Kill!

A rain of blood drifted down past him, and mangled chunks of corpses hit the ground with muffled thuds. Yet Zheng Shaohua stood calmly where he was. It was as though the consecrated elders from his clan who had just perished had nothing to do with him at all. He had to admit the youth was strong, but in his perception, the other party was merely in the Core Formation realm. In his eyes, Core Formation was just Core Formation, even if at the peak of Core Formation. Zheng Shaohua ran his fingers through his messy hair, looking at the woman on the stage with an amused smile. "Heh heh. I never imagined a wretched woman like you would actually have an old flame here. "I never looked closely before. Now that I do, you actually have quite a bit of charm." Li Guanqi watched this scene with a calm gaze. Everything about Zheng Shaohua rubbed him the wrong way—or rather, thoroughly disgusted him. The man was truly wild and arrogant, looking down on everyone. His conduct was overbearing and tyrannical in every sense of the word. On the stage, Song Zhi'ang trembled uncontrollably upon hearing this, her face growing pale. She knew well how terrifying the Zheng Clan's power was in Nanze City. Li Guanqi was all alone here; she did not want him to lose his life because of her. "Hurry and leave! The Zheng Clan—" Hearing her words, Li Guanqi slowly descended. Reaching the stage, he rested a hand on her shoulder, circulating his primal energy to examine her body. Soon, Li Guanqi's brow furrowed. He discovered that a black poison within her legs had already seeped deep into her bones. If this poison was not suppressed by an antidote for a period of time, its flare-up would make the victim wish they were dead. That bone-eating agony was no less agonizing than having her leg bones smashed to pieces each time it struck! Moreover, judging by the color of the poison, it must have flared five or six times already. Li Guanqi's expression gradually darkened. If Song Zhi'ang hadn't found Yu Sui'an back then, Yu Sui'an might have died long ago on that despairing night. Therefore, toward this woman before him, he felt genuine gratitude. Li Guanqi tapped lightly on her legs, causing Song Zhi'ang to tremble slightly. A hint of color immediately returned to her somewhat emaciated legs. His lightning-attribute spiritual power temporarily numbed her legs, freeing her from the constant torment of the poison. Song Zhi'ang lowered her head, not daring to look at him, and murmured weakly with a flushed face, "Thank you." Without sparing even a glance at Zheng Shaohua, Li Guanqi kept his eyes on the woman and asked, "Didn't I give you a jade slip back then? Why didn't you call for help?" Song Zhi'ang's eyes dimmed, and she looked up toward Zheng Shaohua. The young man burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this, suddenly pulling out a jade slip and turning it over in his hand. "Are you talking about this thing? "Hahahaha! And here I thought it was from some great sect! "Turns out it was just trash like you." With that, Zheng Shaohua crushed the jade slip to dust, tossed the remnants to the ground, and clapped his hands. Disgust filled his gaze as he sneered, "Then again, giving a distress jade slip like this to a mortal... heh..." Boom! The high stage shattered. Zheng Shaohua's vision blurred, and his body shot backward like a cannonball! Crashing through the front entrance, he smashed straight through several pavilions behind it! The shops along two whole streets suffered as they were pulverized on impact! This scene caused gasps of shock to erupt from the surrounding crowd. "Hiss... Who is this guy?! How dare he strike Young Master Zheng in Nanze City?! Does he have a death wish?!" "Heh, probably some rash fool who doesn't know any better from who knows where." "I bet the Zheng Clan is already on their way here right now." "Tsk, that was damn satisfying to watch, though!" "Shh! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you! What bad luck!" As cries of astonishment rippled through the crowd, Li Guanqi stood in place with a slight furrow of his brow. That kick just now... Crash! Amidst the rubble of the ruined buildings, a figure slowly rose. Boom! A terrifying shockwave swept in all directions as the silhouette stood upright. His face twisted in savagery, violent fluctuations of primal energy surged around Zheng Shaohua, and an overwhelming pressure erupted! Whoosh! An eight-foot spear suddenly appeared in his grasp, light swirling across its silver-white surface. Radiance pulsed ceaselessly over the spearhead; it was clearly no ordinary item. Zheng Shaohua licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and ripped off his tattered robes, revealing an exceptionally muscular, robust build. Someone in the pavilion muttered under their breath, "Zheng Shaohua throwing his weight around the city isn't just relying on his father!" Li Guanqi rubbed his nose. He hadn't expected this dandy to actually possess decent strength—at least this imposing momentum wasn't bad. He had thought the man would be the sort of useless sack of wine and meat who relied entirely on his clan's clout, but it seemed that wasn't entirely true. Buzz! The spear vibrated faintly. Zheng Shaohua's eyes burned with rabid battle lust, fixed firmly upon Li Guanqi with fervent excitement. It had been a long time since he encountered someone this strong within the same cultivation realm, and the youth even appeared slightly younger than him. Boom! The ground beneath Zheng Shaohua's feet suddenly exploded into a three-zhang-deep crater, the bluestone paving fracturing like a spiderweb in an instant! A blurred afterimage shot toward Li Guanqi, spear in hand! Behind him, Song Zhi'ang propped her hands on the table, her eyes filled with worry as she cried out, "Be careful!" The onlookers all believed the handsome youth before them was doomed to lose. The spear in Zheng Shaohua's hands was a top-grade spirit tool his father had procured for him, possessing immense power. Yet Li Guanqi stood motionless on the spot as though paralyzed with fear, making no move to dodge nor drawing any weapon. Assuming he had given up so easily, the crowd let out collective sighs of pity. Yet in the very next breath... The onlookers' vision blurred, followed immediately by a deafening crash in the hall! Bang! The incoming figure was hurled backward at an even greater speed! Blood sprayed in midair, and several small white objects clattered onto the ground. Li Guanqi shook his head with mild exasperation. He couldn't fathom where the man had gotten such confidence. In his eyes, that speed and power were utterly worthless. He was not even on par with the weakest fourth-order demonic beasts Li Guanqi had slain. Still airborne, Zheng Shaohua's pupils contracted. He could not comprehend why his opponent was so powerful. Both were at the peak of Core Formation, so why was he like a toddler waving a toy sword before him?! Crash! Crash! Crash! This time, Zheng Shaohua hurtled backward nearly fifty zhang, blowing massive holes straight through every building along his path. His cheek caved in slightly, his cheekbone shattered by that single kick. Yet before he could calm the turbulent emotions in his heart, a ghostlike figure had already materialized right before his eyes! A flash of sword light gleamed cold in midair! Relying on raw instinct, he dodged in utter disarray and thrust his spear violently forward!