Although Mountain Invincible was dissatisfied with Jace Zhao's attitude, he had no choice but to rely on him to break the formation. So even though he was upset, he could only swallow his frustration in silence.
After circling the formation a full nine times, Jace Zhao finally stopped. Mountain Invincible was just about to speak when he realized Zhao had fallen deep into thought.
The onlookers were all watching Jace Zhao curiously, wondering if the Duke of Qi Residence’s consecrated master could really break this formation.
Just then, a commotion broke out in the crowd.
It was a stern, imposing middle-aged man in brocade robes, his face dark and gloomy, arriving with a group of guards. Behind him was an old man—none other than Jiang Bao, chief steward of the Duke of Qi Residence.
With that, the identity of the brocade-robed middle-aged man was obvious.
"Heavens, I can't believe the Duke of Qi came in person!"
Someone exclaimed in shock.
"I heard the Duke of Qi Residence’s chief steward Jiang Bao is a late Divine Transformation powerhouse. If he tries brute force to break the array, can the Nine Heavens Black Tortoise Array withstand his power?"
"Greetings, Your Grace!"
Mountain Invincible stepped forward and saluted.
Duke Jiang Kui nodded slightly, his eyes settling on the formation. "Well, Master Zhao, what do you think?"
"He’s probably thinking of a way to break the array," Mountain Invincible replied.
"Mm."
Duke Jiang Kui nodded and said nothing more. As for Jace Zhao, he was so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed Duke Jiang Kui’s arrival.
About half a quarter of an hour passed.
"Look, isn’t that the owner of Immortal Cloud Pavilion?"
"I heard that the young lord died at Immortal Cloud Pavilion!"
Under everyone’s gaze, Pavilion Mistress Bei floated over with Old Zhou.
"Greetings, Your Grace." Pavilion Mistress Bei stepped up to Duke Jiang Kui and gave a slight bow.
"Mm!"
Duke Jiang Kui replied blandly and ignored her. If not for the Second Prince’s influence, he wouldn’t just be after Cece’s life—he’d have the entire Immortal Cloud Pavilion buried with his son.
"Old Zhou greets the Pavilion Mistress!"
Jiang Bao smiled and greeted Pavilion Mistress Bei.
"Chief Steward Jiang, your courtesy is too much for a mere woman like me!"
Pavilion Mistress Bei shifted slightly, making it clear she didn’t want to accept Jiang Bao’s gesture.
Seeing this, Jiang Bao just smiled, not taking it to heart. In his eyes, she was just a woman borrowing someone else’s power.
At that moment, a figure flashed overhead—a handsome youth appeared in the sky above the formation. He slowly swept his gaze around, finally settling on Duke Jiang Kui. "You must be the Duke of Qi, right?"
"Come here and kneel, little dog!"
Jiang Bao’s hand shot out like lightning—a giant palm appeared in front of Ian Song. But Ian just stood there, unfazed, as the massive hand closed around him.
"Pfft!"
The giant palm grasped nothing.
Jiang Bao’s face darkened in embarrassment—he’d only grabbed an illusion. For a late Divine Transformation expert to be fooled so easily was a disgrace.
"Stand down!" Duke Jiang Kui barked.
"Yes, sir!" Jiang Bao shot Ian Song a glare and reluctantly stepped back.
"Are you the one who killed my son?" Duke Jiang Kui stared at Ian Song and questioned coldly.
"That’s right. I killed him," Ian Song nodded nonchalantly.
"How do you want to die?" Duke Jiang Kui’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.
Ian Song sneered, "You’ll have to catch me first. Why not step into the array and try? Maybe you’ll be able to avenge your turtle son!"
At this, Duke Jiang Kui’s face turned completely black. "You little dog! I, Jiang Kui, swear by Heavenly Tribulation—even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I’ll tear you to pieces and scatter your soul, never to be reborn!"
"Fine, I’ll be waiting." Ian Song replied indifferently. Just then, Pavilion Mistress Bei’s lips moved slightly, and Ian’s expression in midair changed for a moment before resuming his smile. "Jiang Kui, I heard you couldn’t find me and so you grabbed Miss Cece instead?"
"My son died for her, so she should be buried with him!" Duke Jiang Kui declared matter-of-factly.
Ian Song sneered, "Nonsense! Your son was too arrogant, so I sent him to the afterlife. As the saying goes, ‘A child’s faults are the father’s responsibility.’ I wondered who could raise such a brazen turtle son. Now I see you, and it all makes sense—you’re the turtle’s father, an old tortoise yourself!"
Hearing Ian Song call Duke Jiang Kui an old tortoise, the crowd was stunned. The Duke of Qi held immense power—few dared even be disrespectful, let alone insult him outright. Yet here was someone pointing at his nose and calling him an old tortoise. It was shocking—and deeply satisfying to witness.
For a moment, many young cultivators regarded Ian Song as their idol.
"You little beast, you’re asking for death!"
Knowing Ian Song was only an illusion, Duke Jiang Kui couldn’t help but lash out with his palm.
Naturally, his palm struck nothing but air.
Suddenly, Ian Song’s image in midair blurred and disappeared.
At the same time, the array barrier grew clear, revealing the situation inside.
Around a stone table, Ian Song sat with six others—the former Duke of Qi Residence guards Conrad Wolf, Nanspring, and the rest.
Ian Song spoke up: "Let’s play a poetry game. The only rule is your poem must insult Jiang Kui, that old tortoise. Each poem you compose earns you a top-grade spirit crystal!"
A top-grade spirit crystal for each poem—these verses were worth a fortune!
For a while, everyone outside looked at Conrad Wolf, Nanspring, and the others with envy.
Ian Song continued, "I’ll start. Listen up: ‘At dawn I leave White Emperor, clouds ablaze—Jiang Kui sits by a little stream. My seventh-grade spirit sword flashes once, and Jiang Kui becomes a eunuch!’"
"Pfft!"
At Ian Song’s mocking poem, Pavilion Mistress Bei couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. Raina Quinn also smiled, though Duke Jiang Kui’s face was anything but pleasant.
As soon as Ian Song finished, Conrad Wolf, Nanspring, and the others cheered.
Ian Song raised his hand and turned to Conrad Wolf. "Conrad Wolf, it’s your turn. Go ahead!"
Conrad Wolf grimaced. "Young Master, I don’t know how to write poetry!"
"How disappointing!" Ian Song shot him a glare. "If you can’t write poetry, just insult him!"
Conrad Wolf brightened. "Young Master, that I can do!" He launched into a serious tirade: "It’s said Jiang Kui was hideous from birth—his mother fainted at the sight, and his father drew his sword, shouting, ‘What monster is this?’"
Conrad Wolf kept up his insults for a full ten minutes, and outside, Jiang Kui was nearly bursting with rage.
"Well done! Here are ten top-grade spirit crystals as your reward!" Ian Song tossed him ten crystals.
"Thank you, Young Master!" Conrad Wolf said gratefully. After all, his annual salary at the Duke of Qi Residence was only one top-grade spirit crystal.
Seeing Conrad Wolf get his reward, Nanspring and the others rushed to join in—some wrote crooked verses to mock Jiang Kui, others simply insulted him. Ian Song generously handed out top-grade spirit crystals to them all.
People outside watched with envy. Top-grade spirit crystals, just for cursing someone—they wanted in too.
It was as if Ian Song could hear their thoughts. He suddenly turned to them and said, "Now I’ll give you all a chance to earn spirit crystals: Insult Jiang Kui on the spot and I’ll reward you with one top-grade spirit crystal. Kill a Duke of Qi Residence Foundation Establishment servant for three crystals; kill a Golden Core for ten; kill a Nascent Soul for a hundred; kill an early Divine Transformation for ten thousand; kill a mid-stage Divine Transformation for twenty thousand; kill a late Divine Transformation for a hundred thousand!"
Hearing Ian Song’s offer, the cultivators outside instantly had red eyes—even Elder Walter Wood was tempted to eye Mountain Invincible. Twenty thousand top-grade spirit crystals! He’d lived thousands of years and only saved up a little over two thousand.