Chapter 121: The Overbearing Body Cultivator

The atmosphere within the City Lord’s mansion was unsettling, bordering on the macabre. Jiang Pingchuan, wearing a half-mask, scanned the gathered crowd with a faint smile.

Lord Gong continued to stare at the five individuals across from him with eyes as wide as copper bells. Kun Jia gave a couple of dry coughs to draw everyone’s attention before waving his hand.

"Gentlemen, today we welcome Young Hero Jiang. His presence on the Changfeng Continent is our good fortune. Come, let us toast to Young Hero Jiang."

Kun Jia raised his wine cup and gestured. Jiang Pingchuan lifted his own, acknowledged the group, and drained it in one gulp. Lord Gong, watching Jiang Pingchuan with curiosity, saw that the cup was empty and did not hesitate to finish his own.

Kun Jia chuckled and waved for the songstresses and dancers to begin their performance. The dancers swayed their seductive figures, constantly moving before Jiang Pingchuan. He seemed to enjoy the interaction, occasionally offering his cup to a dancer beside him, who would look at him with a coquettish smile and press the rim to his lips.

Jiang Pingchuan, unreserved, bit the edge of the cup to drain it. He would occasionally tease the performers, drawing roars of laughter from those present, to which he would join in with a chuckle.

"Young Hero Jiang, I am Mu Yunfeng. I have long heard of your renowned name. Seeing you in person today, you are truly extraordinary. Come, I hope you will do me the honor of drinking this cup."

A middle-aged cultivator sitting across from Jiang Pingchuan stood up, holding his cup with both hands in a solemn gesture.

"Brother Mu is too kind."

Jiang Pingchuan raised his cup, saluted Mu Yunfeng from across the table, and they both downed their drinks. Just as Jiang Pingchuan set his cup down, a young man sitting opposite him, his body radiating a sinister, black aura, clapped his hands and looked at Jiang Pingchuan with a smirk.

"It is clear that Young Hero Jiang has an exceptional capacity for drink. I have heard that City Lord Kun Jia possesses a thousand-year-old vintage. I wonder if he would be willing to bring it out for us all to share, so we might satisfy our cravings?"

The man said this with a laugh. Jiang Pingchuan looked at him curiously, then glanced at Kun Jia, who sat at the head of the table. Kun Jia’s expression turned sour, as if he were deeply reluctant.

"Oh? City Lord Kun Jia has such fine wine? I wonder if I might be fortunate enough to have a taste," Jiang Pingchuan said, observing Kun Jia’s unnatural expression. Kun Jia hesitated, his thick brows furrowing as he seemed to struggle with the idea of parting with his precious jar of vintage.

"This is perhaps..."

"Come now, City Lord Kun Jia. Do you feel Young Hero Jiang is not worthy of tasting such a vintage, or do you look down upon us as mere country bumpkins?" The man sneered at Kun Jia. Even while laughing, he seemed to Jiang Pingchuan to be inherently sinister. The man fiddled with a small bead in his hand as he watched Kun Jia, who suppressed his visible anger.

"What are you saying, Ouyang? You are all my honored guests. Someone, bring out that jar!"

Kun Jia forced a smile at the man named Ouyang and signaled the guards outside to retrieve the wine. Jiang Pingchuan watched this calmly. He glanced at Lord Gong beside him, who was licking his lips in anticipation.

"City Lord Kun Jia is truly a generous man. Even your guards know exactly where that thousand-year-old wine is kept," Jiang Pingchuan said with a chuckle. As soon as he spoke, Kun Jia’s expression flickered before returning to normal, though his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil. Jiang Pingchuan had sensed since meeting him that the City Lord was hiding something, especially given how Kun Jia had clearly wanted to object but had somehow been coerced into agreeing.

"Young Hero Jiang jokes. I am a simple man; I do not like to hide things."

Kun Jia’s face flushed as he spoke, and he blinked slightly at Jiang Pingchuan. Jiang Pingchuan was momentarily taken aback, then hurriedly laughed and looked away. By then, the guard had already carried a jar of wine into the center of the hall.

Kun Jia waved for the dancers to leave and walked down from his seat to open the long-sealed lid. Lord Gong, who had been watching with joy, suddenly frowned and signaled to Jiang Pingchuan after the seal was broken.

"Beggar, this wine is suspicious," Lord Gong whispered into Jiang Pingchuan’s ear. Jiang Pingchuan looked at the nervous old man with a silent, questioning gaze.

"I have tasted wines across the entire Changfeng Continent. If this is truly a thousand-year vintage, it would be ridiculous for the seal to open so easily," Lord Gong sneered as he watched Kun Jia wiping the jar. Jiang Pingchuan looked at the jar with profound intent; when the seal was broken, there had been no aroma at all.

Only after Kun Jia finished wiping the jar did a rich fragrance suddenly drift out—a clean, refreshing scent that was intoxicating. Jiang Pingchuan sniffed it gently; it was indeed a worthy vintage.

"Fine wine!" Ouyang clapped his hands and shouted, and the others echoed him. Jiang Pingchuan noticed that Kun Jia’s hands trembled noticeably when Ouyang spoke. Every strange behavior Jiang Pingchuan had witnessed since arriving seemed tied to this man, Ouyang.

"Indeed, a thousand-year-old vintage, preserved perfectly—a fine wine, no doubt," Lord Gong added, clapping along with Ouyang. Kun Jia simply smiled faintly and lifted the jar to fill everyone’s cups.

"Wait. This wine belongs to City Lord Kun Jia; we cannot have him pouring it for us. That would be an insult to us," Ouyang said, standing up. He took the jar from Kun Jia and walked over to fill Jiang Pingchuan’s cup. Jiang Pingchuan looked into Ouyang’s eyes and offered a smile of thanks. After pouring for everyone, Ouyang returned to his seat, picked up his own cup, and walked back to Jiang Pingchuan.

"I have long heard of your peak strength, Young Hero Jiang. It is an honor to make your acquaintance. With City Lord Kun Jia’s fine wine, I propose a toast."

Ouyang spoke in a flat tone. Jiang Pingchuan appeared slightly flustered, rising hurriedly to clink his cup against Ouyang’s. Just as he was about to drink, Kun Jia knocked over a fruit plate. Jiang Pingchuan instinctively set his cup down without drinking. Ouyang’s expression darkened.

"Is City Lord Kun Jia upset that I toasted Young Hero Jiang alone?" Ouyang asked, glancing sideways at the head of the table. Kun Jia offered an awkward smile, and when Ouyang turned his head, he hurriedly blinked at Jiang Pingchuan, but Jiang Pingchuan did not look at him.

Kun Jia sat in his seat, clenching his fists, watching as Ouyang continued to press Jiang Pingchuan to drink, his own expression one of agonizing struggle.

"Young Hero Jiang, bottom's up!"

Ouyang tapped his cup against Jiang Pingchuan’s. Jiang Pingchuan nodded with a smile and raised the cup to his lips. Ouyang did not drink, instead watching Jiang Pingchuan with narrowed eyes, waiting to see if he would consume the wine.

"Wait! Do not drink!"

*Crash... Sizzle...*

"Ah!"

As Jiang Pingchuan was about to drink, Kun Jia suddenly overturned his table and let out a roar. Ouyang’s face turned grim, and Jiang Pingchuan sneered, quickly splashing the contents of his cup onto Ouyang.

Ouyang dodged, and the liquid landed on the face of a cultivator behind him. The man let out a shrill scream as his face rapidly rotted away, dissolving into a pool of blood.

Jiang Pingchuan shattered his cup and walked toward Ouyang with a dark expression. Ouyang, momentarily stunned, drew a short blade and licked his lips, staring greedily at Jiang Pingchuan.

"Everyone, attack! If we kill him, we shall have endless wealth and glory!" Ouyang shouted. The others circulated their internal energy, eyeing Jiang Pingchuan with hostility. Jiang Pingchuan responded with a cold, steady gaze.

Lord Gong stood up with a smirk, unleashing his power and instantly intimidating several of them. Seeing this, Kun Jia stood beside Lord Gong, glaring at the surrounding cultivators.

"Kun Jia, you will die a miserable death!" Ouyang realized that by overturning the table, Kun Jia had chosen to side with Jiang Pingchuan.

"Endless wealth and glory require a life long enough to enjoy them," Jiang Pingchuan said as he walked slowly toward Ouyang. Ouyang sneered, seeing Jiang Pingchuan approach so calmly.

"Jiang Pingchuan, what are you still pretending for? You have no strength left; just accept your death!"

Ouyang lunged forward, throwing a punch toward Jiang Pingchuan. But the fist, wreathed in black energy, was caught firmly in Jiang Pingchuan’s hand. Ouyang’s lips twitched as he saw his own fist held fast, and he struck out with his other hand toward Jiang Pingchuan’s head.

But things rarely go as planned. Before the fist reached its target, Jiang Pingchuan snapped Ouyang’s held wrist backward, forcing the man's own fist into his face.

Ouyang gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. The others, who had been ready to swarm, now saw that Ouyang was as helpless as an infant in Jiang Pingchuan’s grip. They realized then that their intelligence had been wrong.

Jiang Pingchuan stared coldly at Ouyang. Due to the pain, Ouyang’s face was twisted, and he could not strike with his other hand. Jiang Pingchuan squeezed Ouyang’s wrist, crushing the bones into powder inch by inch, as if breaking dry firewood.

This was the test brought on by the ninth Dao Crystal. It forced him to choose between internal energy cultivation and physical refinement. This form of combat was far more brutal and effective than traditional energy channeling, and it inexplicably increased the user's bloodlust, making them ruthless.

"Don't be in such a hurry. You are all staying here," Jiang Pingchuan said, scanning the room. The others tried to flee, but found that the moment he looked at them, their bodies were frozen, unable to take a single step.

Jiang Pingchuan finished his sentence and shattered Ouyang’s head with a single blow. Remarkably, there was not a drop of blood on Jiang Pingchuan’s hand. Lord Gong pulled the stunned Kun Jia to a seat, and the two poured themselves drinks, watching the scene unfold.

Lord Gong looked at Jiang Pingchuan with admiration, laughing wildly in his heart. It turned out that even without his internal energy, Jiang Pingchuan had become even stronger. Though he didn't know why, Lord Gong knew that their days of rampaging across the Changfeng Continent were far from over.

"Young Hero Jiang, spare us! We were just momentarily confused!" Mu Yunfeng pleaded, trembling. Jiang Pingchuan shook his head, walked over to Mu Yunfeng, patted his shoulder, and sighed.

"If I had truly lost my strength and begged you to spare me, would you have done so?"

Jiang Pingchuan looked into Mu Yunfeng’s eyes. Mu Yunfeng was speechless. Jiang Pingchuan chuckled, reached out, and closed Mu Yunfeng’s eyes with his hand.

With a swift kick, he sent Mu Yunfeng’s head flying into the distance. As the body slumped to the floor, the others instinctively closed their eyes.