The man in plain clothes had eyes blazing with fury. His gaze, heavy and oppressive, fixed on Zhang Fan, as if trying to pierce through the young man.
To his disappointment, Zhang Fan remained unfazed by the intense stare. Instead, he calmly looked at Bai Tianyi, who was sprawled on the ground, and said with a smile, "It's better for a man to be proactive. If you had knelt down yourself, you wouldn't have to suffer like this."
Bai Tianyi, struck down with a single palm, was filled with shock and anger. He felt as if his bones were about to shatter.
He was, after all, a super expert at the half-step Saint Domain level. Yet, he couldn't even withstand one palm strike from this young man. Just how powerful was this youth?
The man in plain clothes was not foolish. He could tell that if this youth could subdue Bai Tianyi in one move, he was likely at least a Saint Domain expert. To cultivate to the Saint Domain at such a young age, his background must be extraordinary.
These thoughts flashed through his mind, and he immediately launched his attack on Zhang Fan.
After all, no matter what his background was, their Bai family feared no one.
"You're courting death!" the middle-aged man in plain clothes sneered, then surged towards Zhang Fan.
His hand was somewhat gaunt but snow-white. As true qi flowed, faint black mist coiled around it, like ghostly fog, exuding a chilling aura as he reached for Zhang Fan's neck.
With his peak Saint Domain strength, even if this youth were a Saint Domain expert, he wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.
"Second Uncle, spare his life. I want him to taste the torment of my Bai family's Ten Thousand Poisons Devouring Body..." Bai Tianyi painfully struggled to rise from the ground, his bones creaking. If not for his robust physique, he would have been reduced to a bloody mess by that palm strike.
The moment the middle-aged man in plain clothes attacked, the sky within several hundred meters seemed to dim considerably. The entire manor was enveloped by an eerie aura, as if it had fallen into a ghostly realm.
Everyone felt a chill in their hearts, yet their eyes were fixed on Zhang Fan and the other man.
Even those unfamiliar with martial arts knew that the man in plain clothes must be extremely powerful, capable of causing localized changes in the heavens and earth with his own strength.
Therefore, they were all eager to see how the esteemed Master Zhang, hailed as the supreme figure in China's martial arts world, would respond.
"So strong!" Wei Xiaowen's eyes shone brightly as she stared intently at the man in plain clothes, her heart filled with admiration.
By now, she had already pulled her grandfather to a safe distance. While her own strength could withstand this pressure, her grandfather could not.
"A mere display in front of a master!" Zhang Fan merely lifted an eyelid at the sight, scoffing. He didn't move an inch, yet at that moment, everyone's gaze upon Zhang Fan was like looking at the sun.
His once dark and deep eyes suddenly flickered with flames and lightning.
Instantly, the chilling aura enveloping the manor dissipated.
To everyone's astonishment, a pillar of fire, laced with lightning, shot out from Zhang Fan's eyes. The light flashed and then struck the right hand of the middle-aged man in plain clothes!
"Ah!" A soul-wrenching scream echoed. The crowd only snapped out of their stupor from the preceding phenomenon when they looked closely and saw the middle-aged man in plain clothes, who had been charging at Zhang Fan, flying backward and crashing beside Bai Tianyi.
At this moment, his gaunt, snow-white hand was already a bloody mess, with glimpses of bone visible. The scene was gruesome.
Many young men and women, having never witnessed such brutality, averted their eyes, unable to bear the sight.
Divine Ability, Thunderflame Divine Eyes!
Now unleashed by Zhang Fan at his current strength, even a peak Divine Realm expert would be significantly affected. This middle-aged man, merely at the peak of Saint Domain, was utterly incapable of resisting it.
"Second Uncle!" Bai Tianyi's once pale face was now covered in dread. His uncle's strength reached the peak of Saint Domain, just one step away from the Divine Realm. Yet, he couldn't even withstand one move from this young man.
Looking at the mangled hand, Bai Tianyi knew that his uncle's right hand was likely ruined.
"You are... Master Zhang?" Bai Tianyi stared at the young man before him, who appeared calm and composed, finally recognizing him from the rumors.
So young, yet so powerful. Besides the rumored Master Zhang of China's martial arts world, who else could it be?
Although their Bai family rarely interacted with China's martial arts circles, they were a vast power with relatively good access to information.
When he had first heard the news, he had been skeptical. A Divine Realm expert around twenty years old was an anomaly unheard of in his Bai family's centuries of history.
After all, Bai Tianyi considered himself the top genius of the Bai family in the past century. Even his father, who had cultivated to the Divine Realm, was less talented than him. He had even received personal guidance from an ancestor.
Therefore, he was naturally very confident. In terms of strength, among the younger generation in China's martial arts world, he believed few could defeat him. He certainly couldn't believe that there was a Divine Realm expert younger than him.
But today, he had no choice but to believe.
"Master Zhang?" the middle-aged man in plain clothes, his palm burned to a bloody pulp, also looked up, his face filled with disbelief and horror.
The youth whom he had initially dismissed as vulnerable had instantly transformed into a super expert comparable to their Bai family's ancestor.
"Since you know who I am, things will be much easier," Zhang Fan said with a smile. "Tell me, daring to snatch my woman, and daring to offend me..."
"How do you wish to die today?"
"Master Zhang, your strength is indeed formidable, but my Bai family is not to be trifled with. To oppose my Bai family for the sake of a woman, you need to think carefully."
"If you like, our Bai family can send you a hundred women of this caliber. Or, if you have other demands, our Bai family will do its best to satisfy you. However, I hope you won't obstruct my alliance with the Qin family."
Bai Tianyi, after all, was the young master of the Bai family and was being groomed as their future leader. Though shocked by the youth's identity, he still had the confidence to negotiate.
"Heh, do the women your Bai family finds compare to my woman?" Zhang Fan sneered. "You've gone to great lengths to ally with the Qin family, not just because you covet Luo Shui's Ethereal Body?"
As he spoke, Zhang Fan's expression grew colder. If he didn't have some questions to ask Bai Tianyi, he would have already killed him with a single palm strike.
Hearing this, Bai Tianyi's gradually calming face changed again. He hadn't expected this youth to discern his hidden motive so readily.
"Ethereal Body? What is that?" Qin Luo Shui asked, confused, standing beside him.
"After your body was nourished and transformed by the Hundred Spirit Pill, it's completely different from ordinary martial artists' physiques. The true qi within you is more refined and free of impurities..."
"To put it simply, you are now a human-shaped spiritual pill. Some desperate alchemists who saw you would probably want to refine you again."
"And for some cultivators who practice Gu techniques, you are also an excellent target for nurturing their Gu worms."
"Just like this scumbag here, he probably has such intentions," Zhang Fan said, pointing at Bai Tianyi.
Upon hearing this, Qin Luo Shui looked at Bai Tianyi again and felt a chill run down her spine. She also felt a pang of fear. After Zhang Fan's explanation, she felt as if she had become a potent medicinal ingredient.
...