The gold-robed youth didn’t seem to care in the slightest that Xiao Chen had killed a disciple of the Jue Mountain Sect.
The other six were the same.
It was as if, in their eyes, the death of a single Jue Mountain Sect disciple was nothing to fret over.
Hearing the gold-robed youth’s remark, a flicker of anger ignited in Chen Muxue’s heart.
Anyone could tell these seven were likely Xiao Chen’s friends.
But what she found most unbearable was that two of the young women were even more beautiful than she was.
The thought of Xiao Chen having such stunning beauties by his side filled her with an inexplicable irritation.
Shooting a cold glare at the gold-robed youth, Chen Muxue said icily, “You think Xiao Chen killed some ordinary disciple?
He killed one of the Jue Mountain Sect’s top ten Inner Sect Disciples.
He was Elder Shen’s grandson!”
She had hoped to see panic on their faces, but Chen Muxue was destined for disappointment.
After hearing her out, the gold-robed youth merely gave her a dismissive glance and replied coolly, “A top ten Inner Sect Disciple?
So what?”
There wasn’t a hint of alarm in his voice; he remained perfectly composed.
Before Chen Muxue could even respond, Shen Gaoyuan roared in fury, “You arrogant little brat!”
With that, Shen Gaoyuan struck, sending a palm strike directly toward Xiao Chen and the gold-robed youth.
As an Earth Mirror expert, his attack was far beyond what Xiao Chen and the youth could hope to block.
Just as everyone was certain the two were about to die, Zhang Qiang, who had stood motionless until now, suddenly made his move.
He threw himself in front of the attack, managing to block it.
However, with his cultivation only at the Xuanyuan Realm Great Perfection, he was grievously wounded by the single strike.
He had disregarded his own safety to shield Xiao Chen and the gold-robed youth.
Witnessing this, the crowd was bewildered.
‘What’s gotten into Zhang Qiang?
Wasn’t he on Shen Gaoyuan’s side?
Why would he suddenly move to protect them?’
Everyone stared at Zhang Qiang in confusion.
No one understood why he had suddenly intervened to help Xiao Chen.
This was not at all what had been planned.
Ignoring the bewildered stares, Zhang Qiang paid no mind to his injuries.
He turned, dropped to both knees, and proclaimed respectfully to the gold-robed youth, “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
‘Crown Prince?’ Hearing Zhang Qiang’s words, the crowd froze.
‘What is going on?
If Zhang Qiang is calling him Crown Prince, then his identity must be…’
The gold-robed youth’s identity was all but confirmed.
In the entire Lingfeng Country, there was only one Crown Prince: Mo Jie, the third son of the reigning sovereign.
With an indifferent expression, Mo Jie glanced at the kneeling Zhang Qiang and said calmly, “You may rise.”
At Mo Jie’s words, Zhang Qiang rose and respectfully moved to stand behind him.
He had recognized Mo Jie the moment the group arrived.
‘I can’t believe the Crown Prince is actually here, and he knows Xiao Chen!’ After Shen Gaoyuan had attacked, Zhang Qiang hadn’t hesitated for a second.
It was no joke—if anything happened to Mo Jie here, his entire clan would be exterminated.
The Crown Prince himself.
With Mo Jie’s identity revealed, everyone’s expressions grew complicated.
They had all been certain that Xiao Chen was a dead man, but who could have expected Mo Jie to appear?
The situation had taken one astonishing turn after another.
Even the members of the Xiao Family felt as if they were dreaming.
Xiao Chen actually knew the Crown Prince.
Everyone was stunned by Mo Jie’s identity, including Shen Gaoyuan.
His old face was grim as he stared at Xiao Chen.
‘I don’t get it.
He’s just the prized genius of the Xiao Family.
Even if he is a prodigy, how could he possibly know someone of Mo Jie’s stature?’ And with Mo Jie present, would Shen Gaoyuan still dare to make a move against Xiao Chen?
Clearly, he didn’t dare to offend Mo Jie.
A single word from the Crown Prince would be enough to have the entire Jue Mountain Sect annihilated.
He was unwilling to let Xiao Chen go so easily, but with Mo Jie present, Shen Gaoyuan had no choice but to back down.
His fists were clenched so tightly it was clear he was in extreme turmoil.
Just as Shen Gaoyuan was stewing in his frustration, Xiao Chen slowly walked up to him and spoke in a low, even voice.
“By nightfall tomorrow, I expect a response from the Jue Mountain Sect.
Also, if the Jue Mountain Sect ever dares to act against the Xiao Family again, don’t blame me for wiping you from existence.”
Xiao Chen’s tone was placid, but his words were outrageously arrogant.
‘Wipe out the Jue Mountain Sect?
Who does he think he is?
If Mo Jie weren’t here, I would have beheaded him on the spot!’
Hearing Xiao Chen’s words, Shen Gaoyuan was on the verge of exploding.
It was the first time a junior had ever treated him with such disrespect.
But just as his rage was about to boil over, Xiao Chen took a token from his Storage Ring.
The token was solid silver and bore the insignia of a longsword.
The moment Shen Gaoyuan saw it, his body jolted, and he stammered in disbelief, “You… You’re a disciple of the East Sword Pavilion?”
He had recognized it at a glance: a disciple’s token from the East Sword Pavilion.
In that instant, the anger in Shen Gaoyuan’s heart vanished, replaced by a profound, chilling fear.
The East Sword Pavilion was the most powerful sect within a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles.
Even the Royal Family of Lingfeng Country was nothing more than an ant before them, an existence they could crush at will.
It was a behemoth that towered over the Lingfeng Country’s Royal Family.
No wonder Shen Gaoyuan’s demeanor had changed so drastically upon seeing the token.
It was no exaggeration to say that the East Sword Pavilion was the true sovereign of this vast region.
Its influence extended across ten great empires, and Lingfeng Country was merely one among them.
Their power was immense.
Furthermore, the East Sword Pavilion’s selection process for disciples was notoriously strict.
Every person who managed to enter was a one-in-ten-thousand genius.
A talent of that caliber would be considered a top disciple in the Jue Mountain Sect.
This just went to show how unbelievably gifted Xiao Chen must be to have been chosen by the East Sword Pavilion.
Shen Gaoyuan’s mind was reeling.
If Mo Jie’s presence had merely frustrated him, Xiao Chen’s identity now filled him with genuine terror.
Forget killing Shen Ming—even if Xiao Chen were to storm the Jue Mountain Sect and kill people there, the sect’s leadership wouldn’t dare to retaliate.
The consequences of killing a disciple of the East Sword Pavilion were far beyond what the Jue Mountain Sect could ever hope to bear.
His face went slack.
After a long moment, a sudden realization seemed to strike Shen Gaoyuan.
His gaze involuntarily shifted to Mo Jie and the others behind Xiao Chen.
‘A moment ago, they called Xiao Chen their junior brother.
If that’s the case, then they must be…’
He had guessed it—they were all disciples of the East Sword Pavilion, accompanying Xiao Chen.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Gaoyuan, under the stunned gazes of the entire crowd, actually took the initiative to bow to Xiao Chen and say,
“Young friend Xiao Chen, the Jue Mountain Sect was out of line in this matter.
Rest assured, before tomorrow, our Sect Leader will personally visit to offer his apologies.”