate him. The Sea Dragon Star Area is so vast. Even if they want to look for him, where to start?”
“Well, has it ever occurred to you that Princess Nina of the Elemental Elf Clan is with those people. Also, she is their friend. If the Tiger Talisman Royal Family can’t locate them, do you think they will spare the Elemental Elf Clan?”
“Looks like the Sea Dragon Star Area is going to be in turmoil, doesn’t it? I think I’ve smelled danger.” A particularly experienced cultivator in the crowd shook his head repeatedly and said, “This matter can be big or small. Although Hu Bin was a prince, the royal family has to weigh the benefit of avenging Hu Bin against the cost. I’m just wondering if the royal family is willing to settle this matter at a relatively high cost.”
“I don’t think Princess Nina is with them. I remember that when she came, she only brought her own people. Her uncle is still on the east side of the river. When he learns about this, his expression will definitely be very interesting.”
“Alas.”
Li Mu shot a look at Zhong An and sighed. “I was wondering why they dared to display their sixth-tier treasures so unscrupulously. It turns out that their confidence was derived from their strength. Those treasures they have are at the sixth tier. And so many of them have one. It’s also possible that other than the ones who have shown their treasures, there are more of them who have such treasures. I’m afraid that those people are from a top force in another Star Area.”
“Whether they are or not, their treasures are nothing we can covet,” Zhong An said coolly. He then left the mansion with the members of the Silver-winged Hall and settled down in a relatively intact place in the northern part of the small city.
The feast could no longer continue anyway. Li Mu also wanted to contact Yi Hou, the 100th elder who was far away on the east side of the river.
Thus, he went back to the backyard of the main residence, where he temporarily lived.
The rest of the guests also departed one after another. Most of them stayed in Cloud City. They picked some buildings in the outer area and rested there. The next day, they would follow Li Mu to the secret realm and have a look.
“Daddy, you were amazing just now.”
After they left the mansion and walked for quite a while, Mengmeng took Zhang Han’s hand and said in admiration, “That man had so many weapons, but you broke them all in a second.”
“Haha.”
Zhang Han laughed merrily and said, “Low-level mechanical troops, such as the ones you saw just now, fear wide-range attacks the most. When the attack is so intense that the machines can’t defend against it, their failure is around the corner.”
In truth, there was another thing that Zhang Han did not point out—the power of thunder was one of the greatest nemeses of mechanical troops, which was equally destructive to them as the ethereal soul-wise supernatural power and various incantations.
The former’s destructive power towards machinery was extremely great, while the latter two were centered on killing those that controlled machinery.
“That’s not something an ordinary person can achieve.”
Nina eyed Zhang Han several times and eventually said, “Hu Bin’s mechanical troops embodied all the high-end technologies in the Sea Dragon Star Area. Though its scale might not be big, it was still possible for him to fend off a Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage cultivator with those troops. Therefore, when he faced Wei Fan before, he was only slightly on guard. But Uncle Zhang, you killed Wei Fan in an instant, then killed Hu Bin as well. I’m afraid that… the Tiger Talisman Royal Family certainly wouldn’t turn a blind eye to this matter. There is also a man called Hu Zhiqiang on their side. He has a mecha that can fight those in the General Realm.”
Nina’s countenance looked a bit strange. The feelings she had at the moment were strongly mixed.
Although she and Zhang Han were only on the same team for this trial, she just showed in public that she was on Zhang Han’s side. But then, Zhang Han killed Hu Bin. Thus, the Tiger Talisman Royal Family would probably want to punish her and her clansmen.
To the Elemental Elves, the Tiger Talisman Royal Family was a colossus that they were simply no match for.
“Did, Did I get my people in trouble?”
At a glance at Nina, Zhang Han already knew what was on her mind.
He shook his head slightly and said, “This time, the trial on this land will last for a month. I’m the one who attacked Hu Bin and his troops. If the Tiger Talisman Royal Family blames it on you, you can just tell them… that Zhang Hanyang himself will go to visit the Tiger Talisman Royal Family in four months.”
“Well, it’s indeed a solution.” Zi Yan quickly blinked several times and said, “Their member, Hu Zhiqiang, is still here, isn’t he? Let’s see how he reacts first. After all, it was Hu Bin who provoked us first, and we also gave him a chance to make amends.”
“Hehe.” Mu Xue laughed softly and glanced at Nina. “You can just put your mind at ease. This is no big deal. My master is the Great Demon King. How could a small force like the Tiger Talisman Royal Family do anything to him? Master can wipe them out anytime he wants. Ma’am is also super powerful and invincible in the world.”
Zhang Mu and Zhang Guangyou were both rendered speechless by her words.
‘Mu Xue, how could you be so positive?”
In the crowd, Shi Fenghou, Ye Longyuan, and Su Beimu were staying at the back, while Ding Jiuming remained silent on the side.
He felt so embarrassed for what he did before.
He was somewhat ashamed. But he could not figure out why Zhang Hanyang waited for so long before he made the move, even though he obviously had the strength to kill the other party in an instant. “Did he just want to watch me make a fool of myself?”
Ding Jiuming didn’t have the nerve to look up. But when he peeked at Zhang Han from the corner of his eye, the look in his eyes revealed discontent, confusion, and indignation.
“Why can’t you just let us be together?”
He started to inwardly condemn Zhang Han as if it was Zhang Han who prevented him from being with Mu Xue.
Zhang Han quickly noticed the look in Ding Jiuming’s eyes.
He couldn’t help but sigh with disappointment.
“I’ve misjudged him. Ding Jiuming has a restless heart and a weak mind. Once he is not careful, he will slip off the right track.
“Moreover, for a person like him, the farthest he can reach is the God Transformation Realm.
“In the Cultivation World, only the strong-willed can pursue the top-notch power.”
Wu Ming, on the other hand, followed the group closely. He stayed behind Zhang Guangyou, looking forward to having some fine wine at dinnertime.
“Ahem, Zhang Hanyang, well, Older Martial Brother Yan and I will go stay at somewhere else. We’ll come back tomorrow. I gotta make more money to pay you back as soon as possible,” Ye Longyuan said to Zhang Han after they were a kilometer away from the mansion.
He really didn’t want to talk to Zhang Han.
“D*mn it. I used to be able to put up a fight against Zhang Hanyang before. In that relic, Zhang Hanyang did not seem particularly strong at that time.
“But how could he be-become so mighty so soon? Life is really unfair! I, Ye Longyuan, am supposed to be the most talented one in the world, aren’t I? Alas! This is so heart-wrenching.”
Ye Longyuan did not want to stay any bit longer with Zhang Han. Thus, at the first opportunity, he bid goodbye to them and left in a hurry.
“Oh, okay.”
Zhang Han turned around to look at Ye Longyuan and smiled. “There’s no rush to pay the debt. Haven’t you also obtained the energy cluster? You’ll have a rapid growth phase in the upcoming days. Work hard and your breakthrough is just around the corner.”
“Hiss!”
Ye Longyuan’s face tensed slightly.
“Another breakthrough? Then, wouldn’t the debt double as well?
“Oh, I’m so stressed.”
“Got it,” Ye Longyuan replied in a low voice, for he did not dare to ignore Zhang Han’s words.
Then, he grabbed Yan Chen, who still wanted to say something, and dragged him away as if they were running away from a monster.
“I haven’t said goodbye to them yet!”
Yan Chen stared at Ye Longyuan rather speechlessly.
“Zhang Hanyang, I’m going to other places, too. Also, I’ll pay you back as soon as I can,” Shi Fenghou remarked. After that, a pair of wings sprouted out of his back. He turned into a jet of light and swiftly went away.
“Thank you for lending us a hand. Well, if there is anything I can help in the future, don’t hesitate to tell me, though you may not need my help anyway.” Su Beimu gave a dry laugh and took his leave, too.
There was only Ding Jiuming who hadn’t left yet.
He looked around and remained silent for five seconds before saying, “Eldest Lady, I have something to tell you.”
“Oh, sure.”
Mu Xue nodded and said, “I happen to have something to tell you, too. Well, let’s talk here.”
After saying that, Mu Xue looked a little troubled.
She then said, “Older Martial Brother Ding, that Wei Fan did have a point. The Sea Dragon Star Area is so big, and so is the Cultivation World. There are countless beautiful girls, princesses, Saintly Women, and Divine Ladies out there. With your aptitude and strength, you can totally find someone prettier than me. You should get over me. Because I never find you attractive in that way. You can continue to explore the world. If you’re tired of adventures someday, you can go back to the Luo Fu Sword sect and be an elder. Then, you may find a beautiful woman you love. You two will become a Taoist couple, have a child, and live a happy life. Wouldn’t that be great? As for me, I have no plan to be involved in a romantic relationship for the time being. So, be good and take my advice. Also, don’t overthink this.”
“But I…” Ding Jiuming seemed to be a little sad.
“There is no ‘but’,” Mu Xue interrupted exasperatedly. “Why can’t you understand this? We can either be fellow disciples or friends. There is no other option. Don’t make things difficult for me. Also, don’t stand up for me anymore. It’s obviously unnecessary. I have Master and Ma’am to protect me. I’m absolutely safe. Now… do you understand?”
“Y-Yes, I do.” Ding Jiuming hung his head in dismay and said in a dull and bitter voice, “Eldest Lady, I… You… See you tomorrow.”
With that said, he scurried away as if something horrible were chasing him.
Gazing at his receding figure, everyone present had different expressions on their faces.
“Aunty Xue, you have a pursuer. But why do you look unhappy?” Mengmeng snickered and asked.
“Humph, there are so many boys chasing you. Do you feel happy about it?” Mu Xue rolled her eyes.
“Huh?”
Mengmeng was taken aback. Even her expression froze for two seconds. Then, she said, “Oh, I see. I’m not very pleased about it either.”
“Exactly. Therefore, I know I have no feelings for him,” Mu Xue said casually.
“Ding is a good boy. It’s just that he is a little dull.” Zhang Guangyou shook his head and said, “As an old man, I’ve been there. And I can tell that if a girl chooses to be with him, she will feel safe, but she will inevitably find life a bit boring.”
Mu Xue then remarked, “An interesting soul…”
As she spoke, she looked at Mengmeng. A moment later, both of them said in unison, “Is always one of a kind.”
“Giggles…”
Hearing Mengmeng’s laughter, Nina was a little stunned.
“Turns out that she and Mu Xue are also quite close.”
Right at this moment, Zhang Han laughed softly and said, “Xue is only in her 20s. Since she has stepped into the Cultivation World, she is in no hurry to find a mate. Our lifespan will grow longer and longer. There are also many ways to make our youth stay forever. She won’t look much different when she is 50 or even 100 years old. Thus, she has plenty of time to look for her Mr. Right. I believe she will find him in the end. As for Ding Jiuming, I don’t think he is good enough for Xue.”
“Master, have you found something wrong with him?” Mu Xue inquired, astounded.
“Well, speaking of him,” Wu Ming volunteered to speak this time, “how should I put it? He can be crooked sometimes. As to what kind of man he will become, it’s up to his mentality.”
“What made you draw that conclusion?” Mu Xue probed.
“Because when I passed by, I saw him in a distance and witnessed a few things, which were all trivial things. I won’t bother you with the details,” Wu Ming shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn’t want to talk about the specifics.
That caused Mu Xue to be lost in deep thought.
“Daddy, where are we going?”
Mengmeng asked curiously, “Aren’t we going to the secret realm with those people tomorrow?”
“We’ll find a place nearby to spend the night. On our way to the mansion, I saw a small lake, which is 20 miles away from here. The scenery there is quite good. I think we can sleep there tonight,” Zhang Han replied.
“Oh, it’s the small lake that is shaped like a heart.”
Mengmeng remembered that place. From the sky, it looked like a heart, which was kind of romantic.
“Yeah, the scenery there seems really beautiful.”
Zi Yan smiled.
They thought it was a small lake. But when they arrived there, standing on the shore, they found that it was actually quite large.
This was the difference between looking at things from God’s perspective and from the human’s perspective.
“Where are we gonna live? Will we build a small house?” Mengmeng looked around and asked.
“I can use my supernatural power to create houses on trees.” Nina laughed.
She was full of curiosity about Mengmeng and her family. But compared with other people, she preferred to spend time with Mengmeng. Because she could constantly feel that Mengmeng had an unrestrained and carefree aura.
When one was with a person who was optimistic and vigorous, even one’s mood would pick up. But when one was with a person who was always too negative, one would become depressed as well.
Nina didn’t like fusses or schemes. She actually hated those things. Thus, when she met Mengmeng, who was always optimistic and cheerful, she naturally became fond of her.
What surprised her even more was that Mengmeng’s father turned out to be so mighty.
”He killed Wei Fan in seconds. If he was at the Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage, he would certainly be among the best ones at that level. But if he was at the Yuan Ying Realm Middle-Stage, that would be somewhat terrifying.
“Because there aren’t many Yuan Ying Realm Middle-Stage cultivators in the entire Sea Dragon Star Area.”
“Are we going to live on a tree again?”
Mengmeng also found it interesting to live on a tree. But she was more interested in building a house with her own hands.
“Daddy, can we build a house by ourselves?” Mengmeng looked up and asked.
“Sure.”
“Sure. Let’s build some by ourselves.” Zi Yan chuckled and said, “We can build rows of small houses on this clearing, which will be the mark we leave here. In the future, when other people come here for adventures, they will all see the houses and know that we’ve been here.”
“That’s easy for you two to say.” Zhang Guangyou rubbed his forehead and asked, “Do you know the first thing about building houses?”
“Humph! Grandpa, don’t think little of us!” Mengmeng rolled her eyes and refuted, “Mummy and I are very powerful, aren’t we, Mummy?”
“Er, yeah.”
“Don’t you agree, Daddy?” Mengmeng then turned to look at Zhang Han.
“Of course, you’re indeed powerful,” Zhang Han said with a smile.
“See?” Mengmeng impishly made a face at Zhang Guangyou.
“Okay, you two are very powerful.” Zhang Guangyou looked around and added, “Then you are in charge of building houses. Wu Ming and I will go out to catch some spirit beasts. We can have a barbecue for dinner. What do you say?”
“Count us in.”
Deep Flame and Zhang Mu couldn’t stay idle either. Instructor Liu, Ah Hu, and Elder Meng also volunteered. Then, they stepped into the woods, preparing to catch some spirit beasts in the vicinity.
The others also started to work.
“Rumble, rumble, rumble!”
With a stir of his mind, Zhang Han uprooted several hundred-year-old trees from the forest a hundred meters away. In a moment, all kinds of neatly arranged wooden planks, branches, and trunks were placed in front of him.
“We’re gonna have real wooden floors.”
Zhao Feng knocked on the wooden plank and said, “It’s actually quite simple to build a house. We should make some pillars to hold the floor half a meter off the ground. This way, we can not only prevent…”
Zhao Feng, who was sharing his experience of living outdoors, suddenly broke off.
Because it occurred to him that they had all become cultivators, so their lifestyle could not be measured by common sense. They didn’t really need pillars or anything. They could just sit cross-legged on the shore without a roof over their heads, and the nighttime would soon be over.
But before he could finish his words, Zi Yan said with gleaming eyes, “Yes, just as Xiaofeng said, many buildings on the beach are built like that. However, wouldn’t it be too complicated?”
“No, it wouldn’t.” Zhang Han chuckled before saying, “I’ll build the frame first and then lay the wooden boards.”
Under the control of Zhang Han’s mind, more than 10 trunks as thick as one’s waist flew up and plunged into the ground.
Soon, a triangle-shaped roof landed on the pillars. The walls were also built with wooden boards. After that, the rudiment shape of a house could be seen. Then, Zhang Han made windows in both the front and back walls. The house was about 100 square meters. It had two bedrooms and one living room. Zi Yan and Mengmeng also bustled here and there, making all kinds of designs. They were quite serious about this project.
The master bedroom was Zhang Han and Zi Yan’s room. The secondary bedroom was Mengmeng’s, which was actually bigger. Dahei, Little Hei, and Tiny Tot would also live in it to accompany Mengmeng. Otherwise, she would be a little scared.
After the frame of the house was constructed and the floors and walls were laid, the major task left was to clean up and decorate.
After setting up the bed and the table. Mengmeng also fetched out some dolls and other decorations.
After it was done, the little girl ran outside.
Looking at Nina who was sitting on the tree, she called sweetly, “Nina, come with me. I’ve got my room done. I’ll show you around.”
“Ah, okay.”
Nina came out of her reverie. She jumped directly from the tree and happily walked into the cabin with Mengmeng.
The elves sitting at the back looked at one another with bemused expressions.
“Our Seventh Princess seems to be more cheerful these days, doesn’t she?”
“Yes. Before coming here, Her Highness seldom visited other people’s rooms, let alone referring to a nonmember of the Elf Clan as an uncle.”
“Her Highness seems to have got used to these things now. Anyway, that Uncle Zhang is really remarkable and ruthless. He killed Hu Bin with just a few moves. I like that in a man.”
“He is indeed strong. I wonder what kind of fierce battle he will present us when he meets Hu Zhiqiang.”
“Which one do you think…” the elf in charge of leading the way frowned slightly and asked, “is more powerful? Uncle Zhang or Hu Zhiqiang?”
“Hu Zhiqiang has the mecha that can handle a General Realm cultivator and a large number of mechanical troops. With his cultivation at the Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage, he can control a wider range of machines. Among those at the Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage, he is a relatively powerful one. Nonetheless, Wei Fan was also a Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage cultivator with remarkable strength. Still, Uncle Zhang killed him with a few strikes. So, I think Hu Zhiqiang should not be a match for him.”
“That’s a valid theory. However, have you forgotten that on the east side of the river, there are many people who are allies with the Tiger Talisman Royal Family? How can those people sit by and do nothing? If there was really a confrontation, Uncle Zhang would have to face more Yuan Ying Realm cultivators besides Hu Zhiqiang.”
As soon as he said this, the other elves were slightly alarmed.
The other people did not find it startling or anything. After all, none of them had ever witnessed the might of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family with their own eyes.
Even Zhang Mu and Deep Flame, who were the two oldest people in the group, had little knowledge of what kind of place the Sea Dragon Star Area was or how vast it was.
What they saw here was only the tip of the iceberg.
However, they knew very well that the strength of the Elixir Realm Last-Stage was truly not impressive here. Because many talented cultivators in the Sea Dragon Star Area, such as Nina, had already reached the peak of the Elixir Realm.
The strength disparity between those at the Last-Stage and those at the Peak-Stage could be considered both striking and negligible.
Only a handful of people, such as Zhang Guangyou, knew that Zhang Han was at the Elixir Realm Peak-Stage. After seeing that he killed Wei Fan and annihilated Hu Bin’s mechanical troops, they were still shocked deep down.
In the secondary bedroom of the cabin.
“Nina, look, this is the bed I sleep in when I’m on outings. It’s quite big, isn’t it? How about sharing a bed with me tonight?” Mengmeng said with a grin.
“Huh?”
Nina suddenly froze on the spot, and her eyes slightly widened. With a little embarrassment, she shook her head repeatedly and said, “Well, that’s not appropriate, is it? We’d better not do that. I’ll just sleep in the small room on the tree.”
“It’s no big deal at all,” Mengmeng said in confusion, “Mummy and Aunty Feifei often shared a bed when they were working. Some of my friends also sleep in the same bedroom when they go on a trip together. People do that a lot. Friends can occasionally share a bedroom and chat till late night.”
“Er, is this a custom in the place you come from?” Nina asked gingerly in a much lower voice.
It was not the case for Elemental Elves. However, there were many completely different customs in the Sea Dragon Star Area. People in different subareas respected one another’s customs and traditions. Nina had also been used to it.
