Billowing smoke and dust obscured the sun and sky.
A deep ravine slammed into everyone's view.
BOOM!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Tu Su stumbled several steps, nearly tripping and falling to the ground. His pure white robe was now stained with dirt, leaving him utterly disheveled.
Compared to his earlier imperious attitude, the contrast was night and day.
The power of that sword strike was simply unbelievable.
Even Tu Su, who had taken the attack head-on, was gasping for breath, his pupils contracting violently. Astonished, he glanced down at himself and then at the chasm on the ground as a wave of horror washed over him.
ThisâŠ
Tu Su had witnessed Chen Yang's strength firsthand. He was merely at the peak of the Earth Saint Realm. During that battle against the Imperial Clan, if not for the external power he borrowed from a Jade Pendant, the man would have been annihilated on the spot.
How much time had passed? The man had not only healed from his injuries but had also taken another great leap forward, stepping into the Heavenly Saint Realm!
If Tu Su hadn't dodged in time, he would have been gravely wounded, if not killed.
From the moment Tu Su set foot in Cangyun City and made the half-month pact, he and everyone else in the city believed Chen Yang stood no chance in this battle. The so-called public duel was meant to be nothing more than a one-sided slaughter.
But now, it seemed an unexpected variable had appeared.
Putting Tu Su aside for a moment, Chen Yang alone was clearly on another level compared to last time.
The dust settled.
Apart from the earth-shaking war cries from the opposite bank of the Qingyuan River, the plaza fell into a deathly silence.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
Chen Yang stepped forward, seemingly intending to cross the river.
The battle on the other side was indeed brutal. In just this short time, Chen Hua had been severely wounded, and even the ever-vigorous Chen Shangwu was being pushed back, his entire body stained with blood.
Chen Yang's gaze turned icy as he began to accelerate. He didn't spare Tu Su so much as a word or another glance.
Today, his opponent was the Imperial Clan, not this Tu Su.
"Heh!"
Tu Su clearly felt Chen Yang's disregard. After a cold sneer, uncontrollable fury surged through him.
He dares to look down on me just because he broke through one realm? Ridiculous!
After another sneer, Tu Su said darkly, "Boy, I have to admit, you've successfully angered me!"
"At the same time, I hope you understand that as long as I am here, you will not cross this river!"
Tu Su's tone was grim, his words like rolling thunder that made one's eardrums ache. "Frankly, even if I let you pass, you'd only be marching to your death. But I need you to witness the annihilation of the Chen Family with your own eyes."
The vast plaza was shrouded in deathly silence.
Everyone could see that despite Chen Yang's impressive show of strength, this young master from the Imperial Clan was still utterly disdainful.
Moreover, Tu Su was clearly seething with boundless rage. He was like a mighty lion whose territory had been invaded, thoroughly provoked. His murderous intent was completely undisguised, raw and palpable.
His aura soared to the heavens, unrivaled.
Nearby, Zhou Jinshui also wore a dark, annoyed expression. Unlike Tu Su, however, a hint of caution crept into his features. He could faintly sense that there was something extraordinary about Chen Yang.
As the saying goes: when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
His attention was fixed on the aura surrounding Chen Yang. His eyes narrowed, and he became fully alert.
Chen Yang paid them no mind and continued to accelerate.
"What, so eager to go to their aid?"
Tu Su stepped sideways to block Chen Yang's path. He tilted his head and nodded earnestly. "To be honest, I truly admire this devotion of yours, this willingness to risk life and death for family.
"But as I said before, with me here, you cannot cross the river."
SNAP.
Tu Su flicked open his folding fan and began to sway it methodically, his aura astonishingly powerful.
Having been caught off guard and nearly injured, he had lost some face. His priority now was to re-establish his image. Once the Chen Family was annihilated, he could have his fun toying with this piece of trash.
The Imperial Clan's attendants began to jeer. "Young Master Tu Su, why waste words on this trash? Just make him kneel!"
"The fool doesn't know his place!"
"Young Master, kill that damn dog!"
Yet, Chen Yang treated them all as if they were air.
"Hmph!" Tu Su sneered, thoroughly annoyed by Chen Yang's demeanor. "Is this posturing supposed to be interesting?"
After another sneer, Tu Su flicked his right hand, and the folding fan in it swept from left to right in a slash.
SWISH!
In an instant, it was as if the very air was sliced apart, accompanied by an explosive burst of brilliant light.
With eyes as cold as ice and wrapped in a ferocious aura, Tu Su strode forward. Each step made the vast plaza tremble, shattering the green flagstones and sending cracks spreading across the ground.
The swung fan emanated a chilling, frost-like sword intent. "Being my opponent is a blessing you earned in your past life! How dare you posture before me? I see you've grown tired of living!"
Tu Su held nothing back in this move. Only by forcing his opponent to kneel could he display his own extraordinary superiority. He wanted the ants in the crowd to witness firsthand that the man they regarded as a War God was, in his presence, nothing more than a clay chicken and a pottery dogâutterly fragile.
"Wrong," Chen Yang said, shaking his head. His right thumb nudged the hilt of his sword.
CLANG!
A sharp glint of starlight flashed into existence.
CRACK!
The frost-like sword intent and the folding fan were both split asunder. A shower of sparks erupted, blooming in the air like vibrant fireworks.
What followed was a spray of blood. Tu Su, who hadn't even had time to react, had a deep, bone-revealing gash cleaved into his chest as he was flung backward like a kite with a severed string.
Zhou Jinshui reacted in time, catching him midair.
"I never considered you my opponent," Chen Yang said, shaking his head. This simple statement explained his earlier word: "Wrong."
And it was true. Chen Yang's opponent was the Imperial Clan, not Tu Su.
"ThisâŠ" Everyone was dumbfounded.
Defeated? He was actually defeatedâŠ
Everyone had assumed that the only peers who could compete with Tu Su came from within the Imperial Clan or from Yuning Mountainâpeople like Liu Qingmei or Gu Tianxing.
Aside from them, how could the so-called favored sons of heaven who rose in the secular world possibly compare to Tu Su?
But right before their eyes⊠Tu Su, using his full strength, hadn't even touched the hem of Chen Yang's clothes before a single sword strike grievously wounded him. The shocking reversal left everyone horrified, unable to process what they had just seen.
Blood. It flowed freely.
His face ashen and his body trembling violently, Tu Su slowly raised his gaze. When his eyes fell on Chen Yang's sword, only drawn halfway from its sheath, he glared with such hateful resentment that his blood surged, nearly making him choke.
Humiliation! How could this be?! To crush a champion of his generation with a half-drawn sword⊠Even he, Tu Su of the Imperial Clan, was no exception.
...