"The Eternal Sword Tome..." Xuanyuan Tianming was stunned for a moment, gazing at the characters that had appeared on his forehead. As several questions surfaced in his mind, he couldn't help but murmur, Just who is this old man...?

BOOM!

Suddenly, a violent commotion erupted from all around the village! It sounded as if a massive army was thundering and roaring its way toward them!

"This is bad!" Xuanyuan Wuyang's expression changed drastically.

WHOOSH! He transformed into a beam of light and shot out of the village.

ROAR—

ROAR—

From the mountain forests, the roars of beasts echoed one after another!

"The Xuanyuan Divine Guards!" the villagers cried out in terror.

"Stay calm!" Qin Yao took a deep breath and sternly admonished them, then turned to Xuanyuan Tianming. "Young man, your parents may be in trouble. Go and help them! I will stay here during this time, so don't you worry!"

Xuanyuan Tianming's gaze flickered at her words.

The Xuanyuan Divine Guards! They were an elite unit of the Xuanyuan Clan. Every member was a cultivator at the late stage of Foundation Establishment or higher, and they were all equipped with powerful Spiritual Artifacts. No wonder... no wonder his grandfather was so powerful. He was actually a Golden Core expert! A Golden Core expert of his caliber could absolutely crush other cultivators of the same rank!

"You..." Xuanyuan Tianming began, but trailed off.

"I know what you want to say, but I can't help you," Qin Yao cut him off, her expression serious. "This time, you must face it alone. Your parents' grudge involves many parties, and your father's enemies might be a group of Golden Core Stage cultivators. If you're too weak, you'll only hold your father back and prevent him from seeking vengeance with a clear conscience. Your father won't allow you to be a burden. If you want to protect your parents, you need sufficient strength right now. While I don't know exactly what happened to them or what they're facing... I do know of a place that might help you grow strong quickly."

BOOM!

Before her voice had even faded, Qin Yao raised her hand and struck out at the empty air!

BOOM! In an instant, the wind howled and dark clouds swirled densely over the village.

"This..." Xuanyuan Tianming's mouth fell open in astonishment. The dark clouds above the village had completely blocked out the sun, making it seem as if a thunderstorm was about to descend.

Xuanyuan Tianming raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, This Qin Yao is no ordinary person.

HUM!

Suddenly, an intense fluctuation of energy pulsed from outside the village!

BOOM! The next second, the entire village shook violently!

CRACK! A loud crash followed as the easternmost wall of the village collapsed!

BOOM! Immediately after, a figure burst forth from the ground!

"You killed our princess and destroyed our sacred treasure. For that, you deserve to die a thousand times!" a cold and eerie voice announced. The figure approached by Stepping on Air, his eyes as crimson as a demon's.

"It's you!" Xuanyuan Tianming's pupils shrank as he instantly recognized the figure. This was the man who had been thrown to Qin Yao back when he was taken to the castle!

"Hmph! Boy, your father annihilated my clan, and now it's finally your turn!" the sinister voice sounded again. "Qin Family lass, I advise you to surrender obediently. Out of respect for your father, this king will spare your pathetic life. Otherwise, not even a chicken or a dog in this village will be left alive tonight!"

...

Chen Zheng had tried every means to return to Earth. The moment he arrived, he encountered trouble.

Liu Jiyu was yelling at his son.

"Shut up!" Liu Jiyu chided him in annoyance. "Utterly foolish! How have you not made any progress after all these years? Can't you see? Takeda Masao still has a trump card up his sleeve. He's not as simple as you think! After being defeated by that person from Mount Langya ten years ago, how could his cultivation have stagnated? For the past decade, he's been known as the number one martial arts master in the Dahe Nation! If this was all the strength he had, would I have needed to wait until now?"

"Huh?" Liu Jiangchuan was dumbfounded. "Wait, you mean Takeda Masao still has trump cards he hasn't played? He wasn't giving it his all? Even after all that, he's still holding back? Isn't he afraid...?"

"Hmph!" Liu Jiyu shot his son a dissatisfied glare. "You have a lot to learn. Takeda Masao didn't reach his current position based solely on the abilities you're seeing now!"

Meanwhile, near the arena, the Da Shang Martial Artists watching the duel trembled as one. None of them had ever expected to witness such an extraordinary and unparalleled battle firsthand!

Situ Qi was completely entranced. Her mind went blank as she stared at Chen Zheng's tall, straight figure. Even though she had continuously raised her estimate of his combat power, she had never imagined his strength would be so terrifying.

Zhang Yufan laughed and clapped his hands. "Excellent! Well done! After this battle, I must have three hundred drinks with him!"

"This is how a man of Da Shang should be!" Tian Han exclaimed, having recovered his wits. He looked at Chen Zheng on the stage with pure adoration in his eyes.

On the other side of the arena, Noda Takeshi was grinding his teeth. "Damn it, damn it all! Why hasn't Lord Takeda finished that guy off yet? Is he some kind of demon? How is he not dead after all that?"

Mitsunari Tominaga's eyes were filled with a brutal light. "That guy is much stronger than we imagined. At the very least, neither of us is his match. To repeatedly put Lord Takeda at a disadvantage and even catch his ultimate technique with that whip... such methods are truly unimaginable. I have a very bad feeling. We might need to make other plans."

"Mitsunari, what are you trying to say?" Noda Takeshi gasped, staring at his companion in disbelief. "You're not suggesting that Lord Takeda is no match for that guy, are you?"

"That's not what I mean," Mitsunari Tominaga replied, appearing very calm, but his tone betrayed his inner turmoil. "There's an old Da Shang saying: 'fists fear the young and strong.' Lord Takeda has already used many of his ultimate techniques, so he doesn't have many cards left to play. Meanwhile, we still know nothing about his opponent's trump cards, so..."

Just as Mitsunari Tominaga was about to voice his concerns, the situation on the stage took a sudden turn.

Everyone's head snapped up, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the two men facing off on the stage.

Takeda Masao now felt an unprecedented sense of threat. He took a stance, poised for battle, his gaze locked firmly on Chen Zheng as he approached step by step.

An intense Gang Qi emanated from Chen Zheng. To the naked eye, many could see this energy condensing into Wind Blades, which sliced through the air and actually lifted the silk ribbons covering the yet-unveiled plaque of the Heilong Assembly's dojo!

*Enduring Martial Fortune!*

Chen Zheng glanced at the four large, flamboyant characters on the plaque, and a murderous glint filled his eyes.

"What a fine 'Enduring Martial Fortune.' A bunch of demons and ghouls dare to speak of enduring fortune on the soil of my Da Shang! Who agreed to this? Who gave you permission? Break for me!"

As the final word, "Break," left Chen Zheng's lips, the plaque more than twenty meters away from the stage suddenly exploded into countless fragments, scattering across the ground.

"Damn it, how could this happen? This... this..."

"Why?! That was a plaque personally bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor! What are we going to do?"

"Heavens, it was him! How did he do that? Damn it, Lord Takeda, you can't spare him!"

"Kill him! We must kill him! He dared to insult His Majesty the Emperor!"

The Dahe warriors on-site broke down instantly, roaring and screaming in a hysterical frenzy. That plaque had been personally inscribed by the Emperor of Dahe. In the hearts of the Dahe warriors, it was an absolutely inviolable, sacred object. For that plaque, the warriors in the Heilong Assembly's dojo would have given their lives. Yet now, Chen Zheng had shattered it from a distance, destroying the very totem in their hearts. How could they not be enraged? In an instant, the entire dojo erupted with wails and howls of fury.

Chen Zheng, however, ignored the chaos and turned back to his opponent. "Takeda, you old dog. You betrayed your master, your ancestors, and your country, siding with the enemy as your new father. And you still thought you were invincible? Utterly laughable! Now, I will let you witness the true martial arts of Da Shang, and see how many times stronger they are than your so-called Dahe martial spirit!"

With that, Chen Zheng pointed his sword diagonally toward the sky, then slashed down without hesitation in Takeda Masao's direction!

BOOM—

An immense and formless sword momentum erupted, surging towards Takeda Masao!

At that moment, everyone inside and outside the arena was stunned. Almost simultaneously, they all heard Chen Zheng's voice, which seemed to descend like a heavenly decree from beyond the nine heavens.

"Takeda Masao, I have prepared a special feast just for you. If you can withstand it, I might make an exception and let you live!"

"Watch closely!"

The gleam of his sword cast a cold light across the heavens! On the previously silent stage, a hurricane suddenly whipped up in the wake of his words.

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