"Zhu Ping'an, why haven't you bowed and taken me as your master?"
When Zhu Ping'an made no move, a trace of displeasure crossed Mr. Cheng's face.
"Hahahaha!"
Zhu Ping'an suddenly threw back his head and laughed wildly, so brazenly he seemed to have gone mad.
Mr. Cheng's face turned completely cold.
"Zhu Ping'an, what are you laughing at?"
"What am I laughing at?" Zhu Ping'an stared at Mr. Cheng and enunciated each word. "I'm laughing at your sanctimonious hypocrisy. I'm laughing at how utterly fake you are. I'm laughing at your bottomless greed. I'm laughing because you're a little dwarf who never grew up!"
Mr. Cheng fell silent at that, his face expressionless. Yet anyone could see that he was like a volcano on the verge of erupting, ready to fly into a murderous rage at any moment.
But Zhu Ping'an paid him no mind. His mouth kept firing off insults in a relentless stream.
"I'm laughing because you're greedy for the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's legacy, yet you insist on using the so-called greater good of the Human Race to pressure me. You want to be a whore and put up a chastity arch, too! You even knew to send the other college entrance exam candidates away first. What, did you realize that too many people shouldn't know about what you're doing?"
"Student Ping'an, are you finished?"
Mr. Cheng's expression didn't change.
"Let me tell you a story. Once, a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist called me a midget. So I cut off his flesh, one piece at a time, fried it every day, and fed it to him. I have to say, Sixth-Rank Martial Artists are remarkably resilient. He lasted half a year before he died. I wonder how long you'll last?"
"Threatening me? Pah! You little dwarf, you stunted runt! Your body didn't grow, and neither did your pecker, did it? Is it as thick as my pinky? Or is it just a little teapot spout? If you've got the guts, kill me! Why are you putting on such a big show?"
Zhu Ping'an let loose a barrage of filthy abuse.
The mayor, Lin Zhao, standing nearby, felt his scalp prickle. He hurriedly pinched his philtrum to keep himself from fainting.
Zhu Ping'an didn't know who Mr. Cheng was, but Lin Zhao knew perfectly well!
Mr. Cheng was a bona fide Seventh Rank Martial Artist, someone with a foot in the inner circle of the Ancient Great Xia Kingdom. Even Lin Zhao, the mayor, had to show him the deference due an elder.
If something hadn't gone wrong in the Green City region of the Secret Realm of Star Gazing, prompting Kyoto to send someone over directly, then with his status as Green City's mayor, he would've had to make an appointment just to meet Mr. Cheng.
He'd originally planned to come mediate between the two, but after hearing Zhu Ping'an curse Mr. Cheng like that, he knew there was no way this would end peacefully.
How could a powerful Martial Artist with a name to uphold tolerate some youngster pointing at him and cursing him to his face?
As expected, Mr. Cheng attacked without hesitation!
He raised a hand and seized Zhu Ping'an by the throat, lifting him into the air.
The sight was absurd: a child of seven or eight lifting the six-foot-tall Zhu Ping'an off the ground. Yet no one could laugh.
"You're quite something. You're the bravest boy I've met in all these years. But youthful recklessness comes at a price." Mr. Cheng's words dripped with murderous intent.
"Mr. Cheng, please don't act rashly. Ping'an really did save all those college entrance exam candidates. He's a hero..."
Lin Zhao tried to reason with him, but Mr. Cheng suddenly turned and roared.
"Get lost!"
The sound wave took physical form and sent Lin Zhao tumbling backward. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
With a single roar, Mr. Cheng had wounded Lin Zhao, a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist, from a distance. The terrifying might of a Seventh Rank Martial Artist was almost unimaginable!
"Hand over the Starry Sky Ancient Saint's legacy, or not only will you die!" A cruel grin spread across Mr. Cheng's face. "Your parents and every living person in your family will die, too! Don't worry, I always keep my word!"
Zhu Ping'an felt the blood in his body surge straight to his head.
He wasn't afraid of Mr. Cheng. He knew the plot would protect him, so Mr. Cheng couldn't kill him. But the moment Mr. Cheng threatened his family, Zhu Ping'an's fury truly ignited!
"Chuyi!"
At Zhu Ping'an's furious shout, Chuyi's Sword Spirit felt her master's call and instantly appeared in his hand. The moment his fingers closed around the sword, a brilliant golden light flared in Zhu Ping'an's eyes.
Without hesitation, he unleashed the Immortal Devil Sword Technique, his strongest move so far. He'd just used it to defeat Ye Qingxian when she'd been fighting at full strength.
With the Nine Revolutions Starry Sky Technique empowering it, the sword's might grew even more terrifying. A flash of gold streaked by as the blade slashed toward Mr. Cheng.
The strike was so fast it left an afterimage in its wake. But the gap between their realms was simply too vast. Mr. Cheng caught Chuyi between two fingers.
"What a powerful sword! Your cultivation is only at the First Rank's initial stage, but even a First Rank Peak Martial Artist might be caught off guard and have their throat sealed by that strike. But you're nowhere near qualified to attack me!"
Zhu Ping'an didn't bother arguing. Instead, he drew another short sword, and his eyes turned as black as ink.
Shortsword Fifteenth Day! The Devil Sword of the Immortal Devil Sword Technique was out!
This strike was even faster than the Immortal Sword he'd used just before. It made no sound and gave off no fluctuation, like a drop of water blending into the sea.
Mr. Cheng hadn't expected Zhu Ping'an to have another move after that astonishing strike!
Caught off guard, he couldn't dodge in time. The robe over his chest was slashed open.
Mr. Cheng's face darkened completely.
Zhu Ping'an's full-strength strike hadn't even injured him, but a Seventh Rank Martial Artist being cut by a First-Rank Warrior was still a source of immense humiliation!
After all, there were five entire major realms between them!
Mr. Cheng swung Zhu Ping'an around and smashed him into the ground as if he were a sack. With a crash, the hard granite floor was cratered into the shape of a human body. The two swords flew from Zhu Ping'an's hands.
Zhu Ping'an felt as though his internal organs had been knocked out of place. The pain was so intense he could barely feel anything. He spat out a mouthful of blood and lost all ability to fight back.
But Mr. Cheng still wasn't done with him. Again and again, he slammed Zhu Ping'an into the ground.
"Dad! Save him!"
Watching Zhu Ping'an's brutal beating, Leng Tianjiao couldn't help grabbing Leng Yuanting's hand.
"Jiaojiao, I know he saved you, and you feel indebted to him. But picking a fight with Mr. Cheng over some so-called life-saving favor isn't worth it."
Leng Yuanting wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. If Zhu Ping'an had offended Lin Zhao, the mayor, he'd have jumped in without a second thought. But Zhu Ping'an had offended Mr. Cheng, that towering figure.
As head of the Leng Family, he naturally considered things in terms of interests. Compared to offending Mr. Cheng, Zhu Ping'an simply didn't carry enough weight.
"I... I'm already carrying his child!" In her desperation to make Leng Yuanting act, Leng Tianjiao came up with a reason he couldn't refuse.
"What did you say?" Leng Yuanting sprang to his feet.
He had six sons, but only one daughter, Leng Tianjiao. Ever since she was little, he'd treasured her like a jewel in his hands, afraid she'd break, and doted on her without restraint.
Now that he'd heard his precious daughter was carrying someone else's child, how could he possibly sit still?
"Is that true? You're not lying to me? That boy really got you pregnant?" Leng Yuanting pressed her urgently.
"Yes!" Leng Tianjiao nodded, bracing herself. She knew that this was the only way to make Leng Yuanting step in.
Sure enough, Leng Yuanting charged straight at Mr. Cheng, who was in the middle of beating Zhu Ping'an.
"Mr. Cheng, you son of a—!"
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