Heart in Turmoil

The surroundings fell silent—utterly silent. Even the sound of water flowing nearby had vanished, as though there was no sound left between heaven and earth.

I was slightly moved. It seemed that reaching the Golden Core Stage through martial arts truly wielded far greater destructive power than reaching the Golden Core Stage through cultivation. Dealing with the Li Family in the future would not be as easy as I had imagined.

Looking up, I saw a faint figure approaching through the air. No, not flying—it was using peerless inner strength to tread and soar across the treetops of a row of osmanthus trees along the riverbank. One had to know that those at the Golden Core Stage could only fly by controlling objects; only upon reaching the Nascent Soul Realm could one fly through the air.

Divine Guard No. 3 looked at the young fellow before him in great surprise. How old was this kid? Yet he showed not the slightest discomfort within his aura. He seemed to have reached the Heavenly Realm as well. But strength was not merely a contest of cultivation; experience mattered too. As for this little brat's experience, hmph, hmph... Still, who exactly was this fellow's master, to have taught such a formidable disciple? This had to be investigated.

"You two, if you want to fight, hurry up and do it." I looked at the two of them. Their backup had already arrived, yet they still would not make a move. It was truly infuriating. Did they not know my time was precious?

"Young man, to reach such a realm at such a young age is truly remarkable! May I ask who your master is?" Divine Guard No. 3 asked me with a beaming smile.

Judging by his appearance, he had reached the Golden Core Stage in his fifties or sixties. Who knew how old he actually was now? And now he was smiling at me, after putting on such airs before. This fellow was clearly quite shrewd.

"My master is not someone you are qualified to know about. Old man standing in the back, you said earlier that Miss Yuwen belongs to your young master. What did you mean by that? I could tell at a glance that Miss Yuwen is still an unmarried maiden. Are you trying to take advantage of my ignorance?"

Heavenly Guard No. 2 stepped forward and looked at me with a smile. Perhaps he knew he had no hope for the future, because he appeared unexpectedly calm toward me.

"Kid, I'll make it clear to you. Our Master has already discussed this with the Yuwen Family Head, and the Yuwen Family Head has agreed to marry Miss Yuwen to our young master. Do you think you still have any hope?"

My mind went black in an instant. I was stunned. What was going on? Hadn't Rou just been so close to me? Hadn't she agreed to let me go propose marriage? How had her marriage already been decided? No, that was not right. If it had already been decided, why would Rou not tell me? They were lying to me. They wanted me to give up.

I looked at them, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of my lips.

"You shameless bastards! You think you can make me give up Rou on my own with this trick? Do you think I'm that stupid? Hahaha... You still don't know, do you? Rou has already asked me to go propose marriage. Stop wasting your schemes!"

Heavenly Guard No. 2 looked at me, a trace of pity appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Kid, would our Li Family lie to you about something like this? Give up. Miss Yuwen only just returned from Hangzhou, so she does not know about this yet. Our young master has already decided to have the Family Head propose marriage tomorrow. With the consent of both families' elders, and with our Family Head personally going to propose, what hope do you have left? Just give up."

Hahaha, was it true? No, no... Yet my Spiritual Sense told me it was true. This old man was not lying. With the Yuwen Family Head's approval, did I still have any hope? Why? Why should marriage be decided by one's parents? What nonsense about parents' orders being impossible to defy! I did not know. I only knew that my Rou belonged to me alone. No one could take her away. No one. No one could!

That was right. I had to go propose marriage immediately. Right now. I could not let the Li Family get there first.

I immediately dashed toward Star Peak Manor.

Divine Guard No. 3 instantly blocked my path.

"Kid, you reduced our Heavenly Guard No. 2 to this state, and you still want to run? Do you think our Li Family is so easily bullied? Cripple your own martial arts, and we'll let this matter go. Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Although Divine Guard No. 3 was somewhat wary of the young man before him's master, they were still members of the Li Family. The Li Family had swept across the entire Azure Dragon Continent and had never suffered a loss. Who dared contend with the Li Family? Yet now, some greenhorn had driven Heavenly Guard No. 2 into self-mutilation and still wanted to leave. Was that not treating the Li Family as if it did not exist? As a Divine Guard of the Li Family, his long-standing pride could not tolerate it. All who opposed the Li Family had to be punished!

I looked at this fellow. He was actually blocking my way. It was already late at night; I had to return home at once to arrange the marriage proposal. I had no time to waste on him.

"Move." I looked at him coldly. If he continued blocking my path, I would definitely kill him.

Divine Guard No. 3 shuddered, an inexplicable chill rising in his heart. He seemed to feel that if he continued blocking the way, the kid before him would kill him. What? He was a Divine Guard of the Li Family—could someone actually kill him? And that someone was a young man. Was that possible?

Divine Guard No. 3 found his inexplicable feeling laughable as well.

I watched as this fellow continued to block my path.

"Kill!" I pushed off the ground, my body shooting into the air. My right hand rose high, and a Blade Aura that soared into the heavens pierced straight toward the vault of the sky.

Divine Guard No. 3 looked at the young man hovering motionlessly in midair, and terror surged through his heart. He felt that he was about to die, that there was no hope whatsoever. That Killing Intent had completely buried him. There was no hope left.

Heavenly Guard No. 2 stared blankly at the Blade Aura, ten zhang long. He was dumbfounded.

Ten zhang! Not ten zhang of Saber Qi, but a ten-zhang Blade Aura! A ten-zhang Blade Aura! This... this... was he even human? Was he even human?

Divine Guard No. 3 was completely buried beneath the Killing Intent. He had not even noticed the ten-zhang Blade Aura. No, it was not that he could not notice it—it was that, in his eyes, there was nothing but that man who seemed like a demon god. He could see nothing else.

"Blood Devour Thousand Miles!"

I fiercely swung down the Blade Aura in my hand.

A terrifying Blade Aura cleaved toward Divine Guard No. 3, who had completely lost all will to fight.

Beneath the ten-zhang Blade Aura, Divine Guard No. 3 snapped awake. But he had little time left. Looking at the enormous Blade Aura cleaving toward him, he had no time to marvel, nor any time to regret provoking this god of slaughter! He had no choice. Faced with this terrifying Blade Aura, he could only use that final move!

Waves of purple light emerged from Divine Guard No. 3's body, growing brighter and brighter. In the end, his entire body became a sphere of purple light.

The terrifying Blade Aura finally collided with that purple sphere of light...

"Second Brother, hurry! I can sense that Divine Guard No. 3 is using his final move. Go!"

Two middle-aged men shot like lightning toward the place where the battle was taking place.

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