Chapter 230: Chapter 230: A River of Blood

"Your subordinates greet Young Master Xuan!" the group roared in unison. Their voices were like thunder, making the ears of every Martial Artist present throb and nearly knocking them off their feet.

Wei Guang’s expression darkened. Seeing Ye Xuan’s calm demeanor, and the cold smile playing on his lips, made his heart sink.

’Where did this group of masters come from?’ Wei Guang’s gaze grew heavy. Their numbers were few, but every last one was an expert. Compared to them, his own City Guard seemed like a pathetic mob.

He secretly ordered a trusted subordinate to slip away from the rear and return to the City Lord’s Mansion for reinforcements. Only after doing this did he regain his composure. In a cold voice, he demanded, "Who in the world are you people? Don’t you realize you’re in Tianxu Province?"

Ye Xuan retorted coldly, "You don’t need to know who we are. But you dared to harm a member of my Ye family. Today, I, Ye Xuan, will teach you the consequences of that mistake. Everyone, on my order! Seize him."

"Yes, sir!" A group of Imperial Guards, glaring like hungry tigers, prepared to charge forward.

"Hold on," Wei Guang snapped, his face darkening. "Do you have any idea who I am? I am Wei Guang, son of the Governor of Tianxu Province! Daring to attack me... is this a rebellion?"

"I don’t care who you are," Ye Xuan sneered. "For harming a member of my Ye family, it wouldn’t matter if you were the Governor’s son or the son of Heaven himself. You wouldn’t walk away from this. Take him."

"Yes, sir!"

In an instant, the Imperial Guards surrounding Ye Xuan surged forward.

"Insolence!"

Seeing this, Ouyang Feng, who had been standing behind Wei Guang, let out an angry roar. His body moved like a great roc spreading its wings as he lunged toward Ye Xuan, who was in the center of the formation.

He had recognized the strength of Ye Xuan’s men, so at the first sign of conflict, he made a bold move, intending to capture Ye Xuan with a single, lightning-fast strike—to catch the king and scatter the pawns.

As he lunged, most of his attention was fixed on Ouyang Xiaoshan. The strength Ouyang Xiaoshan had shown earlier made him wary, and he was fully prepared for an attempt to intercept him.

"You dare make a move on Young Master Xuan? Get down!" But he hadn’t gotten far before one of the Imperial Guards below let out a low shout and sent a palm strike flying toward the airborne Ouyang Feng.

"Get lost!" Ouyang Feng roared, striking down with a full-power palm of his own. The two palms collided in mid-air, and a terrifying wave of force surged up from below, slamming into his body. Ouyang Feng instantly spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward. His horrified gaze fell on his attacker as he cried out in shock, "A Triple Peak Celestial Martial Artist!"

He was stunned by the sight. The attacker, a man with thick brows and large eyes, was completely unremarkable among the troops, looking like a simple foot soldier. A storm of shock raged in Ouyang Feng’s heart. "Young Master, run!"

"Think you can get away?"

A cold laugh echoed. In just a few moments, more than half of the several hundred City Guards who had tightly surrounded the Ye family were already on the ground, wailing in agony. The rest trembled as they gripped their weapons, their eyes wide with terror.

"How is this possible?" Wei Guang and Ouyang Feng stared in horror. Nearly half of the City Guard had been incapacitated in moments. ’Who are these people? How can they be so terrifyingly powerful?’

As his terrified gaze swept across the opposing force, Wei Guang suddenly spotted a familiar figure and froze. "Commander Liu!" he exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here? Why are you with them? What is going on?"

Liu Yunfeng was a subordinate of the Wei family. He was the commander of the provincial capital’s City Guard and the leader of the band of mounted bandits they had dispatched to plunder resources. He had just gone out two days ago to collect valuables.

’But why is he here now, standing with the Ye family?’

Wei Guang was utterly bewildered, and a sense of foreboding began to creep over him.

A resolute glint flashed in Liu Yunfeng’s eyes. He said coldly, "Young Master Wei Guang, your Wei family has run rampant in Tianxu Province, forcing us to pose as bandits and plunder its resources. Your villainy has angered both Heaven and man. I, Liu Yunfeng, may be no saint, but I will not be a tyrant’s accomplice. I have forsaken the darkness for the light and have pledged my loyalty to Lord Ye Xuan. Lord Ye Xuan is merciful. I advise you to surrender. If you confess the Wei family’s conspiracies and turn to the light, I am certain Lord Ye Xuan will spare your lives."

"Now, all members of the City Guard, listen to me! Lay down your weapons! If you don’t, don’t blame this commander for being merciless."

Liu Yunfeng’s sharp gaze swept across the area.

This unexpected turn of events left everyone present stunned.

The remaining City Guards stared at one another, completely bewildered, while the spectating Martial Artists were left dumbstruck.

"Liu Yunfeng! The Wei family appointed you commander of the City Guard! How dare you betray us?" Wei Guang exploded with rage, his eyes bulging.

"Wei Guang, you are mistaken," Liu Yunfeng replied. "The Wei family may have appointed me commander, but I am a subject of the Liuyun Kingdom, not a private soldier in your family’s army. Your family has gone against the law and the kingdom itself. It is my duty to place justice before personal loyalty and serve my country."

"You..." Wei Guang was so enraged he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He couldn’t believe something like this was happening in his own territory.

"Enough nonsense," Ye Xuan said with a frown. "Liu Yunfeng, I’ll give you a chance to atone for your past deeds. Seize them."

"Yes, my lord!" Liu Yunfeng barked, lunging at Wei Guang.

"Liu Yunfeng, you traitor!" Ouyang Feng roared, moving to intercept him, but other Imperial Guards blocked his path. BOOM! After exchanging a few blows, Ouyang Feng coughed up a mouthful of blood and was forced to retreat again and again.

"Wei Guang, surrender!" This was a perfect chance to prove his loyalty, and Liu Yunfeng wasn’t about to miss it. With a sharp glint in his eyes, he unleashed his full power, holding nothing back against Wei Guang. After just a few exchanges, Wei Guang was stumbling backward, his footing unstable. Liu Yunfeng suddenly thrust out a palm, striking him squarely in the chest.

With a loud THUD, Wei Guang was sent flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth. Half of his ribs had shattered instantly.

"Liu Yunfeng, you—" Wei Guang began to speak, his voice a mixture of shock and fury, but Liu Yunfeng stomped on his chest, cutting him off. The intense pain forced another spurt of blood from his lips.

Liu Yunfeng quickly bound Wei Guang and dragged him before Ye Xuan. Dropping to one knee, he said, "My lord, this sinner, Liu Yunfeng, has successfully completed his mission."

Meanwhile, Ouyang Feng had also been quickly subdued by the combined effort of several Imperial Guards. With blood trickling from his mouth and a savage look in his eyes, he cursed, "You little bastard! Kill me if you have the guts! If I ever get my hands on you, I’ll make you wish you were dead..."

SCHLICK!

He hadn’t even finished his sentence when a blade flashed. Ouyang Feng’s head, his eyes wide in disbelief, shot into the air as a fountain of blood erupted more than ten feet high.

"Since you wanted to die so badly, I decided to grant your wish," Ye Xuan said, his tone utterly nonchalant.

HISS!

Everyone on the scene gasped, staring at Ye Xuan in utter horror. Commander Ouyang Feng—a commander from the provincial City Lord’s Mansion, a Tier Four Third Heaven Celestial Martial Artist, one of the top experts in the entire province—had been killed without a second thought. Ye Xuan’s casual air, as if he had just swatted a fly, made everyone’s blood run cold, and a terrified silence fell over the crowd.

In the hall, now so quiet you could hear a pin drop, a soft, sickening sound broke the silence. THUMP... THUMP... It was Ouyang Feng’s head, rolling across the floor. It came to a stop, his eyes still wide with disbelief, clearly not having anticipated that Ye Xuan would be so decisive as to kill him without a shred of hesitation.

"Young Master Wei Guang, wasn’t it?" Ye Xuan looked at him coldly, a cruel smirk forming on his lips. "If you want to die as well, I’d be happy to oblige."

GULP.

Wei Guang swallowed hard. A cold dread pooled in his groin, and a foul stench filled the air. He had pissed himself in terror.

"Young Master Xuan, what are your orders?" Ouyang Xiaoshan asked, approaching Ye Xuan.

"We’re going to the City Lord’s Mansion," Ye Xuan said flatly, his gaze icy. "Don’t let that Wei Hong get wind of this and escape. The Wei family has sown enough evil. Today, I’ll leave none of them standing. I want rivers of their blood to flow."

Ye Xuan wasn’t a bloodthirsty person by nature, but what he had seen of the Wei family’s deeds since entering Tianxu Province had filled him with a boiling rage. Moreover, they had dared to target his own family. He would not rest until Wei Hong was dead.

The surrounding Martial Artists who heard this trembled, their faces paling in fear. ’Just who is this kid?’ they thought. ’To be so brazen... could he be a Prince? But even a Prince wouldn’t dare talk about killing a provincial Governor so casually. And besides, didn’t we hear he was from the Ye family?’

In stark contrast, the Imperial Guards around Ye Xuan were practically buzzing with excitement, rubbing their fists in anticipation.

Their strength had grown considerably since they started following Ye Xuan, and after mastering the Hundred Linked Array, they felt invincible. The thought of putting their skills to the test in another battle filled them with excitement.

The group departed the marketplace, marching in a great, imposing procession toward the City Lord’s Mansion.

"Xuan’Er," Ye Batian said, his voice laced with anxiety. "Who exactly are these men with you? We should leave the city immediately. Once Governor Wei Hong finds out what happened, we won’t be able to escape! Your soldiers are strong, but Wei Hong is the Governor of Tianxu Province! He has countless experts under his command, and his number one master, Fang Tianhong, is a Tier Five First Layer Martial Sect expert! We should withdraw for now, no matter what."

Old Master Ye Batian and the others were still deeply uneasy.

Ye Zhanyun, however, was studying his son, a look of sheer astonishment in his eyes.

"Hahaha, so you know fear after all!" Wei Guang, though covered in his own blood, sneered through clenched teeth. "I suggest you let me go. Once Senior Fang Tianhong arrives, you’re all finished!"

"You’re the one who talks too much," Chen Xing said with a sneer, kicking Wei Guang in the face with his heel. "Fang Tianhong? If he dares to show his face, I’ll make sure he regrets it."