"Let... let me go,!" Zhao Zen Wu struggled, channelling his Qi to break free, but every time he did, an unknown force suppressed it.
He cursed in his heart as Xuan's grip only tightened with every second.
"The moment you brought me here to my death; you had already signed your own death warrant." Xuan spoke calmly, making sure Zhao Zen Wu understood his every word.
"Now you and your whole clan will face the consequences." His cultivation rose from the peak of Qi Awakening and ended at the 6th stage of the next realm, the Spirit Vein realm.
Zhao Zen Wu knew there was nothing to hide, so he spoke, "I have no choice. I agree what I have done is wrong. You can kill me if you want, but leave my family out of this."
Xuan laughed, "Haaah-haaah, you think you or that old man would have let my companions live if it was me who had died?"
Zhao Zen Wu had no answer for Xuan's question. Even if he would have spared others after Xuan's death, he could not speak the same for the Cloud Severing Ancestor.
He sighed, "I only want you to leave my family. In return, I'll do anything you want. Just don't involve them; they are innocent."
"You say anything? How sure are you of your words, or will you plan another backstab after this?" Xuan asked coldly.
Zhao Zen Wu pointed three fingers toward the sky, swearing an oath, "I swear in the name of heaven and my only family that I won't backstab you. Instead, I'll do as you say, as long as you leave my family out of this."
Just as he swore the oath, he felt Xuan's grip loosening. Zhao Zen Wu sighed and waited for Xuan's words.
"Very well," Xuan retracted his hands, while his aura began to stabilize and his cultivation ended at the 7th stage of the Spirit Vein realm.
"Then you must remember that I need to rescue someone from East River City!" Xuan felt that Zhao Zen Wu had believed that he could not go against him, so he explained.
"I want your full involvement. If you help me get my companion back from there unharmed, that will be the end of the enmity between us." He then turned, deciding to leave Zhao Zen Wu to ponder.
If Zhao Zen Wu wanted to, he could attack Xuan, and the chances of killing him were higher at this moment, but Zhao Zen Wu had no such thing in his heart.
He believed that the Cloud Severing Ancestor taking over Xuan's body was a different matter, but if he tried to kill Xuan and somehow succeeded, even then there would be a dead end for him and his family.
As offending Xuan was the same as offending the royal dragon clan.
He followed Xuan, "I'll help you but…" he had doubts in his heart, but realizing that he wasn't in a position to negotiate with Xuan, he swallowed his own thoughts, praying that what he feared would not come true.
Xuan returned to Long Wei and Bai Hua's side, whose eyes were wide open when they saw Xuan's changed aura. It had become denser, while his cultivation had soared once more in such a short time.
"Husband!" Both of them called, and Xuan smiled at them, "I'm back."
Long Wei hugged him instinctively, as she was the one who loved sharing the most intimate moments with Xuan. "What happened inside?" She asked.
Xuan answered, "I'll tell you later. Now we'll leave for East River City, and the city lord will help us in bringing back Ru Feng."
"Isn't that right, City Lord?" Xuan turned to look at Zhao Zen Wu, who looked reserved, but as soon as he heard Xuan calling, he showed a fake smile, "Indeed, I'll prepare for our departure."
"Father, can I come too?" his daughter Zen He asked, but Zhao Zen Wu's smile turned cold. "No, go back to your room."
Zen He, stunned, looked at her father's serious face, but she didn't want to feel humiliated in front of Xuan and the others, so she left. She was left thinking about what had happened inside, as she could feel her father was upset for some reason.
Bai Hua and Long Wei pondered, "What happened to him?" They both looked at Xuan, sensing that something had occurred and that Xuan's earlier fluctuating aura was related to it.
After Zen He was gone, Zhao Zen Wu turned to Xuan. "I'll prepare for our departure as soon as possible. I hope…" he paused.
"You won't go against your words," Zhao Zen Wu asked, looking seriously at Xuan.
Xuan, who was calm, nodded. "As long as you stay true to your words."
Bai Hua looked puzzled, as did Long Wei, seeing the exchange between Xuan and the city lord.
Long Wei, always curious, wanted to ask, but she waited for the city lord to leave.
Once he was gone, she pulled Xuan's hand. "Why do you two look so serious? And earlier I sensed your chaotic draconic aura," she looked directly into Xuan's eyes.
"Husband, what actually happened inside?" She asked. Bai Hua added, "Your cultivation, it has soared to an all-new realm in such a short time. What opportunity did the city lord give you?" she asked.
Xuan had a wily smile on his face, "Opportunity? I was just this close to losing my body—no, I should say my life." He revealed.
"What!" Bai Hua and Long Wei had the same shocked expression; they couldn't stop themselves from asking.
"What do you mean by losing your life?" their hearts skipped a beat when they heard him casually speaking about it.
If such a thing were to happen, they couldn't imagine what they would do then.
Xuan explained everything to them without hiding a single piece of information about what he had gone through. The more Bai Hua heard this, the more she clenched her fist.
Her cultivation burst upon learning that the so-called hero of the city, the Cloud Severing Ancestor, was alive and had tried to take over Xuan's body.