The two guards, only at the late Golden Core stage, dared to block Xu Yang?
Xu Yang chuckled coldly and said, "I'm Xu Yang. I have some matters to discuss with your president."
"President?"
One of the guards looked at Xu Yang suspiciously. Noticing that Xu Yang was only at the Qi Refining stage, he immediately sneered and said viciously:
"Who do you think you are? Our president isn't someone you can meet just because you want to. Get lost!"
Xu Yang was used to dealing with people like this and didn't bother arguing. He simply said calmly:
"Please step aside. I have something very important to discuss."
One of the guards laughed mockingly, as though he had heard the most absurd thing.
"Important? You, a mere Qi Refining stage nobody, think you have something important to discuss? Get lost before we have to teach you a lesson."
"Yeah, scram! Or don't blame us if our fists don't show mercy," the other guard threatened, clenching his fists menacingly.
Having wasted so much time dealing with these two guards, Xu Yang was visibly irritated.
"I'll give you one last chance to move aside, or you'll bear the consequences."
One of the guards, seeing that a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator dared to speak to them disrespectfully, spat on the ground.
"You're asking for death!"
As soon as he said that, he threw a punch aimed directly at Xu Yang's face.
If Xu Yang had been an ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivator, he would have been utterly destroyed by this punch.
But Xu Yang was far from ordinary.
Xu Yang's gaze turned icy.
"Get lost!"
Boom!
As the sound echoed in the guards' ears, an ethereal force enveloped them. Their bodies froze, and a tremendous power slammed into their chests. Both guards let out a miserable cry, spat blood, and stumbled backward.
"Move aside." Xu Yang stepped forward, his voice cold as though it came from the depths of hell.
The two guards stared at Xu Yang in terror, as if they were looking at a demon.
"You're not at the Qi Refining stage! What are you doing here?" one guard stammered weakly in fear.
"Move aside!" Xu Yang repeated indifferently, ignoring their terror.
The guards, paralyzed with fear, scrambled to their feet and staggered into the courtyard to escape.
At that moment, a deep but aged voice echoed from within the courtyard:
"Young friend, isn't it a bit much to be so aggressive?"
With the voice came an elderly man with white hair but a vigorous demeanor. He appeared before Xu Yang.
"That's him! He's trying to force his way in!" The two guards, upon seeing the elderly man, acted as though they had found their savior. They stumbled over to him and knelt on the ground, reporting the situation with relief on their faces.
Zhang Tianjun's expression turned cold as his sharp, sinister gaze locked onto Xu Yang, emanating a chilling aura.
"Aren't you going to explain yourself?" he asked.
Xu Yang smirked disdainfully. This old man, at the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage, dared to act so arrogantly?
"Old man, are you the president here?" Xu Yang asked casually.
At this point, Xu Yang stood with his hands on his hips, a red fruit lazily hanging from his lips, exuding an air of utter nonchalance.
Zhao Tianyu, who had just finished preparing the spirit vessel, happened to witness this scene. He nearly tripped over himself in shock.
His gaze flickered in panic before he quickly turned and bolted back to the spirit vessel. Without hesitation, he started the vessel and fled as fast as he could.
"Outrageous! What kind of attitude is that? Kneel down and apologize immediately, or you won't even have a corpse left when we're done with you!"
The gate guards, who had just been humiliated by Xu Yang, started barking again, emboldened by Zhang Tianjun's presence.
Xu Yang's gaze turned sharp.
He strode forward and delivered a slap, his hand emitting a white spiritual energy that spread like mist, turning the area into a dense, hazy whiteness.
Boom!
The slap landed heavily on their faces, and before the two guards could react, they were sent flying.
The entire process was smooth and lightning-fast. By the time Xu Yang finished, Zhang Tianjun hadn't even registered what had happened.
Moments later, as the white spiritual mist dissipated, Zhang Tianjun finally came to his senses.
Turning his head, he saw two human-shaped holes in the wall behind him.
The two guards were now flailing helplessly in a pond within the courtyard, looking utterly miserable.
"What is the meaning of this, young friend?" Zhang Tianjun's face darkened like the bottom of a pot, his gaze brimming with fury as he glared at Xu Yang. His fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, as though itching for a fight, but he hesitated, unsure of Xu Yang's true strength.
"Heh, I'm here to discuss something with you," Xu Yang replied casually, still exuding an air of nonchalance.
Zhang Tianjun scrutinized Xu Yang for a moment, noting his flippant attitude but sensing that he indeed seemed to have something important to say.
"What is it!?" Zhang Tianjun asked suspiciously.
He had never met Xu Yang before. What business could they possibly have?
Suddenly, as he took a closer look at Xu Yang, Zhang Tianjun's eyes narrowed. A flash of recognition crossed his face.
"You're Xu Yang!" he exclaimed sharply, his expression shifting to one of fear, as though he had just seen a ghost.
Xu Yang found his reaction amusing.
"Calm down. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to ask about the Mad Flood Dragon."
"The Mad Flood Dragon?" Zhang Tianjun's expression turned puzzled as his gaze swept over Xu Yang.
"Why are you asking about that?"
The Mad Flood Dragon was currently the most pressing matter in all of Tianwu County.
A ferocious beast capable of rivaling a Cave Heaven stage cultivator—any mishap involving it could spell disaster for the entire county.
"At the Tianyang Sect, the beast is no longer there. It escaped," Xu Yang said lightly.
Pausing for a moment, he added, "Actually, it didn't just escape. Someone tampered with the sealing formation, rendering it ineffective and releasing the beast."
Though Xu Yang's words were spoken lightly, they struck Zhang Tianjun like a thunderbolt. He stood there in stunned silence, unable to react for a long time.
"Did you just say… the Mad Flood Dragon has escaped?" Zhang Tianjun stammered, his voice trembling. His face turned ashen, as if he were mourning a great loss.
"Relax. I'm just here to ask around. Only a handful of groups have the power to release that beast. If it wasn't you, I'll ask someone else," Xu Yang said indifferently.
Seeing the confusion and panic on Zhang Tianjun's face, Xu Yang could tell that the Lingbao Auction House had nothing to do with the incident.
"If this matter has nothing to do with you, then I won't bother you any further," Xu Yang said, turning to leave.
Since there were no leads here, he would check elsewhere.
Every minute wasted increased the potential danger.