Legend of Swordsman

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In Nie Yuan’s nature, sparing the opponent from being killed was already considered lenient; if he had gone all the way, he might have met his demise by now.

However, by crippling the opponent’s cultivation and letting Wu Shan’s younger brother go, he had truly stirred up a storm.

Members of the Enforcement Hall personally apprehended Nie Yuan, and his disciples were sent to the Xiao Family.

It was said that Nie Yuan’s current state was even more desolate.

In his early years, his Dao Companion fell while pregnant, his disciples were taken away by stubborn junior disciples, and he himself ended up trapped in a mine.

Moreover, Nie Yuan’s mission involved obtaining 10,000 cubic Space Fire Abyssal Stones, a task that would be difficult to accomplish in just a few epochs.

Nevertheless, Nie Yuan’s determination was formidable, and after 50,000 years, he had managed to excavate one cubic unit.

A man of hardship!

Jian Wushuang couldn’t help but sigh.

Fortunately, Nie Yuan’s daughter was still alive, sparing him the need to reverse time and space.

Moreover, Gong Miaoyi’s strength was commendable. After this incident, he could recommend her to the Grave God Mountain.

Although he had never been there himself, as long as he resolved the menace of Fuego, Zhen Ling should give him face.

And in the future, the Qishen Temple would all be his. A spot at Grave God Mountain was just a minor matter.

Jian Wushuang, while mining, also cultivated relationships with the two tier 5 Emperors, occasionally mentioning the tier 5 Emperors inside the mine.

City Lord Feng saw that Jian Wushuang was quite knowledgeable and deliberately handed some Space Fire Abyssal Stones to him. In his heart, he felt elated and was willing to talk.

“The mine we are in is called Qiankun Cave. Once, a great figure emerged here, the second ancestral master of the Xiao Family, Daoist name Qiankun Ancestor. During the era of the Divine Temple, he supervised the mining in this area. Using only three epochs, he opened up this Qiankun Cave Mansion!” City Lord Feng’s face was filled with longing.

Being able to open a mine was a significant achievement.

No wonder the Xiao family could dominate Hanzhou.

And that was just the second ancestral master.

The first ancestral master was even more remarkable.

With Wu Shan as their strong backing, they could indeed rival the Nalan family of the Earth Realm, a family with several tier 6 Emperors and the presence of the supreme-peak Ancestor.

Unfortunately, the Nalan family was too arrogant and ended up being annihilated by the Azure Dragon Temple Master.

On the other hand, the Xiao Family could maintain lasting peace, thanks to the formidable Wu Shan watching over them; no one dared to provoke the Xiao Family.

The Northern Region, in essence, served as the backyard of the Enforcement Hall, wielding excessive power.

The various branches of the Elder Palace focused solely on plundering treasures and cared little about the underlying dynamics. This led to the Enforcement Hall reigning supreme.

Anyone involved with the Enforcement Hall could act with impunity in matters related to it.

Many Inheritors were willing to take on enforcement tasks, and even if they couldn’t complete them, there was no real danger.

Those demonic Emperor-level figures who dared to kill external servants of the Elder Palace didn’t dare to harm some of the enforcers of the Enforcement Hall. Once they did, they would be placed on the kill list.

If it were a tier 4 Emperor, a tier 5 Emperor would be dispatched to pursue, and a tier 6 Emperor would step in for a tier 5 target. If it were a tier 6 Emperor, Wu Zuo himself would personally take action.

With such an iron-fisted approach, no one dared to openly offend the enforcers of the Enforcement Hall.

The Xiao Family was indeed extraordinary; not only were they inherently powerful, but they also rode on the coattails of the Deputy Hall Master of the Hall of Enforcement, ensuring their stability.

After chatting with the City Lord Feng for a while, Jian Wushuang subtly brought up the Xiao Family.

The City Lord Feng sighed, saying, “People in the world label us as demonic path cultivators, but are those righteous sects really clean? I doubt it!”

“This statement…” Jian Wushuang spoke, “It’s merely a matter of taking sides. If one could have some connection with the Enforcement Hall, they probably wouldn’t end up in a place like this.”

“Tsk tsk, it’s good to understand early. Whether the waters in the Northern Region run deep or shallow, once I leave the mining area, I’ll exit the Northern Region. This place isn’t suitable for exploration. With one power dominating, there’s simply no opportunity for us. Unless, of course, we become dogs like the Xiao Family and serve the Enforcement Hall!” City Lord Feng’s voice carried a sense of reluctance.

In the region where the temple was located, there was at least a balance between the forces of righteousness and demonic influences. Moreover, the temple seemed relatively fair.

However, the Northern Territory was a different story.

Jian Wushuang feigned ignorance and asked, “City Lord, how do you come to such a conclusion?”

“Xiao Family?” Lord Feng sneered, “If it were in the past, I might have admired them a bit. But now, they’ve already incurred divine wrath and human resentment!”

“The young miss from the Xiao Family, you should be familiar with her, right? She’s the daughter of Hall Master Wu Shan, one of the two Vice Hall Masters of the Enforcement Hall?”

Jian Wushuang nodded, replying, “I know about her. But it seems she’s not the direct heir of the Xiao Family, right?”

“Indeed, she’s not the direct heir. However, after making it to Wu Shan, she practically became the heir. Her entire family line, including her little brother, became the main line. What her brother did is no different from practicing demonic arts, yet he has been roaming free!” City Lord Feng shook his head as he spoke.

Even practitioners of demonic Dao found the actions of the Xiao Family hard to tolerate. It was indeed outrageous.

City Lord Feng seemed somewhat weary. He put away the divine weapon he had been excavating and found a clean spot to sit. Then, he took out a peculiar stick made of high-quality fruit leaves, and a flame flickered as he lit it with his nails.

Inhaling deeply, City Lord Feng handed it to Jian Wushuang, saying, “Take a few puffs!”

Jian Wushuang waved his hand, uninterested in such peculiar habits. Instead, he took out a small square table and brewed a pot of tea for himself.

The two of them sipped their tea, feeling quite at ease.

Under the continuous prodding, City Lord Feng finally spoke about the matter concerning Nie Yuan.

Although Jian Wushuang had a general idea of what happened, the details were still scarce.

Originally, Nie Yuan not only crippled the nephew of Hall Master Wu Shan but also engaged in a battle with the Xiao family’s current generation.

The Xiao family’s current generation was also a highly esteemed peak-level tier 5 Emperor, and they had a significant confrontation with Nie Yuan.

Even though it was their own kin who was crippled, the Xiao family couldn’t turn a blind eye. However, they didn’t trouble Nie Yuan further and let him go.

Yet, Xiao Feng was relentless. He went to complain to his sister and, using the power of the Enforcement Hall, suppressed Nie Yuan.

Nie Yuan’s disciples were also taken away.

It’s a sad tale, even the patriarch of his own family didn’t want to deal with the matter. If it weren’t for Wu Shan, he wouldn’t have intervened, and in the end, he even let Nie Yuan go.

Unfortunately, the power of the Enforcement Hall was too formidable. They directly dispatched a tier 6 Emperor, suppressing Nie Yuan.

It was precisely because of this incident that City Lord Feng of the Northern Territory became thoroughly disappointed. After leaving the mine, he prepared to depart.

Jian Wushuang sighed and said, “This Nie Yuan and the current head of the Xiao Family, truly lives up to the righteous path. I deeply admire him!”

“Haha, I admire them too. I heard Nie Yuan is quite young and was once the Sword Sovereign of the Shangqing Palace. It’s just a pity. If the Shangqing Palace were still around, things might not have turned out like this!”

City Lord Feng continued, “By the way, Nie Yuan often cultivates in front of the Dragon Image. I can introduce you to him sometime. He doesn’t harbor much hostility towards us practitioners of the demonic path.”