1317 We Are of the Same Roo

Kitty suddenly looked happily surprised after seeing Star Tears and hurriedly cried out, "Black-faced Aunt… no, no, no… aren't you Auntie Star Tears?"

A tremor shook Star Tears' heart. She reached to grab Kitty and excitedly said, "Is this really you, Kitty? You… you're still alive?"

Suppressing her excitement, Kitty nodded repeatedly and said, "I'm still alive, Auntie Star Tears. It really feels great to see you again."

Patting Kitty's back, Star Tears suddenly took a step back and asked in a deep voice, "Kitty, you're one who is most familiar with his aura. Who exactly is this guy in front of us?"

Kitty quickly calmed herself down, but she recalled Tang Xiu's instructions and said, "Auntie Star Tears, he's Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire and also my savior. I thought that his aura was very familiar when I first met him, but… he's not…"

Star Tears looked disappointed and bitterly replied, "That's right! He's not him! But how good would it be if he was still alive…"

Tang Xiu suppressed the emotional turmoil in his heart while listening to their conversation. Then, he lightly said, "No matter what you said, you both have to remember that from now on, you are the subject of my Great Tang Empire. I'm the one who saved you, so you must draw a line to your past temporarily."

"Understood!"

Kitty and Star Tears nodded at the same time.

Tang Xiu then came out of the Heavenly Abode relieved. Then, he handed an interspatial ring to Gu Yan'er and said, "I'll only keep 1 million Crystal Essences, 1 million Immortal Crystals, and 1 million Immortal Stones. Give the rest to Xiaoxue! Further, the gambling event between Nine Nether Swordmeister and Venerable Netherworld is coming soon. After all of our people come back, make them practice in the battle arrays. The individual strength of the Great Tang Empire's four major armies is way too weak now. Only by arranging such combat arrays will we be able to increase their combat effectiveness."

"Alright, I'll arrange it." Gu Yan'er nodded.

Tang Xiu slightly smiled. He could feel at ease about Gu Yan'er's abilities.

Shortly after, Tang Xiu went to the Inkwell Pen Mansion, where Nine Nether Swordmeister was staying temporarily. However, the guard outside the entrance stopped him right as he arrived at the gate. The entry limitation was not specifically aimed for Tang Xiu as there were hundreds of visitors outside the gate and they were also denied entry at the gate.

"My Swordmeister Master is currently not seeing any visitors. If you don't have important things, please go back," said the Golden Immortal guard as he glanced at Tang Xiu and Battle Peng with a cold face.

"Go tell Nine Nether Swordmeister that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is visiting him. He'll definitely be willing to see me," Tang Xiu said with a smile.

A look of surprise flashed in the eyes of the Golden Immortal guard. The other several guards had also previously been informed of several visitors that were allowed to enter without notification, and Great Tang Heavenly Emperor was one of them.

Suddenly, the Golden Immortal Guard's attitude became more respectful and he said, "Ah, it turns out that Sir is Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. I apologize since I didn't recognize you just now. I hope you don't feel offended. Master Swordmeister has decreed that you can go see him directly if you come."

Tang Xiu slightly smiled and took Battle Peng inside under the astonished eyes of the onlookers in the surroundings. An attendant guided him all the way and, soon after, Tang Xiu saw Nine Nether Swordmeister.

Nine Nether was not the only person Tang Xiu saw, he also saw a blonde burly man with a hawk-like nose, slanted sword-like brows, and a big mouth. The man's appearance looked somewhat ugly, but his pressing aura was no joke. What surprised Tang Xiu the most was that, even though this man was sitting face-to-face with Nine Nether, he could sense a boiling killing intent from him.

"Did I come at the wrong time or something?"

Tang Xiu looked at the two men a few times. Although he spoke like that, he still waltzed straight to the chair next to the two men and took a seat. He then took out a cigarette and lit it up. He wouldn't have taken such an action prior to this. After all, his strength was still too weak. However, Star Tears was in the Heavenly Abode he carried and he didn't need to be afraid.

Nine Nether Swordmeister wore a quirky expression and coughed twice before he lightly smiled. "Great Tang Lil Bro, you arrived at the wrong time indeed. You see, this guy is here for some trouble, and we're likely to get into a brawl soon."

Tang Xiu's expression shifted and he smilingly said, "If my guess is right, you should be Venerable Netherworld, yes? You should be a Perfected Golden Immortal, and your cultivation is likely a level higher than Brother Nine Nether."

Venerable Netherworld glanced at Tang Xiu indifferently and sneered coldly. "From which stone did this bumpkin come out? You're just vermin, yet you dare to share the seats with us here?"

Right as he said that he burst out his aura and swept over to suppress Tang Xiu.

Battle Peng's expression slightly changed and he immediately stood in front of Tang Xiu. The man groaned and his body shook a few times, but he held on even though a wisp of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"A very loyal dog who isn't afraid of death, huh?" Venerable Netherworld sneered.

"The Immortal World is as brutal as always, with only the strong deserving due respect, huh?" Tang Xiu shook his head and sighed.

In the next moment, Star Tears appeared beside Tang Xiu out of the blue. Her eyes were overflowing with a chilling glint as she instantly unleashed her killing aura and shielded Battle Peng and Tang Xiu behind her while shooting a chilling glare at Venerable Netherworld.

A Perfected Golden Immortal?

Venerable Netherworld's complexion changed and dread was visible in his eyes. He could sense that the surging aura coming from Star Tears was by no means weaker than his.

"Hmph, no wonder you dare to act that arrogant, huh? Turns out you have a Perfected Golden Immortal thug protecting you."

Seeing that Venerable Netherworld withdrew his aura, Tang Xiu immediately waved to Star Tears to stand next to him and smilingly said, "You know, the world I once lived in had a saying that one must have what it takes before daring to take on anything. Let's just say that one can't act arrogant without having the qualification to protect his own ass."

A glint flashed in Nine Nether Swordmeister's eyes. He really didn't expect that Tang Xiu had a Perfected Golden Immortal under him. It made him more and more curious about Tang Xiu's identity.

"May I know your name, Fellow Immortal?" Nine Nether Swordmeister looked at Star Tears and asked.

Star Tears just glanced at him indifferently and didn't bother to answer. Her whole being stayed silent.

"She's a gladiator from the Convict Arena that I bought, Brother Nine Nether," said Tang Xiu lightly. "There's no need to bother about her identity. Well, this should be Venerable Netherworld, your rival, shouldn't he? But why are you both sitting here together? Does that mean you don't need my help and you both will solve your feud yourselves?"

Nine Nether Swordmeister shook his head and said, "Though I really wish I could kill him and vice versa on the surface, we're still brothers that have deep bonds, so it's not impossible to sit together like this."

"Heh, but I'm ashamed to have a brother like you, just so you know." Venerable Netherworld sneered.

"Don't you think that's also my exact feeling about you?" Nine Nether Swordmeister angrily yelled.

A strange expression painted Tang Xiu's face when he looked at the two men's expressions. He really couldn't figure out that these two men were unexpectedly brothers from their appearances alone. The difference between them was just too great. Shaking his head, Tang Xiu sighed. "Alas, you turn out to be brothers? Then why did you both bother to yell to kill each other, huh? Haven't you heard the saying that those who were originally born from the same root, why bother to be so anxious to fry each other?"

"Huh?"

"Come again?"

The two men frowned at the same time, recalling what Tang Xiu just blurted out: "Those who were born of the same root, why bother to be so anxious to fry each other?". 15 minutes passed by and the two men then looked at Tang Xiu in a slightly different light.

"I still got things to deal with. See you at the Convict Arena later." Venerable Netherworld coldly got up and vanished instantly.

Nine Nether Swordmeister looked at the spot Venerable Netherworld just vanished with a complicated expression. Then he shook his head and wryly smiled. "Great Tang Lil Bro, I just realized that you're indeed out of the ordinary just from the way you view things alone. Your state of mind is really something I can't match."

Tang Xiu couldn't help laughing and said, "Nine Nether Brother, you're a Perfected Golden Immortal powerhouse, there's no need wasting such a lavish compliment on me, no?"

"That's not a compliment but my real feeling about you." Nine Nether Swordmeister shook his head. "Anyways, let's spare us this boring topic, shall we? Do you need anything from me?"

"Well, it's nothing serious. I just want to play chess with you, Brother Nine Nether," said Tang Xiu with a smile.

"Just playing chess?" Nine Nether Swordmeister asked with a strange expression.

"Yup, just playing chess. Nothing else." Tang Xiu nodded with a smile.

Nine Nether shook his head and smiled in spite of trying not to. He placed a checkerboard on the small round table in front of him and lightly smiled. "Great Tang Lil Bro should know how to play Immortal Chess, right?"

"Yeah!" Tang Xiu replied with a smile, "But the most annoying thing when playing this chess is quitting halfway, so I hope Brother Nine Nether will go all out. Only if I win by my true ability can I really go tend to some other things."

Nine Nether Swordmeister's expression shifted. He vaguely felt something else hidden in Tang Xiu's statement. However, recalling that nothing happened as of now, he nodded and said, "Alright, let's start then."

The Immortal Chess game was similar to the Go abstract strategy game.

The two men frequently dropped their pieces and the checkerboard began to be covered by more and more pieces that made the game turn more intense. Just when the two men's game reached a critical moment, Nine Nether Swordmeister's complexion suddenly changed and his hand instantly moved to catch a streak of light.

"Save me, Brother Nine Nether!"

Nine Nether Swordmeister abruptly got up and his eyes locked on Tang Xiu fixedly as he asked in a heavy voice, "Great Tang Brother, you…"

"Why bother poking your nose into others' business now since you're burdened with your own troubles, Brother Nine Nether?" Tang Xiu asked with a smile. "What's more, I'm afraid that it will still be too late for you to get there now. We might as well calmly see this game to its completion."

Nine Nether Swordmeister frowned and said, "You obviously let him go back then, Brother Great Tang, yet why did you still want…"

Tang Xiu raised his hand to interrupt him and said, "I spared him then since I looked at your face, Brother Nine Nether. But I naturally have my own reason for him to die now. Brother, I, Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, have always treated my friends and brothers sincerely, but never once have I let those damned people live."

Nine Nether Swordmeister forced a bitter smile. "But Great Tang Lil Bro, you also know that I and him…."

"It's too late," said Tang Xiu.

Nine Nether Swordmeister was silent for a long time before he gloomily sighed. "I still need to go there no matter how late. He's also my friend and I don't want to fail him. I'm sorry, Brother Tang."