Jiang Huai's gaze was like a cold spotlight.
Suddenly focusing on Xi Yan who had suddenly spoken.
The invisible pressure from his Saint Realm might.
Instantly made Xi Yan feel as if she were being crushed by an invisible mountain.
Her breathing seized up.
Her small face grew even paler.
She subconsciously wanted to retreat.
"And who are you?"
Jiang Huai's voice maintained its surface calmness.
But the thread of coldness and scrutiny contained within made the surrounding temperature seem to drop several degrees.
A mere small cultivator at the Origin Return Realm dared to make such wild claims here?
However, before Xi Yan could answer, a figure had already stepped forward without hesitation.
Steadily positioning himself in front of her.
Shielding her completely behind him.
It was Jiang Che.
He stood tall and straight.
Like a pine tree standing against the wind at a cliff's edge.
Though his cultivation was far inferior.
His protective stance was unwavering, without a trace of hesitation.
Meeting Jiang Huai's aggressive gaze.
His voice was steady.
He clearly spoke five words:
"She is my friend."
These simple five words carried the weight of a thousand pounds at this moment.
They declared his stance.
They drew the line of his position.
Jiang Huai's gaze lingered for a moment on Xi Yan's beautiful face, now written with panic.
In the depths of his eyes, a trace of jealousy and viciousness flashed by.
Quick and difficult to detect.
Why?
Why did Jiang Che always so easily obtain things he had never possessed?
Even such a stunning young maiden was willing to offend Saintly majesty for his sake?
He quickly suppressed this emotion.
Locking his gaze back onto Jiang Che.
His tone became even more condescending.
Carrying a sense like a final ultimatum being bestowed:
"Jiang Che, for the sake of our brotherhood after all, I can overlook her earlier rudeness."
His tone shifted sharply.
His voice suddenly turned severe, like a judge pronouncing a final verdict:
"But you! Immediately! Kneel! Kowtow to our father and mother and acknowledge your mistakes! For your unfilial words earlier, for your years of defiant conduct!"
Jiang Rushan immediately stepped forward.
Pointing at Jiang Che's nose.
Harshly berating him.
It seemed that with Jiang Huai backing him, his confidence had grown:
"Unfilial son! Didn't you hear your elder brother's words? Why don't you kneel quickly! Apologize to Huai'er! Beg for his forgiveness!"
Li Mengdie also approached with teary eyes.
Her voice sorrowful.
Carrying both persuasion and an almost imperceptible coercion:
"Che'er, my son... just listen to your father and elder brother. Don't be so stubborn anymore. Lower your head, admit your mistakes, and everything will pass. We can still be one family..."
Three people making a tiger, words like knives.
Adding to that, Jiang Huai deliberately raised his Saint Realm pressure again.
Pressing down on Jiang Che like a towering wave!
"Jiang Che!"
Jiang Huai's voice was like thunder containing the laws of heaven and earth.
Shaking people to their cores.
"Kneel! Apologize!"
That terrifying pressure made the air around Jiang Che almost solidify.
The ground beneath his feet emitted faint groans of strain.
His face grew slightly pale.
His body tensed.
But his spine remained perfectly straight.
The stubbornness and coldness in his eyes did not recede in the slightest!
At this critical moment—
"This place is the Immortal Spirit Holy Land."
A steady, authoritative voice rang out.
Xiao Chen stepped forward.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Jiang Che.
As the alliance master of the Heavenly Alliance, his own cultivation was also extraordinary.
Though not reaching the Saint Realm.
That imposing aura from his long-held high position.
Combined with the invisible confidence brought by the entire Heavenly Alliance and Immortal Spirit Holy Land behind him.
Made him face Jiang Huai's pressure without any fear.
His gaze was like lightning.
Sweeping across Jiang Huai, Jiang Rushan, and the others.
His voice was resolute.
Carrying an unmistakable warning:
"If you have come as guests, my Heavenly Alliance welcomes you. But if you continue to press so aggressively, attempting to use power to coerce my junior martial brother into doing what he does not wish..."
Xiao Chen paused.
His tone suddenly turned cold as iron:
"Then all consequences that arise, I fear, will be far beyond what you can bear!"
"Arrogant!"
Jiang Rushan jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Pointing at Xiao Chen's nose and cursing:
"A mere leader of a small Lower Realm sect, daring to speak so wildly before a Saint Lord! Utterly outrageous! Since you are his senior martial brother now, it seems you're both cut from the same cloth! Then you kneel too, and apologize together with him to my son Jiang Huai!"
Just as Jiang Rushan was being arrogant.
And Jiang Huai narrowed his eyes.
Considering whether to take this opportunity to teach a lesson to this ignorant Heavenly Alliance master—
"I'd like to see who dares!"
An aged yet sonorous voice, containing boundless majesty and wrath.
Suddenly exploded from afar like a nine-heavens thunderclap!
Before the voice had even faded.
Two figures had already appeared soundlessly before Xiao Chen and Jiang Che like phantoms.
The newcomer was a middle-aged man wearing simple hemp clothing.
With gray-white hair.
And an ordinary-looking face.
But eyes sharp as a hawk's.
Beside him followed a young girl in a light yellow dress with lively, lovely features.
Currently sneaking a wink at Xiao Chen with a sweet smile on her face.
It was Xiao Ling'er.
The hemp-clothed middle-aged man had an expressionless face.
But the aura radiating from his entire body was like a volcano that had been dormant for ten thousand years.
Suddenly awakening!
A Saint Realm pressure that was in no way inferior to Jiang Huai's.
Perhaps even more ancient, more domineering.
Carrying a wild, primal aura.
Boomed outward.
Clashing fiercely with Jiang Huai's momentum in mid-air!
"Buzz!"
The invisible shockwave made space itself twist slightly.
Countless cultivators in the arena below were forced to retreat by the aftermath of this collision of auras.
Their faces filled with alarm!
"This... this person is?!"
An experienced elder cultivator stared fixedly at the hemp-clothed middle-aged man.
Then suddenly cried out in shock:
"I once saw his portrait in ancient sect records! He is... he is the Lord of the Southern Wasteland! That Saint Lord who has lived for who knows how many years—Ji Wangsheng?!"
The newcomer was none other than the Southern Wasteland Saint Lord, Ji Wangsheng!
On the surface, he always blew his beard and glared at the person his granddaughter Xiao Ling'er liked.
Namely Xiao Chen.
Always finding fault, acting like nothing about him was satisfactory.
But in truth, he had long been won over by Xiao Chen's character, ability, and genuine feelings for his granddaughter.
Deep in his heart, he already regarded him as a grandson-in-law, treasured dearly.
At this moment, seeing someone dare to so pressure his grandson-in-law and his junior martial brother.
On his grandson-in-law's own territory.
Old Man Ji immediately exploded!
His Saint Realm aura fully unleashed.
Carrying a wild, untamed domineering quality.
Actually faintly suppressing Jiang Huai's Saint Realm pressure by a head!
Jiang Huai's expression changed slightly.
His heart filled with suspicion and uncertainty:
'Who is this person? His aura is so ancient and powerful! Could it be... he's the hidden ancestor of this Immortal Spirit Holy Land?'
He had originally thought a Lower Realm sect would at most have a few Long Life Realm experts holding up the place.
He never expected hard cases to keep popping up one after another.
But the arrow was on the string.
He absolutely could not retreat.
Jiang Huai forcefully steadied his mind.
Maintaining his composure as he spoke in a deep voice:
"Who might you be? Could you be the master of this Immortal Spirit Holy Land? As a Saint Lord yourself, would you truly make enemies of my Upper Realm Jiang family and Bright Moon Sect for the sake of a mere ordinary disciple?"
He attempted to use the forces behind him to apply pressure.
Upon hearing this, the corner of Ji Wangsheng's mouth curled into an extremely strange, almost mocking arc.
An ordinary disciple?
His gaze swept across Jiang Che.
Then turned to Xiao Chen beside him.
In his heart, cold laughter rang continuously.
He looked at Jiang Huai as if he were looking at a dead man who didn't know what was coming.
Although he didn't know why that person hadn't made a move yet.
This didn't prevent him from coming out to score major points in front of his granddaughter and grandson-in-law.
Ji Wangsheng stroked his chin.
His tone carrying an almost unreasonable domineering quality:
"So what if I am?"
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