Huyan Peng, standing on the stage, was particularly stunned. Moments ago, he had been unnerved by Zhang Yang’s Cold Spring Sword, and now, something he had never seen before materialized on the martial arts platform.

"Lightning!"

Zhang Yang murmured the name, and Lightning leaped down from Wind-Chaser, immediately opening its jaws to lunge at Huyan Peng.

"Fox-Tailed Sable!"

Huyan Peng spotted the white shadow, and his spirit jolted once more. Instinctively, he tried to evade, but before his body could move, he sensed a far greater peril engulfing him.

A mighty burst of internal energy flew straight towards him.

"Internal Energy Projection!"

Huyan Peng’s face drained of color, turning deathly pale. All of this transpired in a flash; his mind barely managed a reaction, leaving his body solely reliant on instinct to dodge.

"Celestial Steed Spirit Beast—this is bad!"

From the elevated platform, the Huyan family elder’s expression changed drastically. He shot to his feet with a startled cry and then leaped down. Having witnessed the sudden white horse, the Huyan family, based in the Tian Shan Mountain Range, was intimately familiar with this rare spirit beast endemic to the area.

Besides Wind-Chaser, he immediately recognized the Fox-Tailed Sable. He couldn't discern the third one, Shadowless, but knew it was also a powerful spirit beast, capable of projecting its internal energy externally.

He couldn't fathom why these spirit beasts had suddenly appeared, but their immediate assault on Huyan Peng meant trouble—this was clearly not good news for him. Huyan Peng was a vital member and one of the family’s few top experts; handling Zhang Yang was already strenuous, and with the addition of these three powerful spirit beasts, the situation had instantly become dire, possibly leading to a fatal outcome. Even if it meant disrupting the competition, he had to save Huyan Peng and prevent any mishap, a loss the Huyan family could ill afford.

At this moment, Huyan Peng was dodging purely by reflex. He evaded Lightning and Shadowless, but he couldn't escape Wind-Chaser. The steed’s speed was too overwhelming; its head slammed directly into Huyan Peng. The two small, hard horns on its forehead pierced Huyan Peng's body, leaving two small punctures.

Huyan Peng was involuntarily flung forward. Before he could even register the pain, his vision sharpened on something before him.

A gleaming, cold sword suddenly materialized inches from his face. Evasion was no longer possible; his body was completely outside his control.

"Shhhk!"

With a faint sound, Huyan Peng felt an icy chill pierce his neck. His forward momentum halted abruptly. He managed a strained downward glance, staring blankly at the longsword protruding through his neck. Blood bubbled from his lips in a gurgle; he tried to speak but couldn't utter a single syllable.

He hadn't expected this. Not at all. This trip to the Long family estate was destined to be his final path.

His gaze slowly glazed over. In the final flicker of consciousness, one question remained etched in his mind: where in the world did these three overwhelmingly powerful spirit beasts come from?

"Halt!"

The furious roar of the Huyan family elder echoed through the area. He was a step too late. Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts had coordinated flawlessly. Already formidable individually, their combined strength resulted in Huyan Peng's complete demise in a single exchange.

"Bang!"

Zhang Yang swiftly withdrew the Cold Spring Sword, forcefully pushing Huyan Peng’s lifeless body aside before retreating a few steps to face the Huyan elder who had just rushed onto the stage.

This was a genuine Fourth Layer master. He belonged to the Huyan family, making him Zhang Yang's enemy. Zhang Yang never showed mercy to those who genuinely sought to harm him. Yu Yong was an example, as were the Zhang family members in Hua Tuo Residence—though not physically dead, their souls and wills were annihilated, which was worse than death, or perhaps even a living hell. It was the same for the Huyan family; regardless of their power, if they harbored the intent to kill him, Zhang Yang would not relent. Huyan Peng had been an enemy seeking his life, and given the chance, eliminating this threat was paramount.

As for future retaliation from the Huyan family, Zhang Yang gave it little thought for the moment. They would need the strength to seek revenge. While the Zhang family contingent was small, each member was an expert. Sending mere subordinates would only court disaster; Zhang Yang doubted they possessed multiple Fourth Layer masters.

"Xiao Peng!"

The Fourth Layer elder made no immediate aggressive move, simply holding the slowly cooling corpse of Huyan Peng, the blood from the neck wound staining his own clothes crimson.

On the high platform, every member of the Huyan family stood up in disbelief, staring at the martial arts platform. Their leader, a renowned expert, had been slain by Zhang Yang—more accurately, by Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts whose sudden appearance they still couldn't comprehend.

The Li and Hua families were equally dumbfounded. Before Huyan Peng stepped onto the stage, they had considered numerous outcomes, even his failure. But they never imagined Huyan Peng would be killed, especially not by Zhang Yang, who actually dared to take his life.

At this point, a chill ran down Li Liang’s spine. If Zhang Yang dared to kill Huyan Peng, killing him would be trivial. Unless their family elders intervened, he would stand no chance of stopping Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang and these three mysteriously summoned spirit beasts were simply too powerful; their opening move had sealed Huyan Peng’s fate.

Li Changfeng was also lost in thought. He had seen Lightning and Shadowless before but had never witnessed these two youngsters fight. Now, he realized how formidable they truly were, and how incredibly swift they moved.

Long Haotian glanced at the two elders beside him, feeling a profound shock within his heart. Huyan Peng was dead. Zhang Yang had truly killed him; the sword through the neck confirmed there was zero chance of survival. Zhang Yang sparing him the indignity of decapitation was as good as it was going to get.

Huyan Peng’s death brought Long Haotian joy, as the man had constantly targeted his family. The problem lay in the aftermath. The Huyan family would undoubtedly seek retribution, and with Huyan Peng dying at the Long family’s grounds, resentment would surely fall upon them too. If no one had died, matters could be smoothed over, but death complicated everything immensely. The two elders looked equally stunned; the turn of events had clearly surpassed their expectations and was outside their control.

"Shameless whelp, pay with your life!"

A heaven-shattering roar erupted, stunning everyone, who then stared at the stage in shock. Several Dragon family servants nearby collapsed, knocked unconscious by the sheer force of the Huyan elder’s shout, unleashed in his full fury. The contained internal energy in that single cry far surpassed anything demonstrated earlier.

Huyan Peng was dead. A rare expert of the family had perished here, especially under the elder’s watch, which he could not accept. All he felt now was hatred—hatred for the Long family and even deeper hatred for Zhang Yang, who had killed Huyan Peng.

After roaring, the Huyan elder hurled Huyan Peng’s body outward, where it landed squarely in the arms of a Huyan disciple who had just rushed over. Before the corpse even settled, the elder arrived before Zhang Yang. A veteran Fourth Layer master indeed; his speed was in no way inferior to Zhang Yang’s.

"Bang!"

Zhang Yang raised his hand to meet the blow head-on, immediately staggering back about ten steps. His entire body felt numb, and the ground beneath his feet—the martial arts platform—cracked extensively. Fortunately, being at the late Third Layer, and with his body hardened by the Saint Hand System's enhancements, he avoided a fatal strike. Even so, he suffered minor internal injuries.

"Squeak! Chirp chirp!"

Two sounds rang out simultaneously as Lightning darted over with terrifying speed. As the Huyan elder swung his hand, Lightning twisted its body and immediately spewed a cloud of toxic mist. It had experience fighting Fourth Layer masters and knew they were formidable; it opted immediately for its strongest defense.

"Pfft!"

Shadowless's projected internal energy followed closely. The Huyan elder countered by flicking out a burst of his own energy. The two forces collided mid-air with a muffled thud, shattering more of the stone paving below. The bluestone surface of the platform had already suffered significant damage during the fight between Zhang Yang and Huyan Peng, but this destruction was far more severe. The ground was now riddled with pits and craters, causing Long Zheng deep distress, though he dared not step onto the stage. The power displayed by the combatants far exceeded his comprehension; stepping up would be pure suicide.

A piercing cry sounded as Wind-Chaser dissolved into a white streak, charging straight at the Huyan elder. The elder leaped rapidly into the air, narrowly avoiding the impact. Before he could land, Lightning, Shadowless, and Zhang Yang all moved in concert. Their coordination was flawless. Even facing a Fourth Layer master, they showed no fear; in fact, a surge of fighting spirit rose within Zhang Yang.

What was the Fourth Layer? With Lightning, Shadowless, and Wind-Chaser assisting, even the Fourth Layer was worth fighting. Having already slain Huyan Peng, if he could severely wound this Huyan elder as well, future retaliation would be less daunting. The current Zhang Yang was no longer focused on resisting or evading the Fourth Layer; he intended to fight head-on and win.

Before the Huyan elder could regain his footing, a chilling sword strike, combined with the recently erupted toxic mist and internal energy, barreled toward him. Mid-air, the elder was forced to momentarily stabilize himself, unleashing two more energy blasts before twisting his body to land aside. He hadn't fully stabilized when the white shadow reappeared. This time, he was forced to block, and though the white shadow retreated slightly, the impact still drove the elder back three paces.

Two white shadows, accompanied by a cold, gleaming longsword—Zhang Yang and the three spirit beasts attacked relentlessly. Once their offensive began, they never paused. This continuous assault gave them an advantage even against the Fourth Layer master; for the moment, they were pressuring the Huyan elder, rather than passively defending.

On the high platform, the Li family elder and the two Long family elders exchanged glances, staring at each other dumbfounded. Zhang Yang’s combined force with the three spirit beasts demonstrated incredible combat power. Not only had they instantly killed Huyan Peng, but they were matching, and even slightly dominating, the early Fourth Layer Huyan elder. This meant that Zhang Yang now possessed the foundation necessary to contend with Fourth Layer experts.

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