57: Chapter 57 Ruan Xingqiao: That Ninth-Rank Supreme Gave Me a Few More Glances

At this moment, Wang Jiuxing was somewhat excited.

The outcome of the matter had developed in a completely different direction.

Not only had he managed to save his own life, but it had also given him a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps, by seizing this opportunity, he would rise to great heights.

Of course, when some people rise in status, others naturally fall.

City Lord Liu Shengyong, who had guarded Yingyang Pass for many years, would most likely not escape severe punishment this time.

Although the matter had been orchestrated by high-ranking officials in the Shun Kingdom's imperial court, Liu Shengyong was a City Lord; had he been firm, he could have refused.

If questioned, he could certainly have found many excuses.

Claims like 'considering the bigger picture' or 'thinking of the situation at Yingyang Pass'.

But Li Yuan didn't care about any of that; he only looked at the results.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan, having concealed his form, was already standing on the gate tower of Yingyang Pass.

Liu Shengyong and several vice generals instinctively backed away, sensing their impending doom.

What they had done was, in fact, not much different from the actions of the recently deceased imperial envoy Lord Zheng.

They had even tried to stop Wang Jiuxing from warning the mysterious powerhouse.

Li Yuan still held that ordinary longsword in his hand; they knew this sword could easily take their lives.

Before Li Yuan could speak, Wang Jiuxing fell to his knees with a thud.

"I beg the Venerable One for forgiveness. We are well aware that our actions were base and lowly.

The Venerable One saved us many times, yet we betrayed that trust.

Repaying kindness with enmity is an act that outrages both heaven and man.

But I beg you to consider the City Lord's past hard work and spare his wretched life..."

Wang Jiuxing knew very well that among all the people present, only he was qualified to speak a word or two at this moment.

Li Yuan looked at Vice General Wang and hesitated slightly.

Then, he spoke his orders: "From this day forward, you shall take over as the City Lord of Yingyang Pass.

As for these few, let them live as ordinary commoners within the city."

As the words fell, the faces of City Lord Liu and the others instantly turned deathly pale.

After becoming accustomed to their current status, it was not easy to accept being reduced to commoners again.

But looking at the Ninth-Grade Supreme before them, they could only offer their thanks.

To be able to keep their lives was already a blessing beyond measure.

"Handle the remaining mess yourself. I will be watching from the shadows.

If you also prove to be an unworthy leader, then I shall remove you as well."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiuxing immediately stepped forward and presented several Waist Tokens.

"Please accept these Waist Tokens, Venerable One.

Since the Venerable One uses concealment techniques, it is difficult to see your esteemed face.

After today, there will surely be petty people impersonating the Venerable One to commit fraud.

It is inconvenient for us subordinates to verify, but seeing this Waist Token will allow us to recognize the Venerable One's command."

Hearing this, Li Yuan did not hesitate and directly took the Waist Tokens.

He was right; having these Waist Tokens would indeed make things much more convenient.

Before preparing to leave, Li Yuan cast his gaze back toward City Lord Liu and the others.

After a moment's hesitation, he still chose to cripple their cultivation.

Sparing their lives was already lenient enough.

Committing acts of ingratitude required a more severe punishment.

Merely being demoted to commoners was far from sufficient.

Having done all this, Li Yuan quickly sped away, then reverted to his original identity and walked back into the crowd.

Li Yuan's original identity was too lowly—so lowly that, aside from Ruan Xingqiao, no one would likely bother to keep an eye on him.

Meanwhile, the representatives of various factions present were all sending messages back to their respective homes.

The mysterious powerhouse of Yingyang Pass, rumored to be an Eighth-Grade expert, was actually a Ninth-Grade!

Such news was enough to shock the entire Shun Kingdom.

As Wang Jiuxing took over as City Lord, he also had to think about how to proceed with subsequent matters.

At the back of the crowd, Ruan Xingqiao had forgotten about finding Li Yuan for the moment.

She immediately returned to her quarters to record today's events, preparing to send them back to Qianqiu Mountain.

In the letter, Ruan Xingqiao described the details of the mysterious powerhouse's intervention.

This mysterious powerhouse was a genuine Ninth-Grade Supreme.

Initially, when everyone guessed he was an Eighth-Grade, Qianqiu Mountain had still viewed him as a rival.

After confirming his capabilities, Qianqiu Mountain would immediately adjust its stance.

The entire Qianqiu Mountain Sect did not have a single Ninth-Grade; what right did they have to contest the ownership of Yingyang Pass?

Besides this, Ruan Xingqiao emphasized her own situation.

She planned to continue staying at the Yingyang Pass front lines for a while longer.

It wasn't just because she hadn't captured Li Yuan yet.

In fact, Ruan Xingqiao's considerations this time were much more long-term.

She wanted to see if she could make contact with this Ninth-Grade Supreme.

Never mind befriending him; if she could just speak a few words and exchange some dialogue, Qianqiu Mountain would praise her for a great achievement.

Ruan Xingqiao didn't have this idea out of pure fantasy.

Rather, when the mysterious powerhouse was leaving, Ruan Xingqiao clearly remembered that he had glanced at her several times.

To be noticed by a Ninth-Grade Supreme, she must have something special or extraordinary about her.

This was the real reason Ruan Xingqiao entertained such thoughts.

If she could be taken under his wing, then she, Ruan Xingqiao, would embark on a legendary path!

Thinking of this, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face, as joyful as a withered branch meeting the spring sun.

In her mind, a series of fantasies began to take shape.

She imagined her future interactions with this mysterious powerhouse.

As she thought, a blush even crept onto her face; who knows what she was thinking about.

But in her hesitation, she thought of Meng Guidu again.

This man, with whom she had an emotional entanglement, had already perished, but Ruan Xingqiao still remembered him.

Moreover, she felt that Meng Guidu deserved some credit for her current opportunity.

If not for Meng Guidu, she wouldn't have come here to track down Li Yuan.

It was precisely because she came to track him and seek revenge for him that she obtained this kind of chance.

"Don't worry, I will interrogate the truth out of Li Yuan and avenge you.

But since you have already passed away, I hope you can give your blessing to my future decisions..."

Ruan Xingqiao gazed at the sky, speaking softly.

It seemed she had already come to terms with many things and let them go.

Indeed, that was a Ninth-Grade Supreme.

If one could get close to a Ninth-Grade Supreme, what else was there that couldn't be let go?

Within Yingyang Pass, earth-shaking changes had also occurred today.

The City Lord had been changed, several generals had been crippled, leaving only one vice general, Wang Jiuxing, to hold things up.

It seemed as though he might be struggling alone.

But in reality, Wang Jiuxing's position as City Lord was several times more stable than Liu Shengyong's had ever been.

Behind Wang Jiuxing, there was the tangible support of a Ninth-Grade Supreme.

To oppose him, one first had to figure out how to contend with that Ninth-Grade.

That same night, Wang Jiuxing had already re-selected his vice generals.

A new era had arrived for the Yingyang Pass Military Camp.

Liu Shengyong and the others no longer held any official posts or related powers.

That night, Liu Shengyong was also making arrangements to Move out of the City Lord's Manor.

He knew that while Wang Jiuxing might be indulgent and wouldn't say much if he didn't Move, the same could not be said for others.

That Ninth-Grade Supreme would surely be dissatisfied.

Having stood on the wrong side and taken the wrong path, it was already good enough to be alive.

At nightfall, Li Yuan, Uncle Chen, and the others gathered around a campfire, listening to those who had witnessed the day's events.

Many soldiers couldn't get onto the gate tower, nor did they have the courage to circle around the outside to look.

They all knew the mysterious powerhouse had Ninth-Grade strength, with Moves as divine as they were ghostly, forcing even the Grand Preceptor of Jin Kingdom to flee.

But during the day, not many had actually seen it with their own eyes.

Most people had stayed in the city and didn't dare go out.