Suppress

Li Chengyue turned slowly.

His gaze fell once more upon Zhao Mingyuan and Li Tian.

Without a word, without even gathering his strength, he simply raised the "Hidden Dragon Spear" in his hand.

The spear tip flickered, and two streaks of black light, like night owls sweeping through the air, vanished in a flash.

"Pfft, pfft."

Two barely audible sounds were clearly distinguishable in the deathly silent courtyard.

Zhao Mingyuan and Li Tian shuddered violently, looking down at their dantians.

The internal energy they had cultivated for years, condensed like pearls within their dantians, was leaking and dissipating rapidly, as if a water bag had been pierced by a fine needle.

Decades of hard work, all washed away in an instant.

"No... impossible..." Zhao Mingyuan's voice was hoarse, his eyes bulging as if they might split. "My cultivation... my Dark Strength..."

He stumbled, collapsing to his knees, his hands pressed tightly against his lower abdomen as if trying to hold back the dissipating power.

On that face, usually so cold and stern, only a twisted blend of despair and madness remained.

Li Tian was in an even worse state. He sprawled on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face, kowtowing desperately toward Li Chengyue. His forehead struck the blue bricks with dull, rhythmic thuds.

"Master! Master, spare me! This disciple was wrong! My heart was clouded by greed back then... I beg you... I beg you, leave me a path to survive... I am willing to return to the martial arts hall to sweep floors and carry water, to serve you like a beast of burden..."

Li Chengyue retracted his spear, his expression indifferent. "Having betrayed the sect, today I strip you of your cultivation and expel you from the Xingyi Sect. From this day forward, whether you live or die, whether you find honor or disgrace, it has nothing to do with me."

He paused, then added, "If you dare to bully my disciples again--next time, it won't just be your cultivation I strip away."

The words were spoken plainly, yet they sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

"Li Chengyue--!"

A roar exploded from outside the courtyard wall.

The grey-robed elder, Zhao Kun, struggled to stand up from the rubble, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes burning red.

"You have crippled those recruited by my Zhao Family today; this is a public slap to the face of the Zhao Family! So what if you have Gang Strength? Yilin County is not a place where you can cover the sky with one hand! My Zhao Family..."

"The Zhao Family?" Li Chengyue suddenly laughed.

He raised his head, looking toward the inner city, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of buildings to land upon those deep, sprawling mansions.

"Zhao Kun, do you truly believe that because the Zhao Family has two Transforming Strength ancestors, one of whom has half a foot stepped into Gang Strength, you can suppress me?"

Zhao Kun's face turned ashen, his teeth clenched, but he dared not respond.

Li Chengyue shook his head and said slowly, "It seems that after all these years, the people of Yilin County have forgotten the prestige I held back then."

With that, he took a deep breath.

His chest heaved like a bellows, and his clothes billowed without a breeze.

"Listen well, heads of the five great families: Zhang, Wang, Li, Zhao, and Qian of the inner city--"

"Today, my disciple Chen Jianghe settled a private debt at the Su Family Escort Agency. Your Zhao Family's disciples, Zhao Mingyuan and Li Tian, brought others to intimidate him and condoned their subordinates' sneak attacks, intending to commit foul deeds."

"As their master, I have taken action to punish them and have crippled their cultivation."

"If anyone is dissatisfied--"

He flicked his wrist, raising his long spear, the tip pointing directly at the towering gate tower of the inner city!

"I am here, waiting for all five of your Transforming Strength experts to arrive together!"

"If you do not arrive within half an incense stick's time, I shall pierce your inner city gate tower with a single strike!"

The sound rolled like thunder, shaking the street until the roof tiles rattled.

Countless commoners and martial artists in the outer city looked up, staring in horror toward the source of the voice.

Street vendors forgot to hawk their wares, children stopped crying, and even stray dogs tucked their tails and retreated into alley corners.

"Is that... Master Li of the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall?"

"What did he just say... he wants to pierce the inner city gate tower?"

"He's mad... he's truly gone mad..."

In the direction of the inner city, there was a moment of silence.

Then, five incomparably powerful auras surged into the sky!

"Li Chengyue! You are too arrogant!"

"Do you think having Gang Strength allows you to look down on everyone? Do you really think my five families have no one left?!"

"Today, I will let you know that Yilin County is not a place where you can run wild!"

Amidst the angry shouts, five figures swept out from various parts of the inner city, arriving above the Su Family Escort Agency in an instant!

The leader, with white hair and a white beard, wearing purple-gold python robes, was none other than the Zhao Family ancestor who had half a foot in Gang Strength--Zhao Wuji!

The four behind him were all peak Transforming Strength experts guarding the five great families, each possessing thick, powerful auras and eyes like lightning.

The five auras intertwined, faintly forming a formation that shrouded the entire escort agency!

"Li Chengyue," Zhao Wuji said, his voice icy, "this is your last chance—cripple one of your own arms and kneel to beg for forgiveness. I can take charge and let today's matter rest here."

Li Chengyue raised his head, looked at the five people in the air, and suddenly laughed.

His laughter held a touch of helplessness and a hint of nostalgia, but more than anything, it was filled with a haughty arrogance that looked down upon the world.

"How many years has it been... you five families still use the same old rhetoric."

He slowly raised his long spear, the tip pointing obliquely at the five men.

"Since you believe that five Transforming Strength experts joining forces can suppress a Gang Strength expert—"

"Then today, Li will let you see—"

"What Gang Strength truly is."

As the words fell, the spear struck.

There were no flashy techniques, no earth-shattering momentum.

It was just a plain, ordinary thrust, aimed upward.

Yet, the moment that spear thrust out, the heavens and earth changed color!

Centered on Li Chengyue, the air within a hundred-zhang radius suddenly stagnated, as if it had turned into a tangible quagmire.

The expressions of the five people in the air changed drastically; they felt their internal energy locked tight by an invisible, immense force, making it difficult even to move a finger!

At the tip of the spear, a point of deep blue cold light ignited.

At first, it was only the size of a grain of rice, but it instantly expanded, transforming into a blue pillar of Gang Strength a zhang in diameter that shot straight into the sky!

Wherever the pillar of light passed, the air twisted and shattered, emitting a piercing, shrill whistle.

The five ancestors' faces turned pale.

They had never imagined that Li Chengyue would dare to challenge all five of them at once, nor did they expect his Gang Strength cultivation to have reached such a realm!

"Join forces—!"

The Zhao Family Ancestor roared, and all five struck simultaneously.

The Zhao Family Ancestor struck with both palms, his palm wind transforming into crimson fire energy;

The Qian Family Ancestor drew his long sword, the sword light cascading like a falling galaxy;

The Sun Family Ancestor threw a punch like thunder, the fist wind condensing into a massive golden fist;

The Li Family Ancestor's blade light was like snow, a single strike cleaving the void;

The Zhou Family Ancestor's fingers were like sharp swords, a single point piercing through the air.

Five Transforming Strength ultimate techniques, combined in a single strike, possessed power enough to crush mountains and sever cliffs!

But Li Chengyue only laughed aloud.

"Fireflies daring to compete with the brilliance of the moon?!"

He flicked his wrist, and the black spear vibrated again.

The five spear beams suddenly merged into one, transforming into a cyan pillar of light as thick as a water barrel, sweeping out with the force of a landslide!

"BOOM—!!!"

A thunderous roar shook the entire city.

The five Transforming Strength ultimate techniques crumbled the moment they touched the cyan pillar of light.

Palm winds shattered, sword light collapsed, fist shadows dispersed, blade energy vanished, and finger strength was extinguished.

The five ancestors groaned in unison, their bodies flying backward like kites with broken strings, crashing into various parts of the outer city and kicking up clouds of dust.

One spear strike, suppressing five Transforming Strength experts!

The city fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone who witnessed this scene stood with mouths agape, completely stunned.

Li Chengyue stood suspended in the air, his black spear pointing obliquely at the ground, the cyan Gang Strength around his body slowly receding.

Li Chengyue withdrew his spear, leaning on it as he stood, his gaze sweeping over the five men on the street before looking toward the inner city.

"Today, crippling the cultivation of Zhao Mingyuan and Li Tian is a punishment."

"Injuring the five of you is a warning."

"From this day forward, within Yilin County—"

He paused, his voice chilling:

"Whoever dares to touch a disciple of Li Chengyue again—"

"First, weigh your own strength and see if you can withstand this spear of mine."

The entire scene was deathly silent.

Everyone who witnessed this, from the commoners in the outer city to the various martial artists watching from the shadows, held their breath, their minds shaken to the core.

Gang Strength.

Li Chengyue.

From this day forward, this name would be branded into the heart of every martial artist in Yilin County.

Inside the courtyard of the Su Family Escort Agency, Chen Jianghe exhaled slowly, his gaze fixed on his master's back.

The old man, who was usually drunk and slumped in a bamboo chair, now stood with his spine straight and a spear in hand, as imposing as a towering mountain.

So, this was his master's true form.

Li Chengyue turned around, swayed his way over to Chen Jianghe, and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.

He grinned, revealing two rows of yellow teeth:

"Kid, did you see that? That is what you call—strength."

Chen Jianghe nodded heavily.

Su Derong stood to the side, his shoulders shaking as he held back laughter, though his eyes were slightly red.

The entire courtyard of Escort Guards and Pathfinders stood tall, sharing in the glory.

Li Chengyue let out a long yawn, picked up his wine gourd for a swig, and muttered, "Alright, alright, let's go back to sleep. That spear thrust... tsk, it's going to cost me three jugs of good wine..."

He swayed toward the gate, but as he reached the entrance, he suddenly turned back.

He glanced at Chen Jianghe and Su Derong, the corners of his mouth twitching:

"You two brats, what are you staring at?"

"Clean this up and get back to the martial arts hall."

"Extra training tonight. Six hours of standing meditation."

"Having to step in myself to deal with such trash—it's a disgrace to my Xingyi Fist."

Chen Jianghe: "..."

Su Derong: "..."

Everyone else: "..."

Li Chengyue ignored them, carrying his spear and shuffling his feet, humming an off-key tune as he swayed out of sight at the end of the alley.

His back was disheveled, his gait unsteady.

It was as if the Gang Strength grandmaster who had just suppressed five Transforming Strength experts and shaken the entire city with a single spear thrust had been nothing more than an illusion.

The dust settled.

The Zhao Family members helped their five severely injured Transforming Strength experts away, looking utterly defeated.

Zhao Mingyuan and Li Tian, their cultivation completely crippled, were dragged away like stray dogs by their clansmen.

Chen Wanglong had long since passed out and was carried off by the men from Zhenlei Martial Arts Hall.

In the courtyard, Su Derong looked at the wreckage scattered about, then turned to Chen Jianghe and suddenly grinned:

"Junior Brother."

"From now on, Senior Brother will stand with you."

Chen Jianghe looked up, meeting the rare sincerity in his Third Senior Brother's eyes, and nodded slowly.