After This, I'll Kill You

After making a circuit through the sky, Lu Chen crashed to the ground, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Wuwu..." Xiong Yao walked out of the main hall. The moment she saw Lu Chen, she thundered over, grabbed his cheeks, and was too excited to speak.

"How could you be this handsome?" With a hard squeeze, Lu Chen's cheeks nearly burst apart, and tears of pain almost spilled from his eyes.

"Could you be a little gentler? Are you even a girl? Let go!" Seeing her squeeze even harder, Lu Chen roared.

"What kind of thing is gentleness? Can you eat it?"

Pfft!

Fang Jiuding directly spat out what he was drinking.

Lu Chen was thoroughly defeated as well. After asking the time, he shot into the sky and sped straight toward Peerless Palace.

Wasn't Yun Niang anxiously waiting for him? He had to get there quickly.

Peerless Palace, the residence of Great Yan's Peerless Princess.

Ever since Peerless Princess had taken up the post of Young Marshal, she had rarely returned.

Yet this time, she had not only returned for the Four Nations New Year Martial Arts Tournament, but had also become the focal point of the event.

That was, a political marriage.

The news had already spread like wildfire throughout Yanjing.

And the proposed marriage partner was Little Wolf King Di Kun of the Wolf Court.

A super powerhouse whose bloodline had awakened.

It was said that if the two joined together, they might very well produce offspring with mutated bloodlines. After all, Great Yan's royal family had once carried extraordinary bloodlines as well, but awakened descendants had become fewer and fewer with each generation.

By Peerless Princess's generation, bloodline awakeners had already vanished entirely.

Among the previous generation was the current King Yanbei. But because he refused to submit to Great Yan's current King Yan, he had gone down the road of opposition, intending to replace Great Yan and establish himself as king.

Rumors had spread that marrying Peerless Princess would not be so easy. At the very least, one needed extraordinary talent.

Moreover, the royal family had yet to agree.

Perhaps it would only be decided after the tournament.

Yet from Old Ancestor Tianyan's words, Lu Chen felt that someone was muddying the waters.

His primary suspect was Tianyu Academy.

Marrying the royal family's foremost prodigy far away would greatly reduce Tianyu's future obstacles in plotting for Great Yan.

Of course, it was also possible that King Yanbei's people were secretly pushing this forward, removing the Young Marshal of Yan who stood in their way.

Holding his invitation, Lu Chen was led into Peerless Palace and arrived at a place that resembled an immortal realm.

Cloud and mist drifted around jade steps and exquisite towers, while the crisp chiming of wind bells at the palace eaves sounded from time to time.

White jade lotus platforms floated across the misty lake, every petal inlaid with luminous pearls that cast shimmering ripples across the water.

Foot-long koi swam through the lake, occasionally leaping from the surface and sending rings of ripples spreading outward.

Within the magnificent banquet hall, dozens of prodigies sat or stood in varying postures.

Beside a long sandalwood table carved with floral patterns on the left, a youth dressed in black martial attire was toying with the jade pendant at his waist.

With sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, and a cold demeanor, the sword at his waist revealed its sharp edge. One glance was enough to tell he was a swordsmanship prodigy—Lu Yang, the genius of Great Qi.

On a soft cushion embroidered with auspicious cranes and cloud patterns on the right, a woman in red lightly waved a round fan, the landscape painting upon it vivid as life.

Her eyes glimmered and shifted, every glance radiant, displaying an utterly gentle and graceful beauty.

Lu Chen's gaze paused on her, and his face twitched.

He truly did not understand why a woman had come to join in this excitement.

Still, Lu Chen could roughly guess who she was: Zhu Sha, Great Liang's prodigy, whose strength was unfathomable.

The other cultivators either rested with their eyes closed or conversed quietly. Spiritual energy swirled around them, displaying their impressive cultivation.

The tables were laden with delicacies from mountains and seas, each as exquisite as a work of art.

As palace maids passed by carrying jade trays, the grapes upon them looked as though they had been carved from purple crystal. Their enticing fruity fragrance made mouths water.

Ignoring the gazes gathering on him, Lu Chen swept his eyes around. When he did not see the person he wanted to meet, disappointment rose within him.

He found a seat in a corner and beckoned to a young palace maid.

"Young Master, what are your orders?"

The young palace maid's voice was crisp, like spring water tinkling over stones.

Lu Chen smiled gently. "Report to Peerless Princess that Lu Chen has arrived!"

The young palace maid froze for a moment, then covered her mouth and smiled. "Young Master Lu, aside from you having received an invitation, everyone present has one as well. Please wait patiently!"

Lu Chen's lips twitched. Of course he knew that.

He was indirectly trying to let Yun Niang know he was here.

Who would have thought the little palace maid would look down on him instead?

Weren't they all supposed to be clever and perceptive? How could she fail to catch the meaning behind his words?

"Fine, go tend to your duties!" Lu Chen waved his hand.

"You're really full of yourself. You even want to notify the princess. Why not have the princess send someone to Tianyan to fetch you? What a joke!"

Someone diagonally opposite him suddenly sneered.

"Can't stand the sight of me?" Lu Chen slanted his eyes at him.

Damn it, since Yun Niang had said to cripple Little Wolf King, should he take out a few more while he was at it?

His cultivation had improved, and the various furnaces now had quite a bit more space. He could store more energy for later use.

"Looks like you have some self-awareness. I thought you were truly some country bumpkin!" The other man wore an arrogant expression.

Whoosh!

Just as the man tipped back his head to drink, Lu Chen suddenly vanished. He appeared behind him, pressed down on his head, and viciously smashed it into the table.

The entire tabletop exploded apart amid his screams.

Snot ran everywhere, blood streamed down his face, and he was disfigured on the spot.

The hall abruptly fell silent. At the sight, the palace maids hurriedly retreated far away.

"Ah, go to hell!" Pang Rong nearly went insane.

As the son of the Duke Protector of the State, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

With a flick of his hand, cold light flashed, and a dagger shot straight toward Lu Chen's throat.

Clang!

With a crisp ring, a palm-sized piece of white astral armor emerged at Lu Chen's neck.

It not only blocked the attack, but also shattered the other man's dagger.

Pang Rong's expression changed. Just as he was about to move, his neck tightened as Lu Chen seized him and smashed him viciously into the floor.

Just now it had been the tabletop; now it was the hard stone floor.

Everyone heard the sound of bones breaking, and their bodies all shuddered.

Worthy of being the fierce man who had blocked Tianyu Academy's gates. He beat the Duke Protector of the State's son without hesitation or mercy!

"Lu Chen, you country bumpkin! If you've got the guts, kill me! Fuck your mother! After this, I'll kill you!"

Boom!

Lu Chen grabbed his head, lifted him up, and smashed him brutally into the floor again.

"Country bumpkin..."

Boom!

"Beast..."

Boom!

"I..."

Boom!

After four or five blows, the hall became completely silent.

Lu Chen clapped his hands, spat on Pang Rong, and cursed:

"I hate trash like you most—no real skill, yet that filthy mouth never stops. You're begging to be taught a lesson!"

"Who else has an objection?" Lu Chen swept his gaze around and asked coldly.

"Hehe..." A soft laugh suddenly rang out.

Lu Chen looked over.

It was Lu Yang, the black-clad youth from Great Qi.

"You have an objection?"

Lu Yang shook his head. "I wouldn't dare. Great Yan has so many prodigies—I'm afraid of being torn alive. It's just that the main character has yet to arrive, and you're already stealing the spotlight. I think Little Wolf King will definitely be interested in you!"

Lu Chen gave a cold smile. "I'm interested in him too. I want to see what sort of toad he is, daring to seek a marriage alliance with our Great Yan princess. First, let's see whether he can get past me."

"And the rest of you here should also dismiss those thoughts in your hearts. Whoever jumps out, I'll pin down their head!"

As he spoke, he pointed at Pang Rong, who lay limp on the floor. "He is your example. If you still refuse to know what's good for you, then we'll see whether my blade is sharper or your mouths are tougher."

Pfft!

Suddenly, a soft laugh came from a corner of the hall, especially piercing in the silence.