Volume 10, Chapter 671 – Departure, Heading Toward Kapok Valley

“Have you eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall? How dare you block the Immortal Alliance’s convoy!”

One of the Immortal Alliance’s leading disciples stepped forward and shouted angrily.

“I think it’s you people from the Immortal Alliance who’ve eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall! You dare abduct decent young women to use them as bait!”

A refined, handsome middle-aged man stepped forward, confronting him head-on.

“What? The Immortal Alliance abducted decent young women as bait?”

The surrounding pedestrians were startled upon hearing this and began to swarm forward, forming a crowd.

“What nonsense are you spouting? How dare you slander the Immortal Alliance, are you tired of living?”

The disciple threatened coldly.

“Whether it’s nonsense or not, just open the carriage door and let everyone see for themselves.”

The refined middle-aged man pressed on relentlessly. The Immortal Alliance’s special carriages used for transporting bait were unique; unlike ordinary ones, they had a solid door at the front instead of curtains.

“Ridiculous! Do you think the Immortal Alliance’s belongings are yours to inspect? Do you want me, this Elder, to show you just how much weight you actually carry?”

Elder Ma could no longer endure and stepped forward, cursing furiously.

“If you won’t let us see, then none of you are leaving today!”

The refined middle-aged man stood his ground without the slightest trace of fear.

“Who are you trying to scare? You wouldn’t dare kill us in broad daylight, would you?”

“You people claim the Immortal Alliance is the law of the cultivation world, yet you commit such heinous acts behind the scenes! Do you really think no one can hold you accountable?”

“Ever heard the saying ‘the water that bears the boat can also capsize it’? It’s because we acknowledge the Immortal Alliance that you’re powerful. If we stop recognizing you, you’re nothing but trash!”

“Return our daughters to us, or today will mark the end of the Immortal Alliance!”

The other people blocking the road also shouted fearlessly. When it came to the lives of their daughters, they refused to bow to power.

Both sides remained locked in a standoff, gradually drawing an ever-growing crowd of onlookers.

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Among the spectators, Ai Xing blended into the crowd, her lips curling into a faint, mocking smile.

“Junior sister, what’s going on outside?”

Miao Xiang nervously asked Cheng Hongling. The carriage cabin had been sealed with a Divine Sense barrier and soundproof talismans, making it impossible to tell what was happening outside.

Cheng Hongling frowned slightly. Though curious, she couldn’t recklessly break the Divine Sense barrier just to find out.

Just then, Qi Huang appeared at the right moment, squeezing into a small space among the women before sitting down. She pulled out the Shadow-Retaining Mirror to observe the situation outside.

At that instant, Jin Xue suddenly trembled, her delicate body shaking. She pointed at the refined middle-aged man and exclaimed excitedly: “That’s my royal father!”

“My royal father is there too!”

“And mine as well!”

Beside them, Tang Yuning and Ouyang Yi also cried out in succession.

“We have to call for help!”

Tang Yuning quickly proposed.

“But there are soundproof talismans around the carriage. Even if we scream ourselves hoarse, they won’t hear us.”

Jin Xue looked troubled.

“It’s just a few soundproof talismans, right? A touch of Divine Sense is enough to shatter them!”

Tang Yuning looked eager to act.

“It’s not that simple. There’s also a layer of Divine Sense protection surrounding the carriage, personally placed by Zheng Chi. Do you really think you can break through that?”

Jin Xue countered coldly.

Tang Yuning immediately fell silent. She didn’t even need to guess how powerful the Immortal Alliance’s Grand Elder was.

The three women fell into deep thought before turning their hopeful gazes toward Cheng Hongling.

“Can you break the Divine Sense barrier?” Tang Yuning asked expectantly.

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“My advice is that you’d better not act rashly,” Cheng Hongling warned sternly.

“Why? Do you want us to follow you to Kapok Valley and become bait?” Tang Yuning snapped coldly.

Cheng Hongling said nothing, her expression showing clear impatience. She disliked wasting words on fools.

Qi Huang then interjected, asking calmly, “Can your royal father fight the Immortal Alliance?”

“…No.”

Tang Yuning hesitated, but eventually admitted it.

“In that case, you’d better stay quiet. If you make a sound, your royal father will definitely risk his life to save you. That’ll anger the Immortal Alliance, and he’ll die without question.”

Qi Huang reminded her solemnly.

“Exactly. Do you really think the Immortal Alliance will reason with you? This is their territory. They have ten thousand ways to make you die without any value.”

Yun Fei added softly.

Jin Xue, Tang Yuning, and Ouyang Yi exchanged glances and wisely decided to remain silent.

Outside, Grand Elder Zheng Chi finally stepped forward to negotiate.

“Who told you those girls are in our hands?”

Zheng Chi’s tone was calm but probing. He couldn’t fathom how this matter had been leaked.

Within the crowd, Ai Xing’s expression remained unchanged. She knew the sect leader handled matters meticulously, there would never be any flaws.

“Who told us isn’t important. Just open the carriage and let everyone take a look. If they’re not inside, we’ll leave immediately.”

Jin Xue’s father insisted firmly. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure his daughter was inside, but as long as there was even a slight chance, he couldn’t back down.

“Absurd!”

Zheng Chi’s lips curled into a disdainful sneer as he turned to address the surrounding crowd: “Fellow people, you’ve all seen this. These people are blocking our path without reason, demanding to search our carriages. If it were you instead of us, would you agree to such an outrageous demand?”

“Of course not! If it were me, I wouldn’t tolerate it!”

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“Elder Zheng’s composure is truly admirable. Even we ordinary folk feel they’re overstepping, yet he remains calm.”

“Exactly! That’s why he’s the Grand Elder of the Immortal Alliance, and you’re not.”

“With a Grand Elder like this, no wonder the Immortal Alliance is so powerful!”

The onlookers echoed their support loudly.

“What a despicable bastard, using the crowd against us!” Jin Xue muttered angrily, grinding her teeth.

“Not good,” Cheng Hongling suddenly said, her expression shifting.

“What’s wrong?” Jin Xue asked, confused.

“That Zheng fellow isn’t just using the crowd. He’s setting himself up on the moral high ground, making it perfectly justified for him to kill your father and the others blocking the way,” Cheng Hongling explained gravely.

“Exactly. Before, he might’ve hesitated to act. But now? If your father insists on resisting, even if he dies, the crowd won’t blame Zheng Chi at all,” Qi Huang added calmly.

“Then what should we do?” Jin Xue grew anxious.

“There’s nothing we can do. We can only hope your father realizes his situation and retreats,” Qi Huang said with a shake of her head. Here, at the Immortal Alliance headquarters, she wasn’t about to risk everything for unrelated people.

“Leave immediately, or face the consequences!”

Zheng Chi’s warning was cold and direct, his killing intent fully revealed.

The surrounding citizens of the imperial capital hurriedly backed away, distancing themselves from the ones blocking the path for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

Jin Xue’s royal father hesitated for a moment before waving his hand at his companions: “Step back. Let them pass.”

“Phew!”

Jin Xue exhaled deeply upon seeing this.

“As expected of a king, his instincts are sharp,” Qi Huang praised softly. If this old man had been stubborn, it would’ve ruined her plans.

“Why? Have you given up on saving your daughter? So easily frightened! And you call yourself a king? What a pathetic coward!”

“That’s right! A father like you isn’t even fit to bear the title! I truly pity the people of your Taiping Kingdom!”

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“Go on, run away! We won’t save your daughter, and we’ll make sure she knows how you abandoned her. She’ll die full of resentment!”

Many of his companions began cursing Jin Xue’s father.

“Are you absolutely certain your daughters are inside? If you are, I’ll fight to the death alongside you right now!” Jin Xue’s father demanded.

The others exchanged uncertain glances, none daring to speak.

“I’ll count to three. If you don’t leave by then, you’ll stay here forever,” Zheng Chi said impatiently.

“If you want to die, keep shouting. But I won’t accompany you,” Jin Xue’s father declared, leaving with his retainers. He wasn’t afraid of dying, but dying pointlessly was meaningless. After all, Kapok Valley was still hundreds of thousands of miles away, there would be plenty of chances to save his daughter if she was truly inside. There was no need to clash head-on within the Immortal Alliance’s stronghold.

“One.”

Zheng Chi called out the first number.

“Go quickly, royal father!” Jin Xue whispered, almost trembling.

Tang Yuning and Ouyang Yi stared anxiously at the Shadow-Retaining Mirror, silently praying their fathers would hear them.

Their fathers, sensing the danger, also led their retainers away one after another. It was proof enough that those who reached such positions weren’t simple men.

“Two.”

Zheng Chi counted the second number.

“Stop bluffing! You can count to three, three thousand, even thirty million, we’re not leaving unless you open the carriage!”

“You overestimate him. Do you really think that old man even knows that many numbers?”

“No problem. I’ll teach him later. There’s no way he’d dare attack us under so many watchful eyes!”

The remaining people continued shouting, completely unaware of the danger they faced.

“Is that so? Then today, I’ll show you exactly how much courage this Elder possesses.”

Zheng Chi’s face twisted into a cruel smile.