Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Three

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Three

Faced with the righteous words of Gu Manting and others, the Gu family members remained silent for a long time.

After their grief, they just coldly stared at these few traitors.

Always pampered at home, Gu Manting struggled to maintain her composure under this cold treatment, turning resentfully towards Gu Da: "Uncle, you have a son too, just a teenager in high school. Do you really want him to die for Gu Dongting as well?"

Before Gu Da could respond, his wife, Lady Gu, scoffed: "My son would never be as cowardly and ungrateful as you, treasuring his life over loyalty."

She then looked around, her gaze sweeping over the familiar faces.

Besides Gu Manting's family, there were the Wei family who had close ties with the Gu family, members of the Metaphysical Society, people from Baiyun Taoist Temple, and various other families and sects...

Almost every one of these people had once received kindness from the Gu family, and their younger generations had been taken care of by Gu Dongting.

But now, it seemed they had all forgotten those favors, standing righteously against the Gu family, pressuring them to hand over Gu Dongting.

Those caught in her gaze averted their eyes, whether out of guilt or shame.

Lady Gu's sneer changed everyone's expressions.

Seeing the Gu family's unrepentant stance, Tang Jiu no longer wasted words and turned to a tall woman in traditional Hanfu beside him: "Master Yun, your thoughts?"

Master Yun raised her eyes, glanced at the Gu family, and spoke calmly: "Proceed."

As she commanded, the eager crowd's eyes shone brightly, each brandishing their weapons.

Compared to the numerous and mighty opposition, the Gu family, few in number, seemed weak, but they didn't retreat an inch.

Gu Da unsheathed his sword, Lady Gu raised her hands, and suddenly, the ground was swarming with insects. Even Gu's parents, ordinary people, showed no fear on their faces.

At this critical moment, Shen Wang and Gu Dongting arrived.

They landed directly in the center of the standoff, drawing everyone's attention.

Everyone was initially startled to see them, then erupted in frenzied joy: "Gu Dongting! You dare to show yourself!"

"The Gu family really knew your whereabouts!"

"It's like finding something invaluable without even searching for it."

In that moment, their eyes were filled with blatant greed and desire, looking at Gu Dongting not as a person, but as an inanimate precious object.

Unfortunately, while precious objects could be easily exploited, Gu Dongting could not.

After ensuring that his family was unharmed, Gu Dongting relaxed slightly, then turned with a cold smile to face their assailants.

"Everyone is here now."

The others didn't grasp the meaning of Gu Dongting's words, but Shen Wang understood instantly.

Among those present, besides the protagonist Tang Jiu, two and a half of his seven harems were there, including Yun Jiyong, the female sect master from the three great immortal mountains, the Gu family traitor Gu Dongting, and half of Wei Jiujiu from the Wei family. However, Wei Jiujiu, not being a cultivator, didn't attend in person; only the Wei family did, so they were counted as half.

As for the Gu family, who kicked them when they were down, and their sect... it's estimated that quite a few of them showed up too.

Enemies meeting face to face are especially prone to anger. Upon seeing Shen Wang and Gu Dongting, Tang Jiu was invigorated: "Shen Wang! Gu Dongting! You dare to show up here!"

Every past confrontation with Shen Wang had ended badly for Tang Jiu. But now, with the support of the powerful three great immortal mountains and the sect master Yun Jiyong looking at him favorably, along with almost half of the metaphysical world's sects and families behind him.

Tang Jiu firmly believed that this time, he would utterly redeem his past humiliations and leave Shen Wang and Gu Dongting with nowhere to bury their corpses!

Upon hearing the name Shen Wang, Yun Jiyong's cold, impassive gaze flickered slightly.

Gui Chenzi's strength within the immortal mountain was not insignificant; otherwise, he wouldn't have held the position of an elder, nor would it have been his turn to leave the mountain for missions.

Such an elder, however, had his soul lamp extinguished not long after he left the mountain.

Fortunately, although Gui Chenzi died, he had passed on the location of the immortal mountain and the method to enter it to Tang Jiu before his death, allowing Tang Jiu, the destined savior, to come to the mountain.

Yun Jiyong had heard Shen Wang's name more than once from Tang Jiu.

Shen Wang, a despicable, cunning, shameless, arrogant, greedy, cold-blooded person who was incredibly harsh even to his biological parents... But his strength was also unparalleled, and it was he who killed Gui Chenzi.

Yun Jiyong observed Shen Wang for a moment before speaking coldly: "Was it you who killed Gui Chenzi?"

In Yun Jiyong's imagination, Shen Wang was wicked and cunning with an ugly face. But now, seeing him in person, she felt that this man was entirely different from the one Tang Jiu had described.

As Yun Jiyong sized up Shen Wang, Shen Wang was also sizing her up.

In the original text, Yun Jiyong was Tang Jiu's main consort, not only the strongest in power but also leading the three great immortal mountains. Her beauty and figure were unmatched, and all descriptions of her were filled with a man's gaze towards a woman.

Yet, Shen Wang noticed that Yun Jiyong was somewhat different from her portrayal in the original text.

She was extremely beautiful but equally cold, with an aura that was intimidating enough to make one overlook her beauty at first glance. The immediate impression she gave was that she was powerful and not to be trifled with.

Unlike the original text's cold and sexy empress, compared to Gu Manling, who was forcibly maintaining her presence at her side, Yun Jiyong seemed more like Gu Dongting's sister.

"A fine empress, and she sets her sights on Tang Jiu of all people," Shen Wang mused internally, then spoke out loud, "Who says I killed him? Any evidence? Any witnesses?"

His main strategy was a staunch denial.

Tang Jiu sneered, "After Gui Chenzi left the mountain, the only conflicts he had were with you two. If not you, then who else?"

Shen Wang spread his hands, "Aren't there plenty who he offended after leaving the mountain? With your way of doing things... probably the whole world is his enemy."

"Nonsense!" Seeing Yun Jiyong not taking action, Tang Jiu felt an ominous premonition, "Sect Master Yun, one is a natural-born demon seed, the other a criminal who killed an elder of the immortal mountain. Shouldn't we act now?"

Yun Jiyong glanced at Tang Jiu, then said, "Since you claim there's no evidence, we cannot kill Shen Wang. Capturing him alive will suffice, and we will deal with him after uncovering the truth."

Tang Jiu's face contorted for a moment, his teeth grinding audibly.

Compared to Gu Dongting, Tang Jiu harbored a deeper hatred for Shen Wang. If he had to choose one to die, he would rather it be Shen Wang!

But the people of the immortal mountain were all too convinced by the prophecy, intent on exterminating the demon seed, and paid little attention to others.

Tang Jiu knew that although Yun Jiyong treated him somewhat differently, it was only because of his identity as the savior and the prophecy. With his current power, he had no right to speak to Yun Jiyong as an equal.

Swallowing his rage, Tang Jiu said fiercely, "We can overlook Shen Wang for now, but Gu Dongting must be executed immediately."

Yun Jiyong did not object to this statement.

She looked at Shen Wang, "We aim to kill the natural-born demon seed. If you surrender, we can spare your life."

Shen Wang raised an eyebrow, "Am I supposed to be grateful to you for that?"

Seeing his reaction, Yun Jiyong spoke no more, and waved her hand, "Execute the demon seed!"

The people behind her shouted in unison, "To uphold the righteousness of the human world, it is our undeniable duty!"

As the enemies made their move, Gu Dongting also drew his sword, his eyes filled with killing intent, and his first strike aimed at Tang Jiu, who was hiding behind Yun Jiyong.

Yun Jiyong's brows furrowed slightly, and she quickly formed a hand seal. An invisible wall of energy appeared out of nowhere, blocking Gu Dongting's attack.

This attack was just a probe. Gu Dongting, with a sharp gaze, attacked again, striking the same spot on the energy wall with four consecutive sword slashes. The wall rippled before shattering completely and disappearing.

After a round of mutual probing, the murderous intent in Gu Dongting's eyes intensified, and Yun Jiyong became more serious.

Seeing Yun Jiyong unable to subdue Gu Dongting immediately, others thought to step in to help, but a talisman flew towards them, forcing them to retreat several steps.

With a talisman between his fingers, Shen Wang spoke with a sly smile, "It doesn't seem quite fair for so many of you to gang up on just one Gu Dongting, does it?"

"We still have you to deal with," Tang Jiu said viciously, "Kill him!"

Taking advantage of Yun Jiyong being preoccupied, the plan was to kill Shen Wang on the spot and later claim he died in the chaos of battle.

Having made up his mind, Tang Jiu no longer hesitated: "Eliminate him and Gu Dongting, and the elixirs and formations produced by the immortal mountain will be sold to everyone at a low price, along with a chance for a prophecy!"

Blinded by self-interest, almost everyone's eyes turned red, even forgetting Shen Wang's strength.

The Gu family members without spiritual power were protected at the back, with only the Gu parents and Grandfather Gu fighting. Although their strength was not insignificant in the metaphysical world, they struggled to hold their own against numerous opponents.

Especially a few despicable characters who targeted the unprotected commoners behind them, greatly hindering their combat effectiveness.

One of them finally broke through the defense line and reached Gu's mother. He was overjoyed: capturing Gu's mother would allow him to threaten Gu Dongting and Shen Wang!

Such a feat would surely earn him the favor of the immortal mountain, and perhaps even a reward...

Just as he was about to smile, a bolt of lightning erupted from the seemingly frail Gu's mother, striking the attacker black and emitting a wisp of smoke before he slowly fell to the ground.

Gu's mother looked down at the man, then at the talisman in her hand, and calmly said to her husband, "Dear, this talisman is quite powerful."

Gu's father nodded calmly, "Shen Wang's talismanic skills are indeed strong."

A fierce battle raged at the entrance of the Gu family estate. Just when it seemed to reach a stalemate, several vague figures appeared in the distance, rapidly increasing in number at the end of the road.

They ran swiftly, shouting as they approached.

"Brother Gu! Don't worry! We've come to help you!"

"Damn it, how dare they attack Brother Gu's family! Such dishonor is shameful in our metaphysical community!"

"To hell with the immortal mountain, I've had enough of it!"

Among these people were Bo Yu and Wu Shu from the Metaphysical Association.

There were also Lu Tingchun and Feng Ju from the special department.

There were also Bai Qingxing, Chou Yin, Dao Chunyan, Pang He, Xia Ye, and others from various sects.

Even those with lesser strength, like the chubby kid and Luo Tian, rushed over.

Shen Wang even spotted Liang Ruyue in the crowd, who was supposed to be one of Tang Jiu's harems.

Besides them, there were people Shen Wang recognized but couldn't recall their names, and many others he didn't know at all.

It seemed like everyone who had ever received favors from Shen Wang and Gu Dongting had come. Their forceful entry into the battlefield drastically changed the situation.

The few from the Gu family were squeezed out of the battlefield, their faces finally breaking into the first smiles of the day, their eyes brimming with tears.

During a lull in his battle with Yun Jiyong, Gu Dongting looked down from the air at the familiar faces shouting "Brother Gu" behind him.

He watched those who were not skilled in combat, who would even hide behind him during missions, now fighting valiantly.

Gu Dongting thought: They remember.