'Pa!' As Lie Huan's palm landed on Bai Ziliang's cheek, the latter shot out like an arrow, spitting out a mouthful of blood and broken teeth. With blood gushing out of his nose and mouth, Bai Ziliang landed a dozen meters away and fell unconscious.
"Ziliang!" Ji Meimei shouted and rushed off to hold her son. Noticing that there was no danger to his life as she examined him, she held his head against her chest and cried, regretting that she had forced him to join the Subjugation Crusade.
Lie Huan coldly declared, "Next!"
'Pa!' Lan Susu was also sent flying with a single slap, spitting out a mouthful of blood as she landed on the ground and fainted.
"Next!"
'Pa!' Another one spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying away.
Ba Jie couldn't help his trepidation as he watched these people obediently walk up to be slapped by Lie Huan. After everyone from the Yao Nation had been slapped, Lie Huan immediately started on the Buddha Nation members.
After seeing Kong Zhi sent flying with a single slap, Ba Jie cast a pitiful gaze at Grandmaster Qi Jie.
However, Grandmaster Qi Jie simply kept quiet. Initially, Lie Huan wanted to kill these youngsters, but now, he was only punishing them with a single slap; there was no threat to their lives. This was already a show of respect to Grandmaster Qi Jie. In the end, it was merely a little corporal punishment. Lie Huan was letting these youngsters off easy indeed. As such, it would be unwise of Grandmaster Qi Jie to try and defend them any further. Even Kong Zhi was punished. What more could Grandmaster Qi Jie say for his own disciple?
However, Ba Jie was not someone who would knowingly let himself suffer. Even though Lie Huan's slaps did not endanger one's life, they could still knock one's teeth out, their bodies sent flying with blood spilling from their mouths, before ultimately passing out. It was terrifying to even watch. Who would be willing to suffer this quietly?
Just because Grandmaster Qi Jie wouldn't say anything, it didn't mean that Ba Jie would obediently accept his punishment as well. As the latter walked up to Lie Huan to be slapped, he said to Qi Jie as he passed him by, "Master! I am your only disciple and the only successor to the 'Jie Line'! If some mishap were to fall upon me, you must take care of yourself!"
No one knew whether his words were meant for Grandmaster Qi Jie or Lie Huan.
Grandmaster Qi Jie smiled bitterly in response.
Yun Guang and the others were speechless as they thought, 'What a crafty monk. Lie Huan has shown so much respect for Grandmaster Qi Jie. Now that you've made things so clear for him, how can he possibly slap you now?'
Fairy Hong Chen lowered her head slightly and sighed. 'How is a guy like this Yue Yao's second brother?'
Lie Huan's eyes shone as he glanced at Grandmaster Qi Jie's reaction. 'It seems like this monk is really Grandmaster Qi Jie's direct disciple.'
Looking at Ba Jie, who was cautiously walking up to him with clapped hands, Lie Huan scoffed, "Cunning little monk. Don't dirty this lord's hand. Move aside!"
"Amitabha!" Ba Jie bowed, then immediately turned around and bolted. He heaved a deep sigh in relief as he thought, 'This old demon respects the old baldy indeed. I somehow escaped by the skin of my teeth.'
The monks that were next in line were not as fortunate as Ba Jie. 'Pa!' They were all sent flying with a single slap.
Out of the twelve youngsters, eleven spat out a mouthful of blood and broken teeth and lost consciousness. The only exception was Ba Jie, who was now hiding behind Grandmaster Qi Jie.
After he was done exacting his punishment, Lie Huan turned to the ancient manor and cupped his fists and bowed. He then cupped his fists towards Qing Feng, to which Qing Feng nodded in response. Turning back and sweeping his gaze across the crowd, Lie Huan huffed coldly, before flying off in a streak of light.
Yun Guang and the others looked at the ancient manor in deep thought. To be willing to spare that Yan Beihong, yet still wanting to punish the members of the Realm of Ten Thousand Demons and the Realm of High Paradise—it was worth pondering the reason behind this decision.
"Does Minister Qing still have anything to ask of us?" Grandmaster Qi Jie clapped his hands in prayer and asked.
"Remember to be punctual and leave at the break of dawn tomorrow!" Qing Feng said curtly, then turned around and left. He was clearly implying that the Western Constellations Palace didn't welcome outsiders like them.
Grandmaster Qi Jie sighed, and with a wave of his sleeve, the five unconscious monks on the ground floated along behind him as he left.
Ba Jie obediently followed. 'This place is totally not safe. I think it's better to stay close to Master…'
The next day. Miao Yi and the others were on the ocean as all twenty-one of the Celestial Nation survivors traveled aboard a moderately-sized ship. The lantern of the Western Constellations Palace was hung on the ship's bow, and with it, not a single demonic spirit dared to get in their way.
The Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade was already over, and the countless demonic spirits who had been forced to leave the Western Star Sea were beginning to return to their homes. This was evident from the occasional silhouette that could be seen flying across the sky or passing under the sea. Without the Western Constellations Palace's lantern hanging on the ship's bow, it wouldn't be an easy affair to leave the Western Star Sea.
Obviously, Yue Yao and the others weren't taking the ship back like Miao Yi and the rest; they had already flown off with Tang Jun and the others. And as normal cultivators like Miao Yi weren't qualified to have people like Tang Jun personally send them home, they could only return using the same method as when they'd first arrived.
The people on the ship had no idea that Lie Huan had visited yesterday, and had no idea what happened. Tang Jun wouldn't deign to explain anything to them either. As such, the people aboard the ship were filled with pure excitement at the notion of returning home, completely oblivious to the events that had transpired under their noses...
Traversing Moon Palace, Fifth Earthly Branch. Inside the lavish sleeping quarters of the Palace Lord. An incense burner lay before the bed, emitting plumes of blue smoke. An alluring woman lay on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows, as her luscious black hair fell over the front of the bed. Her eyes seemingly closed, she took deep breaths of the swirling plumes of blue smoke with a euphoric expression.
Her chest was half-exposed, and her fair and bountiful mounds of flesh could bring a rush of excitement to anyone's blood. Her light yellow gown had fallen down her shoulders, revealing a portion of her snow-white back. And at the moment, at the slit of her dress, her white, slender legs were being caressed by another person.
As she inhaled the smoke around her, the alluring woman couldn't help letting out a light chuckle whenever her sensitive areas were touched. Lounging lazily on the bed, she bent her leg and placed the bottom of her foot on the man's face.
That man was none other than the Suppressing Second Hall Master Huo Lingxiao. He had one hand on the woman's foot, kissing the leg extended to him, as his other hand continued tracing down and reached the area between her legs. The woman then let out a light moan.
His hand continued moving towards the woman's ample buttocks, then up her smooth back, before sliding around to grab her buxom chest.
The sight before him was simply too arousing, and Huo Lingxiao's breathing grew ragged. As though he couldn't control himself any longer, he abruptly pulled the woman's gown down to her waist, exposing her voluminous chest completely.
The woman immediately buried her face onto the bed, chuckling so much that even her shoulders were quivering.
Huo Lingxiao clenched his teeth and forcefully took off his robes, revealing his upper body, as he pressed down on the woman's body like a hungry wolf. He madly pressed kisses on her back, as his hands anxiously tried to remove her final piece of clothing.
Suddenly, the woman waved her hand and pushed Huo Lingxiao away. Flipping her hair to the back, she turned to her side, supporting her head with one arm.
It seemed Huo Lingxiao was a little unwilling to give up. The feeling of being able to touch the other person but not being able to sink one's teeth in drove him insane, and he aggressively dove forward to embrace her. However, he soon noticed the woman's narrowed eyes. Although seemingly gentle, there seemed to be a hidden sharpness in those bright, seductive eyes of hers.
Huo Lingxiao's expression immediately froze, as though his mind had suddenly cleared up. He slowly took hold of the gown by the woman's waist and pulled it back up to her shoulders, covering her exposed bosom. And as he touched the woman over her clothes, he lowered his head to kiss her half-exposed shoulder, and asked, "May this subordinate know why the Palace Lord has called for him?"
The woman was none other than the Traversing Moon Palace Lord, Zhang Tianxiao. One would normally expect a person with such a name to be a man; they would never think that it could be such an alluring woman. When her parents gave her this name, they must have hoped that she would be happy every day. However, it was unclear what exactly was the nature of her relationship with Huo Lingxiao.
Actually, Miao Yi had met this woman before as well. Back when he bumped into Huo Lingxiao in the Fifth Earthly Branch's capital city, this was the woman who he'd caught him with on Jade Lake—Xiao Xiao.
Zhang Tianxiao lowered her eyelids slightly, relishing the other party's embrace and kisses as she said lazily, "Nothing much, really. The Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade has just ended, and the survivors are already on the way back. I'm guessing they will reach here in around two to three months. Are you not concerned about the results?"
Embracing her from behind, Huo Lingxiao smiled bitterly and said, "It doesn't matter whether I'm concerned about it or not. My Suppressing Second Hall didn't send anyone worthy of note to participate either way. I'm sure the final result has got nothing to do with me. Palace Lord, why are you suddenly mentioning this? Did our Traversing Moon Palace manage to gain some unexpected returns this Subjugation Crusade?"
Zhang Tianxiao chuckled lightly and said, "We do indeed have some unexpected returns. In this Subjugation Crusade, the Fifth Earthly Branch has managed to obtain six spots."
Relishing the touch of her body obsessively, Huo Lingxiao abruptly raised his head in shock and asked, "Six? That many?"
"Yup. The Overlord was quite astonished as well. After all, even the Six Sages had sent their representatives over to participate this time around. With so many spots being taken up right from the start, it's natural to be surprised that a single Earthly Branch could still obtain six spots in a single stroke."
"The Six Sages sent representatives to participate as well?" Huo Lingxiao was shocked again. He wasn't aware of this information at all. His old buddy Wu Menglan had managed to find out about it when she was delivering the participants, but it would be inappropriate of her to divulge it to outsiders. The only reason she had told Miao Yi was because he was a participant.
Zhang Tianxiao nodded lightly. "Because of this, there is an extra prize in the Subjugation Crusade this time around. Those that survive will be able to take up a Manor Head's position anywhere they wish within the Fifth Earthly Branch, according to their placement number."
Huo Lingxiao laughed. "May I know how many among these six elites are the Palace Lord's subordinates?"
"How many can there possibly be? I'm already quite surprised to even have one. Ever since I took charge of the Traversing Moon Palace, I've never had a single subordinate make a name for themselves during a Subjugation Crusade." Zhang Tianxiao smiled at him and said, "Speaking of which, I still have to thank you."
"Thank me?" Taken aback, Huo Lingxiao asked curiously, "Don't tell me it's someone from my Suppressing Second Hall? That can't be true, right?"
"Don't tell me you don't know the person named Miao Yi?" Palace Lord Zhang chuckled.
"Miao Yi?!" Huo Lingxiao was absolutely shocked.
Zhang Tianxiao giggled and said, "At first, I only found this name to be awfully familiar, as though I'd heard it somewhere before. Yet, I couldn't remember where. However, as I investigated deeper, I was hit with a sudden revelation. As it turns out, not only has this person met me a long time ago, he was also this Great Hall Master Huo's sworn brother. Don't you think I should be thanking you then?"
"How… How is this possible?" Huo Lingxiao was in utter disbelief. 'That miserly little brother of mine actually survived the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade?!'
"When I rechecked the name list, I found that he only had a White Lotus cultivation at the time of participation." As she looked at him, Zhang Tianxiao's lips curled into a playful smile, and she teased, "Huo Lingxiao, at the end of the day, he's still your sworn brother. How could you bear to send him to the Sea of Constellations and risk his life with just a White Lotus cultivation? Don't tell me you knew all along that he had some ace up his sleeve? Were you so confident that he'd return in one piece, so you were planning to surprise me?"