Chapter 192: Chapter 181: Excuse Me, What Is Your Strength?

"Huh? How could this be..."

When Zhao Yan first attacked, both Luoqing City and Yalian had been certain the young man was a dead man. But now, seeing the scene before them, their jaws nearly hit the floor. Their minds went blank, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

’Zhao Yan, a Peak Qi Sect expert several times stronger than even King Ning, was just swatted away like a fly...’

’Are we dreaming?!’

The two of them rubbed their eyes hard. The scene remained unchanged. They weren’t dreaming. Forcing down their shock, they turned to look at the young man before them.

’He casually swatted away the attack of a Peak Powerhouse of Qi Sect... Just how strong is he?’

"You dare wound me? Today, only one of us is walking away from this!"

Struggling to pull himself from the wall, Zhao Yan let out a savage roar. A large saber had already appeared in his hand.

The saber was pitch-black, shimmering with a flowing light and emitting a halo of energy. It was a Royal Family’s Top-Grade weapon!

"Nie Yun, watch out! That’s the Dragon-Slaying Saber! It’s said to have once slaughtered a descendant of the Dragon Race. Its power is boundless..."

Seeing Zhao Yan draw his weapon in a fit of rage and shame, a look of worry once again crossed Luoqing City’s face.

Zhao Yan’s Dragon-Slaying Saber was famous throughout Divine Wind City. It was a Royal Family’s Top-Grade weapon, and with a single slash, it could unleash rolling waves of Qi that few dared to face directly.

After all, in the Imperial Capital, Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses rarely made a move. With them out of the picture, a Peak of Qi Sect expert like him, armed with a Royal Family’s Top-Grade weapon, was considered to be at the very apex of power.

It was precisely because she knew of Zhao Yan’s strength and reputation that Luoqing City, despite her anger, hadn’t dared to say much before.

"Forcing me to draw my Dragon-Slaying Saber... you can die without regrets! Royal Family’s Top-Grade Martial Art, Overlord Dragon Arrogant Heaven!"

With a furious roar and a savage expression, Zhao Yan raised his wrist. The Dragon-Slaying Saber in his hand instantly unleashed a powerful current of Qi, cleaving straight down at Nie Yun!

RUMBLE!

The blade had yet to arrive, but its immense pressure came first. A scorching wave of Qi, like a heaven-cleaving axe, shattered the void as it bore down on Nie Yun.

"Overlord Dragon Arrogant Heaven? Sounds more like ’Arrogant Maggot’ to me."

Faced with his opponent’s powerful attack, Nie Yun couldn’t even be bothered to draw his Profound Jade Sword. He simply met the wave of Qi with his fist and punched forward.

CRACK! BOOM!

With a sharp crack, his fist broke through the wave of Qi and struck the Dragon-Slaying Saber. The famed Divine Weapon of the Royal Family’s Top Grade, renowned throughout the Divine Wind Empire, shattered like glass striking stone. With the sound of splintering metal, it broke into a pile of scrap iron, falling to the ground with a CLANG! CLANG!

Although he hadn’t yet reached Great Success in the third level of his Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique, Nie Yun’s physical Defense was already comparable to a Royal Family weapon. Combining such a defense with the immense power of the Ultimate Venerable Level—and striking the flat of the Dragon-Slaying Saber’s blade, no less—how could it possibly have held up?

In a single blow, all that remained of the Dragon-Slaying Saber was a bare, utterly pathetic-looking hilt.

"Ah... Impossible! Even Ancestor Zhao Xun couldn’t shatter the Dragon-Slaying Saber with a single, bare-fisted punch! I don’t believe it..."

Staring at the hilt in his hand, Zhao Yan felt like he was going insane.

Others might not have known how tough the Dragon-Slaying Saber was, but he knew perfectly well. To shatter it with one punch, without using a weapon... Was this man even human? Not even an Ultimate Venerable Level demonic beast had a fist that strong!

If Zhao Yan was going mad, Luoqing City and Yalian were on the verge of a total breakdown.

"Qing...cheng... your... friend... he’s... so... powerful..."

Yalian’s lips trembled. She stared at the young man, who was standing there with a faint smile, her eyes wide as she struggled to get the words out.

’Shattering a Royal Family’s Top-Grade weapon with a single punch! The shock of it was just too much!’

’It was completely beyond the scope of their imagination!’

"All right, you can stop your gawking. Time to die."

Nie Yun had never been one for mercy. This man had dared to threaten Luoqing City, and he had dared to threaten him. In Nie Yun’s mind, he had already committed a capital offense. Seeing him still roaring in madness, Nie Yun just shook his head with a sigh and slapped out.

SPLAT!

Before Zhao Yan could even react, he was turned into a meat patty, plastered to the ground, all signs of life extinguished.

Even the most Ordinary Ultimate Venerable was no match for someone at the Peak of Qi Sect, to say nothing of an Ultimate Venerable like Nie Yun.

Although Nie Yun was still technically at the Early-Stage Ultimate Venerable level, his foundation was incredibly deep. Both his physical body and his True Qi Power were astonishingly great, not far off from a Late-Stage Ultimate Venerable. If he were to unleash his Momentum of Mountains and Rivers and Momentum of the Earth, he could kill even an Ultimate Venerable Peak with a single slap, let alone a minor figure at the Peak of Qi Sect like Zhao Yan!

"Qingcheng, what exactly happened? Do you know anything about City Lord Luoo’s disappearance?"

Having dealt with Zhao Yan, Nie Yun fixed his gaze on the young woman.

"I do," she said. The question seemed to pull her from her shock, but a shadow of sorrow flickered in her eyes.

"You do?" Nie Yun’s brow furrowed. "If you know, then why would you agree to marry Zhao Xingpu at a time like this?"

"It’s *for* my father!" Luoqing City shook her head. "Zhao Xingpu said he had news about him. He said that if I married him, he would find a way to rescue him! You know I have nothing... If I wanted to save my father, I had no choice but to agree..."

"Zhao Xingpu knows about your father?" Nie Yun’s eyes narrowed.

’Could it be the Zhao Family?’

’My father, my family, and City Lord Luoo were all captured for the same reason. If Zhao Xingpu knows where City Lord Luoo is, then he probably knows where my father and the others are, too!’

’They might even be imprisoned in the same place!’

’The culprits were so careful that they sent an Assassin Master to silence any leaks. The fact that Zhao Xingpu knows anything at all makes me suspect the Zhao Family is behind this!’

’If they’re really the ones behind this, I won’t hesitate to upend the entire Zhao Family and force them to relive the tragedy from my past life!’

His fists clenched, and a torrential killing intent surged from him.

’In my past life, because of what happened to Tie Lan, I annihilated the three great families and the Divine Wind Empire’s Imperial Family. In this life, if the Zhao Family truly dares to lay a hand on my family, I don’t mind making them suffer the same fate—a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses!’

"Yes. He knows that my father was captured, but as for how he found out, I have no idea," Luoqing City said with a sigh.

"It seems the investigation will start with the Zhao Family, then," Nie Yun said with a cold snort. He then looked at the young woman. "It’s clear you don’t want to marry this Zhao Xingpu. As long as you refuse, I can make sure you won’t have to."

"You can make it so I don’t have to marry him? But... what about my father?"

Luoqing City’s eyes lit up for a moment, only to dim again at the thought of her father.

"My parents, my brother, and my sister have all been captured as well. I suspect it was by the same power that took your father," Nie Yun stated plainly. "So, if you trust me, leave this to me. I will definitely be able to rescue him."

"Your parents... they were all captured, too?" Hearing his words, the young woman’s heart trembled. Her own father’s capture had been heart-wrenching enough; she could only imagine the anxiety he must feel with his parents, sister, and brother all taken.

"Are you... Lord Yun? May I ask you something...? What level has your strength reached?"

As the two were talking, Yalian, who had been standing off to the side, suddenly and cautiously posed the question.