The instant the punch was thrown, Ye Qiance roared, his handsome face suddenly flushing crimson, veins throbbing visibly on his forehead. The single strike seemed to instantly tear the very fabric of the space spanning several meters around him, the deafening hong long long reverberating in everyone’s eardrums simultaneously.

This punch from Ye Qiance already possessed the might of a Seventh-Tier martial artist.

More significantly, the target of his right fist was precisely Nie Kong's jaw.

The surrounding crowd’s expressions shifted drastically upon witnessing this, yet the young men from the Zhan Clan, like Zhan Qingzhu, showed not a trace of worry.

"Thwack!"

The fist made intimate contact with the throat.

However, to everyone's astonishment, Nie Kong merely swayed slightly, a faint smile fixed on his face, behaving as if utterly untouched. The anticipated sound of Ye Qiance shattering Nie Kong's jawbone never materialized. In contrast, Ye Qiance looked as though he had suffered a severe illness, his spirit visibly drained.

Clearly, Ye Qiance had employed some secret technique to instantly elevate his offense past the Seventh-Tier threshold, but the backlash manifested immediately upon completion. He swiftly retrieved a Nether Pill and swallowed it; Ye Qiance soon regained his composure, the flush receding from his face.

"Your physical resilience is truly formidable."

Ye Qiance's expression was grim as he forced a strained smile, then abruptly shifted his tone: "However, even possessing Seventh-Tier strength, you may not necessarily be able to subdue me."

"Is that so?"

Nie Kong narrowed his eyes and suddenly bellowed, "First punch!" As he spoke, Nie Kong drove a straight punch directly toward Ye Qiance’s solar plexus.

"You aren't even using Nether Power?"

Seeing Nie Kong attack with a bare fist, the corners of Ye Qiance's mouth curled upward involuntarily. But the smile froze on his face just as it bloomed. He immediately doubled over, clutching his abdomen, hacking and coughing—ke ke ke ke—his face turning so red it seemed blood might spill, resembling a boiled shrimp.

"Senior Brother Qiancé..."

Gasps of alarm rose, and several disciples from the 'Ling Yu Sword Sect' rushed forward.

"Second punch!"

Nie Kong paid no heed to the intervening figures, stepping forward, grabbing Ye Qiance's collar with his left hand, and driving another punch into his lower abdomen.

"Aargh..."

Ye Qiance let out a howl like a butchered pig. When Nie Kong released him, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in a crouch, feeling as if his intestines had been shredded into countless pieces by that single blow—an indescribable, searing pain contorting his face.

"Senior Brother Qiancé, how are you?"

"Nie Kong, you’ve gone too far!"

More than ten disciples from the 'Ling Yu Sword Sect' positioned themselves in front of Ye Qiance, glaring furiously at Nie Kong. Seeing this alignment, the disciples from the Zhan Clan, who had been observing from the sidelines, immediately surged forward. No matter their personal reservations about Nie Kong, they would not stand by and watch him besieged by the Ling Yu Sword Sect.

"What? Are you planning a group brawl?"

Zhan Qingzhu glanced at the opposing crowd, a fighting spirit blazing in her eyes.

Zhan Clan, Ling Yu Sword Sect... Hostilities were imminent. The disciples from other sects, energized by the confrontation, began to gather around. Conflicts among younger disciples frequently erupted here; as long as no one died and things didn't escalate too far, a few reprimands usually sufficed.

However, a direct standoff between disciples of two Super-Tier Sects was rare.

"I yield."

Just then, Ye Qiance forcibly pushed aside two Ling Yu Sword Sect disciples, managing to stand up with visible difficulty, gasping for breath. The look he cast toward Nie Kong was laced with apprehension; he had never anticipated that Nie Kong was not only physically durable but also overwhelmingly powerful.

If Nie Kong had employed Nether Power, Ye Qiance would have held confidence, as he possessed a treasure from the Ling Yu Sword Sect capable of blocking about ninety-five percent of Nether Power attacks, provided the opponent's cultivation did not exceed the Seventh Tier. The remaining five percent, he believed, his body could withstand.

But Nie Kong had deployed absolutely no Nether Power, relying purely on brute force, rendering his treasure utterly useless. Under Nie Kong’s savage physical assault, Ye Qiance was battered to the brink of vomiting blood. He understood perfectly that he could not endure a third punch.

Since defeat was inevitable, it was better to concede now and suffer less pain than to be beaten unconscious by the third strike. He had already been humiliated sufficiently today; a little more shame was inconsequential.

"Conceding is an option, but you must answer one question for me," Nie Kong said, cracking his knuckles with a grin. "Don't forget, our agreement was for three punches each. You've only taken two so far."

"What do you want to ask?" Ye Qiance felt so angry his vision was darkening. His act of yielding was already mortifying, yet this man refused to accept the surrender and used it as leverage—it was utterly excessive! But he had initiated the conflict, so he had no choice but to endure.

"Who sent you to probe me?" Nie Kong asked directly, abandoning any pretense.

Hearing Nie Kong interrogate Ye Qiance this way, Zhan Qingzhu and the others paused, but recalling the earlier events, they began to grasp the situation. While the relationship between the Zhan Clan and the Ling Yu Sword Sect wasn't exactly cordial, it wasn't hostile either. For Ye Qiance, a leading junior disciple of the Ling Yu Sword Sect, to so openly harass the female disciples of the Zhan Clan suggested an underlying motive.

"What are you implying? I don't understand what you are talking about?"

Ye Qiance’s heart jumped, but since his face was already pale from pain, his expression betrayed no weakness.

Nie Kong stared at Ye Qiance for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "It seems I cannot spare this third punch."

"You..."

Ye Qiance’s face drastically changed. He desperately wished to avoid experiencing that excruciating pain again, and he suspected Nie Kong hadn't even used his full strength in the previous two blows. If Nie Kong struck again, he might be forced to violate their prior agreement and employ Nether Power to defend himself. But doing so would inevitably escalate the conflict between the two factions.

"Nonsense!"

A sharp reprimand suddenly cut through the air as a man in his fifties pushed through the crowd, striding forward with an icy, expressionless face.

"Martial Uncle!" "Martial Elder!" "Master!"

Upon seeing him, the Ling Yu Sword Sect disciples erupted in relief and cried out greetings.

"Who are you?"

Nie Kong raised an eyebrow. He seemed to have some recollection of this man's face. When he and Zhan Baisong entered the Nether Sea and encountered the peak Ninth-Tier Nether Beast Fuling, many Black Spirit Masters had been observing the battle nearby—this man was among them.

This old man was from the Ling Yu Sword Sect. Could Ye Qiance's provocation have been at his behest? That was highly probable. Many people had witnessed Nie Kong emerging from the Nether Sea alone months after being consumed by the Origin Fire. It stood to reason that the Ling Yu Sword Sect would want to send someone to test him.

"I am Ye Dengwen of the 'Ling Yu Sword Sect'," the old man stated flatly.

"Ye Dengwen? He is an Elder of the Ling Yu Sword Sect, an Eighth-Tier Black Spirit Master," Zhan Qingzhu whispered.

"So, Elder Ye," Nie Kong replied with a smile.

Ye Dengwen said coolly, "The junior is acting foolishly. This matter ends here. Everyone disperse." With a wave of his hand, he attempted to lead Ye Qiance and his contingent away.

"Hold it," Nie Kong suddenly spoke up. "You can leave, but Ye Qiance stays to take my third punch."

Ye Dengwen had clearly not anticipated Nie Kong would dare to stop him. His eyes narrowed, two glints of cold light flashing in his pupils. "Junior, do you know who you are speaking to?"

"I know," Nie Kong replied casually, grinning. "I am speaking to an elder who lacks basic courtesy." At these words, not only were the Ling Yu Sword Sect disciples stunned, but even Zhan Qingzhu’s Zhan Clan disciples and the surrounding onlookers were momentarily taken aback. This Nie Kong possessed incredible audacity.

"Lacks courtesy?" Ye Dengwen’s face turned ashen; he actually laughed in furious disbelief, his voice like a screech owl. "Junior, tell me then, how have I demonstrated a lack of courtesy?"

"I am the Sixteenth Elder of the Zhan Clan, and you are an Elder of the Ling Yu Sword Sect. The Zhan Clan and the Ling Yu Sword Sect are both Super-Tier Sects; you and I hold equivalent status. Yet you repeatedly address me as 'junior' and rely on your age to overawe me—if that isn't a lack of courtesy, what is?" Nie Kong mocked.

"You... you... you..."

Ye Dengwen was choked with rage, unable to conceal his humiliation as he shouted, "You sharp-tongued brat! Today, I shall teach you a lesson on behalf of your Zhan Clan elders!" As he spoke, Ye Dengwen transformed, resembling a gleaming, drawn sword, and shot toward Nie Kong.

"That is precisely what I intended."

Nie Kong had long wished to test the effects of the 'Crimson Star War Body' against an Eighth-Tier expert. Seeing the attack, he sneered, a Nether Star flashed within his Yaochi, and the golden, spinning 'War God Star Seal' shot out, pressing down upon Ye Dengwen. It felt as if a colossal peak were collapsing—truly earth-shattering.

On the way, Zhan Baisong and the others had cautioned Nie Kong not to recklessly deploy the 'War God Star Seal' unless absolutely necessary. However, Nie Kong intended to leverage this confrontation with Ye Dengwen of the Ling Yu Sword Sect to escalate matters today. Furthermore, since he would soon be leaving the Nether Lands, he had fewer concerns.

"Hmm?"

Ye Dengwen frowned deeply, halting his advance abruptly. He swung his right arm overhead, summoning eighteen massive, ink-black sword blades to meet the 'War God Star Seal.' Simultaneously, he aligned the index and middle fingers of his left hand, sending two icy beams of black light shooting toward Nie Kong’s chest.

Nie Kong made no move to dodge; instead, he grinned ferociously and charged straight toward Ye Dengwen.

"Swish swish."

The black beams pierced through the 'Ling Xi War Robe' covering Nie Kong’s body, striking the skin of his chest. The moment a needle-prick pain registered, Nie Kong was only half a meter from Ye Dengwen. He threw a right hook. Ye Dengwen was momentarily stunned. Although he sensed the emptiness of killing intent in Nie Kong’s punch, his mind faltered. To threaten this old man with such an attack?

In that split second of hesitation, Nie Kong’s fist, less than half an inch from his face, brushed against Ye Dengwen’s cheek.

It was too late to dodge now!

Though furious, Ye Dengwen did not panic; dark energy instantly flooded his entire left cheek. But precisely as the fist connected with his left cheek, a blinding ball of golden light suddenly erupted from within Nie Kong’s glove, the dazzling radiance forcing the surrounding crowd to squint painfully against the glare.

"Smack!"

The face strike landed successfully. Ye Dengwen’s entire withered body was sent flying backward...

... P: First update today... ...