"No problem, Grandpa. I'll make sure the man who dared break my second brother's limbs dies a horrible death." Su Shan answered resolutely, then looked at Sikong Jing. "Criminal, this is a life-or-death duel. Do you dare accept?"
Su Yuexi clutched Sikong Jing's hand tightly and shook her head with all her strength. "Jing Gege..."
"You can't refuse, either. There's nowhere for you to run." Su Shan strode forward, his true qi bursting forth and bearing down fiercely on Sikong Jing.
"Fifth level of the Dark Realm!"
Su Zhenglong cried out without thinking. Su Shan's realm was beyond anything he'd expected; he had thought Su Shan was only at the third level of the Dark Realm.
"Fifth level of the Dark Realm? How old is Su Shan?" The guests exchanged stunned glances, their expressions grave.
In Yunye City, reaching the fifth level of the Dark Realm at Su Shan's age made him a minor Heavenly Pride.
Luo Tong lowered his voice. "What good deeds did the Su Clan's ancestors do to earn this? After Su Zhenglong was badly injured, another Su Shan appeared out of nowhere. Are the other three great clans ever going to get a moment's peace?"
Su Shan's presence made the guests take the Su Clan seriously all over again.
This rising member of the four great clans would likely one day surpass the other three. Its rise seemed unstoppable.
As the crowd marveled, Sikong Jing's voice drifted through the hall. "Are you sure you want a life-or-death duel?"
His tone was still utterly indifferent.
"What? Are you thinking of begging for mercy? Hahaha, too late!"
Su Shan strode forward again, his true qi crushing down.
In everyone's eyes, Sikong Jing looked like a little boat tossing on stormy seas beneath that force, liable to be crushed at any moment.
"Wait!" Su Zhenglong's hoarse voice rang out suddenly.
At this crucial moment, he appeared beside the gift he'd brought and fixed his gaze on Su Xuefeng. His voice was grave as he said, "Father, please spare my son-in-law."
"Do you really think that's possible?" Su Xuefeng said without mercy.
Bang!
Su Zhenglong yanked open the lid of the gift box in his hands. The statue of Su Yuexi's paternal grandmother came into view before everyone.
In an instant, Su Xuefeng's cold expression froze.
"Father, this is the gift I brought you today. Please spare my son-in-law for Mother's sake."
"Zhengtao and I are brothers. I'm your son. We should have been a harmonious family. Why must we turn against our own flesh and blood? Why must you drive us to our deaths?"
"I led the Su Clan to become one of the four great clans, but I claim no credit for it."
"I ask only that you treat my daughter and son-in-law fairly. I ask only that you show them some concern from time to time."
"If Mother were still here, she surely wouldn't want to see things come to this. Don't you agree?"
Su Zhenglong's grief rang out in every word, moving many of the guests around them.
Then Su Zhenglong turned to Su Zhengtao. "Second Brother, we're brothers, bound by blood. I've never understood why you've resented me so much, but it doesn't matter now..."
"Please, for Mother's sake, tell Su Shan to stop."
Su Zhengtao lowered his face and said nothing, his gaze drifting toward Su Xuefeng.
He hadn't expected Su Zhenglong to pull a move like this. If their father was swayed, they'd be in trouble.
He didn't care about brotherhood.
Su Zhengtao knew only that if his elder brother didn't die, he'd never escape his demons. He'd remain forever crushed beneath his brother's brilliance.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded. Su Xuefeng walked toward Su Zhenglong, step by step, then stopped. He gently laid a hand on the lifelike statue of Su Yuexi's paternal grandmother.
Su Zhenglong watched Su Xuefeng with hope written all over his face...
The next second... Bang!
The statue exploded into pieces beneath Su Xuefeng's hand.
Su Zhenglong's expression changed dramatically. He shouted, "Father!"
Su Xuefeng turned around coldly. "Su Zhenglong, don't try to use a dead person to threaten me. I don't fall for that kind of thing."
Su Zhenglong stumbled backward again and again before dropping onto the floor.
How could his father be so heartless? Not even Mother's statue could move him?
He'd actually destroyed Mother's statue with his own hands.
"If you knew the meaning of brotherhood, you shouldn't have let that criminal break Su Yang's limbs."
"If you didn't want father and son to turn against each other, you shouldn't have let that ugly freak live in this world and disgrace the Su Clan."
Su Xuefeng shouted furiously, then abruptly looked at Su Shan. "Do it. Kill the criminal!"
"Yes, Grandpa."
Su Shan wore a crazed, vicious grin as he gripped a blade—the opening stance of the Golden Thunder Eight Blades.
"Criminal, you crippled my second brother. I'll chop off your limbs one cut at a time."
With that, his blade rose!
The first Golden Thunder Blade slashed viciously toward Sikong Jing, its blade light tearing through the air as though it carried lightning.
"Jing Gege..."
Su Yuexi's anguished scream rang out amid the blade light. Sikong Jing had pushed her away, and she landed in Mei Xiaofang's arms, forced to watch helplessly as the unstoppable blade light came crashing down.
What would happen to Sikong Jing was obvious: he'd either die or be gravely wounded.
"It's over."
Seated beside the shattered statue of Su Yuexi's paternal grandmother, Su Zhenglong squeezed his eyes shut.
The whole thing had started because Su Yang challenged Sikong Jing first, and Sikong Jing broke his limbs in response.
And Yuexi, ugly or not, was still your granddaughter, Su Xuefeng. Why did you think she didn't deserve to live in this world?
If Sikong Jing died, Yuexi would break down, too.
Clang!
Just as Su Zhenglong felt the whole sky darken, the clash of metal rang through the banquet hall. Then came a chorus of gasps. "Impossible!"
Su Zhenglong's whole body jolted. He opened his eyes without thinking—and froze.
At the center of the hall, Sikong Jing was holding a blade. No one knew when he'd drawn it. He held it horizontally against Su Shan's Golden Thunder blade light, while a wave of true qi burst from his body.
"Ninth level of the Bright Realm!"
Su Zhenglong jumped to his feet and cried out.
Ten days ago, when Sikong Jing crippled Su Yang, he'd only been at the fourth level of the Bright Realm. When had he reached the ninth?
"Ninth level of the Bright Realm? Was this brat hiding his real strength?"
Su Zhengtao's eyes widened. He, too, had sensed Sikong Jing's realm ten days ago, when they were at the Su Clan Enforcement Hall.
In Su Zhengtao's view, it was impossible to advance from the fourth to the ninth level of the Bright Realm in just ten days.
Clearly, Sikong Jing had been concealing his strength all along.
As everyone exchanged uncertain glances, Su Shan's blade light shattered. He stared at Sikong Jing in surprise, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"I didn't expect you to have been hiding your strength. So you're at the ninth level of the Bright Realm!"
"But beneath the Dark Realm, we're all ants."
As he spoke, the blade in his hand began to flicker with lightning. Su Shan's aura grew even stronger.
The crowd, who had been stunned moments before, settled back into their seats.
Luo Tong said calmly, "It's no use. The gap between the Dark Realm and the Bright Realm is impossible to bridge. That criminal is just struggling before he dies."
"But reaching the ninth level of the Bright Realm at such a young age is impressive in its own right. He could've made a name for himself in Yunye City."
"Too bad he's going to die."
No one around them thought Sikong Jing could win. The ninth level of the Bright Realm only meant he'd struggle a little harder before dying.
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