Chen Yang's long spear had nothing particular about it; even the spearhead was merely forged from ordinary steel. If there was anything special about it, it was undoubtedly the spear's name: Dragon Decimating Lance.
From the moment Chen Yang brought this common weapon into Hanyun Valley and into every battle, it was destined not to remain unknown. It had no rank and no soul, yet in Chen Yang's hands, it had drunk its fill of fresh blood and awakened an endless killing intent, becoming like a peerless, baleful weapon.
The spear shot out like a dragon with its fangs bared, and the palm print Chen Lirong slammed down instantly decayed and shattered.
BOOM!
The radiance shattered and the void collapsed.
The long spear was hurled, tearing through everything as it soared upward and smashed the palm print. A slanted ray of the setting sun poured down through the breach.
SPURT.
In a flash, Chen Lirong vomited a mouthful of blood. He was like a kite with a severed string; despite his seemingly overwhelming battle power and explosive vitality, he was still no match for Chen Yang.
Dragon Decimating Lanceāthe spear lived up to its name. Whether you were a legendary figure of your generation or a supreme paragon of the heavens and earth, you had no choice but to surrender obediently before this spear, abandoning all resistance and prostrating yourself on the ground.
Chen Lirong fell like a meteor striking the earth. The ground violently cracked and caved in a five-meter radius around him, burying more than half of his body deep underground.
BOOM!
Pushing off with both hands, he shot up from the ground. The instant his bloody legs touched down, this high-ranking core member of the Chen Clan, a man of no small status, knelt heavily on the ground.
"That's not how you claim a connection. Are we that familiar?" Chen Yang said earnestly, his hands clasped behind his back. "Besides, what gives you the right to act like an elder in front of me?"
"Is it because you're more shameless?"
Chen Lirong: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Thisā¦ this is too damn domineering!
"Heh."
Chen Jinnan, standing to the side, said nothing. He just let out a cold, detached chuckle and gave a slight shake of his head. This small gesture was undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire, causing Chen Lirong's face to contort with rage. He was so humiliated he wished the earth would swallow him whole.
Thirty years ago, as a peer, he was no match for Chen Jinnan in a single exchange. Now, three decades later, he couldn't even defeat his son, suffering the same one-move defeat and ending up seriously injured. Had he wasted the last thirty years of his life?
They both had the surname Chen and shared a common ancestor. Most importantly, Chen Yang had yet to awaken the Chen Family's Bloodline Power. How could he be so terrifyingly strong? What would happen if he did awaken it? Would he ascend straight to the heavens and step into sainthood in a single bound?
Chen Lirong found it unimaginable, but one thing was certain: if Chen Yang was allowed to continue growing, they would be fortunate enough to witness the rise of the youngest Saint in history.
HISS. HISS.
The mere thought sent a chill down the spine of this prominent figure of the Chen Clan, filling him with a sense of impending doom. Sainthood. A Saint this young would have a high chance of breaking through the barriers of the current cultivation realms, crossing the threshold that countless Fist Masters had only dreamed of, and stepping into a domain few had ever reached. At that point, he would be revered as the supreme being in heaven and on earth. It was a state said to be called Divine Conquest. When that day came, the entire Chen Clan would be the first to suffer, plunging into a state of irreversible calamity.
"No! This can't happen!"
In just a few seconds, Chen Lirong seemed to have foreseen a terrifying future. He stared at Chen Yang with a complex expression, then turned to Chen Jinnan. "Surely you didn't see this coming, did you? But you must understand the severity of this matter. With his talent, given time, he will undoubtedly become a scourge upon this world, a catastrophe!"
"So what if he does?" Chen Jinnan retorted coldly. His expression shifted, and for a fleeting moment, a look of extreme horror and complexity flashed through his eyes.
Though it vanished in an instant, Chen Yang saw it. He raised an eyebrow, lost in thought.
"A good 'so what if he does,' heh hehā¦" Chen Lirong laughed grimly. "The four great imperial families made a secret pact long ago never to allow a person like this to emerge. You of all people should know the consequences."
A pact? Consequences? His words left the crowd completely baffled, but judging by Chen Lirong's expression, the matter was extremely serious.
"This is an injustice, a trampling of all living beings," Chen Lirong declared resolutely. "He has the potential to transcend the Saint Realm! Such a person must die. To let him live would be an act of gross irresponsibility to all life."
For a moment, everyone, both on-site and watching on screens, was in an uproar.
Transcend the Saint Realm?! The Saint Realm was already the absolute pinnacle of the pyramid, an existence worshipped by countless people. And now, someone could actually surpass it?
Thisā¦
All eyes converged on Chen Yang, the shock and horror on their faces palpable and deeply unsettling. They had all thought the Saint Realm was the limit, but nowā¦ From Chen Lirong's solemn demeanor and categorical statements, it didn't seem like he was lying. And most crucially, it was about Chen Yang again! This invincible young man who overshadowed his entire generation.
"How strong would someone who transcended the Saint Realm be? I once heard a storyteller mention that even a single descending finger from such a being could change the color of the heavens and the earth."
"I can't wait! I wonder if, in my lifetime, I'll get to see Chen Yang transcend the Saint Realm and stand at the absolute summit, looking down upon the world?"
At eighteen, Chen Yang rose to fame in the battle of Night Quiet Valley. Ten years had passed, and he was now a Seventeenth Order Emperor of the Firmament, peerless across the vast mortal world. Outside of the four great imperial families, who could possibly be his match?
The wind howled like the beat of a drum. Under the blazing sun, his black cloak danced wildly. As Chen Yang stood there silently, he seemed to be vaguely shrouded in a divine, dazzling radiance. Some sighed in admiration, while others felt their hearts surge with excitement.
"Chen Jinnan, things have come to this. He must die. No one can protect him. You should understand!" Chen Lirong spoke again, his tone cold and sharp.
Not far away, Chen Xiao and several other members of the imperial family frowned, deep in thought.
An agreement between the four great imperial families? This was the first they had ever heard of it. If it truly existed, it was likely a secret known only to the highest echelons of core members. The real issue wasā¦ transcending the Saint Realm. The Saint Realm was already beyond the Venerable, an existence that touched the ceiling of this world. Simply put, it was the ultimate limit of power. And now they were hearing there was something even higher? What kind of existence would that be? Someone who could trample upon all Saints and reign supreme over all creation?
Flipping through the great tomes of history, had such a being ever existed? Perhaps, but they would have been long lost in the river of time. Yet now, a person with a chance to reach that realm had appeared.
As far as we know, there are only a handful of Saints in existence. If Chen Yang surpasses them and becomes the only one with a chance to break the shackles of the Saint Realm, thenā¦
The implication was obvious. To trample all other Saints and become the one true sovereign. Combined with the power to pluck the stars from the sky with a gesture and shatter mountains with a stomp, what would the imperial families mean to him? It was, without a doubt, a colossal threat to the four great imperial families.
From this, it was not difficult to guess the content of the agreement Chen Lirong had mentioned. How could they allow someone who could shake the very foundations of the imperial families to live? He had to be ruthlessly snuffed out in the cradle.
"Chen Jinnan, you understand perfectly well. If you let compassion move you, our entire Chen Clan will be annihilated along with the others," Chen Lirong said, emphasizing each word. He then pointed at Chen Yang, gritting his teeth. "He. Must. Die!"
Everyone: "..."