“Smack!”
That centurion was completely unprepared and was sent flying several meters. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and several teeth were knocked loose.
In an instant, the entire camp was in an uproar.
The remaining men immediately became alert. They had not expected Xiao Yang to strike without warning.
“Damn it! You little bastard, that was despicable. How dare you launch a sneak attack. I was careless just now…”
The centurion who was hit was still unwilling to accept it.
“Then now, are you ready?”
Xiao Yang stepped forward one pace at a time and raised his right hand again.
“What, you still want to—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Yang slapped him again. His head tilted, and he passed out on the spot.
“Hmph. So this is the so-called elite of the Vermilion Bird Army. Turns out you are nothing special.” Xiao Yang commented sharply.
These words enraged the remaining men on the spot.
“Kid, what are you pretending for?”
“He is the weakest among us. Even if I let you use one hand, I could still beat you flat!”
“And this is our Vermilion Bird Army camp. How dare an outsider come here and cause trouble?”
“If you do not want to die, get out immediately!”
…
Those centurions all drew their sabers, blades pointed forward.
They were all notorious thorns within the army. Once their tempers flared, they would not care even if the opponent was a prince.
“A bunch of idiots!”
Xiao Yang shouted angrily and continued, “Not only this camp, even this entire city is territory of the Xiao family!”
“And what you were just insulting was not only the female general of the Vermilion Bird Army, but also my Xiao Yang’s fiancée!”
“Even the Heavenly King Himself is not allowed to bully my woman!”
Each word rang out clearly and powerfully, echoing through the camp.
For a moment, those centurions were all stunned.
They had not expected Xiao Yang to be so hot-blooded and domineering, openly protecting his woman. He was completely different from the useless Ninth Prince described in rumors.
[Ding! Ning Hongye favorability +5, total 25.]
At this moment, the system prompt also sounded beside Xiao Yang’s ear.
Another correct gamble.
Xiao Yang felt secretly delighted.
For someone as proud and aloof as Ning Hongye, no matter how precious the gift, it would likely be hard to win her heart.
The last time he gained favorability was when he promised to help her raise troops and rebel.
Now, with a few bold words, he had gained another 5 points of favorability.
However, the centurions were still unconvinced, cursing one after another.
“Ninth Prince, even so, you injured our brother!”
“How do we settle this account?”
Xiao Yang looked at them coldly and said proudly, “You talk so much. In the end, you just want to fight me, do you not? Then come on!”
“I will fight you!”
A burly man with muscles all over stepped forward.
“Gazi, you went drinking at a brothel last night and drained yourself dry. Do not embarrass yourself. Let me do it instead,” another person said.
“Panzi, you might be good at leading troops, but when it comes to fighting, you are just a little brother!”
For a moment, they actually started arguing among themselves over who would go first.
“Enough!”
Xiao Yang frowned slightly, swept his gaze across the crowd, and said, “I am in a hurry. All of you, come at me together.”
What?!
Hearing this, the centurions exploded with anger.
To become centurions of the Vermilion Bird Army, each of them was a 3rd stage martial artist who had fought through countless life-and-death battles. Their combat ability far surpassed that of ordinary martial artists.
Yet now Xiao Yang wanted to take them all on alone. This was an enormous insult, completely disregarding them.
“Kid, you are asking to die!”
“How dare you look down on us?”
“Everyone, attack together and defend the glory of the Vermilion Bird Army!”
The centurions were all enraged. They drew their sabers and attacked Xiao Yang from all directions.
Not far away, Ning Hongye frowned and was about to intervene.
But Xiao Yang moved first. He rushed into the crowd and simultaneously activated the ability of the [Unrivaled Dual-Pupils].
In an instant, his opponents’ movements became incredibly slow in his eyes, like crawling turtles. Weak points and openings were everywhere.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Each time Xiao Yang threw a punch, one person was struck in a vital spot.
After just a few breaths, all of them were on the ground, wailing in pain, having completely lost the ability to fight.
“So this is the power of the dual pupils. This is absurdly strong!”
Xiao Yang was secretly shocked. This was his first time using the dual-pupil ability in actual combat.
Among those of the same realm, it was truly invincible.
No wonder it was a talent that only a Great Emperor could possess.
To the side, Ning Hongye’s beautiful eyes also shone with amazement.
If she had taken action, dealing with these centurions would have been easy.
But Xiao Yang was only a 3rd stage martial artist, yet he won so effortlessly.
It seemed this fiancé of hers was hiding far more than she had imagined.
Clap, clap, clap.
A middle-aged man wearing armor, naturally imposing without showing anger, walked out. His eyes were fixed directly on Xiao Yang.
“So you are Xiao Yang? Impressive indeed. But this is the Vermilion Bird Army. A junior like you is not allowed to act so wildly here!”
Boom!
In the next instant, a powerful aura erupted from his body. His skin began to glow, like the golden body of a Buddha.
“5th stage Vajra Realm?!”
Xiao Yang frowned slightly.
With this level of strength, he could already be considered a top expert throughout the Grand Xia Empire.
A body tempered through countless refinements, bones hardened like refined iron, impervious to blades and spears. This was the Vajra Realm.
His elder brother Xiao Junlin was born with a Supreme Bone and had enjoyed all kinds of superior resources from the Prince’s Residence. After over 20 years of bitter cultivation, he was only at the 5th stage.
This middle-aged man clearly had an extraordinary background.
“Commander Huo!”
The centurions lying on the ground looked as if they had seen a savior.
“Uncle Huo, why are you here?”
Ning Hongye addressed him with respect.
This man was named Huo Gang, a commander within the Vermilion Bird Army. Although his cultivation was not the strongest, he had once served as the personal guard of the great general Ning Xiong in his youth. He was fiercely loyal and held extremely high prestige.
Even Ning Hongye respected him greatly.
“General Ning, I am merely an old soldier. I do not deserve to be called ‘uncle’ by you.”
“However, even if Xiao Yang is the Ninth Prince of the Northern War King and your fiancé, the empire has its laws, and the army has its discipline!”
“He injured my subordinates today and must give an explanation. If the old general were still alive, he would likely agree with me!”
Huo Gang spoke with airtight logic, leaving Ning Hongye unable to refute him.
“Commander Huo, you want to stand up for your subordinates, and I want to vent my anger for my fiancée. Then tell me, how should today’s matter be resolved?” Xiao Yang asked.
“Then let us follow military rules.” Huo Gang said sternly. “Since this grudge cannot be resolved, we go up the [Life-and-Death Arena]. Do you dare?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire camp erupted in shock.
The Life-and-Death Arena.
There, victory and defeat were decided, and life and death were determined.
Once one stepped onto the arena, it meant a feud so deep that only one could survive.
“Commander Huo, you are a 5th stage martial artist. Is this not going too far?” Qingluan protested.
Huo Gang replied, “I am not forcing Xiao Yang to accept. If he is afraid, he can admit defeat and leave. But from this day onward, he must never set foot in the Vermilion Bird Army camp again and must hand over the Tiger Tally Golden Seal!”
“The Vermilion Bird Army has always revered the strong. We will never obey the commands of a coward!”
This was Huo Gang’s true objective.
He did not intend to kill Xiao Yang on the Life-and-Death Arena, but to force him to surrender the Tiger Tally.
In his view, Ning Hongye giving such a precious token to Xiao Yang was simply reckless.
“Is it not just stepping onto the Life-and-Death Arena?”
However, in the next moment, Xiao Yang showed no fear at all. Instead, blazing battle intent ignited in his eyes.
“Fine. This prince agrees!”