C12 Someone from the Main City

Yuan Ling stood amidst the crowd, his brow furrowed as he fixed his gaze on the golden-armored knight.

He had only just heard the two village chiefs mention Qian City, and now, unexpectedly, he was face-to-face with one of its representatives.

Yet, observing the knight, Yuan Ling felt a tinge of confusion.

"The baptism site this time is Yuan Town. How can these people not know the way?"

"Are they that conceited in the Main City, to so blatantly scorn me? They're even more irksome than Yuan Kong!"

Beside Yuan Ling, Yuan Mu pursed his lips, grumbling under his breath without realizing his own volume.

Yuan Ling's face shifted. Though Yuan Mu's complaints were hushed, they were not likely to escape the ears of a Level Nine Martial Artist.

Before Yuan Ling could gather his thoughts, the knight's piercing gaze had fixed on Yuan Mu.

The frosty stare sent a shiver through Yuan Mu, nearly sapping him of his strength.

Yuan Ling's expression turned stern as he stepped in front of Yuan Mu, letting out a derisive laugh.

"So this is the prowess of Qian City's finest? A Level Nine Martial Artist using his presence to intimidate a mere ten-year-old child. Impressive show of force, indeed."

The young knight was taken aback by Yuan Ling's boldness. He had indeed exerted some of his aura to pressure Yuan Mu.

To him, it seemed trivial, for Yuan Mu was nothing more than a distant relative fit only for servitude.

What caught him off guard was Yuan Ling's ability to discern his level of cultivation.

It was commonly understood that one's martial realm could not be perceived by another unless they were significantly more advanced.

The knight could tell at a glance that Yuan Ling hadn't unlocked even a single meridian.

The gap between them was vast, like that between sky and earth. How could Yuan Ling possibly have detected his level of cultivation?

The knight found Yuan Ling peculiar and with a cold smirk, he retorted, "What's become of people these days? Even hairless whelps dare to challenge me. Do I look like someone who can be easily bullied?"

His taunt was cut short as his eyes narrowed and a formidable aura burst forth, bearing down on Yuan Ling.

This development caught everyone off guard, including the Village Chief and Yuan Zheng.

They were well aware of the Yuan family descendants from the Four Main Cities being difficult and overbearing, but they had not anticipated such blatant shamelessness from the young knight before them.

A Level Nine Martial Artist, nearly at the pinnacle of perfection, was actually bullying a ten-year-old child. How utterly disgraceful!

"Stop!"

The Village Chief and Yuan Zheng were instantly furious.

Yuan Ling, the sole son of Yuan Yi, was precious. Any harm to him would be indefensible.

Yuan Zheng, nearest to Yuan Ling, burst forth with his powerful aura, confronting the young man in an attempt to halt his aggression.

Yuan Zheng's aura was formidable, signifying he too had reached the stage of perfection. The young knight, initially taken aback, soon let a cold smirk play across his lips.

He showed no signs of stopping, his aura intensifying even further.

In that moment, his gaze turned icy, as piercing as a knife.

"Kid, if you don't back down now, I'll show no mercy!"

The Village Chief was equally incensed, but it was too late to intervene with the young knight.

Even his cultivation at the Hidden Consciousness Stage was of no avail.

Yet, the next moment left both Yuan Zheng and the Village Chief dumbfounded.

Yuan Ling stood as usual, his gaze scornful, locking eyes with the young knight astride his horse.

What was going on?

The young knight's aura surged again, relentlessly pressuring Yuan Ling.

But Yuan Ling seemed utterly unfazed, simply standing his ground.

Their eyes met, both silently acknowledging the strength of Yuan Yi's son, who at just ten years old, could withstand the might of a Celestial Martial Level Nine Martial Artist.

Unaware of the elders' astonishment, Yuan Ling only noticed the young warrior's eyes growing brighter.

He recognized the pressure for what it was—an attempt to dominate with aura.

Despite the considerable disparity in their cultivation levels, the young knight's attempt to overpower him, who had already unlocked the Divine Aperture, was laughably presumptuous.

"This can't be!"

The young man stared at the unperturbed Yuan Ling, dumbstruck.

He couldn't believe he had failed to subdue a mere ten-year-old with his aura.

It was an embarrassment of epic proportions!

In a flash, the young knight's complexion turned ashen, his eyes glinting with a faint cold light.

Almost in the blink of an eye, he snapped his fingers, sending a surge of sword qi straight for the space between Yuan Ling's eyebrows!

This man was intent on killing Yuan Ling!

Yuan Ling's face turned pale with shock.

He hadn't anticipated that the young knight would truly harbor a murderous intent.

The sword qi erupted from his fingertips, enveloping him in a chill that cut to the bone.

His body became rigid in an instant, leaving him with no chance to evade.

The young knight's finger strike was deceptively lethal, masquerading as a simple gesture when it was, in fact, a masterful sword skill.

The force of the sword qi clamped down on Yuan Ling, making his flesh and blood feel as though it had solidified, rendering him immobile.

"You're asking for death!"

The village chief was immediately seized by a murderous rage.

This man dared to attempt to take Yuan Ling's life right before his eyes.

Regardless of the risk of provoking the Yuan family of the Main City, he was determined to make this youth pay a price!

Profound Jade Palm!

The village chief sprang into action in a flash.

His hand, as massive as a grinding stone, bore down with the weight of a mountain.

What was most terrifying was the chilling aura it carried, which in an instant, engulfed the entire camp.

The air itself seemed to freeze, and everyone present was assaulted by the piercing cold.

The village chief, not far from Yuan Ling, reached him in a heartbeat.

His palm shattered the sword qi the young knight had unleashed from his fingertips.

Unconcerned that his opponent hailed from the Yuan family of Qian City, the village chief's palm, still riding the momentum of breaking through the sword qi, continued its relentless advance.

"You dare strike me!?"

The young knight was petrified. He couldn't believe that a member of the Yuan family's collateral branch would dare to lay a hand on him, let alone one so formidable.

The palm, as large as a hillock, seemed to blot out the sky above him, the biting cold making him feel as if he'd been plunged into an ice cellar.

The young knight's face contorted in panic, and he tried to draw his sword in defense.

But the village chief was too fast. Before his hand could even touch the sword's hilt, the village chief's palm had already made its mark on his chest.

Boom!

A terrifying burst of palm force struck, and the young knight's golden armor instantly dented, leaving a deep imprint of the village chief's hand.

The knight let out a pained grunt as he was sent flying over ten meters by the village chief's strike.

He landed in the snow and lay there motionless for a long while.

"Yuan Ling, are you alright?" the village chief asked, concern etched on his face as he ignored the young man sprawled in the snow.

Yuan Ling looked pale. Had the village chief not intervened, he would have been dead.

Gazing at the young knight lying in the snow, Yuan Ling was seething with anger, yet a newfound resolve stirred within him.

Having already experienced death once, he was determined not to find himself in such a perilous situation again.

In this dog-eat-dog world, strength was the key to survival.

He knew he needed to enhance his strength quickly to be able to defend himself.

He couldn't always rely on the luck of someone stepping in to save him.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Ling eyed the distant convoy with concern.

"Village Chief, they're from the Yuan family of Qian City. Could there be trouble for injuring this man?" he asked.

The village chief's expression was stern. He had been aware of the potential repercussions from the start.

Yuan Yi was his best friend, and his breakthrough to the Hidden Consciousness Stage was largely thanks to him.

Yuan Yi had entrusted his son to the village chief, a gesture of deep trust. Offending the Qian City Yuan Family was a risk he was willing to take.

A cold smirk crossed the village chief's face.

The Qian City Yuan Family might be formidable, but Yuan Yi was not to be underestimated.

If the situation escalated, it was anyone's guess who would end up worse off.

Before the village chief could respond, someone from the distant carriages noticed the commotion. In almost an instant, more than ten riders charged toward them.

"The audacity!"

"Attacking a disciple of the Qian City Yuan Family—are you seeking death?!"

"Take that man down!"

"They must pay for this!"

"Anyone who dares to oppose the Qian City Yuan Family will be slaughtered, no exceptions!"

The group of riders, all young men in their twenties, closed in rapidly.

The least skilled among them had reached the Seventh Level of Celestial Martial, while the strongest was on par with the young knight we encountered earlier.

They advanced with a ferocity, loudly threatening to kill everyone.

Their demeanor was indistinguishable from that of hardened criminals.

This sudden aggression startled the people from both villages.

The teenagers, in particular, were terrified, some too frightened to even speak.

Yuan Ling's face soured immediately. His opinion of the Qian City Yuan Family plummeted in an instant.

Describing them as merely tyrannical was an understatement.

If Yuan Ling possessed the village chief's strength, he would have punished them severely, teaching them a lesson in humility.

The group of young knights bickered among themselves, yet none dared to draw their swords and commit murder.

The Level Nine Martial Artist among them had a piercing gaze, sharp as lightning. With a gesture, he silenced the dispute, commanding in a cold tone, "Go check on Yuan Li."

This young knight commanded considerable respect within the group. The previously unruly knights instantly fell silent and dispatched one of their own to check on Yuan Li, who lay in the snow.

The leading knight, with his striking features and an air of arrogance, surveyed the camp's inhabitants with a chilling voice.

"A mere branch of the family has managed to injure members of our Qian City Yuan Family. Excellent! Who was it? Step forward now! If you sever your own hand and kneel in apology, I might consider letting this slide."

The camp fell deathly quiet. The townspeople glared, holding back only because of the other's status; otherwise, they would have unleashed their fury.

The lead knight's face darkened, his voice sharp with contempt. "You fail to recognize a chance for redemption when it's offered. I gave you an opportunity to make amends, yet you squander it. Do you truly wish to provoke us?"

Still, no response came.

The leader's face was metaphorically slapped by the crowd's defiance.

I extended a chance out of kindness, yet it was ignored. How dare these distant relatives challenge me? They truly have no concept of their own insignificance!

I will certainly not let you off lightly!

The knight before him wore a grim expression, and the young knights who accompanied him also had darkened countenances.

Each one rested a hand on their waist, seemingly poised for a command to show these members of a lesser branch their place.

"Excellent! Today, I, Yuan Ding, will show you all the true might of the Qian City Yuan Family!"

Yuan Ding drew his long sword from his waist.

The chilling gleam of the blade under the sunlight mirrored the ferocity etched on his face.