Today's turmoil originated from the grudge between the Forr Chief Military Commander and the Southern Royal Family.
It began with the fall of the Royal Family of the Chen Clan, followed by the other two great royal families entering the fray. With all four involved, the affair was destined to capture the world's attention. Once it began, there was no chance it would be all thunder and no lightning, ending with a whimper. The scale of it had already far surpassed the battle at Chilian Peak. Regardless of the outco, it would certainly leave a significant mark on history.
But to everyone's surprise, the old figures who had publicly voiced their support never appeared. Instead, Chen Jinnan, imprisoned by the Chen Family for twenty-eight years, made a high-profile entrance. Most crucially, Chen Yang's combat prowess far exceeded anyone's imagination.
Tang Yunxing.
Li Qian.
He had effortlessly slain them both.
All four great royal families had entered the fray with a formidable lineup, but what was the result? After just a few exchanges, they were left utterly silent, paralyzed by fear. Not one of them dared to make a reckless move.
"No wonder the Elders' Court supported his appointnt as Supre Martial Commander. With personal strength this formidable, he truly deserves the title."
"That murderous aura... it's absolutely domineering!"
No matter your status, you had to bow your head before absolute power.
And so it was. The once arrogant and untouchable Dugu Ming now trembled uncontrollably under Chen Yang's interrogation, especially after witnessing Chen Xiao get pinned to the ground by a spear.
I've always been above it all, towering over the common rabble, Dugu Ming thought, his mind reeling. How could I have ever imagined being pushed into such a corner, forced to make this life-or-death choice? Kill myself, or let him do it for ? Is that supposed to be my way out?
This Descendant of the Dugu Royal Family ground his teeth so hard they threatened to shatter. Beads of sweat rolled down his face until, finally, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees.
A proud Descendant of the Royal Family, kneeling just like that? Many clicked their tongues in silent astonishnt. When had these lofty figures, who viewed all others as ants, ever been seen cowering on the ground, begging for their lives?
"I'm sorry," Dugu Ming pleaded. "I was blinded by greed and spoke foolishly. Please, forgive ."
He was keenly aware that this single act cost him not only his own dignity but also dragged down the honor of the entire Dugu Royal Family. But all he wanted was to survive. Nothing else mattered anymore.
"Forgive you?" Chen Yang tilted his head, a look of genuine curiosity on his face. "I asked whether you would kill yourself, or if I should do it for you."
Dugu Ming was speechless.
The crowd fell into a stunned silence.
He was offering no room for negotiation whatsoever! Many couldn't help but recall Chen Yang's earlier declaration: regardless of royalty, today he would kill until the heavens and earth were turned upside down! This Forr Chief Military Commander was truly a man of his word.
Plunged into the depths of despair, Dugu Ming instinctively looked to the mbers of his family behind him, his plea for help unmistakable. But to his horror, they avoided his gaze, one by one, and shuffled even further back.
Damn it all! he cursed inwardly, his heart blazing with fury. Just a mont ago, you were calling 'Young Master' with such reverence. Now you avoid like the plague? This is the cold heart of humanity... Heh...
In the next instant, Chen Yang made a grasping motion from afar. Dugu Ming's body went limp and collapsed headfirst to the ground.
Another Descendant of the Royal Family was dead.
Nearby, Chen Xiao—one of the Chen Family's heirs, a man of great power and once considered peerless—was drenched in his own blood. He gasped for breath, his hands clamped around the shaft of the spear that impaled him. At this mont, he was like a gravely wounded beast, so weakened by blood loss that he lacked the strength to even howl in pain.
Chen Yang strode forward and finally stopped before Chen Xiao. "I heard that you, the great Third Young Master, initially had no intention of participating. Was it because I wasn't worthy of your attention?"
"Did you also say that an outcast like , the son of a criminal, was better off dead, lest I pollute your gaze?"
"You said much more besides that. Would you care to repeat it for ?" Chen Yang asked earnestly, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared down at the broken man.
Chen Xiao's breathing grew heavier, his expression fraught with panic as his eyes darted about. It was all public knowledge. How could he possibly defend himself? He could do nothing but clench his jaw, daring not to make another move.
"What makes your Chen Family so special that you can place yourselves on such a high pedestal? Does that give you the right to humiliate others at will?"
PTUI!
Chen Xiao, who had been about to speak, felt a searing pain on his cheek as he spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body slumping even further.
"Cousin... we're cousins," Chen Xiao pleaded pitifully. "Blood is thicker than water. For the sake of our family ties, please, be magnanimous and spare my life."
"Besides," he added, pointing to the long spear pinning him through the shoulder blade, "I think I've suffered enough punishnt. It's really enough. I'll never dare to cross you again."
The great Third Young Master of the Chen Royal Family was now like a stray dog, his eyes welling with tears as he begged for his life. Dignity abandoned, integrity lost. Just like Dugu Ming, all he wanted was to continue living, no matter how wretchedly. No one could have imagined that the once proud and fastidious Third Young Master Chen Xiao would end up in such a miserable state. He looked like a wounded, pathetic cur.
"I heard the Chen Royal Family once had a reputation for strict discipline and moral character. How did you all fall so far?" Chen Yang asked curiously.
Blood trickled from the corner of Chen Xiao's mouth as he remained silent in his misery. It was true. But ever since that bloody night twenty-eight years ago, the entire Chen Royal Family had gradually strayed from its path, becoming increasingly decadent.
His words sparked a sense of lancholy in many onlookers. Those better days were now a thing of the past.
"You are the descendant of a sinner, a defeated dog! What right do you have to stand there and lecture my son?"
Without warning, a thunderous shout shattered the quiet, and the scene erupted once more. Had another major figure arrived?
A middle-aged man tore through the air, streaking directly toward Chen Xiao.
"Dad?!" Hope flared in Chen Xiao's despairing eyes. He shouted with all his remaining strength, "Dad, save ! Please, save !"
"You've gone too far, injuring my son like this!" A burly middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache strode forward, his hands behind his back. His eyes, narrowed to slits, glinted with a bone-chilling coldness.
"Too far?" Chen Yang laughed. "And how exactly do you define those words?"
"Hmph!" The middle-aged man, Chen Lirong, sneered. "You little bastard. You killed a mber of the Southern Royal Family without provocation just to attract our Chen Family's attention, didn't you? You wanted to escalate the situation so we would have no choice but to intervene."
"It's a pity. The Southern Royal Family showed such kindness, offering an excellent young woman to be your wife, and you ruined her."
Chen Yang slowly turned to face him. "If this woman was so outstanding," he asked seriously, "why didn't you accept her as your daughter-in-law?"
"Shut up!" Chen Lirong barked. "That woman is a re house servant! She's not worthy to even carry my son's shoes!"
"Is that so? But your son," Chen Yang said, gesturing languidly at Chen Xiao, "is nothing but a useless piece of trash."
The implication was brutally clear.
Chen Lirong was speechless.
"You're courting death!"
BOOM!
Knowing he had lost the argunt, Chen Lirong wasted no more words and launched a vicious attack, closing the distance to Chen Yang in a few swift steps. His speed was like a flash of lightning.
"Reckless fool. I'll send you to see Yama myself," Chen Lirong snarled, swinging his hand down toward Chen Yang's head.
SWOOSH!
A golden-red streak of light burst forth.
Brimming with killing intent and certain of victory, Chen Lirong froze mid-attack. The golden-red energy had already pierced through his upraised hand.
"This..." Chen Lirong's eyes bulged as if he had seen a ghost.
The surrounding crowd gasped in unison.
Chen Yang, who had been as still as a mountain just a mont before, suddenly erupted with an overwhelming aura, like a tidal wave. A gentle breeze drifted past.
He slowly raised his head. Beneath his helt, his cold eyes narrowed, impossibly deep and as sharp as a sword's edge. The movent was slow, yet perfectly tid.
"I, Chen Yang, have walked this path alone for twenty-eight years. I have achieved minor success at the Seventeenth Level."
His words thundered across the land, shaking all who heard them.
Whether present at the scene or watching on a screen, everyone was stunned into silence, frozen like stone.
Twenty-eight years old.
Seventeenth Level.
Emperor of the Firmant.
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