Starting as the young master of a medicine shop, he practiced swordsmanship for twenty years.

Chapter 359 Points Surge!

The mournful wails were like death knells from the deepest hell.

The echoes reverberated throughout the entire Mogui Alley.

The sounds were sometimes like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, sometimes like the shrieking of wronged spirits, mixed with a kind of chilling gnawing sound.

It was as if countless indescribable things were struggling in the darkness, trying to escape but unable to.

At the alley entrance, a group of burly men with bushy beards, along with their guards and coachmen, were already deathly pale.

The branches and leaves of that century-old locust tree trembled violently amidst the sound waves, and before the fallen leaves even touched the ground, they were shredded into dust by an invisible force.

The gaps between the tree trunk and the wall had long been sealed off by the blood-red aura.

Even a fly wouldn't be able to get out of Mo Gui Alley.

“Boss… this…” A burly man in black trembled and unconsciously took a half step back.

They had been ordered to lie in ambush here for more than a month, but they had never heard such a terrifying noise coming from the alley.

The burly man with the thick beard's Adam's apple bobbed incessantly, and large beads of cold sweat kept seeping from his forehead.

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

That was a "ghostly thing" that even their all-powerful master was wary of.

Last week alone, twelve skilled workers were lost just cleaning up the rotting corpses overflowing from the alleyway…

Behind the thick trunk of the ancient locust tree, one could vaguely see golden and crimson light flashing alternately.

Each time the crimson-gold light surged, the wails and howls of the ghosts became even more mournful.

Suddenly, the burly man groaned, covered his ears, and knelt down on the ground, with streaks of blood seeping from between his fingers.

"Everyone back... back another thirty steps!"

Upon seeing this, the burly man with a bushy beard roared in a hoarse voice.

On the empty street, a burly man with a thick beard paced back and forth anxiously.

The heavy soles of the boots crunched and groaned as they ground the gravel.

He would occasionally look up into the depths of the alley, then turn his head to glance at the end of the street.

Finally, the veins bulging on his forehead writhed like earthworms.

"Damn it! Did those good-for-nothings, Xiao Hei, die on the road?"

He suddenly slammed his fist into the earthen wall beside him, causing the plaster to fall off in a flurry.

At this moment, the burly man with a thick beard trembled slightly: "It's been the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, and we haven't even seen a ghost!"

His henchmen remained silent, none of them daring to utter a word.

The burly man with the bushy beard felt that the clothes on his back were already soaked with cold sweat, sticking stickily to his skin.

He wiped his face hard, 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 firsthand.

Last time, one of my brothers messed things up and was thrown into the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes.

If the master finds out that they released His Highness the Crown Prince and sent him to Mo Gui Lane...

Thinking of this, the burly man with the bushy beard involuntarily shivered.

He stared at the magnificent carriage; the gold-plated wheels stung his eyes in the sunlight.

If an ordinary person had trespassed here, he would have already led his men to chop them into mincemeat.

But that is His Highness the Crown Prince, the heir apparent of the Wenjing Dynasty!

If he had that kind of thought, executing his entire family would be the least of his worries; he might even implicate his entire sect...

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

One of the bolder henchmen had just approached when the burly man with the bushy beard slapped him to the ground.

"Shut up!"

He roared, his voice trembling with tears, "You all better stay here and guard this place properly!"

"Even if the King of Hell himself came today, we'd still have to wait for our master to make the decision!"

Running away is impossible; most people who are out in the game have something on them that others can use against them.

Time passed quickly, dusk deepened, and the last rays of the setting sun cast a dim, yellowish glow on the long street.

Suddenly, the sound of orderly hoofbeats came from afar, like muffled thunder, growing louder as it approached!
At the end of the street, a gilded carriage pulled by four snow steeds slowly approached, its curtains embroidered with a four-clawed golden python pattern.

It was a design based on the regulations for the current emperor's sons.

Three hundred white-armored guards surrounded the carriage; their scale armor, forged from fine iron, gleamed with a golden-white hue in the hazy afterglow.

Their steps were synchronized, and the swords at their waists swayed slightly with each step.

The moonstone inlaid on the scabbard reflected a faint, cold light.

"Master... Master has arrived!"

One of the henchmen suddenly cried out, his voice a mixture of fear and hope.

The burly man with the bushy beard shuddered and turned around abruptly.

When he saw the four-clawed python pattern on the carriage curtain, his knees buckled and he fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead hitting the bluestone slab heavily.

Seeing this, dozens of burly men behind them also knelt down in unison, their dark heads rising and falling on the street.

"Your Highness, this subordinate greets you with utmost respect!"

The burly man with the bushy beard trembled violently.

His forehead was pressed to the ground, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of the cold, stern face of the guard captain beside the carriage.

That look was clearly directed at a group of people who were about to die.

Upon seeing this scene, the burly man with the bushy beard twitched at the corner of his eye and his jaw clenched so tightly it made a grinding sound.

That son of a bitch put on that condescending attitude, like he was looking at a group of livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

It ignited a nameless rage in his chest.

Bah! What a piece of trash! You son of a bitch!
The burly man with the bushy beard cursed inwardly, his ten rough fingers unconsciously digging into the cracks in the bluestone slab.

This guy with the surname "Hua" just got lucky; he only caught the prince's eye because of his pretty face.

We are all martial arts masters!
In terms of real skill, with his invincible body honed over thirty years, how could he possibly be afraid of this pretty but useless person?
The burly man with a bushy beard quietly circulated his internal energy, causing his muscles to bulge like iron blocks, stretching his black outfit taut.

A centipede-shaped scar on the back of his neck began to turn red—a sign that he had mastered the Golden Bell Cover technique.

Back then, on the battlefield fighting against foreign enemies, he single-handedly broke through the encirclement of tens of thousands of southern barbarian cavalry with his superb skills.

At that moment, the younger brother kneeling beside him suddenly nudged his arm.

The burly man with the bushy beard was startled to realize that he had unconsciously straightened his back.

He hurriedly bent down again, but heard a soft, ambiguous laugh coming from inside the carriage.

The laughter was soft, yet it made the hairs on his body stand on end.

The commander of the guards suddenly drew his sword three inches from its sheath, the gleaming blade reflecting the instantly deathly pale face of the burly man with the bushy beard.

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

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

With a soft "thud," a pair of golden-threaded python-patterned cloud boots landed steadily in front of the burly man with a bushy beard.

The four-clawed python pattern embroidered in dark gold thread on the boot surface gleamed faintly in the twilight.

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

"Get up."

The voice was clear and slightly languid, yet it sent a shiver down the spine of the burly, bearded man.

He cautiously looked up, and what came into view was an exceptionally 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.

The exquisite mutton-fat jade pendant hanging from her waist swayed gently in the evening breeze.

It was noon, and Lu Xuyang was one of the nine princes conversing with Lu Xuan in the Eastern Palace. However, when Lu Xuyang's gaze swept over the magnificent carriage pulled by eight pure white Akhal-Teke horses in front of him...

A fleeting twist crossed his handsome face.

The ten fingers beneath the sleeves were clenched tightly.

Without a doubt, the jealousy and resentment in Lu Xuyang's eyes were almost tangible.

Even the elegant curve of his lips became ferocious.

The burly man with the bushy beard secretly swallowed, not daring to breathe loudly at all.

During the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, the regulations governing the use of horses for all people were as strict as ironclad rules.

The emperor, the supreme ruler, rides nine horses, while the crown prince of the Eastern Palace rides eight.

Even the most favored princes could only ride in carriages drawn by four horses.

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

"Brother Crown Prince, what a refined taste you have!"

"This godforsaken place, given his incomparably noble status, if anything were to happen to him, it would be a loss for my Wenjing Dynasty!"

Lu Xuyang suddenly chuckled, but his voice was as cold as ice!
"A place as interesting as Mo Gui Lane is not a place where everyone can leave unscathed."

He deliberately emphasized the word "interesting," his gaze lingering on the ancient, towering locust tree deep in the alley.

In that instant, the air along the entire street seemed to freeze.

Lu Xuyang's fake smile suddenly froze, and the folding fan in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

Everyone on the street involuntarily held their breath.
Even the horses pricked up their ears in fear and pawed at each other nervously.

Two figures slowly stepped out from under the ancient tree.

Walking in front was Lu Xuan, wearing a crimson five-clawed dragon robe that was spotless, without even the slightest wrinkle at the hem.

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

The air within a three-zhang radius around him was distorted and deformed by the high temperature.

Even the bluestone slabs underfoot began to faintly turn reddish-brown.

"Humph."

A cold snort exploded like thunder, and Peng Lie's originally cloudy old eyes suddenly shot out a red light, as if there was molten lava flowing in his pupils.

His gaze was like a knife, piercing Lu Xuyang from a distance of over a hundred meters.

Ninth Prince Lu Xuyang felt as if he had fallen into a furnace. His magnificent brocade robes fluttered without wind, and the ends of his hair began to curl slightly, emitting a faint smell of burning.

"Cough cough..."

A hoarse cough suddenly rang out.

A hunched old man had appeared beside Lu Xuyang without him noticing.

His withered hand gently rested on the shoulder of the Ninth Prince, Lu Xuyang.

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

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

But in the shadows where no one was watching, a bead of cold sweat slowly slid down his temple.

The hunched old man's left hand, hidden in his sleeve, trembled slightly, with charred marks from burns still remaining on his fingertips.

Deep within his cloudy old eyes lay an unconcealable horror.

After all these years, Peng Lie, that old monster, has actually cultivated his "Innate Protective Qi Technique" to such an unfathomable level...
The streets were deathly silent, save for the occasional crackling sound from the broken branches of the ancient privet tree.

Two invisible forces clashed in mid-air, turning even the falling leaves into dust in an instant.

This thrilling contest came suddenly and ended even more swiftly.

Suddenly, the hunchbacked old man's face turned red, and the blue brick beneath his feet shattered with a "crack".

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

During the third step, a trickle of blood slowly oozed from the corner of his mouth, only to be quickly wiped away.

Peng Lie snorted coldly, and the crimson light around him gradually subsided.

But those eyes remained sharp, and the gaze fixed on the old man carried a hint of disdain.

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

This retreat not only reduced the distance, but also diminished the momentum and the dignity.

Everyone present understood that the outcome of this invisible contest was already decided.

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

A deafening explosion!

The ancient tree, over a hundred years old, suddenly trembled violently.
Every line on the thick tree trunk radiates a dazzling golden light.

The bluish-gray bark began to crack inch by inch, and countless streams of golden light gushed out from the cracks.

To everyone's astonishment, a lifelike golden dragon phantom burst forth from the tree, its roar echoing through the sky.

The golden dragon circled three times in the air, and every single dragon scale was clearly visible.

Finally, it exploded with a deafening roar high above, transforming into countless golden specks of light.

Like a thousand galaxies cascading down, it slowly drifts into the void.

Host: Lu Xuan, the Immortal of the Mortal World (Third Incarnation)

Realm: Inner Qi Realm (Beginning)
Technique: Nine Dragons Protective Scripture 3/9 (Can be deduced)

Score: 101002
Please confirm whether you wish to consume 20 system points to deduce the Nine Dragons Protection Scripture!
The total system points increased by more than 10.

Lu Xuan's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the soaring numbers on the system panel, a playful smile curving his lips.

"It's a pleasant surprise..."

He originally estimated that the evil spirits in Mo Gui Alley could provide at most 30,000 to 40,000 system points.

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

The scarlet wedding dress fluttered in the cold wind!
In a flashback, the pale, delicate hand of the bride in her red wedding dress emerged from her sleeve.

The blood-red drops falling from the fingertips were not cinnabar at all, but rather a viscous, mutated blood-red aura.

In a single exchange, it completely corroded Lu Xuan's three golden dragon phantoms.

If Peng Lie hadn't intervened in time...
After eliminating the strange red wedding dress, Lu Xuan directly gained 7 system points.

Before he knew it, Lu Xuan had already walked to the side of the carriage.

"Be bold!"

Peng Lie, who usually preferred silence, suddenly shouted: "You all, upon seeing His Highness the Crown Prince, why are you not kneeling and paying your respects!"

The shout was like a thunderclap, so loud that the knees of several guards behind Lu Xuyang buckled and they almost knelt down.

Lu Xuyang himself merely twitched the corner of his mouth, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

Peng Lie slowly walked forward, emphasizing each word as he spoke.

He gave the Ninth Prince a meaningful look, his withered fingers gently stroking the dragon-headed cane bestowed upon him by the late emperor at his waist.

According to the etiquette system of the Wenjing Dynasty, even a prince had to show the respect due to a junior when he met this veteran of three reigns and the current emperor's father-in-law.

Lu Xuyang's expression changed several times, but in the end, under everyone's watchful eyes, he reluctantly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Lu Xuyang greets the Imperial Father-in-Law."

In the end, everyone present knelt down in unison.

Lu Xuyang's face turned ashen, but he had no choice but to kneel down along with everyone else.

The luxurious brocade robe swept across the bluestone slabs, producing a subtle friction sound.

"I have met His Highness the Crown Prince."

Amidst the orderly chanting of prayers, only Peng Lie and the hunched old man remained standing in place.

Peng Lie stood there stroking his beard, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light!
Although I can't directly attack Lu Xuyang, I can still annoy him.

Peng Lie was quite happy to agree.

(End of this chapter)