Chapter 4991 — Showing Off One's Axe Before Lu Ban

Everyone knew that the pills from the Heavenly Pill Pavilion were of the highest quality. Precisely for that reason, they were all scrambling to buy as many as they could before the pavilion was shut down once again—once this chance slipped by, there would be no second one, and buying top-grade pills afterward would become far more difficult.

"One last frenzy..." Wei Shenjin watched the scene and gave a sigh, breaking into a cold sweat for them all. But there was no time to worry any further—if he did not hurry over and lend a hand, Tian Chan and the others would never be able to keep up on their own.

The scene was utterly explosive. Even though Wei Zhao had borrowed two extra assistants, it was still nowhere near enough. If this situation were not merely a flash in the pan, the Heavenly Pill Pavilion would have to start recruiting in earnest—otherwise the staff would be worked to death.

Unfortunately, from the moment Wei Zhao privately tore down the seals, this bustling scene had been doomed to be nothing but a fleeting blaze. In less than half an hour, Wu Miao, having received word, returned with his men and surrounded the Heavenly Pill Pavilion once more.

"All irrelevant parties, withdraw at once, or you will be killed without exception!" Wu Miao's eyelids twitched with rage at the sight before him. He had barely left before things had turned into this mess—did these people truly think so little of him, the Standing Vice Island Lord? If a tiger does not bare its fangs, everyone takes it for a sick cat!

The Heavenly Pill Pavilion was immediately thrown into another flurry of chaos and was quickly cleared of the crowd. But this time, with Wei Zhao present, Tian Chan and Xue Li were not as panicked as before. They believed that so long as Wei Zhao was there, everything would be fine.

"Investigations show that Wei Zhao, Tian Chan, Xue Li, and Wei Shenjin of the Heavenly Pill Pavilion have brazenly flouted the law, openly violating the decree of the Island Lord's Pavilion. Their crimes admit no pardon. Men, seize all four of them!" Wu Miao ordered coldly.

Wei Shenjin was deeply alarmed. If the four of them were thrown into the Central Island's grand prison, their days would truly be numbered. Even if someone outside tried to run about and save them, would Wu Miao and the Famous Pill Sect not have follow-up measures of their own?

Unless it was a figure of overwhelming power like the Heavenly Dao Walker, one capable of storming straight into the prison. Otherwise, if they pinned their hopes on Cai Zhongyang and Hou Guanqi, it was quite possible that before the news even reached them, Wu Miao would have already had the four secretly executed and afterward slung some random filth upon their names. Even if the Heavenly Dao Walker returned, he would have no way to touch Wu Miao.

Yet Wei Zhao showed not the slightest hint of alarm. He cast a light, indifferent glance at the guards closing in around them, then sneered at Wu Miao: "Are you sure you want to arrest me?"

"Of course. The Heavenly Pill Pavilion has not only violated the agreement between the Central Island and the Eastern Continent by smuggling and selling high-grade pills, but has also openly defied the decree of the Island Lord's Pavilion. If not you, then who? Surely you are not going to tell me you are not a member of the Heavenly Pill Pavilion?" Wu Miao looked down upon the four of them with lofty contempt.

"Of course I am a member of the Heavenly Pill Pavilion—I founded the Heavenly Pill Pavilion with my own hands. But to think you can arrest me with these few shrimp soldiers and crab generals? You underestimate me far too much." Wei Zhao did not regard the Central Island guard corps as worth a glance.

It was not arrogance on his part. A man who could turn the Yellow Rank Sea Region of the Eastern Continent upside down, a man who could do battle with and defeat even an early-stage Mountain-Opening titan—to expect him to take a pack of mere Nascent Soul cultivators seriously was truly asking too much.

Things were vastly different now from his last visit to the Central Island. Back then, Wei Zhao had been weak and had no choice but to tread with trembling caution. But now, tempered by a series of trials—especially his journey to the Eastern Continent—he had come to the Central Island as a veritable strong dragon. Even if he did not crush the local serpents underfoot, there was no conceivable way Wu Miao, a mere Standing Vice Island Lord, could frighten him.

"You intend to resist arrest?" Wu Miao laughed at once. Against a man who could easily defeat a mid-stage Profound Ascension expert, a single squad of Nascent Soul Central Island guards could hardly pose much of a deterrent. But to resist arrest in public was a true capital offense—there would be no need to sling any filth on Wei Zhao; they could simply put him to death on the spot.

Even if the Nascent Soul experts of the Central Island guard corps could not take Wei Zhao down, one had to remember that Wu Miao was himself a peak late-stage Profound Ascension expert. If he could not even deal with a mere early-stage Profound Ascension junior, what right did he have to serve as Standing Vice Island Lord? He might as well go find a block of tofu and dash his own brains out.

"So what if I resist arrest?" Wei Zhao regarded Wu Miao with an indifferent expression.

"Then do not blame me for being merciless. This time I am merely discharging my public duty; I had no particular desire to kill. After all, we do not know one another and bear no grudge. But if you insist on seeking your own death, then do not blame me for being ruthless." A ferocious curve tugged at the corners of Wu Miao's mouth.

"Heh heh, even if I truly were seeking my own death, you would still need the ability to grant me that death, would you not?" Wei Zhao gave a light laugh and glanced sidelong at him with disdain. "Is it with these little cats and dogs? Or is it with you, the peak late-stage Profound Ascension Standing Vice Island Lord? As for who is truly seeking death—I am afraid that is rather hard to say."

"Ignorant and arrogant! Since you so desire death, I shall grant it to you!" Wu Miao was now thoroughly amused into fury by Wei Zhao's tone. Had such words come from a Mountain-Opening titan, they might have been reasonable enough. But this brat was merely an early-stage Profound Ascension cultivator—even if he could challenge above his level, how strong could he possibly be? Could he be stronger than a Mountain-Opening titan?

Had Wu Miao witnessed that scene on Thunder Winter Plain Island in the Eastern Continent, he likely would not have been so dismissive. In truth, he had not guessed entirely wrong—this was indeed an early-stage Profound Ascension cultivator, yet an early-stage Profound Ascension cultivator capable of matching an early-stage Mountain-Opening titan!

The moment the words fell, Wu Miao struck out personally and ruthlessly. Under normal circumstances, not even the Central Island guard corps could unleash full force in the streets of the market district—once matters spiraled out of control, the great merchant guilds and even the entire Central Island would suffer enormous losses. But Wu Miao was confident he could finish Wei Zhao in a single move, so naturally there would be no losses at all.

"Dual aspects of water and fire?" Wei Zhao sensed the attribute fluctuations in the other's true qi and could not help but feel a touch of surprise.

By rights, it was very difficult for the water and fire spiritual root attributes alone to fuse and break through—after all, water and fire are incompatible. Yet to fuse the water attribute and the fire attribute almost perfectly into a dual aspect of water and fire, those capable of such a feat were without exception extraordinary figures. No wonder he had been able to climb to the position of Standing Vice Island Lord—this man was indeed no ordinary character.