The Sword God of the Universe

"Since Mr. Cang Long has agreed, Zhen Yan, you should make your move! Remember, don't kill the boy, Mr. Cang Long needs him alive." Zhao Dangyuan said with a smile.

"Clan Leader, rest assured, I'll be careful," Zhao Zhenyan sneered.

Zhao Dangyuan was his father, but in front of others, he still called Zhao Dangyuan Clan Leader. Privately, of course, he would call him 'Dad'!

Zhao Zhenyan's gaze suddenly swept towards Jing Yan.

"Hehe, Donglin City has been buzzing with your name, Jing Yan, recently! Many people say you are the strongest prodigy Donglin City has seen in nearly a century. They are obviously wrong, terribly wrong. In front of me, you are nothing but trash. Originally, I couldn't be bothered with someone like you who clamors for attention, but since you dared to injure my brother Zhao Dingtian, I can't let you off!" Zhao Zhenyan, with a smile curling up his lips, slowly walked towards Jing Yan as he spoke.

In fact, avenging his brother was just an excuse.

Zhao Zhenyan was no fool; though he said he didn't care about Jing Yan, deep down he understood that if he allowed Jing Yan to continue growing, it would be terrifying.

He was confident, but not so arrogant as to dismiss everyone else.

He had learned from Zhao Yifeng that Jing Yan had recently advanced back to the Innate Realm. Although it was only the Early Innate stage, Jing Yan was able to kill Suo Wen, who had a Cultivation at the Innate Middle Stage.

Such a monster, if left to thrive, what would become of them later?

Jing Yan was not yet twenty, and he, Zhao Zhenyan, was already approaching forty. Although he had just stepped into the Late Innate Realm not long ago, based on Jing Yan's cultivation speed, what kind of Cultivation would he have when he was forty?

It could be said that as long as Jing Yan was alive, the currently widespread rumor that Jing Yan was Donglin City's strongest prodigy of the century would slowly become a reality. He, Zhao Zhenyan, could not sit by and watch Jing Yan surpass him.

The title of Donglin City's strongest prodigy was his, Zhao Zhenyan's!

To personally extinguish a prodigy seen only once in a century in Donglin City was quite a thrilling deed!

"Zhao Zhenyan, you sure do talk a lot. If you want to fight, then let's fight. All this nagging, you're acting like an old woman!" Jing Yan's gaze was fixed on Zhao Zhenyan.

"Oh? Are you asking for death? Fine, I will grant your wish, you piece of trash!" Zhao Zhenyuan's aura condensed, and his Primordial Energy surged forth.

"City Lord Chen Bing." At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out.

The people present turned their gaze towards the speaker.

Everyone was watching and waiting for Zhao Zhenyan to cripple Jing Yan's Cultivation. Now, speaking up was undoubtedly interrupting Zhao Zhenyuan's move against Jing Yan.

"Mr. Qing Mo?" Chen Bing looked at the speaker from Dao Yi Academy, Deacon Qing Mo.

"City Lord Chen Bing, the affairs of Donglin City should, in theory, be none of my business. But I can't help but speak out. Though I didn't witness Jing Yan killing Suo Wen with my own eyes, I have gleaned enough from the previous conversations here. I think Jing Yan is not at fault, and now it seems that many here are using their power to bully, isn't that going too far?" Qing Mo frowned as he spoke.

Qing Mo was a person with a strong sense of justice.

Ordinary people would definitely not intervene in such matters. But Qing Mo had an upright character; if Jing Yan was at fault, he of course wouldn't interfere. However, seeing Jing Yan was innocent, he couldn't help but speak up. Besides, Jing Yan was a rare prodigious Martial Artist. It would be a pity to see his talent stifled.

When Qing Mo spoke, many present frowned, including Deputy City Lord Chen Bing.

Jing Yan, on the other hand, looked gratefully at Qing Mo.

Before this, he had never met Qing Mo. Now that Qing Mo spoke up for him, whether or not it had an effect or changed the outcome, Jing Yan felt grateful.

In such circumstances, for Qing Mo to speak for Jing Yan meant that he himself had to withstand a great deal of pressure. He was a Deacon of the Outer Court at Dao Yi Academy, not a native of Donglin City. With so much of Donglin City's power against Jing Yan, yet speaking in his defense was tantamount to offending all factions in Donglin City.

"Hehe..."

"Deacon Qing Mo, you just watch from the side. Meddling in others' affairs isn't good, you know!" Leng Zhu, a Deacon from Red Lotus Academy stationed not far from Qing Mo, said with an insincere smile.

Leng Zhu had no direct conflict of interest with Jing Yan, but he had a poor impression of him.

Since arriving in Donglin City, Leng Zhu had repeatedly heard news about Jing Yan. He was also aware of Jing Yan's defeat of Jing Tianlong. Although Jing Tianlong was a Jing Family Disciple, he was also a student of the Red Lotus Academy, and Jing Yan was not. Jing Yan's defeat of Jing Tianlong indirectly suggested that Red Lotus Academy students weren't much either?

So Leng Zhu did not have a good impression of Jing Yan. Of course, he wouldn't seek revenge over this small matter, but it was impossible for him to speak for Jing Yan.

"I just said what needed to be said," Qing Mo frowned and glanced at Leng Zhu.

"Qing Mo, you'd better just shut your mouth! If you really want to stand up for the Jing Family, then it's simple! Come on, how about we have a fight first?" Mr. Cang Long from Divine Wind Academy said to Qing Mo with a sneer.

Fury flashed in Qing Mo's eyes, but he still held himself back.

This time, he and Leng Zhu, along with Cang Long, came to Donglin City to select young Martial Artists to participate in the tri-academy assessment in Lanqu County. If he fought Cang Long here, what would that make him?

Cang Long obviously knew that Qing Mo would not fight him; he was merely using this as a way to shut Qing Mo up.

...

Outside the City Lord Mansion, a Sky Swallow Carriage slowly approached.

Upon reaching the entrance to the City Lord Mansion, Huo Chunyang and his wife, Lv Yan, stepped out from the carriage.

"City Lord!"

The Armored Guards at the door greeted Huo Chunyang and Lv Yan.

Huo Chunyang waved his hand and, with a smile, entered the mansion with Lv Yan.

At this point, Huo Chunyang was undoubtedly quite happy. Because, Donglin City's Jing Yan had helped him establish a good connection with Bai Xue City Lord. Establishing a connection with Bai Xue City Lord meant also connecting with the Prince. Perhaps in the future, he could take up residence in Lanqu County City!

Of course, he was very pleased. He was planning to call Jing Tian of the Jing Family over later to have a good talk, to inquire about the exact nature of Jing Yan's relationship with Bai Xue City Lord.

"Uh?"

As Huo Chunyang entered the City Lord Mansion, his brow suddenly furrowed. He saw that the Armored Guard was assembled in large numbers.

What was going on?

Had something major happened in Donglin City?

Generally speaking, the Armored Guard would not assemble on such a large scale unless something significant had occurred.