Chapter 20: Come Fight Me

Standing immovable, Mo Qianqian made his move, thrusting out his left palm to catch Chen Zheng’s incoming fist.

BAM!

Chen Zheng’s fist hit what felt like a solid boulder. It was completely halted right in front of Mo Qianqian, failing to budge the latter’s palm even an inch.

"What?!"

At this moment, everyone’s eyes widened, their faces filled with sheer disbelief. The scene seemed to freeze, becoming so dead silent that one could hear a pin drop.

"H-How is this possible?" The entire Chen Family was utterly dumbfounded. Chen Zheng was at the Spirit Vein Realm Third Level! Mo Qianqian was nothing but a cripple with no cultivation whatsoever. How on earth could he catch Chen Zheng’s punch?

The three lackeys rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what was happening right in front of them. Kong Mingcheng froze, struggling to process the scene. A look of astonishment appeared on the Pavilion Master’s face. Patriarch Shi and the rest of the Shi Family—even Shi Yunhai—were caught off guard. This had completely exceeded their expectations. Even Shi Muyao, who stood nearby, couldn’t help but gape in shock. She wondered, "Could Mo Qianqian really catch Chen Zheng’s fist barehanded? Was Mo Qianqian’s combat instinct truly this terrifying?"

At that split second, Chen Zheng felt as if he had smashed his fist into solid rock, a sharp pain radiating from his knuckles. Staring at Mo Qianqian in absolute disbelief, he stammered, "H-How is this possible? How could you possibly block my punch?"

"It’s because you’re too weak! Now, get on the ground!" As Mo Qianqian spoke, he swung a slap right at Chen Zheng.

Chen Zheng tried to move, but his entire fist was locked in a vice grip. Unable to break free from Mo Qianqian’s palm, it was too late to bring his other hand up to defend.

SMACK!

Mo Qianqian’s heavy slap landed viciously on Chen Zheng’s face. Simultaneously letting go of his fist, the sheer force sent several of Chen Zheng’s teeth flying. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his entire body was smacked hard into the ground.

Patriarch Chen and the rest of the Chen Family members paled. Chen Zheng was slapped into a daze, his head buzzing violently. The onlookers exchanged looks of complete bewilderment. Shi Muyao was struck dumb. She wondered, "Is Mo Qianqian really this strong? Could he easily thrash Chen Zheng even without any cultivation?"

"Mo Qianqian, y-you..."

Snapping back to his senses, Chen Zheng was both shocked and infuriated. Enduring the pain, he scrambled to his feet. Mo Qianqian lunged forward, reaching directly for Chen Zheng’s throat.

Chen Zheng threw a desperate punch, only for Mo Qianqian to catch it effortlessly with his left hand. The strike seemed devoid of power, failing to affect Mo Qianqian in the slightest. In the blink of an eye, Mo Qianqian’s right hand clamped tightly around Chen Zheng’s windpipe.

"You..." Chen Zheng was consumed by terror.

"Kneel, kowtow, and I’ll spare your life!" Mo Qianqian growled.

"You!" Chen Zheng seethed with rage. The last time he had knelt in the streets, it was because he had been ambushed. Now, he was being forced to kneel in front of such a massive crowd. If he actually knelt, how could he ever show his face in Qingcheng again?

"I am the son of the Chen Family Master! All the top experts of the Chen Family are gathered right here. If you dare kill me..." With his throat crushed in Mo Qianqian’s grip, Chen Zheng didn’t dare make any sudden movements. His voice was hoarse, but he still managed to force out the threat.

"Mo Qianqian, let him go!" Patriarch Chen shouted coldly. Stepping forward, a powerful aura erupted from his body. It was unmistakably the aura of the Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer.

"Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer!" Sensing Patriarch Chen’s cultivation aura, Mo Qianqian sneered inwardly. Against a Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer expert, he might just be able to pull off a one-hit assassination using his abilities as a First-Grade Spirit Master. Even if a quick kill wasn’t possible, a First-Grade Spirit Master could definitely hold their own against someone at the Spiritual Mysterious Realm First Layer.

As soon as Patriarch Chen finished speaking, rather than letting go, Mo Qianqian tightened his grip. The crushing pressure twisted Chen Zheng’s face into a hideous grimace.

"What, do you think he isn’t dying fast enough?" Mo Qianqian sneered at Patriarch Chen.

Patriarch Chen’s expression drastically shifted, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

"Mo Qianqian, you wouldn’t dare! He is the young master of the Chen Family! If you lay a single finger on him, the Chen Family will ensure you die without a burial place!" Shi Yan chimed in with a cold shout, her tone dripping with extreme arrogance.

Mo Qianqian was momentarily taken aback by her words. A faint smirk crept onto his lips. This Shi Yan was indeed exceptionally scheming. It seemed she actually wanted him to kill Chen Zheng! If those words had come from Patriarch Chen or anyone from the Chen Family, he would have snapped the neck without hesitation. But since it was Shi Yan who yelled it, he deliberately chose not to kill him.

"Go and slap her. I might give him a chance to live. Otherwise, Chen Zheng dies!" Mo Qianqian demanded of Patriarch Chen.

"You!"

Patriarch Chen, Shi Yan, and the rest of the Shi Family all grimaced in shock. However, seeing Mo Qianqian tighten his grip to the point where Chen Zheng was turning blue and suffocating, Patriarch Chen panicked and immediately marched toward Shi Yan.

"Patriarch Chen, what is the meaning of this?" Patriarch Shi frowned and stepped in his way.

"Do you seriously not know what she was trying to do just now?" Patriarch Chen retorted. "Patriarch Shi, unless you want the Chen Family to go to war with your Shi Family today, get out of my way!"

"Do you take our Shi Family for thin air?" Patriarch Shi said coldly. The rest of the Shi Family members stepped forward in solidarity.

"Patriarch Shi, it’s just a simple slap, not her life! Don’t fall for Mo Qianqian’s trick at a time like this!" Kong Ren spoke up. "The true culprit here is Mo Qianqian!"

He reasoned that if the Chen Family and the Shi Family ended up fighting each other, with the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion’s help, Mo Qianqian and his companion might actually escape today. But if both major factions stood united, even if the Pavilion Master and his people intervened, they could use their sheer numbers to stall the Pavilion Master’s trio just long enough to kill Mo Qianqian. Besides, wasn’t Mo Qianqian supposed to fight Shi Yunhai? No matter how incredible Mo Qianqian’s combat skills and innate instincts were, without any cultivation base, he could never be a match for Shi Yunhai.

Hearing Kong Ren’s reasoning, Patriarch Shi fell silent. Indeed. Going to war with the Chen Family would mean falling right into Mo Qianqian’s trap! He couldn’t make a move.

Patriarch Chen scoffed coldly and marched briskly toward Shi Yan.

Shi Yan’s face stiffened. She had only wanted to enrage Mo Qianqian so that he would kill Chen Zheng. She never expected Mo Qianqian to so deftly turn the blade back on her. Facing a Spirit Profound Realm expert, she was completely powerless to resist.

SMACK!

A brutal slap struck Shi Yan’s face, sending her flying several meters away. That strike carried the full weight of both public grievance and private vengeance.

"Mo Qianqian!" Lying on the ground and clutching her burning cheek, Shi Yan was on the verge of tears from the agonizing pain. She glared at Mo Qianqian with boundless hatred. Her father, Shi Gong, gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tightly.

"Mo Qianqian, can you let him go now?" Patriarch Chen looked at Mo Qianqian and demanded in a deep voice.

"I only said I might give him a chance."

The moment Mo Qianqian said this, Patriarch Chen and the rest of the Chen Family tensed up.

"What do you want?" Patriarch Chen asked darkly.

"Nothing much." Mo Qianqian chuckled. Turning to Chen Zheng, he said, "Kneel, kowtow three times to apologize, and I’ll let you go."

By now, Chen Zheng was genuinely terrified. He had almost had his neck snapped by Mo Qianqian just a moment ago. His legs gave way, ready to kneel.

"Don’t try anything funny. You’re not faster than me!" Mo Qianqian glanced at Patriarch Chen ahead of him before releasing his grip on Chen Zheng’s throat.

Overwhelmed by fear, Chen Zheng immediately dropped to his knees and began to kowtow. Patriarch Chen wanted to strike, but for the sake of safety, he held himself back. The rest of the Chen Family also wanted to attack, but since their Patriarch remained still, they didn’t dare act recklessly.

Shi Yunhai also stood by the sidelines, watching the show without any rush to intervene. Mo Qianqian humiliating Chen Zheng was actually a good thing for the Shi Family.

After Chen Zheng loudly knocked his head against the ground three times, Mo Qianqian spoke up. "Just like last time, you sure know how to kowtow. Get lost."

Chen Zheng’s expression stiffened, but he didn’t dare retaliate. He hastily scrambled over to Patriarch Chen. Once safely behind Patriarch Chen, he spun around to face Mo Qianqian and roared viciously, "Kill him! Father, kill him right now!!!"

Murderous intent flickered in Patriarch Chen’s eyes.

"Looks like I shouldn’t have let you go!" Mo Qianqian pursed his lips into a smile and said, "I still have two more people to fight. Wouldn’t Patriarch Chen like to see how I deal with them before making your move?"

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him now! I don’t want him alive for another second!" Chen Zheng screamed hysterically.

"Shut your mouth!" Patriarch Chen barked. He, too, wanted to see exactly what kind of capabilities Mo Qianqian possessed. Truth be told, he even wanted to see Kong Mingcheng and Shi Yunhai get defeated. If they were humiliated by Mo Qianqian just like Chen Zheng had been, the Chen Family wouldn’t be the only ones losing face today. Though, there was absolutely no chance Mo Qianqian could actually defeat Shi Yunhai.

Mo Qianqian chuckled again and turned to Kong Mingcheng, who was standing to the side. "Kong Mingcheng, I only crippled your manhood, not your cultivation. Step up and fight!"