"Stop him! Stop him! The King of Jingnan’s experts are almost here!" the Kong Family elder shouted in panic, even as he himself retreated.

"Fire Fist: Fireworks!" Yang Qi roared, unleashing a terrifying technique.

In that instant, the sky filled with the shadows of burning fists.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Countless heavy strikes rained down, and all the experts protecting the Kong Family elder collapsed, their fates unknown.

"You! You! How is this possible!" the Kong Family elder trembled in fear.

Kong Renyi was scared out of his wits. Only now did they understand what kind of terrifying existence they had provoked. Yang Qi was simply not someone they could afford to offend.

"Run!"

The Kong Family elder fled frantically, hoping to gain the protection of the King of Jingnan’s powerful subordinates.

"Think you can escape? Cold Ice Chains!"

A chain shot out from Yang Qi’s body, directly ensnaring the fleeing elder. A bone-piercing cold seeped into the elder’s body, instantly turning him rigid.

Although the Cold Ice Chains hadn’t been enhanced, they were still very powerful. The effect was even more terrifying when used against martial artists weaker than himself.

CRACK!

With a crisp snap, the frozen Kong Family elder shattered into a cascade of ice flowers that scattered across the ground.

"Father—!" Kong Renyi screamed miserably. He finally understood what Kong Tianjian had meant. What kind of demon had they provoked?

At that moment, the five experts from the King of Jingnan finally appeared.

They were stunned by the carnage before them, freezing in their tracks. They had assumed this would be an easy task, just a matter of showing up. After all, with the Kong Family’s power, how many people in the entire Jingnan Prefecture could possibly defeat them? But what was this situation now?

The Kong Family Head, Kong Renyi, was lying on the ground, unable to rise. He was alive but completely immobilized. Kong Yu was in the same state. And the Kong Family elder had died a miserable death right on the spot.

Hadn’t the Kong Family been utterly destroyed?

"I beg you, five experts! Kill this dog-thief, and all of the Kong Family’s wealth is yours!"

Kong Renyi had lost his mind. All he wanted now was for Yang Qi to die. As long as Yang Qi was dead, he wouldn’t care about the cost.

"Very well!"

One of the five stepped forward, looking at Yang Qi with indifference. "Kid, you’ve gone too far. There was no need to be so cruel. I will be the one to kill you and deliver your body to the Tang Family of Sea City. Listen closely. My name is Duan Fei, and I am ranked tenth in the True Martial White Tower!"

The next moment, he attacked.

"Die!"

A violent aura whipped up a storm of energy.

Indeed, he was a Tenth Rank Great Grandmaster. No, this was more than a Tenth Rank Great Grandmaster—this was a Half-step Overlord!

This combat power is nearly on par with Wu Yonggui’s. Duan Fei, huh? To think that the tenth-ranked expert of the True Martial White Tower is this terrifying... how much stronger are the others?

Yang Qi had to take this seriously.

Cultivators might be strong, but the martial artists of this world cannot be underestimated.

"Die!"

With a cold shout, Duan Fei’s figure swooped toward Yang Qi like a mighty eagle. He brought with him a powerful wave of air that blasted the surrounding tables and chairs to smithereens.

This was the majesty of a Half-step Overlord! Truly formidable.

This single move was nearly on par with Wu Yonggui’s power. After all, Wu Yonggui was only an entry-level Overlord and not much stronger than Duan Fei. Even so, Duan Fei was still exceptionally strong.

If Duan Fei knew that Yang Qi had already killed two Martial Arts Overlords, he likely wouldn’t have attacked today.

The moment he neared Yang Qi, a battle saber appeared in Duan Fei’s hand. "Kid, I’ll show you what a Half-step Overlord is! And what a true powerhouse can do!"

The power of this saber strike was shocking, but it still fell short of Wu Yonggui’s attacks and was a far cry from Mitsuhide Kamishiro’s. Yang Qi might be wary of an attack from Mitsuhide Kamishiro, but he gave Duan Fei’s attack no second thought.

He casually extended his right hand and flicked a finger. His fingernail tapped against the blade of the saber.

VMMMM!

A powerful tremor ran through the blade.

The next moment, Duan Fei was sent staggering back while Yang Qi stood his ground, a disdainful smile on his face. "Heh, is this the combat power of a Half-step Overlord? I’m not impressed. Is that the attack you wanted to show me? Are you trying to make me laugh?"

"You bastard! How dare you look down on me! I was just underestimating you and didn’t use my full strength. Try and block this one!"

With an enraged roar, Duan Fei once again soared into the air. He slashed directly down at Yang Qi’s head, his terrifying Sword Radiance seeming to coalesce into a physical blade.

Yang Qi chuckled. "A bit stronger than before, but it’s still not good enough to serve as my nail clipper. It can’t even scratch my fingernail!"

With that, he once again raised a single finger, tapping his nail against the saber’s edge.

BOOM!

This time, Duan Fei was thrown back even more violently, nearly losing the grip on his battle saber.

If not for Yang Qi needing to learn combat techniques through battle, Duan Fei would likely be dead already. Yang Qi’s only weakness was his lack of combat experience. Therefore, he cherished every battle. As long as he was calm, he would treat every fight, regardless of the opponent’s strength, as a chance to spar and learn from their strengths.

The old saying, "one can learn from anyone," was no empty platitude; it was a truth concluded from real combat.

BANG!

Duan Fei crashed to the ground, his saber hand trembling uncontrollably. His heart burned with extreme irritation after his earlier arrogance.

To be so thoroughly humiliated... is my saber really just a nail clipper to him? This is so damn frustrating!

"You’ve disappointed me greatly. If this is all you’re capable of, then this battle should end. I heard the King of Jingnan’s subordinates are even stronger than the directors of the Heavenly Dog Society. You’re not bad, but unfortunately, you’re not much stronger than they were."

Yang Qi shook his head and gestured to Duan Fei with a hooked finger. "Cherish the opportunity. You don’t have many attacks left. In fact, this might be your last."

At that moment, Kong Renyi was shocked beyond words.

This Duan Fei could kill me with a single blow, yet before Yang Qi, he’s being toyed with effortlessly. A single finger blocked Duan Fei’s ferocious attack. What hope is there left in this fight? How can Yang Qi be so terrifying? Even someone who started cultivating in the womb couldn’t be this monstrous. It’s truly horrifying!

Kong Renyi was drowning in regret.

Why did I have to offend such a madman? I could have used my connection with Kong Tianjian to build a relationship with Yang Qi. If I had, the Kong Family would have soared to new heights. But I made a foolish choice, and now I’m left with this humiliating result.