Neither human beings nor anything inside could move a step, even though they were not hurt. It turned out that Zhou Bao had launched the constraint function of the Golden Flame Mirror and imprisoned all of them.
"Zhou Bao, what do you want?"
The middle-aged man in white, who could not display his cultivation because of the constraint, gradually gathered himself after his initial rage and coldly asked Zhou Bao with a disconsolate stare.
"Now you have fierce anger. Let me make you angrier!" With a fingertip, Zhou Bao launched a layer of light-colored firelight, which later surrounded the man confined in the golden light. The middle-aged man turned white and began to shiver as if suffering from a great deal of pain. He gritted his teeth, which produced a buzzing sound, but said nothing, showing an unyielding personality.
"Oh, you are one tough nut!" Zhou Bao slightly raised his eyebrows and sneered. When he was about to increase the power of the firelight, an expert at Level Seven beside the middle-aged man said, "Zhou Bao, don't you think that you are too audacious? Even though what we have done might have offended you, you shouldn't fight against us without any warning and kill three Elders of our Kunlun Mountain. Don't you know that your reckless behavior will bring you a catastrophe!"
Zhou Bao threw a glance at him, a fat guy with tender skin with an expression of amiability on his face. In other circumstances, Zhou Bao believed that he would have definitely beamed, showing a comfortable smile. The first time that Zhou Bao saw him, he knew that it would be much more difficult to deal with this fatso than the middle-aged man.
"A catastrophe, indeed!" Looking at the fat man, Zhou Bao shook his head and said, "But it's not I that caused the catastrophe, but you, Kunlun Mountain!"
As he spoke, he glanced at the surroundings with his cold eyes. "You know that Northern Yuan has fallen and the Jin's attitude toward the Northern Yuan convicts is clear. At this time, you Kunlun Mountain dare to help stragglers of Northern Yuan rebuild tribes. Do you want to rebel?"
"We just helped those poor herdsmen find a place to stay, not rebuild their tribe!" Zhou Bao's words made the fatso a little nervous. Certainly, he would not admit they had given assistance to the stragglers to make a comeback. "They wander in the prairie and act as a symbol of the regional instability. If you don't pay a close attention to them, they will become thieves or bandits. I think you Jin don't wish to see those bandits run wild in the northern prairie, do you? We help them build shelters, not to fight against the Jin, but to ensure the stability of the north!"
"Really? I don't think so!" Zhou Bao grimly laughed at the fatso's words. "This is my territory. Those people are my citizens because they stay in my place, and should obey the rules that I established. Now, they occupy a piece of land and start a tribe without authorization. Their behavior is equal to a rebellion and you Kunlun Mountain are exactly the backers behind them. By all means, I'll report this matter to the Imperial Court!"
The fatso paused for a short while and then determined to change the topic. The meaning of Zhou Bao's words was clear and obvious. As the lord of the territory, he did have the right to kill several sinners on his property, which was a piece of cake, and would not be punished by the Jin. As for the three murdered Elders of Kunlun Mountain, Zhou Bao could easily lessen his responsibility. From the angle of justice, his action was reasonable. Arguing with him about this matter was equivalent to asking for trouble.
Therefore, the fatso gave up debating with him about the issue. "Reasonable, what you say is reasonable. This is your territory. You could do anything that you like here. Even if you call a circle a square or black, white, no one will oppose you. But I have to remind you that although the Jin is powerful, this place is beyond the reach of its power because of the long distance!"
"Right, you're right. This place indeed is beyond the Jin's grasp and many people in the Imperial Court are waiting to see me as a joke and how I die. Thus, no one will help me if I submit a report concerning this matter. The Jin officials will, at most, order to reprimand you Kunlun Mountain!"
"Now that you know that, why are you so aggressive?" The fatso frowned.
He was not fond of smart people, especially intelligent and insightful ones like Zhou Bao. In front of those people, you should not talk useless nonsense.
"Why can't I be aggressive? This here is my territory. If I'm not aggressive, who will obey me?" Zhou Bao lifted the corners of his mouth and looked at the fatso with a faint smile. "I know your Kunlun Mountain is powerful and now colludes with Prince Ning. But I have to warn you that Prince Ning's abilities and wisdom don't match his great ambition, even though these virtues are good. Be careful not to be involved in trouble with him!"
"What do you know?" The fatso's face changed and took on a ghastly expression. He was acquainted with the cooperation between Kunlun Mountain and Prince Ning and indeed impressed by the competent royalty. Though his impression was favorable, his heart sank after hearing Zhou Bao's words.
That should have been a secret. Now this young lord said it lightly. What did that mean?
It meant that the collaboration that seemed to be watertight and confidential turned out to be a joke.
"How do you know that?" the fatso asked with mixed feelings.
"It's not up to you to ask me this question!" Zhou Bao coldly said, "Kunlun Mountain has a history of thousands of years in the northwest. For the sake of their long history, I will not spite you this time, but you'd better leave here immediately with your companions. And tell Kunlun Master, 'If you are actually interested in my Pure Yang Celestial Device, come to take it by yourself! I'll wait for you. If members of Kunlun Mountain make trouble for me again before we meet, I'll kill them just like your three Elders!'"
After saying this, Zhou Bao unfolded the golden light and set the experts and masters of martial arts of Kunlun Mountain free from the light.
"You can go now!"
"But, can they?" The fat man grabbed the middle-aged man who was going to fight and firmly held his arms in case he should rashly act. He clearly knew Zhou Bao had a Pure Yang Celestial Device, so they were no match for him.
"They're all sinners. Now that they have shown up in my territory, I have the right to manage them. According to the Jin's laws, they're now my property, specifically my slaves. Do you have any complaints?"
"No," the fatso shook his head and said. Hardly did he want to be irritated by Zhou Bao once more at this moment.
"Your Excellency, the members of Kunlun Mountain have all returned!"
"Take them back. Tell Old Gesang that they're all sinners or slaves, and he should treat them the way that he treats prisoners of war. F*ck, they must get tired of living. How dare they create a disturbance in my territory!"
After Jiang Xiao and Zhu Ba arrived, Zhou Bao pointed at these several hundred people who had gathered together into one place and been imprisoned, and coldly spoke.
"Yes, Your Excellency!" Jiang Xiao and Zhu Ba quickly directed the underlings to tie the hands and feet of those people and take them away without further delay. In fact, they were as annoyed as Zhou Bao was.
Zhou Bao seldom handled the affairs of the territory and handed them over to his subordinates, including Jiang Xiao. Mainly focusing on the town centralization and the yard at the foot of Jilei Mountain, Jiang Xiao hardly paid attention to any herdsmen wandering in the territory. Influenced by Old Gesang, he generally adopted a conciliatory approach toward those homeless sinners and herdsmen, but he did not expect that some people would harbor evil designs and regard him as a real sucker. How dare they make trouble under his nose.
If that could be tolerated, then what could not?
Jiang Xiao made up his mind to torment these jerks and let them know who administered this land once he returned.
"Your Excellency, you can rest assured. I'll surely give them a lesson!"
"I don't care how you give them a lesson because it's none of my business. But I don't want to witness similar incidents!" Zhou Bao coldly said and then glowered at Zhu Ba, "Fella, you should also be vigilant and let your underlings of urban management buck up their energy. Once any unusual movement appears, suppress it and kill all the people who revolt!"
"Yes!"
Hearing Zhou Bao's murderous words, Zhu Ba nodded with a shiver and did not dare to do anything playful in front of him.
"Your Excellency, we offended Kunlun Mountain this time. In your view..."
"No need to worry about that. Even though I destroyed the Taoist rites of Kunlun Mountain, I will work out a solution. You should only mind your own business," Zhou Bao said with a mild tone as he looked at the worried face of Jiang Xiao.
"Yes!" Jiang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief because of Zhou Bao's assured air. Of course, he only breathed one sigh of relief. Who knew what would happen in the future and whether Zhou Bao was able to bear the pressure from both Kunlun Mountain and Prince Ning.
Three days later, on a clear and scantily starred night, a flash of a green figure streaked across the sky and appeared in Zhou Bao's territory.
"You've come so fast!" Seeing the green figure in the yard, Golden Rooster squinted and smiled.
It turned out to be Wang She.
"Golden Rooster, long time no see. I am told that you got a fat job, didn't you?"
Wang She joked upon seeing Golden Rooster. They were old partners in the Immortal Palace, so they were very close.
"Damn it! It's not a fat job. I just work as security. If you want to grab some profits, you can find Zhou Bao. I am told that he obtained great benefits in the Azure Secret Area this time!"
"I will certainly not let him go!" Wang She grinned with a glance at the surroundings and then asked, "The guy is not here, right?"
"That guy is a lord and naturally doesn't live here. But I think he's coming," Golden Rooster said with a smile and then pointed at Moon Deer of the Extended Net beside him. "This is Moon Deer of the Extended Net. You have met him before. Mouse is working below, but we shouldn't disturb him, otherwise, he will stamp around with rage!"
Wang She nodded and then lightly raised his eyes. "Zhou Bao must be coming. Good heavens! What a fast speed!"
Before his voice had died away, Zhou Bao appeared in front of the three of them.
"Chief Wang, I'm very honored to have you visit me here. It's not right for me to be so slow!"
"Boy, you really have a good tongue!" After seeing Zhou Bao, Wang She gently patted his palm with a little fan in his hand. "You always think of me when you get into trouble, which never happens when good things come your way. Do I owe you something?"
"Why do you say 'trouble'?" Zhou Bao laughed. "If I was really in trouble, I would not dare to ask you to come here!"
"Hehe, then I'd like to see what good things you asked me to come here for!"
"Thousands of years have been passed since the establishment of Kunlun Mountain, so the school must have lots of treasure and now, we can get some of them. We'll feel sorry for ourselves if we don't grab some profit. It's time for us to bring trouble to them."
"You want to rob Kunlun Mountain?" After hearing these plain words from Zhou Bao's mouth, Wang She was a little bit shocked.
"Rob Kunlun Mountain? I'm not so stupid. I have a solitary goal, Kunlun Mountain's Pure Yang Celestial Device!" Zhou Bao sneered and turned over his hand and a shiny, milk-white bead appeared in his palm. "I don't know what it is, but I'm sure it's at least a celestial device at the Mysterious Level. Any Level Seven expert of Kunlun Mountain can show this kind of device, so the school must have a rich collection. With one Pure Yang Celestial Device in my hand, I'm not afraid of them. To defeat me, they might ask Kunlun Master or an expert with Pure Yang Celestial Device for help. It's not easy to ask Kunlun Master to fight, so I guess someone will fight against me with a Pure Yang Celestial Device. If so, wouldn't it be easy for us to get that Pure Yang Celestial Device?"
"Kunlun Mountain is not like the Emperor of Xining. It's not easy to get stuff from them!" Wang She interrupted. "The Pure Yang Celestial Device is invaluable. Even if it's stolen by you, they will try their best to get it back!"
"That's the reason why I asked you to come here!" Zhou Bao said, "I already have a Pure Yang Celestial Device and it's meaningless to have another. As long as you help me defeat Kunlun Mountain, the Pure Yang Celestial Device that we get this time will be yours!"
"How generous you are!"
"I have no choice!" Zhou Bao shrugged. "If I was able to swallow it by myself, I would do just as I treat the Azure Secret Area. Unfortunately, I have a limited appetite and have to share with others. So, you don't want the Pure Yang Celestial Device?"
"Sharing with others, and at the same time, you can distract their attention away from you. Clever trick to get rid of trouble!" Wang She opened the little fan in his hand, a little bit relaxed with a smile. "Compared to the precious Pure Yang Celestial Device however, I can ignore the trick that you play. I've heard a lot about the Pure Yang Celestial Device in Kunlun Mountain and it's exactly what I need!"
"Does that mean there's no problem?"
"Yes!" Wang She was also a straightforward person. "It's not easy to wait for such a good thing, but I want you to do me a favor!"
"What?" Zhou Bao pulled a long face. It was always hard to complete Wang She's tasks. Many years ago, when his cultivation was only at Level Three, he was asked to protect Wang She at the entrance of a geocentric fire vein. Another time, to help this guy, he was almost killed by Raging Fire Ancestor. So, what did Wang She want this time?
"You can rest assured. It's nothing difficult for you, just a piece of cake!"
"If it's as easy as you say, then it's unnecessary to ask me for help, right?" Zhou Bao wanted to get more information before making any promises.
"I don't have any choice. I'm not suitable to deal with it by myself and I need everyone to know that I'm clean, so I have to show up when you do it!"
"An alibi?" Zhou Bao blinked his eyes and seemed to get it. Then, he nodded his head and said, "Well, you can tell me the details after I finish the task. If it's really as easy as you said, I will help you!"
"You sly dog!" Wang She taunted. "Anyway, I came here to help you. You're not going to arrange for me to stay in a house that hasn't been built yet, are you?"
"How could that be? When you arrived, you found the way into this yard. I didn't invite you here, and I have arranged your room. You are a Level Nine expert, distinct from ordinary people, so you don't care much about secular living conditions, right?"
"Screw you!" Wang She scolded him in a low voice, not hopeful about Zhou Bao's arrangements.
What happened next proved that his thoughts were correct.
In fact, Zhou Bao had prepared nothing but only arranged for Wang She to stay in the study room of his courtyard, which was sparsely furnished and clean but not elegant at all, making Wang She really unsatisfied.
"You really do save money and cannot even serve better tea!"
"So what? The most annoying thing I find is that you guys are always particular about tea. For me, all the tea tastes the same. No need to spend more money on it!" Zhou Bao scornfully said, "We are men with cultivation and should have high aspirations. If our minds are full of enjoyment, that will hinder our mental state and become a roadblock to higher cultivation!"
"Bullshit, don't mention 'hinder the mind' or 'roadblock'. I think you're just mean!"
"Yeah, I'm a poor lord with no money, so then just accept the tea calmly!" Zhou Bao shrugged and said, "Oh, you said that you heard a lot about Kunlun Mountain's Pure Yang Celestial Device. What is it?"
"You'll find out," Wang She said. "Why do you care about that? If they're really going to fight against you with that Pure Yang Celestial Device, it will be mine if we steal it!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know that. But as the saying goes, 'if you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles'. Since my Golden Flame Mirror has been used several times, people in Kunlun Mountain know it well. If I don't know anything about their Pure Yang Celestial Device, it will be not good for us to fight in the battle!"
"Kunlun Mountain's Pure Yang Celestial Device is the Invisible Dragon Rod, a celestial device designed for constraint and it looks like a golden ring. When it starts, one will become nine, or more specifically, one ring turns into nine golden ones. It's so amazing that it can firmly tie up the enemy with those rings. Although you can practice the Three Realms Division, there is no chance for you to run away from the Invisible Dragon Rod!"
"Invisible Dragon Rod, one into nine, and constraint?" Zhou Bao thought to himself and then he said, "A celestial device designed for constraint... Is there any method to crack it?"
"There's no method. Kunlun Mountain's Invisible Dragon Rod has never failed!" Wang She shook his head with a bitter smile. "You know, we are in a big world, but the number of influences with powerful strength is limited. Most of them know each other and have similar strengths, so those at normal levels haven't caused big conflicts, and well-known families with Pure Yang Celestial Devices haven't really fought with each other. For several thousand years, Kunlun Mountain has indeed met several crises, but each crisis was pacified mainly due to the Invisible Dragon Rod. In those cases, many powerful enemies of Kunlun Mountain were tied up by the device, such as Level Nine experts, and even experts in the Mysterious Realm!"
"Experts in the Mysterious Realm?" Zhou Bao was very shocked. "The Invisible Dragon Rod is able to tie up experts in the Mysterious Realm?"
"Of course. Otherwise, what do you think is precious about Pure Yang Celestial Devices? It's their powerful strength that makes them different. So, you may get into real trouble this time!"
"Humph, I'm afraid of him? Don't forget, I have a Golden Flame Mirror!"
"The Invisible Dragon Rod is not the Octupole Exquisite Pagoda and its controller is not a rookie like Yan Fei. Your Pure Yang Celestial Device is indeed powerful, but it's only a match for the Invisible Dragon Rod. It's most likely that you can defeat your rivals with your Pure Yang Celestial Device but are subdued by the Invisible Dragon Rod, both being defeated and wounded," Wang She gently said.
"My Golden Flame Mirror is extremely defensive. Perhaps I can resist the Invisible Dragon Rod with it!"
"Don't say 'perhaps' on this issue! When it comes to Pure Yang Celestial Devices, everything will be in vain if you aren't 100% sure." Wang She shook his head and said, "In the past, fights between Pure Yang Celestial Devices were rare. I don't have such experiences, either. So, before we put the weapon right, we'd better make full preparations. And there is one more thing that we shouldn't ignore!"
"And what's that?"
"People. All Pure Yang Celestial Devices are manipulated by people, just like you treat the Octupole Exquisite Pagoda. Yan Fei is no match for you, so you could fight against him without any scruple. However, if the person who manipulates the Octupole Exquisite Pagoda is more powerful than you, I'm afraid that you should consider plenty of conditions. The Invisible Dragon Rod is Kulun Mountain's Pure Yang Celestial Device, so the manipulator will be a Level Nine expert, not a rookie like Yan Fei. If so, you will be put in an absolutely disadvantaged position for your strength!"
"I asked you here to help me, not to frustrate me!" Zhou Bao said with exasperation.
"Do you want to know the best approach?"
"Tell me!"
"Give me your Pure Yang Celestial Device, and let me deal with the people of Kunlun Mountain. Even if Kunlun Master comes, it doesn't matter!"
"That's a good idea, but it's impossible for you to use my Golden Flame Mirror because I have already refined it!" Zhou Bao said with a smile, "Is there another choice?"
"No other good choice!" Wang She shook his head.
"I have one!" Zhou Bao laughed, "I'll deal with Kunlun Master and you fight against Kunlun Mountains' Pure Yang Celestial Device. What do you think of that idea?"
"Haha, you really have guts to face Kunlun Master alone. Boy, do you want to know the feeling of being killed?"
"Kunlun Master may be very powerful, but don't forget that I have a Pure Yang Celestial Device and I'll give it a shot, just like I treated Dark Lord Mie Chen. He is not weaker than Kunlun Master, but he was still finished by us, right?
"We had good luck and you used the power of your Fiery Eyes that time. Now, we are against Kunlun Mountain in public and you can't take advantage of your strange eyes. What's more, Kunlun Mountain might have more than one Pure Yang Celestial Device!"