Chapter 1355: You Should Always Kill Someone Earlier Than Later

Fang Zhiyong asked again, “Are you the one who killed my two sons?”

“I am,” Ye Qing admitted honestly.

Fang Zhiyong’s voice abruptly turned cold and murderous. “Since you admit it, then you deserve death.”

“Haha... did you know, Grand Mentor Fang? I’m pretty sure your two sons said something similar to me.”

Ye Qing remained calm and collected despite facing the Grand Mentor himself. Right now, his voice was both taunting and ridiculing, “However, they died, and I am still alive.”

“They died because they were too prideful, too careless. It is also because they underestimated you too much.”

Fang Zhiyong did not fall for Ye Qing’s provocation. His voice turned colder and more murderous as he said, “But I never underestimate anyone, and I do not intend to start with you.”

“That is why you are dead for sure.”

“I would thank you for your flattery, but you speak as if you dare to underestimate me to begin with.”

Ye Qing scoffed, “Actually, let me put it this way: Do you even have the right to underestimate me?”

He was now a Half Sage, the wielder of the Earthly Sovereign Bell, the heaven-favored genius who could give even a Sage a run for their money. He even had a Sage-stage bodyguard now. Today, the number of people who had the power to underestimate him were few and far between, and Fang Zhiyong was decidedly not one of them!

“How dare you speak to father like this!”

Before Fang Zhiyong could speak, Fang Zhaoyi yelled and shot to his feet with bloodshot eyes. He looked like he wanted to fight the young man to the death.

Unfortunately, an irresistible force abruptly pressed down on him and dropped him on all fives.

Even so, Fang Zhaoyi kept looking up and glaring at Ye Qing with bloodshot, furious eyes.

Neither Fang Zhiyong nor Ye Qing paid Fang Zhaoyi any attention. Fang Zhiyong replied, “Indeed, you’re all grown up now. There is no one who would dare to underestimate you anymore.”

“But young man, arrogance is the downfall of man. In this world, martial power has always been, and will always be the lowest form of power, nor can it solve all of your problems.”

“A youngster who isn’t arrogant isn’t a youngster.”

Ye Qing said indifferently, “It is true that martial power cannot solve every problem, but it can solve most problems, isn’t it?”

“Anyway, we’ve wasted enough time on pleasantries. What do you want?”

Fang Zhiyong answered frankly, “I want to kill you and take revenge for my two sons.”

“Haha! Some wishes don’t come true with just thought,” Ye Qing scoffed. “You’ll need some actual strength and skill to take my life.”

“Let’s cut to the chase, Grand Mentor Fang. What will it take to convince you to let go of the hostages?”

Ye Qing soldiered on before Fang Zhiyong could muster a response. “And don’t tell me to kill myself or cripple myself or some other bullshit. We both know there’s no way I would comply. Also, if you kill them, trust me when I say that I do everything in my power to grant you a life worse than death, for eternity.”

“Hahaha...”

Fang Zhiyong guffawed like he heard a funny joke. “It’s been a long time since anyone dared to threaten me like this.”

“What, you don’t believe me?” Ye Qing’s smile grew a tad dangerous.

“In fact, I don’t believe you,” Fang Zhiyong declared confidently. “You may be strong, but you are not invincible. Say I never leave the capital from now on. What can you possibly do against me?”

“You’re right about one thing, Grand Mentor. I am not invincible.” Ye Qing smirked. “However, I possess one advantage that no one in the entire world can compare. Do you know what that is, Grand Mentor?”

Fang Zhiyong looked puzzled. “Tell me.”

“I’m young,” Ye Qing declared matter-of-factly. “It is true that I am not invincible now, but who knows what might happen in the future?”

“I am a Half-Sage, but I am not even twenty three yet. Give me a few more years, and I may become a Sage. A couple more years after that, and I may become invincible.”

“So what if you hole up in the imperial capital like a turtle forever? When the time comes, I can still rip you into a million pieces and annihilate your clan to the last dog.”

Yet again, Fang Zhiyong did not fall for Ye Qing’s provocation. In fact, one might say that he was unusually calm. “Oh? You’re that confident in yourself?”

“Trust me when I say I can do it.”

Ye Qing’s tone was indifferent but absolutely, irrefutably confident.

“This is why I always told Muyun that one should become famous and kill their enemies earlier than later.”

Fang Zhiyong sighed. “After all, they are so much more annoying to deal with when they have grown up.”

Ye Qing agreed. “Makes sense.”

“That said, even if you one day become a Sage, even if you become invincible under the heavens, even if you can rip me into a million pieces, I am still unafraid of you.”

Fang Zhiyong stared at Ye Qing seriously. “Do you know why?”

Ye Qing did not answer, though it didn’t look like Fang Zhiyong was planning to wait for an answer to begin with. “It’s because I’m old and decrepit now. I don’t have many years left in me. Not only that, the sons I’ve placed high expectations on have all been killed by you. Therefore, I have even less of a reason to cling to life.”

“That is why I’m not afraid to die. Or should I say, by the time you become invincible under the heavens, I may be a part of the yellow soil already. Even if I was still alive by then, I would probably have one and a half feet in my grave already. I would not be surprised if death claimed me in a matter of days. Why would I care if I live or die then?”

“As for your threat of generational extermination, I should remind you that you already killed my only two sons; my only true descendants. Why would I care about the rest? They can die. I won’t mind.”

“Therefore, your threats are useless.”

Ye Qing remained silent.

“There is one and only one thing that bothers me though. If I die, and you are still alive, then how can I meet Sixue and Muyun in the afterlife in peace?”

“Just get to the point already,” Ye Qing urged indifferently.

He believed Fang Zhiyong when he said that he did not care if the Fang Clan was exterminated. He also believed Fang Zhiyong when he said that he did not care about others. Someone like him would only care for himself and perhaps Fang Muyun. It was simply unrealistic to expect anything beyond that.

He did not believe Fang Zhiyong’s claim that he wasn’t afraid to die though. Fugong was Fang Muyun’s aide, so he was aware of some of the Fang Clan’s secrets. Fugong once told him that Fang Zhiyong was a battle-hardened warrior, not a gentle scholar. Although he could not determine the Grand Mentor’s strength, he had to be a Great Trueman at the very least.

Fang Zhiyong was only a little over a hundred years old right now. Assuming he was a Great Trueman, he had at least a couple decades or even a century left to live.

With that in mind, why on earth would such a man be willing to die?

How could he not be afraid to die?

In short, Fang Zhiyong was wasting his time.

“Very well.”

Fang Zhiyong began, “What I want from you is an opportunity to kill you. Of course, I will also give you an opportunity to rescue everyone.”

Ye Qing asked, “Oh? Tell me!”

Fang Zhiyong smiled. “It’s very simple. I want you to come to the capital. If you meet me here at the capital, then I will release your Strangers and your friends’ families. I will not publicize the fact that they colluded with you either.”

“You want me to go to the capital alone?” Ye Qing asked.

Fang Zhiyong shook his head. “Oh no, you can bring anyone and anything with you. You can use whatever method you think will improve your odds either. I don’t mind.”

“But of course, that does not mean you are allowed to exploit a loophole or use a petty trick. Let’s duke it out fair and square, hmm?”