Although the front hall was fairly spacious, with so many people present, it looked distinctly overcrowded.
In terms of numbers, the Xiao Family had an absolute advantage. In fact, Ye Zichen’s side was outnumbered ten to one.
However, these weren’t just hooligans beating each other up; this was a Divine Mountain.
There were clear distinctions between realms. The difference between each major cultivation realm was like that of heaven and earth.
The Lightning Emperor’s Xiao Family was powerful, but even they had a limited supply of rulers!
Besides, how could Xiao Ting take every last ruler with him? The relationship between the Upper Three Realms was currently so tense. Given the circ.u.mstances, hadn’t the God Emperor ordered him to leave people behind to bulk up the Central Divine Mountain’s defenses?
The answer was, of course he had!
Although the Xiao Family had brought quite a crowd, most were nothing but sky supremes. There were only a few diviners, and they only had three rulers: Xiao Ting, and the two people standing directly beside him.
By comparison, Ye Zichen….
He had just over twenty rulers on his side. Yang Jian was stronger than a Divine Demon General, and although Ye Zichen hadn’t seen Pu Jingwan fight, he knew she was an elite even amongst the countless elites of the Outside. She was definitely no ordinary person!
He flashed Xiao Ting a shallow smile. Xiao Ting was still seated, despite the circ.u.mstances.
The Lightning Emperor sure lived up to his reputation.
But his followers were nowhere near as calm. Ye Zichen’s allies were all rulers!
Rulers stood at the peak of the Three Realms!
Just who was this youth? Why on earth were so many rulers following him?
Wei Jie was just an earth supreme. Although he couldn’t sense the rulers’ true cultivations, he observed the way the Xiao Family members’ expressions changed upon their arrival.
“Emperor, do you think I have enough followers? If you think I don’t….” Ye Zichen chuckled, then summoned a pitch-black, slightly rusted, miniature pagoda.
When they saw it, Xiao Ting and his two ruler-level companions’ gazes locked right onto it, only to see it burst into light. Suddenly, countless diviner-level yao servants appeared in the formerly spacious hall, filling the remaining space.
The yao servants split up based on cultivation, with the weakest in the back and the strongest in the front.
At the front was a bewitching woman in red. When she saw Ye Zichen, she knelt respectfully on one knee. The other yao fell to their knees as well.
“Master,” they greeted in unison, the sound as deafening as a tidal wave.
The sky supremes accompanying Xiao Ting were now pale with fright. They could naturally sense that all the yao Ye Zichen had summoned were diviners.
There wasn’t even any need for Ye Zichen’s rulers to take action. The woman in red alone was enough to wipe the lot of them out.
“This must be enough, right?”
By now, even the two rulers by Xiao Ting’s side were starting to lose their cool.
The group in front of them alone was enough to establish a peak-level faction, and one almost on the level of the eight non-central Divine Mountains’ Holy Lands at that.
“So, you really do have the Yao-Sealing Pagoda in your position. It seems what I heard was no mere rumor.” Xiao Ting smiled calmly, his face still not showing so much as the slightest ripple of emotion.
News of Ye Zichen’s possession of the Yao-Sealing Pagoda and Xuan-Yuan Sword had long since spread throughout the Upper Three Realms, so there was no point in hiding it. Even if some factions still doubted the veracity of the rumors, it didn’t matter.
He had the Outside’s support, and a group of rulers by his side.
He dared fight those factions head on!
It was too dangerous to reveal his hand before. He’d been walking on thin ice before, but now….
What was there to be afraid of?
“That’s right. It’s in my hands. What, Emperor Xiao Ting, are you planning to try and take it from me?” Ye Zichen chuckled.
“Of course I can’t do that,” said Xiao Ting. “Not even I would dare fight so many rulers at once.”
“Then how about you stick around as my guest?”
“Are you planning to imprison me here?” asked Xiao Ting.
“Oh no, I wouldn’t dare!” Ye Zichen shook his head. “After all, you’re the God Realm’s Lightning Emperor, the master of tribulation lightning, while I’m nothing but a trivial, minor figure. How could I even consider imprisoning someone such as yourself? I’m just the hospitable sort, that’s all. I just want you to stay here for a little while. That’s no problem, is it?”
“Of course it’s a problem,” said Xiao Ting.
“That so?” Ye Zichen took a step back. Yang Jian and Pu Jingwan followed his lead and stepped forward. The rulers beside Xiao Ting rose to their feet immediately, while the other Xiao Family members’ expressions frosted over.
However, most of their hands were shaking. Even the two rulers’ breathing was a bit ragged.
“Are you afraid to die?” Ye Zichen smiled playfully at those around him. From time to time, he patted someone on the shoulder. “Look at you. Your hands are shaking! You won’t be able to hold your weapons properly like this. How exactly do you plan to fight?”
He pushed a trembling Xiao Family member back. The man fell back onto the floor, then tried to get back to his feet. However, his face was pale and his legs were like jelly. He couldn’t stand up.
“How unsightly! You’re members of the Lightning Emperor’s Estate of all places. You were so lofty and imposing in the past, but look at you now! You can’t even stand up properly. My dear Lightning Emperor, your subordinates are no good at all!” Ye Zichen’s expression darkened. “Grab them! Since you chose to pay a visit to my humble home, how can I just let you leave?”
“Let them go.” Suddenly a voice emanated from the entryway. Ye Zichen and the others turned to see a servant girl, the same one he’d seen earlier, step inside. An estate guard walked beside her.
The servant wore a veil, which was unusual enough that Ye Zichen had a bit of an impression of her. This was the girl Wei Jie had just spoken too.
The servant girl slowly walked into the hall. Ye Zichen and the rulers accompanying him were all baffled, but the Xiao Family members’ pupils constricted.
A veil!
It was the First Young Miss!
Furthermore, the man standing guard at her side was Xiao Yan, armed with the family head’s seal.
“You really don’t know when to give up, do you?” said the veiled woman. She walked up beside Ye Zichen, then smiled at Xiao Ting. “We ran all the way here, but you still came looking for us. But you should be able to see the situation now, too, right? Surely you don’t think you can still take us back with you?”
Xiao Yan walked over too, his expression ashen. However, when he looked at his father, his gaze was complex. “Don’t push me too far. If it comes to a fight to the death, both sides will take heavy casualties. It won’t benefit anyone. It’s only out of respect for your reputation that I haven’t spread word of what you’ve done already, so you should know when to back off.”
“Do you really think anyone will believe you?”
“Shall I try it?” Xiao Yan glared at his father.
He didn’t know why, but when he heard Xiao Yan’s threat, Xiao Ting felt a trace of fear.
Ye Zichen and the other onlookers, meanwhile, had no idea what was going on. They were at an utter loss.
What on earth was happening…?
Before they got a hold of the situation, Xiao Ting slammed his chair. “We’re leaving!”
“Did I say you could leave?” Ye Zichen’s expression darkened.
However, the veiled woman beside him chimed in, saying, “Let him leave.”
“Who are…” Who did she think she was to tell him what to do?
But before Ye Zichen could get the words out, she lifted her veil. Ye Zichen instantly waved his hands and, without the slightest hesitation, said, “Let them go!”
