Chapter 380: The Fool and the Snake (1/2)

The Soul Qi of 8th-stage cultivators came from their soul dantian and soul physique, which was superior to elemental Qi and Life Essence.

A Soul Physique was a combination of condensed Essence energy, Elemental Qi, willpower, consciousness, nascent soul, and the daos of a cultivator. By merging everything they had obtained from the previous seven stages, they reached a semi-immortal state, and they no longer had physical weaknesses like mortals.

They would no longer die from diseases, physical injuries, or accidents. Instead, the only way to kill them was to destroy their soul dantian, where the soul core of the cultivator was usually hidden.

The lich, which Miaomiao had killed by light element power, had an incomplete Soul Physique as its master didn't understand the dao. Thus, it was still vulnerable to the advanced element Qi, which countered its nature. Had it been in the completed form, the light element power alone wouldn't be able to kill him regardless of how powerful Miaomiao was.

On the other hand, these four 8th-stage cultivators had the complete Soul Physique. They were invulnerable against elemental Qi attacks, physical attacks, and poison!

The only ones who could kill these supreme experts were the fellow immortals or cultivators with the same physique and soul power.

Meanwhile, everyone in the banquet was still mortals without a strand of Soul Qi. When the killing intent of Wen Chou, Yan Liang, Guan Yunchang, and Zhang Yide exploded, all nascent soul cultivators and weaker experts clutched their chests and collapsed to the floor.

Yuan Shaoqing and Liu Xuande were unaffected by the killing intent as they were experienced fighters who got used to facing such pressure. As for everybody else, they vomited blood. Their blood vessels burst, and all red fluid came out of their orifices. Even their nascent souls and the embryos were on the verge of being cracked.

Yuan Shaoqing's face slowly changed from red to white as he reached his limit. As for Liu Xuande, he didn't flinch or bat an eye despite being showered by Wen Chou and Yan Liang's killing intent.

This sketchy agent seemed to have many secrets.

As Yuan Shaoqing was about to fall on his knee, Liu Xuande raised his hands and stopped his brothers.

”It's okay. We're not here to fight.”

Guan Yunchang and Zhang Yide sneered at Yuan Shaoqing. They pulled back their weapons and canceled their killing intents.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou also canceled their power to protect their lord and the people in the banquet. Yet, they still glared at the troublesome group.

Yuan Shaoqing coughed and spat a mouthful of blood. He stared at Liu Xuande and groaned in a crisp voice, ”You're not here to mock me without a reason. What do you want?”

”I've been observing how you fought, and I did my best not to intervene with your affairs. However, I've had enough,” Liu Xuande picked his ears and dug out two balls of bloody earwax, which was the result of the pressure contest earlier. Then, he popped them in his mouth and chewed them.

While he plucked his nose with his pinky finger, he complained, ”Your army lacks unity and harmony. You never paid attention to micro and macro-management. You never had a solid strategy against Siren City, and you didn't even utilize your men properly. In short, you suck!”

Yuan Shaoqing clicked his tongue, ”I don't need to tell you how I plan my war.”

”Yes, you don't need to tell everyone what you planned, but even a child can tell that you can't command shit.”

”…”

Liu Xuande turned away and faced the other nascent soul cultivators, who hadn't recovered from the previous killing intent outburst, ”Dear guests and friends, tell me honestly, has Yuan Shaoqing been acting like a proper warlord during this campaign?”

The banquet participants, clan lords, and elders from various sects looked at each other, not sure if they should answer as it might offend Yuan Shaoqing.

However, one of them managed to recover first. An elder from the Li Clan cupped his fist and declared, ”No. Lord Yuan Shaoqing has never consulted anyone regarding the war plan. All orders came from him, and we can't even voice our opinion.”

Liu Xuande winked at the Li Clan's elder while the latter also nodded.

Meanwhile, Guan Yunchang grinned, and Zhang Yide burst into laughter as they knew about the conspiracy behind the current event.

Li Clan's elder continued to denounce Yuan Shaoqing as planned.

”Listen, brothers and sisters. Our army should have conquered Siren City easily had all top experts mobilized at the same time. Look at us now! It took us several months to gather here and camp in front of that city when we could have arrived here within a week. Our speed is too slow because Lord Yuan never instructed or informed anyone about the date, time, location, or his plan!”

The crowd looked at Yuan Shaoqing, beginning to doubt the lord.

The elder continued to incite the others, ”If we have a proper alliance leader, we wouldn't have had to delay our march or fight in a prolonged war. I suggest we appoint a new alliance leader to replace Lord Yuan!”

Finally, Li Clan's elder proposed to replace Yuan Shaoqing.

Yuan Shaoqing's face turned solemn. He finally realized what Liu Xuande had aimed.

Authority! Liu Xuande tried to replace him!

Wen Chou and Yan Liang glanced at their lord, expecting Yuan Shaoqing to start throwing tantrums or be infuriated.