Four elders appeared on the ring instantly.
'Master...Please be ready for impact...Arrrghhh.'
Zhao Yao didn't get a chance to back off before he was blasted off the arena by the closest referee elder.
He didn't even know this outer clan elder to get treated like this.
Zhao Yao was smashed into the crowd and an old Granny took most of his impact.
It would be a lie to say that it didn't hurt. More than the pain, the impact of the attack and the fall shook him.
Zhao Yao had prepared blood to spit just in case, but he didn't need it as blood leaked out from his mouth, and it didn't taste good.
'Damn it, Master. You said you will keep me safe.'
The Grandma, who he fell on, was struggling to breathe. She had a chance of reaching the afterlife soon.
"Thank you, grandma. That elder should be responsible, not me. Sorry."
Zhao Yao didn't get a chance to properly thank his body cushion before the guards grabbed him. 'I will pray that you get into heaven.'
Some of the loyal dogs of the Young Master followed the referee elder's way and started beating him.
"Damn it, What's with you people?" Zhao Yao struggled, but after finding he was powerless, he laid in a fetus position on the ground.
'Master. Where the hell are you?' Zhao Yao cursed in his mind.
His body felt the guards' kicks.
'Haha, I promised to protect your life, not protect you from every beating.' Zhao Yao heard his master's reply.
'Don't worry, you should take some damage to give a realistic look. You don't want them to suspicious, right? It's great that they are not powerful enough to recognize your Qi skill. The ones in the high tower are suspicious about your voice. I am healing you instantly, just leaving external wounds.'
Yes, his Master was correct. It would be weird to be completely fine after getting this much beating. And he didn't feel any pain now as his body heals instantly, leaving only external injuries.
The guards lifted Zhao Yao and dragged him to the Arena.
"Leave me, you bastards. Who do you think I am?" Zhao Yao resisted.
The elders were examining Zhao Ping like he was their own son.
"How did this happen?" Elder Zhao Jiang asked.
'Great to see you.' Zhao Yao happily looked at his second prey.
"What did he do to Young Master? Was he poisoned?" Another Elder asked. Zhao Yao recognized him as Elder Zhao Yang, one of the five elders who managed the clan guards.
"No, there is no sign of poisoning. I am going to treat his injury."
The elder who said that was quite famous. Elder Zhao Kangmin was the head of the clan's alchemy. He was in charge of treating the young cultivators during the Selection contest.
"Mhee....hu...rt..ssss.." Squeals of crying came in between the elders' conversation.
"Aaaahhh.....mm..yyy...fyu..iceeee." [My face.]
Zhao Yao, who was lifted by the tall guards, tried to move his head to get a glimpse of the 'Birthday boy.'
When Elder Zhao Kangmin stood up to get his medicinal kit, Zhao Yao saw his 'artwork.'
Zhao Ping's had a completely flattened nose, that was bloody, and a torn lip, that made him look like a cleft lipped person. And the icing on the cake was that he lost a couple of his front-row tooths.
IT WAS BEAUTIFUL TO LOOK AT.
Zhao Yao would always proudly remember this one-punch sculpture he made. It gave him relief from all the suffering and humiliation his other self endured these days.
The stinging pain that recurred in his fist after the 'Sledgehammer' felt euphoric to Zhao Yao.
'Haha.' He wanted to laugh, but it was time for step 2 of the plan.
"Zhao Ping, you bastard. I will kill you," yelled Zhao Yao.
"Foouuuuu...Iee weeeii...lll.Keeel foouuu." [You, I will kill you.]
When Zhao Ping saw Zhao Yao, he was like a mad man possessed.
The referee elder supported Zhao Ping, while Elder Zhao Yang stared at Zhao Yao threateningly.
Zhao Yao ignored the Elders and continued.
"How dare you do that to my wife? I will destroy you?"
"Fffoouuu..." Zhao Ping tried to talk, but somehow he pronounced 'y' as 'f.'
As much as Zhao Yao wanted to laugh at the idiot, he had to keep on his serious face.
"You stupid flat nose. I will knock the rest of your teeth as well." He provoked.
"Eeii..." Zhao Ping touched his nose and lost control.
Qi erupted around his body as he rushed to destroy Zhao Yao.
Elder Zhao Jiang stopped the Referee Elder, who was about to stop Zhao Ping, but both of them followed him.
Zhao Ping had no weakness or problem other than his face injury, and when he erupted with his Qi, he was as strong as before. They were confused about what happened to Zhao Ping earlier, and maybe they want to see it for themselves.
Zhao Ping was like a hurricane destroying everything on his path. He jumped off the Arena edge, ready to use his Barrage fist skill.
"You never learn, do you?" Zhao Yao unsheathed the soul sense on his 'Weakening stone' the moment Zhao Ping jumped. And Zhao Ping felt it instantly just like an aggressive beast calming down when the tamer unleashed the Weakening stone.
Zhao Ping's threatening momentum made the guards afraid, and they let Zhao Yao loose.
Zhao Yao didn't have much Qi left, but he used the last ounce of available Qi he had on to his fist and trusted Zhao Ping's body weight to do the rest of the work.
Zhao Ping, who jumped off the arena like a tiger, became a sheep as he fell down.
Seeing the pursuing Elders, Zhao Yao didn't wait for Zhao Ping to reach him, he bent forward and used his all strength to in the uppercut punch.
'Ball crushing SLEDGEHAMMER.'
The gravity that worked on the falling Zhao Ping aided his uppercut.
He felt the crushing again and heard a cracking sound, but this time it wasn't the nose he crushed. It was gross, but Zhao Yao felt this second hit was necessary to relieve all the beatings he received to get just a punch in before.
And this was way...way effective with instant results.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH."
Zhao Ping's scream felt like Beethoven's piano to him.
This time the idiotic Elders acted faster, grabbing Zhao Ping and trying to blast Zhao Yao again. But it was Zhao Yao who acted the fastest.
"ELDERS BULLYING JUNIORS? DON'T BULLY THIS JUNIOR."
Zhao Yao used his enhanced loud voice, and the elders luckily hesitated to attack him.
"You didn't stop Zhao Ping, and seeing he can't beat me, ARE YOU TRYING TO DEFEAT HIS ENEMIES FOR HIM?" Zhao Yao didn't stop talking as he crawled away from the elders.
"Don't tell me you all are his henchmen?"
"What did you do to him?" The referee elder asked as he held the twitching Zhao Ping.
"I gave him what he deserves. I will kill him for what he did."
Zhao Yao stood up and observed the crowd.
The crowd had gone crazy. Some looked at with murderous glint like Zhao Ping represented them. Considering his position as the Zhao clan young Master, it was reasonable for them to feel him as themselves.
Many were surprised by the undefeated Zhao Ping losing to a nobody. Not once, but twice.
"What poison did you give to the Young Master?" Elder Zhao Jiang asked.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Zhao Yao refuted. "He brought this on himself."
"He wasn't poisoned, this is something else." Elder Zhao Kangmin came forward sniffing. "I can sense the unique smell of 'Weakening stone.' Boy, do you have one on you."
"Yes, I do."
"You tricked Young Master Zhao Ping to consume Subduing Powder? You cheater." Elder Zhao Jiang pointed his finger at Zhao Yao and accused.
"Are you stupid?" Zhao Yao retorted. "How can I make a 9th layer Qi Gathering cultivator eat subduing powder? Are you saying Zhao Ping can't differentiate it?"
"The kid is right." Elder Zhao Kangmin supported. "Subduing powder wasn't banned for public usage and selling because a cultivator can easily recognize the bad smell and pungent taste when someone tried to trick them to eat it."
"Aaahhh.." Zhao Ping cried as he was treated by Zhao Kangmin's assistant.
"Then he knows a way to change the smell and taste." Elder Zhao Jiang said.
"Don't talk nonsense. Only a great alchemist can alter its properties. Even I can't do it unless I get extremely lucky." Elder Zhao Kangmin shook his head.
Zhao Yao nodded hearing the elder. This Elder was right, but he didn't know that Zhao Yao had a 'Cheater Master' who can change and improve anything.
"Zhao Yao ate it himself." Zhao Yao said while moving towards Zhao Ping with hatred.
"Stop, Kid. What are you talking about?" Zhao Kangmin asked as he blocked him.
"ZHAO PING KILLED MY WIFE." Zhao Yao yelled with grief and tears started to pour out from his eyes. He spoke for everyone to hear. "AND THIS VILE CREATURE ATE HER."
"What?" Elder Zhao Kangmin looked at him, stunned.
"Young Master Zhao Ping killed a clan member's wife?"
"Did I hear it right? He said Zhao Ping ate his wife."
"What the hell?"
"What is going on?"
The crowd went bonkers as Zhao Yao yelled to the sky with eyesful of tears.
"AAAAAAAHHH, I will kill you, Zhao Ping."
The Elders looked at Zhao Yao like they were looking at a madman.
"You have no proof." Elder Zhao Jiang retorted.
"Merps never need subduing powder to tame, except for mine. Only my Merp had eaten subduing powder. The treasury attendant Zhao Hua can prove witness to it." Zhao Yao fiercely looked at the elders as he continued.
"She disappeared yesterday night, and Zhao Ping showing weakness to 'Weakening' stone proves his crime.
Zhao Ping killed my wife and ate her. And he needs to get punished by clan laws."
The cruel killing of a clan member can result in severe punishment, which included a Death sentence.
"Your wife?" Elder Zhao Jiang stepped forward in anger. "It's a Demon Beast."
"SO WHAT?" Zhao Yao took his clan identification.
"SHE IS MY WIFE. WE WERE MARRIED BY YOU ELDER ZHAO JIANG, AND THIS CLAN DOCUMENTATION PROVES IT.
I am a clan member, therefore, my wife is also a clan member.
ZHAO PING IS A MURDERER, and MURDERER gets DEATH."