An old man emerged from the sea of soldiers at the foot of Qin Yun's small hill. His white hair was dishevelled, and a thin white goatee covered his face. He wore black and gold sleeveless robes that had seen better days. Yet, Qin Yun was much too astute to believe that old man was simply as he seemed. His aura was suffocating him despite the distance separating them.

Sometimes, the long flow of time leads some cultivators to eccentricities. It seemed this old man was no exception. Still, Qin Yun knew this man, if only through the description he had heard from others. Qin Yun couldn't help but feel his heart sink into his chest, for this man was Ma Yongzheng, Ma Mingzhu’s grandfather.

“Come out and offer tribute to this old man, and I might consider letting you leave unharmed,” the old man said casually.

Qin Yun felt the pressure of this man's voice reverberate in his bones as if it wished to press him to the ground. Just his mere presence alone was filled with so much Qi that Qin Yun was almost unable to breathe.

While Qin Yun could resist his father’s aura, that was only due to that man not taking him seriously. Against someone of Ma Yongzheng’s calibre, Qin Yun’s options were limited. He didn’t know if he could even withstand this old man’s casual punch, much less him going all out. If it came to a death match, Qin Yun would be forced to utilize his trump card, something he desperately didn’t wish to do as the consequences wouldn’t be worth it.

Fortunately, another chose to speak up before the situation escalated.

“Ma Yongzheng! Don’t you put our Lian Clan into your eyes at all?” a female voice said, emerging from behind the Ma Clan’s blockade. “This land and everything on it belongs to my Lian Clan. Don’t you have any shame trying to steal from us?”

As Qin Yun expected, this voice belonged to Lian Huiling. Despite the difference in cultivation, she stood firm against a man at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm. Qin Yun couldn’t help but admire her courage, yet he lamented her stupidity.

"Isn't that Lian Qian's little girl?" the man said, showing a smile empty of emotions. "You misunderstand me. I am simply trying to apprehend a criminal that incurred heaven's wrath. If left to his own devices, he will surely bring this calamity on us again. Everything I do is in the best interest of the city."

Qin Yun couldn’t help but applaud him in his heart. It took a man of boundless shamelessness to spout such bullshit with a straight face. Yet, he couldn't refute that he chose a plausible explanation for this. It was true that the coming of heavenly tribulation wasn't something to be taken lightly. Most would wish to stay as far away from it as possible.

“Stop hiding your greed through such baseless accusations,” Lian Huiling sneered, showing the man no respect. “We both know what you are here for. Don’t think we have forgotten what your clan did a few days ago. It would be in your best interest to take a step back and reassess your actions.”

Qin Yun couldn’t help but shake his head. While he knew that she resented the Ma clan for the matter of the black token, she shouldn’t have let this cloud her judgment. The Ma people weren’t known for being able to brush aside disrespect, even more so coming from the younger generation.

“Oh? Is the Lian Clan intending to protect this criminal? Should I take your words as the stance of your whole clan?" the old man asked, showing an alarming smile.

Suddenly, Lian Huiling’s expression darkened. She now knew she had been misguided. She had thought she could have reasoned with them, yet she forgot that one does not reason with wild beasts. She had been so used to her work as a merchant that she had forgotten that this world didn't revolve around gains and losses but on power. Whoever could overpower their opposition would be the victor.

She had thought the Ma Clan would be unwilling to start a conflict with her clan over something so small, yet they were the ones whose intentions were tested by others. It seemed the Ma Clan would have no qualms in going to war. Unlike this old man, who most likely represented the whole clan, Lian Huiling could only speak for herself. The best evidence was that she was here alone with only her personal guards with her.

"You would destroy the balance between the four great clans merely to settle a personal vendetta? Don't you have any shame?"

However, Lian Huiling's words, although true, didn't hold any weight. While she could talk all she wanted, the old man would only need a single slap to send her to the afterlife. Fortunately, Ma Yongzheng wasn't some senseless beast. Killing Lian Huiling here, in front of all these witnesses, would only paint his clan as barbarians.

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It was much better to cleanse a sinner in the name of justice. If the Lian Clan tried to save him in any way, he could label the Lian Clan as traitors, and then they would be able to rid themselves of them in the name of righteousness. While everyone knew this was bullshit, they only needed an excuse for their actions. The other clans wouldn’t interfere if they were promised a piece of the pie.

Qin Yun knew all this, as it was much too obvious. Righteousness was a powerful blade when used, yet one must be careful not to fall on it themselves.

“Enough!" Qin Yun shouted, overpowering the cacophony below. "If this is what you want, then you are welcome to try and take it from me!"

Qin Yun raised the black sword above his head, showing it to everyone below. While the blade seemed no more potent than a common steel sword, those possessing a minimum of strength could easily sense the power hidden deep within. The dark crystal blade gleamed with esoteric strength, which prompted the greedy gazes of those below to remain riveted on its surface.

Qin Yun sneered as he lobbed the blade upwards with minimal strength. The sword depicted a graceful arc as it rose up and down, slicing the air as it fell. While Ma Yongzheng was arrogant by nature, he wasn't stupid. Why would he take Qin Yun at his words? Obtaining this blade would be much too easy otherwise.

He motioned for one of his men to intercept the weapon on its descent. The man calculated its trajectory and positioned himself below its landing point. When the blade reached him, he extended his arm, trying to catch it like any other object. He wrapped his hand around the handle simply and quickly, yet the blade resisted his touch. In fact, the only thing this blade didn't resist was gravity.

While the man was by no means weak, his arms couldn't resist the momentum of that fall. His fingers wrapped around the handle shattered as the blade fulfilled its destiny as it sought to reach the ground. His shoulders dislocated as the momentum of the blade was transferred to them. Feeling the pain of his fractured limbs, the man screamed, yet it was cut short as the blade ended its journey into the soil.

The collision created a shock wave as the ground collapsed under the crystal’s weight, creating a massive sinkhole. The shock wave propagated outwards, creating waves into the ground as most soldiers standing guard near the impact were shoved backwards by the wind it created despite the heavy gold armour they wore.

The unsuspecting soldier tasked with retrieving this blade was less fortunate. He felt the brunt of the impact as waves of kinetic energy rammed into him, shattering his internal organs despite the armour covering his body. While these types of armour artifacts were designed to protect against Qi by diffusing it over their whole surface, they were only as good for physical impacts as the materials they were made of. In the case of these golden armours, they were no better than steel ones.

Blades of wind sliced the armour as if it were a liquid, rendering any protection he wore meaningless. Soon enough, all that remained of his life was a fine mist of blood and flesh flowing in the air until it covered everything in a radius of multiple metres. Qin Yun's simple throw had claimed a man's life.

Even Qin Yun was slightly surprised by these events. While he knew simply from holding it that his new sword was heavy, he hadn't expected it to reach such a level. At most, he hoped to embarrass the Ma clan this way, yet things became much more dire than he first expected. With the death of one of their own, they now had an excuse to make good on their threats.

Qin Yun's eyes couldn't help but narrow as he tried to come up with countermeasures to their impending assault on his position. Surprisingly, such an assault never came. The soldiers below were much too stunned as they gazed at the newborn crater at their feet. Even Ma Yongzheng was bewildered by this weapon's might.

While he knew that a weapon born through heavenly tribulation would be more potent than usual, he didn’t expect this destructive power. Even more so as he couldn’t effectively ascertain its grade. For all he could see, this black blade was nothing but a mortal weapon. Still, he now stood corrected. He wanted this blade more than anything else.

Without even bothering to acknowledge the death and disarray of his men, Ma Yongzheng plunged into the crater, wishing to see this embodiment of destruction himself. The blade stood upright, lodged inside a sturdy stone deep within the earth. Despite the sword wedged into it, the stone itself was immaculate.

There was a glint in Ma Yongzheng’s eye as he gazed upon this perfection of form and function. He couldn't help but want to try it out for himself. Such was his greed for the power before him.

He wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled upwards, yet the blade refused to emerge from the earth. Ma Yongzheng didn't believe an inert weapon could resist his will, even if it was forged with lightning.

He tugged even harder, trying to pry the blade from the stone; he even opted to utilize his Qi in the process. To the astonishment of all the spectators around, a massive green lotus appeared over his head. Seeing the lotus of an expert at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm wasn't something one could see every day.

The lotus was plump, possessing a complete platform consisting of ten massive leaves that slowly rotated. Standing above the platform was an ethereal young man possessing blurry features, seated in a lotus position as if cultivating. For those who knew him, this avatar of light strangely resembled Ma Yongzheng in his younger years.

As he mustered all the strength he could to dislodge this blade, the green avatar opened his eyes, and light flared from them, bathing the world in a shade of green, even competing with the sun. Still, the blade remained motionless despite his efforts. Try as he might, he couldn’t acquire this blade with his current strength.

Anger took root in his heart, and he wished nothing more than to part with it. If he couldn't acquire it, nobody would. He emerged from the crater with a grim look on his face. A slight hint of murderous intent permeated the world around him, spreading an oppressive aura to all present. Those who could still move, gulped silently as they anticipated the coming massacre. As for the victim of the man's ire, there were no doubts in anyone's mind.

While Lian Huiling wished to plead for Ma Yongzheng to regain his calm, nothing could be done at this point. Qin Yun had humiliated someone out of his reach, and he would have to pay the price. Still, she couldn't help but be stunned as she gazed toward Qin Yun, only to see him smile slightly as if unconcerned.

Then, without a word, Ma Yongzheng launched an attack on Qin Yun. It was nothing grand, just a single palm reminiscent of the one Ma Mingzhu had launched toward Qin Yun's wife. Still, their powers couldn't be compared. It was as if an ant hoped to hold up the sky. Resisting was a hopeless endeavour.