364: Points skyrocketed!

The shrill, mournful wails, like funeral bells from the depths of Hell, echoed for a long time throughout the entire Mo Gui Alley.

The sounds were sometimes like ten thousand ghosts weeping together, sometimes like the shrieks of vengeful spirits, all mingled with a certain bone-chilling gnawing noise.

It was as if countless indescribable things were struggling bitterly in the darkness, wanting to escape but unable to break free.

At the alley entrance, the group of bearded men, along with the guards and the carriage driver, had long since turned pale with fright.

The branches and leaves of the century-old locust tree trembled violently in the waves of sound, and before the falling leaves could even touch the ground, they were ground into powder by an invisible force.

The gaps in the tree trunk and the walls had long been tightly sealed by Gale Force as red as blood.

Not even a fly could hope to escape from inside Mo Gui Alley.

"Boss, this..." A burly man in black spoke with a trembling voice, instinctively taking half a step back.

They had been ordered to set an ambush here for over a month, yet they had never heard such terrifying movements coming from the alley.

The bearded man's Adam's apple bobbed incessantly, and beads of cold sweat constantly seeped from his forehead.

He knew better than anyone what was actually hidden in this seemingly ordinary alley.

It was a "ghostly thing" that even their master, who had eyes and ears everywhere, feared to some extent.

Just last week, while cleaning up the rotting corpses overflowing from the alley entrance, they had lost twelve good men...

At this moment, behind the thick trunk of the ancient locust tree, golden and crimson lights could be vaguely seen flickering alternately.

Every time the crimson-gold light surged, those ghostly wails and wolf-like howls became even more shrill.

A burly man suddenly let out a muffled groan, covered his ears, and fell to his knees, with wisps of fresh blood seeping out between his fingers.

"Everyone retreat... retreat another thirty steps!" the bearded man roared hoarsely upon seeing this.

On the empty street, the bearded man paced back and forth anxiously.

The thick soles of his boots crunched against the gravel on the ground.

He occasionally looked up toward the depths of the alley, then turned his head to glance toward the end of the street.

Finally, the veins on the bearded man's forehead bulged, writhing like earthworms.

"Damn it! Did those trash, Xiao Hei and his group, die on the way?"

He slammed his fist against the earthen wall beside him, causing the plaster to fall in showers.

At this moment, there was a faint, imperceptible tremor in the bearded man's voice: "It's already been three incense sticks of time, and I haven't even seen a ghost!"

The underlings behind him were silent as cicadas in winter, none daring to respond.

The bearded man felt that the clothes on his back had long been soaked through with cold sweat, sticking stickily to his skin.

He wiped his face fiercely, his rough palms covered in cold sweat.

"It's over... it's all over..." he wailed in his heart.

He had witnessed his master's methods.

Last time, a brother failed to handle a task properly and was thrown directly into the Ten Thousand Snake Cave.

If the master found out that they had let His Highness the Crown Prince enter Mo Gui Alley...

Thinking of this, the bearded man couldn't help but shiver all over.

He stared at the luxurious carriage; the gold-inlaid wheel hubs stung his eyes in the sunlight.

If it were an ordinary person trespassing here, he would have already led his men to hack the other party into meat paste.

But that was the current Crown Prince, the heir to the Wenjing Dynasty!

If he had even that thought, execution of his nine clans would be a light punishment; it might even implicate his entire sect...

"Boss... how about we..."

A bold subordinate had just approached when the bearded man slapped him to the ground.

"Shut up!" he roared, his voice tinged with a sob, "Everyone just guard honestly!"

"Even if King Yama himself comes today, we have to wait for the master to decide!"

Running away was impossible; most people out on the streets surely had some dirt in someone else's hands.

Time passed quickly, twilight deepened, and the last ray of the setting sun gilded the long street with a dusky halo.

Suddenly, the sound of rhythmic hoofbeats came from the distance, like muffled thunder, approaching from afar!

At the end of the street, a gilded carriage pulled by four snow-white horses slowly approached, and the carriage curtains were embroidered with the pattern of a four-clawed golden python.

This was the regulation pattern for a prince of the current dynasty.

The carriage was surrounded by three hundred guards in white armor; the scale armor forged from refined iron shimmered with alternating gold and white colors in the hazy twilight.

Their steps were uniform, and the sabers at their waists swayed slightly with their movement.

The moonstones inlaid on the scabbards refracted a faint, cold light.

"Master... it's the master!" one of the underlings suddenly cried out, his voice a mixture of fear and hope.

The bearded man shuddered and turned around abruptly.

When he saw the four-clawed python pattern on the curtain, his knees went weak, and he fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead banging heavily against the bluestone slab.

Seeing this, the dozens of burly men behind him also knelt down in unison, a sea of heads rising and falling on the street surface.

"Your subordinates welcome Your Highness!" the bearded man's voice trembled violently.

His forehead was pressed against the ground, but from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the grim face of the guard commander beside the carriage.

That look was clearly that of someone watching a group of dead men walking.

Seeing this, the bearded man's eye twitched, and his teeth chattered as he gritted them.

This son of a bitch, putting on that condescending face, looked as if he were sizing up a group of livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

It immediately ignited a nameless rage in his chest.

Bah! What is he! A son of a bitch pretty boy!

The bearded man cursed incessantly in his heart, his ten rough fingers digging instinctively into the crevices of the bluestone slab.

This guy surnamed "Hua" was just lucky, having caught the Highness's eye thanks to that pretty face.

Everyone was a Martial Artist at the Martial Dao Grandmaster level!

When it came to real kung fu, with his thirty years of hard training in the Golden Bell Shield, would he fear this embroidered pillow?

The bearded man quietly circulated the Protective Aura within his body; his muscles immediately bulged like iron blocks, stretching his black martial attire until it was taut.

A centipede-shaped scar on the back of his neck began to turn red—this was the mark of his hard-training Cultivation Technique, the Golden Bell Shield, reaching Major Achievement.

Back on the battlefield against foreign enemies, he had relied on this hard technique to single-handedly break through the encirclement of tens of thousands of Southern Barbarian cavalry.

At this moment, the underling kneeling beside him suddenly nudged his arm.

The bearded man was startled to realize that he had subconsciously straightened his back.

He hurriedly lowered himself again, but heard a chuckle of unknown intent coming from the carriage.

The laughter was very light, yet it made all the hairs on his body stand up.

The guard commander's saber suddenly unsheathed three inches, and the bright blade reflected the bearded man's instantly pale face.

Their gazes clashed in mid-air; one was as sinister as a venomous snake, the other as fierce as a trapped beast.

It was as if invisible sparks were flying in the air.

With a light "tap" sound as they touched the ground, a pair of golden-threaded python-patterned cloud boots landed steadily before the bearded man.

The four-clawed python pattern embroidered with dark gold thread on the boots shimmered with a ghostly light in the twilight.

Every stitch and every thread proclaimed the nobility of the Wenjing Dynasty's royal family.

"Get up."

The voice was clear yet tinged with a hint of laziness, yet it made the bearded man shudder all over.

He cautiously looked up, and what met his eyes was an extraordinarily handsome young face.

It was none other than the Ninth Prince, Lu Xuyang.

This prince, who was only twenty-three years old, was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe.

An exquisite mutton-fat jade pendant hung at his waist, swaying gently in the evening breeze.

He was one of the nine princes who had spoken with Lu Xuan at the East Palace at noon.

However, when Lu Xuyang's gaze swept over the luxurious carriage ahead, pulled by eight snow-white, blood-sweating horses.

A flash of distortion instantly crossed his handsome face.

His fingers under his sleeves were clenched tightly.

Undoubtedly, the jealousy and resentment in Lu Xuyang's eyes were almost becoming tangible.

Even the elegant curve of his lips became twisted.

The bearded man swallowed a mouthful of saliva secretly, not daring to breathe loudly at all.

In the Wenjing Dynasty, the regulations for everyone's carriage were as strict as an iron law.

The Emperor rides nine horses, and the Crown Prince of the East Palace rides eight horses.

And as for these princes, no matter how favored they were, they could only ride in a carriage with four horses.

At this moment, the killing intent surging in the Ninth Prince's eyes was clearly directed at... his good big brother, the Crown Prince of the Wenjing Dynasty.

"Brother Crown Prince, you certainly have refined taste."

"In this ghostly place, with his incomparably noble status, if any accident were to happen, it would be a loss for our Wenjing Dynasty!"

Lu Xuyang suddenly chuckled, but his voice was as cold as ice!

"A... 'interesting' place like Mo Gui Alley is not somewhere everyone can escape from unscathed."

He deliberately emphasized the word "interesting," his gaze peering gloomily toward the towering ancient locust tree deep in the alley.

In that very instant, the air on the entire long street seemed to freeze.

The fake smile on Lu Xuyang's face suddenly froze, and the folding fan in his hand dropped to the ground with a "clatter."

Everyone on the street couldn't help but hold their breath.

Even the horses fearfully pricked up their ears and pawed the ground uneasily.

From under the ancient locust tree, two figures stepped out slowly.

Walking in front was Lu Xuan, in his deep purple five-clawed True Dragon robe, pristine and clean, without even a single wrinkle on the hem.

Behind him, Peng Lie stood with his hands behind his back, his crimson python robe flapping in the breeze like a burning flame.

The air within three zhang of his body was distorted and deformed by the high temperature.

Even the bluestone slabs beneath his feet began to faintly glow with a crimson color.

"Hmph."

A cold snort exploded like a thunderclap; Peng Lie's originally cloudy old eyes now shot out red light, and it seemed as if scalding magma was flowing in his pupils.

His gaze, like a blade, pierced directly at Lu Xuyang from a distance of over a hundred meters.

The Ninth Prince, Lu Xuyang, felt as if he had fallen into a furnace; his luxurious brocade robe moved without wind, and the tips of his hair began to curl slightly, emitting a faint smell of scorching.

"Cough, cough..." A hoarse coughing sound suddenly rang out.

Unknown to anyone, a hunched old man had appeared beside Lu Xuyang.

His withered, bony hand rested gently on the Ninth Prince Lu Xuyang's shoulder.

In an instant, that terrifyingly scorching pressure receded like the tide.

A smile suddenly appeared on the hunched old man's wrinkled face.

But in the shadows where no one noticed, a drop of cold sweat slowly slid down his temple.

The hunched old man's left hand, hidden in his sleeve, trembled slightly, and charred traces of burns still remained on his fingertips.

Deep within his cloudy old eyes was unconcealable shock.

After so many years, this old monster Peng Lie's "Innate Protective Aura Art" had actually been cultivated to such an unfathomable Realm...

The street was dead silent, with only the occasional "crackle" from the broken branches of the ancient locust tree.

Two invisible Auras clashed in mid-air; even the falling leaves were instantly turned into powder.

This thrilling contest came suddenly and ended even more swiftly.

The hunched old man's face suddenly flushed red, and the bluestone brick beneath his feet shattered with a "crack."

He staggered back three steps, each step leaving a footprint an inch deep on the stone slab.

On the third step, a wisp of fresh blood slowly overflowed from the corner of his mouth, only to be quickly wiped away.

Peng Lie snorted coldly, and the crimson light around his body gradually receded.

But his eyes remained like torches, and his gaze fixed on the old man carried a hint of contempt.

The hunched old man managed a bitter smile, but his hands hidden in his sleeves were trembling slightly.

This retreat not only gave up distance, but also gave up momentum and face.

Everyone present understood—the outcome of this invisible contest had been decided.

At this moment, just as Lu Xuan and Peng Lie completely stepped out of the alley entrance—

Boom!!! With an explosive sound!

The century-old locust tree suddenly trembled violently.

Every pattern on the thick trunk erupted with dazzling golden light.

The grayish-green bark began to crack inch by inch, and countless streams of golden light gushed out from the fissures.

In the horrified gaze of the crowd, a lifelike golden Dragon phantom broke out of the tree, its roar resounding through the clouds.

The golden Dragon circled three times in the air, every Dragon scale clearly visible.

Finally, it exploded high in the air, turning into golden specks of light filling the sky.

Like ten thousand galaxies pouring down, they slowly drifted and dissipated into the Void Realm.

Host: Red Dust Immortal Lu Xuan (Third Life)

Realm: Inner Qi Realm (Initial Entry)

Cultivation Technique: Nine Dragons Body Protection 3/9 (Can be deduced)

Points: 101002

Please confirm, Host, whether to consume 20 System points to deduce Nine Dragons Body Protection!

A total of over 101,000 System points had increased.

Lu Xuan's eyes flickered slightly; looking at the skyrocketing value on the System panel, a playful curve appeared on his lips.

"This is an unexpected joy..."

He had originally estimated that the evil things in this Mo Gui Alley could provide at most thirty to forty thousand System points.

Who would have thought that deep in that alley, such an anomaly was hidden.

That scarlet wedding dress was flapping in the eerie wind!

In a flash of memory, the bride in the red wedding dress reached out with her pale, bare hand from her sleeve.

What dripped from her blood-red fingertips was not cinnabar at all, but viscous, mutated blood-evil Qi.

With just one encounter, it had corroded all three of Lu Xuan's golden Dragon phantoms.

If it hadn't been for Peng Lie's timely intervention...

After eliminating this red-wedding-dress anomaly, it had directly brought Lu Xuan 70,000 System points.

Unconsciously, Lu Xuan had already walked to the side of the carriage.

"Audacious!" And Peng Lie, who usually liked to be silent, suddenly shouted sternly: "When you see His Highness the Crown Prince, why haven't you knelt down to pay your respects!"

This rebuke exploded like a thunderclap, shaking the knees of several guards behind Lu Xuyang so that they almost knelt down.

Lu Xuyang himself merely twitched the corners of his mouth, a flash of sinister intent appearing in his eyes.

"Lu Xuyang," Peng Lie strolled forward slowly, pronouncing every word with heavy emphasis.

He looked at the Ninth Prince meaningfully, his withered, bony fingers gently stroking the Dragon-headed cane at his waist that had been bestowed by the late Emperor.

According to the ritual System of the Wenjing Dynasty, even if one were a prince, upon seeing this three-dynasty veteran and current Imperial Father-in-law, one still needed to perform the etiquette of a Junior.

Lu Xuyang's expression changed several times, but in the end, under the gaze of everyone, he reluctantly cupped his hands and bowed: "Lu Xuyang greets Lord Imperial Father-in-law."

Finally, everyone present knelt down in unison.

Lu Xuyang's face was livid, but he had to kneel down along with the others.

His luxurious brocade robe swept across the bluestone slabs, making a faint rubbing sound.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Amidst the uniform greeting, only Peng Lie and the hunched old man remained standing in place.

Peng Lie stood stroking his beard, his eyes flashing with sharp light!

Although he couldn't directly take action against Lu Xuyang, Peng Lie was quite happy to be able to disgust him.