Chapter Thirty-Three: A Gentleman’s Posturing—There’s Always a Next Time!

"Kid, you think you can walk away after killing someone? What do you take Tianxuan City for?"
At that moment, a voice full of authority echoed from the horizon.
Above the plaza, five figures descended slowly, their presence unmistakable. All five were cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, making no attempt to conceal their aura. Two were elderly men, while the other three appeared to be middle-aged. One middle-aged man stood at the forefront, with the other four trailing half a step behind.
Chen Xiang's smile was as warm and gentle as a spring breeze.
The system had sensed the danger long ago: all five were at least at the third tier of the Nascent Soul stage, with the foremost man even reaching the eighth tier.
"The Heavenly Guard!" The city defense commander murmured in shock upon seeing them.
The Heavenly Guard was the city lord’s most elite group of protectors, answering solely to him and disregarding all other orders. Like the Earthly Guard, they numbered ten in total, and now five had appeared here.
The crowd was stunned; none had expected such a formidable turnout. The reputation of the Heavenly Guard was well known throughout the region, inspiring awe and respect in all who heard their name.
"So that's the Heavenly Guard? Their aura is truly overwhelming."
"It seems they've come for that young man."
"I fear that youth won't escape today. After all, he killed someone in the cultivators’ marketplace—how could he leave unscathed?"
...
"Young master, you should leave first. I'll cover our retreat. If I reveal my family name, the city lord won't dare harm me," Li Qin'er whispered.
Chen Xiang felt his heart warm at her words—he hadn't expected Qin'er to care for him so much.
"No, even if you use your family name, what good will it do? If you fall into the Li family's hands, won't you end up as a living sacrifice? Don't worry, this little show can't stop us," Chen Xiang replied, shaking his head.
After all, he possessed the Void Escape talismans—if things went south, he could simply flee. What was difficult about that? There would always be another day to show off; today he had made a fortune. Once he returned and mastered the Imperial Seal technique, stacking five seals, he'd dare challenge even cultivators at the Spirit Transformation stage!
Naturally, Chen Xiang took Li Qin’er's hand—soft, moist, and elastic. Before Qin'er restored her beauty by fully replenishing her Heavenly Heart Yin Vessel, enjoying these little advantages was rather pleasant.
Li Qin'er struggled slightly when he took her hand, then gave up, a blush rising on her face only to fade again as she thought of her appearance. Did she really deserve such an outstanding man?
Ignoring the five members of the Heavenly Guard, Chen Xiang turned to the entrance of the Treasure Pill Pavilion, where Young Master Zhuang in his splendid robes stood, glaring at him with hate.
When Zhuang saw Chen Xiang looking his way, he was startled, but quickly calmed himself. Though he feared Chen Xiang, with the Heavenly Guard present he felt completely safe.
"You... Who are you? Did you order that fool to kill me?" Chen Xiang asked.

Di Jiu quickly darted in front of Young Master Zhuang, blocking him from Chen Xiang with a wary gaze. Among the five in the sky, a middle-aged man instantly appeared before Zhuang.
Though Young Master Zhuang was a worthless cultivator who spent his days drinking and carousing, he was the city lord’s only son. With countless precious pills, he had managed to reach the seventh tier of the Foundation Establishment stage. If anything happened to him, the city lord would be furious!
"Hmph, kid. I admit you're strong, but today you won't escape! I advise you to surrender. Let me play with your woman, and I’ll let you die quickly," Zhuang sneered, now emboldened by his protectors.
Li Qin’er’s eyes grew cold at Zhuang’s words. She hadn’t expected the city lord’s son to be so uncouth, coveting her body. She would never submit!
The crowd felt no surprise at Zhuang’s remark; they were accustomed to his behavior—this was hardly his first offense.
Chen Xiang pressed his lips together and laughed lightly. "Ha, a true villain! I thought I was bad, but you’re even more shameless."
He wickedly wondered if Zhuang would wet himself the night he saw Qin’er's face fully restored. Of course, such thoughts were best left unspoken.
"Hmph, kid. Save your words for the city lord’s dungeon!" declared the foremost middle-aged man among the four in the sky.
"Heh." Chen Xiang merely chuckled. His spiritual power had recovered to about sixty percent thanks to the system.
He smiled harmlessly at Zhuang, who felt a chill run from his backside up to his head.
"Here’s a little treasure for you!"
With a calm smile, Chen Xiang casually tossed the Mountain-Splitting Seal and Sea-Turning Seal toward Zhuang.
"You scoundrel, how dare you!"
The four in the sky shouted, sending powerful techniques towards Chen Xiang.
"Farewell, gentlemen—see you next time, sayonara!" Chen Xiang waved at the Heavenly Guard, holding Li Qin’er’s hand, and crushed several Void Escape talismans.
Space twisted around them, and the two vanished.
"Spatial power!" The crowd was astonished. Spatial abilities belonged to cultivators at the Void Refinement stage. How could this youth possess such power?
"Boom!"
With Chen Xiang gone, several powerful techniques struck his former position, ravaging the plaza once more.
"Boom!"
Another explosion—before Zhuang, the middle-aged man, using his seventh-tier Nascent Soul cultivation, broke the Mountain-Splitting Seal and withstood the Sea-Turning Seal. His blood surged, and a trickle of crimson spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Though he resisted the Sea-Turning Seal, its residual force swept toward Zhuang, who panicked and retreated. Di Jiu rushed forward to shield him with a defensive technique.
The four Heavenly Guard members quickly approached. Their leader asked, "Tian Lu, are you alright?"
Tian Lu shook his head. "I’m fine, just a slight injury. I hadn’t expected that kid to possess such strength."
He turned to look at Zhuang, who lay unconscious on the ground, a pungent smell rising from between his legs—he had wet himself in fear!
His guardian, Di Jiu, bore a scorched chest, his breath completely gone.

...

Dozens of miles away, in a small town, two figures suddenly appeared in the street. The townsfolk, busy with their affairs, were startled by the sudden appearance.
"Ghosts!"
...
In an instant, all vendors and pedestrians scattered.
Seeing this, Chen Xiang gave Li Qin’er an embarrassed smile.
Li Qin’er smiled softly, curious how Chen Xiang had managed to escape with her. But she knew this was a great secret and chose not to ask.
"Ding! Congratulations, host 'Chen Xiang,' for slaying a second-tier Core Formation cultivator. You gain ten thousand experience points and a storage pouch."
"Ding! Congratulations, host 'Chen Xiang,' for slaying a Core Formation cultivator. You gain a Golden Core."
...
"Huh? I actually killed a Core Formation cultivator?" Chen Xiang thought, surprised. He had only intended to disgust them, since so many high-level Nascent Soul cultivators were present. He hadn't expected to make a profit—every little bit counts.
"Young master, where are we now?" Li Qin’er asked, since Chen Xiang had brought her out.
Chen Xiang looked around, laughing awkwardly. "Haha... I have no idea, either. Let's find a place to stay and ask around."
"Alright!" Li Qin’er nodded.
"To be continued..."