As Ye Tian's words fell, the crowd erupted.
"What's wrong with this brat? Does he have a death wish?"
"Exactly! Zhang Yue is the Zhang Clan head's only son, yet he actually dared to beat him in the street!"
"Even the City Guard commander stepped in to protect him and give him a way out, but he's still shouting here!"
"When Heaven brings calamity, there may yet be forgiveness; when you bring it upon yourself, there is no surviving it!"
"Just wait. This brat is dead for sure!"
"..."
Seeing Ye Tian court death, Zhang Yue's face immediately flashed with a sinister smile.
If the commander insisted on using the Holy City's laws to restrain him, there really wasn't anything he could do about this brat.
He could only let him live a few more days and find an opportunity to act outside the Holy City.
Now that he was courting death himself, he couldn't blame Zhang Yue.
"Commander, you saw it yourself. This brat doesn't agree either!"
At this, anger stirred in the commander's heart.
Had this matter not involved the Zhang Clan, he wouldn't have bothered intervening.
Instead, his cleverness had backfired. Not only had that brat not been killed, but he had also been left unable to save face before the crowd.
He looked at Ye Tian, a trace of tangible killing intent flashing through his eyes.
"Where is the City Guard?"
His voice was indifferent.
"Here!"
Four soldiers in black-and-blue armor immediately appeared.
"These two disregarded the Holy City's laws, fought in the street, and disrupted public order. Take them both to Blood Prison!"
As the commander's words fell, everyone who heard them was horrified.
"Blood Prison!"
"They say everyone locked up in Blood Prison is a vicious criminal. Every prisoner inside is tortured to the utmost, then dies after every last bit of their value has been squeezed out!"
"This brat is finished. No one who goes in there ever comes out!"
"He has only himself to blame for courting death and angering the commander!"
"That young master of the Zhang Clan will probably just tour the prison and then swagger right out! But that brat is in for a world of trouble!"
"..."
A vicious look appeared in the commander's eyes.
Hmph! You damned brat. Just see how I work you over once you're in prison!
Just as the four soldiers reached for Ye Tian with vicious grins, his eyes remained as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple!
"I want to challenge him to a duel to the death!"
He looked straight at the commander and pointed his right hand at Zhang Yue. His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally firm.
What?
Everyone was shocked.
The Holy City did indeed have a rule that, if two people bore a grudge, one could challenge the other to a duel to the death.
The other party could accept or refuse.
But could Zhang Yue refuse Ye Tian's challenge?
No, because he was the Zhang Clan's young master and represented its dignity. If he didn't even dare accept an ant's challenge, not only he but the entire Zhang Clan would become a laughingstock.
Yet there was not a trace of panic on Zhang Yue's face, even though he was no match for Ye Tian at all.
You think you can kill me this way?
How naive!
An ant doesn't even have the right to issue a challenge!
He looked at Ye Tian and thought to himself, his face filled with mockery.
Hearing this, the commander also began to sneer. "The duel can be discussed later. First, we'll try your case for fighting in public!"
"Take them away!"
Seeing the commander openly shield Zhang Yue, Ye Tian suppressed his anger and said, "Commander, according to the Holy City's laws, shouldn't a duel take precedence?"
"Insolence! Naturally, I'm the one who decides what the Holy City's laws say!"
"You lowborn wretch, do you think you're worthy of discussing the Holy City's laws before me?"
Seeing Ye Tian still dare to talk back, the commander flew into a rage.
"This boy has shown disrespect toward the Holy City. Under the Holy City's laws, he is sentenced to death!"
He struck directly, intending to slap Ye Tian to death in the street.
At this, fury blazed in Ye Tian's heart, but his strength was far too weak. Under that intense pressure, he couldn't even move.
Everyone around him also believed Ye Tian was certain to die.
"Alas! This brat is dead for sure!"
"What an utter fool, throwing away his life for a junior sister!"
"He sought death himself. He can't blame anyone else!"
"..."
Zhang Yue stood to one side, a savage smile gradually spreading across his face.
"This is what happens when you offend my Zhang Clan!"
"In the Holy City, my Zhang Clan is Heaven itself! Even a Saint would have to lie down obediently before me!"
Yet just as the commander's palm was about to touch Ye Tian, an exceedingly dazzling burst of light suddenly appeared on Ye Tian's body.
Immediately afterward, a tremendous force like mountains and seas struck. The commander's body shot backward like a kite with its string cut, smashing through dozens of tall buildings before finally crashing to the ground.
Boom!!!
An enormous crater instantly formed in the ground, and spiderweb cracks spread wildly in every direction.
When the dust settled, everyone witnessed a sight they would never forget.
Standing in the sky was the phantom of a man, a thousand zhang tall.
The man had sword-like brows and starry eyes, his bearing graceful and handsome, like an immortal from the heavens.
It was none other than Ye Chen.
"This is... a Saint Realm presence!"
Deep within the Holy City's City Lord's residence, an old man abruptly opened his eyes.
Then he took a single step and arrived directly at the scene.
"Senior, may I ask what brings you to our Holy City?"
The old man bowed slightly to the phantom in the sky. His expression remained composed, but towering waves of shock surged in his heart.
He hadn't expected the presence he had sensed to belong to nothing more than a phantom.
If even a phantom was this powerful, how strong must the man himself be?
A Great Saint? Or a Saint King?
He didn't dare imagine anything higher.
After all, he was merely a lowly Saint, and only in the early stage at that.
The crowd also paled in shock upon seeing the newcomer.
"This... this is the City Lord!"
"They say the City Lord hasn't shown himself for nearly a thousand years. I never thought we'd get to see his true face today!"
"The City Lord is a Saint! I actually saw a living Saint today!"
"But why is the City Lord bowing to that phantom?"
"C-could it be..."
That a Saint would actually bow to a phantom was truly unimaginable.
Ye Chen's phantom paid no attention to the old man and merely turned his gaze toward Ye Tian.
At that moment, Ye Tian became the focus of countless eyes.
Those gazes were filled with envy, jealousy, curiosity, and fear.
"Young friend, please tell me what you need. I am the City Lord, and I will certainly fulfill your request!"
The Holy City's City Lord spoke with a smile.
Ye Tian had also been somewhat dazed. Only upon hearing the old man's voice did he come to his senses.
It must be that big brother protecting me!
He pointed at Zhang Yue again and said, "I want to duel him!"
He had finally found a second home, only for Zhang Yue to destroy it. He swore he would kill him with his own hands.
Zhang Yue had also been terrified by the phantom that suddenly appeared on Ye Tian's body.
Even his clan's ancestor had never subjected him to such immense pressure.
He had never imagined that the brat he regarded as nothing more than an ant would have such a big shot behind him.
Seeing that Ye Tian still wanted to duel him, he nearly wet himself in fright.
He dropped to his knees and cried, "Grandpa Yun, save me! Save me!"
The Holy City's City Lord looked at Zhang Yue, a trace of disgust in his eyes.
But Zhang Yue's ancestor was an elder of the Heavenly Origin Holy Land, just like him, and was about to advance to Saint.
Thus, Zhang Yue absolutely could not die, or he would have trouble accounting for it.
After a moment's silence, he said to the two of them, "Very well. Since that's the case, rest and recover for a while. In one hour, you two will duel here!"
As he spoke, he quietly crushed the communication stone in his hand!