C3 The Change of Being Reborn

The disparity in cultivation levels was like an insurmountable chasm!

A martial artist at the Spirit Gathering Stage could effortlessly defeat a teenager at the Essence Condensation Stage. In fact, dealing with a dozen or twenty of them would be as simple as squashing a handful of ants!

Yet, Yang Xiao, at the Essence Condensation Stage and without any martial skills, had managed to overpower E Tiangan's strength!

That's why the current scene was so astoundingly shocking!

"Yang... Xiao! You used despicable means to severely injure me!" E Tiangan, looking utterly disheveled, managed to stand with the assistance of several servants. He saw the surrounding crowd looking at him as if he were a clown, which nearly drove him to the brink of madness with rage. "If I don't slay you today, I swear I'm no longer human!"

Seizing a machete from an unknown bystander, E Tiangan, with bloodshot eyes, pointed the blade at Yang Xiao, his gaze filled with murderous intent.

"Break Mountain Style!"

With a thunderous roar, E Tiangan soared high like a mighty eagle. The once ordinary machete, now enveloped in his Vital Spirit, gleamed with a golden radiance as it aimed straight for Yang Xiao's head.

This time, E Tiangan was genuinely intent on killing, unleashing a mastered martial skill with extreme speed and lethal force, ready to deliver a fatal blow to Yang Xiao.

"Oh my god... E Tiangan truly intends to put Yang Xiao to death."

"It's over for him. Yang Xiao seems to be completely petrified, just standing there without reacting!" The onlookers showed no intention of intervening, merely spectating and commenting on the intense situation.

Liu Zhou and the others, who had been previously knocked to the ground, were terrified by this development.

"Even though Yang Xiao lacks powerful connections and holds a lowly position within the Yang family, he is still a Yang by name."

If Yang Xiao were to be killed, Sect Master Yang would undoubtedly investigate the matter, and all of them, the servants, would face death! But with their meager cultivation levels, who would dare confront E Tiangan, now fueled by a deadly resolve and his Spirit Gathering Stage power? It would be tantamount to suicide.

Yet, Yang Xiao showed not a hint of panic. With a simple and unremarkable sidestep, he effortlessly evaded E Tiangan's ferocious assault.

"E Tiangan! As a servant of the Yang family, you have repeatedly disrespected your betters and shown no loyalty whatsoever. Your actions are unforgivable!" Yang Xiao, having sidestepped the strike, didn't rush to counterattack but instead continued icily, "Relying on your father's position as steward of the Yang Mansion, you've abused your power for personal gain, bullied the female servants, and led your cronies to assault Yang family disciples! Your multitude of misdeeds is utterly inexcusable!"

"Today has been the worst yet. You had the audacity to attempt to kill me in public with a weapon in hand. You dare to defy your master without a shred of respect!"

Yang Xiao spoke while nimbly evading E Tiangan's attacks, "A worthless slave like you serves no purpose in the Yang family. I fear you might even harbor thoughts of rebellion one day!"

"To eliminate any future threat, E Tiangan! Today, I invoke the Yang family's laws and, in their name, I will execute you!"

As Yang Xiao recounted E Tiangan's offenses, E Tiangan, already seething with rage, grew even more infuriated and his attacks intensified.

"Is that really Yang Xiao?"

"He's changed so much in just a few days; he's become incredibly imposing!"

Shock and disbelief were etched on the faces of the Yang family disciples and servants gathered around.

Could this be the same young man who was once so low in cultivation and talent that he felt inferior?

Could this be the same person who was constantly bullied by the Yang family disciples because his father's fate on a mission was unknown?

Could this be the same Yang Xiao who, desperate to buy medicine for his sick sister, humiliated himself by begging the butler's son for money?

No... it couldn't be!

Even though it had only been two days since they'd seen Yang Xiao, his transformation was nothing short of miraculous!

But E Tiangan, caught up in the heat of battle and intent on killing Yang Xiao, had no time to ponder Yang Xiao's dramatic change. Briefly taken aback by Yang Xiao's aggressive stance, E Tiangan quickly sneered with contempt, "A piece of trash will always be just that... Yang Xiao, you can't intimidate me. Today, you're undoubtedly going to die! Heh..."

With a mighty swing, E Tiangan brought his blade down, his presence overwhelming, "I was merely caught off guard before. Don't fool yourself into thinking you can defeat me. To think you dare spout such madness, claiming you'll execute me, go on and keep dreaming..."

Boom!

Before E Tiangan could finish his taunt, a blur swept before his eyes, and his blade was kicked from his grasp, sending numbing shockwaves through his arm. The blade dropped to the ground, and as he reached to retrieve it, his arm was suddenly clamped down by an iron grip, unyielding and impossible to escape. Frustrated and gasping for air, E Tiangan tried to counter with his other hand, only to be overwhelmed by an immense force that came crashing down!

Crack! Crack! The grating sound of bone friction echoed as a muscular arm was forcefully snapped, the bones shattering in an instant!

"Ahhh! My hand!" E Tiangan let out a blood-curdling scream, his agony unmatched.

Despite his strength and his cultivation at the Spirit Gathering Stage, the excruciating pain of having his arm broken by sheer brute force was too much to bear.

"Hiss!" The onlookers gasped in shock, empathizing with the pain as if it were their own, finding it almost too much to stomach.

"That's just brutal..."

"Isn't this going too far?!"

"Should we notify Sect Master Yang and the elders? This is spiraling out of control!"

Everyone watched Yang Xiao, hearts pounding with residual fear. The scene before them was utterly shocking.

Liu Zhou and the other servants, who had plotted to join E Tiangan in attacking Yang Xiao, were now sweating profusely, caught in a bind. If they advanced, they risked another thrashing from Yang Xiao; if they retreated, they feared E Tiangan's future wrath. Frozen in place, they could only watch the unfolding chaos in stunned silence.

E Tiangan was drenched in blood, clutching his broken limb as he writhed in the dirt, a pitiful sight indeed.

"Yang Xiao! My father will never let you get away with this..." E Tiangan whimpered through his tears, clutching his injured arm, "You... you... will surely die, I want you dead!"

Looking down at the figure on the ground, Yang Xiao couldn't help but chuckle. "In your current state, how do you expect to kill me?" he mused, seizing E Tiangan's other arm.

Crack! Crack! The distinct sound of snapping bones resounded once more.

"Ahhh... Ahhh..." With each hoarse cry, E Tiangan's other arm was rendered useless. His eyes rolled back as he teetered on the brink of unconsciousness from the pain.

"Yang Xiao, stop!"

At the command, Yang Xiao paused, lifting his gaze to the source of the voice. A striking young man strode through the courtyard entrance. Yang Xiao recognized him as Yang Xuan, a fellow Yang family disciple, recently named prince by the great elder. His status was far beyond that of Yang Xiao and the other disciples.

After receiving the servant's report and learning of the events that had transpired, Yang Xuan hurried over. E Tiangan, a servant from his own courtyard, had been given leeway to bully Yang Xiao, but this time he had stirred up trouble. Still, one must consider the master before punishing a dog!

"Yang Xiao! Are you unaware that E Tiangan is under my charge?" Yang Xuan demanded, closing in on Yang Xiao.

"Should the dogs from your courtyard be allowed to run wild and bite people? I was merely upholding the rules of the Yang Mansion," Yang Xiao replied with a faint smile, as if the incident was of no consequence.

Yang Xuan paused, taken aback. Normally, Yang Xiao would have cowered and apologized by now.

But things were different this time. Yang Xuan scrutinized Yang Xiao as if seeing him for the first time. Although he had been informed that E Tiangan and others had been beaten by that waste, Yang Xiao, he found it ludicrous. Yet, after this encounter, he realized that Yang Xiao now radiated a different kind of presence, devoid of his former subservience and timidity.

"Heh, I must admit I've been lax in my discipline," Yang Xuan said, his eyes narrowing. "You've already given E Tiangan a good thrashing. I'll take him off your hands now. How does that sound?" His tone brooked no argument.

A cold smile played on Yang Xiao's lips. "I'm afraid that's not acceptable! According to the Yang Mansion's rules, a servant who defies their master must be punished! It's not wise to keep a dog that bites its owner."

Humiliated in front of others by someone who used to be an easy target, Yang Xuan's face darkened with anger.

"Prince, avenge me!" E Tiangan cried out, seeing Yang Xuan as his last hope, and dragged himself to the prince's feet.

"You still haven't learned your lesson!" Yang Xiao bellowed. In a blur, he appeared before E Tiangan and stomped on his back, eliciting a scream of agony and a spurt of blood from the servant.

"Yang Xiao! You're digging your own grave!" Yang Xuan's face twisted with rage as he watched Yang Xiao attack his servant. With a swift tap of his foot, he glided across the ground and launched a punch at Yang Xiao with lightning speed.

The punch was delivered with such force that it seemed to carry the wind itself!

Unfazed, Yang Xiao clenched his right fist and swiftly countered with a punch of his own!

"Boom! Boom!"

The fists collided, unleashing the Vital Spirit in a burst of energy that forced the onlookers to step back repeatedly!

Both Yang Xiao and Yang Xuan were rocked by the shockwave, stumbling back several steps.

In the Eight-wasteland, warriors are categorized into stages: Essence Condensation, Qi Refining, and Spirit Gathering.

Vital Spirit, Profound Intercommunity, Longevity, Bright Dao, Magic Heaven, and Three-purity Wonderful.

Each stage is further divided into the ordinary realm and the Great Completion Stage!

Yang Xuan, the prince of the Yang Mansion, was at the ordinary realm of the Vital Spirit Stage. Though he had only recently advanced and his power was not yet solidified, there were few in Azure Connection City, apart from a handful of sect masters and great elders, who could match his level of cultivation.

Yet Yang Xiao, who had been at the Essence Condensation Stage for many years, was three whole realms behind Yang Xuan. In their exchange of blows, Yang Xiao astonishingly held his own!

Yang Xuan was deeply shaken; he knew the full extent of his punch's power and was astounded that Yang Xiao could withstand it. What on earth had happened to Yang Xiao in these past few days?

With a grave expression, Yang Xuan locked his gaze on Yang Xiao, his eyes flickering with thoughts unknown.

"Prince! Help me kill him! Haha... Yang Xiao, your end has come!" E Tiangan, his body a blur of blood and flesh, shouted defiantly despite his agony, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

"Hehe, you dare to spout such madness on the brink of death. It seems you hold the Yang family's rules in contempt!" Yang Xiao said with a faint smile, slowly advancing towards E Tiangan. "Today, no one will be able to save you!"

Yang Xuan, seemingly indifferent to E Tiangan's cries for help, withdrew his aggressive stance and refrained from further attacks. To him, E Tiangan was nothing more than a servant, and Yang Xiao's actions today were utterly baffling. The transformation Yang Xiao had undergone was clearly not the same as before; there had to be a secret behind it. There was no need to engage in a brawl over a mere servant. Observing the unfolding events was the wisest course of action.