Chapter 179: Power Exposed

Chapter 179: Strength Exposed

"These bodies are useless. Send them out as fertilizer."

The village chief tapped his cane in a slow, unhurried rhythm, his gaze landing on the young man engaged in battle. Dressed in simple white robes, he kept a low profile, yet his presence was impossible to ignore.

The village chief's eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

"That young man stays."

The villagers' eyes landed on Shen Lian.

At that moment, they also picked up on something unusual in the air.

The village chief gave a slight nod.

Meanwhile, Shen Lian had no clue he'd been singled out. His attention was entirely focused on the direction within the village where Yan Huaixuan's aura emanated.

He was frantic inside, but the Shuihua Sect members had him completely tied up.

Every time Shen Lian tried to make a break for it, someone popped up to block his way.

Meanwhile, Yan Huaixuan's aura kept fading, weaker and weaker.

A murderous look slowly crept into Shen Lian's eyes.

He tightened his grip on Chen Xue, slow and deliberate.

The ones in his way just happened to be Li Xiang and that tall, lanky guy, Hua Lin.

These two had come looking for Shen Lian on purpose.

They were here to get even for what happened on the airship that day.

Li Xiang gritted his teeth, each word dripping with venom, "I saw you. You're the one who pulled that stunt on me that day, aren't you?"

Hua Lin sneered, "You've got no real power—just a bag of cheap tricks. Is this the kind of low-down crap your Qingfeng Sect pulls?"

Off to the side, Mo Xingyuan and the others, still in the middle of fighting, spotted Li Xiang cornering Shen Lian.

Their faces dropped. "Lian Song!"

Ye Junhe, still locked in combat, narrowed his eyes. Next to him, Ye Congyue and Ye Canglan murmured, "Young Master, is he really the one?"

Ye Junhe stayed silent, but he opened his palm, and a faint wisp of blue flame flickered there.

It danced and flickered, as if leaning toward Shen Lian.

Seeing that, Ye Canglan and Ye Congyue turned to Shen Lian too. "Should we go back him up?"

Ye Canglan said, "No. Let's see what he's got first."

With that, his eyes went cold, and with a lazy flick of his hand, he crushed several Shuihua Sect disciples who rushed at him.

The Shuihua Sect disciples' eyes went wide in shock. How could this guy, who was clearly at the same Immortal Lord Realm as them, leave them completely helpless without even lifting a finger?

But they barely had time to process it before they turned to ash, their terrified faces frozen forever.

Yan Fengyi quietly stepped back, watching that young man.

He wanted to see how the young man would handle it.

Mo Xingyuan and the other two's faces darkened. Li Xiang might've been an idiot, but he was still the strongest of the Shuihua Sect's Immortal Lord Realm cultivators. The guy next to Li Xiang was just as strong—both of them had already hit the peak of the Immortal Lord Realm.

And Lian Song had only just scraped his way into the Immortal Lord Realm.

Just as the three of them tried to break out of the encirclement and rush to Shen Lian's aid—

But out of nowhere, a figure blocked their path.

Yan Fengyi materialized in front of Mo Xingyuan, locking eyes with him. "Senior Brother, you're fighting me."

Mo Xingyuan's face went dark. "Yan Fengyi, we're from the same sect! Call your people off."

Yan Fengyi smiled. "Senior Brother never really saw me as a fellow disciple."

Then, as if remembering something, Yan Fengyi's eyes turned cold. "I've tried to catch up with you plenty of times, Senior Brother, but you always shut the door in my face."

Zhao Yin: "...?"

She glanced back and forth between Mo Xingyuan and Yan Fengyi.

Mo Xingyuan turned to Zhao Yin. "Zhao Yin, Li Xuan—go help Lian Song."

Zhao Yin and Li Xuan didn't say a word—just nodded and charged toward Shen Lian.

Yan Fengyi said coolly, "If you'd just played along, we might've let you live and walk out of these woods. But now? Looks like this is really going to be a fight to the death."

Mo Xingyuan charged at him, face blank. "Cut the crap."

Li Xiang shot a look at Hua Lin next to him. "Let's go!"

They shot Mo Xingyuan and the others a nasty grin.

Oh, you're protecting your little junior brother, huh?

I'll make you watch while I tear Lian Song apart right in front of you.

Li Xiang's face twisted with cruel glee. "Keep your eyes wide open and watch me destroy your little junior brother!"

Zhao Yin and Li Xuan had just fought their way out of the Shuihua Sect's encirclement when they saw this.

Their eyes went wide. "Li Xiang, Hua Lin, you wouldn't dare!"

"What wouldn't we dare? If we don't put your Qingfeng Sect in its place, you'll never learn who's boss. Remember this—next time you run into your Shuihua Sect elders, drop to your knees and kowtow!"

The second those words left his mouth, Li Xiang and Hua Lin yelled and raised their swords, charging straight at Shen Lian.

"Lian Song!" Zhao Yin and the others shouted at the same time.

But to everyone's surprise, Shen Lian just stared blankly at Li Xiang and Hua Lin. "Who exactly did you say should kowtow?"

The grins on Li Xiang and Hua Lin's faces slowly melted away as they realized their swords had stopped a full arm's length short of Shen Lian.

They snapped their heads up to look at Shen Lian.

"Didn't you just barely break into the Immortal Lord Realm?"

How could the two of them withstand two peak-stage cultivators?

Even Shen Lian's expression remained completely unchanged, and he didn't even lift a hand.

At this moment, not just Li Xiang and Hua Lin, but everyone else froze, because to them, Lian Song looked like someone who needed protecting, and hardly anyone took Shen Lian seriously.

But now—

With everyone around them watching, Li Xiang and Hua Lin absolutely couldn't afford to lose face.

So they poured more spiritual power into their swords, yet no matter what, their blades couldn't budge an inch.

Cold sweat broke out on both Li Xiang's and Hua Lin's foreheads.

Shen Lian didn't even bat an eye.

The looks around them grew weirder and weirder.

Especially the Shuihua Sect members, who couldn't help blurting out, "Li Xiang, Hua Lin, what are you two doing? Can't you even handle someone who just entered the Immortal Lord Realm?"

Facing everyone's accusations, only Li Xiang and Hua Lin knew the truth of their plight.

It wasn't that they didn't want to move—it was that they simply couldn't!

They felt like they were frozen in midair.

Li Xiang's eyes flickered. He gritted his teeth, let out a roar, and every muscle in his body bulged. Seeing this, Hua Lin also tried to force his way through the strange restraint.

But the next moment, the expressionless young man raised his hand.

He slowly clenched it, and Li Xiang and Hua Lin immediately let out agonized screams. They could feel the space around them closing in, quickly piercing their protective spiritual energy and crushing their internal organs.

Mo Xingyuan and the other two were momentarily stunned by the sight.

Usually, Lian Song didn't make any waves in the sect. If he hadn't suddenly signed up for the trial, no one would've even known he existed.

Later, when Lian Song fought his way through, he barely scraped by.

And since he was the youngest, everyone naturally felt they had to protect him.

But now it seemed Lian Song wasn't anything like they'd imagined.

Yan Fengyi narrowed his eyes too, looking at Mo Xingyuan. "Seems like this little junior brother of yours has been hiding quite a lot from all of you."