"Who dares to question two beings at the Innate Realm?"
The martial artists, who were struggling to breathe and on the verge of collapsing under the pressure of the two Innate Realm experts, were stunned when they heard this.
Then they saw a figure appear and slowly walk into the Wei residence through the main gate.
He was a young man dressed in plain clothes with an ordinary appearance.
In his hands, he also held a jade scroll.
The jade scroll emitted a hazy white light, enveloping the young man in plain clothes, allowing him to move freely and without hindrance under the pressure of the two Innate Realm experts.
This bizarre scene shocked not only the martial artists present.
Even Wang Cangyi and Wei Shanhai, two experts at the Innate Realm, couldn't help but narrow their eyes.
"Gentlemen, the Holy Mountain has a prohibition that martial artists at the Innate Realm must not attack humans below the Innate Realm without cause, nor engage in Innate Realm battles in cities where people gather. Do you intend to violate this prohibition?"
Faced with the gazes of the two innate powerhouses, the young man in plain clothes remained expressionless, but his tone gradually became serious.
"Illustrations and scrolls, are you from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion?"
Wang Cangyi stared intently at the jade scroll in the hands of the young man in plain clothes, his expression solemn.
"Tianji Lou Zhirui greets the two Innate Realm masters."
The young man in plain clothes bowed slightly, offered a salute, and said calmly.
Upon hearing the young man in plain clothes admit it, Wang Cang was shocked.
He stared at the young man in plain clothes for a while, then slowly dissipated the sword energy that had gathered in his palm.
Although he didn't know if the other party's identity was real or not, he had heard of the miraculous power of the elixir scroll.
Only the people of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion can activate such a mysterious jade scroll.
Even Wei Shanhai put away his sword.
However, unlike Wang Cangyi, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew that since the people from Tianji Tower had appeared here, today's battle was probably not going to happen for the time being.
Wang Cangyi keenly sensed this slight fluctuation in Wei Shanhai's mental state.
He knew perfectly well that the other party's injuries had not yet fully healed, and that he had only been bluffing.
In an instant, Wang Cangyi's face darkened.
He looked at the young man in plain clothes and questioned, "I've always heard that the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion never participates in the struggles between various forces in the world. What, does Your Excellency Zhi Rui intend to break this stance?"
"The stance of Tianji Tower has never changed, Senior Wang need not question it." The young man in plain clothes said calmly, "Tianji Tower has no interest in interfering in your fight with Senior Wei, but if the two of you insist on starting a war in the city, what should be the consequences?"
Wang Cangyi's expression immediately became uncertain.
If the young man in plain clothes hadn't been there, he could have killed Wei Shanhai, destroyed the Wei family, seized the treasure, and then escaped.
Even if the Holy Mountain investigates afterward, he will have ways to defend himself and minimize his responsibility.
But now that the young man in plain clothes was here, he dared not make any rash moves.
Legend has it that the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's sacred scrolls possess a magical function.
The contents written on it could be transmitted to the headquarters of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion in an instant, which was extremely miraculous.
Even if the young man in plain clothes were to slaughter everyone in the city to silence them, he probably wouldn't be able to stop the news from leaking out.
"Wei Shanhai, do you have the guts to fight me outside the city?"
Wang Cangyi remained silent for a while with a gloomy expression, then suddenly shouted at the ancestor of the Wei family.
"Hahaha, Wang Cangyi, no need to rush. I've been traveling for several days and am a bit tired. After I recuperate for a few days, I will definitely come to collect your dog's head in person!"
However, looking at the cheerful and bold Wei Shanhai, he just laughed and refused to accept the challenge.
"You!" Wang Cang was furious. "You cowardly old thief, you don't even have the will to fight! You are a disgrace to the title of Innate Realm!"
"Unlike you, a despicable villain who only knows how to attack from behind and do petty theft," Wei Shanhai mocked.
"you......"
Wang Cangyi's chest heaved violently. He knew that Wei Shanhai had made up his mind to hide in the city like a coward.
Unfortunately, he had no way to deal with the other party.
If he insists on starting a war, it will be impossible unless he can instantly kill Wei Shanhai.
Otherwise, regardless of the final outcome of the battle, if any other casualties are caused during the fight, he will not escape the Holy Mountain's accountability.
The thought of the guilt he would bear for initiating a battle of innate beings in the city made Wang Cangyi's heart tremble.
He didn't want to spend the rest of his life imprisoned on the holy mountain, living in fear.
After considering it for a while, he realized that even if Wei Shanhai was not fully recovered from his injuries, he was not someone he could kill instantly.
Wang Cang gritted his teeth, stared at Wei Shanhai, and said with a ferocious expression:
"You old fool, just you wait. I will never give up until I get that thing. You'd better never leave the city and stay here like a coward. Otherwise, the day you leave this county will be the day you die!"
With that, a burst of air rang out, and the figure disappeared from the rooftop.
"Master!"
The burly man and his companions were greatly alarmed to see Wang Cang leave so suddenly.
"Get out of here now!"
Wei Shanhai didn't make things difficult for these people. He lowered his voice, gave a low shout, and a powerful aura erupted.
The burly man and his companions dared not utter another word. Hearing this, they felt as if they had been granted a pardon and hurriedly rushed out of the Wei residence.
Those who were slow to run were kicked from behind and scrambled away.
After all the people from the Tiancang Sect had left, Wei Shanhai said to someone under the eaves, "My lord, please come out."
Is someone still hiding up there?
The Wei family members all looked in that direction.
Under the watchful eyes of many, a figure emerged from under the eaves, jumped to the ground, and stood there gracefully.
"Greetings, Senior Wei."
The middle-aged man with phoenix eyes first bowed to Wei Shanhai, and then said to the young man in plain clothes:
"Zhi Rui, it's a good thing you arrived in time, otherwise I'm afraid I would never have seen you again."
Upon seeing this figure, the Wei family members were all dumbfounded.
No one expected that the county magistrate would be hiding in that spot.
The young man in plain clothes never expected that his friend was hiding in that place.
Even he, who was usually so composed, was somewhat astonished at this moment.
Seeing that his friend still didn't care, he couldn't help but sigh and say, "If you don't change your love of watching the drama unfold, I wouldn't be surprised if I heard the news of your death one day."
"Zhi Rui, that's not very kind of you. We're such good friends, why would you curse me to die?"
Just as the two were bickering, Wei Shanhai landed on the ground and bowed to the young man in plain clothes.
"Thank you, Your Excellency Zhi Rui, for saving the lives of my entire Wei family."
The young man in plain clothes regained his calm expression.
He said calmly, "Senior Wei, please don't misunderstand. The reason I am here is that I don't want to see anyone violate the Holy Mountain's prohibitions, not to help your Wei family out of this predicament."
"In any case, His Excellency Zhi Rui's appearance did save our Wei family. I, Wei Shan Hai, will never forget this kindness."
The young man in plain clothes shook his head, said nothing more, and slowly walked out.
"Zhi Rui, why are you in such a hurry? Wait for me, let's go for a drink together!"
After bowing to Wei Shanhai, the middle-aged man with phoenix eyes called out and hurried after him.
Wei Shanhai watched the two leave the Wei residence without saying a word to stop them.
"Ancestor!"
After all the outsiders left, Wei Xinghe clutched his chest and led his clansmen up excitedly.
"Xinghe, the situation was urgent just now, and there wasn't enough time to completely block Wang Cangyi's sword energy, which injured you. Are you alright?" Wei Shanhai asked.
"It's alright. Who would have thought that a dignified Innate Realm expert would launch a sneak attack on a junior like me? Fortunately, Ancestor, you arrived in time," Wei Xinghe said, shaking his head.
"Hmph, that Wang Cangyi has always been despicable and shameless, why would he care about face?" Wei Shanhai sneered.
"Ancestor, why not keep that Lord Zhi Rui here? He saved our Wei family. Wouldn't it be impolite to let him leave like this?" Wei Xinghe asked.
Wei Shanhai shook his head: "It's not that I don't want to keep him, but his identity is special. He never gets close to other forces. Keeping him would only make things difficult for him."
Wei Xinghe was about to ask another question, but Wei Shanhai waved his hand and said, "Let's go inside and talk about it. Have someone tidy up the yard first."
Wei Xinghe had no choice but to keep quiet for the time being. Once inside the house, he found himself alone with the head steward and the old ancestor.
Then he continued, "Ancestor, when did you return?"
“I’ve been back for several days now, but I haven’t entered the city yet, because I know that Wang Cangyi is definitely waiting for me in the shadows.”
"Ancestor, who exactly are these people, and what grudge do you have against Wang Cangyi?"
This is the question that has been troubling Wei Xinghe for some time now.
Such treasures in the family have always been kept secret, and even few people in the clan know about them.
How could this mysterious force know this?
"The people who invaded our Wei family are mostly from a sect called Tiancang Sect in the northern border. Wang Cangyi is the second elder of this sect."
"As for his grudge against me..."
Wei Shanhai sighed before saying, "He and I used to be good friends."
"Friends? Then how..."
Wei Xinghe and Chief Steward Wei were both taken aback.
"That happened a hundred years ago..."
As Wei Shanhai recounted the story, Wei Xinghe and Wei Shanhai gradually came to understand what had happened.
It turns out that a hundred years ago, Wei Shanhai was a young man in his prime, full of vigor and ambition.
At that time, he had achieved great success in martial arts cultivation. At a young age, he was already a martial arts expert with perfected physique and strength, and could be called a martial arts genius that the Wei family had only seen once in a hundred years.
In order to find an opportunity to break through to the Inner Visceral Realm, and also to broaden one's knowledge.
When Wei Shanhai was twenty years old, he decided to travel around the world and meet the heroes of the land.
During his travels, he met a young man of similar age, who was none other than Wang Cangyi.
Wang Cangyi comes from a major sect, possesses extraordinary strength, and is well-informed.
In terms of both strength and knowledge, he was far superior to Wei Shanhai, who came from the Wei family, which was still a minor aristocratic family at the time.
The two hit it off immediately, and Wei Shanhai was particularly impressed by Wang Cangyi's demeanor.
The two eventually became sworn brothers.
After becoming sworn brothers, the two ventured into the martial world together, experiencing and witnessing many things.
But it was during his travels that Wei Shanhai gradually discovered that Wang Cangyi was not as noble and virtuous as he appeared on the surface.
In reality, he is not magnanimous; sometimes he would even deliberately make things difficult for insignificant people over trivial matters.
They are also extremely vengeful and have a strong desire for revenge.
If anyone offends him, even unintentionally, he will kill them to vent his anger.
If Wei Shanhai hadn't constantly intervened to stop him, he would have even considered taking his anger out on other people's families and exterminating their entire clans on several occasions.
Thus, during their travels, the two began to disagree on their approaches to life and often argued.
But at that time, Wei Shanhai still regarded Wang Cangyi as a brother in his heart.
Although he acted in an extreme way, he was still considered a decent person.
What truly caused their falling out was an expedition they took to explore a secret location.
In that mysterious place, they inadvertently unlocked a cave and gained a great opportunity.
However, a disagreement arose when it came time to divide the treasures.
Wang Cangyi believed that he had contributed more to the process of unlocking the cave and should therefore receive 90% of the treasures.
Wei Shanhai, however, felt that since they were brothers, they shouldn't be so calculating.
Although he didn't exert as much effort, he still managed to shield Wang Cang from a fatal trap when they entered the cave.
According to this calculation, even if he doesn't get half, he shouldn't only get 10%.
The two had another heated argument, and almost came to blows.
In the end, Wei Shanhai compromised. He was willing to take only 10% of the treasures, but on one condition: he had to choose the items first.
Unexpectedly, Wang Cangyi disagreed with even this request, only agreeing to let each person take turns choosing one treasure.
At this point, Wei Shanhai was completely disappointed in Wang Cangyi.
It should be noted that the treasures they obtained were quite extraordinary, and with their strength at the time, they were simply unable to distinguish which treasures were the best.
Even if he were allowed to choose, he wouldn't be able to pick all the most precious treasures first.
Unexpectedly, Wang Cang was unwilling to suffer even this loss.
After fully understanding Wang Cangyi's character, Wei Shanhai also let go of his resentment. He casually selected a few treasures, and after the two left the cave, he severed ties with Wang Cangyi, parted ways, and never had any contact with him again.
"Thinking back now, if it weren't for the breakthrough in my cultivation level during our travels, which made our strengths roughly equal and neither of us confident of victory, Wang Cangyi would probably have already decided to kill me back then."
Wei Shanhai sighed.
"Ancestor, according to you, could it be that the treasure you were given back then was..." Wei Xinghe asked tentatively.
“That’s right. One of the treasures I received is the one that was hidden in our Wei family’s secret vault.” Wei Shanhai nodded. “Moreover, it was the most precious treasure from the harvest from that secret place.”
"The most precious one?"
"Yeah, I didn't expect that when I just picked one randomly, I would end up choosing the most precious one among all the treasures."
"Wang Cang never imagined that I would be so lucky, choosing the most precious item right away. Perhaps this is what they call destiny."
"I wonder if he was furious in the days that followed."
A mocking smile appeared on Wei Shanhai's face.
Wei Xinghe and Chief Steward Wei put themselves in Wang Cangyi's shoes and thought that, given Wang Cangyi's temperament, he would probably be quite angry.
"So, Wang Cangyi came to our Wei family this time to obtain that treasure. Then why was you ambushed by him, Ancestor?" Wei Xinghe asked.
"To be honest, it's my fault for being too careless," Wei Shanhai sighed.
“After I broke off relations with Wang Cangyi, I never saw him again. Not long ago, he wrote to me, saying that we hadn’t seen each other for many years and invited me to get together.”
“I thought to myself that so many years have passed. We were young and hot-blooded back then, which is why we argued so fiercely. Now that a hundred years have passed, what is there that we can’t let go of? So I went to keep the appointment.”
"Unexpectedly, after we met, Wang Cangyi pretended to talk to me about his travels when he was young. When I was relaxed, he suddenly attacked me. I was not careful and was seriously injured. I could only find an opening to escape."
"What about your injuries, Ancestor?" Wei Xinghe asked hurriedly.
"My injuries have not yet fully healed, and I can only exert up to 30% of my full strength," Wei Shanhai said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Wei Xinghe and Chief Steward Wei were immediately taken aback.
Just as they were about to ask for more details, Wei Shanhai asked, "By the way, I've been back for so long, why haven't I seen Ningyan and An'er come out? Where are they?"
The perception of someone at the Innate Realm is extraordinary. Wei Shanhai then discovered that there was no trace of Li Ningyan or Wei Zian in the mansion.
