C10 The Divorce
"Scram!"
In that instant, Zhang Bufan bellowed furiously and charged at the guardian elder with a vengeance.
The guardian elder let out a cold laugh, not slowing down in the slightest. He couldn't fathom that a mere ant at Transcendence Layer Three could possibly injure him!
Besides, even if Zhang Bufan were at the Foundation Stage, the idea that he could stop him without martial techniques was laughable!
The Golden Core Stage was revered as the realm of earthly immortals, and it was no mere figure of speech. With Zhang Bufan's capabilities, he stood no chance of halting his advance!
"Boom!"
As Zhang Bufan collided with the guardian elder, the elder felt as though a massive mountain, weighing tens of thousands of pounds, had come crashing down on him. Even channeling his spiritual force for defense proved futile, and he was sent flying immediately.
Whoosh!
The crowd was left in utter shock!
They could comprehend Zhang Xiaotian concealing his Golden Core Stage power, given his years at the pinnacle of Foundation Stage Layer Nine and his breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage wasn't inconceivable.
But for Zhang Bufan, labeled a good-for-nothing, to send a Golden Core Stage guardian elder flying was beyond belief!
Without a second glance at the elder, Zhang Bufan moved like a specter to Ouyang Shan's side and, without a moment's hesitation, unleashed a devastating punch!
Ouyang Shan was petrified, his courage shattering. In that moment, he sensed a power greater than his own bearing down on him.
Before he could utter a single word, Zhang Bufan's punch landed, leaving him severely wounded and unconscious.
The onlookers were as silent as if they'd seen a ghost, too afraid to speak.
Wasn't Zhang Bufan supposed to be a worthless Transcendence Stage Layer Three?
A 'worthless' man who could severely injure someone at the Golden Core Stage?
If this was what they called worthless, then they were less than nothing!
"Murong Yu, there's no need for you to call off the engagement!"
Zhang Bufan stepped aside and, with a flourish of his hand, penned a document.
"Here is the decree of divorce! As of today, I, Zhang Bufan, cast you, Murong Yu, out of the Zhang family. Henceforth, you and I shall have no further ties!"
Hiss!
A collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd.
The series of shocks delivered by Zhang Bufan today were simply overwhelming!
He had boldly made his presence known, brazenly flirted with the esteemed Saintess, delivered a heavy punch to Ouyang Shan, and even annulled his marriage with Murong Yu!
Murong Yu's arrival at the Zhang family was supposed to end their engagement, a move that would have left the Zhangs utterly disgraced. Yet, against all odds, Zhang Bufan had managed to reverse the situation!
They all remembered how Zhang Bufan had earlier told Ouyang Shan that he was no match for him, a claim they had mocked, thinking him foolishly arrogant. Now, their faces stung as if they had been slapped.
"Those who dishonor the Saintess shall die!"
Enraged, the two remaining guardian elders launched their attack on Zhang Bufan.
With a cold laugh, Zhang Bufan regarded the two elders before him, both merely at the Golden Core Stage Layer Two, as nothing more than targets for a beating.
"I'm only stating facts. It wouldn't matter if it were Murong Yu or even the Sect Master of the Exquisite Sect here; my words would remain unchanged!"
Zhang Bufan's spiritual force surged wildly as he unleashed the third variation of the Heavenly Dragon Nine Transformations!
His skin turned as impenetrable as metal, and his Golden Core Stage Layer Eight power burst forth, leaving the guardian elders ashen-faced and bracing for a formidable challenge.
"And what do you two think you are, daring to block my path?"
With a roar of fury, Zhang Bufan ensnared the two elders with the third variation of the Heavenly Dragon. Once their spiritual force was depleted, they posed no further threat.
Zhang Bufan discovered that upon invoking the Heavenly Dragon Nine Transformations, his physical strength became unparalleled. The relentless attacks of the guardian elders proved futile against him.
He could easily take their lives, whether it was Ouyang Shan or the elders before him, but Zhang Bufan held back.
To kill them by accident would not be a trivial matter, like squashing a bug; they were beings of the Golden Core Stage. If he were to kill them, he would surely face a breakthrough with severe consequences!
By then, the situation would be ten times more complicated than it is now!
If the Tribulation Crossing Lightning struck again, I wouldn't stand a chance!
That's why Zhang Bufan spared their lives.
Yet, to onlookers, Zhang Bufan was already terrifying!
"Was it really you who faced the nine bolts of Tribulation Crossing Lightning last night?!" Murong Yu asked Zhang Bufan with disbelief.
"What difference does it make whether it was or wasn't?"
Zhang Bufan's fists flew towards the two guardian elders, who didn't even have time to defend themselves before being knocked away!
At that moment, the advantage of Zhang Bufan's cultivation level, the quality of his Golden Core, and his formidable physique meant that, even without martial techniques, inflicting serious injuries on the two was hardly a challenge.
The crowd was in shock. The impact of Zhang Bufan's actions today was too overwhelming to quantify.
"Take the annulment papers and leave at once," Zhang Bufan commanded coldly.
Murong Yu, a Saintess, had never faced such disgrace. As she was about to muster her spiritual force, Zhang Bufan unleashed his Golden Core Stage Layer Eight aura. It hit her like a tidal wave, leaving her too stunned to speak.
"Golden Core Stage, Layer Eight?"
Murong Yu's complexion went deathly pale as her pride crumbled in an instant.
Her betrothed, once deemed worthless, had just used his presence to deter her from acting.
The onlookers were beside themselves with disbelief!
Who was the real waste here?
"Return home! You're no match for me, not now at least," Zhang Bufan stated flatly.
"The Saintess ordered us three to act, and she even intervened herself, yet we couldn't capture him! It's infuriating!"
"Who could have predicted that this 'trash' would be so formidable, reaching Golden Core Stage Layer Eight!"
"Hmph! He first killed a disciple of my Exquisite Sect, then insulted our Saintess. The Exquisite Sect will never let this vendetta slide!"
In that moment, Murong Yu felt no hatred, only shock and a tinge of regret.
She was now certain that the Qi Refining cultivator who had braved the Nine Heavenly Lightning Tribulation the previous night was none other than Zhang Bufan!
When she compared herself to him, it was clear that Zhang Bufan's talent far surpassed her own.
Yet, Murong Yu was baffled. If that were true, how had Zhang Bufan's power soared to the eighth layer of the Golden Core Stage?
Could she have been mistaken? Was it Zhang Xiaotian who had faced the Nine Heavenly Lightning last night?
Murong Yu's mind was in turmoil.
"Zhang Bufan, I, Murong Yu, will not forget what you've done today. I vow to reclaim what's mine in the future!"
Murong Yu's parting words were spoken with the weight of an oath.
Zhang Bufan simply smiled and nodded, offering no response.
In this survival of the fittest world, without his formidable strength, the fate of himself, his father, and the entire Zhang family would have been uncertain.
But as long as he remained powerful, even the Sect Master of the Exquisite Sect's personal appearance would be insignificant.
Witnessing the Saintess of the Exquisite Sect retreat in disgrace, the onlookers were filled with a mix of emotions.
Who would have imagined that the esteemed Saintess of the Exquisite Sect would be shamed and driven away by someone once deemed worthless by all?
"Congratulations, Patriarch! Congratulations, Young Patriarch! From today, the Zhang family will rise as one of the Three Great Families of Vertville City!"
In that moment, Zhang Shusong approached Zhang Xiaotian and Zhang Bufan, kneeling to offer his felicitations.
The other two elders followed suit, each offering their respects.
Zhang Xiaotian wore a complex expression. These three elders had served the family for many years, and he found the thought of punishing them difficult to stomach.
"Father, if we don't eliminate these old dogs now, they might well sell off the Zhang family without us even realizing it!"
Zhang Bufan harbored no sympathy for these three elders; he was resolute in his decision—they had to be dealt with.
"If you and your son kill us, you'll leave us no choice but to fight to the bitter end!"
But suddenly, Zhang Bufan's vision blurred, and he collapsed to the ground.
