Xue Xin immediately understood the reason for his master's actions upon hearing that: "So, Master did all this so I could take revenge!"

The three great enemies—Zhao Xi, Zhao Guangzuo, and 'Zhao Fu' currently on Azure Lake Island.

"I am Zhao Guangzuo, the prefect of this Wu'an Commandery City." The tall, middle-aged man, clad in luxury and surrounded by attendants, gazed at Teng Qingshan from a distance. "General Li and the others informed me... that your disciple killed 'Zhao Xi,' an outer deacon of Azure Lake Island, and that you destroyed the Dantian of Zhao Xi's wife. I wonder, are General Li and the others mistaken about you?"

Teng Qingshan looked at Zhao Guangzuo.

"That is correct. Zhao Xi was killed by my disciple, and I was the one who crippled that woman's Dantian," Teng Qingshan admitted with a nod.

"Might I ask, Jing Yi, can you offer Azure Lake Island an explanation?" Zhao Guangzuo said with a faint smile.

"An explanation?" Teng Qingshan chuckled, his gaze turning subtly icy.

Seeing this reaction, Zhao Guangzuo said no more: "This fellow, Jing Yi, is unexpectedly insolent. However... based on what they said earlier, this Jing Yi's strength is formidable. Especially his movement technique... it is frighteningly fast and unpredictably arcane. Hmph, let him have his temporary satisfaction for a few days."

Zhao Guangzuo immediately turned away.

"Let's go!" Zhao Guangzuo commanded, and with a squadron of personal guards, he made to depart.

"Uncle Zhao," the wife of Zhao insisted, grabbing at him.

General Li followed Zhao Guangzuo. Zhao Guangzuo turned, cast a sharp glance at the woman, and snapped, "We'll discuss this when we return."

"Zhao Guangzuo, Prefect Zhao, I think you had better stay," Teng Qingshan's laughter echoed through the street as a blurred figure darted through the crowd, rapidly closing in on the prefect, 'Zhao Guangzuo'.

"Protect the Master!"

"Guard the Prefect!"

Chaos instantly erupted. Numerous soldiers desperately tried to shield Prefect 'Zhao Guangzuo'... but before Teng Qingshan's bizarre movement technique, no one could halt him. In truth, if Teng Qingshan hadn't deliberately concealed his true power, he could have seized Zhao Guangzuo in a single flash.

As it was, in the span of just one breath, Teng Qingshan stood beside Zhao Guangzuo, his right hand already clamped around the prefect's throat.

"Master."

"Prefect!"

The guards, General Li, and the others panicked.

"You—what are you doing?" Zhao Guangzuo felt his neck being gripped, and he couldn't help but grow tense. He said hastily, "Jing Yi, I assure you, I have no feud with you."

"Tell everyone to step aside," Teng Qingshan commanded.

"Stand back, everyone stand back," Zhao Guangzuo urgently ordered. He knew well... on the Nine Provinces Continent, which of the Xiantian masters was not decisive and ruthless? A moment's hesitation, and the opponent could take his life.

Whoosh~

The multitude of guards immediately cleared a path, leading directly toward the Jing Residence.

Teng Qingshan, still grasping Zhao Guangzuo by the neck, walked toward the residence, quickly reaching the main gate.

"Jing Yi, release the Prefect first," General Li pleaded urgently.

"Brother Jing Yi, you really should let me go," Zhao Guangzuo, held firmly, adopted a reasonable facade and urged him kindly. "I have no grievance with you... If capturing me helps you, fine, but holding me does absolutely no good for you."

Teng Qingshan shot him a surprised glance, thinking to himself, This Zhao Guangzuo remains composed under pressure; he isn't a coward.

A truly timid person would likely be hysterical with terror right now.

"Disciple, close the gates," Teng Qingshan instructed, still holding Zhao Guangzuo, as he stepped inside.

"Yes, Master," Xue Xin responded loudly.

"Jing Yi, release the Prefect!" General Li shouted anxiously.

But the only answer he received was—

"Clang, clang, clang~" The massive double doors began to slowly shut.

SLAM!

The gates of the Jing Residence closed completely. Outside, thousands of people milled about the busy street, along with the surrounding soldiers who had them heavily encircled, all waiting for General Li's command.

"General, what do we do?" several officers asked General Li.

General Li, seething with frustration, cursed under his breath: "What can we do? Retreat! We'll retreat for now! It's all that Zhao Xi's fault... When did he provoke a Xiantian master? Now look at this mess, what choice do we have!" With the Prefect in their opponent's hands, they had no other recourse.

The wife of Zhao next to him dared not say another word.

At once, General Li led his force of over four thousand men away again, shamefaced and defeated.

In the inner courtyard of the Jing Residence.

"Jing Yi..." Zhao Guangzuo pleaded, still held by Teng Qingshan, "No, Lord Jing Yi! I hold no enmity toward you. To torment me—what kind of matter is this?"

Teng Qingshan glanced at him.

"If Lord Jing Yi will just let me go... even for Zhao Xi's death, I will find a way to minimize the trouble, to settle the matter discreetly for you." Zhao Guangzuo’s demeanor had completely transformed.

"Oh?"

Teng Qingshan wore an expression of feigned surprise and delight.

"My Lord need not worry, I will handle everything. Isn't it just Zhao Xi? To smooth this over, we only need to placate his woman. In this Wu'an Commandery, there isn't anything I cannot resolve," Zhao Guangzuo said with a show of confidence. But at this moment, Xue Xin beside them stared fixedly at Zhao Guangzuo.

"Indeed, you are clever, which is a pity—"

Teng Qingshan shook his head and waved his palm.

Boom!

A strike landed on Zhao Guangzuo's abdomen. His face instantly turned ashen, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"You... you..." Zhao Guangzuo's eyes widened, staring fixedly at Teng Qingshan. "You crippled my..."

One palm strike had already annihilated Zhao Guangzuo's Dantian.

"You may hold no grudge against me, but sadly, you bear a great enmity toward my disciple." Teng Qingshan turned to leave, simultaneously instructing, "Disciple, I leave the rest to you. This Zhao Guangzuo... you deal with him."

"A great enmity?"

Zhao Guangzuo turned and fixed his gaze on Xue Xin, demanding, "Who are you? I don't know you; perhaps you have mistaken me? No... perhaps my subordinates held a grudge against you, but this was done by them, it has nothing to do with me."

Xue Xin smiled coldly: "Zhao Guangzuo, listen clearly, my name is—Xue Xin!"

Zhao Guangzuo's eyes bulged so wide that he couldn't utter a word. Hearing the name 'Xue Xin,' he knew he was finished... It was he, the Prefect, who had ordered the declaration labeling the Xue family as remnants of the Iron Shirt Sect and commanded the slaughter of the entire clan.

"Didn't you say my Xue family were Iron Shirt Sect remnants? Today, this remnant will properly 'repay' you." Xue Xin suddenly waved his palm.

Crack!

Zhao Guangzuo was slapped flying, crashing against a pillar beside a pavilion before tumbling onto the ground. His face was deathly pale as he looked up, shouting wildly, "Help, save—" The miserable cry abruptly ended because Xue Xin had stomped his foot down onto Zhao Guangzuo's mouth, his face a mask of sheer terror.

"Don't rush, my grandmother, my father, my mother, my second uncle, second aunt... and my elder and younger sisters... We will settle their debts slowly." Xue Xin lifted his foot from Zhao Guangzuo's mouth and dragged him toward the cellar.

Teng Qingshan sat cross-legged in the training ground. Before him lay the massive Six-Legged Saber-Cicada, which looked pitifully up at Teng Qingshan, hoping he would practice his fist forms, but Teng Qingshan was lost in thought.

"Zhao Guangzuo, a Prefect of a Commandery, could order the execution of an entire family with a single decree! Countless people must have feared this Zhao Guangzuo."

"And now, he has fallen into captivity."

"It is all because of status, because of strength."

Teng Qingshan sighed inwardly. Status is earned through strength!

In his previous life's society, for ordinary people, money was 'status,' and in the dark world of that former society, the status of an SS-rank assassin like Teng Qingshan was vastly different from that of an A-rank one. If Teng Qingshan had been an SS-rank assassin from the start, Xiao Mao wouldn't have died!

And in this life...

If he had been a Void Realm powerhouse from the beginning, Xiao Qing wouldn't have died either!

"Strength! It all comes down to strength," Teng Qingshan mused. "If you want to argue reason, you must, at the very least, possess the strength to do so! Without strength, one swift sword strike ends the discussion; who has time for elaborate reasoning?"

"Hmm..."

"By capturing Zhao Guangzuo, the high-ranking Prefect of a Commandery, Azure Lake Island absolutely will not remain silent." Teng Qingshan revealed a slight smile. "This Zhao Guangzuo belongs to the Zhao family lineage within Azure Lake Island. The Zhao family lineage... it seems 'Zhao Danchen' is also a member of the Zhao clan."

...

In a super sect with over a thousand years of history, it was natural for factions to form, and divisions based on family lineage were extremely common.

The Zhao family was one of the more powerful clans on Azure Lake Island.

Currently, the strongest member of the Zhao family was the armless 'Zhao Danchen'. And 'Zhao Guangzuo' holding the position of Prefect meant he also held considerable status within the Zhao clan.

...

Azure Lake Island, Danchen Pavilion.

This pavilion had been specially built for 'Zhao Danchen'. Outside the structure, an Azure-robed disciple was sweeping the ground.

Upon seeing people approaching in the distance, the Azure-robed disciple started in surprise, then respectfully stood straight, bowing deeply: "Island Master!"

The three people approaching were led by a man whose stride was imposing, his eyes seeming to hold electric light, and his long hair was golden. This was the Island Master of Azure Lake Island, 'Tie Fan'. Tie Fan led the other two directly into the Danchen Pavilion.

In the central courtyard of the Danchen Pavilion, the handsome, silver-haired youth with one arm was slowly executing his sword forms, the technique creating faint, illusory afterimages.

Swish!

The divine sword was returned to its sheath. Zhao Danchen smiled as he looked at the newcomers: "Island Master."

"Elder Zhao," Tie Fan said with a wry smile, "Your Zhao family has run into trouble."

"What?" Zhao Danchen was startled. An old man valued his descendants above all else. His gaze fell upon an elder standing behind Tie Fan, and he barked, "What is it?"

"First Uncle," the elder replied respectfully and urgently, "In Wu'an Commandery City, there is a Xiantian expert named Jing Yi who permitted his disciple to kill Zhao Xi. Afterwards, Guangzuo brought a large contingent to confront this Jing Yi. Unexpectedly, Guangzuo was directly abducted by this Jing Yi into his residence, and his life is now uncertain."

Zhao Danchen’s expression shifted slightly.

Currently, he was the only Xiantian expert in the Zhao family. Apart from him, Zhao Guangzuo held the next highest status.

"Elder Zhao, that is not all. Even the female disciple of Senior Brother Gu Yong has had her Dantian crippled," Tie Fan stated. "It was that Jing Yi who did it, so... we must ask Elder Zhao to step in."

"Rest assured, I will handle this matter!"

A cold glint flashed across Zhao Danchen's eyes.