An enraged Su Yang said with an icy voice, "Su Chen, how dare you still be so arrogant? Do you really think you are still the number one genius of the clan as you were before? Today, I will make a dog out of you and make you kneel before me and beg."
"Beat him to a pulp for me."
"Understood."
Dozens of people swarmed forward all at once, without a second thought. After all, Su Yang was there to back them up if anything went wrong. Nowadays, Su Yang was undoubtedly the one with the most influence in the Su Clan.
Who would dare provoke Su Yang?
Even the Patriarch had to cozy up to him.
Once Su Yang went to the Su Clan to cultivate, he would undoubtedly become a mighty expert in the future, looking down upon Panyou City, and at that time the family would still have to rely on Su Yang.
Flunkeys borrowing their master's clout.
Su Chen's gaze was ice-cold. Even among cousins, facing the so-called cruel reality, they were all so utterly worthless.
In the past, who would have dared to provoke him?
Seeing that he was down, they immediately bared their fangs, wanting to humiliate him fiercely and kick a man while he was down.
With a single stride, Su Chen's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.
Using his fingers as a sword, the tyrannical and sharp sword qi appeared exceptionally bone-chilling in the dusk.
Before the dozens of men could get close, miserable screams rang out instantly. Sword qi surged horizontally and vertically, enveloping every single one of them. Severed limbs and broken arms flew everywhere, and blood instantly stained the ground red.
Afterimages flashed, and Su Chen's figure gradually materialized. Yet the dozens of men who had been full of life just moments ago had now all turned into corpses. A pungent smell of blood spread through the air, scaring Su Yang into retreating step after step.
Su Chen was still this strong.
Suppressing the shock and terror in his heart, Su Yang kept telling himself that Su Chen's Blood Wheel was already shattered and his cultivation had dropped to the Xiantian Realm.
Yet he himself had already successfully reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, so suppressing Su Chen should be completely effortless.
He refused to be a dog anymore.
He wanted to look down on Su Chen.
"Su Chen, I will 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 above his head. A pale-yellow sword shadow manifested inside the Blood Wheel, radiating a sharp sword intent.
"Since I awakened my Blood Wheel, you are the first person to taste it."
A Blood Wheel?
Su Chen let out a cold laugh. A bloodline aura began to emanate from above his head, and an identical sword Blood Wheel condensed into shape, its contained might far surpassing Su Yang's.
The Blood Wheel grade suppression caused Su Yang's expression to change drastically.
With a face full of disbelief, he roared in shock, "Impossible! Wasn't your Blood Wheel already destroyed by Su Hao? Why are you able to re-condense a Blood Wheel?!"
His terrified voice carried overwhelming disbelief. Everyone in the entire continent knew one thing: for any martial artist, once a Blood Wheel was shattered, it was utterly impossible to re-condense it.
How on earth did Su Chen manage to do it?
The clan couldn't possibly have leaked false news, and he had seen the severely injured Su Chen with his own eyes just yesterday—his Blood Wheel was indeed shattered.
"A dog is a dog, and can never become a human."
His horrified face was written all over with fear. At this moment, Su Yang was truly terrified, and he said anxiously, "Su Chen, I have already received an invitation from the Su Clan and will be going there to cultivate shortly. If you dare to touch me, leaving aside the family, the wrath of the Su Clan alone is something you cannot bear."
Trying to threaten him with the Su Clan?
Taking a step forward, Su Chen's figure moved like a ghost, materializing right in front of Su Yang in an instant. His cold gaze held not the slightest 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 prowess reigned supreme, he could not afford to show a single shred of softness, not even toward cousins.
If he hadn't obtained the Chaotic Swallowing Tower and re-condensed his Blood Wheel, he would definitely have been fiercely 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 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 was kicked viciously in 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 extreme, he didn't even have the guts to fight back.
Gazing fixedly at Su Yang before him with icy 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, and see if the Su Clan still wants you once you lose it."
Hearing this, Su Yang couldn't help trembling violently in his heart. Scared out of his wits, his face instantly turned pale, and he roared frantically, "Su Chen, how dare you!"
"Whether I dare or not is not for you to decide."
The Blood Wheel poured into his right hand, and with a finger-sword, he slashed down viciously toward Su Yang. His eyes held not a flicker of fluctuation or pity, looking much like someone viewing a wild boar struggling in its final moments.
He had never imagined that the very Su Yang who used to wag his tail and fawn behind him would be the first to appear before him—not with comfort and concern, but wanting to humiliate him, and even wanting to step over his corpse to curry favor with the Su Clan.
You play the first card, and 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 by the tyrannical sword qi.
With a loud bang, the entire Blood Wheel shattered accordingly. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Su Yang passed out cold on the spot.
Immediately afterward.
Su Chen turned his gaze 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 family. 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 family that had raised him was now choosing to cast him aside.
Ignoring Su Yang, who had passed out, Su Chen left the courtyard and walked directly toward the main hall.
On his way to the main hall, Su Chen had already sent someone to inform his grandfather; he intended to settle this matter immediately.
Inside the main hall.
Su Yuan, having received the notice, was also filled with astonishment. He hadn't expected Su Chen to send someone to inform him; it seemed Chen'er already knew the news of his impending expulsion.
He felt immense guilt, yet was completely powerless. As the Patriarch of the Su Clan, he could not let the entire family march toward ruin for the sake of a single individual.
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 not the slightest expression, so chillingly indifferent that it tugged at one's heartstrings.
With a heavy sigh, Su Yuan gripped the armrests of his chair tightly.
Even if there were the slimmest chance, he would never have been willing to expel his own flesh and blood from the clan. He had already lost his most outstanding son, and now he was about to lose his most outstanding grandson.
He could fully imagine what kind of consequence awaited Chen'er upon leaving the family.
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 seated in the highest seat of honor.
Su Yuan was the first to break the silence.
"Chen'er, how are your injuries?"
"Is Grandfather actually going to care about my injuries?"
Listening to the resentment in his grandson's tone, Su Yuan sighed deeply in his heart, filled with remorse.
"As the head of the Su Clan, Grandfather must consider the entire family."
Without excessive explanation, the meaning was already crystal clear: the family came first; it was impossible to abandon the entire clan for the sake of one person.
At that moment.
An enraged roar came from outside the great hall.
"Where is that bastard Su Chen? Today I will definitely tear him to shreds!"
An angry Su Xuan strode in, bringing Su Hong and others with him. Seeing the young man standing in the very center of the hall, he roared, "You little bastard, look at the fine mess you've made!"
"Audacious!"
"Father, Su Chen destroyed Su Yang's Blood Wheel."
Ah?
Looking at his own grandson before him, Su Yuan seemed somewhat unable to believe it. After all, Su Chen's Blood Wheel had already been shattered, and his cultivation had dropped to the Xiantian Realm. How could he possibly have destroyed Su Yang's Blood Wheel? One had to remember that Su Yang had already awakened his Blood Wheel and successfully reached Foundation Establishment.
"Has the matter been verified?"
"Father, Su Yang's Blood Wheel is shattered, and he has passed out cold."
The more he spoke, the angrier he became.
Su Yang had successfully completed Foundation Establishment and was soon to go to the Su Clan for cultivation.
As the saying went, 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 the shattering of Su Yang's Blood Wheel, everything had turned to dust. The Su Clan would not want a waste whose Blood Wheel was broken.
"Who did you just call a bastard?"
"I called you a bastard! You are the tumor of the family, trying to drag the family down with you into ruin. Having trash like you in the family is truly a tragedy for us."
Had he not feared his own father, Su Xuan would have loved to tear Su Chen to pieces and grind his bones to ash.
His gaze suddenly turning icy, Su Chen's figure vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving only shifting afterimages.
Immediately following that!
The ringing of a sword resounded through the main hall. Tyrannical sword qi rushed forward in a relentless surge, and an icy killing intent instantly enveloped Su Xuan, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
His terrified face was written all over with disbelief. Before Su Xuan even had time to react, he was struck by the sword qi. Accompanied by miserable screams, dozens of bloody holes instantly appeared across his body.
The agonizing pain coursing through his body distorted Su Xuan's entire face. Blood stained the ground beneath his feet, and a pungent smell of blood slowly filled the air.
Dead silence.
In the silent hall, everyone—including Su Yuan—stared dumbfounded at the scene before them, gasping in collective breath. No one could believe that a person whose Blood Wheel was shattered could defeat Su Xuan, a Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm expert, in a single move.
Were their eyes playing tricks on them?
Gazing coldly at Su Xuan, Su Chen smiled icily and said, "If you want to step on me to rise up, the two of you father and son are simply not qualified. Apologize right now, or else this sword qi will pierce through every single part of your body."
Suppressing the waves of pain wracking his body, Su Xuan was filled with shock and rage. Even if beaten to death, he never would have imagined that this trash with a shattered Blood Wheel could defeat him in a single blow.
"Su Chen, after all, he is still your eldest uncle."
Before Su Hong could finish, Su Chen cut him off.
"Second Uncle, in the face of reality, does familial affection still exist?"
Su Hong wanted to say more, but looking into his nephew's icy eyes, he sighed deeply in his heart and swallowed the words back to his lips.
Looking toward his father, Su Xuan said in a weak voice, "Father, are you really just going to stand by and watch Su Chen humiliate me?"
"Apologize to Chen'er."
His heart filled with remorse, Su Yuan felt that there was very little left he could do for his grandson.
Ah?
Retreating step by step, Su Xuan's face was filled with anger and unwillingness. Even his father wasn't helping him—did he really have to apologize to Su Chen?
Apologize? Never.
Su Xuan laughed, saying with malicious glee, "Su Chen, don't think you've won. By provoking Su Hao, you no longer have a place to stand, and you are about to be expelled from the family anyway. Hahaha! Hahaha!"
"Show mercy."
Ignoring his grandfather.
Su Chen executed his sword technique, fusing his Blood Wheel into it. The sharp and tyrannical sword qi pierced straight through Su Xuan's mind, striking ruthlessly through his Blood Wheel.
With a single miserable scream, Su Xuan's body fell heavily to the ground like a kite with a snapped string.
Sharing the exact same fate as Su Yang, his Blood Wheel was pierced through by the sword qi.
Absolute silence filled the hall; not a single person dared to make the slightest sound, all of them staring foolishly at the scene before them.
No one had expected this.
Su Chen actually dared to make a move to destroy the Eldest Uncle's Blood Wheel. One had to know that for a martial artist, the Blood Wheel was as important as life itself. Once lost, one could only remain stuck in the Xiantian Realm for the rest of one's life, with no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment.
"You can choose to act like beasts, but I, Su Chen, have my own bottom line."
Su Xuan was still his eldest uncle; he was not a ruthless demonic beast and could not bring himself to slaughter his own family members, but he would destroy the Blood Wheels of Su Yang and Su Xuan. This was the price they had to pay for provoking him.
Everyone was scared witless. Su Chen was simply too strong. Even the Eldest Uncle, a Level 8 Foundation Establishment Realm expert, couldn't withstand a single sword strike from him. Just how terrifying was this?
Most importantly, the Patriarch hadn't stepped in to stop him.
"Grandfather, the feud between Su Hao and me will not implicate the family. From this moment on, I, Su Chen, expel myself from the clan and am no longer a disciple of the Su Family. I will leave the Su Family shortly. My father has nothing to do with this matter; please treat him well."
Hearing these words, everyone's expression shifted profoundly. None of them had expected that Su Chen would choose to expel himself from the clan.
Sigh after sigh echoed through the air.
Those who wished to protect the family found themselves utterly powerless in the face of 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 stripped away by Su Hao, but now, cowed by the intimidation of the Su Clan, he had to watch his grandson leave the family 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!"
"Understood."
~~~~~~
Inside the ice chamber.
Gigantic blocks of ice stood on all four sides, maintaining a state of perpetual freezing. At the very center atop a massive ice block rested an ice coffin, completely ice-blue in color.
Lying inside the ice coffin was a middle-aged man whose features bore a seventy-percent resemblance to Su Chen's. He lay there quietly, just like a living corpse.
Su Chen's figure appeared inside the ice chamber.
Gazing 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 reasons, I have expelled myself from the clan and am about to leave the family."
"One day, your son will certainly help Father wake up."
Su Zhan, once the number one powerhouse of the Eastern Wastelands, who struck awe into all clans and sects, was now reduced to lying in an ice coffin, a living corpse.
The Su Family had tried countless methods, yet had found no way to make Su Zhan wake up.
Suddenly!
The Dragon-Elephant bloodline within Su Chen's body began to churn. A single drop of Dragon-Elephant vital blood was forcefully driven out of his body, rapidly merging into the ice coffin.
The next second.
A violent Dragon-Elephant undulation erupted from within the ice coffin, surging wildly into Su Chen's mind like a tidal wave.
After fusing for a full half-hour, Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.
"Nine Dragons, Nine Elephants Art!"
Su Chen could guess that his sealed Dragon-Elephant bloodline, along with the Nine Dragons, Nine Elephants Art he had just obtained from the ice coffin, definitely held an unknown secret. Yet because his father had become a living corpse, he couldn't tell him.
Footsteps sounded.
Su Yuan walked in. Looking at his grandson kneeling before the ice coffin, he sighed deeply in his heart.
"Chen'er, I have already contacted the Dean of the Eastern Wastelands Academy. Because your father did a great service to the academy back then, you can go to the Eastern Wastelands Academy to cultivate. Even the Su Clan would not 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 reached the imperial court, and the Ji family of the imperial court wishes to annul the engagement."
Taking the jade token and the betrothal letter, Su Chen's gaze instantly turned icy.
Back then, when the Ji family of the Pan-Ding Imperial Court saw his father dominating the Eastern Wastelands, they had repeatedly sent people to propose a marriage alliance.
Now that his bone had been stripped away and he was facing intimidation from the Su Clan, the Ji family of the imperial court could finally sit still no longer and chose to annul the engagement.
Wanting to call off the wedding?
Su Chen stood up and tossed both the jade token and the marriage contract straight into his spatial ring.
Even if the engagement was to be annulled, he would be the one to do it, not the Ji family.
Watching his grandson turn and prepare to leave, Su Yuan's face turned somewhat pale. He wanted to speak, but the words caught in his throat and he swallowed them back down hard. He didn't know what he ought to say; after all, he was the one who had failed Chen'er.
Without lingering any further, he left the family estate.
Su Chen prepared to head straight to the Eastern Wastelands Academy; he needed to buy time for himself to cultivate.
As the premier academy of the Eastern Wastelands.
The deterrent power 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 fight to the death with the Eastern Wastelands Academy over Su Hao.
On the bustling streets, cries of hawkers filled the air.
Yet Su Chen had not the slightest mood to look at the prosperous scene.
"Yo, isn't this our Panyou City's renowned genius, Master Su?"
A sarcastic voice rang out, and dozens of young men walked over with sinister smiles, every single one of them casting an intensely hostile gaze toward Su Chen.
"Scram!"
How could Su Chen not recognize these people? They were all disciples of various great families in Panyou City, the very dogs who used to trail behind him. Now, hearing that his Blood Wheel had been destroyed, they had all jumped out to yelp and howl.
"Oh? Master Su's Blood Wheel has even been destroyed by someone, yet you still dare to be so arrogant? Believe it or not, if this lord stomps you to death with one foot, your Su family won't even step forward."
"Get on your knees and bark twice. As long as you make us feel good, you'll be fine. Otherwise, you'll be walking home with a head swollen like a pig's in a moment."
Looking at the ice-cold Su Chen, the dozens of men felt not a shred of fear. What kind of strength could someone with a shattered Blood Wheel possibly have? Humiliating a former genius felt simply too exhilarating.
"Master Su, aren't you unconvinced? Fine, this lord is 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, shouting tauntingly. He had calculated that the other party wouldn't dare, which was why he acted so unbridled.
The onlookers all let out sighs of mixed emotion.
Anyone could imagine it.
The former number one genius of Panyou City, Su Chen of the Su Family, had actually fallen to such a state, humiliated without even daring to make a sound.
This was the cruel reality.
"I'll grant your request."
Hum!
The ringing of a sword roared from within Su Chen's body, and the sword Blood Wheel that suddenly condensed above his head startled everyone around him. Before they could react, Su Chen had already executed his sword technique, fusing 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 red, and the pungent smell of blood told everyone present that the scene unfolding before them was entirely real.
Obliterating the shouting mob of dozens with a single sword strike—just how tyrannical was that!
【Author's Note】
A new book has begun, please give this work your enthusiastic support! Cranes bows in gratitude here!