The next second, blood gushed from the slash like water seeping from a crack in a wall, streaming downward!

THUD!

Lu Yan’s body slammed to the ground, a move that saved him from an even worse fate!

But he couldn’t spare a thought for the intense pain in his chest. Disregarding his image, he rolled frantically to the side, dodging Cheng Zongyang’s follow-up attack—a blade that plunged fiercely into the very spot he had just vacated!

With a SHING, the blade was pulled from the earth. The metallic scrape sent a cold sweat beading on Lu Yan’s forehead.

’Is this kid really just a teenager? Isn’t he some top assassin trained by one of the Middle Third Grades, or even one of the Upper Three Grade Families?’

Meanwhile, the onlookers stared in disbelief. Lu Yan had been completely overwhelmed and wounded in just over a dozen exchanges!

They looked at Cheng Zongyang, recalling his clean, decisive movements and relentless pursuit from the very start. A single thought surfaced in everyone’s mind: this kid is ruthless and decisive.

In that moment, they understood that in a one-on-one fight, they wouldn’t be much stronger than Lu Yan. Their fate would likely be the same! 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

What they didn’t know was that for Cheng Zongyang, this was hardly a challenge.

He had faced all manner of powerful Exotic Beasts countless times in the Cultivation Room.

He had lost count of the life-or-death battles he had fought, seizing every opportunity to kill his opponent—let alone simple pursuits. That was his greatest source of real combat experience. The only exception was the Exotic Beast with the Sound Wave Ability, which he still couldn’t defeat.

If this weren’t the wrong time to kill the man in charge, he would have had the perfect opportunity to continue his attack and slay Lu Yan before anyone could come to his aid.

Rather than pursuing Lu Yan as he was helped to his feet, Cheng Zongyang simply stared at him and spoke, his voice cold and indifferent.

"West City now belongs to the Cheng Family and the Celestial Break Gang. Anyone who objects can come try me."

The others remained silent. West City hadn’t been their target, and the Lu Family was the only one who had lost anything.

But every one of them had their eyes fixed on the blade in Cheng Zongyang’s hand.

When opponents are evenly matched, a weapon is the deciding factor. As they saw it, Lu Yan had lost to the blade.

Lu Yan’s face was grim as he stared at Cheng Zongyang. The wound on his chest, deep enough to expose bone, was a stark reminder that he was no match for this boy. ’Even without that Divine Weapon, I was losing the contest of pure Power!’

’A weapon is an extension of one’s strength. Even if I were wearing my weaponized gloves, I wouldn’t dare try to block his blade!’

’With or without weapons, I’m at a disadvantage!’

’This kid isn’t a Seventh Grade, but he’s not quite a Sixth Grade either!’

’A Half-step Sixth Grade?’

For a moment, he felt that all his years of cultivation had been for nothing; he had just been defeated by a teenager.

The Lu Family had been utterly disgraced!

Seeing no objection from the Lu Family, Cheng Zongyang turned his gaze to the other five families.

"Since none of you object either, then starting tonight, West City belongs to the Cheng Family and the Celestial Break Gang. In the future, we can all prosper together peacefully. But if anyone tries to cause trouble, we’ll just have to see if you’re any stronger than the Lu Family’s Patriarch!"

"Do you really think the Lu Family is—"

Lu Yan shoved aside the men supporting him and took a step forward, ready to order his clansmen to surround and kill Cheng Zongyang.

’I’m a Patriarch, and I’m being humiliated like this by a mere boy! I just took this position—if I let this slide, I’ll have no authority whatsoever!’

However, before he could finish his sentence, He Shujun stepped forward to block his path and spoke in a low voice.

"A mere Young Clan Leader can best you. Do you think the Cheng Family behind him is Seventh Grade, or Sixth Grade? Are you so sure you can kill him without the Lu Family suffering even greater losses? The weapon in his hand is no ordinary weapon."

Lu Yan’s fists clenched tightly, his eyes fixed on Cheng Zongyang.

He knew all of this, of course, but he found the humiliation impossible to swallow.

He Shujun seemed to read his mind. He moved his right hand slightly, raising it to pat Lu Yan’s shoulder before letting it drop.

He glanced at the wound on Lu Yan’s chest, which was slowly staunching, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. His expression, however, remained placid as he continued to console him.

"We have plenty of time. Qiu Jingwu of the Qiu Family just reported that the Cheng Family and the Celestial Break Gang are local factions. The Li Family will handle it. There will be ways to deal with them in the future, so what’s the rush?"

As he spoke, under the cover of night, a tiny black speck smaller than an ant crawled from Lu Yan’s shoulder. Drawn by the scent of blood, it scurried swiftly toward his chest.

Without a sound, it vanished into the wound.

Noticing this, He Shujun stopped talking and stepped aside.

Completely oblivious, Lu Yan let out a cold snort and finally abandoned his plan to order the attack.