When Lu Feng saw Lu Guan lying on the floor, his four limbs broken and his breath faint, his pupils contracted sharply.
A wave of terrifying killing intent erupted from him like a tsunami, sweeping across the entire hall. Everyone present felt a suffocating pressure, their bodies frozen stiff.
His eyes locked coldly onto Lin Shu, his voice like something crawling out of the deepest abyss of hell. "It was you?"
"It was me."
Lin Shu's tone was calm and emotionless.
"Good. Very good. You wretched woman—you dare harm my young master? Today, I'll make sure your body and soul are destroyed!"
In the blink of an eye, Lu Feng's figure vanished, his killing intent soaring as he prepared to strike.
"Senior Lu Feng, stop!"
A hurried voice rang out. Xin Ziyou strode in from outside, stepping quickly in front of Lin Shu.
"Xin Ziyou?"
Song Zhen, clutching his chest, scowled and shouted angrily, "This has nothing to do with you. Get out of the way!"
Lin Jiao immediately added, "Senior Lu Feng, that woman's gone mad! She dared to cripple Young Master Lu Guan! My Lin family will never defend her—don't hold back, seize her right now!"
At this point, all she wanted was to use Lu Feng's hands to get rid of Lin Shu. The thought that Lin Shu was also part of the Lin family didn't even cross her mind.
After witnessing Lin Shu's ruthlessness and terrifying power, fear had completely overtaken her heart. The only thing she wanted now was to see her dead.
Lin Shu glanced at Lin Jiao coldly, a mocking smirk forming at the corner of her lips.
So this is what they call "family"? Not only did they not help her, they couldn't wait to watch her die.
But Xin Ziyou ignored both Song Zhen and Lin Jiao. He clasped his hands toward Lu Feng, his voice steady and serious. "Senior Lu Feng, there's more to this matter than meets the eye. I urge you to think carefully before acting rashly."
"More to it?"
Lu Feng laughed angrily, his expression twisted with fury. He pointed at Lu Guan, who lay dying on the ground. "My young master's four limbs have been destroyed, and you call that 'hidden reasons'? Today, no one will stop me!"
As soon as he spoke, his aura surged violently again. The oppressive power of a Ninth-Layer Insight God Realm expert crashed down like Mount Tai, pressing hard upon Xin Ziyou as he prepared to strike.
Xin Ziyou's lips curled into a sneer. "If you're not afraid to die, then go ahead and make your move."
Then he turned, bowing deeply toward Yang Cheng. "Xin Ziyou pays his respects to Lord Yang Cheng."
The hall went deathly silent.
Everyone stared, stunned.
Meng Xuerong finally shouted in disbelief, "Xin Ziyou! What are you doing? Why are you bowing to some lowly brat from the Wasteland Realm?"
"Lowly brat from the Wasteland Realm?"
Xin Ziyou sneered coldly. "The 'noble warriors' of the Horn Constellation Realm that you admire so much—the Ouyang family, for instance—have already been annihilated by Lord Yang Cheng. As for Qin Mingcheng, he was slain by Lord Yang Cheng's own hand. Kong Shen and the other eight Insight God Realm experts were all erased in a single flick of his finger. Tell me, Senior Lu Feng, all of you—before you think of bullying Lord Yang Cheng's maid, have you considered whether your lives are any sturdier than those of Ouyang, Qin Mingcheng, and Kong Shen?"
"Boom!"
His words exploded through the hall like a thunderclap.
Everyone stood frozen, expressions filled with shock and disbelief.
Ouyang family, Qin Mingcheng, Kong Shen, and the other eight Insight Gods…
Those were names and powers that echoed across the Horn Constellation Realm—especially Kong Shen, a genuine half-step Yin God expert! And yet he had been killed by Yang Cheng?
That was impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Huang Yuan's face went pale. A cold chill spread up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
He finally remembered where he'd heard the name Yang Cheng before.
No wonder it had sounded so familiar—this was the same Yang Cheng who had single-handedly turned the Horn Constellation Realm upside down.
The calamity star who left a trail of annihilation wherever he went!
He had actually dared to harbor killing intent toward such a being just moments ago?
Meng Xuerong stumbled backward, trembling uncontrollably. The look she cast toward Yang Cheng was filled with pure terror, as if she wished she could vanish from the spot.
She had mocked him earlier, calling him a "frog in a well." Now that she realized who she was dealing with, it felt like she had been dancing at the gates of hell.
Lin Jiao's face turned deathly pale. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
Only now did she finally understand why Lin Shu had been so calm, so fearless. And she finally realized how utterly stupid she had been. She had actually mocked and provoked someone who had killed eight Insight God experts with his own hands!
Song Zhen, still clutching his chest, stared at Yang Cheng in shock and disbelief.
Though his half-step Insight God cultivation made him one of the more outstanding figures among the younger generation, compared to people like Kong Shen, he was still far too weak.
Even Kong Shen had been slain by Yang Cheng. In front of him, Song Zhen's own strength wasn't even worth mentioning.
Lu Feng's raised hand froze in midair. The fury on his face slowly drained away, replaced first by shock, then by deep, heavy dread.
He might be a Ninth-Layer Insight God, but even he knew he wasn't the kind of being who could wipe out eight Insight God powerhouses.
If he chose to stand against Yang Cheng for Lu Guan's sake, there would be no revenge—he would only be digging his own grave.
Yang Cheng watched all of this unfold with a calm, detached expression.
At last, Lu Feng forced down his killing intent, clasped his fists toward Yang Cheng, and said in a low, respectful voice, "Lord Yang Cheng, it was the Lu family's recklessness that caused this incident. I'll take my leave."
He bent down, picked up Lu Guan's broken body, and turned to go—without daring to leave behind even a single threat.
"I am Huang Yuan," Huang Yuan said with forced politeness, raising his cup toward Yang Cheng in a toast. "I offer my respects to the Crown Prince of Great Zhou."
He believed that lowering himself to offer a toast to Yang Cheng was already giving the man tremendous face. In return, Yang Cheng should at least acknowledge him with some basic courtesy.
But Yang Cheng merely glanced at him briefly, then looked away.
"Are we leaving or staying?"
His tone was indifferent, his eyes calm as he turned to Lin Shu, as if all the blood and chaos that had just filled the hall were nothing but a passing breeze.
Huang Yuan's forced smile froze instantly. A flash of fury burned in his chest.
He clenched his jaw and said, "Yang Cheng, you don't really think this matter with Lu Guan is over, do you?"
He emphasized each word with a cold, threatening tone. "Lu Guan is the most beloved grandson of the Lu family's patriarch. And that patriarch—he's a true Yin God Realm expert. Lin Shu crippled Lu Guan. That feud won't vanish. The real trouble has yet to begin!"
Yang Cheng slowly turned his head, his calm gaze settling on Huang Yuan.
Thinking that he had struck a nerve, Huang Yuan straightened his back arrogantly. "I'll admit your personal strength is impressive," he said. "But here in the Horn Constellation Realm, you have no foundation, no allies. You're alone. Protecting Lin Shu by yourself? Impossible."
He paused, then added deliberately, "There's only one way to protect her—let her marry me. With the Huang family supporting her, and the Lin family backing her, even the Lu family will have to think twice before acting. They wouldn't dare face both of us together."
Xin Ziyou couldn't hold back any longer. "Huang Yuan, with Lord Yang Cheng's strength, even if the Lu family opposed him, they wouldn't dare act recklessly. Stop trying to scare people. Lord Yang Cheng has nothing to fear from them."
"Trying to scare people?" Huang Yuan gave a low, mocking laugh and turned his gaze on Xin Ziyou, eyes glinting with derision. "You're the heir of the Xin family, and yet you say such childish things? Here in the Horn Constellation Realm, no clan exists alone."
He spoke slowly, each word heavy with meaning. "Behind the Lu family stands the Meng family, my Huang family, and several ancient allies. Forget my family for now—the Meng family and the Lu family have been sworn allies for hundreds of years. Their combined strength is immeasurable."
Then, his tone dropped lower, more deliberate. "Especially that prodigy, Meng Yan—only seventy years old, yet already a Sixth-Layer Yin God Realm expert. In the entire Horn Constellation Realm, he ranks among the top cultivators. Tell me, Yang Cheng, do you really think you can fight that?"