Prestige and Power Displayed

As the news accurately spread to the outside world, whether it was Dao Lord Zhao Wuqing, Sixth Elder Yu Ji, or Ninth Elder Zhao Bo...

Or the various families, the different factions, and the many main peaks...

Everyone.

They all felt nothing but utter shock.

Even after receiving the exact details, they still doubted the truth of the matter. Some even tried to verify if the informant had somehow been deceived.

Only when the informant personally swore that they had seen the corpses of fifteen Zhao family disciples on the fourth floor of the Yin Yang Tower with their own eyes did the truth finally settle.

The outcome was set in stone.

"This is impossible."

"How could he kill them? Expulsion should have been the absolute limit! How could he kill them? What gives him the right to kill them?!"

Ninth Elder Zhao Bo, who had just stood up in his agitation, instantly slumped back into his seat. His eyes were vacant as he muttered to himself.

At this moment.

An emotion called 'regret' spread like wild grass through Ninth Elder Zhao Bo's heart. He had been regretting things before this, too.

Regretting that he hadn't eliminated Ning Fan earlier.

But now.

The Ninth Elder was regretting ever provoking Ning Fan. The boy was merely a junior. If he killed someone, then so be it.

If only he hadn't intervened back then.

The Zhao family would never have provoked such a heaven-defying god of slaughter, and they would not be facing today's calamity.

That's right.

For the Zhao family, this Peak Competition truly was a disaster. They were only on the fourth floor, yet four personal disciples and over twenty Ranking Disciples and ordinary disciples had already been expelled or slaughtered.

This was completely unheard of in previous competitions. It was a devastating blow to the Zhao family!

And it was all because of that Ning Fan!!

Panic gripped Zhao Bo's heart. He might have been fine before, but now that Ning Fan had caused such a massive disaster, he would inevitably face severe reprimand.

Furthermore, the Zhao family disciples remaining inside the Yin Yang Tower were all from Zhao Wuqing's lineage.

This meant...

Zhao Bo would also have to endure Zhao Qian's wrath.

He was finished.

Zhao Bo collapsed into his seat like a puddle of mud, having completely lost the ability to respond to the commotion around him.

Zhao Wuqing's shock was no less than Zhao Bo's. Her face remained as placid as an ancient well, making it impossible for outsiders to discern her true emotions. However, her grip on her dragon-head cane was so tight that it trembled slightly.

"Hehe."

After a long moment, the corners of the old woman's mouth curled upward. She chuckled softly and shook her head.

A misjudgment.

A complete misjudgment.

To think she had just been inwardly criticizing Ning Fan's temperament. In the blink of an eye, Ning Fan had proven her wrong-he, Ning Fan, didn't need to scheme. He didn't need to utilize Zhao Tanye as a hidden chess piece. He simply waited for the Zhao family disciples to attack him, and then he effortlessly slaughtered them all.

"However, you really have handed this old woman a difficult problem."

Zhao Wuqing murmured in a voice only she could hear.

She had wanted Ning Fan to defeat-to expel-the disciples of Zhao Qian's lineage. But instead, Ning Fan had directly slaughtered them.

Nominally, Zhao Wuqing was still one of the leaders of the Zhao family.

How to handle her relationship with Ning Fan now...

That would require careful consideration.

"What do you think?"

At the highest point of the viewing platform, the mysterious ancestor, shrouded entirely in black robes, spoke slowly. Standing beside him was none other than the Peak Master of Changming Peak-Yin Fengyue.

"Not bad. His aptitude is quite unexpectedly impressive."

Yin Fengyue replied.

In truth, Yin Fengyue herself didn't know much about Ning Fan. Ever since he had joined the main peak, he had been as elusive as a divine dragon, showing his head but never his tail.

The strength and talent he displayed today during the Peak Competition had far exceeded her expectations.

"No wonder Youwei once asked me to take Ning Fan as a personal disciple. His talent is not inferior to Youwei's back then," the ancestor's voice drifted out ethereally.

"Oh?"

Yin Fengyue raised an eyebrow.

She hadn't heard about this before. And if 'this person' had already extended an olive branch to Ning Fan, why was the boy still at her Changming Peak?

"He refused."

The ancestor stated concisely.

"I see."

Yin Fengyue said no more. Knowing Ning Fan's attitude was enough; she didn't need to dig into the exact details.

"How do you feel Ning Fan's talent compares to those top geniuses of the Azure Sword Sect and Qi Sect?"

The ancestor asked suddenly.

"You shouldn't even need to ask such a question."

Hearing this, the corners of Yin Fengyue's mouth curled upward slightly as she looked straight ahead. Instead of answering the ancestor, she dismissed the comparison altogether.

The ancestor's black-robed shoulders gave a slight shrug, seemingly amused by his own inquiry.

"Then let's change the question. Compared to those from the Azure Sword Sect and Qi Sect currently inside the tower..."

"Does Ning Fan possess the talent and strength to contend with them?"

The ancestor asked.

"You mean Song Qingshu and Han Zhao, right?"

"It will be difficult."

Yin Fengyue let out a long sigh.

"We shall see."

"He must first pass Lei Miao. If Ning Fan cannot even surpass Lei Miao, then he fundamentally lacks the qualifications to contend against the Azure Sword Sect and the Qi Sect."

Upon hearing this, the ancestor sat back in his chair like an old monk entering meditation. His deep gaze remained concealed beneath his black robes, hiding any trace of emotion.

At the same time.

Inside the Yin Yang Tower, on the fourth floor.

Ning Fan knelt on one knee. Yun Qingyao hopped down from his embrace, landing steadily on the ground. She reached out to support him, but Ning Fan raised a hand to stop her.

Ning Fan took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. He stood up, his movements slow and steady.

His gaze swept over the surroundings.

Within this Yin Yang Tower, apart from Miao Tian and his group, Ning Fan and Yun Qingyao had no friends. He absolutely could not afford to show any signs of weakness.

The moment they appeared vulnerable, the forty thousand Spirit Stones in his possession would become a deadly curse.

That's right.

Ning Fan currently held a full forty thousand Spirit Stones.

His previous dual cultivation had consumed six thousand Spirit Stones, but he had easily 'earned' them back from Zhao Zhou, Zhao Chuang, Zhao Feixing, and those twelve Zhao family disciples.

He had to admit, the foundation of the Zhao family's disciples was incredibly deep.

Even after their consumption on the first, second, and third floors, they still averaged over a thousand Spirit Stones each. This meant that even the ordinary Zhao family disciples had entered the Yin Yang Tower carrying between five to six thousand Spirit Stones-an amount that utterly dwarfed the wealth of Changming Peak's Ranking Disciples.

However, Ning Fan had somewhat underestimated his own deterrent power.

One had to realize...

Ning Fan had just slaughtered Zhao Zhou, Zhao Chuang, Zhao Feixing, and twelve other Zhao family disciples. Faced with such a terrifying battle record, anyone would have to weigh the risks carefully.

For a time.

Everyone who met Ning Fan's eyes immediately looked away. Even though he appeared to be severely exhausted, no one dared to show any obvious greed toward him.

In the eyes of the crowd.

Ning Fan was not just a peerless genius; he was a ruthless, cold-blooded madman. Unless absolutely necessary, such an existence could never be provoked.

Ning Fan withdrew his gaze and looked toward the massive barrier not far away. This barrier hid the greatest Fated Chance on the fourth floor of the Yin Yang Tower.

It contained a boundless ocean of Yin Yang Qi.

And right at this moment, Lei Miao suddenly stepped forward.

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