A living, breathing person... just gone like that? Gone, as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth, leaving not a single trace behind.

And the most crucial part? Chen Boyong had made it perfectly clear that Qi Yin was under his protection. And yet... someone from the esteemed royal Chen Clan had failed to protect their charge?

*GULP.*

Countless people swallowed hard, clenching their fists as they stared, frozen, at the plaza.

This is definitely not the end. Perhaps a battle between Thousand-Faced Yamas is about to begin.

"Old Prince Qin, this doesn't count as shedding blood, does it?" Chen Yang asked Qin Lie, his tone casual.

Qin Lie was speechless. He instinctively glanced at the spot where Qi Yin had vanished.

The onlookers were aghast, shivering in terror. That was a human life they had just watched being snuffed out, and the killer seemed so relaxed, so at ease?

Is he even human?

Chen Boyong's face had turned a bruised, purplish color, uglier than a pig's liver. He squinted, his eyes fixed coldly on Chen Yang.

Chen Yang finally turned to him. "I originally planned to let him live until after the banquet. The responsibility for this falls on you."

The implication was clear: Qi Yin could have lived for another half a day.

"Heh!" Chen Boyong sneered. "Kid, I'll admit you're a rare genius, but while you hold yourself in such high regard, do you look down on others too much? I, Chen Boyong, entered the thirteenth rank five years ago. And you?"

After the initial shock, Chen Boyong steadied himself and scoffed, "A genius is entitled to some arrogance, but you've taken it too far. Across this entire land, no one dares disrespect the royal Chen Clan!"

"Well, now someone does," Chen Yang said with a slight smile, obviously referring to himself.

He'd already killed several members of this so-called royal Chen Clan. This one was stronger, certainly, but so what?

"You're insolent!" Chen Boyong growled.

Chen Yang wasted no more words, simply waving his right hand.

BOOM!

A gale force wind erupted, sweeping across the plaza as if it had been engulfed by a terrifying hurricane.

"Courting death," Chen Boyong sneered, his fighting spirit surging. Since entering the thirteenth rank, he had never had a serious bout with a Fist Master of the same realm.

WHOOSH!

He shot forward in a single step, his fists aligned one behind the other. His entire body resembled a fully drawn bow, with his clenched right hand as the nocked arrow, ready to be loosed.

A punch like this wouldn't just obliterate a person; it would smash a granite boulder into dust.

RUMBLE!

The very air seemed to shriek and protest.

BOOM!

The moment Chen Boyong collided with the blast of air, his ferocious momentum was instantly shredded to pieces. His charge didn't just stop; his body was bent backward before being flung through the air as if caught in a gale.

Chen Boyong landed hard seven or eight meters away, stumbling back several paces before he could barely regain his footing. Clutching his chest with one hand and bracing himself on a nearby table with the other, Chen Boyong trembled violently.

*PUH!*

A large mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. He staggered several more steps, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"This..." Gripping the table to stay upright, Chen Boyong stared intently at Chen Yang.

How is this possible? In my estimation, even if he was an exceptional talent with astonishing strength, we are ultimately in the same realm. I shouldn't be able to lose, even if I couldn't defeat him. But now... I'm not even a match for a single one of his moves?

No! Was that even a move? He just waved his arm! A single wave of his arm...

Chen Boyong's hands gripped the tabletop so tightly the veins on their backs bulged. Just moments ago, he had been boasting about being in the thirteenth rank for five years, confidently declaring that Chen Yang was no match for him.

How can I accept this outcome? This is utter self-humiliation!

Chen Yang casually patted his own shoulder, lit a cigarette, and stated flatly, "You're not all that special."

Chen Boyong was left speechless.

As for everyone else in the plaza, they were utterly petrified. They had grudgingly accepted Qi Yin's defeat. But this was Chen Boyong! A member of the royal Chen Clan! An existence who could terrify them with a single glance! A thirteenth-rank Thousand-Faced Yama. And yet, he had followed in Qi Yin's footsteps, unable to withstand even a single move?

It has to be a hallucination, right? This must be a hallucination!

If this man had been some wizened old master with an immortal air, their shock wouldn't be so profound. But how old was he? Thirty at the absolute most. To put it bluntly, at an age where he's barely a man grown, he could defeat a Thousand-Faced Yama in one move…

Is he a god?

The only sound in the dead silence that fell over the plaza was the frantic pounding of hearts.

*PFFT!*

Chen Boyong spat another mouthful of blood.

I'm being scorned by a man in his twenties?

"You... Who in the world are you?" Chen Boyong demanded, still gripping the table as he stared at Chen Yang.

To be so young yet possess such a profound level of cultivation—it was impossible for him to be some unknown entity. Even looking back a hundred years in the history of the royal Chen Clan, they had never produced such a prodigious genius. Their current strongest young talent had only reached the rank of Thousand-Faced Yama at the age of thirty-two, and that was only after the entire clan had poured all of its resources into his training. He would rather die than believe his opponent was from some common background.

"Who I am can wait," Chen Yang said with a wave of his hand. "Right now, let's talk about you. Will you kneel and apologize, or will you die?"

Chen Boyong fell silent. Just as the surrounding crowd managed to calm their racing thoughts, Chen Yang's words exploded in their ears like a crack of thunder.

Kneel or die? A choice between the two? Has this man gone insane, or has victory gone to his head?

Chen Boyong had already announced he was from the royal Chen Clan. And yet this man was demanding he make such a choice?

"You are insolent!" Chen Boyong's expression twisted as he pointed a finger at Chen Yang. "Do you have any idea what you're saying? I, Chen Boyong, am a direct descendant of the royal Chen Clan!"

Consumed by fury, Chen Boyong stated unequivocally, "You expect me to kneel? Is that even possible?"

At his words, a chilling tremor ran through the crowd, their hearts pounding in their chests. The royal Chen Clan, with its immense prestige and overwhelming power, had always stood above the common masses. Others knelt to them, never the other way around. If Chen Boyong were to kneel today, it would be a slap in the face of the entire Chen Clan, a desecration of their dignity. The consequences would be unthinkable.

"Did you think I was asking for your opinion?" Chen Yang narrowed his eyes, his cold gaze pinning Chen Boyong. "Never mind a mere direct descendant like you. Even if the Clan Leader of your royal Chen Clan were here today, he would still have to make the same choice."

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