Chapter 47: The Destined Son-in-Law (9) |
The Great Yan Dynasty was one of the subordinate dynasties under the Profound Origin Sacred Land. It had Void Refining Realm powerhouses in residence. Its experts were numerous.
Not long ago, the Great Yan Dynasty had discovered an ancient ruin suspected to be the site where a Void Refining Realm powerhouse had fallen. The fallen expert had set up a barrier. Only those below the Profound Connection Realm could enter.
The major powers of the Great Yan Dynasty immediately dispatched their strongest members along with their disciples to explore the site. Each hoped to claim a share of the spoils. The Xia siblings had come along with the Water Cloud Sect's sect master to broaden their horizons.
After Su Chen left the Great Yan Dynasty, the Xia brother and sister had cultivated diligently within the Water Cloud Sect. Their progress had been astonishing, making them among the sect's most outstanding talents.
Xia Yingyue had now broken through to the ninth layer of the Spirit Vein Realm. Xia Chenfeng lagged slightly behind, having reached the third layer of Spirit Vein Realm.
Yet as more and more geniuses from across the Great Yan Dynasty gathered, Xia Yingyue and Xia Chenfeng faded into the vast sea of people, becoming just ordinary faces among them. Even the Water Cloud Sect, when placed in the context of the entire Great Yan Dynasty, was nothing more than an insignificant grain of sand.
A young man dressed flamboyantly, a long sword slung across his back, gazed toward Xia Yingyue with eyes that burned with barely concealed desire. He was Wang Shuang, the young master of Green River City's city lord and a genius who had joined the Water Cloud Sect.
Wang Shuang had long coveted Xia Yingyue's beauty. To win her, he had even arranged for his own younger brother to approach her "worthless" fiancé and find an opportunity to eliminate him, preventing the marriage from ever taking place. Only then could he have any chance of claiming both her body and her heart.
But he had never expected his useless brother to perish in the beast tide. That had allowed Su Chen to escape unscathed. He had planned to take action himself, only to learn that Su Chen had already left Green River City and vanished without a trace.
The more Wang Shuang looked at Xia Yingyue, the hotter his gaze grew. After her marriage, she carried an even more captivating allure than before, drawing him in like never before. A sudden boom shattered his thoughts.
A powerful aura erupted, shaking the ground.
Wang Shuang looked over in shock. Nine formidable prodigies had surrounded a single young man. Wang Shuang recognized every one of those nine. Few people in the Great Yan Dynasty did not know them. Each ranked among the top fifty on the dynasty's prodigy list. For nine such figures to join forces against one person—what a terrifying scene.
Xia Yingyue's beautiful eyes shifted. She recognized the youth being targeted. It was none other than her husband's sworn brother—Fang Bubai.
Fang Bubai wielded a silver halberd, his presence shaking the surroundings. Facing nine top prodigies alone, he showed no sign of weakness. Instead, he had turned the tide of battle, effortlessly suppressing all nine of them.
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In mere moments, three of the nine prodigies had been slain. The remaining six, seeing the situation turn dire, were forced to retreat temporarily. Yet Fang Bubai had no intention of letting them escape so easily.
"Fang Bubai! You are seeking death!"
A pair of colossal heavenly palms clapped together, enveloping Fang Bubai completely. A towering Spirit Soul true form manifested behind the attacker—a young man clad in purple brocade robes, his pupils glowing with violet light.
Second on the Great Yan Dynasty's prodigy list. The Purple-Robed Marquis.
"The Purple-Robed Marquis has personally taken action. That young man is finished!
"I heard Fang Bubai killed the Purple-Robed Marquis's own younger brother, which enraged His Lordship and earned him a bounty. Yet not only did Fang Bubai survive the hunt, but in just one short year, he has built a terrifying reputation. Now he's openly crushed nine top prodigies working together. The Purple-Robed Marquis will never allow such a monstrous genius to live.
"A tree that stands too tall catches the wind. What a pity. A genius like this doesn't know how to restrain himself and dares to oppose the Purple-Robed Marquis. He's bound to die here."
Fang Bubai stared at the towering purple-robed youth. Enemies meeting face-to-face, their hatred burned especially bright.
The purple-robed youth displayed the cultivation of the first layer of the Spirit Soul Realm. Fang Bubai's own realm was only the ninth layer of the Spirit Sea. Under normal circumstances, the outcome would have been obvious. Yet Fang Bubai employed some unknown method to forcibly elevate his cultivation to the first layer of Spirit Soul Realm.
The purple-robed youth flushed with rage and humiliation. No longer hiding his strength, he exploded with power comparable to the third layer of the Spirit Soul Realm.
"This is bad—he was concealing his true level!"
Fang Bubai had never expected someone else to play the same game of hiding cultivation. Gradually, he began to fall behind and prepared to withdraw. The Purple-Robed Marquis seethed with fury. Fang Bubai had forced him to reveal his real strength—he had to kill him now.
At that moment, the clouds overhead parted to either side. From the rift emerged an ornate carriage, flanked by two tall, impeccably disciplined figures. They radiated an aura that felt both divine and demonic, like twin pillars anchoring the sea. The surrounding air seemed to freeze. No one dared breathe loudly.
"Profound Connection Realm sealed kings! Those are definitely Profound Connection Realm sealed kings!"
The major powers of the Great Yan Dynasty were horrified.
In the Great Yan Dynasty, Profound Connection Realm cultivators stood at the absolute pinnacle—worthy of being granted territories and crowned as kings. Yet these two appeared to be nothing more than guards.
Inside the magnificent carriage sat a very young man. His long hair flowed loosely on either side. His aura was tranquil, like a vast, still ocean without the slightest ripple. Such perfect control over vital energy was simply inconceivable.
Wang Shuang lifted his head and looked toward the youth. Something about the young man felt strangely familiar. A faint sense of recognition.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, Wang Shuang could not place the face. He failed to notice that the moment the figure appeared, both Xia siblings trembled with excitement.
Xia Chenfeng stared wide-eyed and muttered, "This guy… this guy… it really is him…"
More than four years. Not a single word from Su Chen.
Xia Yingyue's beautiful eyes shimmered with tears. "I knew it. He would never meet with misfortune. He's come back!"
Four years. Neither long nor short. In the lifetime of a truly exceptional martial artist, four years was merely a negligible stretch of road. But for the loved ones who carried him in their hearts, those four years cast a shadow long enough to cover half a lifetime.
Su Chen caught sight of the Xia siblings and offered them a gentle smile. Then he turned to the besieged Fang Bubai and spoke softly.
"Sworn brother. It has been a long time."
Fang Bubai's expression lit up with joy. "Brother Mu?"
Su Chen nodded. He looked toward the purple-robed youth and pointed at Fang Bubai.
"This person—I am protecting him. Do you have any objections?"
The purple-robed youth's face darkened. His voice came out low and heavy. "You truly do not place me in your eyes at all. With a single sentence, you expect me to withdraw? Are you not afraid the world will laugh at such arrogance?"
Su Chen asked calmly, "You are dissatisfied?"
Seeing how completely Su Chen disregarded him, the purple-robed youth's anger erupted. He attacked without another word.
Su Chen spoke a single appreciative sentence.
"Courage commendable."
The words only fueled the purple-robed youth's fury even more.