It was a shame that this young man, though only at the Divine King realm, could wield sword intent.
"This sword strike feels different from before!"
Suddenly, everyone noticed an ancient, rustic treasure sword materialize behind Zhou Yan. Though its surface was mottled with rust, it exuded a terrifying aura.
*Swish!*
A sword cry rang out as Zhou Yan slashed forward, his sword energy soaring towards the heavens.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
In the blink of an eye, the burly elder was suppressed, forced to retreat step by step. His movements were clumsy, and his face was a mask of horror.
"You... how are you so strong!"
The burly elder cried out in panic and hastily withdrew.
However, Zhou Yan was faster. He pursued, unleashing several more sword strikes.
*Slash!*
With no way to evade, the burly elder's chest was pierced. Blood spurted out, and he let out a pained howl.
"You little beast, have you thought this through? If you kill me, you will surely die."
The burly elder's face contorted as he gritted his teeth, his venomous gaze fixed on Zhou Yan. "If you kill me, Bei Ming Yuan will not let you go. She is a true disciple of the Luo Yun Sect."
"A true disciple?"
Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow and let out a cold laugh. "Since she is a true disciple, I will cripple her, seize the identity of Luo Yun Sect's true disciple, and then deal with her at my leisure."
*Rumble!*
Zhou Yan's voice was powerful and resounded with boundless dominance.
As his words fell, the surroundings of the wine house fell into silence.
Everyone stared at Zhou Yan blankly, their faces etched with astonishment.
Cripple Bei Ming Yuan and snatch her true disciple identity?
This was madness!
Although Bei Ming Yuan was young and her cultivation was low, she was the only daughter of the Luo Yun Sect Master, possessing noble status and extraordinary standing.
Furthermore, her cultivation resources were abundant, and her potential was immense. It was a sure thing that she would grow into a Saint-tier expert, possibly even breaking through the void, ascending to immortality, and enjoying a long lifespan.
To dare provoke such an existence.
Madness!
For a moment, the gazes directed at Zhou Yan were like those cast upon a corpse, filled with pity.
"Hmph!"
"Truly a fool who doesn't know his own limits."
The burly elder's face twisted as he spoke coldly, "Boy, I warn you, you'd better kneel down obediently and kowtow to my son to apologize."
"Otherwise, I guarantee you will die a miserable death!"
"Heh heh..."
Hearing this, Zhou Yan shook his head and said indifferently, "You talk too much."
*Whoosh!*
Zhou Yan raised his arm and pointed his sword-finger.
Sword intent permeated the air, and sword light flashed.
"What? This brat dares to resist!"
"He's courting death!"
The burly elder roared in fury, his eyes widening with brutality.
*Bang!*
In the next instant, his body flickered as he lunged forward.
"Scram!"
Instantly, his sword-finger descended.
*Crack! Crack!*
The crisp sound of bones breaking echoed in everyone's ears.
Immediately, the burly elder's body flew backward, crashing onto the side of the street, blood gushing from him.
He struggled to stand, clutching his neck, his face flushed red, clearly having breathed his last.
*Hiss!*
Witnessing this scene, the area around the wine house fell into an absolute, deathly silence.
"Such... such powerful sword intent!"
"Who exactly is this fellow? How can he be so formidable!"
"As expected of the genius youth from our Bei Ming County City, his strength is truly unfathomable."
...
After a brief silence, the entire wine house erupted. Everyone's eyes were burning with admiration and awe.
Zhou Yan's actions, in dispatching the elder, had shocked everyone.
*Swoosh!*
The next moment, Zhou Yan leaped down and picked up the storage ring.
Then, he turned and left the wine house directly.
"Young Master, please wait!"
Just then, two figures suddenly emerged from the wine house and blocked Zhou Yan's path.
Among them were the wine house proprietor and another green-robed guard.
"Hmm?"
Zhou Yan frowned and his gaze fell upon the wine house proprietor. He spoke coldly, "Is there something else?"
"My name is Wu Mingyu, and I am a manager from the headquarters of the Wan Tong Business Guild. I have come today specifically to invite Young Master to our guild for a chat."
Wu Mingyu bowed, his attitude exceedingly polite.
The Wan Tong Business Guild was a preeminent commercial entity in Bei Ming County City, with a formidable background, far surpassing that of humble families like the Zhou family.
Therefore, before Zhou Yan's rise, Wu Mingyu had always treated him with respect and deference.
However, this time, Zhou Yan's performance made him feel a sense of unfamiliarity and an inexplicable fear.
"A business guild?"
Hearing this, a sinister smile curved Zhou Yan's lips. He said indifferently, "I'm afraid not. This young master doesn't like business guilds."
"Furthermore, this young master's patience has run out."
"Now, you can die."
As the words fell, Zhou Yan's eyes turned cold, and his sword-finger swept out.
*Swish!*
Brilliant sword light erupted, slicing through the air towards Wu Mingyu.
This sword light carried a fierce momentum, as swift as lightning, leaving no room for reaction.
"Not good!"
Seeing this, Wu Mingyu's face changed drastically, his pupils contracting into needles as he showed intense fear.
The power of this sword strike was too formidable, as if it contained world-destroying might, sending a chill through his entire body.
"No!"
Wu Mingyu cried out and hastily raised his saber to block.
*Clang!*
The sound of metal striking metal erupted.
Wu Mingyu's entire body trembled violently, his tiger's mouth cracked, and his right arm, which held the saber, was torn to shreds by the sword energy, hanging limply.
"You..."
Wu Mingyu's face was filled with shock, rage, and disbelief. His eyes bulged.
Just now, Zhou Yan had used only a single finger to gravely wound him.
How was this possible?
His strength had long since reached the peak of the seventh level of the Divine King realm; even an ordinary ninth-level Divine King could not defeat him.
Yet, facing Zhou Yan, he could not resist at all and was easily injured.
Zhou Yan's strength was too terrifying.
*Shua Shua Shua!*
At the same time, nearly everyone around the wine house had gathered, watching this scene with surprise.
"This... this brat actually defeated the burly elder with a single move?"
"Unbelievable! His strength is actually this terrifying!"
"Tsk tsk... this brat has been hiding quite well. We never heard of him before."
Everyone exclaimed in succession.
Previously, they had only thought Zhou Yan to be a spoiled young master.
Who would have imagined his strength to be so astonishing, catching them completely off guard.
*Bang!*
A surge of immense power erupted, flinging the burly elder's dismembered limbs away.
*Splash!*
Immediately after, Zhou Yan turned around and kicked, sending the burly elder's storage ring flying, where it landed in the wine house proprietor's hand.
"Proprietor, this storage ring is yours." Zhou Yan said calmly and indifferently.
"Thank you, Young Master, thank you, Young Master."
The wine house proprietor was stunned, then quickly bowed, filled with gratitude.
Zhou Yan had taken the burly elder's storage ring, which was equivalent to helping him.
Otherwise, tonight, he would have surely met a terrible fate.
And this was entirely due to Zhou Yan's intervention.