Walking over to Xia Liyan and looking at the white fox kneeling on the ground, Dong Zhang didn't care who was right or wrong. He said coldly, "Kneel down and kowtow to apologize to Sister Xia. If Sister Xia doesn't forgive you, I'll hand you over to the City Guard. As for the consequences, you can figure them out yourself."
It was a blatant threat.
Yet everyone knew very well that Dong Zhang had the capital to make such threats; after all, the Dong family wielded immense power in Skybone City.
Apologize? Kowtow? Admit fault?
What had she done wrong? Why should she apologize to the girl in front of her?
Su Chen's gaze gradually turned icy. He did not want to court trouble, but neither was he afraid of it. If someone were to humiliate him without rhyme or reason, well—in his dreams!
By now, Su Chen had roughly guessed why the white fox had knelt to him.
Strictly speaking, the white fox wasn't kneeling to him at all, but rather to the purple fox resting in his arms. It seemed the purple fox possessed a very high rank, causing the white fox to prostrate itself directly.
He offered no explanation. If they had spoken civilly, he would have explained the reason behind it.
But wanting to use backing from higher-ups to pressure him into kneeling and apologizing was absolute nonsense.
Seeing the young man ignore him, Dong Zhang assumed he had been scared out of his wits. He relished the thought, eager to show off in front of Xia Liyan.
He had been pursuing Xia Liyan all along, so how could he possibly give up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to impress her?
"Brat, kneel and apologize, and this young master might spare you and let you be the dog at my feet."
Nodding, Su Chen walked up to Dong Zhang and said, "You're not worthy."
The moment the words fell, Su Chen moved. Only afterimages flashed where he stood, and under the execution of the Rolling Rock Fist, a sky-full of fist force enveloped Dong Zhang.
Dong Zhang was merely at Level 3 Foundation Establishment Realm—a full five tiers lower than Su Chen.
Fist after fist slammed into Dong Zhang's body. Accompanied by miserable screams, Dong Zhang was knocked heavily to the ground, and Su Chen planted his foot squarely on Dong Zhang's left foot.
"Brat, I am from the Dong family! How dare you lay a hand on me? You're done for! Just wait, this young master will make you regret this."
The onlookers all around were completely dumbfounded, gasping in astonishment one after another.
The young man's arrogance and overbearing attitude shocked them to the core.
After all, Dong Zhang's identity was out in the open, backed by the Dong family. Within Skybone City, who would dare provoke the Dong family?
"Are you threatening me?"
"Whether it's a threat or not, you know well enough in your heart. Let me give you a piece of advice—don't do something you'll regret." His pale face was covered in sweat as he fought through the surging pain wracking his body. In Dong Zhang's view, this was Skybone City, the Dong family's territory. Even if the opponent's strength surpassed his own, he was still just in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He refused to believe that the other party would dare to continue attacking.
"Look, the City Guard is here."
Dozens of armored City Guards marched over. Looking at the scene unfolding before them, regardless of who was right or wrong, they would undoubtedly lean toward the Dong family—that was beyond any doubt.
On one side was an unfamiliar youth; on the other was an established veteran clan of Skybone City. How were they supposed to choose?
"Fighting is prohibited in Skybone City. Take them both back to the City Lord's Mansion."
It was just for show.
Once Dong Zhang was hauled back to the City Lord's Mansion, he'd undoubtedly walk in through the front door and out the back. As for the young man, he probably wouldn't be so fortunate.
In Skybone City, the City Guard had the final say on everything. If the City Guard said you were right, you were right; if the City Guard said you were wrong, then you were wrong.
*Crack!*
Before the shocked eyes of everyone present, Dong Zhang's foot was ruthlessly snapped in half. Every horrified gaze was filled with sheer disbelief; no one had imagined that even with the City Guard already arrived, this youth would dare to be so brazen, directly breaking Dong Zhang's leg as a blatant provocation to the guard force.
To offend both the City Guard and the Dong family at once meant he clearly didn't plan on surviving in Skybone City.
"Audacious!"
"Bold! How dare you be so rampant! Take him down!"
How could Su Chen fail to see that these so-called City Guards were clearly biased toward this fellow? If he followed them to the City Lord's Mansion, it would undoubtedly be a one-way trip with no return.
Things had already reached this point; he had no retreat left. Offending the Dong family and offending the City Lord's Mansion as well made no difference at all.
Surrendering now meant certain death.
If he fought his way out, there was still a chance of survival.
Su Chen knew his situation was perilous, yet he felt not a shred of regret. As a man, one could die, but one could never be humiliated.
"Hurry and notify the Tong family! Send people from the clan to save me!"
"Go, quickly!"
Terrified shrieks laid bare the fact that Dong Zhang was utterly terrified.
He never expected that this young man wouldn't even hold the City Guard in regard.
He was terrified of being killed. Even if his family later avenged him, what good would that do? He would already be dead.
There was no need to go looking.
This was Skybone City; having received the news, both the Dong family and the City Lord's Mansion had rushed over. Gazing at Dong Zhang pinned beneath the youth's foot, every single one of them was consumed with fury.
Dong Xi, the head of the Dong family, suppressed the raging fire in his heart and said with a gloomy face, "Your Excellency, let go of Dong Zhang first. We can discuss this matter slowly."
"Dad, help me kill him!"
Standing to the side, Xia Liyan was somewhat dazed. She had never expected things to escalate to this point. Seeing her father arrive and stand beside her, she didn't know what to do for a moment.
"What is going on here?"
Not daring to hide anything, Xia Liyan told her father everything that had happened from start to finish.
Xia Quan let out a deep sigh inward. Since Liyan had caused this mess, they had to give the Dong family an explanation; otherwise, the future relations between the Dong family and the Xia family would be completely severed.
Offending the Dong family for the sake of a Foundation Establishment martial artist was certainly not a wise move.
Nodding, Su Chen kept his foot planted on Dong Zhang without a trace of fear, saying indifferently, "As long as Your Excellency swears an oath not to move against me, I can let him go."
Trying to negotiate with him?
Dong Xi's anger had reached its absolute limit. If not out of concern for his son's life, he would have struck long ago instead of dragging things out.
"Ah!"
Before Dong Xi could speak, a pig-like scream tore through the air. It turned out that Dong Zhang's other leg had been ruthlessly snapped in half as well, exposing the fractured bones clearly to the eye and striking terror into the hearts of all who saw it.
Hundreds of martial artists from the City Lord's Mansion and the Dong family had gathered, surrounding Su Chen tightly. City Lord Qi Shang's expression was equally gloomy; anyone daring to cause trouble in Skybone City was simply failing to show any regard for the City Lord's Mansion.
This fellow was simply too rampant and arrogant. He had to be captured to make an example of him.
"You dare!"
An enraged Dong Xi took a step forward, the killing intent erupting from his body rolling outward like a tsunami, yet it failed to shake Su Chen in the slightest.
Without wasting extra breath, Su Chen understood that the current situation was highly unfavorable to him; he had to leave Skybone City.
"You're just relying on having more people."
With blatant contempt and mockery, everyone understood that the youth was merely at the Foundation Establishment Realm—how could he possibly contend against the Xia family, the Dong family, and the City Lord's Mansion combined?
Dong Xi smiled with cold derision, sneering, "It seems Your Excellency is very confident in your own strength. Since that's the case, this family head will give you a chance. My Dong family has six Void Pill Realm martial artists, and the others will not interfere. As long as you can defeat these six, I will no longer pursue today's matter."
"Very well."
As soon as these words fell, the surrounding crowd erupted into an uproar!
No one expected the youth to actually agree. To fight six opponents single-handedly, and with all six coming from the Dong family at the Void Pill Realm—how could he possibly win? The disparity between their realms was simply too vast.
Kicking Dong Zhang flying with a single kick, what Su Chen wanted was a safe departure, not a moment of fleeting gratification.
Killing this fellow would completely enrage the other side. If hundreds of martial artists swarmed him all at once, it really would become a terribly troublesome ordeal.
"Kill him!"
His icy gaze churned with killing intent. Dong Xi possessed absolute confidence; how could the family's six Void Pill Realm experts joining forces fail to suppress and kill a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Violate the rules of martial arts? Was that even possible?
"Trash! Today, this lord alone is enough to tear you to pieces."
A burly, rugged man burst out from behind Dong Xi like a black bear. His bulky frame possessed extraordinary agility, and his oversized fists, resembling a pair of iron balls, smashed fiercely toward Su Chen. He didn't even bother to release his Blood Wheel; in his eyes, executing a Foundation Establishment cultivator didn't warrant using a Blood Wheel—doing so would only strip him of his dignity.
Dragon Elephant Seal, derived from the Nine Dragons Nine Elephants Technique—this was Su Chen's first time unleashing it.
His hands formed seals rapidly. Overlapping palm prints carrying the majestic resonance of dragon roars and elephant trumpeting manifested layer upon layer, showing no weakness as they slammed fiercely outward.
*Boom!*
The two forces collided violently in mid-air, and terrifying ripples swept outward. In everyone's eyes, even though the Dong family's man was only at Level 1 Void Pill Realm, eliminating a Foundation Establishment cultivator should have been a breeze.
And the result?
The fist force was instantly swallowed by the Dragon Elephant Seal. The moment the icy, overbearing dragon-elephant roars washed over the burly man, all the force converged into a single point and smashed ruthlessly into the center of his brow.
*Bang!*
His entire head shattered, blood mist spraying across the area. A pungent scent of blood spread outward, startling many in the crowd into hurriedly retreating, their eyes filled with shock and horror. No one had expected that a dignified Void Pill Realm expert would be killed in a single move by this youth.
What terrifying might!
"Next."
That statement was pure dominance!
Silence fell over the crowd. Everyone stared intently at the youth before them. No wonder he dared to be so arrogant—he truly had something to rely on. However, that man had only been at Level 1 Void Pill Realm, and the Dong family still had five Void Pill Realm experts who hadn't made a move.
Gazing at the headless corpse on the ground, Dong Xi's face was ashen and hideously grim.
"How did this guy manage it? Without even releasing his Blood Wheel, he actually killed a Void Pill Realm expert in one strike. Truly a monster."
"Yeah, he's formidable alright, but among Dong Xi's remaining five Void Pill Realm experts, there's even a Peak Void Pill Realm cultivator. It probably won't be that simple for this guy to fight his way out of Skybone City."
"Dong Zhang got what was coming to him. Relying on the Dong family as his backing, he was used to running amok in the city, and now that he's run into a hard obstacle, he has only himself to blame."
"Shh! Do you have a death wish? If the Dong family hears you say that, you're going to be in bad luck."
"Almost forgot."
Su Chen knew very well that he had succeeded in instantly killing that man only because the opponent had been careless; no matter who it was, probably no one would believe that he could instantly dispatch a Void Pill Realm expert.
"Attack together!"
Instead of going one by one, Su Chen's instant kill had thoroughly shaken the Dong family. Furious and shocked, Dong Xi could no longer care about saving face and directly ordered the five Void Pill Realm experts to join forces to execute this youth no matter what.
History was written by the victors, and this would soon be forgotten by everyone anyway—the Dong family was, after all, a major clan of Skybone City.
All five Void Pill Realm martial artists stepped out from behind Dong Xi, fixing icy gazes on the prey before them. Provoking the Dong family and bringing humiliation upon them was something they could never accept.
"Brat, you're strong. But in front of our Dong family, you won't leave here alive. Let me give you some advice—surrender now, and perhaps you can still save your life."
"Too much nonsense."
"You're courting death!"
Thoroughly enraged, the five men discarded any further words. In front of so many people, they had to reclaim the Dong family's honor; the family had already lost one Void Pill Realm expert, and the five of them had to ensure an absolute kill.
Brutal killing intent contorted their savage faces. Like five hunting leopards, the five Void Pill Realm experts sprinted toward their target.
Before they even arrived, terrifying killing intent arrived first.
They released their Blood Wheels immediately. At this point, the five of them could no longer care about dignity; the only thing they needed to do was successfully slaughter this youth.
The five released their respective Blood Wheels above their heads, their terrifying auras weaving together like a spiderweb.
A dragon roared, an elephant trumpeted.
Accompanied by the Dragon Elephant Blood Wheel condensing above his head, Su Chen immediately executed the Nine Dragons Nine Elephants Technique. Not daring to be the slightest bit careless, he sought a swift victory—there could be no hesitation or dragging of feet.
Su Chen's speed soared to its absolute limit. Afterimages flashed as the nine dragons and nine elephants phantoms roared frantically, their massive illusory bodies lunging forward to devour the four opponents.
"Such an overbearing Blood Wheel!"
City Lord Qi Shang's gaze turned exceptionally icy as well. "This youth must be killed."
Instead of scattering, the five concentrated on a single point, attempting to use the overlapping power of their five Blood Wheels to directly suppress the youth.
The exact moment Su Chen clashed with the five of them—
Within the Dragon Elephant Blood Wheel, another Blood Wheel gradually emerged: the Devouring Blood Wheel. It had been completely concealed by the massive Nine Dragons and Nine Elephants, leaving no one any wiser.
Su Chen had no wish for others to discover that he possessed the Devouring Blood Wheel.
A wisp of black mist, resembling a vine, instantly slithered onto one of them, wrapping around him tightly as an icy devouring aura continuously eroded the man.
"What is this thing?!"
Feeling that bone-chilling aura, the man shuddered violently, his horrified eyes filled with sheer terror. Before he could even manage the slightest reaction, the black mist aggressively invaded his mind, devouring his soul in an instant.
Watching the Void Pill Realm martial artist collapse stiffly to the ground, everyone—including the City Lord and Dong Xi—was utterly dumbfounded.
What happened?
How did the youth pull that off?
The Dong family's martial artist had been slaughtered inexplicably, without even the slightest warning. Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, no one would have been willing to believe the scene unfolding before them.
It was too shocking!
Su Chen's overbearing dominance completely intimidated everyone present. Was this the kind of strength a mere Foundation Establishment martial artist should possess?
Watching their companion slaughtered, the remaining four were frightened out of their wits. They had already joined forces and launched an all-out attack, discarding all concerns of face, yet they still couldn't block this youth. To say they weren't terrified would be a blatant lie.
The next second.
All four simultaneously felt an icy aura invade their minds.
It was clear their companion had fallen because that very aura had breached his mind.
Realizing this, the four didn't dare to be careless for a single second. They immediately channeled all their strength into their Blood Wheels, frantically counterattacking against the invading devouring aura.
The chance had arrived.
With the Dragon Elephant Blood Wheel suppressing them and the Devouring Blood Wheel invading, Su Chen's third Blood Wheel condensed and manifested under the cover of the Dragon Elephant Blood Wheel.
Executing the Nine Tribulations Sword Art, icy and overbearing sword qi converged into a storm of blades, lashing out relentlessly at the four men. Sword followed sword in rapid succession, each strike faster than the last.
The four of them were being suppressed?
Dong Xi found it impossible to accept the reality before him. Whether he believed it or not, the scene before his eyes told him that even with the remaining four Void Pill Realm experts joining forces, they might still fail to successfully kill this youth.
Desperately trying to expel the invading force from their minds, the four unleashed roaring waves of killing intent and immediately deployed their respective martial arts, bombarding Su Chen from all four directions—southeast, northwest. Their icy, overbearing offensive completely drowned him out.
Densely packed sword qi locked onto a single target, breaking them one by one. Su Chen was calm and rational enough to know that dragging out a fight against four opponents would take too long.
With their souls locked down and ruthlessly suppressed by the Devouring Blood Wheel, and fierce, razor-sharp sword qi accompanied by overwhelming force bearing down on them, the Dong family martial artist was instantly pierced through by the blade energy, blood staining the earth red.
Another one dead.
Unnatural terror flickered across the faces of the remaining three. Yet in this battle, they could only advance, not retreat. Biting their teeth, they continued their encirclement and attack.
*Boom, boom, boom!*
The violent collisions between the two sides caused the ground to fracture inch by inch, terrifying the onlookers into retreating repeatedly, their eyes filled with horror.
Su Chen's madness shook everyone to the core, for they made a startling discovery: the youth only attacked and never defended. Even under such conditions, the three opponents were being forced back step by step into a state of utter rout.
A trace of blood leaked from the corner of Su Chen's mouth. Taking on six single-handedly without getting hurt was impossible. Still, minor injuries like these meant nothing to him.
His offensive grew increasingly fierce and frenzied, resembling a maddened tiger; he suppressed the three so thoroughly that they didn't even have room to counterattack.
This was the terrifying might of three overlapping Blood Wheels.
Up until this moment, no one had realized that the youth actually possessed three Blood Wheels.
*Puff!*
Unable to hold out any longer, the three were directly suppressed by Su Chen, their bodies frozen and completely unable to move a fraction of an inch. Su Chen was also panting heavily; after all, he was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Slaughtering six Void Pill Realm experts single-handedly was achieved entirely thanks to his three Blood Wheels and heaven-defying sword art.
"Let them go!"
"Brat, you dare!"
The Dong family had suffered heavy losses already, having lost three Void Pill Realm experts; the remaining three could not be allowed to perish as well.
"Brat, if you dare lay a finger on them, my Dong family will tear you to pieces!"
"Are you threatening me?"
With not a hint of fear on his face, before Dong Xi could waste any more breath, Su Chen stomped down ruthlessly. The heads of the three Dong family martial artists shattered one by one, fresh blood staining the ground crimson.
Killing three versus killing six made no difference whatsoever. Things had already reached this point; he was certain the Dong family would never let the matter rest.
Su Chen understood full well that whether he slaughtered those three or not, the other side would never let him go. Since that was the case, he might as well kill a few more.
Watching the six Void Pill Realm experts being slaughtered before his eyes, an enraged Dong Xi found the reality completely unacceptable. It would have been one thing if the opponent were also in the Void Pill Realm.
Yet the truth was that this fellow was merely in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Gazing at the scene before them, everyone was struck dumb, staring in shock at the youth. No one could have imagined that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator would slaughter six Void Pill Realm experts of the Dong family. It was beyond legendary.
"The Dong family has suffered heavy losses this time."
"Dong Xi just promised that as long as this youth defeated the six Void Pill Realm experts, the matter would be written off. This guy is an absolute monster, though I have to admire him."
"This matter isn't going to end so easily. This is Skybone City; even if the Dong family is forced by their own promise to let him go, don't forget that the City Lord's Mansion is still here. Just look at the City Lord's expression."
"You don't think the City Lord is going to make a move, do you?"
Su Chen wore a face full of cold mockery. Although slaughtering the six had left him slightly injured, he had come through without fatal mishap. Having successfully wiped out the six Void Pill Realm experts, according to his agreement with the Dong family, today's affair was concluded, and he could smoothly leave Skybone City.
Without wasting words, Su Chen turned around, ready to depart from Skybone City. Under these circumstances, there was no need for him to linger any longer.