Chapter 1827: Spatial Strangulation

Back when Murong City near the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud North Domain was still standing, experts did indeed gather here, but that was only because the Murong Family had set its headquarters in this place; ever since the Murong Family was annihilated nearly a hundred years ago, this area had long since become a desolate wasteland.

This much could already be seen from the strength of those Cultivators who rushed here to seek treasure when the energy of the Murong Tomb erupted earlier; at that time, the strongest among them was only the Half-step Holy Rank Tan Qigong, Director of the Emperor Palace.

With such cultivation, Tan Qigong could still dominate alone within the range of Murong City, so in An Sou’s eyes, within this region, those who had reached the Holy Rank Third Realm were extremely few and far between.

What’s more, even if that old man had already broken through to the Hua Xuan Realm, An Sou himself was a figure at the Hua Xuan Realm Peak, and moreover hailed from the Lu Family; his combat strength was far more ferocious than that of Ordinary Cultivators of the same level.

"You are not qualified to know my name!"

Before such a large crowd, how could Murong Sou possibly report his name, and the disdain in his voice clearly and forcibly enraged An Sou.

"I don’t care who you are. Since you dare help that brat Yun Xiao, then today you must die!"

Under Murong Sou and Yun Xiao’s mocking gazes, An Sou still remained oblivious; as those shamelessly boastful words left his mouth, his entire figure suddenly lunged fiercely toward Murong Sou.

These two experts whose names both contained the character "Sou" might both possess cultivation at the Holy Vein Three Realms, yet one was only at the Hua Xuan Realm Peak, whereas the other had already reached the Supreme Saint Realm; they simply could not be mentioned in the same breath.

Thus, at the very moment An Sou launched his attack—no, from the instant Murong Sou appeared in this outer world—An Sou’s fate was already sealed; this was fundamentally a completely unequal battle.

"A mere ant, and you dare shake an elephant?"

Sensing the Hua Xuan Realm Peak aura surging from An Sou’s body, a cold smile emerged on Murong Sou’s face; after he let out a frigid snort, he abruptly extended his right hand and pointed from afar at the onrushing An Sou.

"Hm?"

Just that seemingly casual finger made An Sou’s expression change drastically on the spot, for he suddenly discovered that the air around him had actually solidified at this instant, and moreover seemed to contain an irresistible power.

"This is... Space Power?"

One had to admit that An Sou was still a Holy Vein Three Realms expert at the Hua Xuan Realm Peak; his sensing of this Space Power was far beyond what the onlookers could compare to, and he recognized it immediately.

Furthermore, as the very person caught in it, An Sou bore the brunt even more directly; at this moment, he had already determined that the old man was at least a Holy Rank Cultivator of the Hua Xuan Realm, though that strength might not necessarily surpass his own as a Hua Xuan Realm Peak expert.

Yet in the next instant, An Sou realized he was wrong, utterly and completely wrong, because the goal of those Space Powers was far from merely restraining him for a moment.

"Strangle!"

A low, deep shout rolled out from Murong Sou’s mouth; immediately, all the spectators clearly saw that the space where An Sou stood suddenly twisted a few degrees.

At this moment, Murong Sou’s right hand lightly clenched, then slowly twisted, as though he were manipulating some invisible power; that distant patch of space was precisely the range under his control.

"This is Spatial Strangulation? No... how is this possible?"

When An Sou discovered that the space he occupied had actually begun to twist, his expression grew incomparably dark, for he seemed to have realized something.

Although, deep in his heart, An Sou subconsciously did not want to believe this was real, there was still a voice roaring within his chest, forcing him to accept it; in the face of reality, all struggle was futile.

"Supreme Saint Realm Expert!"

By the time An Sou was frantically struggling, attempting to escape the range of that Spatial Strangulation, yet never succeeding, he could only accept this fact.

For as a cultivator at the Hua Xuan Realm Peak, An Sou, who had already stepped into the threshold of space, understood very clearly what level one had to reach to unleash this ultimate technique of Spatial Strangulation.

The Holy Vein Three Realms—Hua Xuan, Cave Nether, and Supreme Saint—were three great Realms, each with striking differences; in essence, they lay in the study and application of Space Power.

If the Hua Xuan Realm merely allowed one to draw out a trace of Space Power for personal use, then the Cave Nether Realm already permitted one to manipulate such power, differing only in degree of strength.

As for the highest Supreme Saint Realm, its grasp of Space Power was as effortless as reaching out a hand; every gesture and movement contained Space Power, and when facing an opponent, merely executing a Spatial Strangulation could grind the enemy into nothingness.

Of course, this referred to a Supreme Saint Realm expert facing someone a full Great Realm lower in cultivation, such as those at the Cave Nether or Hua Xuan levels.

At this moment, An Sou’s heart had already sunk to rock bottom; he now understood that his inability to sense the other party’s cultivation was not because the old man had concealed his strength, but because the gap between them was simply too vast.

Between the Hua Xuan Realm and the Supreme Saint Realm, there is still a Great Realm of the Cave Nether Realm in between. With such a gap, how could An Sou possibly sense Murong Sou’s true cultivation?

It was precisely because he lacked this information that An Sou overestimated himself and launched the attack first, only to end up being annihilated by Murong Sou with a single Spatial Strangulation.

"Shatter!"

Watching An Sou struggling desperately within the Space Power, there was not the slightest trace of mercy on Murong Sou’s face. He let out a soft murmur, then tightly clenched his right hand.

Crash!

A sound like shattering glass rang out, and immediately afterward everyone saw the space where An Sou was located crumble into pieces, along with that Hua Xuan Realm Peak expert within, who was turned into a mist of blood.

"That’s Spatial Strangulation?!"

Seeing this scene, the onlooking crowd in the distance finally reacted belatedly. Although they hadn’t even reached the Holy Vein Three Realms, there was no lack of well-informed people among them, and one of them cried out in shock.

"It’s said that Spatial Strangulation can only be unleashed by a Supreme Saint Realm expert. Could it be that that man... that senior’s cultivation has already reached the Supreme Saint Realm?"

Another Meridian Refining Master also had a face full of shock. After realizing this fact, even though he kept his voice extremely low, he didn’t dare show the slightest disrespect to that carefree old man in the sky.

These onlooking Cultivators, who had previously felt nothing but awe toward even Hua Xuan Realm experts, suddenly witnessed yet another Supreme Saint Realm expert appear. One could imagine their state of mind.

That could already be said to be one of the most top-tier groups in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, and yet one had actually appeared today by the shore of Yingrong Lake. Just what background did that unfamiliar Super Expert have?

"Could he be from the Murong Family?"

Some people were sharp-minded and hit upon the truth with one guess. After all, this was where the Murong Tomb was located, and that old man clearly hated Emperor Canglong Palace to the bone. Otherwise, how would he dare even kill people from Emperor Canglong Palace?

Combining these two circumstances greatly narrowed the scope, for in today’s Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, those who dared stand against Emperor Canglong Palace—whether individuals or Family Sects—were already extremely few.

Thinking of this, some people couldn’t help feeling a bit gloating in their hearts, secretly thinking that Emperor Canglong Palace had rampaged for so many years, and finally someone dared jump out and take a bite at them. This seemed like a signal.

That rough-clothed youth Yun Xiao earlier had already killed many Elders of the Emperor Palace, including the Emperor Palace Director, treating Emperor Canglong Palace as nothing, but in the end he was only a Heavenly Rank Cultivator and seemed still unable to truly shake Emperor Canglong Palace.

But now, with a Supreme Saint Realm expert also viewing Emperor Canglong Palace as his greatest enemy, one could well imagine that in the period to come, Emperor Canglong Palace would be in for a severe headache.

The destructive power of a Supreme Saint Realm expert far surpassed that of a Heavenly Rank Third Realm Cultivator like Yun Xiao. Everyone could imagine that if that old man hid in the shadows and continually attacked the Cultivators Emperor Canglong Palace sent out, it would definitely become an immense problem.

All these years, Emperor Canglong Palace had acted arrogantly, and many Family Sects only dared to be angry but not speak out. They were merely intimidated by Emperor Canglong Palace’s overbearing might, not truly submitting from the heart.

So at this moment, seeing the Cultivators of Emperor Canglong Palace suffer a setback, and with a Supreme Saint Realm expert openly opposing Emperor Canglong Palace, was truly something they were delighted to see.

As for the thoughts of these onlooking Cultivators, Murong Sou naturally didn’t bother with them at this moment. After killing An Sou with a single finger, he stepped through the air and arrived before Yun Xiao.

"You alright?"

Murong Sou’s soft inquiry pulled Yun Xiao back to his senses. He immediately cupped his fists toward Murong Sou, gratitude written all over his face. He knew very well how great a loss the other party might suffer for leaving the lake this time.

And at such a critical moment in absorbing the Water Dragon Sky Flipping Array, he had still been able to sense Yun Xiao’s danger, voluntarily give up absorbing the energy, and come out to save him. This great kindness was something Yun Xiao would likely never forget in his lifetime.

"Between you and me, there’s no need for thanks. Judging from your state, your life shouldn’t be in danger anymore. I suppose you don’t need me further, do you?"

Murong Sou’s gaze swept over those onlooking Cultivators in the distance as he spoke calmly. By the end, even he couldn’t help revealing a faint smile, while his heart was incomparably shaken.

Don’t be fooled by how An Sou hadn’t even lasted a single move in Murong Sou’s hands; he was, after all, a Hua Xuan Realm Peak expert, countless times stronger than Xue Qi from over ten days ago in the Murong Tomb.

Yet under such a powerful opponent, Yun Xiao had still managed to escape with his whole body intact, suffering only some internal injuries. In Murong Sou’s view, this was simply inconceivable.

Murong Sou even had a strange thought—that if he hadn’t come out this time, this youth might not necessarily have died at An Sou’s hands.

Murong Sou himself didn’t know why he would think so. Right now, this rough-clothed youth was becoming more and more unfathomable to him. Fortunately, Yun Xiao was already considered a friend of the Murong Family, so he no longer dwelled on it too much.

As for that glance from Murong Sou, it naturally referred to those onlooking Cultivators in the distance. He believed that with Yun Xiao’s strength and his own deterrence, there probably wouldn’t be anyone who dared lightly tug on a tiger’s whiskers again.