187: Take control of the True Essence and expand your territory!

There was no killing intent in this voice, yet it possessed an unquestionable dominance.

It was as if a monarch was inspecting his territory, summoning his subjects.

Zhao Wuji took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his heart.

He was a great Cultivator at the Late Void Refining Stage and the lord of a city; he could not show fear in front of everyone.

"I am Zhao Wuji!"

Zhao Wuji straightened his back, his spiritual energy surging as it formed the phantom of a multicolored tiger behind him.

He attempted to use this to resist the suffocating pressure from above.

Raising his head, he shouted loudly, "Who are you, Your Excellency? Why have you invaded my Zhenyuan City without cause? If you are just passing through, I, Zhao, will naturally welcome you with fine wine. But if you are looking for trouble..."

A flash of ruthlessness appeared in Zhao Wuji's eyes. "My Zhenyuan City's City Protection Grand Formation is not to be trifled with!"

Hearing these blustering words, Chen Xu smiled softly.

There was no mockery in that smile, only the pity one feels for a frog at the bottom of a well.

"Passing through? No, I am not passing through."

Chen Xu leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing through the layered curtains of the Formation's light.

He locked eyes directly with Zhao Wuji.

"I am here to inform you that from this moment on, Zhenyuan City belongs to the Chen Family."

Before his voice faded, the entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

Arrogant!

Too arrogant!

To demand someone's foundation with a single sentence, and right in front of a Late Void Refining powerhouse.

Just how insolent was this?

Zhao Wuji laughed from sheer anger.

"What big words! Has Your Excellency lost your mind?"

Zhao Wuji laughed in fury, pointing at the flying boat above. "With just the few of you, you want to swallow my Zhenyuan City? Aren't you afraid of breaking your teeth!"

"Although I have no Holy Land backing me, I have managed this Zhenyuan City for thirty years, and it has long been as solid as a fortress!"

"Never mind some rogue Cultivator appearing out of nowhere; even if Xu Sen from the Ascending Immortal Gate came, he wouldn't dare speak to me like this!"

The more Zhao Wuji spoke, the more he felt he was in the right, and his confidence grew.

Although the opponent seemed aggressive, he had sensed their strength; aside from the man in the green robe whose depth he couldn't fathom...

...the others were only at the Early or Middle Void Refining Stage.

And he was at the Late Void Refining Stage!

Combined with this seventh-rank City Protection Grand Formation, even if a Body Integration Stage expert came, he could hold out for a while.

"Since Your Excellency refuses my hospitality and insists on doing this the hard way, don't blame me for being heartless!"

Zhao Wuji shouted, his hands quickly forming a seal. "Activate the Formation! Blast them down for me!"

At his command, the entire Zhenyuan City shook violently.

Countless pillars of light shot into the sky from every corner of the city, converging at the core of the Formation in mid-air.

The originally pale gold light curtain instantly turned crimson.

It emitted a heart-palpitating heat and an Aura of destruction.

This was Zhenyuan City's ultimate move—the "Burning Heaven Purgatory Grand Formation."

"Courting death."

Looking at the churning sea of fire below, Chen Xu only shook his head helplessly.

He had originally thought that if the opponent was sensible, he could recruit him as an enforcer.

After all, talents at the Late Void Refining Stage were rare.

But now it seemed that Zhao Wuji had been ruined by years of easy living, losing even the most basic judgment.

"Lan Shuyao."

Chen Xu called out softly.

"Your subordinate is here."

Lan Shuyao's long sword slid half an inch out of its scabbard, her Sword Intent cold and sharp.

"This Formation is too dazzling. Break it."

"Yes!"

Without any nonsense, Lan Shuyao's figure was like lightning as she instantly shot out from the flying boat.

Facing the seventh-rank Formation that could melt metal, she didn't retreat in the slightest.

The long sword in her hand let out a clear dragon's cry as it was suddenly unsheathed.

At that moment, it was as if only that brilliant blue light remained in the world.

"One Sword... Severs the Vast Sea!"

Lan Shuyao's cold shout echoed through the clouds.

A thousand-foot-long blue Sword Qi, like the Nine Heavens' Milky Way hanging upside down, carried an Aura of 'though thousands oppose me, I shall go.'

It struck the crimson Formation light curtain with immense force.

"BOOM—!!!"

A world-shaking explosion.

The entire Zhenyuan City shook violently.

Under Zhao Wuji's shocked gaze, the Burning Heaven Purgatory Grand Formation—claimed to be as solid as a fortress and capable of resisting ten thousand armies—was sliced open like an eggshell, a massive crack appearing instantly.

The residual Sword Qi did not diminish, pouring into the city through the crack.

It directly reduced a hundred-foot artificial mountain in front of the City Lord's Mansion to dust.

"This... this is impossible!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes nearly popped out, his whole body trembling. "Breaking a seventh-rank Formation with one sword? What kind of sword technique is this?! Isn't she at the Early Void Refining Stage? How can she have such terrifying attack power?!"

What he didn't know was that Lan Shuyao had enjoyed the best resources during her thirty years with the Chen Family.

She studied an ancient sword classic Chen Xu obtained from the System and was further empowered by Body Integration Stage Luck.

Her Early Void Refining Stage and the Early Void Refining Stage of those rogue Cultivators outside...

...were not even in the same league.

"Nothing is impossible."

Chen Xu's voice rang out again, and this time, he moved.

With one step, he completely ignored the broken Formation and instantly appeared ten feet above Zhao Wuji's head.

That suffocating feeling, like Mount Tai pressing down, made it difficult for Zhao Wuji even to breathe.

"I gave you a chance, but you failed to grasp it."

Chen Xu raised his right hand expressionlessly. He didn't use any world-shaking Divine Ability, merely channeling a trace of the power from the recently mastered "One Palm, One World."

He turned his palm over and pressed down.

"Kneel."

Two simple words.

Zhao Wuji felt as if the piece of sky above his head had truly collapsed.

An indescribable power of laws appeared directly upon his Physical Body and Soul.

His Late Void Refining cultivation, in the face of this power...

...was like snow meeting a blazing sun, instantly melting and disintegrating.

"Crack!"

That was the sound of kneecaps shattering.

Under the gaze of millions of eyes in the city, the usually high-and-mighty, invincible Lord of Zhenyuan City, Zhao Wuji...

...didn't even have time to groan.

His knees slammed heavily into the void, kneeling at the feet of the green-robed man.

Like an ant having an audience with a god.

It was as if the pause button had been pressed on the world.

In that instant, inside and outside Zhenyuan City, millions of eyes stared fixedly at the air.

There, the city lord Zhao Wuji, who was usually aloof and held the power of life and death, was now like an old dog with a broken spine, kneeling on both knees in an utterly humiliating posture.

He wasn't bound by any ropes, nor was anyone pressing down on his head.

But his motionless, stiff body and the bulging veins on his forehead all showed the terrifying pressure he was enduring.

Zhao Wuji wanted to roar, but his throat could only produce the "ge-ge" sound of grinding bones.

His proud Late Void Refining cultivation and his spiritual energy, which should have been surging like a river...

...were now frozen as if in a glacier, completely impossible to mobilize in the slightest.

That feeling was not just physical weight, but a crushing weight on the level of the Divine Soul.

He felt that what hung over his head was not a hand, but a real, existing world.

As long as the opponent willed it, he could be crushed to dust.

He wouldn't even be able to enter Reincarnation.

"Bo... Body Integration..."

The last trace of hope in Zhao Wuji's heart completely shattered.

Only by truly facing this power could one understand what that Realm meant.

It was the difference between a Mortal and a god, the chasm between a rule-maker and a rule-follower.

Chen Xu withdrew his slightly lowered palm and stood with his hands behind his back.

"What? Silent now?"

Chen Xu spoke indifferently.

Zhao Wuji trembled all over, his pride as a ruler smashed to pieces at this moment.

He raised his head with difficulty; his once well-maintained, square face was now as pale as paper.

Cold sweat dripped from his chin, falling into the void.

"Se... Senior..."

Zhao Wuji squeezed out two words tremulously, his voice hoarse and dry.

It carried an unmistakable plea.

He was afraid.

Truly afraid.

He had thought the opponent was just a powerful dragon from elsewhere, perhaps with some trump cards at most.

Relying on his home-field advantage and the Formation, even if he couldn't win, he could at least hold them off or even bargain.

But now, harsh reality had given him a fierce slap in the face.

What bargaining?

In the face of absolute power, it was a joke.

Killing him wouldn't require any effort at all.

"Where did that Aura from just now go?"

Chen Xu stepped forward, walking through the void, slowly arriving in front of Zhao Wuji.

He looked down at the former Lord of Zhenyuan City, his gaze indifferent. "Didn't you say I was a rogue Cultivator? Didn't you say that even if Xu Sen from the Ascending Immortal Gate came, he wouldn't dare speak to me like this?"

With every question, Zhao Wuji's body trembled, and his head hung even lower.

"This Junior... was blind! I didn't know a mighty being had arrived; I deserve ten thousand deaths!"

Zhao Wuji no longer had any of the city lord's majesty; he was like a small apprentice who had made a mistake.

Shivering in front of a Grandmaster.

Inside Zhenyuan City below, the city guards and Cultivators from various families, who had been somewhat restless...

...were now all like ducks with their necks squeezed, unable to make a sound.

Even their invincible city lord had knelt, and even the seventh-rank City Protection Grand Formation had been split open by a single sword.

These small fry with only Nascent Soul or Soul Transformation cultivation...

...no matter how many there were, rushing up would just be suicide.

Moreover, behind that green-robed man, on those dozen or so giant black flying boats, thousands of cold-Aura-emitting Cultivators were watching like tigers.

That murderous intent could make one's spine chill even from a great distance.

"Now, can this Zhenyuan City be named Chen?"

Chen Xu asked indifferently.

"It can! It can!"

Zhao Wuji nodded frantically as if grabbing a life-saving straw, his head thumping against the void. "From this day forth, Zhenyuan City will follow Senior's every command!"

"I, Zhao, am willing to offer the entire city, only begging Senior to spare my life!"

He was gambling.

Gambling that since this mighty being didn't kill him immediately, it meant he still had utility.

After all, managing such a large city required more than just force.

Someone was needed to keep things running.

Chen Xu looked at the kneeling Zhao Wuji, a flash of amusement in his eyes.

Although this man's spine was a bit soft, his mind was quick.

Killing him was simple, but the complex power relations and hidden resource channels within Zhenyuan City...

...would take too much time to sort out if he had to rely solely on his own people.

What is most lacking right now is time.

“Spare your life?”

Chen Xu chuckled, his fingers lightly tapping against the Void Realm. “You were just trying to take my life a moment ago.”

Zhao Wuji's entire body stiffened, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.

He gritted his teeth hard, and a bloody slit suddenly opened at the center of his brow.

A drop of blood emitting a faint golden light, which seemed to contain the phantom of a tiny person within it,

slowly drifted out.

That was his Life Soul Blood.

Once he handed this over, his life and death would be completely in the other person's hands.

With just a single thought from the other party to crush the Soul Blood, even if he fled to the ends of the earth,

his Divine Soul would be instantly annihilated.

“I, Zhao, am willing to offer my Soul Blood and serve as your slave for life, with no second thoughts!”

Zhao Wuji held the drop of Soul Blood in both hands, raising it high above his head, his voice shrill and resolute.

To survive, he had discarded even the last shred of his dignity.

Looking at the drop of Soul Blood floating in the air,

Chen Xu did not immediately reach for it.

This silence was, for Zhao Wuji, nothing short of death by a thousand cuts.

Every breath felt as long as a century.

Finally, just as Zhao Wuji's mental state was about to completely collapse, a slender hand reached out and gently grasped the drop of Soul Blood.

“Accepted.”

That single, simple word was no different from heavenly music to Zhao Wuji.

His entire body seemed to go limp as he gasped for air in large gulps.

His eyes were filled with the relief of having survived a disaster.

Though he had lost his freedom and would have to live by another's whims from now on, at least... his life was saved.

“Dao Xuan.”

Chen Xu put away the Soul Blood and turned to look at the flying boat behind him.

“Present.”

Chen Dao Xuan responded and emerged, his figure flickering as he landed beside Chen Xu.

He wore an elegant scholar's robe. Although his cultivation was only at the Early Void Refining Stage, he possessed the Aura of a high-ranking head steward who had long held authority.

It made people not dare to underestimate him.

“Take over the defenses and inventory the treasury.”

Chen Xu pointed at the city below, his tone flat. “Whether it's the City Guard or the various Families, if anyone dares to hide wealth or cause trouble at this time...”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the pavilions below, his voice carrying a grim chill: “You know what to do.”

“Rest assured, Father.”

Chen Dao Xuan bowed slightly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. “The rules of the Chen Family—I will make the people of Zhenyuan City learn them within an hour.”

Following Chen Dao Xuan's command, the dozen or so black flying boats in the sky finally moved.

They slowly descended, their massive shadows blanketing the entire City Lord's Manor area.

The warriors of the Blade Camp, who had long been ready, charged out of the flying boats like wolves and tigers.

They quickly seized control of the city's key points.

Those burly men, clad in black battle armor with giant sabers on their backs, each radiated a sky-piercing Evil Qi.

Especially the leading bald brute with a face full of scars, who carried a demonic saber the size of a door. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

He scared the guards of Zhenyuan City so much they couldn't even hold their weapons steady.

“All of you, be honest! If anyone dares to move, I'll split him in two with one strike!”

The roar of Ba Dao was like a thunderclap, causing the surrounding buildings to shed dust.

At the same time, the Sword Cultivators of the Sword Washing Pavilion led by Lan Shuyao also flew out on their swords.

They hovered above the city, forming a massive sword Formation.

That freezing Sword Intent enveloped the entire city, like an Immortal-Slaying Sword hanging over everyone's head.

Under this kind of absolute military deterrence,

the entire handover process of Zhenyuan City went exceptionally smoothly.

It was even a bit excessively smooth.

The Clan Chiefs who had originally been waiting to see how things would play out didn't dare have any second thoughts after seeing this.

One by one, they scrambled to come out and pledge their loyalty.

They were terrified that being a step too late would lead to them being sacrificed as an example... Inside the main hall of the City Lord's Manor.

This center of power, which had originally belonged to Zhao Wuji, had now changed masters.

Chen Xu sat in the main seat with a commanding posture.

In his hands, he flipped through a thick ledger.

Zhao Wuji stood to the side like an old servant, bowing and ready to answer any questions at a moment's notice.

Below the hall stood two rows of trembling Cultivators.

On the left were the original high-ranking generals of Zhenyuan City and the Clan Chiefs of the major noble families.

On the right were the core members brought by the Chen Family.

“Tsk tsk, City Lord Zhao, you’ve been living quite a good life.”

Chen Xu closed the ledger and gave Zhao Wuji a half-smile. “Just the Top-Grade Spirit Stones in this treasury amount to tens of millions. Not to mention those rare spiritual materials and Magic Treasures.”

“In these thirty years, if you had leaked even a little bit from between your fingers to the Tianyu Holy Land, they wouldn't have fought so miserably on the front lines.”

Zhao Wuji's old face flushed, and he said sheepishly, “Master is joking... This is just a bit of hard-earned money, hard-earned money.”

He had switched his identity very quickly; calling him 'Master' was quite natural for him, without the slightest psychological burden.

“Hard-earned money?”

Chen Xu threw the ledger onto the table with a sharp thud. “I think it's blood money to buy your life.”

Zhao Wuji shuddered all over and quickly knelt down. “Master is wise! These things now all belong to Master! This servant has absolutely nothing hidden!”

“Alright, get up.”

Chen Xu waved his hand. “Since I’ve taken your Soul Blood, I won't treat you poorly.”

He took out a bottle of Medicinal Pills from his storage ring and tossed it to Zhao Wuji.

“This is a heaven mending elixir I refined personally. While it won't let you Breakthrough directly, it's more than enough to repair the Meridians I damaged earlier and stabilize your Dao foundation.”

Zhao Wuji caught the pill bottle and sniffed it after opening the stopper, his eyes immediately lighting up.

That rich medicinal fragrance, just from a single sniff,

caused the originally sluggish spiritual power in his body to circulate several times faster.

This was definitely a sixth-grade, or even seventh-grade, Top-Grade Spirit Pill!

“Thank you, Master, for the medicine! Thank you, Master!”

Zhao Wuji kowtowed repeatedly in excitement.

This was the tactic of the carrot and the stick.

First, beat them into submission, then give them a little sweetness.

Only then could one make them serve wholeheartedly.

Chen Xu's gaze swept over the former subordinates of Zhenyuan City, and his voice gradually turned cold.

“Since Zhao Wuji has already submitted, there are some things I won't say much more about.”

“But I’ll put the ugly words first.”

Chen Xu's finger lightly tapped the armrest. “My Chen Family doesn't keep idle people, nor do we keep ungrateful wolves who bite the hand that feeds them.”

“From today onwards, all rules in Zhenyuan City will follow those of my Tianxuan City.”

“I don't care how you used to bully others or line your own pockets in the past. But from this moment on, if anyone dares to bring those foul habits under my nose again...”

Chen Xu didn't finish his sentence, only giving a soft hmph.

But in that instant, a terrifying killing intent swept through the hall like a cold wave.

Those Clan Chiefs and generals who were usually tyrannical

were all scared pale, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

“What? You don't understand?”

Chen Xu's brow furrowed slightly.

“We understand! We understand!”

The crowd snapped out of it and knelt on the ground in unison. “We shall obey the Family Head's orders!”

Just then, Chen Dao Xuan walked quickly into the hall from outside.

He held a transmission Jade Slip in his hand, his expression somewhat strange.

“Father, there's a bit of an unexpected situation.”

Chen Dao Xuan walked to Chen Xu's side and said in a low voice, “While searching the Zhang Family in the east of the city just now, we found something interesting.”

“The Zhang Family?”

Chen Xu thought for a moment; that seemed to be the second largest power in Zhenyuan City, which had always been at odds with Zhao Wuji.

“What is it?”

“In the Zhang Family's secret room, we discovered a small cross-domain teleportation Formation.”

A trace of coldness flashed in Chen Dao Xuan's eyes. “And that teleportation Formation was still active. A batch of resources was just about to be transported away through that Formation.”

“A teleportation Formation? Leading where?”

Chen Xu asked.

“The Central Province.”

As soon as Chen Dao Xuan's words fell, the hall was instantly in an uproar.

Many of those kneeling below cast their gazes toward a sinister-looking old man in the crowd.

That old man was precisely the Zhang Clan Chief.

At this moment, his face had turned ugly to the extreme.

The cold sweat on his forehead flowed down like a waterfall.

Zhao Wuji even jumped up and pointed at the old man, cursing, “Old Ghost Zhang! You ungrateful thing! You actually colluded with the Ascending Immortal Gate behind my back?!”

Although he also wanted to wait for the best offer, that was an open game.

Building a teleportation Formation in secret was blatant betrayal.

“Bring him up.”

Chen Xu ordered indifferently.

Soon, several Blade Camp warriors dragged the Zhang Clan Chief into the center of the hall like a dead dog.

“Mercy! Have mercy!”

The Zhang Clan Chief struggled desperately, crying out, “Lord, have mercy! I was forced into this! It was that Xu Sen who forced me to do it!”

“Forced?”

Chen Xu looked at him, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking arc. “Building a teleportation Formation in your own secret room and stockpiling so many resources to be shipped away. Was that also forced?”

“Clearly, you intended to use the flesh and blood of Zhenyuan City to trade for a deacon position in the Ascending Immortal Gate, didn't you?”

The Zhang Clan Chief's face was ashen, and he couldn't say a word.

His true intentions had been exposed; any further explanation was hollow.

“What did I just say?”

Chen Xu turned to look at the others in the hall, his tone so calm it was frightening. “I said, I don't keep ungrateful wolves.”

“Just right, I'll use you to sacrifice to the flag.”

Before his voice finished, Chen Xu flicked his finger.

*Puff!*

An invisible burst of energy instantly pierced through the Zhang Clan Chief's brow.

Along with his Nascent Soul, he was directly strangled into dust.

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

There was no scene of flying flesh and blood.

A powerful expert of the Early Void Refining Stage

had died just like that, silently, in the main hall.

But this silent death was more deterrent than any torture.

The hall was terrifyingly quiet; everyone held their breath,

fearing that their heartbeat would be too loud and attract the attention of that god of slaughter.

“The Zhang Family—all main participants, kill.”

Chen Xu's voice was as cold as ice. “The remaining clansmen who were unaware shall have their cultivation abolished and be expelled from Zhenyuan City.”

“Family assets are to be confiscated.”