Chapter 161: Stalemate

"This is it!" Suoguang, who was most familiar with Black Mountain City, pointed at the Gu residence, which was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

The other figures wore mocking smiles.

"Tsk tsk, it seems the little girl is truly quite a character. She's really planning to make a big splash here. Elder Yu is bound to be over-the-moon thrilled when he sees this magnificent scene," Gong Yixiu said with a smile. "If we crash Elder Yu's party like this, will the old man get so furious he stops breathing and kicks the bucket?"

Yan Xia also revealed a smile, though his eyes grew increasingly chilling. "Old Wu, go knock on the door!"

Wu Nan let out a dark chuckle and strode forward. His mountain-like physique immediately drew the attention of the others.

"Hey! What are you people?"

"What do you think you're doing? This is the Gu residence!"

...

A cacophony of shouting and reprimands reached Wu Nan's ears. He sneered, dropped his center of gravity before the Gu family's main gate, coiled his fist, and lunged forward!

A pitch-black fist aura erupted from his hand!

Like a shooting star plunging from the sky, it slammed heavily into the Gu family's gates.

The vermilion gates, newly coated with red lacquer, instantly shattered into countless pieces. Violent energy surged, and shockwaves swept wildly across the area. The nearby Gu family guards were instantly blown backward by the blast.

Screams and curses immediately rang out.

"Who dares come to the Gu residence to cause trouble!" Mu Lei's figure appeared at the entrance.

"Get lost!" Wu Nan didn't waste words, unleashing another punch.

Mu Lei's gaze hardened, and he threw a punch without the slightest hesitation. The two fist auras collided without any fancy tricks. Mu Lei felt an astonishing wave of force crash into him, as if a heavy hammer had struck his chest. He spat a mouthful of blood and was hurled backward into the courtyard.

"Uncle Mu!" Gu Xue cried out in utter panic.

Wu Nan burst into roaring laughter, filled with absolute disdain and contempt. "Some grand Azure Sky Mu Lei! Nothing special at all!"

The group of four swaggered into the Gu residence.

Mu Lei lay on the ground, his face pale and blood spilling from the corners of his mouth, as he forced himself to stand up. Seeing Mu Lei's condition, Gu Xue's tears nearly fell. Knowing this was not the time for tears, she gritted her teeth, turned around, and shouted loudly, "Yan Xia! What is the meaning of this? Does the Executive Committee have the right to barge into my Gu family at will?"

"What do you mean?" Gong Yixiu chuckled lightly. "Just dropping by to say hello. Who knew that a prestigious family like the Gu clan would have gates so flimsy?"

Yan Xia couldn't be bothered to waste breath. "Hand over Tang Tian."

Gu Xue's face turned completely pale in an instant. Only then did she suddenly realize that their target was A-Tian!

A-Tian, please, you must not come out...

"They aren't here!" Gu Xue forced herself to stay calm and shook her head. "They left a few days ago!"

Yan Xia's expression instantly darkened. "Search!"

"Hold on!" An elderly voice suddenly rang out from behind the crowd. With white hair and eyebrows, a rosy complexion, and steady steps, the old man carried an aura of natural authority that brooked no insolence. The people accompanying him looked at the devastated Gu family gates, their expressions turning exceptionally grim.

Gu Xue could hardly believe her eyes, a wave of pleasant surprise washing over her. "Elder Yu!"

Wu Nan and the others' expressions shifted slightly, while only Yan Xia remained indifferent. "I didn't expect Elder Yu to arrive so quickly."

"Indeed. If I didn't arrive quickly, not a single tile of the Gu family would be left standing," Elder Yu said, his expression sinking. An anger as tangible as reality radiated from him, causing everyone nearby to feel a tightening in their chests as an overwhelming pressure blanketed the area.

Yan Xia said calmly, "Could it be that Elder Yu intends to obstruct the Executive Committee in the execution of its duties?"

Elder Yu, possessing vast experience, let out a cold snort. "We came here precisely to see how your esteemed Executive Committee executes its duties."

Yan Xia gave an "oh" sound and commanded, "Go search those three fellows out."

As Wu Nan and the other two made to move, three figures suddenly darted out from behind Elder Yu, intercepting them. Wu Nan and his companions recognized all three: Li Xin, Lu Qing, and Ji Tian—all renowned and powerful experts in their own right.

Yan Xia's expression sank, and tangible killing intent burst forth, causing everyone present to pale.

"Want to test me?"

Not a trace of fear flickered in Elder Yu's eyes, and his momentum did not fall behind in the slightest. "Today, this old man will risk his remaining years, but I will never allow the Gu family to suffer such humiliation again! Since when did the Executive Committee have the authority to search someone else's home? Utterly ridiculous!"

Yan Xia's killing intent vanished without a trace as quickly as it had appeared, as if nothing had happened at all. He chuckled lightly. "It seems Elder Yu has a deep misunderstanding of us. Since that is the case, we shall wait for the Executive Administrator to arrive before discussing this further."

With that, he turned to Gu Xue and said, "Miss Gu, we prefer a quieter courtyard. My subordinate was reckless earlier and struck too heavily, injuring your servant—a truly regrettable matter. Ah, here is compensation for the medical expenses."

With a flick of his finger, a star-coin card embedded itself into the ground right beside Mu Lei.

Gu Xue's pale face stared at Yan Xia, brimming with biting coldness.

"Very well then. I presume Administrator Xu will give this old man an explanation!" Elder Yu felt quite triumphant seeing Yan Xia back down.

A trace of relief washed over Gu Xue's heart. She knew very well that Elder Yu had his own motives, but for her, as long as Elder Yu and the others were present, Yan Xia and his group wouldn't dare act recklessly.

Yet, a lingering sense of doubt remained in her mind. A-Tian and the others hadn't even shown themselves.

It was entirely abnormal!

Given A-Tian and Ling Xu's tempers, they surely would have rushed out without a second thought.

She decided to go check on them later. I hope nothing has happened to A-Tian and the others.

***

Tang Tian set the little girl on his back down and pulled the silk scarf out of her mouth.

"I want water!" The little girl showed no fear whatsoever, speaking boldly.

Tang Tian was somewhat surprised, so he produced a flask of water for her. She gulped down several mouthfuls before stopping, looking dissatisfied as she said, "Hey, untie these ropes right now!"

The little girl was around seven or eight years old, with golden hair and black eyes. Exquisite and adorable, resembling a porcelain doll, her face bore not a shred of terror or dread, but rather a hint of excitement.

"Why should I untie your ropes?" Tang Tian felt it was completely inexplicable. "Captives should have the proper attitude of captives!"

"Do you know who I am?" The little girl lifted her chin, looking at Tang Tian with haughty pride.

"Of course I know."

The great apeing figure before her nodded.

This made the little girl quite pleased. "Knowing that, and you still haven't untied me! Watch out when I—"

"You're just a captive."

To her horror, the great ape stuffed the silk scarf right back into her mouth. She struggled desperately, but only muffled whimpering sounds emerged.

"Captives need to have the consciousness of captives." Tang Tian thought the little girl simply lacked intelligence. Well, even if it were him, if he were taken captive, he would certainly never utter such foolish words.

The little girl thrashed wildly in Tang Tian's grip. Although her strength was negligible to him, Tang Tian still found her somewhat troublesome, as it might interfere with his actions.

Without another word, he found some tough, aged vines and wrapped them tightly around the little girl's body, layer by layer.

A moment later, her body from the neck down was bound securely by the vines, making her look like a rigid wooden stake. Not only could she not move, but she couldn't even bend her torso.

The little girl's eyes practically blazed with fire.

If looks could kill, Tang Tian would have died countless times over.

Yet Tang Tian completely ignored her glare, quite satisfied with his handiwork. He even tested tossing the little girl into the air, and seeing that she remained completely motionless like a wooden post, he was finally content.

"Haha! Now you can't move at all. From now on, your name is Little Vine-girl!" He turned his head back to look behind him, feeling somewhat puzzled. "Huh? Why haven't they caught up yet? Their speed is way too slow!"

After waiting for two hours, there was still no sign of them.

Tang Tian decided to give up on waiting. He quickly located Bing and Ghost Claw, both of whom were completely unharmed.

"The pursuers have vanished," Tang Tian told Bing.

Bing was also somewhat baffled, glancing at the Little Vine-girl in Tang Tian's hands. "Why are you dragging her along?"

Tang Tian's spirits lifted as he recounted what he had witnessed that day, along with his own deductions. Bing also found it made a lot of sense. "Hmm, if that's the case, they will definitely catch up eventually! Let's go find Ling Xu first. He's in the most danger; the fellow chasing him is extremely powerful."

The three of them hurried toward the prearranged rendezvous point.

As they drew near, fierce sounds of combat echoed from ahead. All three of them were startled and immediately dashed forward like arrows shot from a bow.

Ling Xu was in a sorry state. His opponent clearly held the upper hand, wielding an overbearing fist technique. With every strike, millstone-sized fist auras whistled through the air with terrifying speed. The sky seemed filled with these massive fists roaring down like rain, arresting the soul. The surrounding forest was in utter ruins, dust flying everywhere. Each fist aura struck the ground like a colossal boulder hurled from an ancient catapult, sending earth splashing about amidst thunderous roars.

Even Tang Tian felt a chill run through his heart at the sight.

If a fellow like this attacked a city, he alone could probably batter the city walls to pieces.

However...

For some reason, deep within Tang Tian's body, a voice seemed to be whispering to him.

*Defeat him! Defeat him! As long as you defeat him, you can become stronger!*

"Bing, take care of her!" Tang Tian tossed the little girl to Bing and, without waiting for a response, charged forward.

"Such an impatient fellow." Bing accepted Little Vine-girl with a helpless expression, though he knew he wasn't suited for combat at the moment. For the sake of concealment, he hadn't worn his mechanical martial armor, rendering his current strength the weakest among them.

Watching Tang Tian charge into battle, Bing felt a stir of emotion. Just how long had it been, yet this guy had already grown to such an astonishing degree?

This fellow...

He didn't have Ghost Claw step in immediately; every battle was a rare and precious real-combat opportunity for Tang Tian.

Bing had already discovered that Tang Tian's progress in actual combat vastly outpaced mere cultivation. Even the meticulously designed training regimens he formulated couldn't compare to the crucible of battle.

Moreover, with Bing's discerning eye, he could see that while this formidable, large-statured brute possessed outstanding strength, his style was broad and sweeping—completely different from Tang Tian's close-quarters wrestling approach.

He was also curious just how long Tang Tian could hold out.

"Little Xuxu! Let me handle this!" Tang Tian roared at the top of his lungs from mid-air.

"Get lost!" Ling Xu, constantly suppressed and burning with inner rage, found Tang Tian's words instantly push him over the edge. He didn't hesitate to unleash his ultimate move, his momentum skyrocketing. Suddenly, his spine seemed to jam, completely refusing to obey his commands.

Ling Xu's face turned sheet white.

Yet the burly man had continuously worn down his stamina through relentless, powerful pressure, and his body had finally broken at this very moment.

*No! How could I...*

Unwilling to admit defeat, Ling Xu's pale face abruptly flushed with a red hue, his eyes burning like twin flames. He drew a deep breath, his aura surging once more. *Go to hell—*

*Thud.* A foot abruptly stamped squarely onto his face.

Ling Xu was completely unprepared for Tang Tian's ambush. His stiff body, rigid as a wooden post, flipped over in mid-air and hurtled backward toward Bing.

Completely ignoring the flying Ling Xu behind him, Tang Tian turned his gaze to the burly man, narrowed his eyes, and chuckled darkly. "Sorry, we're swapping players!" *(To be continued)*