323: trouble

Several young Cultivators, dressed in luxurious clothes and acting arrogantly, were gathered around a young man in brocade robes and a jade crown, with an arrogant expression.

The young man was about twenty years old, and the spiritual energy fluctuations around him had clearly reached the Late Stage Nascent Soul, which was considered outstanding among the younger generation in Nanyu City.

He rode a Cloud-Treading Roar, a beast with a snow-white body, a single horn on its head, and a fierce Aura; its four hooves blazed with flames, and wherever it passed, low-level Cultivators and Mortals frantically dodged, for if they were even a step slow, they risked being burned by the scorching hoof flames.

Behind the young man followed two middle-aged guards with even deeper Auras and eyes as sharp as eagles, whose cultivation had impressively reached the Early Stage Body Integration!

Such guards, in a place like Nanyu City, were quite an impressive display, highlighting the extraordinary power of the young man's background—he was Chen Shaofeng, a direct descendant of the Chen family, one of the three great immortal clans in the city.

"Blind fool! How dare you block this Young Master's path?" Chen Shaofeng's eyes swept disdainfully over a coarse-clothed young man in front who had been too slow to dodge and was knocked to the ground by the Cloud-Treading Roar's Aura.

The young man was about sixteen or seventeen, with a cultivation of only Late Stage Foundation Establishment, tightly protecting a Little Girl who looked about ten years old, with a pale face and weak Aura.

The Little Girl seemed startled, or perhaps she was inherently frail, as she coughed incessantly.

"I... I'm sorry, Young Master Chen! My sister isn't well, and I didn't stand firm just now..." The young man struggled to get up, shielding his sister behind him, his voice filled with fear, yet with a hint of stubbornness.

"Hmph, a 賤民 (jianmin) is a 賤民 (jianmin), can't even walk properly! If you've disturbed my Cloud-Treading Roar, ten of your lowly lives wouldn't be enough to compensate!" Chen Shaofeng's lips curled into a cruel smile, as if he had found an excuse for amusement.

A Lackey beside him immediately understood, and with a sinister grin, stepped forward: "Young Master, calm your anger, I will teach this blind fool a lesson for you!"

That Lackey also had Golden Core cultivation, more than enough to deal with a Foundation Establishment young man.

He raised his hand and unleashed a fierce palm wind, accompanied by a whistling sound, striking directly at the young man's chest.

If this palm strike landed, the young man would be severely injured, if not dead.

The young man's face turned pale, and he could only use all his strength to tightly shield his sister in his arms.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The young man felt a powerful force strike his back, his meager magical power instantly shattered, and he was sent flying into the crowd, coincidentally crashing into a white-robed young man who was watching the commotion.

That young man was Xiao Zhuo.

He had no desire to get involved, wishing only to observe the myriad aspects of the world as a bystander.

However, the angle and force with which the young man was sent flying caused him to precisely collide with Xiao Zhuo, leaving no room to dodge.

"Even watching a commotion brings trouble?" Xiao Zhuo's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, feeling somewhat speechless.

But he still extended his hand, seemingly casually brushing the shoulder of the oncoming young man, who, holding the Little Girl, spun several times in mid-air.

An invisible yet exquisite force instantly dispelled the impact on the young man, neutralizing even the palm force that had struck his internal organs, while simultaneously steadying him and the trembling Little Girl in his arms.

Both landed steadily, looking bewildered.

This bizarre scene instantly quieted the bustling street by a few degrees.

The arrogance on the faces of Chen Shaofeng and his Lackeys also froze for a moment.

"Hmm?" Chen Shaofeng's eyes narrowed as he re-examined the seemingly ordinary white-robed young man.

The other party's Aura was obscure, seemingly not strong, but the method of dispelling the impact just now clearly indicated he was a Cultivator no weaker than him.

"Where did this blind fool come from? How dare you meddle in this Young Master's affairs? If you know what's good for you, scram!" Chen Shaofeng, riding on the Cloud-Treading Roar, reprimanded him from above.

The two Body Integration Stage guards behind him instantly locked their gazes onto Xiao Zhuo, their eyes sharp and filled with warning.

Xiao Zhuo glanced at the young man who had just stabilized, then his gaze swept over the pale-faced, disheveled, seemingly ailing Little Girl in his arms, and his brow furrowed again.

He ignored Chen Shaofeng's clamor and simply said to the young man, "Take your sister and leave!"

The young man, as if waking from a dream, gave Xiao Zhuo a glance of gratitude and fear, then quickly walked away with his sister; but as if remembering something, after entering the crowd, he did not go far, but looked with worried eyes at the big brother who had just saved him and his sister.

Seeing that Xiao Zhuo dared to ignore him, Chen Shaofeng was furious: "You're courting death! Seize him!"

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the Early Stage Body Integration guard on his left, and he moved at once.

His figure shot forward like a phantom, a withered hand enveloped in thick earthy-yellow magical power, like an overturning mountain, carrying a heavy pressure, directly grabbing at Xiao Zhuo's shoulder!

This grab was intended to capture, and thus not at full strength, but if Xiao Zhuo were merely at the Nascent Soul Stage, his arm would very likely be crippled by this grab.

The sudden release of this Body Integration Stage Cultivator's Aura caused the surrounding low-level Cultivators and Mortals watching the commotion to feel a suffocating pressure, making them retreat involuntarily.

Just as that hand, imbued with terrifying power, was about to touch Xiao Zhuo's white robe—

Xiao Zhuo didn't even turn his head, merely casually raised his left hand, and his sleeve seemingly nonchalantly flicked to the side.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no blinding flash of light.

It was as if he was merely brushing away a speck of dust.

That aggressive, mountain-splitting Body Integration Stage guard's movements suddenly froze!

The arrogant expression on his face was instantly replaced by extreme terror, his pupils contracting sharply.

He felt an indescribable, irresistible, terrifying power, like an invisible, ten-thousand-foot tsunami, silent yet devastatingly crashing into his entire body!

"Pfft!"

The guard grunted, as if struck by lightning, and was sent flying backward at an even faster speed than he had come!

His protective spiritual light shattered like paper, and while still in mid-air, he spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body contorted into a shrimp-like shape, crashing heavily against the sturdy Formation light barrier of a shop beside the street, emitting a dull thud. The light barrier flickered violently, and he slid to the ground like a broken sack, struggled twice, and then directly fainted!

The street was dead silent!

Everyone's gaze was stunned.

An Integration Stage Cultivator, absolutely an expert among the juniors under the immortal realm of Nanyu City, was actually sent flying, spitting blood, and his life unknown, by a seemingly ordinary white-robed young man with a casual flick, as if swatting a fly?!

This... what kind of strength is this?!

The arrogance on Chen Shaofeng's face instantly receded, replaced by an expression of shock and doubt. The Cloud-Treading Roar beneath him also seemed to sense the drastic change in its master's emotions, letting out uneasy growls, its hooves' flames dimming slightly.

The other Integration Stage Cultivator guard behind him had a pale face, his body stiff, his forehead instantly covered in cold sweat. He looked at Xiao Zhuo as if at an abyssal beast, not daring to move, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Only then did Xiao Zhuo slowly turn around, his gaze calmly falling on Chen Shaofeng.

That gaze was calm and unruffled, yet it made Chen Shaofeng feel as if his Divine Soul had been frozen by the tian han (heavenly cold) of the Nine Heavens, and a fear stemming from his life's instinct instantly seized him.

"Noisy." Xiao Zhuo merely said two words lightly.

Before his voice faded, an invisible pressure, as if from the very heavens and earth, like a tangible heavy hammer, accurately struck Chen Shaofeng and the Cloud-Treading Roar beneath him!

"Awoo!" The Cloud-Treading Roar let out a mournful wail, its limbs went limp, and it crashed to its knees, trembling, its eyes full of terror.

"Thump!" Chen Shaofeng rolled directly off the beast's back, his knees hitting the hard bluestone floor with a teeth-gritting sound.

He felt as if his internal organs were about to be crushed, his bones creaked, and he couldn't even lift a finger, only able to kneel on the ground in the most humiliating posture, tears and snot streaming down his face, his eyes filled only with boundless fear and despair.

Xiao Zhuo no longer looked at them, as if he had just done a trivial thing.

He walked to the street corner, looking at the dumbfounded young man holding his sister and the weak Little Girl, his gaze lingering on the girl for a moment, as if probing something.

"Your sister... this illness..." Xiao Zhuo's voice was still calm, yet it made the young man suddenly snap back to reality, as if clutching at a life-saving straw.

"Senior! Can you cure my sister's injury?" The young man's excited voice trembled, and unprecedented hope ignited in his eyes.

Xiao Zhuo was about to speak when he was interrupted by a sharp shout.

"Who did this? Attacking Young Master Chen?!" The city guard finally arrived, led by a middle-aged general in shining silver armor with a powerful Aura, whose cultivation had impressively reached the Early Tribulation Crossing Stage!

His gaze, like lightning, swept across the entire scene instantly.

The unconscious Integration Stage Cultivator guard, the disheveled Chen Shaofeng kneeling on the ground and his terrified mount, the other guard who dared not move, the silent, awe-struck onlookers... Finally, his gaze locked onto Xiao Zhuo and the two siblings, isolated by the retreating crowd.