Furious, Su Yang said with an icy voice, "Su Chen, how dare you still be so arrogant? Do you really think you are still that number one genius of the clan from before? Today, I will make you act like a dog, kneeling before me and begging for mercy."
"Beat him to a pulp."
"Yes."
Dozens of people swarmed forward all at once, completely reckless. After all, Su Yang would take the blame if anything went out of hand. Nowadays, in the Su Clan, Su Yang undoubtedly held the most influence.
Who would dare to provoke Su Yang?
Even the Clan Head had to try to stay on his good side.
Once Su Yang went to the Su Clan to cultivate, he would definitely become a mighty powerhouse in the future, looking down upon Panyou City with disdain, and the clan would have to depend on Su Yang then.
Acting fierce on someone else's authority.
Su Chen's gaze was ice-cold. Even as cousins, in the face of so-called cruel reality, they were simply unbearable.
Back in the day, who would dare to provoke him?
The moment they saw he was done for, they immediately bared their fangs, wanting to humiliate him ruthlessly and kick him while he was down.
With a single stride, Su Chen's figure instantly vanished from where he stood.
Using his finger as a sword, the tyrannical and fierce sword qi appeared exceptionally bone-chilling in the dusk.
Before the dozens of men could get close, miserable screams suddenly erupted. Sword qi surged everywhere, blanketing each and every one of them. Severed limbs and broken arms flew through the air, and blood instantly stained the ground crimson.
Afterimages flickered as Su Chen's figure gradually materialized. However, the dozens of men who had been full of life just a moment ago were now all corpses. A pungent smell of blood spread through the air, startling Su Yang into backing up repeatedly.
Su Chen was still just as strong.
Suppressing the shock and horror in his heart, Su Yang kept telling himself that this Su Chen's Blood Wheel had already shattered and his cultivation had dropped to the Innate Realm.
Yet he himself had already successfully reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, so suppressing Su Chen should be a piece of cake.
He refused to act like a dog anymore.
He wanted to look down on Su Chen from above.
"Su Chen, I'll let you know right now just how huge the gap is between you and me."
Hum!
The bloodline within his body churned, condensing a Blood Wheel high above his head. A pale-yellow sword phantom materialized within the Blood Wheel, emanating a fierce sword intent.
"Since I awakened my Blood Wheel, you are the very first person to taste it."
A Blood Wheel?
Su Chen sneered. A bloodline aura began to radiate from above his head, and the exact same sword Blood Wheel condensed into shape, possessing might that far surpassed Su Yang's.
The suppression of Blood Wheel ranks caused Su Yang's expression to change drastically.
Filled with disbelief, he roared in shock, "Impossible! Wasn't your Blood Wheel already crippled by Su Hao? Why can you re-condense a Blood Wheel?!"
His terrified voice was laced with utter disbelief. Everyone on the entire continent knew one thing: for any martial artist, once their Blood Wheel shattered, it was utterly impossible to re-condense it.
Just how had Su Chen managed to do it?
The clan couldn't have spread false news, and yesterday he had seen with his own eyes that Su Chen was severely injured and his Blood Wheel was indeed shattered.
"A dog is a dog. It can never become a human."
His horrified face was written all over with fear. At this moment, Su Yang was genuinely terrified, and he said urgently, "Su Chen, I have already received an invitation from the Su Clan and will be going there to cultivate shortly. If you dare to lay a hand on me, leaving aside the clan for a moment, you simply won't be able to withstand the wrath of the Su Clan alone."
Using the Su Clan to threaten him?
Taking a step forward, Su Chen's figure moved like a ghost, instantly materializing right in front of Su Yang. His indifferent gaze held not a single trace of emotional fluctuation; this incident had made him see through the true faces of many people.
The cruel reality told him that if he wanted to survive in this world where martial arts reigned supreme, he could not afford to be soft-hearted in the slightest, not even when it came to cousins.
If he hadn't obtained the Chaotic Swallowing Tower and re-condensed his Blood Wheel, he would surely have been ruthlessly humiliated by Su Yang right now.
Let me ask you, would Su Yang have felt any pity?
Who would come to help him? No one would help. This was the cruel reality.
"Su Chen, you have already been expelled from the clan. If you dare to make a move against me, Grandfather will definitely not spare you, and neither will the Su Clan!"
Bang!
Before Su Yang could continue spouting nonsense, he took a fierce kick straight to the stomach. Pain instantly coursed through his entire body. Because of the suppression from the Blood Wheel, coupled with the fact that Su Yang was already terrified to the absolute limit, he didn't even have the guts to fight back.
Staring fixedly at the Su Yang before him with chilling eyes, Su Chen spoke in a voice that seemed to come from the frozen depths of hell.
"Right now, I'm going to let you taste what it feels like to have your Blood Wheel shattered. Let's see if the Su Clan still wants you once you've lost your Blood Wheel."
Hearing this, Su Yang couldn't help but tremble violently in his heart. Frightened until his face instantly turned pale, he roared frantically, "Su Chen, you wouldn't dare!"
"Whether I dare or not is not for you to decide."
The Blood Wheel poured into his right hand as his finger-sword slashed fiercely downward toward Su Yang. His gaze remained completely devoid of fluctuation or pity, looking much like someone eyeing a wild boar struggling in its final moments.
He had never imagined that the Su Yang who used to wag his tail and fawn behind him would be the very first to appear before him—not to offer comfort or concern, but to humiliate him, and even worse, to step on him as a stepping stone to curry favor with the Su Clan.
If you pull the first trick, I can play the fifteenth.
In an instant!
A miserable scream echoed through the void. The Blood Wheel condensed above Su Yang's head was pierced straight through by the tyrannical sword qi.
With a loud bang, the entire Blood Wheel shattered in succession. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Su Yang passed out cold on the spot.
Immediately afterward.
Su Chen looked toward the direction of the main hall.
He had already learned from Su Yang's mouth the news that he was about to be expelled from the clan. It seemed his Grandfather had chosen to abandon him for the sake of the clan.
Did he feel hatred? Unless he was a saint, how could he not hate? The clan that had birthed and raised him was now choosing to cast him aside.
Ignoring the unconscious Su Yang, Su Chen left the courtyard and walked straight toward the main hall.
On his way to the main hall, Su Chen had already sent someone to inform his Grandfather that he intended to settle this matter right away.
Inside the main hall.
Su Yuan, having received the message, was also quite surprised. He hadn't expected Su Chen to send someone to notify him; it seemed Chen'er already knew the news of his impending expulsion.
He felt immense guilt, yet there was nothing he could do. As the Head of the Su Clan, it was impossible for him to let the entire clan march toward destruction for the sake of a single person.
Only by abandoning Su Chen could the clan be preserved.
Hearing footsteps, Su Yuan raised his head and watched the young man slowly walk in. The youth's handsome face bore zero expression, so aloof it made one's heart ache.
Letting out a sigh, Su Yuan gripped the armrests of his chair tightly with both hands.
Even if there had been the slightest sliver of a chance, he wouldn't have been willing to expel his own biological grandson from the clan. He had already lost his most outstanding son, and now he was about to lose his most outstanding grandson.
He could vividly imagine what kind of consequence awaited Chen'er once he left the clan.
No formal greeting was offered.
Standing there just like that, Su Chen's face was written all over with indifference as he looked at his Grandfather sitting in the seat of honor.
Su Yuan broke the silence first.
"Chen'er, how are your injuries?"
"Grandfather still cares about my injuries?"
Hearing the resentment in his grandson's tone, Su Yuan heaved a deep sigh internally, his heart heavy with guilt.
"As the Head of the Su Clan, Grandfather must consider the entire clan."
Without giving too much explanation, his meaning was already crystal clear: the clan came first; it was impossible to abandon the entire clan for the sake of a single individual.
Just then.
An enraged roar came from outside the grand hall.
"Where is that bastard Su Chen? Today, I will definitely tear him to shreds!"
A furious Su Xuan strode in, bringing Su Hong and the others along with him. Catching sight of the young man standing right in the middle of the hall, he roared, "You little beast, look at the fine mess you've made!"
"Audacious!"
"Father, Su Chen has crippled Su Yang's Blood Wheel."
What?
Looking at his own biological grandson before him, Su Yuan found it somewhat hard to believe. After all, Su Chen's Blood Wheel was already shattered, and his cultivation had even dropped to the Innate Realm—how could he possibly have crippled Su Yang's Blood Wheel? One had to remember that Su Yang had already awakened his Blood Wheel and successfully reached Foundation Establishment.
"Has this matter been verified?"
"Father, Su Yang's Blood Wheel is shattered, and he is unconscious and unresponsive right now."
The more he spoke, the more furious he became.
Su Yang had successfully completed his Foundation Establishment and was soon going to the Su Clan to cultivate.
As the saying goes, a father rises with his son; he too would have been able to bask in his son's glory and become a man above men.
And now?
With Su Yang's Blood Wheel shattered, everything had been dashed to pieces. The Su Clan would never want a good-for-nothing whose Blood Wheel was broken.
"Who did you just call a beast?"
"I called you a beast! You are the tumor of the clan, trying to drag the clan down with you. Having a piece of trash like you in the clan is truly its tragedy."
If not for his fear of his own father, Su Xuan would have loved nothing more than to smash Su Chen to pieces and scatter his ashes.
His gaze instantly turned ice-cold. Su Chen's figure vanished from the spot in a flash, leaving behind only flickering afterimages.
Immediately following that!
The ringing of a sword resounded through the main hall. A matchlessly tyrannical sword qi swept forward, and a bone-chilling killing intent instantly enveloped Su Xuan, making him shiver to his very core.
His horrified face was written all over with disbelief. Before Su Xuan even had time to react, he was struck by the sword qi, and accompanied by miserable screams, dozens of bloody holes instantly burst open across his body.
The agony racking his body caused Su Xuan's entire face to twist in pain. Blood stained the floor beneath his feet, and the pungent scent of blood slowly spread through the air.
Not a sound was heard.
In the silent hall, everyone—including Su Yuan—stared dumbfounded at the scene before them, gasping in cold breath one after another. No one could believe that a person whose Blood Wheel was shattered could instantly defeat a Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm practitioner like Su Xuan in a single move.
Were their eyes playing tricks on them?
Gazing coldly at Su Xuan, Su Chen smiled icily and said, "If you two father and son want to step on me to get ahead, you simply aren't qualified. Apologize right now, or else this sword qi will pierce through every single part of your body."
Enduring the waves of pain wracking his body, Su Xuan was filled with shock and fury. Even if beaten to death, he never could have imagined that this trash whose Blood Wheel had shattered could defeat him in a single blow.
"Su Chen, after all is said and done, he is still your eldest uncle."
Before Su Hong could finish, Su Chen interrupted him.
"Second Uncle, in the face of reality, does familial affection even exist anymore?"
Su Hong wanted to say something more, but looking into his nephew's icy eyes, he heaved a deep sigh in his heart, swallowing the words back to the tip of his tongue.
Turning to his father, Su Xuan said in a weak voice, "Father, are you really just going to sit by and watch Su Chen humiliate me like this?"
"Apologize to Chen'er."
His heart heavy with guilt, Su Yuan felt that there was very little left he could do for his grandson.
What?
Staggering backward, Su Xuan's face was filled with fury and unwillingness. Even his father wasn't taking his side—did he really have to apologize to Su Chen?
Apologize? Never.
Su Xuan laughed, taking malicious pleasure in his misfortune as he said, "Su Chen, don't think you've won. By provoking Su Hao, you've left yourself no place to stand. You're about to be expelled from the clan anyway! Hahaha, hahahaha!"
"Show mercy."
Ignoring his Grandfather.
Su Chen executed his sword technique, blending his Blood Wheel into the sword arts. The sharp and tyrannical sword qi pierced straight into Su Xuan's mind, viciously running through his Blood Wheel.
With a miserable shriek, Su Xuan's body fell heavily to the ground like a kite with a broken string.
Suffering the exact same fate as Su Yang, his Blood Wheel was pierced through by the sword qi.
Utter silence filled the air; no one dared to make the slightest sound as they all stared stupidly at the scene before them.
Never had anyone imagined that Su Chen would actually dare to cripple the Eldest Uncle's Blood Wheel. One had to know that to a martial artist, the Blood Wheel was as important as life itself. Once lost, one could only remain trapped in the Innate Realm for the rest of their life, with zero hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment.
"You may choose to act subhuman, but I, Su Chen, have my own bottom line."
Su Xuan was, after all, his eldest uncle. He was no heartless beast and couldn't bring himself to slaughter his own family, but he would shatter the Blood Wheels of Su Yang and Su Xuan—that was the price they had to pay for provoking him.
Everyone was frightened out of their wits. Su Chen was simply too powerful; even the Eldest Uncle, a Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm expert, couldn't withstand a single sword strike from him. Just how terrifying was that?
Most importantly, the Clan Head hadn't stepped in to stop it.
"Grandfather, the grudge between Su Hao and me will not implicate the clan. From this moment onward, I, Su Chen, expel myself from the clan and am no longer a disciple of the Su Clan. I will be leaving the Su Clan shortly. My father has nothing to do with this matter—please treat him well."
Hearing this, everyone's expressions stirred deeply, none of them expecting that Su Chen would choose to expel himself from the clan.
Sigh after sigh echoed in the air.
Those who wished to protect the clan found themselves completely powerless against the mighty Su Clan.
Watching the figure turn and walk away, Su Yuan closed his eyes in agony.
The Emperor Bone that originally belonged to Su Chen had not only been usurped by Su Hao, but now, cowed by the intimidation of the Su Clan, he had to watch his grandson leave the clan with his own eyes. Yet as a grandfather, he could only accept it.
"Take Su Xuan away and tend to his injuries properly."
"Father, are you really just going to let Su Chen expel himself and leave?"
"This matter ends here. Pass down the order: no one is permitted to discuss this matter without authorization. Violators will be executed!"
"Yes."
~~~~~~
Inside the ice chamber.
Gigantic blocks of ice stood on all four sides, maintaining a freezing state year-round. At the very center, atop a massive block of ice, rested an ice coffin of a pure, icy blue hue.
Lying inside the ice coffin was a middle-aged man whose facial features bore a striking seven-part resemblance to Su Chen's. He lay there quietly, looking just like the walking dead.
Su Chen's figure appeared inside the ice chamber.
Looking at the ice coffin before him, and especially at the man lying within it, he slowly sank to both knees.
"Father, your son is unfilial. Due to certain special circumstances, I have expelled myself from the clan and am about to leave.
"One day, your son will definitely help you wake up."
Su Zhan—once the undisputed number one powerhouse of the Eastern Wastelands, a figure who struck terror into the hearts of all clans and sects—could now only lie inside an ice coffin, reduced to a living corpse.
The Su Clan had tried countless methods, yet none could find a way to wake Su Zhan up.
Suddenly!
The Dragon-Elephant bloodline within Su Chen's body began to churn violently. A single drop of Dragon-Elephant essence blood was forcibly driven out of his body, rapidly merging into the ice coffin.
The very next second.
A powerful Dragon-Elephant fluctuation burst forth from within the ice coffin, surging wildly into Su Chen's mind like a tidal wave.
After a full half-hour of integration, Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.
"Nine Dragons, Nine Elephants Art!"
Su Chen could guess that his sealed Dragon-Elephant bloodline and the Nine Dragons, Nine Elephants Art he had just obtained from the ice coffin undoubtedly harbored unknown secrets. Unfortunately, his father had become a living corpse and could not tell him.
Footsteps sounded.
Su Yuan walked in and, seeing his grandson kneeling before the ice coffin, he let out a deep sigh.
"Chen'er, I have already been in touch with the Dean of the Eastern Wastelands Academy. Because your father did a great service for the academy back in the day, you can go to the Eastern Wastelands Academy to cultivate. Even the Su Clan wouldn't dare to offend them."
Looking at the jade token handed over by his Grandfather, upon which the four characters 'Eastern Wastelands Academy' were inscribed, Su Chen did not refuse.
He understood his Grandfather's intent: only by seeking powerful protection could he buy time for himself to cultivate and gain the strength to go to the Su Clan for revenge.
"This is your marriage contract. News of your situation has already reached the imperial court, and the imperial Ji Clan wishes to annul the marriage."
Taking the jade token and the betrothal letter, Su Chen's gaze instantly turned ice-cold.
The imperial Ji Clan of Panding had witnessed his father dominating the Eastern Wastelands back then, and had sent people time and again to propose a matrimonial alliance.
Now that his Emperor Bone had been stripped and he was facing intimidation from the Su Clan, the imperial Ji Clan had finally lost their nerve and chosen to call off the marriage.
Wanting to call off the marriage?
Su Chen stood up and tossed both the jade token and the betrothal letter straight into his spatial ring.
If anyone was going to call off the marriage, it would be him doing the rejecting, not the Ji Clan.
Watching his grandson turn to leave, Su Yuan's face turned somewhat pale. He wanted to speak, but the words caught in his throat, forced back down. He didn't know what he should say; after all, he was the one who had failed Chen'er.
Without lingering any longer, he left the clan.
Su Chen prepared to head straight for the Eastern Wastelands Academy; he needed to buy time for himself to cultivate.
As the premier academy of the Eastern Wastelands.
The deterrence of the Eastern Wastelands Academy was such that even the Su Clan wouldn't dare to clash with them head-on. He believed the Su Clan wouldn't risk tearing things apart to the bitter end with the academy just for Su Hao.
The bustling streets were filled with hawkers shouting their wares.
Yet Su Chen had no heart to take in the prosperous sights.
"Yo, isn't this our Panyou City's illustrious genius, Master Su?"
A sarcastic voice rang out as dozens of youths walked over with sinister smiles, their gazes directed at Su Chen carrying open hostility.
"Get lost!"
How could Su Chen fail to recognize these people? They were disciples from various major clans in Panyou City, the very dogs that used to fawn behind him. Now, hearing that his Blood Wheel had been crippled, they had all jumped out to bark wildly.
"Oh? Even with his Blood Wheel crippled by someone, this great genius Su still dares to be so arrogant? Believe it or not, if I stomp you to death right now, your Su Clan won't even dare to step forward."
"Kneel down and bark twice. As long as you make us feel good, you'll be fine. Otherwise, you'll be going home with a head swollen like a pig's in just a moment."
Looking at Su Chen's icy glare, the dozens of men felt no fear at all. What kind of strength could someone with a broken Blood Wheel possibly have? Humiliating a former genius—that feeling was simply too exhilarating.
"Great genius Su, aren't you unconvinced? Fine, I'm standing right here. If you've got the guts, hit me."
One of them walked right up to Su Chen, grabbed Su Chen's fist, and shoved it against his own face while continuing to taunt him wildly. He had calculated that the other party wouldn't dare to strike, which was why he acted so unbridled.
The onlookers all sighed and murmured among themselves.
Anyone could see it.
The former number one genius of Panyou City, Su Chen of the Su Clan, had fallen to such a pathetic state that he didn't even dare to make a sound while being humiliated.
This was the cruel reality.
"I'll grant your request."
Hum!
The ringing of a sword erupted from within Su Chen's body, and the sword Blood Wheel that suddenly materialized above his head startled everyone in the vicinity. Before they could react, Su Chen had already executed his sword technique, blending it into the sword Blood Wheel.
Dense, tyrannical sword qi rippled outward, piercing straight through the bodies of the dozens of men. Blood stained the ground crimson, and the pungent scent of blood told everyone that the scene unfolding before their eyes was all too real.
To wipe out dozens of taunting men with a single sword strike—just how tyrannical was that?
[Author's Note]
A new book has begun, please give this book lots of your support! Crane bows in deep gratitude here!