Chen Fei's stance was clearly a great humiliation in Dongtai's eyes. In his view, they were contemporaries, people of the same generation. Yet Chen Fei acted as if he were an elder admonishing a junior. For someone like Dongtai, who had always had his way and never suffered a setback, this was impossible to accept.

"HISS, HISS..." The Thousand Bone Worm King, released by Chen Fei, finally seemed to regain some energy. It slowly straightened up from the floor and climbed to its feet, issuing a sinister hiss as its blood-red eyes filled with murderous intent.

SWISH!

In the next moment, the Thousand Bone Worm King, freed from Chen Fei's fingers, suddenly tensed its body on the ground again. Its ink-black form gleamed with a faint, foul-smelling luster, as if it were poisonous. Its small mouth opened to reveal cold, gleaming fangs as it shot out like lightning, biting viciously at Chen Fei's exposed ankle.

Seeing this, Chen Fei's brow furrowed even deeper. I can't believe it. I showed a rare moment of kindness and spared the creature, yet it still hasn't recognized the situation and given up. Instead, it remained stubbornly hostile and launched a sneak attack.

But my current cultivation level and strength are just one step away from breaking through the Peak of Qi Refining Fifth Layer to reach the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. Once I enter the Qi Refining Sixth Layer Realm, even those at the Innate Late Stage Peak will be nothing to me. After that, there will be hardly anyone in the secular world who can threaten me. So how could I, in my current state, be ambushed by a mere Earth Level Shaman like Dongtai? Besides, it's obvious Dongtai's Sorcery is unrefined. Either that or his inherited Cultivation Method is incomplete, the worst of the worst. If this were the complete and unfathomable path of Sorcery from the Cultivation World, and we were at the same level, I might be a little wary. But now... there's no need.

When Chen Fei saw that he had spared Dongtai, only for the latter to turn on him and command the Thousand Bone Worm King to attack, anger finally stirred in his heart.

"It seems you're dead set on learning a lesson from me."

With this thought, Chen Fei's eyes, dark as lacquer and clear as glass, grew even colder. His right palm chopped down like lightning, producing a muffled boom in mid-air that knocked the Thousand Bone Worm King to the ground once more. He then lifted his foot and brutally stomped on the Gu Insect.

"HISS!"

Instantly, the thumb-sized Thousand Bone Worm King let out a sharp cry of pain that belied its size. Ink-black blood gushed out, staining a small area and releasing a foul stench.

At almost the same instant, Dongtai collapsed to the ground again, his face pale. He stared at Chen Fei, his eyes full of shock and venomous resentment.

But this time, Chen Fei simply ignored him. His gaze fell upon the Thousand Bone Worm King lying in a pool of blood on the floor. He stroked his chin as a cold glint flickered in his eyes. "Not so big, but quite gutsy. Heh heh..." As the cold chuckle faded, he moved again with lightning speed, his palm flashing upwards.

"What do you think you're doing!? Stop!" Lying on the ground, Dongtai's eyes widened and his expression twisted in terror as he shouted.

However, the words had barely left his lips when his pupils dilated. In his field of view, a palm-sized flame sharpened into a blade that slashed towards his Holy Bug—the Thousand Bone Worm King! CRACK! The creature's claws and tail were severed, falling to the floor.

"PFFT!"

Almost simultaneously, Dongtai's entire body convulsed violently before a large mouthful of foul blood spurted from his throat. His eyes nearly lost focus as he immediately lost consciousness, collapsing stiffly to the ground, gravely injured.

"I hope you won't be so impulsive next time. Otherwise, heh heh." After one last glance at the unconscious Shaman, Chen Fei shook his head and turned to leave.

Throughout this process, he did not even glance at Chen Kunn or Xuu He'an. It seems I really came to the wrong place today.

DRIP. DRIP.

An unknown amount of time later, droplets of fresh blood began to fall from the fainted Dongtai. To Chen Kun and Xuu He'an, the sound was like a death knell. A shiver ran through both of them as a deep chill filled their hearts, their limbs turning to ice.

"Kun... Young Master Kun, is that kid a... a monster?" Xuu He'an stammered in disbelief, his lips trembling.

Hearing this, Chen Kun's own lips twitched involuntarily. He glanced at the unconscious Dongtai on the floor and the mutilated insect with its severed claws and tail. A wave of cold fear shot up his spine, making his legs go weak and bringing on an urge to vomit.

"Keep your mouth shut about what happened today. Otherwise, you know the consequences," Chen Kun forced out, his voice muffled as he fought back the nausea. Tonight, I was truly terrified. That kid is simply a monster!

「The next morning, in the VIP ward of a high-end private hospital belonging to the Old Chen Family in the Capital City.」

The air was faintly scented with disinfectant. Dongtai awoke on the white hospital bed. His hollow eyes stared at the ceiling as the clock on the wall pointed to half-past eight in the morning.

Not far from his bed, in a glass container, a strange, thumb-sized insect with its claws and tail severed floated limply and unconsciously in what appeared to be a nutrient solution.

At this sight, Dongtai's vacant eyes constricted, and his entire body began to tremble violently.

"Is anyone there?" he asked softly. There was no response.

"IS ANYONE THERE!?" he roared in the next moment, his voice so loud it could be heard throughout the entire floor.

A nurse who had been waiting outside immediately rushed in, asking fearfully, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"A phone! Don't you have a phone!? Give me a phone, I need to make a call!" Dongtai shouted like a madman. Blood seeped from his bitten lip, trickling down to stain his hospital gown and causing the nurse's face to go pale with fear. She shakily took a cell phone from her uniform pocket, handed it over, and started to back away.

"Are you fucking looking for death? I'll say the number, you dial it for me! Then all of you get the hell out!" Dongtai roared, his eyes bulging with rage, on the verge of a mental breakdown. How could I dial a number in this state?

"I-I'll do it, I'll do it..." The nurse was so scared that tears streamed down her face. She picked up the phone and looked at Dongtai with dread. He immediately barked out a number, and she shakily dialed it.

She then put the phone down and ran out of the room without a moment's hesitation.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP... "Hello, who is this?" Just then, the call connected on speakerphone, and a somber, aged voice came through.

Dongtai's mental state stabilized slightly at the sound of the voice, but his own voice cracked with a sob. "Grandfather, it's me. Something terrible has happened. The Holy Bug was destroyed! Someone cut off its claws and tail! You must avenge me and the Holy Bug!"

"What did you say!? The Holy Bug... Where are you now?" The old man's voice on the other end of the line was seething with rage, which he forcefully suppressed as he asked the question.

"I... I'm..." Hearing the old man's query, Dongtai froze.

After a long pause, he finally said through clenched teeth, "Grandfather, I'm in the Capital City."

"What did you say!?"

This time, the old man on the phone sounded even angrier. His voice was cold and menacing. "Have you forgotten our village's rules? Our people from the Southern Borderlands are forbidden from going there. Did you forget? Did you not know? Or did you simply not listen to a word I said?"

"Huaxia is vast and teems with hidden masters. The Capital City, in particular, is where the nation's most powerful individuals are gathered, standing guard. Have you truly forgotten my repeated warnings? Although our relationship with them isn't as tense as it used to be, it's best to avoid that place if we can. Were you injured in the Capital City?"

"Grandfather, I'm sorry, but there's something you probably don't know. There was this detestable person who, without any warning, killed a Holy Larva I had placed on someone. I was so furious I went to confront him. I never expected him to be so powerful. He looked like he was only in his twenties, but he subdued the Holy Bug the moment I released it. I had no strength to resist at all," Dongtai explained hastily.

As he spoke, he couldn't stop himself from remembering how Chen Fei had so casually pinched, slashed, and stomped on the Holy Bug he had relied on, rendering it useless. I was completely helpless, a suffocating feeling like my heart was being crushed. An unmistakable flicker of terror crossed his eyes.

"What? In his twenties? Isn't that about your age?" Hearing that his grandson had been injured by someone his own age, and that even the Holy Bug had been crippled without any chance to resist, the old voice on the phone sounded deeply surprised.

As Dongtai's grandfather, I know that even if my grandson isn't the strongest of his generation in the Southern Borderlands, he's at least in the top five, maybe even the top three! But now he was so utterly defeated by a peer. I doubt even the number one of our younger generation could accomplish such a feat. That was why he was so astonished.

"Yes, Grandfather. That guy was insufferable! He was disrespectful first, yet he still attacked me so viciously. He even severed the Holy Bug's claws and tail. He's treating us Shamans of the Southern Borderlands as if we're nothing! Grandfather, you must avenge me and the Holy Bug! I just can't stand it," Dongtai said, his tone thick with venomous indignation.

The frustration and humiliation swelling inside him became unbearable, especially when he heard his grandfather's shock that his attacker was a peer.

I am so proud. I am the youngest Earth Level Shaman in my village, the Saint Heir! My entire life has been a smooth and easy ride. When have I ever suffered such a defeat, such humiliation? Most importantly, it was a complete rout at the hands of someone my own age! Does this mean I can't even compare? That we aren't even on the same level at all? How can I accept this reality—that I was truly crushed by someone my own age!?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.