Li Yan thought to himself about the reaction speed of the Demon Guard Army.
But he didn't know that the Demon Guard Army had always been like this. They often appeared right after someone had finished fighting.
This way, they could both capture the "culprit" as a warning to others and extract a lot of benefits from them.
Li Yan thanked Great Master Wanxiang.
Before the Demon Guard Army arrived, Jiao Wuxing's venomous voice came over.
"Who are you?"
He was not a fool. He could already see that this person was completely different from the information he had on the few experts of "Falling Star Valley," especially since his horizontal strength was not something a dharma cultivator could compare to.
At the same time, he did not say that the other party's victory was not honorable. That would be beneath him.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. From Falling Star Valley, Zhang Ming!"
Since Li Yan had already made his move, he naturally would not hide it. He answered with a smile on his lips, his expression a complete contrast to the thunderous lightning from before.
Jiao Wuxing, opposite him, was stunned.
'He's really not Xing Ming. To have reached such a level of cultivation, how have I never heard of him?'
Although he had lost the upper hand in the exchange just now, Jiao Wuxing did not think so in his heart. The stern look on his face did not diminish in the slightest.
'I mistook him for a dharma cultivator before and didn't use my full strength, so he got the upper hand!'
He held his right hip with one hand and was about to speak again when he heard a sharp shout from a distance.
"How dare you fight in the city!"
...
A quarter of an hour later, the five members of the Demon Guard Army had already whistled away. Since both sides had fought, there was nothing more to be said.
And Jiao Wuxing obviously didn't want to tell others the real reason, so he admitted that he had fought.
Since no one had died, both sides were given fifty lashes, and each was fined five thousand spirit stones. This was not a light punishment for anyone.
But neither side raised any objections. Seeing Jiao Wuxing silently take out a storage pouch and throw it over, Xie Tongyi unhesitatingly turned around and had a clerk take out the spirit stones to pay.
His judgment was no worse than Su Yuan's. If he still needed Li Yan to order him in this matter, he could just pack up and go back.
The leader of the Demon Guard Army looked at the two of them coldly, gave them a routine warning, and then turned and left with his men.
As long as no one died and you could afford the spirit stones, you could fight as you pleased. Whoever fought paid the spirit stones. There was no reason to explain, and they didn't want to hear your explanation.
If you fought and then didn't have the spirit stones to pay, the consequences would be quite miserable. After being taken back to the prison, a round of severe torture was unavoidable. Then, if no one came to redeem you with money, you could only wait to die in prison.
So, in the city, unless one had backing or was forced to, no one would choose to fight here.
Seeing the Demon Guard Army whistle away, Great Master Wanxiang immediately put his palms together.
"Amitabha, Little Friend Zhang, your cultivation is so exquisite. It's truly unexpected!"
When he looked at Li Yan again, he felt that there was a difference in his brow from before, with a few more hints of hidden sharpness.
His cultivation realm was higher than the two of them. He could also see that Jiao Wuxing's defeat was also due to his underestimation of the enemy. But this could not be used as a reason for being defeated. Zhang Ming's strength was indeed greatly unexpected.
Li Yan, however, bowed slightly.
"Someone came to our door to cause trouble. I had no choice. Please bear with me, Great Master!"
As he spoke, the spiritual energy on his face had once again been slightly adjusted.
Just before he rushed out of the side room, he had already used spiritual energy to slightly adjust his face. Even an acquaintance would not be able to notice anything wrong at first glance. But to a stranger, this impression would be imprinted in their mind.
He was a cautious person and was always wary of the Nascent Soul cultivator who had taken Zhao Min back then. So, even though he knew it was unlikely that he would be noticed by chance, he still immediately made some disguises. So when Great Master Wanxiang looked at him again, he already felt that Zhang Ming's aura had changed quite a bit.
"Zhang... Ming... right? Very good. Su Yuan did such a thing, and you attacked without even asking. Needless to say, it was all secretly supported by your esteemed sect."
Jiao Wuxing was also quick-witted. He quickly went over the incident in his mind. The other party had attacked as soon as he appeared, which clearly showed that he knew the reason.
He ignored the strange looks from the surroundings and stared at Li Yan with his eyes. After swallowing a medicinal pill and constantly regulating his breathing during the arrival of the Demon Guard Army, his external injuries had already quickly recovered by seventy to eighty percent.
His "Ghost Flood Dragon Clan" could provide mid-to-low-grade pills to the "Sacred Demon Palace." The grade of the pills was naturally not weak. Especially with his status in the sect, the healing items he carried had to be of the highest quality.
Compared to internal injuries, external injuries like broken bones and tendons were much easier for cultivators to heal.
Li Yan turned around again, not caring in the slightest about the venom in the other's eyes.
"Since you have already made your move, why bother with other things? There is no long-lasting business in the world. Who the employer chooses is their own will. If you have the ability, then take it back!"
On this matter, Li Yan would not back down at all, rarely showing such a tough side.
Since he wanted to return to the Desolate Moon Continent, with his strength, it was imaginable how difficult it would be to achieve his wish. The things he would have to face would only become more and more numerous and difficult. He could not back down on some key issues.
"Since Fellow Daoist Zhang was able to injure me in one fell swoop, your divine powers are truly astonishing. I was originally thinking that after I beat the small one, the old one would come out, and then I could have a good look. Now it seems there's no need to wait!"
Jiao Wuxing was also a cautious person. Although he felt that he had been tricked due to his carelessness, from a certain perspective, the other party definitely had a certain ability to challenge those of a higher level.
Otherwise, how could he have been injured? Now that he couldn't fight again here, he could only think of another way to deal with the other party and avenge his shame.
"So, what of it?"
Li Yan put away his smile and looked at Jiao Wuxing coldly, a cold chill in his tone.
Behind him, the customers who had poured out of the shop and a group of "Falling Star Valley" disciples were all watching these two. The details that outsiders didn't know, they had seen clearly just now.
'It seems Su Yuan snatched the business of the "Ghost Flood Dragon Clan"...'
Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi, in particular, had looks of admiration in their eyes. Especially Su Yuan, who naturally felt a sense of relief in his heart.
Great Master Wanxiang, on the side, had guessed the real reason for the fight between the two sides.
'Business, employer? What conflict could Jiao Wuxing or the "Ghost Flood Dragon Clan" have with this shop? The only thing they have in common is 'medicinal pills'...! '
Jiao Wuxing, seeing that the other party didn't seem to care about him at all, felt a surge of anger in his heart. Immediately, he took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to attack.
"Is Fellow Daoist asking the obvious? It's simple. Let's have a real duel between us. The loser withdraws from this matter. This way, everything can be resolved. How about it?"
In front of so many people, Jiao Wuxing did not want to state the reason for the conflict, but he knew that the other party understood his meaning.
'Is he trying to lure me out of the city to be ambushed, or...'
Li Yan thought to himself. He did not answer immediately, but looked back at Great Master Wanxiang, who was close by, with a look of confusion.
"Great Master, is there a place in the city where one can fight?"
He was making a final confirmation. If the other party thought he would go outside the city to fight him, then there was something wrong with their head.
Could he really go to a so-called "single-handed meeting" just for the sake of face?
"Amitabha, Little Friend Zhang is not very familiar with the Sacred Demon City. Fighting is not allowed in the main city area. But after leaving the main city area, the Sacred Demon Palace has opened up ten sub-peaks nearby. At the top of each peak is a dueling platform. There, as long as both sides pay the spirit stones, the formation can be activated. Both sides can freely display their divine powers inside, with no regard for life or death!"
As for Li Yan's question, Great Master Wanxiang was not too surprised. Just from his previous question about whether one could kill in the city, it was clear.
This Elder Zhang had not been promoted to Golden Core for long. He must have been in seclusion in the sect for arduous cultivation. It was normal for him not to be very familiar with the "Sacred Demon Palace." So he explained a few sentences.
After hearing this, Li Yan was speechless for a moment.
'Oh? Isn't this still fighting in the city? It's just changed a way of demanding spirit stones. The Sacred Demon Palace has quite a few ways of making money. They can both display their unique majesty and easily earn more spirit stones.'
Seeing Li Yan asking the monk beside him, many people on the street were stunned.
'This kid is a greenhorn. He doesn't even know the rules of the "Sacred Demon City," yet he dared to fight just now.'
After hearing Great Master Wanxiang's words, Li Yan did not speak immediately. Instead, a sharp glint flickered in his eyes.
"Elder Zhang, should we inform the Sect Master about this and wait for him to come and help!"
Suddenly, Su Yuan's voice transmission appeared in Li Yan's mind.
Li Yan still did not answer. Everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
After a few more breaths, Li Yan finally raised his head again to look at Jiao Wuxing.
"I accept your request! When?"
As long as this matter was not resolved, the other party would definitely continue to provoke him. It was certain that they would come looking for him again.
This matter was unavoidable. Li Yan needed to constantly recall the information about the "Ghost Flood Dragon Clan" in his mind, repeatedly weighing it, before finally making a decision.
Jiao Wuxing, seeing that the other party had actually agreed, and at the same time had not proposed any other conditions, was both overjoyed and a little surprised.
From the other party's true realm, he was not as good as himself.
'Could it be that this Zhang Ming really thinks that just because he got the upper hand just now, his strength is only so-so.'
"Tomorrow!"
He quickly gave Li Yan an answer.
"Elder, they will definitely not come alone..."
"Elder Zhang..."
The surprised voices of Su Yuan and Xie Tongyi came from behind. The two of them had been in this place for a long time and had a deeper understanding of the character of the "Ghost Flood Dragon Clan."
Hearing the words "tomorrow" from Elder Zhang's mouth, the two of them were greatly shocked.
The other party's sect was only a few thousand li from here. After sending a voice transmission back, their experts could be here by tomorrow morning.
But their own sect was a full eighty thousand li from here. Even if there was a way to immediately send this news back to the sect, the Sect Master and the others were not Nascent Soul cultivators. Even if they flew to death, it would be impossible for them to fly here in just over a night.
Didn't this mean that this Elder Zhang would have to face the strong enemy of the "Ghost Flood Dragon Clan" alone? Don't look at how nicely Jiao Wuxing spoke. These foreign cultivators were experts at going back on their word.
Su Yuan and the other two even thought that Elder Zhang Ming had not carefully read the information they had given him. Could it be that he thought that the other party's sect only had this one Golden Core cultivator?
Besides the other late-stage Golden Core of the "Ghost Flood Dragon Clan" who would probably come, it was possible that even the great elder of the Pseudo-Nascent Soul realm would appear.
Although they had also seen this Elder Zhang's bravery just now, in their view, it was also the result of catching him off guard.
If they really fought, Elder Zhang might not be able to win against this Jiao Wuxing.
But before Su Yuan and the other two could finish their words, Li Yan had already turned his head slightly and glanced at them. His eyes were extremely sharp, containing a strong warning.
This made Su Yuan and the other two swallow the half-spoken words back.
The two of them looked at each other and saw a trace of bitterness in each other's eyes. This Elder Zhang was really not just ordinarily dominant.
Such a result might cause the situation that Su Yuan had worked so hard to achieve to be completely lost.
Great Master Wanxiang also frowned upon hearing this. This matter actually had nothing to do with him. It was just that he had a relatively good impression of this Zhang Ming.
Under the circumstances of being fellow human cultivators on the Forsaken Continent, he also had to give a word of reminder.
"Little Friend Zhang, could it be that Sect Master Xing Ming is also in the Sacred Demon City?"