The Divine Son of the Nine Nether Divine Sect

He'd just been swearing that "taking him down won't be a problem," but in the blink of an eye, Esteemed You had been sent flying by a single punch...

Ling Xiao's face darkened.

Esteemed You felt as though his internal organs had all shifted out of place. Struggling, he managed to prop up his upper body and wipe away the bloody froth, streaked with strange black qi, that kept bubbling from the corner of his mouth.

His sinister eyes fixed on the Black Robe Figure who had just appeared, glaring at him like a venomous snake.

"You're not the Dragon Tiger Heavenly Master!" Esteemed You's voice was hoarse with pain, full of suspicion and shock. "Who are you?!"

He had already gotten to his feet, but every step came with trepidation. With a single punch, his opponent had sent a Sixth Level Dharma Idol Realm expert like him flying using nothing but raw physical strength. Such power was unfathomable!

Chen Lin chuckled softly, as if he'd just heard an extremely amusing joke. His black robe fluttered in the wind, though there was no breeze. "I just can't stand the sight of people from your Nine Nether Sect."

Before his words had even faded, Chen Lin's figure blurred into a streak and appeared before the still-reeling Esteemed You!

No complicated spells, no dazzling spiritual light—just a simple straight punch, delivered at astonishing speed!

"Bang!"

Almost instinctively, Esteemed You hurriedly summoned the Ninefold Ghost Fiend Shield, the defense he was renowned for. But the layers of shadowy shields had barely taken shape before they shattered like scraps of paper torn apart by a gale!

Chen Lin's punch struck him squarely in the chest, unleashing its terrifying force without holding anything back!

Esteemed You didn't even have time to scream. Like a battered sack struck by a giant hammer, he was driven into the hard ground, vanishing three zhang beneath its surface!

Stones and dust flew in every direction. Chen Lin stood with his hands behind his back, looking utterly unhurried amid the swirling dust as he looked down at the crater where the man who'd just been so arrogant now lay.

"Eighth Level of the Dharma Aspect Realm?!" Esteemed You's voice rang out from the crater, filled with utter shock and disbelief.

The Seventh Floor of the Nine Nether Heavenly Art, which he had cultivated with such pride, and the defenses he had painstakingly laid out had been child's play before this man!

He could clearly feel the meridians throughout his body snapping one by one beneath that punch, while most of his life force had been utterly crushed!

Just then, Esteemed You forced a feral laugh from his throat, a trace of madness in his voice. "Yanzhou truly is a land of experts..."

Before he could finish, Chen Lin casually raised a hand and slapped him.

The blow seemed effortless, yet it contained the blazing True Sun Fire, as if it could burn everything in existence to ash!

"Pfft!"

One side of Esteemed You's face was instantly seared by the heat. His flesh charred and rotted, giving off a pungent stench of burnt meat, and his feral grin froze on his twisted face.

"You talk too much." Chen Lin's tone was flat, devoid of emotion, as if he were simply stating an irrelevant fact.

At that moment, Ling Xiao seemed to want to salvage some dignity. He had only just begun, "Your Excellency, I am the Ninth Prince, Ling Xiao. You treat my people like this..."

Before he could finish, Chen Lin didn't even turn around. He merely tilted his head slightly and casually swung a slap.

The speed was beyond belief. Ling Xiao felt a gust of wind rush at his face, but had no time to react before the slap landed squarely across it.

Crack! Ling Xiao was sent flying like a battered sack, tracing a wretched arc through the air before crashing down several zhang away. He couldn't get back up for a long while.

Only then did Chen Lin slowly turn around. His indifferent gaze swept over Esteemed You on the ground before settling on Ling Xiao. His tone remained as flat as wind sweeping across a wasteland. "I was talking to him. Why are you butting in?"

The thousand or so soldiers he had brought were now glaring at Chen Lin, their killing intent surging as they surrounded him.

Meanwhile, the thousand or so soldiers behind him had been stunned by everything that had happened in the blink of an eye.

After a brief silence, killing intent rose from them like a tangible force, instantly surrounding Chen Lin.

The ringing of blades being drawn rose one after another, cold edges aimed at the black-robed figure who stood there as if at ease.

At that moment, Chen Lin seemed to catch sight of something by chance. His gaze suddenly sharpened and locked firmly onto Ling Xiao's face.

"Ninth Prince," Chen Lin said slowly, his voice calm, yet touched with a playful air that suggested he saw through everything. "The markings on your body are rather interesting."

"As expected of the Divine Son of the Nine Nether Divine Sect. That old geezer Shen Changqing must be heading for the Heavenly Origin Sword Sect right about now, mustn't he?"

Before his words had even faded, Ling Xiao, who had just struggled to his feet with a vicious look still on his face, stiffened as if struck by lightning!

Then, incredulous horror swallowed up every trace of his composure, leaving his face as white as paper.

His opponent actually knew about all this!

It wasn't just Ling Xiao. Everyone in the main hall who had heard those words—including Ling Tianlong, his usually hard expression now frozen, and even the normally composed Dragon Tiger Heavenly Master—stiffened in unison. Shock surged through them like a rising tide.

They could never have imagined that the Divine Son, whose power in the Nine Nether Sect was so great that people trembled at the mere mention of him, was none other than Ling Xiao, who seemed to be merely the Ninth Prince!

Even the thousand or so soldiers surrounding Chen Lin changed expression at this earth-shattering revelation, their eyes full of uncertainty.

The Ninth Prince... was actually a member of the Nine Nether Sect?

After a brief, deathly silence, Ling Xiao forcibly suppressed the turmoil of shock within him and straightened his back, shouting sharply.

"Myriad Law Heavenly Sovereign! Do you know what a capital offense it is to slander an Imperial Dynasty prince? My father is the current Imperial Lord, and I am a prince of the Imperial Household! The Nine Nether Sect and my Ling Family are sworn enemies. How could I possibly be one of them?!"

The soldiers around them gradually recovered from their shock. Someone muttered, "That's right... Myriad Law Heavenly Sovereign is trying to shake the troops' morale and slander His Highness!"

They tightened their grips on their weapons and turned suspicious looks toward Chen Lin.

"Slander His Highness and die!" one of the commanders roared. He was the first to shout the words, then immediately ordered the charge.

"Awooo!" A thousand soldiers erupted into action almost at once. The cold gleam of their drawn weapons reflected the commanders' savage faces as they surged toward Chen Lin like wolves and tigers, their killing intent soaring to the heavens!

Yet Chen Lin merely cast a calm glance at the commander leading the charge.

At that single look, an almost imperceptible, invisible ripple suddenly spread out from him, like a boulder thrown into still water!

The ripple made no sound, yet it carried a boundless power that left one struggling to breathe. In an instant, it swept over every charging soldier.

In the blink of an eye, the charging tide seemed to crash into an invisible wall!

The leading commander was like a dead leaf caught in a gale. His body abruptly seized up, then he flew backward like a kite with its string cut.

The soldiers behind him met an even worse fate. Whether mounted or on foot, they seemed to be struck by tremendous force. They cried out and toppled in every direction, tumbling from their horses or pitching straight to the ground. Their formation collapsed at once into chaos.

That invisible force had actually torn the entire charging formation apart!

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