Chapter 453: The Invitation

At the same time, the Rakshasa Holy Lord and the Blood Spring Holy Lord, still lying prone on the camel's back, could sense the Ghost Prison Holy Lord's familiar and powerful martial aura above them. They were burning with rage but dared not give voice to it.

Of course, both were also awash with regret, frustrated with themselves for not having been the first to bring up recovering their cultivation with Li Musheng, which had allowed the Ghost Prison Holy Lord to seize the advantage and leave the two of them with no choice but to keep playing the turtle with its head retracted.

Among the martial world experts who had been quietly watching Li Musheng, the Hidden Kill Pavilion's future Pavilion Master, from afar, quite a few who had been nursing restless, itching thoughts about making a move had now completely abandoned the idea after witnessing the formidable strength the Ghost Prison Holy Lord had displayed.

After all, even though their own martial cultivation was considerable, they recognized they were no match for the Ghost Prison Holy Lord standing before them, let alone for Li Musheng, who had suppressed three Holy Lords by himself.

In his room above the restaurant, Yiyangzi had also caught the entire battle between the Ghost Prison Holy Lord and Bai Jian Chou in the sky above. He withdrew his gaze and let out a cold laugh, turning to the Undying Scholar beside him and saying, "You said earlier that perhaps someone would step out and try testing him. As things stand now, that possibility is more or less off the table."

At those words, the Undying Scholar, with his weary and world-worn air, said nothing, his gaze simply fixed on Li Musheng passing along the street below.

Only once Li Musheng's group and the Hidden Kill Pavilion assassins had moved off into the distance did the Undying Scholar finally speak, his eyes burning with intense feeling, "This young man radiates such vibrant, youthful life force. The rumors were no exaggeration. This prince of Great Li is absolutely no older than twenty. A figure of such heaven-endowed gifts truly inspires envy and admiration."

At some point the Mountain Tiller had also come to stand by the window, his gaze following Li Musheng's retreating figure in the distance, his expression unreadable and shifting, "A martial talent like this is every bit a match for that Jiang family boy. What a pity, though. He has already grown up, and I doubt he would spare so much as a glance at old relics like us."

At those words, Yiyangzi swept both men with a look and narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had always felt that these two, coming to White Emperor City under the pretense of trying to take the Jiang family boy as a disciple, likely had purposes that went beyond simply taking on a disciple, and that they had other designs on that young genius.

"Since there's nothing more to see here, we won't be staying."

At this point, the Undying Scholar withdrew his gaze and gave Yiyangzi a slight bow.

Then he exchanged a glance with the Mountain Tiller, and in the next instant both figures stirred and vanished from the room without a trace.

Seeing this, the several middle-aged men who had been on edge from start to finish all let out a collective breath of relief, then immediately crowded around Yiyangzi and said, "Granduncle, even these two, who haven't set foot in the martial world in so many years, have come out. There must be quite a gathering of powerful figures for this White Emperor City discipleship event. Are you confident in your chances?"

At those words, Yiyangzi lifted his wine jar and took a long drink, then gave a cold snort and said, "Taking a disciple isn't purely a matter of martial cultivation. That Jiang family boy will see soon enough that I am the master best suited for him."

With that, Yiyangzi paid the others no further attention and went back to drinking on his own.

...

At the same time, the Ghost Prison Holy Lord and Bai Jian Chou were still locked in a fierce, evenly matched battle in the sky above White Emperor City, neither able to gain a decisive advantage over the other.

"Ghost Prison, that ghostly technique of yours is too damned persistent. I can't kill you and I don't have time to waste on you here."

At this point, Bai Jian Chou spoke in a flat, cold tone and drove a single sword stroke through the layers of ghostly mist and illusions surrounding him, clearing a path.

His figure then transformed into a blazing blue streak of sword light and shot away through the sky without pausing, vanishing in an instant beyond the horizon.

At the sight, the Ghost Prison Holy Lord erupted with fresh fury. He had been toyed with and mocked, and there was no swallowing this humiliation. Without a moment's hesitation he immediately shot after Bai Jian Chou in pursuit.

Once the two had departed, the terrifying aftermath of their clash in the sky slowly dissipated, and the airspace above the street district gradually returned to normal. The clouds above had been completely shattered and scattered by the shockwaves, leaving the sky a vivid, brilliant blue.

Li Musheng's group continued along the main street, making their way toward the central district of White Emperor City.

As an assassin organization, the Hidden Kill Pavilion had no publicly known fixed base of operations, maintaining only administrative offices for receiving assignments. Even throughout the entire Western Desert's martial world, it was known only that the Hidden Kill Pavilion's headquarters was located somewhere within White Emperor City, but where exactly its core territory lay, no one knew.

Even so, just as Li Musheng's group was proceeding without the slightest obstruction through a comparatively quiet stretch of the market district, an elderly man who appeared from nowhere suddenly stepped out and blocked their path.

"Might I ask whether you are His Highness the Eighth Prince from Great Li?"

The elder was dressed in thin, plain cloth clothing with hair gone half-white. He stood in the middle of the road along which Li Musheng's group was traveling, clasped his hands in a slight bow, and addressed Li Musheng, still seated atop his camel.

At the sight, the young girl Ah Xiu, the Fifth Elder, and the others all showed unusual expressions and immediately looked the plainly dressed elder up and down.

After all, whether it was the escort of the Hidden Kill Pavilion assassins or the Ghost Prison Holy Lord's earlier display of power, any martial world figure with even a basic level of self-awareness would not dare entertain any ideas about making a move against Li Musheng.

Of course, there were exceptions, provided someone had enough confidence in their own strength.

"Could this person be some supreme martial world expert?"

The young girl Ah Xiu's fine brows pressed together as she tried to work out the plainly dressed elder's identity.

But at this point, Li Musheng simply gave the elder a single glance, saw through him completely, and asked, "What do you want with me?"

At those words, the plainly dressed elder showed no sign whatsoever of wanting to fight, and instead produced an invitation card from within his sleeve, presenting it to Li Musheng and saying, "My master heard that Your Highness has arrived in White Emperor City and has specially sent this old servant to deliver this invitation, cordially inviting Your Highness to attend the discipleship gathering being held for our young master."

The elder's words were clearly a surprise to Ah Xiu and the others, who had assumed someone looking to cause trouble had appeared, only to find it was someone delivering an invitation to Li Musheng.

"Are you from the Jiang family of White Emperor City?"

The young girl Ah Xiu looked at the plainly dressed elder and asked with puzzlement. Before she had even finished her question, the Hidden Kill Pavilion assassin Huan Hu had already silently appeared before Li Musheng and reported quietly, "Your Highness, this man is indeed the Jiang family's longtime servant, and also one of the Jiang family head's most trusted confidants."

At those words, Li Musheng's eyebrow lifted slightly. Seeing that Li Musheng appeared to have no intention of taking the invitation card, the plainly dressed elder immediately hurried to speak, "Your Highness need have no concerns. This invitation was personally written by my master and entrusted to this old servant to deliver."

"My master has long heard of Your Highness's world-shaking exploits and holds the deepest admiration for a figure of Your Highness's unparalleled gifts and achievement throughout the martial world. He has long lamented having no opportunity to meet Your Highness in person, and upon hearing of Your Highness's arrival, he immediately sent this old servant at the earliest moment, earnestly requesting that Your Highness honor us with your presence at our young master's discipleship gathering. If Your Highness would consent, the entire Jiang family would be more than honored."

With that, the plainly dressed elder bowed once more and raised the invitation card high with both hands.