Chapter 137: Brutally Beating the Saint Son

A bout of mutual brawling ended with the Daoist priest's sullen concession. Since everyone had been reduced to mortals here, the side with greater numbers naturally held the advantage.

By this time, the cultivators entering the Saint's Secret Realm had basically all arrived. Those who had not yet shown up were presumably unable to make it. There were a total of fifty or sixty cultivators present. Aside from a few well-known figures, there were many low-profile yet formidable existences among them. One could tell from the sharp glints occasionally flashing in their eyes that they were not to be trifled with.

The young and able-bodied villagers who had been working in the fields had also returned. They were startled to see so many people suddenly appearing in the village, having never laid eyes on so many stunning women before, and stared blankly one by one.

They were also aware of the legends concerning the calamity. Harboring no ill will toward the women, they showed no favorable expressions whatsoever toward the male cultivators, especially the scowling pretty boy.

"You damned outsiders, get out of our village immediately! You are the source of all these disasters!" An angry young villager pointed at the crowd and cursed furiously. As luck would have it, he pointed straight at the Holy Son, who was already in a towering rage.

Lixing was utterly furious today. Jiang Yiyi's abnormal behavior, Zhou Qi's blatant defiance, and now even a mere villager dared to ride roughshod over him—out of so many people, the fellow had to point right at him. Did they really think he was easy to bully?

"Lowly mortal, how dare you offend the majesty of the celestials! You're courting death." With that, Lixing stepped forward and kicked the young man right in the knee. His action was so sudden that before anyone could react, the young man let out a miserable scream and crashed to the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" The rest of the villagers brandished their hoes, ready to rush forward.

"Calm down, everyone, please calm down." Zhou Qi helped the young man up from the ground and hastily bowed to the villagers. "Good villagers, this man has something wrong with his head. Just now it was merely an unintentional lapse, and I hope you will forgive him. I know our presence has disrupted your peaceful lives, but rest assured, even if it costs us our lives, we will do our utmost to keep you from harm."

"What this young master says is entirely true. The most important matter right now is dealing with the blood wolves. Put down your farming tools first; the young master already has a sound strategy in mind." The old village chief spoke up, causing the enraged and burly villagers to calm down.

"Apologize to him!" Zhou Qi said coldly to Lixing. If they didn't give the villagers an explanation, the locals might not cooperate during the battles to come.

Everyone turned to look at Lixing in unison. Traces of anger still lingered on the faces of the young villagers.

Lixing straightened his robes. Having delivered that kick just a moment ago, the stifled frustration in his chest had eased considerably. "You are giving me orders? On what grounds?"

"You injured someone without provocation; shouldn't you apologize? Unless you don't want to get out of here alive," Zhou Qi sneered.

The others felt this was reasonable, and Jiang Yiyi softly persuaded, "Senior Brother, why not just apologize? He's only a mortal after all."

It would have been better had Jiang Yiyi remained silent, but the moment she spoke, Lixing flew into a rage once more, pointing at Zhou Qi and cursing, "Brute! If not for your numbers, how could I tolerate you pointing fingers here? You are merely a clown playing a part."

"I see you're simply begging for a beating." Zhou Qi was angered as well. This Holy Son had repeatedly attacked him verbally; if he were to maintain a good temper now, he would be too spineless entirely.

"You're only relying on numbers! In a fair fight, even as mortals right now, you wouldn't be a match for me," Lixing shouted loudly, fearing that Zhou Qi would truly beat him up by virtue of having more people on his side.

"Is that so? Why don't I give you a chance then—a fair fight. If you lose, you apologize to this young man and keep your mouth shut from here on out," Zhou Qi proposed.

"Fine! You said it—a fair fight, and no one is allowed to interfere," Lixing said with great delight. To salvage his pride, this was the only way. He was a veteran of countless battles; even without spiritual energy, his combat skills remained.

Dao Fan couldn't help but shake his head upon hearing this. He had witnessed how freakish Zhou Qi's physical body was; purely in terms of physical prowess, even he would suffer. To go one-on-one with Zhou Qi in a place devoid of spiritual energy was simply courting humiliation.

Shui Bing had also witnessed the formidable nature of Zhou Qi's physical refinement. However, she had no intention whatsoever of offering a warning. The more Zhou Qi exposed, the easier it would be to deal with him later—though in her eyes, Zhou Qi was merely a dead man walking.

Jiang Yiyi sighed and had no choice but to say to Zhou Qi, hoping he would stop before going too far and immediately concede defeat if he found himself outmatched.

Seeing that Jiang Yiyi showed no concern for him but instead worried about an outsider, Lixing was consumed by burning fury and charged at Zhou Qi with a roar.

He delivered a White Tiger Heart-Plucking strike straight to Zhou Qi's chest, followed immediately by a whipping kick to Zhou Qi's waist. Both blows landed solidly, filling Lixing with elation. Although he did not specialize in physical refinement, he had dabbled in it; if an ordinary cultivator took a blow from him, they would be bedridden for three to five days.

However, the expected screams and the sight of someone crashing to the ground failed to materialize. Lixing raised his head in bewilderment. Zhou Qi stood completely unmoved, gazing at him coldly. "Are you tickling me? What a loser—low in strength, yet with such a huge temper."

Dao Fan could no longer bear to watch; the ensuing spectacle was entirely predictable. The other cultivators were also deeply shocked. The Holy Son had struck with complete confidence, yet he hadn't even managed to make Zhou Qi sway an inch. This person must not be offended in Wuyang Village, the cultivators thought to themselves.

"Brother Daohui, how would you rate the dancing skills of this Heavenly Dao Sect Holy Son?" Huangfu Xiu had already initiated his mocking mode.

"Not bad," Daohui nodded, stroking his chin. "Quite enchanting."

"Ah!" Lixing's fists rained down upon Zhou Qi like a downpour, resembling a throwing tantrum by a disgruntled shrew.

Realizing that Lixing genuinely could not inflict any harm upon him, Zhou Qi wished to bring this farce to an early close. He raised his right foot and kicked Lixing squarely in the stomach.

Lixing let out a miserable shriek and flew backward like a cannonball.

"Apologize." Zhou Qi walked over to Lixing's side.

"In your dreams." Lixing, sprawled on the ground, still refused to yield.

Zhou Qi kicked Lixing's backside again. Lixing let out a squeal like a slaughtered pig. The Heavenly Dao Sect disciples wanted to step forward to help, but seeing the hostile gazes of the Huangfu family cultivators standing nearby, they had no choice but to hold back.

Zhou Qi delivered two more kicks, yet Lixing stubbornly refused to submit.

"You can beat me to death, but I will not apologize!" Lixing had thrown all caution to the wind. Having lost all his dignity today, if he were to yield verbally as well, how could he possibly continue to act as the Holy Son in the future?

"Zhou Qi, stop now. Let me apologize on behalf of Senior Brother, alright?" Jiang Yiyi could no longer bear the sight and pleaded.

The young man who had been kicked earlier saw Lixing's miserable state—wondering how many of his bones had been broken—and began to feel a twinge of pity. "Young Master, stop now. I no longer hold any hatred toward him."

Seeing Jiang Yiyi intercede and the injured party forgive him, Zhou Qi had no choice but to stop; any further kicking might genuinely have killed the man.

To beat Lixing to death here would likely make it difficult for Jiang Yiyi to account to the sect. Zhou Qi abandoned the idea of permanently eliminating his love rival. After this incident, the rift between the Holy Son and the Holy Lady would probably grow wider and wider—subduing the enemy without fighting.

When Zhou Qi finally stopped, a few Heavenly Dao Sect disciples dared to step forward and prop up the battered Holy Son, only to discover that the Holy Son had long since passed out, whether from the beating or sheer fury.