"Alright, since Brother Lu has spoken, I'll do my best..."
Xie Xie took a deep breath, a slightly roguish, eager-to-try expression appearing on his face.
But he could not help defending himself anyway.
"Also... my mouth isn't obnoxious. This is just a tactical necessity!"
"Your explanation is pale and unconvincing." Yue Zhengyu quietly twisted the knife from the side, his tone certain. "Because your obnoxiousness has seeped into your bones and become instinct. You can't change it."
Xie Xie: "..."
He was rendered speechless for a moment, unable to find an opening to retort.
"Perfect. You should change your name to Scum Xie from now on."
With an expression that said he had seen through everything long ago, Long Chen stated it as though it were only natural.
"That name is simply a perfect match for your current temperament."
"..."
Xie Xie was completely speechless and could only express his indignation through his eyes.
Amid the perfectly timed banter between the group, which eased the tension while mixing in mutual jabs, Tang San—who had been immersed in boundless fury and grief—suddenly whipped his head around.
His blood-red eyes, like two burning stars of hell, were filled with towering hatred and killing intent as they locked firmly onto Xie Xie and the others behind him.
His voice was hoarse and distorted from extreme rage, as if squeezed from the depths of his throat.
"Was it you?!"
"All of this... was your doing?!!"
Along with his roar, a visible blast of terrifying energy mixed with blue-gold Divine Power swept toward Xie Xie and the others like an out-of-control torrent of destruction.
The might contained within it seemed sufficient to erase the entire valley with a single thought from him, reducing it to rubble and dust.
Facing the terrifying might of this furious