With this move, the hall erupted in a burst of light, and the sound rumbled through.
The expressions of many guests changed, not expecting Qian Nishang to immediately deploy the grand formation of the Mingxin Xuan.
With the support of the formation's power, her aura suddenly surged severalfold, barely crossing the threshold of the third realm. Coupled with the might of over a dozen formations, she could at least fight on even terms with a true third-realm cultivator.
However, the middle-aged man remained unfazed, even showing a hint of disdain in his eyes.
Without him even moving, fierce sword energy flowed around him, splitting the encroaching power in two.
"You think you're qualified to be arrogant before me with borrowed third-realm power from a formation?"
The middle-aged man snorted, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
The next breath, a sound like a surging tide erupted in the hall, followed by countless sword energies gushing out from within him, sweeping towards them like a violent storm.
"How dare you!"
Qian Nishang roared, her gaze growing even colder.
Her mind immediately shifted, activating the dozen or so formations. Endless spiritual energy poured into her body, and the power of numerous formations bolstered her.
Yet, facing the tide of sword energy, her expression couldn't help but darken. Her hands constantly formed seals, and a jade hammer flew out from between her brows.
The inch-sized jade hammer instantly grew severalfold. Fueled by powerful magic, it slammed heavily onto the torrent of sword energy.
*Boom!*
Waves of energy swept outwards in all directions. Guests with weaker cultivation were blown back by the gale, with only a handful managing to resist it.
It took over twenty breaths before the energy waves in the hall dissipated under the formation's influence.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's brow furrowed slightly. He had seen clearly that although Qian Nishang had borrowed the formation's power to block the opponent's sword energy tide, she had done so with great difficulty and had retreated half a step silently.
In contrast, the middle-aged man's expression remained calm, as if the previous display of power was merely casual, not even an attack, just an release of accumulated sword energy.
Yet, even that had pushed Qian Nishang to her limits, revealing the vast chasm between them.
"At least mid or late third realm!"
Ji Yuan mused inwardly.
Within the three realms of foundation building, the gap between the first and second realm was not insurmountable. With suitable cultivation methods and treasures, one could even contend with those of a higher realm.
However, the difference between the second and third realms was like the difference between the foot of a mountain and its peak, almost impossible to bridge. And after reaching the third realm, each minor realm was equivalent to a major realm before.
"Qian Nishang of Mingxin Xuan, I ask you, did you rob a group of bandits over ten days ago and obtain a storage bag?"
The middle-aged man's voice boomed, "You have only one chance. If you confess truthfully, our Shenxuan Sect will deal with you leniently. But if you refuse to admit it, beware of utter destruction descending upon you!"
At these words, the hall erupted in a commotion. Twenty to thirty guests whispered amongst themselves, some finding the Shenxuan Sect arrogant and overbearing, while others wondered if Mingxin Xuan had indeed committed such an act.
As the middle-aged man finished speaking, the six young men behind him stepped forward in unison, their spiritual point realm auras unrestrained, interweaving to form immense pressure.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's expression also sank. He was astonished by the youth of the Shenxuan Sect's second-realm disciples, and also by their overbearing and unreasonable conduct.
Even in other prefectures, or within other powers' territories, they acted so imperiously, showing no regard for anyone.
One would almost think these fellows were high officials of the imperial court, or cultivators who had formed golden cores.
"This is the main hall of Mingxin Xuan. Even the people of Shenxuan Sect have no right to act presumptuously in another's home!"
Qian Nishang shouted, her stance extremely firm.
Logically, businessmen should prioritize peace and harmony. Trouble at their doorstep was common, and they should be accustomed to it.
In past encounters, shopkeepers would usually try to de-escalate the situation, minimizing the impact. Even if unwilling to back down, they would employ strategies of hidden hostility beneath a smiling facade, or gentleness with underlying firmness.
It was rare to see a businessman confront such a situation so resolutely.
The middle-aged man's expression darkened upon hearing this, killing intent filling his brows. The six behind him snorted in unison, appearing ready to unleash their anger.
To them, Qian Nishang's words were an insult to the Shenxuan Sect's majesty!
Even in other prefectures, as long as a sect was not presided over by a powerful being, its authority was not to be defied. Otherwise, it would be considered a provocation.
And for provocateurs, Shenxuan Sect disciples had always employed the most ruthless methods to make them realize their mistakes profoundly!
"What, do you really intend to fight within the prefectural city?"
Seeing that they were on the verge of attacking, Qian Nishang sneered, "Do you Shenxuan Sect members completely disregard the laws of the Great Yu Dynasty?"
As her words fell, the Shenxuan Sect members' faces flickered. Though their eyes were filled with fury, they dared not respond casually, fearing that a single misstep could bring great disaster upon their sect.
After several breaths, the middle-aged man slowly spoke, "The Shenxuan Sect naturally abides by the imperial laws. However, this does not conflict with my search for the culprit."
His gaze fell upon Qian Nishang, making her feel as if struck by lightning. The aura she had gathered dispersed by a significant portion.
In everyone else's eyes, the middle-aged man remained expressionless, but in Qian Nishang's perception, his figure suddenly towered dozens of feet high, like a divine Buddha overlooking heaven and earth!
In an instant, her state of mind was on the verge of collapse. She almost blurted out an admission of what she had done that day.
"May all beings be blessed with immeasurable heavenly veneration!"
Just then, a reverent title sounded in her ears. A seemingly light phrase, yet it caused the middle-aged man's figure to return to normal and stabilized her state of mind.
Qian Nishang was drenched in cold sweat. She instinctively glanced beside her and saw Ji Yuan nod at her, instantly feeling reassured.
Although this young Taoist's cultivation was not as high as hers, for some reason, with his acknowledgment, she felt significantly less pressure.
She turned her gaze back to the middle-aged man, her eyes now laced with killing intent. He had clearly used some divine ability or secret art earlier. If not for Ji Yuan's timely intervention, she might have fallen into a complete mental breakdown within moments.
If that had happened, she would have no hope of ever reaching the pinnacle of the great Dao, or even making any further progress in her cultivation.
From then on, merely maintaining her current cultivation would be a formidable challenge, and a slight misstep could lead to a regression in her realm, with decades of arduous cultivation vanishing like smoke.
This was worse than killing someone. For a cultivator, nothing was more precious than the fruits of their hard-earned cultivation.
However, she could not openly accuse him of this matter. The technique used earlier was only aimed at her, making it difficult for others to detect any anomaly. And she had no proof to assert that he had employed such insidious and treacherous means.
"If you wish to find this culprit, you should report to the yamen. Why do you come to my Mingxin Xuan?"
Qian Nishang said coldly, "Not only has Mingxin Xuan never done what you claim, but even if we had, would you dare to overstep the rules and usurp the authority of the imperial court's law enforcement?"
From the opponent's covert use of underhanded tactics, she had become certain that these people dared not openly attack. This meant that, at least on the surface, she did not need to fear the Shenxuan Sect's martial might.
Since that was the case, Qian Nishang had nothing to fear. After all, no matter what, this was Lingyang Prefecture, not Chongyuan Prefecture!
No matter how strong or influential the Shenxuan Sect was, a prefecture's distance would limit their ability to act at will. If they were truly insistent, Lingyang Prefecture was not devoid of sects and powers comparable to the Shenxuan Sect.
In any case, since she was certain they would not dare to act openly in the prefectural city, she had nothing to fear. It was best to accuse them of a few serious offenses first. Perhaps they might fall into the trap if they were not careful.
"Truly sharp-tongued and eloquent!"
The middle-aged man sneered.
However, just as everyone expected him to attack, the man suddenly turned around and, with the six Shenxuan Sect disciples, departed. In moments, the seven figures vanished from the entrance of Mingxin Xuan.
This scene left everyone bewildered. From the demeanor of the Shenxuan Sect members, they had expected them to press their advantage and not leave until their objective was achieved.
But now, these individuals had arrived abruptly and departed just as suddenly, leaving everyone confused and unable to fathom their intentions.
"I apologize for the inconvenience caused by the disturbance from a disoriented individual. On behalf of Mingxin Xuan, I offer my apologies. Everything purchased today within the third floor will receive a 90% discount!"
Qian Nishang put on a smile and apologized to everyone in the hall.
Her gesture earned applause from many. Although a 10% discount wasn't much and held little value for some, a few people's eyes lit up, considering whether to seize this opportunity to acquire some long-desired but expensive items.
After attending to everyone, Qian Nishang finally found an opportunity to leave Mingxin Xuan with Ji Yuan. They boarded the waiting carriage and headed back to the Qian family.
"I had heard that the Shenxuan Sect was incredibly overbearing. Today, I have witnessed it firsthand."
She chuckled bitterly, her expression filled with complex emotions.
Although she had anticipated it, she had not expected them to be so utterly lawless. Truly, seeing them in person was far more impactful than merely hearing about them; their reputation for tyranny fell short of the reality.
"I hadn't expected them to come directly to our door."
Ji Yuan also sighed, their actions were somewhat beyond his expectations.
Under normal circumstances, the Shenxuan Sect members should have appeared at the Prefect's mansion, to inquire about the situation from the Prefect. Only after gathering sufficient clues would they then trace the source.
And once they appeared before the Prefect, their pre-placed pawns would come into play. The Prefect's most beloved son, Fan Sulu, would naturally emerge.
This way, a seed of suspicion could be sown in the minds of the Shenxuan Sect members, leading them to believe that the Prefect had sent people to carry out the act.
Other factions might not know, but with the capabilities of a prefecture's Prefect, it wouldn't be difficult for him to know that the group of bandits had something belonging to the Shenxuan Sect.
After all, many factions were aware, both openly and secretly, that they had pursued from Chongyuan Prefecture.
Though they were unsure what the Shenxuan Sect was searching for, it was likely something of extreme importance, otherwise, a third-realm cultivator would not lead a group of second-realm cultivators across two prefectures.
Perhaps due to apprehension of the Shenxuan Sect's overbearing nature, or fear of their two divine-like figures, no one had made a move to intercept them, despite knowing something of the situation.
"If the Shenxuan Sect were to act forcefully, could the Qian family withstand it?"
Ji Yuan asked.
However, as soon as he spoke, he shook his head. If they could withstand it, the Qian family wouldn't be so oppressed by the Li family. If they hadn't encountered him, they would likely have had all their assets swallowed within a few more years.