Even at this moment, this man had a wine bottle in his hand, one that was overflowing with a rich aroma.
After exchanging blows with Gong Sun Liang, this wine bottle didn’t spill a drop.
Looking at Gong Sun Liang with a smile, this man said, “Great Elder, I trust you’ve been well since we last met.”
A dignified look flashed across Gong Sun Liang’s face as he stared at this man and said, “Li Mao Ming! You really were in Purple Star City. It seems that you have decided to stand behind the Second Young Master and support him?”
The man named Li Mao Ming smiled upon hearing these words and replied, “Great Elder is too serious, this Li is Purple Star’s second Venerable, so when such a big event is happening in Purple Star, I cannot just stand idly by. As for supporting the Second Young Master, hm… that’s not quite right. I am here because I was entrusted to by another.”
Gong Sun Liang sneered, “I’m afraid that there’s only one person in this world who can move you. Li Mao Ming, even after so many years, you haven’t been able to extricate yourself it seems. It really amazes this old master.”
A sad look flashed across Li Mao Ming’s eyes, but he quickly shook his head and chuckled, “This Li doesn’t understand either. Let us not talk about this now though. Great Elder might as well accompany this Li to have a few glasses of wine instead. Why doesn’t everyone just sit down and talk things out? Everyone here is one big family, why make things difficult for one another?”
Saying so, he held the bottle of wine in his hand up towards Gong Sun Liang, as if he was really inviting him to have a drink.
The tense atmosphere that was on the verge of exploding suddenly became a bit more tranquil after Li Mao Ming made his appearance.
Some of Purple Star’s leaders frowned as they observed Li Mao Ming from afar, wondering who this man was. Purple Star indeed had two Venerables before, but very few knew who these two were.
Having arrived at this moment though, it was obvious this Li Mao Ming was one such Venerable.
“So, it’s him! I remember now!” Someone suddenly showed a look of enlightenment and called out.
Someone next to him immediately asked, “Brother Zhang, do you recognize this Venerable?”
“I have only heard rumours of him before, but this is the first time I have seen him,” The cultivator surnamed Zhang whispered back.
“Brother Zhang, can you tell us what the origins of this Venerable Li are? Why did Great Elder say that he has been unable to extricate himself?”
Hearing this person’s question, the cultivator surnamed Zhang suddenly became energetic and he whispered in a quiet tone, “This is a secret that only a few people know. Firstly, have you heard of the Second Young Master’s mother?”
“She was the number one beauty of Purple Star back then and her reputation was thunderous. How could anyone not have heard of her?”
“Then the rest is easy to explain. I heard that the woman Venerable Li loved the most was Second Young Master’s mother.”
“Huh?” The cultivator was taken aback and said in astonishment, “But, Second Young Master’s mother is Sect Master’s…”
“Yes, this Venerable Li was apparently a close brother and rival of Sect Master in his youth, but because of Second Young Master’s mother… Hey, you understand. Love is not something one gets to decide upon, everything is up to fate. That woman chose Sir Sect Master, and afterwards this Venerable Li disappeared. Even Sect Master apparently did not know where he had gone. The only one in this world who could invite him to appear here would be Second Young Master’s mother.”
“So something like that happened. With this Venerable here, doesn’t that mean Great Elder cannot do anything to Second Young Master?” The speaker was extremely excited, after all, he was also on Zi Wu Ji’s side. The stronger Zi Wu Ji was, the safer he would be.
“Possibly,” Although the cultivator surnamed Zhang seemed to know some secrets, he was not completely confident in his heart.
“Li Mao Ming, if you can retreat now, this old master will accompany you to enjoy some good wine another day,” Gong Sun Liang stared at Li Mao Ming and quickly asked, “What do you think of this old master’s proposal?”
“I’ve been entrusted by another to be here. This is a matter of loyalty, so it would be improper to simply retreat!” Li Mao Ming slowly shook his head, lifted the bottle, and drank from it casually before saying, “Wine does not taste as good when drunk alone.”
Gong Sun Liang frowned slightly for a time before muttering quietly, “What if this old master wants you to repay that favour from all those years ago?”
As soon as this statement came out, Zi Wu Ji, who has always worn a triumphant look, suddenly had a change in expression as he looked at Li Mao Ming in amazement as asked, “Venerable Li, do you owe this old thing a favour?”
Li Mao Ming blinked and thought about it for a while before he laughed somewhat awkwardly and said, “En, I really owe him a favour. If Great Elder did not mention it though, this Li would have forgotten.”
Gong Sun Liang’s lips curled slightly as he spoke, “Brother Li may have forgotten, but this old master hasn’t. That was no small favour. This old master paid a heavy price back then.”
Li Mao Ming looked straight ahead and cupped his fists, “Great Elder’s grace back then, this Li will keep in mind.”
“There’s no need for that, this old master only asks you to retreat now and then you and I will owe each other nothing.”
Before Li Mao Ming had a chance to say anything though, Zi Wu Ji cut in anxiously, “No, Venerable Li, don’t forget what you promised that person.”
Li Mao Ming frowned and nodded, “Naturally, I remember. You may rest assured, as long as I am here, no one can hurt you.”
Zi Wu Ji was immediately overjoyed, “Many thanks, Senior Li.”
Gong Sun Liang heard this and became angry, “Brother Li is apparently not a man of his word.”
Li Mao Ming felt a slight headache as he said, “Great Elder, there is a priority to everything in life. This Li already promised to protect Second Young Master’s safety, so Great Elder making things difficult now truly puts this Li in an awkward position.”
Gong Sun Liang was very annoyed at first, but after carefully parsing Li Mao Ming’s words, his eyes flashed brightly and he said, “You’re here to protect Second Young Master’s safety?”
“Exactly!” Li Mao Ming nodded sincerely, “The Zi Family’s blood flows through Second Young Master’s veins, after all. No harm should come to him.”
“Fine!” Gong Sun Liang laughed, “If that’s the case, then you can stand there and protect him, this old master won’t act against him!”
Saying so, Gong Sun Liang waved his hand and said with a sneer, “Take these people behind Second Young Master for me but be careful not to harm Second Young Master!”
“Yes!” Everyone heard this and responded immediately by rushing towards Zi Wu Ji; however, none of them attacked him directly and instead focused on the cultivators who had chosen to support him instead.
Before Zi Wu Ji’s people could react, they were already under attack.
Suddenly, a grand battle broke out in the skies above Purple Star Palace. Dazzling rays of Saint Qi and an endless stream of brilliant artifact attacks filled the air, causing the surrounding space to tremble and the ambient World Energy aura to become chaotic.
Zi Wu Ji’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Li Mao Ming in a panic, “Venerable Li, how could you act this way?”
Li Mao Ming glanced at him with a smile and said, “Second Young Master, I promised that person to protect you, so I will fulfil that promise, but the lives of others are not this Li’s concern.”
Zi Wu Ji was incredibly anxious, but there was nothing he could say. Sweeping his eyes around, he found that all the masters he had won over were now caught in a difficult fight.
Li Mao Ming spoke again, “En, the overall situation has been determined. Second Young Master, why not have a glass of wine?”
“If you want to drink, you can drink by yourself!” Zi Wu Ji was extremely annoyed at this moment, so how could he agree to such a ridiculous request.
Up in the sky, the battle quickly developed into a stalemate. Since Zi Wu Ji dared to confront Gong Sun Liang openly today, his side’s strength was naturally comparable. Basically, the two factions were equal to one another in terms of combat strength, so after the initial scramble, it became impossible to see who had an advantage.
However… Gong Sun Liang hadn’t taken action yet!
As a Second-Order Origin King, the balance would surely be broken once he joined the battle.
As if to manifest his fears, Gong Sun Liang rushed to the side of Purple Star’s Third Elder before Zi Wu Ji could organize his thoughts.
This Third Elder had a First-Order Origin King cultivation and was among the first to support Zi Wu Ji. He was regarded as Zi Wu Ji’s right-hand, but despite being a powerful master in his own right, when facing Gong Sun Liang, he was quickly suppressed, and it wasn’t long before he fell into grave danger.
Zi Wu Ji’s face darkened as he roared, “Venerable Yang, please make a move!”
As soon as his voice fell, Yang Kai’s figure suddenly appeared directly beside Gong Sun Liang, and with a slight sigh, he sent out a palm.
Yang Kai was extremely annoyed right now.
He had gained a lot from Purple Star’s Vault, and he planned to immediately leave after he was finished; after all, his goal had been achieved and he had no need to bother with Zi Wu Ji’s troubles.
The people of Five Paths Chamber of Commerce and Li Nuo of Clear Sky Auction House had already made preparations to leave Purple Star, so all that was necessary was for Yang Kai to depart.
But Yang Kai did not anticipate that Shen Tu and the others would be transferred away by Zi Wu Ji.
Yang Kai couldn’t find any trace of Shen Tu inside Purple Star Palace, so he had to quietly release Xiao Xiao to search for them.
Now that he had heard Zi Wu Ji’s call, he could only play along with him.
As soon as Yang Kai appeared here, a profound light flashed across Li Mao Ming’s eyes as he stared forward, a feeling of shock filling his heart.
Although he had long ago noticed that there was another Second-Order Origin King in Purple Star Palace, he was unable to see how Yang Kai had suddenly appeared here.
It was almost as if this Venerable Yang simply crossed space to appear!
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Li Mao Ming’s expression became solemn, his carefree and easy demeanour from before disappearing as he whispered, “Second Young Master, is this the Third Venerable I’ve heard so much about recently?”
“En,” Seeing Yang Kai appear, Zi Wu Ji’s expression finally calmed down and he asked. “What does Venerable Li think of this Venerable Yang?”
“He’s strong!” Li Mao Ming quickly said, “His Saint Qi is more vigorous than both mine and Great Elder’s.”
Zi Wu Ji smiled and said, “So Great Elder is not his opponent?”
Li Mao Ming slowly shook his head and said, “The strength of a cultivator cannot be judged by the quality of their Saint Qi alone. There are many other factors involved, but… if this person restrains Great Elder, Great Elder won’t be able to move about freely.”
“If Venerable Li can offer his assistance, today’s matter can be settled decisively,” Zi Wu Ji’s eyes lit up as he stared towards Li Mao Ming.
But the latter just laughed and shook his head, “I only promised to protect your safety. All the people present are fellow brothers and sisters of Purple Star. How can I, Li Mao Ming, attack them?”
Zi Wu Ji frowned hearing this and a trace of hesitation flashed across his eyes before he finally steeled himself and whispered quietly, “What if I were to help you court my mother, finally allowing you to fulfil your lifelong dream. Would that be enough to let you take action?”
“What did you just say?” Li Mao Ming’s face sank as he glared at Zi Wu Ji, “You know the words you spoke just now tarnish your mother’s reputation greatly! If I hear you speak similar words again, I’ll break all your limbs!”
