Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Chapter 422 422: One for Four, What Do You Think?

This was a blatant threat, but Ning Xuan was completely unfazed. After glancing at the elder, he retracted his gaze and chuckled. "Let him try."

Zhou Fan's expression stiffened, leaving him at a loss for words. He had never encountered such a shameless person!

Subconsciously, he looked toward the elder. At that exact moment, the old man bellowed, "Where do you think you're going!" and vanished.

The group of young men and women was dumbfounded. Immediately, they tensed up as if facing a great enemy and huddled together near Zhou Fan and Zhou Wei. They hadn't really taken this trial seriously. After all, Zhou Yi was an extremely powerful expert, and in their eyes, their great-uncle Zhou Yuanshan was practically invincible. With those two around, a mere trial was nothing.

But now that Zhou Yi had been annihilated and their great-uncle had suddenly left, they felt completely vulnerable without their pillars of support.

On the other side, Ning Xuan hadn't expected the elder to actually abandon these kids. The elder's action, however, piqued his interest in Zhou Fan. The old man had made an excuse to leave, and according to Ning Xuan's senses, he had fled far away. This could only mean one thing: he had confidence in Zhou Fan.

This is interesting. The elder saw me in action. To leave so confidently, this Zhou Fan must be quite skilled.

"Alright then, I'll give you some pointers. Come on." Ning Xuan looked at Zhou Fan and beckoned him over.

Behind Zhou Fan, several of the youths glared at Ning Xuan, but without their protector, they didn't dare voice their anger.

Zhou Fan wasn't upset. Instead, he nodded with a smile and said, "Alright."

Ning Xuan smiled back, but he remained internally on guard. Although his own advancement was truly terrifying, Ning Xuan was well aware that there's always someone stronger. The universe was vast, and so-called prodigies, even legends, were meant to be defeated. After all, there's always a higher mountain.

BOOM!

Zhou Fan planted his feet and stomped down. In the distance, the mountain—the one Cheng Dabao had sliced in half, which had been displaced by the impact—trembled and collapsed with a thunderous roar.

The youths behind Zhou Fan stared in awe. When they turned back, their gazes were filled with pure admiration.

"Brother Fan's strength has actually reached such a terrifying level!"

"That's our Brother Fan!"

"No wonder Great-Uncle dared to leave so confidently. It turns out Brother Fan's strength surpassed Brother Yi's long ago!"

...

Having witnessed the power of Zhou Fan's stomp, the youths perked right back up.

Zhou Fan himself, however, was utterly bewildered. While he had indeed grown much stronger, it wasn't to such an exaggerated extent.

Could it be...

Startled, he whipped his head around to look at Ning Xuan.

"It wasn't me," Ning Xuan immediately shook his head.

Zhou Fan heaved a sigh of relief. "Be careful!"

With a low shout, Runes surged from the earth in front of him. The Runes coalesced into a giant Palm Seal that shot toward Ning Xuan like a bolt of lightning. The space before Ning Xuan distorted and shuddered, trapping him in a separate spatial domain. The world was vast, yet it offered him no sanctuary. Only the shrinking distance between the giant palm and his body belonged to him.

Ning Xuan took three steps back.

Behind Zhou Fan, the youths' faces lit up with delight. Zhou Wei's eyes narrowed, however, and she took a step forward. With an attack like that, his movement should be completely sealed off, leaving him no choice but to advance. Yet he's retreating! This is very wrong!

Zhou Fan was even more shocked. The moment Ning Xuan stepped back, he knew he was in deep trouble. Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Fan pushed his power to its absolute limit. His body roared as it erupted with a dazzling light.

Behind him, the youths, after a moment of astonishment, began to exclaim in admiration again.

"Brother Fan is on another level! He has a sure victory in hand, but he's still using his Bloodline Power!"

"No wonder Brother Fan is favored by the family! I wasn't convinced before, but now I am completely sold!"

"I've decided! From now on, I'll learn from Brother Fan. Never underestimate an opponent until they're dead!"

...

Seeing their remarks grow more and more absurd, Zhou Wei could no longer hold back. "Shut up!" she snapped, afraid that if these fools kept talking, Zhou Fan's will would collapse.

The crowd was puzzled. Then, they heard Ning Xuan's voice.

"Is that all you've got?"

Stunned, they finally noticed that something was wrong. The Palm Seal Zhou Fan had unleashed couldn't advance a single inch.

"Impossible! I've only cultivated for ten years, and I'm already a Venerable Realm powerhouse! My great-uncle said that beings like me are rare even in the entire Yuan Domain! How can you defeat me so easily!" Zhou Fan roared, his face twisting with rage.

"Your so-called great-uncle was either just trying to make you feel good, or he's simply ignorant," Ning Xuan replied.

Just then—

BANG!

A massive Palm Seal cratered the ground where Ning Xuan had been standing. At the edge of the several-meter-deep imprint, the departed Zhou Yuanshan reappeared, his face a mask of astonishment.

At that moment, Zhou Fan was a hostage in Ning Xuan's hands.

Ning Xuan's right hand was a claw clamped on Zhou Fan's neck. "You're an old man, yet you resort to sneak attacks," he snorted. "Utterly shameless."

"Since you put it that way, then this old man won't hold back!" As soon as Zhou Yuanshan's voice fell, he restrained Qian Yourong and the other three women. He drew out threads of Element Qi, binding the four women tightly in an instant.

"Old man, let go—" Before Wu Pianpian could finish, her mouth was sealed shut.

"You win!" Ning Xuan's eyes narrowed as he immediately conceded. "I'll release Zhou Fan if you release them!"

Zhou Yuanshan simply smiled and shook his head. "One for three? That's not a deal I'm willing to make." With that, he looked mockingly at Ning Xuan.

"You!" Ning Xuan gritted his teeth in anger.

"I just love to see people hate me, yet be completely powerless to do anything about it. So, tell me, who do you want to trade for?" The mockery on Zhou Yuanshan's face deepened.

Some of the youths he had brought stared at him, incredulous. Others looked smug.

That Zhou Wei even started to offer flattery. "Great-Uncle, you truly live up to your reputation! You always have a solu—urf..." Before he could finish, his throat was slit by a sharp blade.

As Zhou Yuanshan's eyes widened in shock, Ning Xuan's voice rang out.

"Since one isn't enough, let's add another."

"What?!" Zhou Yuanshan cried out as he looked over. He was horrified to see that Zhou Wei was also restrained, and the one holding her looked exactly like Ning Xuan.

"A Dao Body! You can actually construct two Dao Bodies at once!" Zhou Yuanshan exclaimed in shock. Although he hadn't seen how Zhou Wei's throat was slit, the moment he saw Zhou Wei restrained, he understood everything.

"Now what?" Ning Xuan asked, wasting no more words.

"You want to trade two for four, that's a bit... what are you doing?!"

Zhou Yuanshan and the other youths were petrified with shock, their limbs turning to ice. Zhou Wei's throat had been slit.

A madman! This guy is an absolute madman!

The remaining youths all scrambled back, their eyes filled with horror as they stared at Ning Xuan.

"One for four," Ning Xuan said, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Zhou Yuanshan. "What do you think?"