Chapter 1762: Success?

"This old guy is really impatient!"

Compared to Ma Nanfeng’s anger, Yun Xiao remained quite composed. He let out a slight chuckle and stopped in his tracks at this moment, watching Meng Zhidao dash towards the table with great interest.

As a powerful peak cultivator of the Heavenly Realm, Meng Zhidao’s speed was incredibly fast. Even if Ma Nanfeng made another move immediately, he might not be able to catch up in time.

In just one swift motion, Meng Zhidao was only a few feet away from the table. His right hand was shaped like a claw, reaching for the wine jar, with a smug smile on his face.

"Haha, the Holy Rank Wine is mine!"

Seeing the Holy Rank Wine right in front of him, Meng Zhidao felt quite confident and pleased. A loud laugh came from his mouth, and his right index finger was already touching the edge of the wine jar.

Swoosh!

However, at this moment, a strong whistling sound suddenly came, causing Meng Zhidao’s expression to change slightly and his right hand to instinctively withdraw.

By the time he noticed the flash of a cold glint between his fingertip and the wine jar, his face became gloomy as water, as if he realized what had just happened.

It turned out that Supervisor Ma Nanfeng of the Emperor Palace was unwilling to let the Holy Rank Wine fall into Meng Zhidao’s hands, launching a surprise attack with an extremely fast hidden weapon at this moment, making Meng Zhidao’s efforts for naught.

Ma Nanfeng had started later and it seemed impossible to catch up with Meng Zhidao using his own body, so he had to resort to external means. Now, it seemed quite effective, at least preventing Meng Zhidao from immediately grabbing the wine jar.

Seeing this scene, Yun Xiao’s eyes revealed an even more intense gleam of interest. Perhaps among the three clear-headed people present, only he knew some of the details.

Relatively speaking, both Ma Nanfeng and Meng Zhidao were unaware of the real truth. They both believed the wine jar on the table contained Holy Rank Wine, thinking that obtaining it would not only let them taste the wine but might greatly enhance their strength.

"The dignified Lord Supervisor of the Emperor Palace, acting so despicably?"

With his path blocked, Meng Zhidao was naturally in a foul mood. He turned to look at Ma Nanfeng not far away, with a tone carrying a hint of undisguised mockery.

"Nothing that I, Ma Nanfeng, have my eyes on can be taken by anyone else!"

As the Supervisor of the Emperor Palace, Ma Nanfeng naturally had no fear of Meng Zhidao. His words indicated the Emperor Palace’s usual assertiveness, and at this moment, he was full of confidence.

Having started slightly later than Meng Zhidao, Ma Nanfeng was compelled to use hidden weapons to sneak attack, but now, he believed that with his strength as the Supervisor, this Family Head of the Meng Family was not a match for him.

"But I insist on trying!"

Meng Zhidao, seasoned and cunning, knew that with both sides unwilling to compromise under the allure of the Holy Rank Wine, a battle was inevitable. As fellow peak cultivators of the Heavenly Realm, he was not necessarily afraid of Ma Nanfeng.

"Your Meng Family is becoming more and more audacious!"

Ma Nanfeng’s cold laugh contained a hint of threat, but at this moment, Meng Zhidao had already drawn his bow and could not stop. Even though this might bring disaster to the Meng Family, he prioritized obtaining the Holy Rank Wine first.

Whoosh...

A Meridian Qi Palm Seal suddenly formed in front of Meng Zhidao, then rushed towards the wine jar at high speed, seemingly intending to seize the Holy Rank Wine forcefully.

"In front of me, Ma Nanfeng, you have no chance!"

Ma Nanfeng, deserving of his status as the Supervisor of the Emperor Palace, now stood on equal footing and would not let Meng Zhidao succeed. With a cold voice, a flame appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

"Is that the Ancestral Vein Fire?!"

Seeing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Yun Xiao’s eyes, and he understood why Ma Nanfeng had been so covetous of the Blood Erosion Intense Flame earlier.

This Supervisor of the Drunken Immortal City Emperor Palace was clearly a Fire Attribute cultivator. It was unknown whether he was a Meridian Refining Master, but he had at least achieved the prerequisite of possessing Ancestral Vein Fire.

At this moment, Ma Nanfeng summoned his Ancestral Vein Fire not to prove anything, but to block Meng Zhidao’s Meridian Qi Palm Seal.

Boom!

The Ancestral Vein Fire and the Meridian Qi Palm Seal finally clashed, producing a loud energy wave. As the energy surged, it seemed to dissipate some of the intoxicating fragrance within the Zuichun Hall.

It had to be said that the strength of this Supervisor of the Emperor Palace was indeed far more formidable, even though they were both at the peak of the Heavenly Realm. Meng Zhidao’s Meridian Qi Palm Seal was instantly shattered to oblivion.

"Overestimating your abilities!"

A smug and low voice came from Ma Nanfeng. As his hand seals changed, the Ancestral Vein Fire, which had scattered Meng Zhidao’s palm seal, didn’t pause for a moment, swiftly rushing towards Meng Zhidao himself.

"Damn it!"

Meng Zhidao had never fought Ma Nanfeng before, always assuming that since they were both Heavenly Realm Peak cultivators, even if Ma Nanfeng hailed from the Emperor Palace, he might not be inferior.

But the very first exchange revealed Ma Nanfeng’s formidable strength, causing Meng Zhidao to secretly regret his impulsive actions this time.

The Emperor Palace could be considered the sovereign of Drunken Immortal City; even though the rumored hidden owner of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant was said to be even stronger, he had never shown himself and no one had ever seen him.

If Meng Zhidao could get his hands on the Holy Rank Wine first, then Ma Nanfeng might not be able to snatch it away in time, and he would naturally have countermeasures prepared.

But now, under Ma Nanfeng’s rage, his strikes showed no mercy, and Meng Zhidao realized the gap between them. A single misstep could cost him his life in Zuichun Hall today.

Bang!

Indeed, Ma Nanfeng lived up to his reputation as the Emperor Palace’s Director. Even with the same level of cultivation, his strength surpassed Meng Zhidao’s by several ranks. Within just a dozen moves, he forcibly struck the Heavenly Realm Peak cultivator several meters away.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of crimson blood erupted from Meng Zhidao’s mouth, clearly severely injured by Ma Nanfeng’s powerful blow. Despair flickered in his eyes.

Meng Zhidao’s gaze, rather than fixed on Ma Nanfeng who had struck him far away, was desperately glued to the Holy Rank Wine growing distant from him. He realized he had completely lost the opportunity to taste the Holy Rank Wine.

Yet Meng Zhidao did not regret it. As a seasoned wine lover, for the so-called Holy Rank Wine, he was willing to risk his life. Sadly, even risking his life now might not let him drink the Holy Rank Wine.

"This is the price of overestimating oneself!"

Sensing Meng Zhidao’s weakened aura, Ma Nanfeng did not immediately finish him off. He voiced a cold remark and turned his gaze back to the table.

"Hmm?"

However, as Ma Nanfeng’s gaze shifted, his expression subtly changed. The prior smugness and sneer instantly vanished, replaced by extreme gloom and anger.

For standing beside the wine flask on the table was a thinly-built, coarse-clothed youth, dressed in gray and carrying a wooden sword—none other than Yun Xiao!

Initially, Ma Nanfeng hadn’t regarded Yun Xiao seriously. Even though this youth had bizarrely sliced off a Heavenly Realm Late Stage cultivator Shan Changxin’s hand, he had merely considered it a trick.

Yet Ma Nanfeng never imagined that amid the battle with Meng Zhidao, the youth would be so audacious as to seize the opportunity and covet the Holy Rank Wine. Was this the so-called reckless greed?

Over the years in Drunken Immortal City, Ma Nanfeng had seen many desperate wine lovers, but never a bold one like Yun Xiao. Such audacity could cost him his life!

However, at this moment, Yun Xiao paid no heed to Ma Nanfeng’s furious expression. Instead, he extended his hand to embrace the wine flask.

"Kid, put it down, and perhaps I’ll leave you a whole corpse!"

Ma Nanfeng fixated on the wine flask, uttering threats, fearing the youth might open the sealing paper. Once the wine entered Yun Xiao’s stomach, there would be none for him, Ma Nanfeng.

"A whole corpse?"

Yun Xiao, clutching the wine flask, briefly revealed a flicker of different emotion in his eyes before raising his head to look at Ma Nanfeng and said, "You seem to really want this flask, fine, you can have it!"

Swish!

As Yun Xiao’s words fell, he forcefully hurled the wine flask through Zuichun Hall’s space toward Ma Nanfeng.

"Smart choice, kid!"

Seeing this, Ma Nanfeng felt somewhat triumphant, thinking his strong performance against Meng Zhidao had intimidated the youth into surrendering the flask.

Yet Ma Nanfeng ignored a crucial fact: if Yun Xiao was truly intimidated, why would he approach and take the flask first? Clearly, this defied logic.

In fact, Yun Xiao had vaguely sensed something within the flask but wasn’t certain, leading him to approach and carefully inspect. Now he understood, and had lost interest entirely.

Unaware, Ma Nanfeng always assumed the flask contained Holy Rank Wine. With the wine in sight, he considered nothing else, instinctively reaching out to seize it.

"Haha, Holy Rank Wine, I’ve finally got you!"

Sensing the weight of the flask, Ma Nanfeng ignored Yun Xiao completely, laughing aloud and eagerly reaching out to peel off the sealing paper.

Instantly, within Zuichun Hall’s depths, the fragrance of wine permeated, intoxicating all present.