Silence had lingered in the Celestial Grade VIP Room for quite some time.
Qii Lie watched Xiao Yishan stare intently at the Spring Palace Painting, seemingly too afraid to look up. An arrogant smile appeared on his withered old face, assuming this burly man was nothing but a coward.
"Once I finish enjoying this meal in peace, it will be your time to die," Qii Lie said with a laugh. The feeling of superiority, of casually holding the lives and deaths of others in his hands, was something he couldn’t often experience within Fengyu Tower.
"Elder Hann, come, sit down!
"Weren’t you going to discuss the matter of the Thousand Spirits Sword Formation with me? Let’s talk about it right here!
"It’s just a secular Divine General’s Mansion. What’s so great about it? Being able to offer the Thousand Spirits Sword Formation to us is a tremendous blessing for them."
Beside the dining table, Lin Huang looked up at the arrogant Qii Lie and the sinister-looking Hann Shan. His mind raced, realizing that Qii Lie likely didn’t know he was from the Divine General’s Mansion yet.
"Elder Qii... as long as you capture this youth beside you, the Thousand Spirits Sword Formation will be as good as ours," Hann Shan said with a smile. "This brat is the Young Master of the Divine General’s Mansion!"
Qii Lie paused for a moment before bursting into roaring laughter.
It truly fell right into his lap!
COUGH COUGH.
At this moment, Xiao Yishan coughed twice. He finally closed the Spring Palace Painting with a look of utter satisfaction and sighed in admiration, "This is simply profound and peerless. Truly worth studying."
Lin Huang was utterly speechless.
"Brat, hand over the Thousand Spirits Sword Formation, and I can bestow upon you the great grace of letting you live for two more days," Qii Lie said condescendingly, paying no mind to Xiao Yishan.
"Get on your feet!"
Xiao Yishan roared furiously. His voice exploded beside Qii Lie’s ears like a sudden clap of thunder, deafening like the Buddhist Lion’s Roar.
With his ears ringing, Qii Lie glared angrily at Xiao Yishan, his eyes brimming with killing intent. "I have roamed the world for over sixty years, and I have never seen prey on the chopping block act so audaciously. I showed great mercy by sparing the lives of you two for a moment longer. Instead of kowtowing in gratitude, you dare to be so arrogant. You are truly courting death!"
"Try laughing one more time!"
Xiao Yishan looked up, calmly observing the crowd. His slanted brows were furrowed, exuding a faint aura of slaughter.
"Hahaha... So what if I laugh? I kill every single person I see pretending to be an expert like you," Qii Lie laughed out loud, his expression indescribably haughty.
"I’d like to see how you plan to kill me."
Xiao Yishan smiled with narrowed eyes. He dipped a finger into the strong liquor in his cup and flicked it. The droplets of liquor swirled in the air, instantly condensing into Three-Part Sword Qi as they shot toward Qii Lie.
"Petty parlor tricks!"
Looking at the crystal-clear Sword Qi, Qii Lie scoffed dismissively. With a wave of his sleeve, he attempted to swat it away.
Hmm?
The fierce Sword Qi shockingly took a tyrannical turn, shredding Qii Lie’s sleeve into pieces the moment it brushed past, continuing its thrust directly toward him.
This scene caused Qii Lie’s expression to change slightly, and he involuntarily retreated backward.
Sliding his withered palms forward, Primordial Qi surged in his hands as he struck out at the Three-Part Sword Qi.
WHOOSH!
The Sword Qi calmly pierced straight through Qii Lie’s palm, darting relentlessly toward his throat.
Qii Lie screamed in agony but couldn’t afford to care about the pain. His body retreated at a frantic pace, his eyes filled with terror. To think that this seemingly calm and slow Three-Part Sword Qi could be so terrifying.
Unstoppable!
Even Hann Shan’s expression changed drastically. Staring at the Three-Part Sword Qi, his hands trembled slightly. This burst of qi, less than ten inches long, actually gave him a sense of impending destruction and death.
This feeling was even more terrifying than facing the ancestor of the Celestial Thunder Sect!
Inside the private room, Qii Lie shifted his body continuously, only to realize that he couldn’t dodge the Three-Part Sword Qi no matter what he did. It was as if the very purpose of its existence was to kill him.
"Se... Senior, could you please show mercy? Fengyu Tower will definitely remember this favor. I swear that the Martial Marquis Ancestor in secluded cultivation won’t take action."
Even at this moment, Qii Lie did not forget to threaten Xiao Yishan.
"Obstinate fool!"
Xiao Yishan smiled noncommittally. With a slight wave of his finger, the speed of the Three-Part Sword Qi in the room suddenly accelerated, ripping through the air and creating trails of wind.
SWISH... SWISH... SWISH...
The sound of flesh tearing echoed continuously. With every single swoosh, another deep bloody gash appeared on Qii Lie’s body, exposing the ghastly white bone beneath.
A dignified expert at the Celestial Element Sixth Heaven was actually entirely powerless against this Three-Part Sword Qi.
Lin Huang watched with a trembling heart. This display of Sword Qi from Xiao Yishan seemed ordinary, but it required at least the Martial Marquis Realm to execute.
Seeing this scene, Hann Shan felt a sudden chill in his heart. More than a dozen bloody gashes had already appeared on Qii Lie’s body, and yet the Three-Part Sword Qi was only getting faster and faster.
Impossible to dodge.
Tortured, but not killed.
Cold and ruthless.
"I beg you, Senior, please show mercy and spare my life!"
Qii Lie suddenly shrieked. With a loud BANG, he dropped to his knees in front of Xiao Yishan. "As a great Martial Marquis of our generation, Senior is like the bright moon in the sky! Why dirty your hands by killing a lowly person like me? Please, Senior, have great mercy and spare me!"
Qii Lie clenched his fists tightly, his voice incredibly hoarse. His submissive and twisted face harbored deep malice.
Ever since he stepped into the Celestial Element Realm and became an Elder of Fengyu Tower, he had never bowed his head to anyone. To be forced to kneel and beg for mercy today was an absolute humiliation.
He thought, "As long as I walk out of these doors, even if you, Xiao Yishan, flee to the ends of the earth, Fengyu Tower will hunt you until our dying breath."
WHOOSH!
The Three-Part Sword Qi abruptly stopped right in front of Qii Lie’s forehead, faintly emitting an icy aura.
"Back in the day, when my killing intent had yet to fade, I destroyed countless Sects single-handedly. An old dog like you isn’t even worthy of me looking you in the eye. Let alone a mere Elder like you, even if all Four Great Sects arrived together, I, Xiao Yishan, would kill you all just the same!" Xiao Yishan snorted coldly.
"Senior possesses unparalleled charm and is peerless in this world. Naturally, lowly people like us are not worthy of your attention," Qii Lie spat out every word, his eyes completely bloodshot.
Xiao Yishan smiled ruthlessly and waved his hand, dispersing the Three-Part Sword Qi.
"I’m not killing you because your blood isn’t worthy of sharpening my blade!"
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Qii Lie nodded repeatedly, not daring to make any sudden movements.
"And you lot!"
Xiao Yishan looked up and pointed at Hann Shan and the others.
In the room, Hann Shan, who had been trying to sneak out, saw his expression drastically alter. Staring at Xiao Yishan, an icy chill gripped his heart. He dragged his feet over to Xiao Yishan; every step felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
"Weren’t you all going to eat? And figure out how to snatch the Thousand Spirits Sword Formation? All of you, squat on the floor! Eat properly and discuss it properly!" Xiao Yishan sneered.
Hann Shan looked utterly embarrassed. Remembering the seemingly ordinary Three-Part Sword Qi from a moment ago, he took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and slowly crouched down on the floor.
"Waiter, bring more dishes!" Standing to the side, Lin Huang chuckled and called out.
Watching the group squatting on the floor, afraid to move an inch or utter a single word, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude. Naturally, he didn’t dare to provoke Celestial Element Realm experts at his current level.
But that didn’t mean Xiao Yishan didn’t dare.
Today, Lin Huang had finally caught a glimpse of Xiao Yishan’s strength. Being able to force Qii Lie to his knees and beg for mercy using only the Three-Part Sword Qi required him to be at least at the Martial Marquis Realm.
Furthermore, Xiao Yishan’s understanding of Martial Arts was even deeper than his own!
It was important to note that although Lin Huang hadn’t managed to rank among the continent’s top experts in his previous life, he had still reached the Martial Saint Realm. Even if he had never systematically studied Martial Arts theories, his comprehension couldn’t possibly be poor!
Yet, Xiao Yishan’s Three-Part Sword Qi and his understanding of Martial Arts made Lin Huang deeply doubt his true strength...
Martial Marquis?
Martial King?
Or had he stepped into the Saint Realm and ranked among the continent’s elite?
Lin Huang instinctively shook his head. If he was truly in the Saint Realm, he would be a great figure who could roam the world freely. He couldn’t believe such a person would hide in the tiny Great Xia Dynasty.
Even the entire East Spirit Realm wouldn’t be big enough to accommodate such a mighty Buddha!
He thought to himself, "I must be overthinking things. One’s understanding of Martial Arts doesn’t necessarily represent their true strength. As long as one has stepped into the Martial Marquis Realm, they can execute this Three-Part Sword Qi.
"If Xiao Yishan had truly reached the Saint Realm, I would have heard of him in my past life!"
Lin Huang drank his liquor with a self-deprecating smile and stopped dwelling on the question.
Before long, the waiter from earlier pushed the door open and took in the scene before him...
He couldn’t believe his own eyes.
He wondered, "What is going on? Am I going blind?
"The great figures of Fengyu Tower and the Celestial Thunder Sect are all... squatting on the floor? Have they no shame?"
Shocked as he was, the waiter wasn’t stupid. After a brief moment of daze, his face turned deathly pale. With a loud THUD, he dropped to his knees in front of Lin Huang, trembling like a leaf and too terrified to even breathe loudly.
The waiter buried his head deeply, his eyes filled with terror and despair.
Fortunately, Lin Huang didn’t make things difficult for him. He ordered a few more dishes and dismissed him.
Squatting on the floor, Qii Lie and the others stared at the dishes placed before them with looks of deep humiliation. Their eyes were brimming with monstrous hatred, yet they didn’t dare to move recklessly.
Ling Huangyi turned his head and glared furiously at Crown Prince Lingyun!
Today’s matter was initially meant to be Crown Prince Lingyun borrowing the hands of Fengyu Tower and the Celestial Thunder Sect to humiliate Lin Huang. Ling Huangyi was aware of this plan. However, he never expected that a formidable expert would appear by Lin Huang’s side without Crown Prince Lingyun noticing a thing, causing him to suffer this unexpected humiliation.
Crown Prince Lingyun’s gaze darted away, not daring to meet Ling Huangyi’s sharp glare. The hatred he held for Lin Huang in his heart burned fiercely.
"Elder Hann, let me ask you something!" Lin Huang suddenly put down his chopsticks and looked at Hann Shan.
"Young Master, please speak!"
Hann Shan looked up and pressed his lips together as he looked at Lin Huang. He then turned his head toward Xiao Yishan before speaking carefully.
"Two years ago, my sister Lin Cangxue visited the Eastern Palace once. Afterward, her Martial Soul was shattered. I suspect this matter has something to do with your Celestial Thunder Sect..."