"Is the fifteenth stage really that strong?"

Starlit Chessboard.

Those two words said it all.

Moreover, after surpassing the tenth stage, each additional stage represents a qualitative change. Even five Thousand-Faced Yamas would be no match for a single Ten Thousand Phenomena Senluo.

Chen Yang's words made many on the ship chuckle.

"Is the fifteenth stage strong?"

Is this guy a fool? Or is he just so engrossed in his own little world that he can't see reality?

Utterly ridiculous.

A faint wisp of vapor curled from Chen Yang's lips, only to be instantly washed away by the rain.

Chen Yunqian smiled coolly. "I must admit, your talent is truly astonishing. To have stepped into the fourteenth stage before the age of thirty… I daren't say none will follow, but you are certainly without precedent."

"Even the handful of young geniuses our royal Chen Clan prides itself on pale in comparison to you."

"You should have stayed hidden, curled up like a turtle in its shell. Wait another five or ten years, and perhaps you might have actually stood a chance to avenge the events of twenty-eight years ago."

At this, Chen Yunqian shook his head. "Unfortunately, you were far too arrogant. You underestimated the world, and you gravely underestimated the royal Chen Clan."

He saw through Chen Yang's cultivation realm in a single glance. By that logic, Chen Boyong must have also died at his hands.

With nothing more to say, Chen Yunqian launched a fierce attack.

He struck out with his palm.

WHOOSH.

The torrential rain was torn asunder, leaving a long fissure in the air. At the end of that fissure, a palm print composed entirely of rainwater condensed, rushing toward Chen Yang with overwhelming momentum. The river water below roiled violently as if it had been brought to a boil.

However, faced with such an onslaught, Chen Yang advanced instead of retreating, throwing a punch wreathed in purple-gold light.

In the blink of an eye.

BOOM!

The sound was like thunder shaking the very earth. The rolling shockwave was so powerful that even the spectators far away on the riverbank felt their ears ring and their eardrums ache. A massive wave surged upward, threatening to completely swallow the small boat.

Chen Yang took two steps back before managing to steady himself. The hull beneath his feet was riddled with cracks, looking as if it might disintegrate at any moment.

This… He blocked it? He… He actually blocked a strike from Chen Yunqian?

Not far away, Chen Bonan stared in stunned disbelief.

Chen Yunqian's strength is definitely at the fifteenth stage, perhaps even higher. How is this possible?

Amid his profound shock, an incomparable wave of regret and despair washed over Chen Bonan. This only served to highlight Chen Yang's extraordinary talent! If he were given more time, he might truly have been able to fight opponents in higher stages. What tore at his heart was the fact that such an unprecedented genius was doomed to fall here today.

"Who is that guy? He actually withstood a blow from the Great Elder of the royal Chen Clan!"

"That's impressive, I'll give him that! But it was just a probing attack. The final outcome won't change."

"Anyone could tell that with the Great Elder taking action, that guy has no chance of survival."

The distance, combined with the hazy mist and rain, meant the crowd on the riverbank could only make out a general outline of the fight. But even that was enough to make their blood boil with excitement.

"You've surprised me yet again," Chen Yunqian said, standing his ground as immovable as a mountain. He nodded in appreciation. "You are a prodigy!"

"But unfortunately for you, I am at the fifteenth stage, and you are at the fourteenth. Accept your fate!"

Chen Yang wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth, his face slightly pale. He had only wanted to test the limits of his power at the fourteenth stage, to see where he truly stood. He was still a ways off from being able to fight across stages.

"As I said, if you had hidden yourself away, you might have had a chance for revenge," the Great Elder said with a laugh, feeling infinitely relieved. He was glad he had stepped in personally; otherwise, no number of lives would have been enough to stop this threat.

"The fifteenth stage... is it really that strong?" Chen Yang also smiled and slowly took a step forward. "My life may not have been very long, but I have never once resigned myself to fate, nor have I ever cowered in fear."

"You alone are not enough to make me."

As he took that first step, a change came over Chen Yang. A purple-gold light began to swirl out from his body.

TAP.

With the second step, the light surged against the rain, staining the clouds in the sky above a shade of purple-gold. Moreover, the color was rapidly transforming, shedding its purple hue and shifting into pure gold.

This…

The cruel smile on Chen Yunqian's face froze, and his expression changed dramatically! He had personally experienced this process; how could he not recognize what was happening?

Not far away, Chen Bonan and everyone on the riverbank were completely petrified, their mouths hanging wide open as they stared intently at the transformation taking place. This was especially true for the ordinary people in the crowd.

This scene… it's completely beyond our understanding. Is this… a miracle?

"You won't get your wish!"

Chen Yunqian was no ordinary man. After a brief moment of shock, he wasted no more time and shot forward like a cannonball.

SWOOSH!

The air shrieked as it was torn apart.

TAP.

As Chen Yang's third step landed, the last trace of purple in the light vanished completely, leaving behind only pure, brilliant gold.

This resplendent golden aura signified the fifteenth stage: Starlit Chessboard.

After years of suppression, on this day of silky spring rain, Chen Yang had finally taken that step.

BOOM!

Chen Yang threw a punch.

Chen Yunqian was sent flying backward.

Chen Yang took another step, walking upon the water and ascending into the air. Just as Chen Yunqian was about to crash into the river, Chen Yang's hand shot out and clamped around his throat, lifting him into the air.

At that moment, the world fell into a deathly stillness.

It was as if someone had pressed pause. Everyone, everything, even the falling raindrops, seemed to be frozen in a state of absolute stasis.

With one hand behind his back, Chen Yang spoke in a detached voice, "Now, tell me. Why should I cower? And why should I resign myself to fate?"

"You, a mere fifteenth-stage cultivator, what right do you have to stand so high above me?"

Chen Yunqian was speechless.

Chen Bonan was speechless.

The crowd was speechless.

The fifteenth stage! He reached the Starlit Chessboard in three steps! This… this…

Everyone's thoughts shattered into a confused mess. All they could do was stare with dazed eyes at the towering and majestic back of the young man.

Chen Yunqian's face turned a dark, livid purple.

No, no, this is impossible! A fifteenth-stage master, a Starlit Chessboard adept, before the age of thirty? How could this be possible?!

"You're right. I do hold many grievances against my own lineage, but my grudge against *your* branch runs especially deep!"

"I hear that on that night twenty-eight years ago, you were the main executioner, weren't you?" Chen Yang's eyes narrowed, his gaze piercingly cold. "Leave your last words."

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