The Pig Emperor wasn’t one to whisper, so Liu Chen heard every word.

Liu Chen’s face instantly darkened.

He would never forget what he had experienced Within the Pass.

That would be a lifelong nightmare!

If he weren’t being suppressed by the combined presence of the Feng Family’s experts, he would have killed the Pig Emperor on the spot.

He didn’t know the exact situation Within the Pass, nor how Mo Qi had managed to seal his Cultivation.

But he knew one thing: it definitely hadn’t been Mo Qi’s own power.

If it were to happen again, he was confident he wouldn’t fall for the same trick, let alone be dragged Within the Pass.

His opinion of Mo Qi had actually started to change. He’d begun to think the boy was talented, to some extent.

But now, he was resolute. He would never, ever agree to Liu Ruyan being with Mo Qi.

"Apologize. Or die," Mo Qi repeated coldly, caring for none of it.

"Boy, I’m disciplining my own daughter! What damn business is it of yours!" Liu Chen raged.

The situation was highly unfavorable for him, but he was unwilling to back down. He had no intention of doing so.

This wasn’t Within the Pass. His Cultivation wasn’t sealed. The great Patriarch of the Liu Family would not bow his head to some ant from the Mortal District.

Mo Qi was unworthy!

"You shouldn’t have cursed her," Mo Qi said, shaking his head.

Liu Chen laughed in fury. "Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? Forget cursing her—even if I were to beat her, it’s my natural right as a father to discipline my own children! It’s not your place as an outsider to tell me what to do!"

"Let me tell you, this is a family matter! And you? Stop dreaming! A toad like you can never have a swan. I will never agree to Ruyan being with you. You will never be part of our family!"

Mo Qi walked up to Liu Chen, met his gaze, and spoke, enunciating each word. "I, Mo Qi, don’t need anyone’s permission to do what I do. You are Ruyan’s father, that is true. But you must understand that just as you do not recognize me, I have not recognized you either!"

"Absurd!" Liu Chen scoffed. "What right does a junior like you have to recognize me? Do I need your recognition? Have you no sense of decency or respect for your elders?"

Without pausing, Liu Chen continued, "Hmph! A mortal is a mortal! You don’t even possess the basic decency to respect your elders. You’re nothing but an ill-bred bastard with no proper upbringing!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire area fell deathly silent.

Everyone, including the experts of the Feng Family, stared at Liu Chen in stunned disbelief. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

They might not have known the full details of Mo Qi’s background, but his status as an orphan was easily discoverable.

And so, they couldn’t believe Liu Chen had actually dared to say something so cruel.

"It’s over!" Liu Hong slapped a hand over his old face.

’That foolish boy! Why can’t he keep his mouth shut!’

’Of all the things to say, why did he have to say that!’

’He’s practically begging Mo Qi to go berserk!’

Liu Ruyan had been trying to figure out what to say. She hadn’t hoped to convince Mo Qi to give up on his revenge entirely, but at least to get him to go a little easier on Liu Chen.

But now, she couldn’t bring herself to say a word.

In fact, if Liu Chen wasn’t her own father, she would have wanted to teach him a lesson herself, for Mo Qi’s sake.

BOOM!

A monstrous aura erupted from Mo Qi.

A spectral image of the Five Elements Tree blotted out the sun. Amidst its canopy, red and black flames danced violently, gradually merging into a two-toned ring resembling a Yin Yang Fish.

It was the Celestial-level Fire Seed—the Nether Soul Flame!

Above the ring, a tall and defiant figure stood proudly—it was the spectral form of the Nether King!

CLANG!

The Outer Body Incarnation Battle Armor enveloped him. In a flash of inspiration, Mo Qi activated the Qi Fortune Borrowing Secret Technique, transferring the physical strain on his main body directly to his External Incarnation.

His real body instantly felt a wave of relief.

At the same time, the combined Power of the Dragon Vein and the borrowed fortune were fully channeled into the External Incarnation.

The so-called physical strain was practically negligible for the External Incarnation.

As a result, his aura at the Divine Sea Demi-Immortal Realm skyrocketed.

Just as his power was about to break through to the Immortal Level, the Pig Emperor quickly warned, "That’s enough, Mo the kid! The Feng Family is watching!"

Although he would have to reveal his Immortal Level Combat Power to the Feng Family eventually, it couldn’t be under these circumstances or in this state.

If the Feng Family saw all his trump cards now, Mo Qi would be at a disadvantage in any future negotiations.

Liu Chen’s words had sent Mo Qi into a frenzy, causing him to unleash three of his greatest trump cards at once: the Five Elements Tree, the Nether Soul Flame, and the Nether King.

He had even made a breakthrough in his use of the Qi Fortune Borrowing Secret Technique. Yet, through it all, he clung to a sliver of reason.

So, upon hearing the Pig Emperor’s warning, he immediately halted the Secret Technique. His aura stabilized, just a hair’s breadth shy of true Immortal Combat Power.

’Good heavens, he was holding back even when he fought Huangfu Yu!’

The eyes of the Feng Family members lit up. They were once again stunned by Mo Qi’s display.

They swore to themselves that they would bring Mo Qi into the Feng Family, no matter the cost.

"Unmoving Nether King’s Three Kowtows—Three Kowtows of Destruction!"

Mo Qi immediately unleashed his strongest killing technique. Liu Chen had crossed a line and was practically begging for death!

Just then, Liu Hong sighed. He couldn’t bear to watch Liu Chen be destroyed.

SLAP!

With a vicious backhand, Liu Hong sent Liu Chen flying.

"Kneel down and apologize!" Liu Hong roared.

Liu Hong’s intervention forced Mo Qi to halt his attack.

But the matter was far from over. The Nether King’s spectral form mirrored Mo Qi’s gaze, its powerful aura remaining locked firmly onto Liu Chen.

A single thought from Mo Qi was all it would take to unleash the attack.

"You’re insane! You’re all insane!"

Liu Hong had not held back with that slap.

Liu Chen was a mess. His hair was in disarray, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly pathetic.

"Father, you’re siding with some nobody from the Mortal District against your own son? You want me to kneel and apologize?! By what right?" Liu Chen, having lost all reason, roared at Liu Hong.

Before Liu Hong could answer, an elder from the Feng Family chuckled. "By the right that he single-handedly trounced Huangfu Yu and sent him fleeing for his life. Is that reason enough for you?"

Liu Chen froze, his face a mask of utter disbelief.

’This person I dismissed so easily... defeated Huangfu Yu?’

"Oh, and let me remind you," the elder added, dropping another bombshell that made Liu Chen question his entire existence, "the kid didn’t even use this technique back then. He defeated Huangfu Yu with his Vajra Realm Cultivation!"

Defeating Huangfu Yu of the Void Realm with only Vajra Realm Cultivation!

If those words hadn’t come from a Feng Family elder, Liu Chen would have never, ever believed them.

The Feng Family had no reason to lie to him.

This also explained why the Feng Family valued Mo Qi so highly.

No wonder Liu Hong had tried to force him to kneel and apologize for this young man’s sake.

In that instant, Liu Chen’s indignation and fury vanished without a trace, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him in the dead of winter. A chill shot through him, from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.

’My heavens, what have I done?!’ Liu Chen stood frozen, completely dumbstruck. ’What have I just thrown away?!’