The blond man screamed in agony, yet he didn’t stop retreating. He was afraid—afraid he would be killed. Only then did the sword light from the Golden Thunder Slash strike the ground, cutting a fissure seven to eight meters long that snaked right up to his side, making him tremble in fright.

Meanwhile, the attacks from the two women had arrived. Yang Qi paid them no mind, allowing their attacks to land on his body. They only managed to slice through his Protective Spirit Energy before being effortlessly blocked by his Stone Armor Technique, unable to leave even the slightest mark on him.

The blond man stared fixedly at Yang Qi, while the two women, panic-stricken, retreated a safe distance.

Their attacks couldn’t even injure him? Wasn’t Yang Qi just a Tenth Rank Great Grandmaster? How could he be so monstrously powerful? Terrifying! Truly terrifying! Was he even human? He was clearly a Tenth Rank Great Grandmaster, yet he was more horrifying than Martial Arts Overlords and Half-step Overlords like them. How did he even cultivate?

The blond man didn’t understand, and neither did the two women.

When did such a terrifying prodigy appear in Jingnan Prefecture? This was truly earth-shaking.

"The three of you, don’t be afraid!" Kong Renyi shouted. "This person possesses a special swordsmanship technique. Even that waste Kong Tianjian became unbelievably terrifying after learning it. You must not fear him! If you can capture him, you will certainly become stronger, and you will definitely achieve a higher ranking with the King of Jingnan!"

He was truly afraid that the trio would be intimidated by Yang Qi. If that happened, their Kong Family would be finished. With no one else to help them, all their hopes rested on these three people.

Hearing this, the trio’s eyes lit up. The two women wielded swords and naturally coveted such a technique. Although the blond man did not use a sword, he could still start from scratch if it were a top-tier Martial Arts Method. As long as it made them stronger, Martial Artists weren’t so stubborn; if one could wield a sword today, one could wield a saber tomorrow.

The three exchanged glances and gritted their teeth. They began to burn their vital energy. This seemed to be a specialty of the Jingnan Royal Mansion, as everyone there apparently knew this sinister Martial Arts. After burning their vital energy, both their strength and speed increased significantly.

"Kill him, and the swordsmanship is ours!" the blond man suddenly moved, the lightning around his fists turning blood-red.

"You think you’re worthy of my swordsmanship? Even if I gave it to you, could you take it?" Yang Qi sneered contemptuously, his gaze sweeping over the world. The lightning on the golden sword in his right hand grew even more ferocious. In his left hand, a fiery red fist materialized, burning with savage flames.

The blond man did not retreat. Greed made him fiercer and more fearless of death. After burning his vital energy, he needed to fight swiftly and decisively, with no time for second thoughts. In an instant, he was upon Yang Qi. He launched both fists simultaneously, the blood-colored lightning roaring as if alive. He believed that, at this moment, Yang Qi couldn’t possibly dodge his attack. "Boy, the Jingnan Royal Mansion is not for you to insult! Die!"

"Truly courting death, aren’t you?" Yang Qi laughed.

This smile sent a shiver through the hearts of the blond man and the two women, who all felt an ominous premonition. Before they could understand what was happening, they suddenly found that they couldn’t move. Their bodies were rapidly freezing, and even their thoughts were becoming sluggish.

Cold Ice Chains!

Yang Qi had appeared to be preparing his Fire Fist Skill and Golden Thunder Slash, but in reality, he had also deployed the Cold Ice Chains to ensure all three were trapped at the same time.

"You can’t kill me!" the blond man shrieked in terror. "I’m one of the King of Jingnan’s men, ranked sixth on the True Martial White Tower! If you dare to kill me, you’re a dead man!"

His answer was Yang Qi’s Golden Thunder Slash.

With a single stroke of the sword, the blond man’s voice came to an abrupt halt. He was dead, utterly vanished from the world.

Terror filled the two women’s faces. They wanted to flee, but they found the Cold Ice Chains growing colder and colder, making escape impossible.

The blond man is dead! The strongest of the five who came this time has just died, killed at the hands of a youth in his twenties. How is this possible? They couldn’t accept it; despair flooded their hearts.

The one who felt the most despair, however, was Kong Renyi. The moment the blond man was killed, he knew he was finished. Everything was ruined. The Kong Family was doomed, and so was he. This young man was like a Daluo Golden Immortal, not on the same level as their mundane existence at all. He had thought Yang Qi was just a bit stronger, but now he realized he was wrong—utterly wrong. Yang Qi wasn’t just "a bit stronger"; he was overwhelmingly powerful.

At this moment, he was overcome with regret. He finally understood why Kong Tianjian would rather be crippled to follow Yang Qi, why he would rather be expelled from the family than offend Yang Qi, and why he had desperately pleaded with the Kong Family to side with Yang Qi, even to the point of turning against them and being beaten half to death, yet never changing his mind.

What a fool I’ve been. If I had chosen the right side back then, we could have obtained that powerful swordsmanship, too. It would have been a meteoric rise! The four major clans and six great families? The Tang Family of Sea City? The Kong Family might have ridden a rocket to the top to become the number one family in the Dragon Country! Such regret! How could I have been so stupid to only realize all of this now? But it’s too late. Completely and utterly too late.

While Kong Renyi was lost in these thoughts, Yang Qi had already crippled the two women. This ruthless act plunged Kong Renyi even deeper into despair. Begging Yang Qi for mercy seemed impossible now. Today, he and his son, Kong Yu, were inescapably doomed.

"Do you see now, Kong Renyi? Is this everything you wanted?" Yang Qi glared at him. "It’s because of your greed and your arrogance that you’ve brought the Kong Family to this state. You are the greatest sinner behind your family’s downfall. You should atone for your sins to everyone in the Kong Family with your life! I’ll give you a chance. End it yourself."

"Yang Qi, what does killing me accomplish? Even if you kill me, you will die sooner or later, too. You’ve offended the Tang Family of Sea City, and now you’ve offended the King of Jingnan. Do you really think you can survive? Yes, I am the sinner of the Kong Family! I deserve to die! I’ll be waiting for you down below! HA HA HA HA!" Kong Renyi burst into hysterical laughter.

"Mr. Yang, I don’t want to die! I really don’t want to die! It was all this old man’s doing! I was forced, too! Please, I’m begging you, spare me!" Kong Yu pushed all responsibility onto his father, pleading for Yang Qi’s forgiveness. He didn’t want to die. He was still young, and he wanted to live his life.