Chapter 510 - 290: The Might of a Grandmaster—You Have a Nice Neck!

Just at this moment...

"Stop!"

An elderly man with a flowing white beard swiftly approached, his body swirling with the forces of yin and yang, like a human vortex. His aura surged and rolled like angry waves, and the vital energy faintly gathered into substance above his head, soaring into the clouds.

A Fourth-Grade Daoist Cultivator, and certainly not a novice!

The newcomer took a step forward, and with just a small stride, the ground seemed to shrink beneath his feet, appearing instantly at the center of the crowd, in front of the two men.

He wore an elegant robe embroidered with silver threads, adorned with the word ’Tao.’ His sparse eyebrows were now furrowed with anger.

Tao Family, Tao Jidong!

"You dare to launch a sneak attack on my Tao Family member? Considering you are a junior from the Li Family, I’ll let you go this once. Release him now!"

Tao Jidong glared icily at Su Mu.

A formidable aura belonging to a Fourth-Grade Daoist Cultivator pressed down harshly on Su Mu.

Outside the restaurant, at this moment, whether from the Li Family or Tao Family, or the onlookers, everyone’s expressions changed drastically, stepping back several paces in unison.

Li Yao’s face tightened upon seeing Tao Jidong appear; unwilling to retreat, she was nevertheless stumbled backward by his powerful aura, and Li Changshan stepped forward to shield Li Yao, but he had to retreat as well.

In an instant.

Su Mu, who had one hand clamped around Tao Xinglie’s throat, found the area around him had cleared out, leaving only the two of them.

During autumn, the crisp morning air of Bai Jiao Mountain had already turned icy, crystallizing into snowflakes that pressed down on Su Mu.

The Upper Three Grades are revered as great cultivators by the world, partly because of the pressure beyond ordinary reach.

During the Pre-Qin Era, martial arts flourished, the Great Qin unified the eight regions and the world, and martial arts were the pinnacle in the cultivation realm; thus, during the Pre-Qin Era, people called all great cultivators with the title of Upper Three Grades Grandmaster.

This is the Grandmaster Realm!

Later, the tyrannical Qin fell after two generations, and martial arts waned for thousands of years. Cultivators from the Three Religions scorned associating with martial artists, seldom claiming the title Grandmaster Realm, preferring to declare their own great realms.

Such is the power of a Grandmaster.

Like a celestial chasm, unless one enters the Upper Three Grades, under the pressure of a Grandmaster, full strength rarely exceeds half; some prodigies in the Middle Third Grade could still transcend boundaries and defy the realm.

But for thousands of years, few managed to transcend from Middle Third Grade to the Grandmaster Realm.

Fourth Grade, as the final realm of the Middle Third Grade, when cultivation reaches later stages, whether Three Religions Cultivator, Martial Dao, or Gu Cultivator, all begin to condense their aura towards a grandmaster’s might, with some uniquely gifted even displaying its nascent form early.

Even the remaining pressure made everyone present feel like they were amidst tumultuous waves.

"Wang Chan!"

Seeing Su Mu showing no signs of releasing his grip, Li Yao spoke with concern, fearing that the current situation would provide Tao Jidong with an excuse to strike.

In everyone’s eyes, Su Mu at the center of the storm looked like a fragile reed about to be washed away.

Yet...

The imagined scene did not occur; Su Mu stood tall and unmoving.

"Roar——!"

A dignified dragon roar resonated from Su Mu’s brow, causing Bai Jiao Mountain to tremble and a swirling sea of clouds to form a faint white flood dragon shadow above his head.

"This man is much weaker than Li Heng..."

Su Mu’s gaze glittered with both delight and a killing intent hidden in his depths.

Delight lay in the accuracy of his inference; by merging a trace of Dragon Power left behind by the fallen white flood dragon, he had obtained a method to counter the pressure of a Fourth-Grade Cultivator.

Now, the typical pressure from a Fourth-Grade Daoist Cultivator could not disrupt the flow of power within his body.

As for killing intent, it manifested because Su Mu’s Small Success in Martial Momentum intuitively sensed murderous intent from this old Tao Family fiend before him – those who kill shall be killed.

If the opponent wished to kill him, why shouldn’t he return the favor?

Additionally, the face and features of the old villain reminded Su Mu of the detestable visage of Tao Xingzheng.

Tao Xingzheng, as the magistrate of Qingyun, colluded with the Black Mountain Army, allowing them to grow and rampage freely; at least half of the Black Mountain Army’s slaughter and crimes had to be attributed to this man.

But ultimately, what did Tao Xingzheng pay?

The price was merely an official promotion to First Grade for his merit in suppressing the Black Mountain Army, leaping three levels, directly becoming a Sima of One County!

Yet, Master Zhou Shan at the Blacksmith Shop, along with the other masters, lay eternally buried at Bailu Mountain, and countless Three Counties inhabitants were left separated from their families.

Without Su Mu.

Even Tao Xingzheng might leave Qingyun, only to have the oblivious Qingyun Three Counties inhabitants sing praises and erect monuments, burning incense in gratitude for the great man.

With the influence of the Tao Family, a Sima of One County is merely the beginning; a scourge like Tao Xingzheng, who regards people as mere grass, would undoubtedly ascend rapidly.

At this moment, Su Mu seemed to understand Wang Xuantian’s words even more. Without the Tao Family’s connivance, would Tao Xingzheng be so, and would figures like Tao Xinglie and Tao Jidong be so arrogant and domineering, shamelessly displaying their murderous intentions?

The killing intent in Su Mu surged like autumn waters in Donglai River, as he weighed the possibility of launching an attack right now to directly slay Tao Jidong on the spot.

A Daoist Cultivator’s physique is not strong, a fact revalidated by his grip on Tao Xinglie’s throat.

Meanwhile, the person before him clearly did not regard him as a threat.

If he went all out, even if unable to kill with one blow, it would be enough to inflict a grave injury; yet in full view of the public, striking down a Tao Family Fourth-Grade Cultivator unprovoked...

Even the Li Family wouldn’t be able to protect him, likely branding him a desperate wanted criminal, and his promises with the Li Family, the chance to comprehend and impact the Upper Three Grades up close, would be hard to come by.