Chapter 53. Too Arrogant, a Powerful Attack

In the valley at the foot of Mount Li, the gazes of numerous Awakened were all drawn to one scene. The atmosphere was tense, and everyone revealed shocked faces at the sight. Someone had just provoked the Wuzhou Group, an extremely arrogant move.

More importantly, the young man in question showed absolutely no fear.

Zhou Biqiong stood at the forefront. Her eyes fixed on Lu Yuan narrowed with pride. She was furious, thinking the other party was too insolent, even though he was nothing more than someone lucky enough to consume a spiritual fruit or some bizarre herbs to become an Awakened.

In her eyes, Lu Yuan was an insolent ant unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth. With everyone watching, she had a duty to act. She would defend the Wuzhou Group, and she would defend Brother Yi.

Brother Yi's bloodline was special; he was a god who had descended to earth, and no one was allowed to treat him that way.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Zhou Biqiong took another step forward. Then, she looked as if she were doing Lu Yuan a great favor as she said, "Apologize now, and I can consider letting bygones be bygones."

For her sister's sake, she decided to be generous, which she already considered an act of mercy on her end.

Numerous gazes fell on Lu Yuan, awaiting his reaction. They thought he would submit, as he was facing the Wuzhou Group. If he offended them, it would become very difficult for him to survive in the New Era. Their influence was too great, after all.

"Apologize?" Lu Yuan finally spoke, his eyes carrying amusement. The next instant, his figure moved with such speed that no one managed to react. He instantly appeared before Zhou Biqiong. Then, he raised his palm and decisively swung it.

Smack!

A crisp, resounding slap landed on's cheek. Zhou Biqiong couldn't react in time and only felt a heavy force colliding with her cheek. Her figure spun a full circle before crashing directly into the ground. Blood filled her mouth, and her pretty face swelled up in an instant, taking on a red hue.

Of course, Lu Yuan had already held back.

Otherwise, that slap would have killed her.

"This is my apology. How is it?"

Lu Yuan stepped back, dusting off his palms. He glanced at Zhou Biqiong sprawled on the ground, then turned his gaze to Zhou Yunqiong and Yi. His face remained indifferent all throughout.

All along, he had never been one with patience; he repaid grievance with grievance. He originally wanted to ignore them, as he was unwilling to get involved with their business.

However, what was the result of his actions? They pressured him, demanding an apology. Their voice also carried a kind of superiority that made it seem as if they were bestowing charity and mercy upon Lu Yuan.

That being the case, why would he be polite toward them? With his current level of strength and at this point in time, there was no need for him to be polite or stay low-key.

If they truly wanted to make a move, then there would be no problem at all. He would definitely accompany them to the end. However, if things were to escalate, it wouldn't end with just a slap.

"You... you..." Zhou Biqiong trembled all over as fury pervaded her heart. Her family had been pampering her since she was born, and no one had ever dared to shout at her before.

Zhou Biqiong couldn't withstand the humiliation of getting slapped under the gaze of so many people. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, she roared, "Kill him! Kill him for me!"

Zhou Biqiong immediately ordered the Wuzhou Group's experts to attack Lu Yuan.

He's done! He's dead!

The nearby Awakened were convinced that Lu Yuan had brought a great disaster upon himself.

Sure enough, the people from the Wuzhou Group rushed forward without any hesitation, and their figures emanated a soft glow. They were all Awakened, and their strength surpassed many present.

An old man among them was particularly remarkable. Upon rushing forward, he immediately displayed his mastery of

Xingyiquan

[1]. A dragon manifested over his left hand, while a tiger manifested over his right hand.

ROAR!

A powerful aura swept toward Lu Yuan. At this very moment, the formidable old man seemed to have transformed into a tiger. The nearby Awakened couldn't withstand his aura and were forced to retreat with pale faces.

"Aren't those the strongest forms of

Xingyiquan?!

The Dragon and Tiger Forms!"

"I know him! He's Duan Kun; he's the successor of

Xingyiquan

, and he's from the Wuzhou Group!"

"My goodness, didn't the Wuzhou Group recruit him a long time ago? He's already a Tier VI Foundation Realm expert?!"

People's eyes widened in disbelief upon recognizing the old man.

Xingyiquan

was an ancient martial art of Huaxia, and it was a formidable visualization method.

The nearby Awakened were finally convinced that Lu Yuan had brought a great disaster upon himself and was going to suffer a violent death.

Just then, six experts from the Wuzhou Group rushed to block Lu Yuan's escape routes. Then, they attacked him from all directions.

"How ignorant," Lu Yuan uttered only those two words. Against these people, there was no need for him to make any movement aside from raising his palm slightly.

As soon as Lu Yuan raised his palm, a resonant sword cry resounded, accompanied by a surge of sword intent.

Everyone felt their hair stand on end. Even those standing far away were affected. They felt as though they had fallen into an icy cavern. They trembled uncontrollably as if something terrifying had locked onto them, and they stood still as if Death himself was staring at them.

A streak of black lightning manifested next to Lu Yuan before flying toward those from the Wuzhou Group and the old man showcasing his mastery over

Xingyiquan

. Moments later, flowers of blood painted the air and watered the earth, creating a vivid but macabre display.

The streak of black lightning returned to Lu Yuan's hand, stained with blood.

It was the Great Luo Sword Embryo! However, he hadn't activated the power within the Great Luo Sword Embryo. Otherwise, the attack would have been even more terrifying. In the end, these people simply weren't... worthy.

No one knew what had happened, but soon, everyone present looked as if they were staring at a ghost in broad daylight. The experts from the Wuzhou Group, including that old man, had a hole in their chests. They stood frozen in place, then fell straight down, never to stand up again—deader than dead!

Everyone inhaled sharply. They trembled as their faces drained of all color.

The experts of the Wuzhou Group were dead, and they were killed in an instant at that. When their gazes landed on Lu Yuan, they retreated frantically as if they were staring at Death himself.

How could this happen?

Zhou Yunqiong was in disbelief as well. The ones she had brought with her were their cream of the crop experts, and six of them were killed in an instant.

"Kill! Kill him for me again..." Zhou Biqiong muttered once again upon standing up great difficulty. The humiliation from getting slapped seemed to have knocked some screws loose in her head. Naturally, she was afraid as well.

Someone who was supposed to be just an ordinary Awakened had suddenly displayed such monstrous strength. Zhou Biqiong knew that he absolutely couldn't be allowed to stay alive. He had to be killed. Zhou Biqiong screamed frantically; she was going to make Lu Yuan pay the price for humiliating her!

"My patience has run thin," Lu Yuan chimed in, his eyes shimmering like a cold blade. Then he stepped forward, appearing before Zhou Biqiong.

The next moment, he grabbed Zhou Biqiong by the throat.

"Since you won't accept my apology... just die," Lu Yuan declared blandly. His tone made it sound like killing someone was just a slight inconvenience. However, a frightening killing intent erupted from him. He had never been kind. Since they had brandished their killing intent toward him, he wouldn't hold back.

The identity of his enemies mattered little; no one could stop him!

Everyone present was stunned, including Zhou Yunqiong. Everything had happened too fast, and no one could have thought that things would end up escalating to such a degree.

Arrogant! He was too arrogant! Lu Yuan had slapped someone and humiliated them. However, he was extremely powerful for anyone to stop, and someone like him had just sentenced someone to death!

The nearby Awakened were all stupefied.

"Put her down!" Yi shouted, stepping forward. His golden pupils surged with threads of golden light, and his aura churned as if a volcano was erupting from within him. Then, without any hesitation, he charged forward, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as he appeared before Lu Yuan.

Raising his palm, he was about to attack, but...

"Obnoxious." Lu Yuan didn't even glance at him and merely lashed out with his foot to kick Yi in the chest.

Yi saw that, but he didn't dodge. Instead, he smiled, confident in his physique. Even in its normal state, his fleshly body was sturdier than steel. Upon contact with Lu Yuan's foot, however, Yi felt as if a mountain had collided with him.

His organs trembled, and blood spurted from his mouth. Then, he was blasted away at breakneck speeds before crashing into a mountainside. Yi ended up getting stuck in the mountain's depths with his fate remaining unknown.

"I thought you'd be strong." Lu Yuan shook his head. He had only used one percent of his strength. If he had used even a bit more strength, his kick would have killed Yi outright.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, but the crowd captured and burned every frame in the retina of their eyes. Their mouths grew dry, and their limbs grew clammy at what they had just witnessed.

Who exactly was he? How was he so strong that he practically killed his enemies in an instant?

They thought he would suffer a violent death, but they couldn't be more wrong. Facing several experts from the Wuzhou Group, he destroyed them with his powerful strength, and he remained unscathed after all the commotion.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He was too strong! The nearby Awakened racked their brains to recall Lu Yuan's identity, but for some reason, they couldn't remember him at all.

"Lu Yuan." Zhou Yunqiong broke her silence and stepped forward. She glanced at the dead, then at Lu Yuan choking her sister. His behavior was alien to her. The man she knew had been sensitive and gentle. Now? He was wild, unruly, and brutally forceful.

However, Zhou Yunqiong wasn't an ordinary person. After taking a deep breath, she quickly calmed down, saying, "Lu Yuan, give me some face and don't stoop to my sister's level, okay?"

Her voice became much gentler with a hint of pleading. Combined with her stunning looks, pity rose unbidden in the observers. The hearts of the nearby Awakened softened at the sight. If they were in Lu Yuan's shoes, they would surely oblige.

"Sorry, but your

face

does not work on me whatsoever," Lu Yuan answered. His voice remained light, and his face remained calm, clearly unaffected by her face and tone of voice.

Then, he cast his gaze on Zhou Biqiong and gave her neck a gentle squeeze.

Crack!

A grotesque

crack

echoed as Zhou Biqiong caved in under the terrifying force. The Third Young Miss of the Wuzhou Group had gone silent. Her screams would never be heard again, as she was dead, just like that.

Lu Yuan dusted off his palms as if he had done something perfectly normal. He then turned to Zhou Yunqiong and asked, "What? Do you want my apology, too?"

1. A style of internal Chinese martial arts, and it approximately translates to "Form-Intention Fist," or "Shape-Will Fist." ☜