Chapter 997: Looking for Trouble
Luo Ying regarded Wen Caiyi coldly. “If you believe yourself so strong, challenge the Hall of Fame. I don't converse with strangers.” She never understood why this strikingly beautiful woman persistently challenged her. If it was because of Yuan Guannan, it seemed even more absurd; she held no interest in him.
A peculiar tension hung in the air as they spoke. Both ranked among the South Peace State's top ten beauties, yet their words clashed upon meeting.
Ning Qingxue observed Wen Caiyi. Taller than herself and Luo Ying, with shoulder-length hair and a proud, exquisitely beautiful face, her complexion lacked Beiwei's alabaster tone, yet possessed a unique allure that captivated the gaze. Ning Qingxue found her beautiful, but slightly inferior to Susu—at best, their beauty was comparable.
“Wen Caiyi, Susu has never met you. Why challenge her?” Ning Qingxue asked, frowning.
“I dislike sharing a rank. I intend to prove myself the sole first among the South Peace State's top ten beauties,” Wen Caiyi stated calmly.
Yuan Guannan looked at Wen Caiyi with displeasure. “Caiyi, don’t speak like that.”
Wen Caiyi scoffed, ignoring him.
Luo Ying calmly addressed Wen Caiyi. “I never considered myself a top ten beauty. If you covet the title, take it. Qingxue and Beiwei share my indifference; the title is yours for the taking. From now on, exclude us from your rankings. If bored, find another opponent; I lack your penchant for conflict. Qingxue, Beiwei, let's go.”
She took their hands and left. Everyone was astonished. Luo Susu's unconcern was one thing, but what authority did she have to exclude Ning Qingxue and Tang Beiwei? Their willing departure was even more surprising.
Wen Caiyi, momentarily stunned, stopped them. “Good, you possess self-awareness, but some men are untouchable. Even if you dare, I will reclaim what's mine, and I will challenge you.”
“Caiyi…” Yuan Guannan protested, clearly believing she referred to him.
Luo Ying, outwardly gentle but inwardly resolute, felt contempt for such petty squabbles. Her tone chilled. “I have a husband, and I will only touch my husband. No one can take him from me, you included. Beyond my husband, even if you claim all the men in the world, it concerns me not.”
A hush fell. No one expected the renowned beauty to be married. Many admirers felt a chill, their hopes dashed.
“Susu, you're married?” Yuan Guannan's face paled, his voice unsteady. “Who? Who is he?”
Luo Susu left without a glance.
Wen Caiyi's shock morphed into displeasure. Luo Susu hadn't fought back, yet had utterly defeated her with a few words. The implication that Wen Caiyi was promiscuous stung deeply, regardless of her intent to reference Yuan Guannan.
She vowed, no matter her husband's identity, to prove unstoppable in obtaining the man she desired. She would steal her husband, then return him, revealing the chasm between them.
Ye Mo emerged from a month of secluded cultivation, greeted by Ye Ling and Song Yangzhu, both having reached the Golden Core state. Elated, he prepared to provide them with cultivation resources, but a powerful spiritual energy whirlpool erupted outside Pei Hai City.
“Brother, that's Brother Li forming his Nascent Soul. Master and Sister Shan have gone; let's go too,” Ye Ling said.
Ye Mo immediately launched his flying ship, taking Song Yangzhu and Ye Ling to Pei Hai City. Thousands of cultivators had gathered, drawn by the Nascent Soul formation, though mostly Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Li Jingwen sat within a simple spirit gathering formation, protected anxiously by Li Yuqian and Zhen Xiaoshan. Understanding cultivators maintained a respectful distance, but some Golden Core cultivators disregarded the solemnity of the occasion, remaining unusually close.
This infuriated Ye Mo. Nascent Soul formation required absolute concentration, yet Li Jingwen lacked even a defensive formation.
Upon seeing Ye Mo, Li Yuqian's anxiety eased. Ye Mo saluted the nearby cultivators. “Friends, our Mo Yue manager Li is forming his Nascent Soul. We appreciate your presence, but please retreat five kilometers; I must set up a formation. Mo Yue's Ye Mo thanks you.”
Whispers arose. "Mo Yue's Ye Mo? The elusive owner? Only Golden Core level five?"
"Don't underestimate him. At Golden Core level two, he easily killed mid-stage Golden Core cultivators."
Most retreated. However, five Golden Core cultivators remained stubbornly close, a blatant threat to Li Jingwen's breakthrough.
Ye Mo deployed formation flags, his gaze cold. "Why are you still here?"
A Golden Core peak cultivator laughed. “What's his breakthrough to me? Is this your land? A mere Golden Core level five dares to clear the area.”
Ye Mo continued deploying flags. “Think this through. Once this formation is active, you won't leave.”
A Golden Core level eight sneered. “A fight? Ah, I see, you have a Nascent Soul cultivator. Fine, attack. The Yang Hai Merchant Association boasts many more Nascent Soul cultivators than Mo Yue. You have one, and you dare tell us to leave?”
The onlookers understood; this was sabotage. Impeding a dao foundation was a grave transgression.
Ye Mo ceased persuasion, deploying more flags and spirit stones. The formation's nature remained unclear, but the surrounding spiritual energy thickened, and Li Jingwen's form gradually blurred. Even the Yang Hai cultivators became indistinct.