Inside the Ouyang Clan's grand manor, countless high-ranking members were gathered within the main hall.
At the center sat the patriarch, Ouyang Lin, emanating a terrifying aura of authority.
Clearly, he was no ordinary figure—he was a True God, and not just any, but one who had reached the upper ranks of the Insight God realm.
Around him, many Ouyang Clan elders and executives stood or sat in silence.
"Patriarch, Ouyang Qin has already launched the assault against Great Zhou," one elder reported.
"This move may seem reckless, but once the arrow is drawn, it must be loosed," another said grimly.
"That Great Zhou is more troublesome than we thought. The three top officials we tried to assassinate didn't die."
The room filled with murmurs.
"No matter. Now that we've seen their strength, we'll prepare properly this time—and finish the job," Ouyang Lin said coldly.
"Patriarch, what should we do about that Yang Cheng?" someone asked. "That boy's talent in both Martial Dao and Alchemy Dao is terrifying. He even created the Earth Spirit Heart Pill, a true divine-grade pill."
"Anyone outside our clan is a potential threat," Ouyang Lin replied, his tone like ice. "He isn't one of us. Even if we tried to tame him, it wouldn't work. Extract the Earth Spirit Heart Pill formula from him—then kill him."
"Patriarch, wise as ever."
"That's right. The greater his talent, the greater the danger to our clan."
The elders nodded in agreement, their voices merging into one chilling echo.
"What's that sound?"
Suddenly, a sharp shout came from outside the manor gates.
Before anyone could react, the guards stationed outside were hurled through the air, smashing the heavy gate to pieces.
Then, a single figure stepped calmly through the dust.
Every Ouyang clansman in the hall instantly stood up.
Dozens of powerful experts appeared from all directions, their eyes fixed on the intruder.
"Patriarch, be careful!" warned the guard captain.
"Hmph. I want to see who dares act wild in my Ouyang Clan," Ouyang Lin said coldly, his expression unreadable.
Under the gaze of the entire Ouyang Clan, a black-robed youth—looking no older than twelve or thirteen—walked into the courtyard as though he were strolling through a garden.
Several people recognized him at once.
Because this boy was the very person the Ouyang Clan had been studying so intensely lately.
"Yang Cheng?"
Gasps rippled through the hall.
"What's going on?"
"Wasn't this brat supposed to be in the Wasteland Realm? How did he end up in the Horn Constellation Realm—and at our Ouyang Clan, no less?"
The crowd burst into confused whispers.
"Yang Cheng? So it really is you!" Ouyang Lin sneered. "I don't know how you came here, but to trespass into my Ouyang Clan—you must have a death wish."
"Perfect timing," another elder laughed. "You've delivered yourself right to our doorstep."
"Haha, that saves us the trouble of going to the Wasteland Realm to catch you!"
Mocking laughter filled the room.
Yang Cheng's expression didn't change. "You're all gathered in one place? That saves me a lot of time."
As he spoke, he began walking toward the grand hall where the Ouyang elders were assembled.
Buzz!
The sharp sound of bowstrings being drawn filled the air. Around the hall, countless Ouyang Clan guards appeared, all aiming massive, high-grade spirit bows at Yang Cheng.
"Drop your weapon and kneel immediately, or be executed on the spot!" shouted the guard captain.
Yang Cheng didn't even glance their way.
"Fire!"
The captain's command rang out coldly.
In an instant, a dense storm of arrows flew toward Yang Cheng, each glowing with lethal spiritual force.
These weren't ordinary arrows. Their power was enough to pierce through most Martial Sovereigns without resistance.
Buzz!
Yet when they neared Yang Cheng, every arrow was stopped midair by an invisible shield. Not one could come within a single inch of him.
"Go."
Then, Yang Cheng lightly uttered a single word.
A powerful surge of rebound force exploded outward, instantly reflecting every arrow back toward its origin.
Dozens of Ouyang Clan guards were caught off guard and impaled by their own arrows, collapsing to the ground in screams of agony.
"Hm?"
Every Ouyang elder's face darkened.
They had heard rumors of Yang Cheng's strength—after all, his slaying of Su Lingchen was no secret.
But the power he displayed now was far beyond anything they had imagined.
This boy's strength was absurd—unreasonable to the point of disbelief.
Even Ouyang Lin's brows furrowed slightly. He could sense something deeply unusual about Yang Cheng.
"Huang, capture him."
Ouyang Lin turned to the guard commander beside him.
This man was named Huang San, a mid-stage Insight God expert.
In Ouyang Lin's mind, no matter how strong Yang Cheng was, a mid-stage Insight God was more than enough to crush him.
Huang San's eyes were as sharp as blades as he glared at Yang Cheng. "Boy, surrender now if you don't want to suffer."
"If you weren't part of the Ouyang Clan," Yang Cheng said calmly, "you might still have a path to live."
"Such arrogance! We don't need our commander to deal with you."
Before Huang San could act, another guard burst out from the crowd. His aura was fierce and violent—clearly that of a half-god cultivator.
But before he could even approach, Yang Cheng reached out and seized him by the throat.
"No—!"
The man's face twisted in terror.
"Let him go!" Huang San barked, his face changing at once.
That guard was his nephew.
Yang Cheng's expression didn't flicker. He twisted his wrist, and the man's neck snapped with a clean crack.
"Courting death!"
Huang San's eyes turned blood-red with fury.
A heartbeat later, divine power erupted from his body like a tidal wave, flooding the entire hall with suffocating pressure. The might of a mid-stage Insight God exploded outward, shaking the air itself.
"Brat, you dared kill my nephew? I'll destroy both your body and your soul!"
As his voice boomed through the hall, Huang San's figure blurred into a streak of golden light. His palm struck forward with a roar that split the air apart.
This was his deadly technique—the God-Rending Palm.
Once, a newly ascended True God had been obliterated by this very attack.
But Yang Cheng's expression remained calm. As the palm neared, he suddenly raised a finger and pointed.
Buzz!
A terrifying surge of sword qi erupted from his fingertip, carrying the destructive might of annihilation as it shot forward.
The moment it collided with Huang San's palm, a violent storm of energy exploded. The impact shredded the courtyard around them, turning countless trees into dust.
"Sword Domain?"
Huang San's eyes widened in shock.
He could clearly sense the fluctuations of a Sword Domain emanating from Yang Cheng's body.
Before he could react further, the blood-red sword qi pierced through his palm print and shot straight toward him.
At that critical instant, Huang San displayed the reflexes of a veteran powerhouse.
With a flash of divine light, he shifted several zhang away in a blink, narrowly dodging the deadly strike. The massive pillar behind him was instantly pierced through, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.
"How is that possible? You're just a child—how can you comprehend a Sword Domain?" Huang San shouted in disbelief.
"There's nothing impossible about it."
Yang Cheng's tone was steady, his expression unreadable.
This was the first time—across both his lifetimes—that he had personally fought against a True God. Yet there wasn't a trace of fear in his heart.
"So what if you've mastered a Sword Domain?" Huang San growled, his expression twisting into a feral snarl. "To stand against me, you're still far too weak!"
As he spoke, red markings began to crawl across his skin, spreading from his chest to his limbs.
His frail frame straightened, his muscles swelling like steel cables, his body transforming in an instant into that of a towering, broad-shouldered warrior radiating savage power.
"Boy, to grasp the Sword Domain at such a young age means your talent and fortune are extraordinary," Huang San said coldly. "But you made a fatal mistake coming to the Ouyang Clan—and an even greater one crossing me."
The energy around him thickened until it became oppressive. His muscles bulged like molten iron, and under his skin flowed waves of heat, glowing faintly red like magma.
Then, bringing both palms together, Huang San's aura expanded sharply. The air within a three-zhang radius twisted violently, condensing into a haze of blood-colored mist.
"Blood Fiend Palm!"
With a thunderous shout, Huang San thrust his palms forward. The mist condensed instantly into dozens of massive palm imprints, crashing down on Yang Cheng like a raging sea.
Each palm strike carried the power to shatter mountains.
The ground beneath their feet split apart, stone tiles exploding into dust under the sheer force of his attack.