Painting of the Nine Immortals
chapter-161

The sun re-emerged from the darkness. Sunset City had returned to its former beauty.

Ling Xian floated in midair, supported by a giant pair of snowy wings, shielded by a glamorous golden armor and holding a magnificent halberd. He appeared to have descended from the top of nine Heavens.

The dark, gargantuan mountain was no more.

The entire city descended into a state of shock.

Mouths fell open. The spectators went mute. No one could believe what they had just witnessed.

After a long moment of pause, the crowd began to wake up from this dream.

"My goodness, how strong is this child? That was the Mayor’s Heaven-turning Stamp!"

"This is usually enough to kill multiple opponents. How can this kid break it so easily?"

"Impossible, just impossible!"

The crowd was overcome by a wave of unrest. Everyone was staring at the strange visitor in awe and amazement.

"Mayor of Sunset City, do you admit your defeat?"

Ling Xian’s expression was calm and collected. He pointed his halberd at his opponent and locked him inside his deadly glare.

"I... do admit my defeat."

The Mayor of Sunset City replied softly with a bittersweet smile. Of course, this was an embarrassing feat for him. But the truth could not be argued with.

Not to mention the deadly glare had already paralyzed him. He fully believed the moment he said anything else would be his last moment on earth.

"Good."

Ling Xian nodded in satisfaction and descended from the sky. As he touched down, he shifted his gaze toward the middle-aged man and continued, coldly, "Now, let’s see who else will come to your rescue."

Ling Xian’s deadly gaze melted the colors off of the middle-aged man’s face. Hastily, the man lifted his golden shield and demanded, "Mayor of Sunset City, you may admit your defeat, but I order you to call on your army and kill this man at once!"

"Shut up!"

The Mayor of the City frowned in anger. He was not in servitude to the Prince. But if the Prince's people perished under his protection, his life would certainly become difficult.

But he’d lost. He gave his word in front of this large crowd. He would never go back on his word and summon an army.

"Ah… what to do."

The Mayor of Sunset City sighed again and bowed to Ling Xian, "Friend, would you listen to me?"

"If you wish to convince me not to kill them, then you needn’t talk." Ling Xian was growing ever more irate at his interference.

The Mayor spoke, "You can kill him, but that will kill you too."

"By the Master of this shield," Ling Xian finished his thought. He knew what type of power a prince of the Zhou Dynasty had. A prince could do anything he wanted. He had armies that could crush cultivators like ants.

But, Ling Xian would not fear him!

Everyone had someone they would give their lives to protect. To Ling Xian, that person was Lin Qing Yi.

Regardless of who they are, anyone who tries to harm her must die.

"That’s right. The master of this shield is the Emperor’s Third Prince," The Mayor of Sunset City responded. His voice exuded a mixed hint of respect and fear. He was not a loyalist. But the Third Prince was one to be feared.

"What? The master of the shield is the brave, brilliant, favorite Third Prince?"

"What a pity, he’s offended the Third Prince, the best of the best of all Imperial offsprings!"

"Not to mention that he’d just broken through to the completion round a few days ago, a record in the Zhou Dynasty!"

"What a fool, now he’ll have nowhere to land within the borders of the Dynasty!"

The crowd erupted at the mention of the Third Prince.

The Third Prince!

The third child of the Emperor, the Third Prince was indeed an incredibly strong, brave and, brilliant man. To the citizens of the Zhou Dynasty, he was perfection personified.

According to legend, the heavens opened the moment he was born and showered miracles across the earth, a sign from the Gods that a legend was born. He soon began to show talents unsurpassed in his age group. He was destined for greatness.

If he had been the first-born son of the Emperor, he would have been declared the Crown Prince many moons ago.

Unfortunately, he was the third-born son. But in recent years, rumors surrounding the downfall of the Crown Prince and the possibility of another appointment to the Crown had begun to circulate. The Third Prince was undoubtedly the top candidate, having risen through the ranks to become the favorite of both the imperial family and the citizens.

"What about the Third Prince?"

Ling Xian let out a half grin, half indifference, and half disdain. He continued, "Not to mention a dog that serves him, if he had come himself, I’d slaughter him just the same."

"Ah, if you insist, then I shan’t persuade you further." The Mayor of Sunset City sighed and waved his hands to signal that Ling Xian was free to proceed.

"No!"

The middle-aged man began to scream, "No, Mayor of Sunset City, the shield is here, you can’t just ignore it, you can’t ignore me!"

"The shield demands that the Mayor of Sunset City challenge once. I have done so. I won’t do it again," The Mayor shook his head and responded.

The man’s heart sank. Seeing the advancing steps of Ling Xian, he cowered backward and hollered, "Don’t...don’t take another step, the Third Prince won’t let you off the hook!"

"Really. I’d like to meet him then if he’s such a legend in this town."

Ling Xian advanced calmly, step by step. His grip on the halberd tightened. The man slouched on the ground, paralyzed by fear and unable to move another inch."

"Die!"

The halberd flashed rays of gold as an invisible blade attempted to pierce across the man’s waist and slice him cleanly in half.

But the golden shield protested. A gleaming dragon jumped off the coating of the shield and placed itself in between the killer and the victim.

"This shield again."

Ling Xian muttered, annoyed. But just as he geared up to unleash a more powerful force, a stranger’s voice sounded in the distance.

"I do not need you to discipline my men."

The deep, raspy voice penetrated the air like a bellowing thunder strike. Ling Xian was the only one in the crowd that remained unfazed.