Chapter 72: Su Huiqing's Strength
The silence that followed Su Tianhao's declaration hung in the air like an executioner's blade—heavy with unspoken threats and unresolved tension.
However—
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Ye Shiming burst into hysterical laughter that shattered the tension like glass. His manic cackling echoed through the courtyard, a jarring contrast to the grave atmosphere that had previously prevailed. The sound carried an edge of desperation masked by bravado.
Su Huiqing's eyes narrowed dangerously, his gaze piercing as he watched Ye Shiming's outburst with rapidly growing displeasure. His crimson aura flickered like barely-contained flames.
Ye Shiming didn't seem to mind Su Huiqing's intense stare at all. Now that he was certain the Patriarch wasn't actually going to kill him or risk igniting the flames of full-scale clan war, his previous arrogance returned in full force—like a beaten dog suddenly finding courage when the whip is lowered.
His laughter ended as abruptly as it had begun. He turned sharply to Su Tianhao, a mocking smile spreading across his weathered features like a crack in stone.
"Boy, you really have wild dreams!" Ye Shiming sneered with undisguised contempt. "Thinking of getting revenge on me with just a Martial Disciple realm cultivation? A newborn cub thinking it can face off against a full-grown tiger—it's not just arrogance, it's foolishness!"
He genuinely didn't believe for even a second that Su Tianhao had any chance of personally defeating him. As for the possibility of the boy growing stronger and making a comeback in the future? He dismissed that thought entirely.
Even though Su Tianhao showed exceptional talent, what was talent without life?
'I definitely cannot let him live,' Ye Shiming vowed inwardly, his thoughts dark and murderous. 'Before he grows into a true threat, I'll find a way to eliminate him—no matter the cost!'
Even if he couldn't obtain Su Tianhao's life today, he would claim it another day. The boy would not be allowed to become the bane of his existence.
Su Tianhao glanced dismissively at Ye Shiming with that same eerie calm that had unsettled so many others tonight. "Whether or not I have the ability to take my revenge... only time will tell."
His voice carried quiet confidence that somehow felt more threatening than any boast.
Hmph.
Hearing Su Tianhao's unbothered response, Ye Shiming snorted coldly and turned his attention elsewhere. The pressing issue now was that if he didn't act quickly, his spatial ring was actually going to be confiscated.
He pivoted to face Su Huiqing directly, a deep frown creasing his weathered face. "Patriarch Su, are you actually going to pass judgment based on the words of a spineless brat who barely reached the Martial Disciple Realm?"
"Exactly!" Ye Bao Kang chimed in immediately, his chubby face flushed red with indignation. "Why should we have to surrender our spatial rings simply because a little boy demands it?"
The spatial ring of any cultivator was their most valuable treasure—the secure vault where the vast majority of their belongings were kept. Powerful cultivators were confident in their own strength, so they carried their accumulated wealth with them at all times. After all, it was far safer on their person where they could defend it at any moment, rather than stored in some location beyond their immediate reach where it could be plundered by enemies who might not necessarily be stronger than themselves.
Because of this, strong cultivators tended to bring their life's fortune with them wherever they went—as long as the items weren't specifically meant for their clan or sect's collective treasury.
Ye Shiming and Ye Bao Kang were no exceptions.
The spatial rings on their fingers served as the storehouse for their years of accumulated wealth. It was no exaggeration to say each ring carried roughly half of their total life's earnings—cultivation pills, technique scrolls, precious materials, gold and silver, rare artifacts.
How could they possibly give up such treasures easily?
The two Ye family elders stood their ground with visible reluctance, their expressions broadcasting their absolute unwillingness to comply.
"So you would rather die than let go of your wealth?" Su Huiqing said coldly, his glare intensifying as spiritual pressure radiated from him in visible waves.
"Patriarch Su, what you're demanding is completely unreasonable!" Ye Bao Kang shouted, frustration coloring his tone until his voice nearly cracked.
He couldn't help but glare at Su Tianhao from the corner of his eye.
Su Tianhao naturally noticed Ye Bao Kang's obvious threat and returned it with complete indifference. His expression remained calm—like a mountain standing firm against a raging storm.
Hearing Ye Bao Kang's words, Su Huiqing's expression turned even colder. His crimson aura suddenly flared outward, causing the temperature to spike several degrees in an instant. The oppressive heat became so suffocating that even the guards standing behind him were affected, taking involuntary steps backward.
'Why does no one ever speak about the Patriarch's terrifying temper?' they thought inwardly, sweat beginning to bead on their foreheads.
Then—realization struck like lightning.
"Peak Martial Master Realm!" Ye Shiming's voice cracked with horror as the words tore from his throat.
He was able to immediately discern Su Huiqing's true cultivation from the leaking aura, and never in his wildest imagination had he thought the Su family Patriarch was actually a 9th level Martial Master—the absolute peak of that realm.
Even his younger brother Ye Zhenwu—the Ye family Patriarch whom he had always been inferior to due to superior talent—was only a 7th level Martial Master. Two complete minor realms below Su Huiqing.
And in higher realms like Martial Master, even a difference of one minor realm represented a massive, nearly insurmountable gap in power. Two realms? That was the difference between predator and prey.
"Peak Martial Master Realm?" Ye Bao Kang was equally startled, his piggy eyes widening until they nearly bulged from his skull.
The guards were also shocked by their Patriarch's revealed strength, but their shock quickly transformed into swelling pride.
"As expected of the Patriarch! He's actually a Peak Martial Master Realm powerhouse!"
"The Patriarch is truly admirable—powerful yet humble! If those two Ye family elders hadn't provoked him so thoroughly, we wouldn't have been able to witness his true strength!"
"Indeed—hiding his capabilities until the moment demands!"
Su Tianhao, Su Lei, and even the female servant showed genuine shock on their faces. Only Su Yuan and Su Minghe, who were much closer to Su Huiqing in daily matters, remained relatively unfazed. They had already known his true strength.
Su Huiqing remained utterly indifferent to the gasps and flattery behind him. He was completely focused on the two Ye family elders before him—his gaze bearing down on them like an emperor seated upon a high throne, looking down at rebellious subjects.
"Do you really think I wouldn't kill you both? Do you honestly believe the Su family is afraid to wage war with your Ye family?"
Su Huiqing's words weren't empty boasting—he truly wasn't afraid to declare war on the Ye family. If the Su family were to engage in full-scale conflict, they would undoubtedly emerge victorious given the power disparity that had now been revealed.
However, the damage to their own side would not be insignificant. Casualties would mount, resources would be depleted, and that weakened state would create a golden opportunity for their other rivals.
The He family—third of the three great clans in Oakwood City—would be more than happy to watch both the Su family and Ye family bleed each other dry.
As the saying went: when the tiger and the dragon fight, it is the phoenix that benefits.
Su Huiqing understood this political reality all too well. But even knowing this, his words and demeanor were more than enough to thoroughly intimidate both Ye Shiming and Ye Bao Kang.
Both elders could sense the seriousness in Su Huiqing's tone—the genuine willingness to follow through if pushed further. Even though they harbored some skepticism, they couldn't stake their lives on the mere chance that Su Huiqing actually wouldn't kill them.
Every person had only one life. What use was accumulated wealth if one wasn't alive to enjoy it?
With burning frustration and hesitation warring across their features, both Ye Shiming and Ye Bao Kang had no choice but to reluctantly remove their spatial rings and hand them over to Su Huiqing.
The Patriarch's gaze locked onto the two gleaming rings in his palm.
"Undo the blood ownership claim," Su Huiqing said coldly after realizing something was amiss when he tried to probe the rings' contents.
Unlike storage pouches that could be freely handed over and accessed by anyone, spatial rings were bound to their owners through blood ownership rituals. Unless the owner was killed or willingly revoked their blood ownership claim, the spatial ring would remain completely inaccessible to any third party—as secure as a vault with no key.
Hearing this knowledgeable demand, the two elders' expressions darkened considerably. They hadn't expected Su Huiqing to be so well-versed in such matters—they'd hoped he might simply take the rings without realizing they were still sealed.
Their expressions turned pitifully dejected—like travelers who had been robbed by the very road wardens sworn to protect them.
"Undo the claim. Now." Su Huiqing repeated, his tone brooking no argument.
"You—!" Ye Shiming glared at Su Huiqing with bone-deep hatred that seemed to radiate from his very soul.
Just the thought of having half his life's fortune seized by his enemies infuriated him to the point of madness. His hands trembled with barely-suppressed rage.
However, under Su Huiqing's intense, unwavering gaze—backed by that overwhelming Peak Martial Master aura—he had absolutely no choice.
With movements stiff with reluctance, Ye Shiming took his spatial ring back from Su Huiqing's hand. He sliced one of his fingers open with a focused edge of sharp Wind Qi, drawing blood. The crimson droplets fell onto the spatial ring's surface, causing it to emit a peculiar pulsing glow before returning to its normal metallic sheen.
His blood ownership claim was officially undone.
He maintained a sour expression throughout the entire process, the audible sound of grinding teeth echoing in the tense silence as he passed the now-ownerless ring back to Su Huiqing.
Witnessing this, Ye Bao Kang also reluctantly revoked his blood ownership claim before passing his ring over with the same bitter reluctance.
After obtaining both spatial rings, Su Huiqing's flaring aura didn't diminish at all. In fact, it surged even higher—the crimson energy around him intensifying until it became almost visible to the naked eye, like heat waves rising from sun-baked stones.
"You've already taken our spatial rings! What else could you possibly want?!" Ye Shiming roared, his voice cracking.
"Patriarch Su, don't tell me the Su family is planning to go back on their word?" Ye Bao Kang said coldly, barely containing his mounting fury.
"The Su family would naturally keep its word and allow you to leave," Su Huiqing said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"However..."
His smile widened slightly, becoming even more unsettling.
"...Who said anything about letting you leave unharmed?"
The words dropped like stones into still water, their implications rippling outward with devastating clarity.
"Patriarch Su, don't you think you're going too far?" Ye Bao Kang said, genuine fear beginning to creep into his voice.
"Your actions are nothing short of the strong preying on the weak!" Ye Shiming added with desperate frustration.
"The strong preying on the weak?"
A new voice rang out—calm yet carrying unmistakable amusement.
Everyone turned toward the source.
Su Tianhao. He wore a pondering expression, causing everyone to look at him with raised eyebrows.
Suddenly, his golden eyes brightened as if struck by sudden enlightenment.
He turned to Ye Shiming with a smile that could cut steel. "Oh, I remember now. Those were the exact words your son said to me just after he publicly accused me of cultivating a demonic technique—and then refused to apologize when proven wrong."
His tone was perfectly pleasant, which somehow made it even more cutting.
"You—!" Ye Shiming's face exploded with redness, turning such a deep crimson it nearly matched Su Huiqing's aura.
His entire body trembled with sheer frustration and humiliation. The rage became so overwhelming that he vomited a mouthful of blood—the crimson spray staining the front of his robes.
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
"Isn't the Young Master being a bit too ruthless?"
"Using the son's own words to strike back at the father at such a critical moment... that's vicious."
"Looks like someone's got a sharp tongue and an even sharper memory."
"Tsk tsk, Young Master Tianhao's got serious game!"
The guards discussed animatedly, their earlier tension replaced by open entertainment. What had threatened to be a tragic evening had turned into rather interesting theater.
"I never knew this nephew of yours had such a sharp tongue," Su Minghe said to Su Yuan with genuine surprise. "He's wounded the man's pride more effectively than any physical blow could have."
Su Yuan could only smile wryly. Even he hadn't expected Su Tianhao to make such a perfectly-timed, devastating statement.
The boy had turned Ye Shiming's own philosophy against him with surgical precision—and the damage was clearly far more severe than any punch could have delivered.