"Young Lord Jun Xiaoyao, what do you mean by that?"
Huangfu Chunjun's expression tightened slightly.
No matter how much of a smiling tiger or a deep schemer one was,
being publicly humiliated made it hard for anyone to smile again.
Smiling again would truly make one a fool.
Jun Xiaoyao's lips curled into a mocking smile, and he said, "Your suggestion makes this Young Lord doubt your intelligence."
"Demon Suppression Pass is inherently my father's territory; it's natural for a son to inherit his father's legacy."
"Yet you propose to decide the authority over Demon Suppression Pass through a competition. This Young Lord asks, when did this authority ever need to be contested with you?"
"It's something that already belongs to me, yet you insist on competing for it. Don't you think there's something wrong with your head?"
Jun Xiaoyao's words were blunt, practically a slap to the face!
Huangfu Chunjun's suggestion was clearly a subtle trick, setting a trap for Jun Xiaoyao.
If Jun Xiaoyao had agreed, he would have fallen right into the trap.
As soon as Jun Xiaoyao spoke, the atmosphere immediately quieted down, becoming somewhat awkward.
The others' gazes towards Huangfu Chunjun were also a bit strange.
As if they were looking at a mentally challenged child.
Even with Huangfu Chunjun's Heart-Nature and composure, his face couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
"If Young Lord Jun Xiaoyao minds, then I can naturally pay some price..." Huangfu Chunjun said.
"You pay a price?"
"Just tell me what price you can pay that can compare to the authority of Demon Suppression Pass?"
As one of the Three Emperors' Bulwark Nine Great Passes,
the authority of Demon Suppression Pass was not something ordinary people could wield.
Within Demon Suppression Pass, there were also vast numbers of Town Boundary Army.
This was also a force that could not be ignored.
"This..."
Huangfu Chunjun's face paused slightly.
"Or are you saying you want to gamble the authority of Yanggu Pass against the authority of my Demon Suppression Pass?"
A subtle glint flashed in Jun Xiaoyao's eyes as he said with an indifferent expression.
"You..."
Huangfu Chunjun was about to speak when his mind jolted.
This Jun Xiaoyao was tricking him again!
If he really agreed, and something unexpected happened,
then he would be even more miserable than Hongchen Emperor Son.
Hongchen Emperor Son, at most, only lost a Red Dust Merchant Guild.
But if he lost, what he would lose was the authority of Yanggu Pass.
His father would probably hang him up and beat him.
"What a deep scheme..." Huangfu Chunjun's eyes narrowed.
This Jun Xiaoyao's schemes were too terrifying.
Trying to outsmart him was harder than ascending to heaven.
Previously, Huangfu Chunjun had heard many stories about Jun Xiaoyao and had analyzed him extensively.
But after a real confrontation,
he finally understood what a profoundly scheming person Jun Xiaoyao truly was!
What made him most formidable was not even his strength, but his Prodigy-like depth and cunning!
"What, Huangfu Chunjun, are you afraid to gamble?"
Jun Xiaoyao stood with his hands behind his back, a hint of playfulness in his eyes.
This Huangfu Chunjun was indeed smarter than Hongchen Emperor Son.
If he really agreed, then there would be some fun to watch.
"That's right, if you don't have the guts, then don't come and covet the authority of my Demon Suppression Pass!"
"Exactly, he doesn't even have this much courage, yet he still has the nerve to want to take over my Demon Suppression Pass?"
"Precisely, it's laughable!"
The generals and Cultivators from Demon Suppression Pass also chimed in, booing.
They were already in a bad mood.
Now they all vented, mocking him.
Facing so much mockery and booing, Huangfu Chunjun's expression remained unchanged, but a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Beside him, Huangfu Jing's face also held a complex expression.
She had encountered Jun Xiaoyao earlier, at East Ridge Pass, and knew he was a significant figure.
But she only thought that Jun Xiaoyao could rival Huangfu Chunjun.
However, this was the first time she had seen Huangfu Chunjun suffer a setback, being suppressed in terms of strategy.
One could say that Huangfu Chunjun had become Jun Xiaoyao's stepping stone.
Instead, it allowed Jun Xiaoyao's prestige in Demon Suppression Pass to rise even further.
But just then,
a blinding divine radiance suddenly appeared in the Void Realm above Demon Suppression Pass.
It was as if a scorching sun had descended, its fluctuations overwhelming the entire Demon Suppression Pass!
Everyone felt a magnificent aura, that power like a boundless ocean.
Countless people present felt a suffocating and terrifying pressure.
They looked up.
A majestic figure emerged from the blinding divine radiance.
Like a sun god, he stood above all living beings!
It was none other than the Xuan Yuan Emperor Clan's supreme expert, one of the Nine Great Passes, the Gatekeepers of Yanggu Pass, Emperor Xuanyang, Huangfu Xuanyang!
"Father..."
Seeing this, Huangfu Chunjun breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly.
The other members of the Xuan Yuan Emperor Clan also bowed in unison, showing immense respect.
Huangfu Xuanyang's status in the Xuan Yuan Emperor Clan was equivalent to Yun Tianya's status in the Yun Clan Emperor Clan, a veritable pillar of support.
"It's Emperor Xuanyang!"
Everyone in the entire plaza showed a hint of shock on their faces upon seeing this figure.
Then they all bowed in greeting.
Each of the Gatekeeperss of the Nine Great Passes was extraordinarily transcendent, standing above all beings, guarding the Three Emperors Barrier, and worthy of respect.
This was the majesty of a Gatekeepers!
Jun Xiaoyao, seeing this, also bowed faintly and said, "Junior Jun Xiaoyao greets Senior Huangfu."
This Emperor Xuanyang was, after all, of the same generation as his father; the proper courtesies still had to be observed.
However, Jun Xiaoyao could feel that
this Emperor Xuanyang was not his true self descending, but a spiritual projection.
But even if it was just a projection, this pressure was terrifying enough; he was truly worthy of being a Gatekeepers.
Emperor Xuanyang's projected gaze also fell upon Jun Xiaoyao.
Anyone, when observed by such a supreme Emperor, would feel pressure.
Yet Jun Xiaoyao stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm and composed.
After a moment, Emperor Xuanyang said faintly, "A tiger father has no dog son. Dao Brother Tianya's offspring is not bad."
To receive such a comment from a Gatekeepers was already a great affirmation.
"Senior, you flatter me."
Jun Xiaoyao replied indifferently, showing no sign of being flattered.
No one had the right to evaluate him, nor was he someone anyone could evaluate.
"However... you are too young. If it were the Yun Clan Five Immortals, they could indeed preside over Demon Suppression Pass." Emperor Xuanyang's projection said faintly.
The implied meaning was that Jun Xiaoyao, for now, did not have the ability to replace his father and take over Demon Suppression Pass.
And Huangfu Chunjun looked at Jun Xiaoyao with a hint of playful amusement in his eyes.
Even his father, Emperor Xuanyang's projection, had appeared.
What other trump cards did Jun Xiaoyao have?
Unless the Yun Clan Five Immortals and other supreme experts truly appeared.
Everyone else's gazes also fell on Jun Xiaoyao.
How would Jun Xiaoyao respond to Emperor Xuanyang, a Gatekeepers of such high status?
But then Jun Xiaoyao let out a soft sigh and chuckled.
"Senior Huangfu is right. Perhaps now, I truly do not have the qualifications to take over Demon Suppression Pass, but..."
"What about this one?"
Jun Xiaoyao paused, then directly brought out an item!
It was a golden, shimmering token!
It was the xuanyuan token!
And just as the xuanyuan token was brought out, the heavens and earth seemed to split open with a massive rift.
A majestic and boundless figure, carrying overwhelming pressure, stepped out from the rift!