"I've always been like this, speaking my mind. Even if you don't want to hear it, what can you do about it..."
Wu Tao said this provocatively, completely unconcerned and with a slight smile.
"You..."
Nangong Chen was both angry and furious, glaring at Wu Tao, his killing intent intensifying.
At this moment, a burly, stern-faced middle-aged man dressed in a tight blue outfit showed anger.
He spoke, "Well said, you shameless fellow! After seducing our Xue'er, you dare to be so arrogant!"
"My fellow clan brothers, what are you waiting for? Kill this beast!!"
...
Gazing at Wu Tao before him, the middle-aged man's eyes blazed with fury as he turned to look at the others in the main hall.
Deep killing intent flickered in his eyes.
Blocking someone's financial path is akin to killing their parents.
Faced with immense profit, this middle-aged man did not hesitate to kill a stranger.
Seeing that the other clan members in the main hall remained silent, he spoke again, "For the future prosperity of our Nangong family in the next century, why aren't we quickly and cleanly killing this brat..."
"This..."
In the main hall, listening to these words, the dozens of powerful elders seated on the dais reacted differently.
Some showed killing intent, some remained expressionless, some looked hesitant, and others sighed mournfully.
However, overall, those with killing intent far outnumbered those who were hesitant or reluctant.
Meanwhile.
Upon hearing this, Wu Tao yawned and sneered, "Kill me? With just you lot? This is the funniest joke I've heard in my life."
"Do you want to laugh me to death? If that's the case, you might have a slight chance of success..."
"Hmph, with just you? I could wipe out your entire household, leaving no one alive, even if I sat here motionless!"
After saying this, Wu Tao's expression turned grim.
At this moment, Wu Tao had made up his mind to thoroughly punish these shameless, despicable, hypocritical scoundrels.
Nangong Chen and the dozens of Nangong family elders were initially stunned by Wu Tao's words, then burst into hearty laughter. One elder even bent over with laughter.
Clearly, none of them believed Wu Tao's words, thinking he was just bragging.
However, their smiles soon froze and stopped.
This was because many intensely burning fireballs suddenly appeared beside Wu Tao.
Before Wu Tao could even make a move to show them his might.
They all stood up, looking at Wu Tao with expressions of fear.
Even Nangong Chen, seated in the main seat, was moved, his gaze towards Wu Tao containing a deeply hidden trace of fear.
Their sudden understanding and rapid change in attitude surprised Wu Tao.
"Are you truly an Immortal Master?"
The middle-aged man who had been the most aggressive earlier asked, harboring a sliver of hope.
Wu Tao snorted, a flash of killing intent in his eyes, and without another word, a large fireball "whooshed" and struck the middle-aged man.
As a result, the middle-aged man instantly turned into a pile of ashes.
This terrifying sight turned the faces of everyone in the Nangong family in the main hall as white as death.
After a long while, they finally recovered from their shock, greatly awed by Wu Tao's status as an immortal.
"Since you are also an immortal, then there is room for negotiation..."
"We were wrong before, and now we apologize..."
After learning of Wu Tao's immortal status, Nangong Chen's attitude improved.
"Oh, and what if I don't accept your apology?"
Wu Tao replied with a half-smile, unwilling to waste more words on these shameless individuals.
"Your Excellency, don't be too arrogant. Do you know about the existence of Town Guardians among mortal humans?"
Seeing that soft words wouldn't work, Nangong Chen dropped the pretense and became tough again.
"Of course, I know. As a cultivator at the Core Formation stage, how could I not know these basic things? But what of it?"
Wu Tao nodded, acknowledging his knowledge.
"Our Nangong family is the Town Guardian of this county. According to regulations, without actual evidence, immortals are not allowed to act against our family..." Nangong Chen said somewhat smugly.
The reason Nangong Chen dared to confront Wu Tao, who possessed immortal status, was ultimately due to this identity.
In Nangong Chen's mind, even if immortals looked down on mortals, they should still have some apprehension towards the rulers of the mortal world!
Wu Tao's expression remained unchanged, but his heart sneered continuously.
It turned out that due to the vast disparity in power between immortals in the cultivation world and mortals in the mortal world, there was a clear regulation. Unless there was irrefutable evidence that mortals had actively provoked cultivators, cultivators were strictly forbidden from acting against high-ranking mortals. This was to prevent any cultivator from holding mortal rulers hostage, causing chaos and disrupting the normal order of the mortal world.
Generally speaking, no ruler of the mortal world was foolish enough to commit grave disrespect towards cultivators. Therefore, rulers of the mortal world held significant power within the mortal realm.
"Of course, we are merely mortals, how could we dare to act presumptuously before Immortal Master? We only beg for your magnanimity and for us to discuss this properly..."
After stating his identity, Nangong Chen's tone softened, offering Wu Tao a way out.
Wu Tao instantly understood the other party's intention. Perhaps he, as the Nangong family head, could not easily contact cultivators of the Core Formation stage, but it wouldn't be difficult to contact those in the Foundation Establishment stage. And from his demeanor, it seemed he considered Wu Tao a "minor cultivator" in the Qi Refining stage, which was why he dared to confront him.
Unfortunately for them, Wu Tao was a cultivator at the Core Formation stage, a true dragon that could obliterate these local magnates with a mere breath. Moreover, in the eyes of the strong, rules were merely a piece of paper, just words. Rules only restricted the weak, not the strong, because rules were formulated by the strong.
...
Without sufficient backing, this was how things were. Of course, if you had strong backing, it was a different story.
When Wu Tao was in Qingzhou, the reason he dared to be so arrogant was because his backing was the dominant Taiyi Immortal Sect of Qingzhou.
...
The reason he could be so arrogant in the underworld was also because his father-in-law was the Vice City Lord of Tongguan City, at the middle Nascent Soul stage.
Wu Tao smiled faintly and replied casually, showing no intention of revealing his true cultivation level or identity.
...
Nangong Chen carefully examined Wu Tao again but still could not glean any useful information from him.
Despite being immensely surprised, he showed nothing on his face. Nangong Chen spoke again, "Immortal, you must understand that you must apologize to Grand Immortal Sima for this matter..."
"Grand Immortal Sima is a Patrol Envoy at the Foundation Establishment stage. If you still care for Xue'er, this is not only for the Nangong family but also for Xue'er and Yu'er!"
"So, in your heart, family is more important after all." Wu Tao said dismissively in response to Nangong Chen's words.
...
Nangong Chen opened his mouth to speak but then closed it. After a moment, he said coldly, "As the head of the Nangong family, is it wrong for me to consider the interests of the Nangong family as the most important thing in my heart?"
"You are truly an interesting person. I've never met anyone as interesting as you in my entire life?"
...
Wu Tao couldn't help but laugh at this and said slowly.
Nangong Chen remained silent, not replying, merely staring coldly at Wu Tao.
In fact, Nangong Chen was genuinely afraid that Wu Tao would suddenly erupt, kill them all, and finish the job. At this moment, the only cards the Nangong family could play were Nangong Xue and her daughter Nangong Yu.
...
"What do you want me to do? Admit that I meddled halfway and disrupted this marriage..."
"Or should I kowtow and apologize to this so-called Grand Immortal Sima? And say that I seduced your daughter, is that right, Nangong family head?"
Faced with Wu Tao's increasingly sharp words, Nangong Chen was about to get angry, but after looking at the magnificent mansion that the Nangong family had painstakingly built over a hundred years, he suppressed his rage.
"It seems I was right. You really think this way..."
"Nangong family head, this title is truly laughable, and you yourself are even more pathetic, selling out your daughter and granddaughter for this so-called title?"
...
"However, I can promise you this. Since your Nangong family wants me to explain to that damn Grand Immortal Sima, then I will go and explain it to him."
For Wu Tao, it was a rare and fun situation. And the matter had already reached this point; it would be too boring not to follow through.
...
Hearing Wu Tao's words, Nangong Chen, whose face was flushed with anger, took a deep breath.
In reality, he also felt a sense of relief.