Chapter 311: Forced Back

They stood in direct opposition.

Lu Li was facing Void-Piercing Realm cultivators from two top powers, the Taiyi Immortal Sect and Heavenly Dao Sect, and he was doing so while outnumbered three to one. Yet he showed no fear at all, and his attitude remained firm. This caused the already guilty Void-Piercing Realm cultivators’ momentum to weaken rapidly.

If the pressure of three Void-Piercing Realm cultivators could have intimidated Lu Li, that naturally would have been for the best.

But since they couldn't intimidate him, they naturally had to restrain their arrogance.

This was the territory of the Penglai Immortal Sect. Even if they had three Void-Piercing Realm cultivators, could they truly fight Lu Li here?

Even if they won, they would not be able to leave the Deep-Blue Sea safely afterward.

Moreover, Perfected Lord Lu was said to be extremely powerful, with profound attainments in the Void-Piercing Realm. He was not far from the Void-Refining Realm either. If they truly fought, they might not necessarily be able to win against him.

The three Void-Piercing Realm cultivators exchanged a glance. In the end, Hou Feng stepped forward and gave a fist-and-palm salute. "Daoist Lu Li, please calm your anger. We were merely too anxious for a moment, which was why we offended the Biyou Immortal Market."

After saying this, he spoke with a righteous expression. "A murderer killed Xuan Shuang, a true disciple of the heavenly lineage of the Heavenly Dao Sect, and fled into the Biyou Immortal Market. I ask you to make things convenient and hand him over to us. Everyone in the Heavenly Dao Sect will be endlessly grateful and will surely remember your sect’s friendship."

Once he finished speaking, Heavenly Venerable Jiang also stepped forward. "Perfected Lord Lu, greetings. This murderer, Su Yaoguang, not only killed a true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect, but also exterminated the family members I had left behind in my hometown. We are sworn enemies. I ask that you make things convenient for us."

He added, "I once placed a bounty of one million Pure Yang Grand Pills on this man. Not long ago, I even raised the bounty to two million. If you are willing to hand him over to me, I will immediately offer those two million Pure Yang Grand Pills, and I will also owe you a favor."

Lu Li glanced at Hou Feng and Tong Ming from Heavenly Dao Sect’s side, then looked at Heavenly Venerable Jiang. Even if Heavenly Venerable Jiang was only an Azure Golden Core cultivator, he was quite famous. He was near the top of the Void-Piercing Realm Candidate Rankings, as well as a disciple of a Void-Shattering expert.

Lu Li frowned.

Although the Penglai Immortal Sect had risen by stepping on the Heavenly Sea Sword Pavilion and had a great reputation, that reputation was mostly concentrated on the Penglai Dao Lord.

In that battle, the Penglai Dao Lord had displayed peerless power, and she was nearly revered as the number one Dao Lord of the North Sea Star.

However, that did not mean the Penglai Immortal Sect truly possessed the might of the number one immortal sect.

Aside from the Penglai Dao Lord, the entire Penglai Immortal Sect did not have many Void-Piercing Realm or Void-Refining Realm experts. If they truly offended both the Heavenly Dao Sect and Taiyi Immortal Sect at the same time...

For a moment, this Void-Piercing Realm cultivator could only turn his gaze to Hou Feng. "He killed a true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect... Do you have proof?"

"Perfected Lord Lu, you must have heard of Heavenly Dao Sect’s Myriad Immortals Luopan. Right now, the Myriad Immortals Luopan has already confirmed that Yaoguang was present when Xuan Shuang died. Once we arrest him and bring him back, a soulsearch will reveal the truth," Hou Feng said.

"The Myriad Immortals Luopan!" A trace of wariness flashed in Lu Li’s eyes.

At the same time, he glanced into the distance behind the three Void-Piercing Realm cultivators.

There, Tu Shan offered a fist-and-palm salute from afar. However, he had no intention of approaching or getting involved.

Lu Li pondered slightly. "The rules of the Biyou Immortal Market cannot be compromised. I will first see whether he has already rented a cave dwelling in the Biyou Immortal Market. If he has not..."

"He likely did not arrive much earlier than we did. He should not have been able to complete the cave dwelling rental so quickly." As Heavenly Venerable Jiang spoke, he immediately added, "I am willing to pay to rent every cave dwelling in the immortal market."

Seeing that Heavenly Venerable Jiang was so tactful, Lu Li nodded.

He was also unwilling to offend the Heavenly Dao Sect and a direct disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect’s Supreme Jade Emperor for the sake of someone whose identity was unclear.

"If he has not rented a cave dwelling, then after staying in the Biyou Immortal Market for a period of time, he will naturally have to leave." As he spoke, he prepared to contact the cultivator responsible for the cave dwelling rentals.

Suddenly, Ye Hongyu’s psychic thought rang out within Lu Li’s perception. "I, True Disciple Ye Hongyu, greet Elder Lu."

"Hongyu? What is it?"

"Elder Lu, Perfected Master Yaoguang saved my life, and his talent is extraordinary. I'm afraid it will not be long before he reaches the Void-Piercing Realm. I intend to invite him to join the Penglai Immortal Sect, and I have already reported his information to Deputy Sect Master Fang Yiyun. The sect master also has some intention of observing him. If you can protect him at this moment, he will surely feel grateful and join our sect, allowing our sect to gain another Void-Piercing Realm cultivator soon." Ye Hongyu gave a quick and concise explanation.

After hearing this, Lu Li’s figure paused. "He saved your life?"

"Yes. Not only mine, but also the lives of eight other sect disciples."

"Mhmm, I understand." Lu Li then asked, "Does he plan to rent a cave dwelling in the Biyou Immortal Market to avoid disaster?"

"Yes, and the relevant procedures are already being handled."

"I have already sent a message to Officer Liu to handle this matter specially. Go and finalize it as soon as possible," Lu Li said.

Ye Hongyu immediately understood what he meant and said with some delight, "Thank you, Elder Lu. We will go find Officer Liu now. I will personally thank you again later."

"It's fine. This matter could have gone either way. If Yaoguang had not yet rented a cave dwelling, our sect naturally would not have been willing to offend the Heavenly Dao Sect and Taiyi Immortal Sect for his sake. But since he is already in the process of renting a cave dwelling, our sect should naturally uphold the rules of the Biyou Immortal Market," Lu Li said.

He was speaking the truth. There truly were two ways to handle this matter.

It was Ye Hongyu’s message that had made him decide to lean toward protecting Yaoguang.

After instructing Ye Hongyu to take Yaoguang to finish the process of renting a cave dwelling, Lu Li turned his gaze back to Hou Feng, Heavenly Venerable Jiang, and the others. With a fake smile, he said, "My apologies, everyone. I just asked Officer Liu, the one responsible for cave dwelling rentals. Su Yaoguang has already rented a cave dwelling for ten years. I imagine all of you know the rules of the Biyou Immortal Market. If you wish to act against him, I am afraid you will have to wait ten years."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the three Void-Piercing Realm cultivators, along with Heavenly Venerable Jiang, all changed.

"Impossible!" Heavenly Venerable Jiang said without hesitation. "We have been tracking Su Yaoguang the entire time. At most, he arrived only a day or two earlier than we did. And to prevent cultivators from foreign powers, such as the Ten Divine Races or the Nine Demon Race Lineages, from taking refuge here, the Biyou Immortal Market usually conducts a series of checks. Even when this process is fast, it takes almost half a month. How could Yaoguang possibly have completed the cave dwelling rental so quickly?! You—"

"Impudent!" Before Heavenly Venerable Jiang could finish, Lu Li had already shouted sternly, "Heavenly Venerable Jiang, know your own status! You are merely a Golden Core cultivator. Who gave you the courage to speak to me like this?!"

These words filled Heavenly Venerable Jiang with anger, but he quickly calmed down.

Along the way, whether it was Mo Shan, who had been ordered by his master to act as his protector, or Hou Feng and Tong Ming of Heavenly Dao Sect, all of them had been quite courteous to him. They had basically treated him as though he were a Void-Piercing Realm cultivator, someone on their level, and that had caused his perception to be distorted.

But in truth, the gap between the Void-Piercing Realm and the Golden Core Realm was immense.

Although he was exceptionally talented and had nearly a fifty percent chance of breaking through to the Void-Piercing Realm, as long as he had not reached that realm, he could not be compared with a true Void-Piercing Realm expert.

If a true Void-Piercing Realm cultivator wanted to kill an Azure Golden Core cultivator, they likely would not even need a second move.

Yet just now, he had questioned a Void-Piercing Realm cultivator while only having the status of a Golden Core cultivator...

Even though he knew this Void-Piercing Realm cultivator was deceiving him, such disrespectful words were still equivalent to gambling with his own life.

"I lost control for a moment. Please forgive me, Perfected Lord Lu. This man killed my family and friends. My hatred for him is as deep as the sea, and only one of us can live. That was why I failed to control my emotions and offended you with my words." Heavenly Venerable Jiang gave a fist-and-palm salute. Immediately afterward, he directly took out a spirit treasure that was likely worth no less than three million Pure Yang Grand Pills. "I hope you can make things convenient."

"Put your thing away." Lu Li suddenly waved his hand. "Are you trying to make me break the rules of the Biyou Immortal Market?"

"Perfected Lord Lu, Yaoguang is extremely vicious. Not only did he exterminate all the relatives Heavenly Venerable Jiang had left behind, but he also killed a true disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Can you really not make an exception?" Hou Feng, who was beside them, clearly conveyed his displeasure.

"The rules of the Biyou Immortal Market were personally established by our sect’s Dao Lord. How about this? I will send you to meet the Dao Lord, and you can try to see whether you can persuade her." Lu Li sneered.

Seeing that the Penglai Immortal Sect showed them so little regard, Hou Feng, Tong Ming, and Heavenly Venerable Jiang’s moods soured even further.

The moment Hou Feng thought that the Dao Artifact might slip through their fingers because of this, he could not help saying, "Fine! Fine! Fine! Perfected Lord, since you refuse to give us any face and are determined to use these so-called rules to protect the murderer who killed a true disciple of our sect, the Heavenly Dao Sect will remember today’s matter! There will be plenty of time in the future!"

After saying this, he ultimately lacked the courage to step into the Biyou Immortal Market and forcibly seize Yaoguang. He turned around and headed straight into the distance.

Heavenly Venerable Jiang also cast a cold look at Lu Li. His eyes were filled with unwillingness.

However, behind him, Mo Shan had remained silent the entire time. Clearly, he did not intend to help him oppose the Void-Piercing Realm cultivator guarding the Biyou Immortal Market over this matter.

Thus, Heavenly Venerable Jiang also turned and left, following Hou Feng and Tong Ming.

Lu Li watched them leave, but neither joy nor anger were visible on his face.

In the end, the Biyou Immortal Market was merely acting according to its rules.

Although this would offend several Void-Piercing Realm elders from the Heavenly Dao Sect and Taiyi Immortal Sect, it was not enough to escalate things to the point where the Heavenly Dao Sect and Taiyi Immortal Sect would become hostile.

Moreover, once news of this spread, the fact that the Biyou Immortal Market had directly refused the Void-Piercing Realm elders of two top powers for the sake of the rules it had established would further elevate its rental business. It would also serve as good publicity for the Penglai Immortal Sect’s image.

There were advantages and disadvantages.

"Alright, they have already left. However, judging by their looks, they probably will not let this go. Tell that Perfected Master Yaoguang to be careful in the near future." After returning to Biyou Immortal Market, Lu Li transmitted a psychic thought to Ye Hongyu.

"Thank you, Elder," Ye Hongyu immediately said. "From what I can see, he does not seem far from advancing to the Void-Piercing Realm. If he succeeds, the crisis will naturally resolve itself."

"I hope this Yaoguang is truly as outstanding as you said and is worth our sect offending three Void-Piercing Realm cultivators from two top powers for his sake." As Lu Li spoke, he withdrew his psychic thought.

***

On the other side, Ye Hongyu let out a slight sigh of relief.

She smiled at Yaoguang. "For the next ten years, you may cultivate peacefully in the Biyou Immortal Market. As long as you do not leave the immortal market, your safety will be guaranteed."

"Thank you," Yaoguang said.

If the Biyou Immortal Market had been pressured by the Heavenly Dao Sect and Taiyi Immortal Sect to the point that it could not uphold its own rules, he would have had no choice but to activate the Longxiang Flying Vessel and escape through the void.

With the power of this Dao Artifact, the Void-Piercing Realm cultivators behind him would not have been able to catch up.

However, once news of a Golden Core cultivator possessing a Dao Artifact spread, it would definitely bring endless trouble.

The Biyou Immortal Market forcing back the pursuers from the Heavenly Dao Sect and Taiyi Immortal Sect was the best possible outcome.

Although he might only have ten years of safety, that would be enough time for him to break through to the Void-Piercing Realm.

And once he reached the Void-Piercing Realm, he would be able to cultivate void-type Dao Techniques and to unleash the full power of his Dao Artifacts.

At that time, the one who needed to worry would no longer be Yaoguang, but those Void-Piercing Realm cultivators.