Inside Tianxiang Tower, the blue-robed young man narrowed his phoenix-like eyes into slits after hearing the waiter’s words. Killing intent surged within him as he spat, "Reckless fool!" He shoved the crowd aside and marched straight toward Lin Huang’s VIP private room.
BANG!
Inside, Xiao Yishan was boasting wildly and acting like a rogue while Lin Huang continuously chimed in with words of admiration. Suddenly, the door was violently kicked open.
Lin Huang didn’t even look up. "Get out and shut the door," he said calmly.
"Say that again!" Yangg Xiu’s voice was low and carried a sinister chill.
Lin Huang looked up, calmly observing the tall and slender Yangg Xiu standing in the doorway. He wore a blue robe embroidered with raging waves, exuding an aura of turbulent wind and rain. His handsome face held a hint of demonic charm, and his phoenix-like eyes appeared exceptionally cold.
"I said, get out and shut the door!" Lin Huang repeated, enunciating every word with composed indifference.
"What courage," Yangg Xiu laughed. "To dare feign calmness in front of me. I’ll give you one more chance to speak properly. Otherwise, as an Inner Sect Disciple of Fengyu Tower, I, Yangg Xiu, will simply tear your mouth to pieces." Yangg Xiu wore an overbearing expression as he pronounced Lin Huang’s fate.
At the same time, Crown Prince Lingyun and the others crowded into the room. Smiles played on their lips, carrying an air of aloof superiority and regal grace.
"Then I’ll say it one more time. All of you, get out!" Lin Huang set down his chopsticks, his expression turning icy.
"Fourth, look at this posture. It’s not bad. Study it well; you might find a use for it in the future."
Xiao Yishan seemed completely oblivious to the crowd. At some point, he had pulled out a Spring Palace Painting and was now studying it meticulously.
The atmosphere in the room chilled instantly, plunging the surrounding air into a freezing tension. Crown Prince Lingyun wore a half-smile. "The more arrogant and ignorant you are, Lin Huang, the sooner the Divine General’s Mansion will be annihilated."
"Boy, I heard from the waiter that you think we aren’t even fit to carry your shoes?" The elder from Fengyu Tower stepped forward. His voice was hoarse but laced with a sharp edge. "For a lowly secular disciple to dare trample Fengyu Tower beneath his feet, you truly don’t know your place in this world!"
Lin Huang looked up. His gaze swept past Ling Huangyi, Hann Shan, Yangg Xiu, and Qii Lie of Fengyu Tower, before finally landing on Crown Prince Lingyun. He spoke slowly, "Ten thousand miles of gale-force winds will eventually return to calm, and torrential downpours will ultimately flow into the sea. A fleeting moment of wind and rain isn’t even worth me stepping on!"
"You have quite the sharp tongue, boy. I hope you still dare to say that later." Elder Qii Lie laughed out of extreme anger. He commanded Yangg Xiu, who stood in front of him, "Don’t kill him all at once. Tear his mouth apart first."
Yangg Xiu nodded, a sinister smile curling on his lips. "I won’t bully you with the Earth Element Realm. I’ll use the Human Element Seventh Heaven to show you what true despair feels like."
With that, Yangg Xiu lunged forward. His index fingers glowed with a dark green hue, turning sharp and pointed like the pincers of a venomous scorpion as they stabbed toward Lin Huang’s throat.
Martial Soul—Blue Jade Scorpion!
In the room, Lin Huang sprang to his feet. Pushing the Great Vajra Technique within his body to its limit, his palms took on a silver-gray tint. With a sweeping slap, he deflected Yangg Xiu’s hands, then closed the distance and threw a heavy punch directly at him.
Yangg Xiu sneered menacingly and met Lin Huang’s attack with a punch of his own. However, hidden between his fingers was a sharp spike dripping with dark green venom.
BANG!
The two fists collided with a resounding thud that sent shockwaves rippling through the air. Both of them were forced back, stamping deep footprints into the wooden floorboards of the tower—a testament to the sheer force of their clash.
Yangg Xiu frowned as he looked at the bent spike between his fingers. A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes. "I underestimated you. To think you’d actually cultivate such an unrefined Body Refining Technique. I’d like to see how you handle my Pipa Stab!"
Lin Huang discreetly retracted his fist into his sleeve. A distinct dent had formed on his silver-white knuckles; the venomous spike had nearly pierced his skin just now.
He stared at Yangg Xiu, who was now wreathed in green gas. The man’s hands were poised like pincers, and one leg hooked backward like a scorpion’s tail. Yangg Xiu’s eyes locked onto Lin Huang with a chilling glare, and the killing intent at the corners of his mouth spread unabashedly.
A powerful pressure bore down on Lin Huang.
"A Fengyu Tower disciple is indeed formidable. Even with his Cultivation suppressed to the Seventh Heaven, his aura remains this powerful," Lin Huang murmured, taking a deep breath with a grave expression.
Lin Huang brought his hands together, pushing the Great Vajra Technique in his body to its absolute peak until a silver-gray sheen enveloped his entire form.
In the next moment, the two combatants charged at each other.
Yangg Xiu’s palms rained down like a raging storm. Each strike carried immense force and the threat of cold, venomous spikes. His Body Technique was bizarre and unpredictable, intermittently launching kicks laced with vicious killing intent.
Lin Huang threw punch after punch, each one incredibly weighty and solid. He met Yangg Xiu’s attacks head-on, his indestructible silver-white skin ensuring he didn’t lose the slightest bit of ground.
Watching from the sidelines, the others sneered. As far as they could tell, Lin Huang was merely playing defense. As the fight dragged on, he would inevitably run out of stamina and expose a flaw—that would be the moment he suffered a fatal blow.
Crown Prince Lingyun’s expression, however, was rather solemn. He recalled that just a few months ago, Lin Huang had barely entered the Human Element Realm. In such a short period of time, he had already broken through to the Human Element Sixth Heaven, and was even capable of trading blows with Yangg Xiu.
Such terrifying cultivation speed caused Lingyun’s murderous intent to surge. The Great Xia Dynasty had many princes, and his ability to sit securely on the throne as the Crown Prince relied entirely on his caution—he ruthlessly strangled all potential threats in the cradle.
"Die!"
In the center of the room, Yangg Xiu let out a loud shout. Staring imperiously at Lin Huang, he launched a kick that lashed out like a razor-sharp scorpion’s tail, aiming straight for Lin Huang’s abdomen.
Lin Huang’s eyes narrowed as the Asura Martial Soul within his body vibrated slightly...
A tyrannical power surged through his meridians and roamed his entire body, instantly doubling his physical strength. The power also carried a trace of pure murderous intent.
Forming his fingers into a blade, Lin Huang struck out at Yangg Xiu’s scorpion-tail leg.
BANG!
Lin Huang’s palm blade collided with Yangg Xiu’s leg, forcing a muffled groan from the latter. Lin Huang’s tightly pressed fingers had pierced a full three inches deep into Yangg Xiu’s calf.
Nearby, Qii Lie frowned. As he watched the silver-gray Lin Huang, a flicker of murderous intent flashed through his clouded eyes.
Crown Prince Lingyun’s expression grew even more gloomy.
"Fourth, finish him off quickly so we can order more food. I’m not full yet!" Xiao Yishan remarked from the dining table, relishing his Spring Palace Painting with great interest.
"Alright!" Lin Huang nodded.
Without giving Yangg Xiu time to follow up, Lin Huang instantly closed the gap. His iron fists plummeted like rapidly falling warhammers, battering Yangg Xiu with blinding speed. The alternating strikes were as relentless and unstoppable as the cascading waterfall beneath Thousand Feet Cliff.
Yangg Xiu retreated again and again. He desperately wanted to unleash the full power of his Earth Element Realm, but under Lin Huang’s dense barrage of fists, he couldn’t even catch his breath.
CRACK!
A bloodcurdling scream suddenly echoed through the room. Lin Huang struck with both fists simultaneously, releasing a tyrannical shockwave that violently shattered both of Yangg Xiu’s arms.
The onlookers froze, staring at the scene in utter disbelief.
"Waiter, bring us more food!" Lin Huang let out a long breath and returned to the dining table. After casually wiping his hands with a napkin, he finally called out.
"I’ll kill you!" Yangg Xiu supported his broken arms and spat the blood from his mouth. His slightly demonic face twisted into a vicious grimace. Had he not been so arrogant and held back, how could a stray dog like Lin Huang possibly have contested him?
Lin Huang just smiled silently, minding his own business as he served more food onto Xiao Yishan’s plate.
"Little mutt, I truly don’t know where you get the confidence to oppose Fengyu Tower and the Celestial Thunder Sect. Even Lin Cangxue, when she was at her most glorious, never dared to act so arrogantly!" Qii Lie of Fengyu Tower slowly approached with a dark expression. His withered hands began to glow with an emerald hue. He looked at Lin Huang as if looking at a dead man.
Because of what had happened today, whether to avenge Yangg Xiu or to salvage Fengyu Tower’s reputation, this kid absolutely had to die.
Meanwhile, Hann Shan of the Celestial Thunder Sect chuckled to himself. He knew full well that the Divine General’s Mansion possessed an Array Puppet at the Celestial Element Realm. Once Lin Beichen went mad with vengeance, Fengyu Tower would definitely suffer tremendous losses.
Although the Celestial Thunder Sect and Fengyu Tower were allies, in this world, self-interest always reigned supreme!
"Get out!"
Just as Qii Lie was about to strike, Xiao Yishan, who was still looking down at his dirty book, suddenly spoke up. His voice was calm and indifferent, neither loud nor soft, yet it exploded in Qii Lie’s ears like a sudden clap of thunder.
Qii Lie froze for a moment. His sinister eyes darted back and forth over Xiao Yishan, but to his dismay, he couldn’t gauge the man’s true depth. "May I ask who you are, sir, and what is your relationship with this boy?" he asked darkly. "I am Qii Lie of Fengyu Tower; my Sect Master is East Spirit Wind and Rain Qii Aohan. The man behind me is Elder Hann Shan of the Celestial Thunder Sect, and his Sect Master is Eight-Direction Thunder Strike Hann Qingtian!"
With a single breath, Qii Lie name-dropped two figures at the Half-Step Martial Marquis Realm:
East Spirit Wind and Rain Qii Aohan.
Eight-Direction Thunder Strike Hann Qingtian.
Even Hann Shan frowned slightly from behind. He hadn’t noticed him earlier, but this middle-aged man looked just like an ordinary farmer. He was simply far too average.
So average, in fact, that anyone would easily overlook him.
"I’m Xiao Yishan!" he stated flatly.
"Xiao Yishan?" Qii Lie muttered. He quickly scoured his memory for all the famous powerhouses across the East Spirit Land. After a long moment, he confirmed that there was absolutely no one named Xiao Yishan at either the Half-Step Martial Marquis Realm or the Martial Marquis Realm.
Since he wasn’t some unfathomably powerful figure, he had to be a mere farmer pretending to be a master.
At this thought, Qii Lie let out a long sigh of relief. With a flick of his sleeve, he sat down smoothly in front of Xiao Yishan. Tapping the table with his withered fingers, he spoke with unparalleled arrogance:
"Over the past hundred years, below the Martial Marquis Realm, eighty-two people have dared to provoke my sect. Among them, twenty-four had their families slaughtered, eighteen slit their own throats before Fengyu Tower, sixteen were executed by a thousand cuts, and fourteen had their Cultivation crippled and were imprisoned in Fengyu Tower, suffering venomous snake bites every day and never seeing the light of day again!"
Qii Lie stared at Xiao Yishan, his wrinkled face covered in a dark, gloating smile. "I’ll give you the chance to choose from those four outcomes. Will it be the slaughter of your family, suicide as an apology, death by a thousand cuts, or... eternal imprisonment!"