"Sect Master Zang, the initiative is mine now," Xiao Man said to Zang Xu, her voice steady. "If I push this sword just a little further, the Old City Lord will be dead."
"Xiao Qin, what exactly do you want?"
"What I want is simple: to live. But it seems Sect Master Zang has no intention of letting me live," Xiao Man replied calmly. "Besides, your men never intended to let me go from the start."
"You want to live?" Zang Xu roared, his anger reaching its peak, but he forced himself to restrain it. "Easy. If you have Yan Ze open the barrier, I'll let you go."
"Sect Master Zang, if we open the barrier, none of us here will be your match. We'll be at your mercy, won't we?"
"You don't trust this Lord?"
"Sect Master Zang, it's not that I don't trust you. It's just that we are too weak to contend with you. Even if you break your word, we can't do anything about it, can we?"
Zang Xu's brow furrowed. "Then what will it take for you to let him open the barrier?"
"If Sect Master Zang swears by the laws of heaven and earth that you will not harm anyone in Wuji City and the Land of No Return, then I will have the Old City Lord open the barrier and let you in. How about that?"
Zang Xu sneered inwardly. If he truly wanted to kill them, why would he need to do it himself? Once Jun Shang emerged, killing these people would be a simple matter. He decided to agree for now.
"Fine, I agree. I, Zang Xu, swear by the laws of heaven and earth that I will not harm anyone in Wuji City and the Land of No Return. Alright? You can open the barrier now."
Xiao Man lowered her gaze and whispered something into the Old City Lord's ear. The Old City Lord nodded subtly.
"Alright, I will open the barrier now." Xiao Man released the Old City Lord. The Old City Lord stood before the barrier. "Sect Master Zang, please release the civilians you captured."
Zang Xu glanced at the people behind him and gestured for Lü Yuan and the others to release the captives. The civilians, once freed, scrambled away as if their lives depended on it, fearing the other side might change their minds.
"The people are released. Can you open the barrier now?"
Xiao Man and the Old City Lord exchanged a look. The Old City Lord stepped forward, preparing to open the barrier, while Xiao Man retreated to the side. A careful observer would notice that Xiao Man's steps were quite measured. However, Zang Xu, overjoyed at the prospect of entering the Land of No Return, paid no attention.
The Old City Lord opened the barrier, and Zang Xu, a look of delight on his face, rushed in. Lü Yuan, seeing this, followed. Just then, Xiao Man interrupted the Old City Lord. Zang Xu successfully entered the Land of No Return, but Lü Yuan was not so fortunate. He only managed to get half his body inside before the barrier closed, crushing him to death with a spray of blood.
Zang Xu glanced back at Lü Yuan, a flash of fury in his eyes. He immediately lunged for Xiao Man, but she was prepared and quickly put distance between them. Caught off guard, Zang Xu slammed into the barrier!
"What is going on?" Zang Xu touched the barrier in front of him in shock. Hadn't he already entered the Land of No Return? Why was there still a barrier?
"Xiao Qin, you broke your promise!"
"Sect Master Zang, how did I break my promise?" Xiao Man stood outside the barrier, her demeanor composed. "I said I would let Sect Master Zang enter the Land of No Return, and you have entered."
"Why is there still a barrier?"
"It seems Sect Master Zang doesn't know much about the Land of No Return. There's an outer city beyond the fifth-level city." Xiao Man glanced at the Old City Lord, who suddenly understood. Xiao Man had prevented him from entering the outer city area precisely to trap Zang Xu there!
"Xiao Qin, you dare to scheme against this Lord!"
"Sect Master Zang, when will you ever learn? I've already tricked you many times." Xiao Man had never trusted Zang Xu. He had only sworn not to harm them, but he hadn't said others wouldn't. Moreover, who could guarantee that Yu Ju wouldn't harm them when he emerged?
"Xiao Qin, I will kill you!" Zang Xu roared, slamming against the barrier. However, the barrier remained unshaken. Even with his advancement to the Nascent Soul stage, he couldn't budge the barrier of the Land of No Return.
"Likewise," Xiao Man replied calmly. She had no intention of letting the Five Poisons Sect off the hook. She had thwarted their plans multiple times. If she didn't uproot the Five Poisons Sect, she would inevitably suffer the consequences.
"Father."
Xiao Man heard the voice and looked towards the city gate. A man in grey robes was holding Qi Hong in one hand and Ze Fang in the other.
Seeing this, Zang Xu smirked. "Xiao Qin, let's see what you can do now."
Xiao Man felt a pang of panic, her mind racing. "Let him go."
"You tell me to let him go, and I will?" Zang Xu sat on the ground, looking coldly at Xiao Man. This was the first time in his life he had been outsmarted by the same person so many times. Now that he held the leverage, he wanted to see what tricks she had up her sleeve.
"Father, don't worry about me."
Xiao Man looked at the Old City Lord, who was also tense. Trapping Zang Xu in the outer city was the best option. However, there were still several Golden Core cultivators from the Five Poisons Sect inside the city, and those few could kill everyone in Wuji City. As for those outside, although there were two Golden Core cultivators, they might not be a match for them.
"Young friend, you must think carefully. Once he's released, the lives of tens of thousands in the Land of No Return are at stake," the Old City Lord warned Xiao Man. He could only let Zang Xu into the Land of No Return, not into Wuji City. This meant that if Xiao Man wanted to save her son, she would have to trade it for the lives of everyone in the Land of No Return.
Xiao Man's expression remained unchanged, but her eyes grew cold. "Sect Master Zang, do you know how to make someone vanish completely, body and soul?"
Zang Xu narrowed his eyes, his voice becoming low and dangerous. "What do you mean?"
"Let Xiao Qi go, and I will take you to where Yu Ju is suppressed. Otherwise, I have a method that can obliterate someone completely, body and soul. Yu Ju has been suppressed in the Land of No Return for over ten thousand years and is now very weak. He cannot withstand any more damage. Do you want to destroy everything together, or can we discuss this reasonably?"
"On your word?" Zang Xu scoffed. "Jun Shang is a supreme deity who has cultivated for millennia. You, on the other hand, won't even be able to get close to the formation, let alone kill Jun Shang."
"It's you who can't get close to the formation, isn't it?" Xiao Man's expression was calm and unflustered. "The formation that suppresses Yu Ju is the Heavenly Gang Demon Subduing Formation of the Heavenly Spirit Sect, a grand formation with four Nascent Soul stage mighty cultivators as its foundation. Do you want to know what that formation looks like?"
Xiao Man drew on the ground with her sword. The Old City Lord looked confused, guessing that Xiao Man was trying to bluff Zang Xu, as she likely didn't know the formation's appearance. But as he saw what Xiao Man was drawing, he couldn't hide his shock.
Zang Xu also stood up, his gaze falling on the formation on the ground, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. After a moment of thought, he turned to the man in grey and said, "Let him in. You take me to the suppression site, and I'll return your son!"