The First Marquis of Daxuan

"Peak Master, Huang Yanwang's strength is extraordinary; even Elder Xu and the others were defeated."

Zhang Qi hesitated before speaking.

Although he didn't say it directly, his meaning was quite clear.

Although Su Mu is strong, he may not be stronger than Xu Gu and his ilk. Even Xu Gu and his ilk were defeated by Huang Yanwang. If Su Mu accepts the challenge, he will most likely lose as well.

If it were just a friendly spar, that would be fine; losing would only be embarrassing.

But Huang Yanwang is the King of Hell, and Yao Junhao, the peak master of Panshi Peak, has already died at Huang Yanwang's hands.

"It's alright, I'm not like Xu Gu."

Su Mu said calmly, "I have fought with Huang Yanwang before. Even if I was no match for him, I would not die at his hands."

"Peak Master, how about I block them back again, and I'll just say you're in seclusion? Let's stall for as long as we can."

Zhang Qi still said with concern.

"What did Huang Yanwang's challenge say? When does he want to fight me?"

Su Mu pondered for a moment and said.

He has now cultivated to the level of eighty miles of the Dao Source Realm. Although he is not confident that he can defeat Huang Yanwang, he is confident that he can protect himself.

However, if he had more time, he was confident that he could cultivate the Hengshan Body Refining Technique to a minor level.

A minor completion of the Hengshan Body Refining Technique is equivalent to ninety miles of the Dao Source Realm. Reaching that level would give him a greater chance of success when facing King Yama.

"Yellow Yama said he would come again in half a month."

Zhang Qi said.

Su Mu nodded. "I understand. Go tell the elders and peak masters to prepare my appearance fee."

"As long as the benefits are right, I will naturally show up when King Yama comes again in half a month."

Zhang Qi wanted to persuade him further, but Su Mu's face already showed impatience.

He had no choice but to leave the secret realm and return to the council hall of the Hengshan Sect.

Xu Gu sat there, his face pale, a sinister glint occasionally flashing in the depths of his eyes.

He was already cunning and calculating, and after losing face so badly, his whole demeanor became even more gloomy.

"Su Mu is a disciple of the Hengshan Sect. It is only natural for him to serve the Hengshan Sect. What benefits does he want?"

Xu Gu said coldly, "We fought to the death against Huang Yanwang before, but we didn't ask the sect for any benefits. What does he mean by this?"

A hint of disdain flashed in Zhang Qi's eyes.

Haven't you, Xu Gu, already swallowed up enough benefits?
Everyone knows you've been forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices within the Yokoyama sect.

Besides, you almost got beaten to death by King Yama, you've lost all face, and you still have the nerve to ask the sect for benefits?
"Elder Xu, I am merely relaying what our Peak Master said."

Our leader said that as long as the benefits are right, he will naturally step forward to fight against King Yama.

However, if the elders feel it is inappropriate and are unwilling to make sacrifices for the sect, then my peak master will not say anything.

However, since all the elders are considering their own interests, my peak master will naturally consider his own as well. Let someone else handle such a dangerous task as facing King Huang Yan.

Xu Gu and the others' expressions darkened.

Zhang Qi's words put them in a difficult position.

If they are unwilling to give Su Mu any benefits, then they will be seen as selfish and unwilling to contribute to the sect.

Su Mu has completely absolved himself of any responsibility.

"Hmph, what use would he have for so many benefits?"

Xu Gu said coldly, "So what if we give it to him?"
Zhang Qi, let me ask you, if we give him benefits but he still can't defeat Huang Yanwang, what do you say about that?
If he loses to Huang Yanwang, what will become of the reputation of my Hengshan Sect?

Zhang Qi secretly curled his lip. Elder Xu, you lost long ago, how dare you say such things now?

"Elder Xu, there is a price for going into battle, and there is a price for winning."

What I just mentioned was only the price my peak master agreed to for participating in the battle. If you want my peak master to defeat Huang Yanwang, that's a different price altogether.

Zhang Qi said with a serious expression.

"What do you mean?"

Xu Gu and the others frowned, not understanding what he meant.

"It's simple. If you want my leader to guarantee a win, you'll have to pay more."

Zhang Qi said solemnly.

Xu Gu and the others: "..."

Are you guys at Zhenyue Peak so poor you've gone mad?

All he ever talks about is asking for favors!

"Zhang Qi, don't talk nonsense."

An elder of the Hengshan Sect said in a deep voice, "If adding money can guarantee that Su Mu will defeat Huang Yanwang, what does it matter if I go bankrupt?"

But that's the Yellow King Yama!

Even if we were to personally take action, we wouldn't stand a chance against King Yama. How dare Su Mu make such boastful claims?

"You're the ones who asked me that."

Zhang Qi shrugged innocently and said, "That's what my peak master said too."

My master said that while Yellow Yama is very strong, he is not invincible.

As he spoke, Zhang Qi glanced at Xu Gu.

Xu Gu's face darkened further. "You're just talking, why are you always glancing at me like that?"

Do you think I'm not even as good as Su Mu?
I was just careless, that's why I lost by a move or two!
If we could do it again—

Hmph, even if it happens again, this elder will not fight against King Yama.

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall!

“Very good. Go and tell your peak master that we have agreed to his request.”

An elder of the Hengshan Sect said in a deep voice, "As long as he can defeat Huang Yanwang, we will give him whatever he wants!"

"Everyone..."

Another elder from the Hengshan Sect suddenly whispered, "Have you forgotten something?"

If Su Mu can really defeat Huang Yanwang, then the benefits will go far beyond these.

The sect leader said that anyone who defeats King Huang Yan can succeed to the position of Grand Elder.

Are we going to let Su Mu take the position of Grand Elder?

All the elders looked at each other.

They all glanced at Xu Gu instinctively.

Xu Gu's face was ashen, and he was so angry that he almost cursed.

Why are you all looking at him?

That's right, Xu Gu wants to be the Grand Elder, so is that his fault?
Xu Gu was originally the most qualified person in the Hengshan Sect to succeed as the Grand Elder, okay?

Seeing Xu Gu's restless appearance, the elders couldn't help but chuckle.

They knew very well what Xu Gu had done to become the Grand Elder.

Xu Gu has been scheming and plotting for so many years to become the Grand Elder, but in the end, he has only benefited others.
The elders secretly thought that if Su Mu really became the Grand Elder of Hengshan Sect, it might not be such a bad thing.

Su Mu gives off a much better impression than Elder Xu Gu.

Most importantly, Su Mu is young.

Young and talented, his future achievements are limitless.

Wouldn't someone like that be perfectly suited to become the Grand Elder of the Yokoyama Sect?
If Su Mu can really defeat Huang Yanwang, then it means that Su Mu can be completely invincible in the Dao Source Realm.

With such strength, he is qualified to be the Grand Elder of the Hengshan Sect.

On the contrary, Xu Gu lost so badly, how could he still have the face to become the Grand Elder of Hengshan Sect?
Xu Gu was cunning and shrewd; he knew exactly what everyone was thinking.

But he also felt somewhat helpless.

If he had known he would lose to King Yama, he wouldn't have gone to find King Yama in the first place!
Unfortunately, there's no going back now, so it's too late for him to regret it.

Who would have thought that he would lead so many people to besiege and kill Huang Yanwang, only to suffer a crushing defeat in the end?
One misstep can lead to eternal regret.

How could he accept watching Su Mu become the Grand Elder?
"Gentlemen, have you considered what would happen if Su Mu lost?"

Xu Gu said slowly, "If he died at the hands of King Yama, then there's no need to say more."

But if he was defeated but survived, what about the fact that he received so many benefits?
Asking for benefits before even doing anything—what if he can't deliver?
What if he absconds with the money?

All the elders' eyes fell on Zhang Qi.

Although Xu Gu's words were somewhat excessive, they also made some sense.

Who dares to say they can definitely beat King Yama?

That's the Yellow King Yama!

Xu Gu led several elders and the peak master to besiege the opponent, but in the end, several of them were killed by the opponent.

It's no exaggeration to say that, looking across the entire Hengshan Sect, the only person who could reliably defeat Huang Yanwang is probably the sect leader.

When the Grand Elder was young, he might have been able to fight against King Yama, but now that his lifespan is coming to an end and he is old and frail, he is certainly no longer a match for King Yama.

“Zhang Qi, you said there’s a price to winning, and we have no objection to that, but you also have to guarantee us that Peak Master Su can win.”

An elder of the Yokoyama sect stared at Zhang Qidao.

"Elders, you have no right to bargain with me."

Zhang Qi sighed and slowly said, "If I say it, you have to believe me."

"If you don't believe me, then we'll part ways. In half a month, King Yama will come knocking, and you can deal with him yourselves."

Zhang Qi was also getting annoyed. The situation was already at a critical point, and they were still discussing things back and forth. They even doubted their own people's skills. Why didn't they spend some effort to cultivate themselves?

If you weren't so useless, how could the Hengshan Sect have allowed the Yellow King of Hell to bully them?

The peak master is right, this is a bunch of useless trash!
Zhang Qi's rudeness caused the faces of all the elders and the peak master to darken.

In the past, if Zhang Qi, a mere junior disciple, dared to speak to them like that, they would have been punished, even if they didn't expel him from Hengshan Sect.

But now, Zhang Qi has Su Mu's backing, and Su Mu—

They still need to keep Su Mu around to deal with Huang Yanwang.

If Su Mu is gone, who will Huang Yanwang send to fight next time he comes to visit?
None of them were confident of defeating King Yama.

Having learned from Xu Gu's example, they didn't want to end up like him.

Everyone scoffed inwardly.

Let you be arrogant for a while longer.

Once Su Mu dies at the hands of Huang Yanwang, we'll see what else Zhang Qi can do!
That said, Su Mu is now in a situation where he has the money but not the life to spend it.

Even if he has received many benefits now, once he dies at the hands of King Yama, he will have to give them all back.
Thinking of this, a thought suddenly occurred to everyone: if Su Mu really died, then the benefits they had given away now could naturally be taken back, and they would not suffer any loss.

Even if Su Mu were to win against Huang Yanwang by sheer luck, it wouldn't matter. As long as the Hengshan Sect's reputation remained intact, they could simply recoup those benefits.

Having figured this out, the expressions on the elders' faces softened considerably, and they no longer held Zhang Qi's rudeness against them.

"Go tell Su Mu that we will immediately send the benefits you requested to Zhenyue Peak. We hope he will keep his word, otherwise he will be a sinner of our Hengshan Sect!"

An elder of the Hengshan Sect said in a deep voice.

Zhang Qi bowed deeply to the elders. ...

"Peak Master, there are a total of one hundred million high-grade spirit stones, plus one hundred heavenly soldiers and three hundred thousand-year-old spirit herbs..."

Zhang Qi placed more than a dozen storage rings in front of Su Mu and counted them one by one, "In addition, each peak also gave a total of several hundred miscellaneous servants."

When it comes to their own safety and interests, Xu Gu and the other elders of the Hengshan Sect are extremely efficient in their work.

In less than three days, they had delivered these items to Zhenyue Peak.

Zhang Qi immediately brought the items over for Su Mu to inspect.

Su Mu's face showed a hint of surprise.

He originally just wanted to do both things at once and make a quick buck.

Unexpectedly, Xu Gu and the others were so cooperative, and so generous that even Su Mu was somewhat surprised.

One hundred million high-grade spirit stones, what does that mean?
Back in the Saha World, tens of thousands of high-grade spirit stones brought him and the Great Xuan Dynasty great joy.

If these 100 million high-grade spirit stones were brought back to the Saha World, it would be enough to keep the Great Xuan Dynasty from worrying for several years.

The Yokoyama Sect is indeed the Yokoyama Sect; even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.

However, it's worth noting that those who possess spirit stones may not necessarily belong to the Hengshan Sect; it could simply be the elders and peak masters of the Hengshan Sect.

Those who know, know.

"Peak Master, I think we should ask for less. The elders really have spirit stones!"

Zhang Qi couldn't help but sigh as well.

The lower-level disciples of Hengshan Sect have to fight desperately for survival, but the elders of Hengshan Sect are all sucking the blood of the disciples, and they have long since made a fortune.

At first, Zhang Qi didn't quite understand Su Mu's intentions, but now he does.

He now not only supports Su Mu asking them for spirit stones, but also feels that Su Mu is being too polite and asking for too little.

"I underestimated them too."

Su Mu chuckled, speechless. "Like this—"

He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Send those servants back to them and let them use spirit stones instead."

"Let's give one million high-grade spirit stones per person."

"good idea!"

Zhang Qi was overjoyed.

He didn't want to take in those menial servants in the first place. Who knows if these people were spies sent by the other elders and peak masters?
He'll have to figure out how to clean up these people later.

The Peak Master's idea was the best; the trouble is gone, and we can even make a fortune.

"Peak Master, we elders and Peak Master are now determined to send you to fight Huang Yanwang to the death."

After taking stock of everything, Zhang Qi hesitated for a moment before saying, "They have agreed to all our conditions."

But Master, do you have a chance of winning?

"I see now. Once you, Peak Master, lose to King Yama, they will definitely make up for all the losses we suffered today."

This is what Zhang Qi is most worried about.

The elders and peak masters in the sect are all incompetent fools, but Huang Yanwang is a tough nut to crack.

If we can defeat King Yama, then everything will be fine.

If we can't defeat King Yama, the consequences could be quite troublesome.

Xu Gu and his group couldn't deal with Huang Yanwang, but dealing with Zhenyue Peak wouldn't be difficult for them.

"The odds of winning or losing were originally 30/70."

Su Mu pondered, "But now that we have these things, the outcome should be about 50/50."

Zhang Qi wanted to ask a few more questions, but Su Mu waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry about Huang Yanwang's matter. Go and negotiate with Xu Gu and the others. As long as Zhenyue Peak has any needs, just let us know. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Now, even if you want to sleep with Xu Gu's wife, Xu Gu will obediently deliver her to your bed.

Zhang Qi: "…………"

…………

Outside of the Yokoyama sect.

King Yama looked at the two kneeling before him, his face expressionless.

Elder Jin and Elder Sun looked uneasy, as they had not discussed their feigned death with King Yama.

Afterwards, Huang Yanwang fought a great battle with the elders of Hengshan Sect. Yanfu Sect occupied one-third of Hengshan Sect's territory. The two of them could no longer hide and had to come out to meet Huang Yanwang and tell him the whole story.

“If it were my old temper, both of you would be dead.”

After a long silence, King Yama slowly said, "But let's let it go this time."

This King Yama was just worried that Su Mu's strength wasn't enough to let me have a good fight.

You two actually hit the jackpot by accident.

"Thank you, King Yama!"

Elder Jin and Elder Sun quickly said.

"It's fortunate that I've encountered an opponent like Su Mu during my visit to Hengshan Sect. Even my bottleneck has loosened up."

"Those useless elders of the Hengshan Sect wouldn't be able to achieve this."

Huang Yanwang said, "I have a feeling that if Su Mu is strong enough, and I fight him again, I might be able to break through my bottleneck completely."

Even with Huang Yanwang's temperament, a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.

Elder Jin and Elder Sun exchanged a glance, both seeing the turmoil in each other's eyes.

Has Huang Yanwang broken through the bottleneck?
What is Huang Yanwang's bottleneck?
That's the bottleneck between the Dao Source Realm and the Dao Extreme Realm.

If Huang Yanwang breaks through the bottleneck, doesn't that mean he's about to break through to the Dao Extreme Realm?
My Yanfu Sect is about to have another Dao Extreme Realm expert.

Elder Jin and Elder Sun both showed expressions of surprise and delight.

Although they didn't particularly like Huang Yanwang, it was only because they disliked his temper. If Huang Yanwang could become a Dao Extreme Realm expert, it would be an absolute good thing for both of them, as well as for the entire Yanfu Sect.

Once Huang Yanwang breaks through to the Dao Extreme Realm, he will be able to contend with the sect leader of Hengshan Sect, and the territory they seized from Hengshan Sect will be completely under his control.

From now on, their base will be able to remain as stable as Mount Tai.

but--

Does Su Mu really have the ability to push Huang Yanwang to this extent?
Elder Jin and Elder Sun were somewhat puzzled, but they dared not ask.

"King Yama, if you can break through this bottleneck, will we be able to destroy the Hengshan Sect?"

Elder Sun pondered and said, "If we can destroy the Hengshan Sect, then we will have made history for the Yanfu Sect."

"It's not that easy."

Huang Yanwang shook his head. Although he was confident, he was not arrogant.

"Huang Chao, the sect leader of Hengshan Sect, has been in the Dao Extreme Realm for many years and is considered a top expert among Dao Extreme Realm experts."

Even if I break through, I will never be his match, at least not for the next hundred years.

And that Su Mu—”

Huang Yanwang paused for a moment, a look of confusion flashing across his face.

Elder Jin and Elder Sun exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat surprised.

Shetland Sheepdog?

Does Huang Yanwang value Su Mu that much?
He felt that even if he broke through the calm and achieved the Dao Extreme Realm, Su Mu would still be his opponent.
"King Yama, what do you think are the chances that Su Mu can become a Dao Extreme Realm expert?"

Elder Jin asked hesitantly.

A tall, imposing figure flashed through his mind, and he recalled when he first met Su Mu, Su Mu's strength was only about the same as theirs.

How long has it been? Su Mu's opponent has already become Huang Yanwang, while the two of them are no longer qualified to be his opponents.

Even so, Elder Jin could not have imagined that Su Mu could attract the attention of a Dao Extreme Realm expert.

The difference between the Dao Extreme Realm and the Dao Source Realm is like heaven and earth.

"Hard to say."

Huang Yanwang said expressionlessly, "If the opportunity is right, I wouldn't be surprised if he immediately breaks through to the Dao Extreme Realm."

However, it is also normal that he will never be able to break through to the Dao Extreme Realm in his lifetime.

Whether one can break through to the Dao Realm is uncertain. Huang was full of confidence back then, but he still wasted so many years.

"If I hadn't coincidentally encountered such a troublesome fellow as Su Mu, it's hard to say when I would have been able to break through to the Dao Extreme Realm."

He couldn't help but feel a sense of kinship.

However, his desire to kill Su Mu remained unchanged.

It was out of respect for Su Mu that he used all his strength to kill Su Mu; this was out of respect for his opponent.

“Once you, King Yama, break through to the Dao Realm, as long as Su Mu doesn’t break through, he will be nothing but an ant in your eyes, easily destroyed with a flick of your finger.”

Elder Jin said.

“We’ll talk about the rest later.”

Huang Yanwang wasn't boasting; instead, he said calmly, "I'm actually looking forward to the upcoming battle with Su Mu."

I hope he won't disappoint me. I even specially trained a deadly move for him.

…………

boom!
Su Mu exuded an overwhelming aura, which was visible to the naked eye.

The secret realm of Hengshan Sect is more than ten thousand miles wide. Even if Su Mu makes a lot of noise while cultivating here, he doesn't need to worry about affecting others.

The booming sound lasted for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before Su Mu's imposing aura gradually subsided.

He suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

"It's finally done!"

Su Mu's face lit up with joy.

He stood up, and just by clenching his fist, a visible surge of power rippled through the air.

He just stood there, giving the impression of being a heavy, unshakeable mountain.

The minor success of the Hengshan Body Refining Technique.

Ninety miles from the Dao Source Realm!

With the help of the system panel and his own efforts, Su Mu finally reached this level.

Although he is still some distance from the peak of the Dao Source Realm, Su Mu is already very satisfied.

Cultivating in the Dao Source Realm is fraught with difficulties and dangers. Reaching the level of ninety miles already makes him a top-tier existence within the Dao Source Realm.

"If Huang Yanwang doesn't make any further breakthroughs these days, it's hard to say whether I could win against him now, but at least I wouldn't lose."

Su Mu recalled his previous experience fighting Huang Yanwang and pondered to himself.

Having reached his current level of cultivation, he finally has the confidence to call himself a strongman within the Great Qian Dynasty.

Just as he was pondering this, he saw Zhang Qi flying over from a distance.

Su Mu knew that it must be King Yama coming to his door. (End of Chapter)