Three Steps into the Stars.

With one move, he had crushed the Great Elder of the Chen Clan's Royal Family.

If not for witnessing it with their own eyes, who would dare to believe it?

HISS!

Gazing upon that tall, straight figure, everyone inhaled sharply, secretly marveling.

Who on earth is this person?

"COUGH! COUGH!"

Chen Yunqian struggled violently, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood, his crimson eyes fixed on Chen Yang. "Who… who exactly are you?"

As the Great Elder of the Chen Clan's Royal Family, how broad were his horizons? He absolutely refused to believe that anyone could achieve such astounding accomplishments without any backing or cultivation from a major power!

The young man before him, capable of drawing the Ancestral Sword, was without a doubt the child who was sent away twenty-eight years ago.

But!

In these twenty-eight years, he must have stumbled upon some other incredible, fortunate encounters. Otherwise, how could he have reached the Fifteenth Stage—Three Steps into the Stars—before the age of thirty?

"I am the Nine Gates Admiral," Chen Yang said indifferently.

Chen Yunqian: "…"

He stood agape, his face a mask of disbelief. The Nine Gates Admiral… the Zhennan Prince?

For years, wherever mountains rose and rivers flowed, his name was known beneath the sun and moon. The man revered by the masses was actually him!

"Heh heh…" Chen Yunqian laughed. "Truly unexpected, isn't it? An orphan cast out twenty-eight years ago has actually become the Zhennan Prince."

"No wonder you dare to confront my Chen Clan's Royal Family head-on. So this is the source of your confidence."

At this, the smile on Chen Yunqian's face grew playful. "If I told you that with my Chen Clan's Royal Family's influence in Cangyun City, I could easily topple you from your divine pedestal and turn you into a common mortal, would you believe me?"

"Even if I become a common mortal, I will still slaughter your Chen Family and leave no one alive," Chen Yang declared, his gaze blazing.

"You're dreaming!" Chen Yunqian sneered. "Do not underestimate this world, and certainly do not underestimate my Chen Family!"

"Whether or not I'm underestimating them is something you won't be around to see."

Chen Yang exerted force with his forearm, flinging Chen Yunqian away while simultaneously drawing the longsword from the elder's back. Holding the sword in one hand, he slashed forward.

SLICE!

Chen Yunqian plunged into the river.

The crowd: "…"

Such ferocious methods! That's the Great Elder of the Chen Clan's Royal Family! To think he'd kill him just like that, slain with a single slash? He doesn't even regard the Chen Clan's Royal Family as anything important. Utterly, terrifyingly domineering!

Chen Yang held the blood-dripping longsword, turned slowly, and fixed his gaze upon the men on the boat not far away.

Chen Bonan was so overcome with joy that he wept. He clenched both fists tightly, his eyes blazing with excitement.

Fifteenth Stage, Three Steps into the Stars.

HAHAHA!!!

Chen Bonan laughed madly, unable to contain himself. At this moment, he could already picture the fields littered with the corpses of the Chen Clan's Royal Family. He believed that this day was not far off.

"You, don't come any closer!"

The few men guarding Chen Bonan turned deathly pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. When their eyes met Chen Yang's icy gaze, a chill shot through them, and their limbs went stiff. One of them pressed a blade to Chen Bonan's neck, his face twisting into a vicious snarl. "Let us leave, or they all die!"

Chen Yang took a step forward.

"I told you, don't come any closer!"

The man's knife-wielding hand was visibly trembling.

Chen Yang remained silent, simply raising the longsword in his hand.

Is this guy insane? I have a hostage! Why isn't he listening?

BANG!

With a slight shake of his arm, the longsword in Chen Yang's hand exploded into countless fragments. They transformed into streaks of cold light, shooting toward the men with lightning speed.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK…

Before the men could react, they were thrown from their feet, flying backward. They crashed through the cabin and tumbled into the river.

SPLASH…

The waves churned, sending spray everywhere.

Chen Yang tossed the hilt aside, stepped onto the small boat, and stood at the prow with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Let's go."

Yang Hu worked the oars, sending ripples across the water. Under the terrified and awestruck gazes from the riverbank, the small skiff cut through the rainy mist and soon vanished from sight.

Chen Bonan stood up and opened his mouth several times, but in the end, no words came out.

"Boss, we still have to remind him! Even if he doesn't go into hiding, he can't draw his sword again!" the man beside him panted, speaking with anxious urgency.

Chen Bonan tilted his head back, letting the rain wash over his face. He said leisurely, "He has his own plans."

With such accomplishments, the moment he sets foot in Cangyun City, it will probably cause an uproar throughout all of Lingjin City, won't it?

"But…"

Chen Bonan waved a hand dismissively. "The man is at the Fifteenth Stage. What are you worried about? We're the ones who need to get far away."

Finally, Chen Bonan laid down the law. "We can't cause Chen Yang any more trouble."

"Right. Put out the word that Chen Yunqian was killed in an ambush. Whether they believe it or not, it's worth it if it buys Chen Yang some time."

"Yes, Boss!"

Chen Yang moored the boat in a quiet part of the river, sat on a small stool, and cast his fishing line again.

Yang Hu chuckled. "Boss, this is a classic case of laying low to build up power. Did you go straight to the peak of the Fifteenth Stage?"

If not, how could Chen Yang have defeated Chen Yunqian so easily?

Chen Yang smiled without a word.

In truth, even he was surprised by his current level of strength.

Yang Hu seemed to understand. A wide grin spread across his face, and he said no more, diligently boiling tea by the side.

「The Qin Clan's Royal Family」

Qin Lie paced back and forth in the rear garden. His thoughts kept returning to the warships on the Lingjin River and the Zhennan Prince. The more he mulled it over, the more uneasy he became.

"Father!" Qin Zhuo rushed over like a gust of wind, his expression panicked. "Something terrible has happened!" he cried out.

"What's with all the panic? Compose yourself," Qin Lie chastised with a frown.

Qin Zhuo blurted out, "Father, the Great Elder of the Chen Clan's Royal Family… is dead!"

"Who's dead?" Qin Lie froze, thinking he had misheard.

"The Great Elder of the Chen Clan's Royal Family, Chen Yunqian!"

Qin Lie: "…"

Qin Lie's face fell, his deep-set eyes widening in shock. Who was Chen Yunqian? What kind of power did he wield? In his mind, the Great Elder of the Chen Clan's Royal Family was powerful enough to single-handedly flatten every family, large and small, on Qiyun Road.

A powerhouse like that is dead?

"Who… who killed him?" Qin Lie's throat felt tight as he asked nervously.

Qin Zhuo shook his head and recounted everything that had just occurred on the Lingjin River, describing it meticulously and without leaving out a single detail.

After he finished, it was a long moment before Qin Lie's thoughts returned. He looked up at the overcast sky and murmured, "What in the world has been happening in our little Qiyun Road recently?"

First, the warships gathered. Then, Lord Yang, who had been missing for five years, reappeared. And then there's the Zhennan Prince, followed by the repeated defeats of the Chen Clan's Royal Family's upper echelons. After so many years of peace, Qiyun Road had suddenly become so tumultuous. Who would believe there wasn't something more going on?

"Father?" Qin Zhuo called out when he saw Qin Lie had fallen silent.

Qin Lie's expression was grave. He said in a heavy tone, "Send a request for aid to the Golden Summit's Yang Family in the Holy Sea. Tell them that I, Qin Lie, require the use of their Personal Guards."

Qin Zhuo: "…"

...

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