At those words, silence fell. The atmosphere made hearts pound.
Neither the First Prince nor Marshal Liu reacted at first.
The First Prince, especially, had a flash of madness in his eyes after Qin An withdrew his hand. He rose, ready to fight.
He had never imagined Qin An would strike him so directly. It was utterly beyond his expectations.
But now that Qin An had struck him, he could not simply let it go. Otherwise, he would have taken that slap for nothing—and become a laughingstock for the rest of his life.
"You dare strike a prince of this dynasty? You treat the laws of the Great Qian Kingdom as though they don't exist! If I don't teach you a lesson today, I'm unworthy of being the First Prince!"
With that, the aura of One-Unity Realm Perfection surged from the First Prince.
Marshal Liu made no move. He merely watched the First Prince, his gaze as calm as autumn water.
The First Prince had interrupted while he was speaking with Qin An, and that had already displeased him.
His opinion of the First Prince had recently improved, but today's incident had soured it again.
So Marshal Liu had no intention of stopping him.
He thought it might do the First Prince good to suffer a setback at Qin An's hands.
Qin An stood at ease with his hands behind his back. He did not even seem inclined to act, offering only a mild reply.
"I've slain more than a hundred enemies at One-Unity Realm Perfection. You're merely one man at that level. If you dare attack me, are you truly not afraid to die?"
A faint killing intent coiled around Qin An and spread outward.
The First Prince trembled involuntarily when he felt that terrifying intent.
Qin An seemed