"Impossible! How can he be this powerful?!!"
"What kind of technique is that?"
"I surrender!"
On the arena platform, the geniuses had swarmed him all at once. Now, only a few remained.
Su Chen was like a god of war!
He floated in the air, the golden longsword in his hand stained with the blood of the geniuses, his arrogant gaze sweeping over the experts who now surrounded him.
Three years.
No one knew what crises he had endured for the sake of his cultivation these past three years.
It was all to wipe away the humiliation from three years ago at the Perennis Immortal Palace.
He had stepped openly into the Aeternus Sect, and among the younger generation, he had no equal!
"Immortal Master Qi Yue!"
Su Chen immediately found the elder who had returned the Li family's betrothal gifts all those years ago.
His voice was low, "Today, I have become the number one person in the Aeternus Sect's grand competition. What do you say to that?"
"You...!" Immortal Master Qi Yue's expression changed.
But he looked toward Li Yunlin and the Prefecture Lord on the viewing stand, helpless to do anything.
Su Chen sneered, then floated down before the stand. Retracting his golden sword, he bowed to Li Yunlin and Li Yunbing.
"Greetings, Grand Elder. Greetings, Prefecture Lord! This disciple, Su Chen, has not failed the hopes of the Azure Cloud Region and the Skyveil Sect. I have taken first place in the Duravia Trade Prefecture's grand competition."
"Good, good, good." Li Yunlin was extremely gratified.
Li Yunbing's gaze swept over the surrounding Aeternus Sect disciples and elders.
He smiled faintly and said, "Su Chen, first place in the Duravia Trade Prefecture's grand competition deserves a reward. Today, this Prefecture Lord is pleased. I wonder, what is it you desire?"
"This disciple asks for nothing else." Su Chen's expression was respectful.
"This disciple has a woman he loves in the Aeternus Sect, by the name of Liu Rusi. But the Aeternus Sect has deliberately obstructed this. This disciple only wishes that the Aeternus Sect return Liu Rusi to my side!"
"Oh?" Li Yunbing's expression was teasing as he looked toward Daoist Kongxing and Immortal Master Qi Yue.
"This is quite the interesting tale. You two, is there such a matter?"
"This..."
The two elders' expressions were ugly.
Beside them, Ding Yuanxiao had already slapped the table and shot to his feet, angrily rebuking Su Chen,
"Laughable! My Ding family and the Liu family have intermarried for generations. My family's disciple, Ding Zerui, and Liu Rusi have long had a marriage contract.
We merely returned your betrothal gifts back then, and now you bring this old matter up again. Where does this leave the face of my Ding family?"
His words finished, He looked toward Li Yunbing, though he was still restrained.
"Prefecture Lord Jiang, this is a matter of face. I must ask you to consider it carefully. Otherwise, I fear my Ding family will no longer have the face to survive in the Duravia Trade Prefecture."
The moment these words were spoken, the entire Aeternus Sect erupted in an uproar.
Just then, a disciple from the Aeternus Sect rushed forward, his expression filled with grief and indignation.
"Reporting to the two Elders, my... my sect's two senior brothers... have been killed in battle!"
"What?!!"
Everyone's expression changed. They watched as Immortal Master Qi Yue and Daoist Kongxing hurried toward the arena platform, only to see two disciples already lying in a pool of blood.
Li Yunbing's expression was ugly, yet a trace of cunning flashed in his eyes. "Just as I expected."
This disciple competition was supposed to be a friendly exchange; if a disciple died, the matter would be enormous.
But looking at the Aeternus Sect's outer sect elders in the distance, not a single one showed the slightest bit of tension. Li Yunbing could figure out how those two disciples had died without even thinking.
"Su Chen!!!"
Immortal Master Qi Yue rose into the air and roared at Su Chen. The oppressive might of a peak Divinity Transformation expert descended upon him.
"To kill my sect's genius within my Aeternus Sect—you are courting death!"
Yet, just as the oppressive might arrived, Li Yunlin had already waved his horsetail brush, and the pressure instantly dispersed.
"Everyone from the Aeternus Sect, your methods are crude."
In that instant, the atmosphere between the two sides grew incredibly tense, like swords drawn and crossbows strung.
In just a moment, the experts from the Aeternus Sect and the twelve Regions of the Duravia Trade Prefecture had already gathered together as one faction on the viewing stand.
They exchanged glances, and all could see the gravity in each other's eyes. Even at the risk of starting another war with the Li family, this child, Su Chen, must not be allowed to live!
Li Yunlin and Li Yunbing, on the other hand, appeared isolated and outnumbered.
"Prefecture Lord Jiang, Grand Elder Yunlin!"
Daoist Kongxing's expression softened slightly.
"Hand over Su Chen. Otherwise, a disciple of our sect was killed by an outsider within our own sect's grounds, and we elders cannot give an explanation.
That would truly make us a laughingstock.
Moreover, we have always looked to the Li family as our leaders. If you protect Su Chen, how will we be able to command respect if word of this gets out?"
"And what if I refuse to hand him over?"
"Hahaha!" Daoist Kongxing's eyes suddenly turned sharp. "Then we can only ask you two not to blame us for being impolite!"
As Daoist Kongxing's voice fell, the eyes of all the cultivators present were filled with anger.
Back then, the Duravia Trade Prefecture was invaded by the Li family and their people.
Now it has become the Li family's territory, and they have had to endure and give way at every turn.
Today, they stood on the side of reason, and Jiang Chenghuan and Li Yunlin were only two people!
Ding Yuanxiao of the Ding family had sharp, fierce eyes.
"It seems you truly hold my Ding family in no regard. Do you really believe I'm afraid of your Azure Cloud Region and Eternal Sun Prefecture!"
Sun Haotian of the Sun family, however, was more restrained.
He said in a grave voice, "Everyone, do not harm the lives of Grand Elder Yunlin and Prefecture Lord Jiang. Seize Su Chen!"
"Go!"
A monstrous Divinity Transformation aura erupted!
Yet Li Yunlin and Li Yunbing's expressions remained unchanged.
Just at this moment.
In the distance, spirit arks approached one after another, and from them, a loud laugh rang out.
"Hahaha! This Duravia Trade Prefecture is truly lively."
"You, the defeated generals of the past, do you really think there is no one left in our Azure Cloud today?"
"Nangong Xianliu, of the Nangong family from Eternal Sun Prefecture's Hundred Treasures Pavilion, greets you all."
"Mosquito Daoist of the Ethereal Immortal Grove, here on behalf of the Li family to send greetings to you all."
"Scholar Wuwen of the True Yang Faction, greets all you Seniors."
"..."
As the cultivators from Eternal Sun Prefecture arrived one by one, the expressions of all the experts from the Duravia Trade Prefecture and the great clans of the Aeternus Sect changed.
The spirit arks in the sky were a dense black mass, like dark clouds, and the auras upon them were boundless.
In the darkness, a killing intent from an unknown origin also lay hidden.
The people of the Duravia Trade Prefecture suddenly realized that the Li family's power was now far stronger than it had been when they attacked Prince Qian's Mansion!
Back then, the Li family was short on manpower because of the internal strife in Eternal Sun Prefecture.
But now... the experts of the four great powers of Eternal Sun Prefecture were available at any time, the Demon Clan that came last time had become a subordinate power of the Li family, the Divinity Transformation cultivators within the Hall of Heavenly Principle numbered at least seven, and there was also Skynet...
What made their scalps tingle even more was that, of all the Li family members who participated in the war at Prince Qian's Mansion back then, only Li Yunlin had come!