“That’s right, just me,” Ling Hu nodded again.
Having waited four years, he was patient enough to respond, curious to see which elders held the strongest grudges against him.
“Hmph, Ling Hu, do you know that Su Yun’s cultivation is at the peak of Martial King, two levels above Ling Xun? With your strength, how could you possibly kill Su Yun? Do you think this lie can fool us?” an elder roared.
“I have an idea to prove whether he has the strength to kill Su Yun,” Ling Xun stood slowly, a cold smirk on his lips, “Su Yun’s strength far surpasses mine. If he fights me, won’t we know if he has the ability to kill Su Yun?”
Without waiting for the other elders to respond, Ling Xun looked at Ling Hu mockingly, “What do you say, Ling Hu? You claim you killed Su Yun. If you have the strength to kill him, dealing with me should be no problem, right?”
“Fight me. If you can defeat me, it proves your words are true. If you can’t even beat me, it shows you’re spouting nonsense. How about it?”
At this, many nodded in agreement with Ling Xun. If Ling Hu couldn’t even defeat Ling Xun, his claims were meaningless, and they had no interest in wasting time on his nonsense.
Ling Zhongqian and a few others frowned. They knew Ling Xun’s strength well, his cultivation at the seventh level of Martial King, even capable of facing an eighth-level Martial King. Ling Hu likely couldn’t match him.
But they couldn’t find a suitable excuse to intervene, as Ling Hu’s claims were too outrageous.
If Ling Xun fought, he would surely strike hard.
Caught in a dilemma, they hesitated.
“Fine!” At that moment, Ling Hu nodded to Ling Xun.
Everyone was stunned, thinking Ling Hu was backed into a corner, his lies about to be exposed, yet stubbornly pushing forward.
Still, they were eager to see Ling Hu taught a lesson by Ling Xun, to see if he’d dare spout nonsense again.
“Ling Hu!” Ling Zhongqian called out, worried.
“Don’t worry, Great Elder, I’ll spare his life!” Ling Hu interrupted.
“…” Ling Zhongqian was choked by the words: I’m worried about you, not whether you’ll spare him!
Others were stunned by Ling Hu’s statement.
“Hahaha… Ling Hu, I’d like to see how you spare my life!” Ling Xun laughed, fearing Ling Hu might back out or the Great Elder might intervene. He lunged forward, his fist carrying the immense power of a seventh-level Martial King, striking fiercely at Ling Hu.
With Ling Hu’s words, even if he struck heavily, he had an excuse.
The two were close, and Ling Xun’s sudden attack was so swift that even if others reacted, they couldn’t intervene in time.
Ling Xun’s fist was already smashing towards Ling Hu’s chest, the sound of breaking air ringing out.
But just when everyone thought Ling Hu would be sent flying, he suddenly threw a punch. With a loud “Boom!”, Ling Xun’s body was sent flying, crashing into a pillar, breaking it.
Blood sprayed from Ling Xun’s mouth.
In that moment, the entire hall fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The Ling family members were dumbfounded. The family’s top genius, groomed as the heir, a seventh-level Martial King, Ling Xun, was sent flying by Ling Hu’s single punch?
Ling Lie was shocked, and Ling Xun, in disbelief, became furious upon recovering, roaring, “Ling Hu, I’ll kill you!!”
He moved to charge again, but at that moment, a terrifying Martial Venerable aura surged from Ling Hu, enveloping Ling Xun.
Feeling this overwhelming pressure, Ling Xun froze, not daring to move forward.
“Martial… Martial Venerable cultivation?” Ling Xun’s body stiffened, utterly shocked.
“What, Martial Venerable? Ling Hu’s cultivation has reached Martial Venerable?”
The Ling family members were astounded, nearly all standing, their faces showing disbelief.
But the aura didn’t lie, Ling Hu’s presence was indeed at the Martial Venerable level.
“How is this possible?” Ling Lie was also shocked, struggling to believe the reality before him.
Back then, he had poisoned Ling Hu with Black Seal Poison, halting his cultivation. How could he have reached Martial Venerable in just four years?
Even the older heirs of the Su and Guo families hadn’t stepped into Martial Venerable, yet Ling Hu, at his age, had broken through first?
Shock and awe gripped the entire Ling family.
“Ling Hu, your cultivation has broken through to the first level of Martial Venerable?” Ling Zhongqian was thrilled. He knew what it meant for Ling Hu to reach Martial Venerable at this age, a feat unprecedented in the Ling family.
As Ling Hu grew, he could surpass both families and potentially lead the Ling family to greater heights.
Moreover, Ling Hu’s breakthrough to Martial Venerable meant the Black Seal Poison in his body had been completely neutralized.
Other elders were equally shocked. Those who had remained neutral in the heir dispute now looked at Ling Hu with newfound respect.
As family members, they naturally considered the benefits Ling Hu could bring to the Ling family as the future heir.
Ling Ping, at the back, was stunned, never imagining Ling Hu had reached such heights.
“How is this possible, Ling Hu? Wasn’t your cultivation always stagnant? How could you break through to Martial Venerable?” Ling Xun muttered in disbelief, unable to accept the reality.
“Why is it impossible?” Ling Hu sneered, “Is it because you know exactly what problem my body had, so you thought my cultivation would always be stuck?”
“Hmph, who knows what problem your body had,” Ling Xun snapped angrily, knowing full well what Ling Hu was referring to.
Hearing Ling Hu’s words, Ling Lie, at the head, frowned slightly and spoke, “Ling Hu, your breakthrough to Martial Venerable is indeed shocking and proves you could have killed Su Yun.”
“But killing Su Yun is no good deed. His death will enrage the Su family, and they’ll surely join forces with the Guo family to come after our Ling family with everything they have. Your actions, far from helping the Ling family, have made a grave mistake that will drag the entire family down.”
“So, for the sake of our Ling family, I’m afraid we’ll have to make a painful sacrifice and hand you over.”
With a few words, Ling Lie pinned a major crime of endangering the family on Ling Hu.
