Yao Hong was furious. He roared, "Shen Xiang, what kind of demonic art did you use to control our Yao Family elder!"
"Shen Xiang, you've killed our Yao Family's unparalleled genius, and now you slander our name. The Yao Family will wipe out the Shen Family!"
Shen Xiang let out a cold laugh. "Yao Tianhua was an unparalleled genius? Then why did he lose to me? And as for what I did, I take full responsibility. Why drag the Shen Family into this? It seems your Yao Family is really worried that the Shen Family might disrupt your pill business."
At this moment, many in the square were already shouting and cursing the Yao Family. Everyone knew about the attack on Dan King Pavilion when it first opened, and now that Shen Xiang had spoken, it was clear to many how sinister the Yao Family's actions had been.
"Shen Xiang, if you have any guts, let him go! If you're truly a martial artist, let's fight openly and fairly!" Shen Furong, now recognizing Shen Xiang's strength, knew that one of the Yao Family's elders was powerless in Shen Xiang's grip.
Shen Xiang's voice turned cold, "Shen Furong, you're no longer part of the Shen Family. You were expelled. You're a traitor, and according to the Shen Family rules, traitors must die!"
As he spoke, Shen Xiang slammed his palm onto the Yao Family elder's head. The elder's skull exploded like a watermelon, splattering blood everywhere. The entire crowd was stunned. Shen Xiang's action was nothing less than a declaration of war on the Yao Family!
"Hmph, I've already killed two Yao Family members; killing one more makes no difference," Shen Xiang said indifferently.
The Yao Family was undeniably powerful, and Shen Xiang was still standing at the gates of their domain. What he had just done was nothing short of courting death.
Sure enough, Yao Hong let out an enraged roar, "Surround him! I want him cut into a thousand pieces!"
"Shen Xiang, you've brought this upon yourself!" Shen Furong, though fully aware of his traitorous status, showed no fear. He believed that in the secular world, there were few in the Shen Family who could stand against him.
Shen Xiang was quickly surrounded by several elders, all members of the Yao Family. Among them were two at the eighth level of the Mortal Martial Realm. Yao Hong was also at the eighth level. Yet Shen Xiang remained calm and composed.
The crowd in the square quickly retreated, but over 300 people stayed behind, their gazes steady. Several among them emanated strong auras, clearly not ordinary individuals.
"Shen Tianhu!" Shen Furong shouted in recognition, his heart skipping a beat as he saw the few others at the eighth level of the Mortal Martial Realm. When he last returned to the Shen Family, he hadn't seen so many.
"Traitor! Today is the day of your death," Shen Tianhu, wielding a large tiger-head blade, began walking toward where Shen Xiang stood.
It turned out that the Shen Family had long arrived at the gates of the Yao Family, and no one had expected it. Only around 300 of them had come!
Yet despite their smaller numbers, the Yao Family's experts felt immense pressure, for there were six experts at the eighth level of the Mortal Martial Realm, while they only had four.
"Shen, sir... this..." Yao Hong glanced at Shen Furong. Shen Furong, a ninth-level Mortal Martial Realm warrior, had been supporting the Yao Family in this conflict. Without his backing, the Yao Family wouldn't have dared to face the Shen Family.
"Leave it to me," Shen Furong sneered, then shot into the air, flying toward Shen Tianhu and the others.
Just then, Shen Xiang suddenly disappeared from his original spot. With a powerful leap, he flew into the air, intercepting Shen Furong. With a thunderous roar, he unleashed a blast of azure true qi mixed with lightning and fierce wind, engulfing Shen Furong in an enraged dragon's roar!
"Kill all the Shen Family members! Leave none alive!" Yao Hong roared as Shen Tianhu, brandishing his tiger-head blade, led fifty Shen Family warriors in a charge toward Yao Hong. Every one of them was brimming with killing intent, their true qi surging.
Seeing their clan leader at the forefront, the other Shen Family members were not to be outdone. They let out a collective, resounding roar, unsheathing their blades as they charged toward the Yao Family forces, numbering over a thousand, standing at the gates.
The roar of the 300 Shen Family warriors shook the entire city, their heavy steps causing the square to tremble. Every one of them was prepared to die. These elite disciples had been chosen to protect the Shen Family, willing to give everything to defend their home!
Three hundred against over a thousand, and there were even more inside the Yao Family compound. This roused the distant onlookers, who began cheering and shouting.
The battle between Shen Xiang and Shen Furong, and the larger conflict between the 300 Shen Family warriors and the over 1,000 Yao Family members, erupted simultaneously. The clashing sounds of battle created chaos, and in just an instant, half of the square's stone bricks had been shattered.
Shen Xiang had full confidence in Shen Tianhu and the others because they were all at the eighth level of the Mortal Martial Realm. His only task was to hold off Shen Furong.
After receiving a blast of Shen Xiang's "Azure Dragon Roar," Shen Furong's expression turned grim. He now realized that Shen Xiang's strength was indeed at the eighth level of the Mortal Martial Realm. But Shen Xiang was only sixteen years old and had grown up in the resource-starved secular world. Even more astonishing, Shen Xiang was also a pill alchemist.
"Shen Xiang, I must admit you're a genius. But this is your problem, the Shen Family's problem, and it has nothing to do with me! I'm only interested in the benefits I can gain in the sect. If I can help the Yao Family today, I'll earn significant rewards in the True Martial Sect. That's why I must kill you today! I lost all sense of belonging long ago, and I hate the Shen Family!" Shen Furong laughed wickedly.
Shen Xiang remained silent, focusing on merging the five-element true qi within his body. Facing a ninth-level Mortal Martial Realm warrior from a martial sect, he knew that only by using his Qiankun true qi could he hope to defeat him.
Everyone knew that the King City Martial Arts Tournament would attract martial sects looking to recruit disciples. The martial sect representative was a ninth-level Mortal Martial Realm warrior, a level rarely seen in the Southern Martial Kingdom, with terrifying strength.
To see Shen Xiang, so young, facing such a powerful opponent left many excited. Shen Xiang's strength seemed boundless, having already crushed an eighth-level disciple from a martial sect earlier!
What had started as a simple competition had escalated into a full-blown family conflict, an outcome no one had anticipated. Yet to the spectators, it was still a contest—one without rules, but a contest nonetheless.
"Hmph, I didn't expect the Shen Family to be so foolish, sending a kid like you to hold me off! If they had sent those six eighth-level warriors, you might have had a chance. But now, not only will you die, but so will they. The Shen Family is finished!"
Suddenly, a wave of red true qi surged from Shen Furong's body, wrapping around his hands and feet as his eyes slowly turned red.
Seeing this, Shen Xiang took a few steps back. This was his first time facing an opponent at the ninth level of the Mortal Martial Realm, and he could feel the immense power of the true qi radiating from Shen Furong. His expression grew more serious as he prepared for the challenge ahead.