166: Chapter 166 Contingency Plan

Watching the scene on the field, the two Cui Clan Elders could not help but grow excited.

"For the past half year, our Cui Family Merchant Ship has been constantly raided. Even with Five-Viscera Martial Artists personally guarding it, we couldn't avoid it, and some even lost their lives for it. So, Yuwen Kuang was hiding his strength this deeply all along," one Cui Clan Elder remarked with emotion.

While remarking on this, a wave of lingering fear welled up in his heart. If not for Pei Qingyun being here, he, as one of the Elders on this trip, could easily imagine his own eventual fate.

"Indeed, who could have expected that Yuwen Kuang had long since become a Grandmaster? But fortunately, with Grandmaster Qingyun holding the fort, Yuwen Kuang won't be able to act arrogantly for much longer," the other Cui Clan Elder said.

At the center of the battle, facing Pei Qingyun's renewed outburst, Yuwen Kuang had no choice but to passively choose defense.

Puchi!

In an instant, the half-ruined phantom of the exotic beast Long was torn apart by the phantom of the Ancient Tree of Life.

A tremendous force violently rippled outward, like a gale passing through, shaking everyone on the merchant ship until they retreated repeatedly.

"What powerful shockwaves; this is the legendary battle of Grandmasters," someone exclaimed.

As the protagonist facing this blow head-on, Yuwen Kuang was forced back several zhang, a trace of crimson blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Although the phantom of the exotic beast Long had blocked the vast majority of the force for him, nearly thirty percent of the power still impacted his body, causing him to sustain minor injuries.

If the fight continued, even if he re-condensed the phantom of the exotic beast Long, defeat and death would only be a matter of time.

It was laughable that he had confidently believed Pei Qingyun was merely a newly promoted Grandmaster, which was why he chose to lead the charge as a bargaining chip to seize profits. The result...

Realizing this, Yuwen Kuang could no longer afford to care about much else. While retreating violently, he shouted loudly, "If you two don't make a move now, don't blame me for not keeping..."

Following his shout, Pei Qingyun, who had been preparing to pursue, paused in his tracks.

"There are helpers." His gaze swept across the pirate ship not far away.

He saw two figures leap up from the crowd of pirates, rushing toward the Cui Family Merchant Ship at extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, the two appeared on the Cui Family Merchant Ship.

Judging by their appearance, both were around fifty years old, tall and sturdy, wearing loose black robes, and did not resemble anyone in the intelligence reports. Clearly, this was merely a disguise for the two.

Upon seeing the two, a flash of surprise crossed Pei Qingyun's eyes. When this plan was first implemented, he had assumed Yuwen Kuang would have helpers. But what he hadn't expected was that there would be two helpers, and both were Six Viscera Grandmasters.

Three Grandmasters targeting the Cui Clan—what a grand undertaking.

If it weren't for Pei Qingyun's habit of anticipating the enemy and securing victory before acting, defeating three Grandmasters on his own would be impossible. Even if the opponents were all at the Early Stage of the Six Bowels Realm, it would certainly not be an easy task.

Moreover, he, Pei Qingyun, did not possess the so-called arrogance of a Genius, nor the habit of taking on several people single-handedly.

Compared to Pei Qingyun's calmness, the clansmen on the Cui Family Merchant Ship had their expressions change drastically; their emotions were like a roller coaster, rising and falling erratically, soaring to the peak one moment and plummeting into the abyss the next.

Although they could not discern the Realm of the two, being able to act as Yuwen Kuang's helpers meant they were clearly also two Grandmasters. With three Grandmasters dealing with their Cui Clan, what virtue or ability did their Cui Clan have to offend three Grandmaster-level forces?

"What should we do? Can Grandmaster Qingyun block them?"

"If Grandmaster Qingyun can't block them, what should we do?"

...

Pei Qingyun did not pay attention to what the others were thinking, but instead coldly demanded, "Who are you people?"

Hu Weiyong and Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng did not answer, but instead exchanged a glance.

Both of them had seen the battle between Pei Qingyun and Yuwen Kuang. In fact, the strength of the three of them was actually on par with one another.

For either one of them, fighting Pei Qingyun alone would not end well. They chose to disguise themselves precisely because they did not have absolute certainty of taking down Pei Qingyun. Once their identities were exposed, it would be extremely detrimental to their future.

It was also at this moment that Yuwen Kuang spoke up, "Pei Qingyun, your strength is formidable; I admit I am no match for you. But as long as the three of us Grandmasters join forces, you have no chance of winning. In consideration of your strength, I will give you one last chance. The conditions I promised you before remain unchanged."

"Three Grandmasters joining forces—you really do think highly of me, Pei Qingyun. It's just a pity that you have forgotten the most important thing. I never said that I was alone. Elder Dinglong, please lend me a hand." After saying this, Pei Qingyun cast a glance toward a corner of the merchant ship.

Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions froze instantly, and their eyes constantly scanned the surroundings.

Suddenly, a figure appeared and walked out from the cabin.

This figure was not tall; he even looked somewhat short. But as he walked out of the cabin, everyone felt an Aura as heavy and thick as a mountain, as if what stood before them was not a person, but a magnificent and towering mountain.

The owner of this figure was none other than Pei Dinglong.

Feeling this overwhelmingly powerful Aura, a flash of surprise also appeared in Pei Qingyun's eyes. The strength of this Elder Pei Dinglong, who had come from Longxi, was even stronger than he had imagined.

He had originally thought that Pei Dinglong was at most at the Late Stage of the Six Bowels Realm, or perhaps even the Middle Stage was not impossible.

At this moment, the strength Pei Dinglong displayed was undoubtedly telling him that his strength was approaching the Perfection of the Six Bowels Realm.

This was already on the same level as the strongest experts of ordinary second-rate Great Families.

"Ancestor Yuhuan is truly reliable; with Elder Pei Dinglong here, even if an ordinary second-rate Great Family were to arrive, they would probably have no choice but to compromise," Pei Qingyun thought to himself.

Conversely, Yuwen Kuang, Hu Weiyong, and Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng all turned pale simultaneously.

"How could there be such a powerful expert?" the three said almost in unison.

They had investigated the Wuyang Pei Clan, and Pei Qingyun was the only Grandmaster there. Among the Great Family disciples with a relatively firm relationship with Pei Qingyun, there were only Five-Viscera Martial Artists from the direct lineage of the Jinhuai Chen Clan. There was no need to even mention other Great Families.

Although this direct descendant of the Chen Clan held a position in the imperial court, his strength and influence could not possibly affect this Deep Water Harbor. Not to mention, the name of this newly arrived Grandmaster clearly identified him as a member of the Pei Clan.

Since when did the Wuyang Pei Clan produce such a top-tier Grandmaster? If they had known the Wuyang Pei Clan possessed such a top-tier Grandmaster, they would have long since yielded and stepped aside.

At this moment, the three men were regretting it so much that their guts turned green. How could anyone be so deceitful? If they had the strength, why didn't they say so earlier?

The next moment, Pei Dinglong suddenly appeared beside Pei Qingyun and said calmly, "Clan Elder Qingyun, leave these three to me."

"Elder Dinglong, please make your move." Pei Qingyun nodded in agreement.

Fighting was never something Pei Qingyun liked to do; he was not a battle maniac like Pei Kong. Since someone was willing to do it on his behalf, he was naturally extremely happy.