How Could You Be in the Celestial Firmament Realm?

Deathly silence.

Thousands of people at the venue had witnessed Shen Zhou's revenge.

The moment the Wu Family Head appeared, many people realized who the dead man was. Gasps and exclamations rose one after another, growing louder and more frequent.

"The one who was killed was a member of the Wu Family?"

"I recognize him! That's Wu Jiuyan, one of the Wu Family's Three Geniuses!"

"What? It was him?"

"This is insane! Who's that guy with the sword? He actually killed Wu Jiuyan right in front of the Wu Family Head. How dare he?"

The shocked voices multiplied and grew louder, until they were deafening and the whole venue erupted.

Meanwhile,

the five great families reacted in different ways.

The Xu Family.

"Oh? The Qin Family Sword Drawer killed Wu Jiuyan of the Wu Family? Now this is interesting!"

The Chu Family.

After Chu Tianqi stared in astonishment for a moment, he burst out laughing. "This guy—every time I see him, he's causing some kind of trouble. Killing Wu Jiuyan right in front of the Wu Family Head takes some guts!"

The Lin Family.

Lin Yuling gaped in curiosity. "Huh? Who's that? He's so fierce!"

Lin Fang looked utterly shocked. "Isn't that the kid who sparred with me at the inn earlier? How did he suddenly get so powerful? I remember we were evenly matched!"

The Qin Family.

"Oh no, oh no! Why did the family head kill Wu Jiuyan? And right in front of his father, no less! Now the Wu Family probably won't let us off either!"

Of course, the Wu Family had the strongest reaction of all.

The moment they learned the dead man was Wu Jiuyan, the Wu Family Members all sprang into action. Then, like a rising tide, they surrounded Shen Zhou.

Faced with the encirclement, Shen Zhou didn't panic at all. He simply looked at the Wu Family Head with cool detachment and asked, "Are you his father?"

Wu Hualong finally came to his senses, shaking off his shock and grief. What followed was a towering rage and murderous intent.

His eyes fixed on Shen Zhou like blades as he rasped, "Who are you? Why did you kill him?"

Shen Zhou said, "That's actually something you should ask yourself. How did you raise such a scoundrel that he'd commit crimes in broad daylight and bully people at will?"

Wu Hualong's expression darkened. "You killed him to get revenge for what happened in town yesterday?"

"So you know about what happened yesterday. Sounds like that kind of thing has happened more than once."

"How could those little wretches compare to my son? He's the son of a great clan, a martial arts genius. You could chop those vermin into a thousand pieces and they still wouldn't be worth a single hair on his head. And yet you dared to kill him?"

"A great clan? So what? Does being part of a great clan mean you can defy the law and do as you please? Does it mean you can bully the weak? I'm stronger than your son, so killing him was no different from killing a rabid dog. What can you do about it?"

Shen Zhou and Wu Hualong faced off, their gazes colliding as sparks flew and murderous intent surged.

Hearing Shen Zhou call his son a dog, Wu Hualong finally lost control. He raised his hand and struck, roaring, "You're asking for death!"

Shen Zhou's sword rang as he swung it, saying, "You old dog, you're the one asking for death!"

The battle erupted in an instant.

The spectators were caught completely off guard.

They hadn't expected the kid in the arena to be so wild. He'd killed Wu Jiuyan, and now he even dared to attack the Wu Family Head. Wasn't that a little too bold?

Boom! Boom! Boom...

As the crowd stared in shock, Shen Zhou and Wu Hualong were already locked in a furious battle.

Neither of them bothered with flashy moves. Every attack was a killing blow.

As the Wu Family Head, Wu Hualong had already reached the ninth level of the Transformation Realm, the pinnacle of that realm. His powerful essence energy, control over his strength, and combat experience were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

His fist struck, and mountains crumbled.

His palm fell, and rocks shattered.

Shen Zhou nearly failed to withstand him the moment they clashed.

It wasn't that Shen Zhou was truly outmatched. The power of his Entry simply hadn't caught up yet.

He'd been fighting Wu Jiuyan before, so his Entry had only raised his strength to the sixth or seventh level of the Transformation Realm. Naturally, he was at a disadvantage when he suddenly faced Wu Hualong, who was at the ninth level.

But the Entry would soon adjust and raise Shen Zhou's strength.

While that was happening, Wu Hualong kept Shen Zhou pinned down, venting his fury as he attacked. "Kid, what do you think you are? You think you're fit to lecture me?"

"How could you vermin possibly understand the power and honor of a great clan?"

"Vermin are meant to be trampled underfoot. Vermin should bow their heads and accept their fate like ants. If you dare to resist, I'll crush you!"

Wu Hualong threw a full-force punch that sent Shen Zhou flying.

Protected by his essence energy, Shen Zhou was unharmed.

But that punch also gave the Entry exactly what it needed to lock onto his strength. In an instant, his power soared.

Feeling the change in his strength, Shen Zhou couldn't help smiling. Then he looked at Wu Hualong again and said, "An old dog is an old dog. Even when trouble comes, you only blame others and never think that you might be at fault. Since that's how it is, you should join your little dog and die!"

With Shen Zhou's roar, a terrifying, explosive, world-destroying aura suddenly surged from him.

Feeling that aura, the Xu Family Head, who'd been sitting back to enjoy the show, sprang to his feet. He stared at the figure in the arena in disbelief. "H-How can this be? That kid's strength has climbed straight to the Celestial Firmament Realm, all thanks to the Qin Family Divine Weapon?"

Xu Baxia, standing beside him, jolted as well. "What? The Celestial Firmament Realm?"

Meanwhile,

the Lin Family.

The Protecting Elder beside Lin Yuling and Lin Yusheng's pupils contracted in shock. "The Celestial Firmament Realm? Who is he, to have crossed that threshold at such a young age?"

The Chu Family.

When the Chu Family Elder told Chu Tianqi the news, the fan in his hand fell to the ground. He gaped. "Him? The Celestial Firmament Realm? You've got to be kidding!"

The Yang Family.

After the shock, the Yang Family Head suddenly understood. "So that's why he was so arrogant earlier. No wonder he was so confident and unafraid of offending anyone.

"It turns out he can use that sword to ascend to the Celestial Firmament Realm.

"The Qin Family Iron Sword truly is a heaven-defying divine weapon!"

The Qin Family.

When she saw Shen Zhou falling behind, Ancestor Qin had been about to rush in and help. But then Shen Zhou erupted with power.

Watching Shen Zhou, who now seemed like a god, Qin Fenglan stopped in her tracks. Her eyes shining with excitement, she murmured, "The might of our ancestor is already so dazzling and extraordinary with just one ten-thousandth of his power. If he fully awakens his memories from his previous life, I can't even imagine what peerless splendor he'll possess!"

Shen Zhou unleashed his full aura, sending the surrounding Wu Family Members flying.

The Wu Family Members were dumbstruck.

They couldn't believe that a mere young man standing before them could be a Celestial Firmament Realm powerhouse.

Since when had the Celestial Firmament Realm become so common?

But that terrifying aura left them no choice but to believe it.

Wu Hualong stared at Shen Zhou in shock. "The Celestial Firmament Realm? How could you be in the Celestial Firmament Realm?"

"I've cultivated in the martial path for decades, working diligently and diligently, never stopping through winter or summer, training day and night. Even now, I've been stuck at the ninth level of the Transformation Realm for over a decade, yet I still can't cross that threshold. But you... What gives you the right?"

Wu Hualong was beside himself. Hatred, disbelief, and jealousy mingled in his eyes as he furiously unleashed his strongest attack.

Whether Shen Zhou was truly in the Celestial Firmament Realm, he would have to see for himself before he'd believe it.

Shen Zhou didn't disappoint him.

He raised a hand toward the sky, and a massive pillar of light quickly condensed into a sword.

It propped up the sky and braced the earth, its divine might unrivaled.

The next instant, the sword's radiance came crashing down with the force of annihilation.

Boom...

Light swallowed everything.

Everyone at the venue instinctively shut their eyes. Their ears were filled with endless roaring, and they could only feel the gale rushing past them, tugging at their clothes.

No one knew how long it was before the gale died down and the roaring faded.

Someone opened their eyes and eagerly looked toward the arena. What they saw was a terrifying sight.

In the middle of the once-vast, empty venue, a chasm had appeared.

It stretched from east to west. Its bottom was nowhere to be seen, as if it led straight to the underworld.

Everyone stared at it, dumbstruck. Was this the might of a Celestial Firmament Realm powerhouse?

As for the Wu Family, those who had surrounded Shen Zhou now lay on either side of the chasm, blood pooling beneath them as they groaned incessantly.

The Wu Family Head lay beside the chasm as well, no different from the ordinary clan members.

His clothes were in tatters, and his hair was disheveled.

He was drenched in blood, barely recognizable.

But he wasn't dead yet. He still had a breath left in him. Staring blankly at Shen Zhou's figure, he struggled to speak. "There shouldn't be... a monster like you... in this world..."

Before he could finish, the Wu Family Head suddenly spat blood and breathed his last.

And so,

the Wu Family Head was dead!