This... This guy... How can he be so strong?

Everyone stared with wide eyes, standing frozen to the spot.

Even for the sixth-generation Elder Zhong Li'an, his pupils contracted, the hairs on his body stood on end, and every nerve in his body was wound tight. If he were the one facing Zeng Renwang's strike, he would have had to evade its main force, not daring to confront it head-on. This meant that they had seriously miscalculated Chen Yang's strength! He was... he was definitely a top-tier Fist Master who had surpassed the eighth rank.

Feeling utterly terrified, Zhong Li'an mentally cursed every single leader of the Martial Association. Aren't they just sending me to my death?

The most terrified, without a doubt, were Qi Zhentian and Qi Feng.

They struggled to stay on their feet, their faces ashen. If someone as strong as Zeng Renwang is now on the verge of death, what about us... It's over! We thought we would get to witness Chen Yang's tragic death with our own eyes, but instead...

"What? Can't you understand what I'm saying?" Chen Yang stared at Zhong Li'an and spoke again.

Zhong Li'an's expression flickered. Steeling himself, he said, "You... do you really intend to oppose the Martial Association to the very end?"

"What do you think?" Chen Yang asked earnestly, tugging at his cuff and tilting his head.

The muscles at the corner of Zhong Li'an's mouth twitched. "You should know that our Association President has stepped into the thirteenth rank of Thousand-Faced Yama and has been conferred the title of prince! Do you truly understand what you're up against?"

Chen Yang slowly took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a leisurely puff. He then lifted his hand, where a wisp of purple-gold light arced between his index finger and thumb.

Zhong Li'an's eyes immediately contracted and his throat tightened. He wanted to say something but was too nervous to utter a single word.

SNAP.

With a flick of Chen Yang's fingers, a crisp sound abruptly echoed through the vast hall.

A bizarre scene occurred.

Zhong Li'an, who was five or six meters away, was struck in the chest as if by a heavy hammer. He was blasted off his feet, flying backward for more than ten meters before crashing heavily against the wall and slumping to the ground.

Chen Yang took a puff of his cigarette and said indifferently, "You mean like this?"

"You... you..." Zhong Li'an struggled, ignoring the blood gushing from his mouth, and stared fixedly at Chen Yang as if he had just seen the most terrifying thing in the world.

"You... you're also a thirteenth-rank Thousand-Faced Yama?!" Zhong Li'an's eyeballs seemed ready to burst from their sockets. How could this be possible? A Thousand-Faced Yama under thirty years old? How is that possible?! Their Association President had devoted forty years to cultivation, on top of using countless priceless resources, and had only recently stepped into the thirteenth rank! It could be said that besides innate talent and endless financial and material resources, the Association President's breakthrough to the thirteenth rank also involved a great deal of luck. But him!!! No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't understand. How could a man under thirty possibly step into the realm of a Thousand-Faced Yama?

"Me?" Chen Yang flicked his cigarette ash. His left thumb and index finger crossed again and rubbed together lightly. With a soft sound, a purple-gold light swirled upwards, forming phantoms that lined up in a row behind him.

Although the phantoms only lasted for an instant before vanishing completely, Zhong Li'an felt as if he was about to suffocate.

"Fourteenth rank... Ten Thousand Phenomena Senluo!"

Zhong Li'an, who had just managed to prop himself up on his hands, slumped back to the ground, panting heavily, scared out of his wits.

This... this... His eyes bulged wide. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it even if someone beat me to death! He's only in his twenties, and he's already entered the fourteenth rank? Even if you scoured the great annals of history, could you find such an unparalleled, monstrous genius? Now it was truly over.

He wasn't just thinking about himself, but the entire Martial Association. The Martial Association had been unrivaled for over a decade, but now, it seemed they had finally met their match. If things went poorly, the entire organization could be wiped from existence.

Fourteenth rank, Ten Thousand Phenomena Senluo... and he's not even thirty years old! What would happen if he were given another ten years?

"The thirteenth rank is nothing special, and it's certainly not worth showing off." Chen Yang lowered his hand and said indifferently from within the swirling smoke, "I seem to recall that in the battle at Hundred Flowers Valley last year, the Barbarians sent two Thousand-Faced Yamas. In the end, wasn't one killed and the other grievously wounded?"

Chen Yang sighed. "A pity. One of them managed to escape."

Zhong Li'an was speechless. So were Qi Zhentian and Qi Feng.

These words left no doubt as to the speaker's identity. Whether it was the earlier battle at Night Quiet Valley or the battle at Hundred Flowers Valley, they were all the work of one legendary figure! It was he who had defended this land, pushed its borders out by eighty miles, and even forced the Barbarians' garrison to retreat thirty miles.

The Nine Gates Admiral, the Zhennan Prince!

This... GASP. Everyone inhaled sharply, their expressions a mixture of horror and disbelief.

He... he's the Nine Gates Admiral?!

THUD! THUD!

Qi Zhentian and Qi Feng could no longer stay on their feet and collapsed to the ground. No wonder he never held the major families of Lingjin City in high regard. No wonder he dared to ruthlessly eliminate the Martial Association's members. No wonder he entered the realm of Ten Thousand Phenomena Senluo before the age of thirty!

"He was also granted the title of 'prince'?" Chen Yang shook his head and chuckled. "Let me ask you, who gave him that title? And what does he intend to do with it?"

The thought was so laughable. The mere Association President of the Martial Association... what contribution had he ever made besides collecting tuition fees from students? Yet he dreamed of being second to one man and above all others? What an absolute joke. The most ridiculous thing in the world.

Zhong Li'an trembled, his head bowed, not daring to make a sound.

Chen Yang extinguished his cigarette butt and said casually, "Go. Go to the banquet hall and announce that the Martial Association's opening ceremony is canceled and that the Association will never again set foot in Lingjin City."

Zhong Li'an trembled with fear. He wanted to relay this message to the Martial Association Headquarters but dared not act rashly, so he could only nod repeatedly.

Then, Chen Yang glanced at Qi Zhentian and Qi Feng. Without another word, he flicked his toe, sending two sword fragments hurtling toward them.

SWOOSH...

With terror still frozen in their eyes, Qi Zhentian and Qi Feng fell straight back into pools of their own blood.

As for Zeng Renwang, his corpse had already grown cold.

Zhong Li'an scrambled to his feet and, in the throes of extreme shock and fear, slowly made his way toward the main entrance. Chen Yang picked up a sword tip from the floor, toying with it in his hand as he followed behind Zhong Li'an.

「Inside the hall to the left.」

A crowd was exchanging toasts, their laughter echoing amidst a scene of festive celebration. Many who were conversing with the Martial Association Disciples learned that the establishment of the Lingjin City branch was a direct order from the Great Elder himself. It was something that not even the Heavenly King could stop.

Hearing this, the weight in many people's hearts was finally lifted.

However, when Zhong Li'an entered—covered in blood and struggling to walk—everyone froze, fixed in place.

What... What happened to Elder Zhong?

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