Chapter 1232: Xiang Family Brothers

Chapter 1232: Chapter 1232: Xiang Family Brothers

Pei Yan ignored the scrutiny from the visitor. The leader’s strength far surpassed Xiang Zizhen, making him a standout among Tier Nine Celestial Dao Cultivators. However, compared to figures like Delacuri or Liu Xuanji, there was a significant gap. Not to mention that the other two accompanying him had merely just reached the Daoist Plane, which was no longer within the realm of Pei Yan’s concern.

The only thing that mildly intrigued Pei Yan was their origins. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be part of the Embroidered Robe Envoy like Xiang Zizhen. Thus, Pei Yan decided to stay put and see how the situation would develop.

"Third Brother, this is my punishment for mishandling things and has nothing to do with others. Big Brother, you should return to the Guard Bureau. Once I handle things here, we can talk more back there." Xiang Zizhen saw his sworn brothers had rushed back at this critical juncture and was worried they might impulsively cause trouble, quickly urged.

"What nonsense! Even if you mishandled things, it’s up to your superior, the Commander-in-Chief. Moreover, since you’re the Vice Commander, punishment should come from the Commander-in-Chief’s order, not from outsiders. Where do they get the authority to punish you?" The figure referred to as Big Brother angrily rebuked after hearing this.

"Vice Commander Xiang, since you’re meeting old friends, we’ll let you catch up. We have other matters to attend to, so we’ll be going now." Pei Yan regarded coldly for quite some time, although Big Brother’s attitude was unpleasant. Yet, Xiang Zizhen seemed to be someone who understood his own circumstances. Seeing his effort in not wanting to escalate things further, Pei Yan felt no need to strain relations with the Embroidered Robe Envoy and chose to take a step back with a resignation.

"Oh, very well then! Lord Pei, you..."

"Wait!"

Xiang Zizhen’s words were again interrupted by the big man, who stood directly in front of Pei Yan blocking him, questioning, "Was it you who harmed my younger brother?"

Pei Yan frowned being obstructed again; this time, the other’s actions truly irritated him. He glanced unhappily towards Xiang Zizhen and asked, "And who might this be?" ℴℴ𝘮

"Replying to Lord Pei, this is my elder brother Xiang Zixiong, the Commander of the Tenth Route within the Embroidered Robe Envoy. He was merely concerned about my injuries and acted impulsively. I hope Lord Pei won’t mind!" Xiang Zizhen hurriedly grabbed hold of his brother’s arm, trying desperately to pull him out of the crowd while explaining to Pei Yan.

"Oh! So they are real brothers." Pei Yan was relieved upon hearing this. If it were himself caught in such a situation, his own Old Sister would likely act impulsively too. With this thought, Pei Yan gave a knowing smile, waved generously, "For the sake of your brotherly bond, I won’t hold it against you. Leave with your brother now. Explain the matter privately to him, and if there’s dissatisfaction, he or your Commander-in-Chief can come to me directly."

"Lord Pei, stay; I~!"

Bam!

"Ah!"

A crisp gunshot rang out, and the person calling for Lord Pei to stay didn’t finish his sentence before falling to the ground. A bullet had pierced his knee, a massive wound from which blood was gushing forth.

Everyone present was stunned by the scene unfolding before them. Just a second ago, Pei Yan was full of smiles, and the next he had drawn the handgun from his waist, firing a shot at the speaker’s knee. Even more astonishing was that this handgun—usually a base-level alchemical tool from the Foundation Plane—exhibited unbelievable power. His opponent’s Celestial Dao protective energy, defensive array, and even his own Body Refinement abilities were no match against it; they were pierced through as if they were mere paper.

"A heart of murder breeds from wielding powerful weapons! Within less than a day, it landed upon us." For Feng Tianhe of the Embroidered Robe Envoy, emotions were complex. On one hand, he was vigilant against these figures possibly threatening the Immortal Palace’s status. He wanted Pei Yan to humiliate them. Yet seeing the Divine Artifact he helped craft first used upon inhabitants of the Daoist Plane, his heart was filled with contradictory sentiments.

At this moment, Pei Yan didn’t experience such complex emotional shifts as Feng Tianhe. He gazed fondly at the revolver in his hand filled with joy. He had just attempted merging the Power of Origin purification, three-part resonance, and gun energy expansion ability into the gun, all infused within a single bullet. To his surprise, the gun executed his concept perfectly. Because he only applied a bit of Purification Power onto the bullet’s tip, Pei Yan didn’t require meditation.

The moment the bullet was fired, enveloped with three layers of power: the outer layer of Purification Power directly countered the opponent’s protective energy and array, while the resonance ability broke through personal body defenses. Had Pei Yan not consciously reduced its power by a third prior to firing, fearing it to be overly potent, the person struck wouldn’t just have a knee pierced through but would instead be missing half a leg.

Pei Yan was very pleased with the debut of the Divine Artifact, yet noticed its limitation as Feng Tianhe had previously informed him. Since the bullet was imbued with three layers of Power of Origin, the gun chamber started turning red, indicating a no reload state, requiring at least two minutes for recovery.

This minor flaw was entirely within Pei Yan’s acceptance range. He waved the Divine Artifact in his hand and looked up at the speechless, stunned Xiang Family brothers in front of him, then glanced at the fallen figure, smirking, "Don’t tell me he’s also your real brother."

"He’s my sworn brother. The four of us became sworn brothers by age order; Big Brother is oldest, I’m the youngest! That man is Third Brother Ni Hong; the other is Second Brother Lu Heguang. Sir, you..." Xiang Zizhen heard the gunshot, instantly sensed his Third Brother Ni Hong falling and, while feeling chilled inside, also nurtured a hint of anger. After all, his brothers were standing up for him; he couldn’t turn into a turtle now.

Seeing his superior fall, the rest of the Embroidered Robe Envoys rushed to surround him. On the investigation group’s side swiftly prepared for battle. Despite this tense atmosphere, Pei Yan appeared quite relaxed, nodded calmly, "Have anything more to say? If not, I’ll leave! Whoever wants to stop me, let them speak with their skill!"

Twice was enough, no more back and forth. Considering Xiang Zizhen’s insightful judgment, Pei Yan offered him two opportunities to handle his affairs yet was met with incessant entanglements and disturbances. Pei Yan had plenty of tasks at hand, had no time to waste wrangling with them.

Pei Yan’s toughness and reputation now served as deterrents. Reflecting upon his previous encounter with Liu Xuanji, and not being outweighed, Xiang Zizhen’s just-conjured up courage receded, he clung tightly to his brother’s coat, stopping any intention of moving forward to confront.