The moment their fists collided, Cao Zheng felt a sharp pain shoot through his hand. An overwhelming force erupted at his fist, as if a mountain had crashed into him, impossible to resist.
Bang!
A loud crash echoed. In the crowd’s view, Cao Zheng spat out a mouthful of blood, his body hurtling backward at high speed, smashing into a building within the Cao family’s compound.
Boom!
Another loud crash followed as the building shattered, wood splinters flying in all directions. Not only that, but a large crater was blasted into the ground at the building’s location, with thick dust billowing outward.
In that instant, the entire scene fell silent, everyone’s expressions frozen in shock.
The Cao family’s youths, in particular, stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.
How was this possible? Cao Zheng had been blasted away with a single strike?
Both at the Second Stage of Martial Venerable, how could this youth so easily defeat Cao Zheng?
Cao Zheng was among the best in his realm!
Even Xu Hao, among the Cao family crowd, was stunned. With Cao Zheng’s strength at the Second Stage of Martial Venerable, even he might not have been able to defeat him in one move.
He hadn’t held much hope, yet the outcome was this astonishing.
Even Cao Gang and the other Cao family elders were slightly taken aback. To them, as Martial Lords, the Second Stage of Martial Venerable wasn’t particularly noteworthy, but defeating Cao Zheng in one move was impressive.
Most importantly, this loss was a humiliation for the Cao family.
The onlookers were equally shocked, their faces filled with disbelief. Just moments ago, they had been so dismissive of this “Xu family youth,” yet now it was Cao Zheng who had been sent flying, effortlessly…
Glancing at the stunned Cao family members, Lin Xiao spread his hands, feigning an apologetic tone, “I’m terribly sorry, it wasn’t my intention to strike so heavily. I’ve just never seen someone at the Second Stage of Martial Venerable with such weak strength.”
“I…” The Cao family youths, still reeling, erupted in fury. This guy was outrageously arrogant, daring to humiliate them like this!
Cao Yuhua’s expression darkened as well. As one of the Cao family’s four great geniuses, even he hadn’t been this brazen. For a mere Second Stage Martial Venerable to show off like this in front of him… and what infuriated him more was that Cao Zheng’s crushing defeat left them unable to refute the insult.
At this moment, someone from the Cao family rushed into the crater and brought Cao Zheng out.
But Cao Zheng’s face was pale, his hair dishevelled, his aura weak, and his appearance utterly wretched. He had clearly sustained severe injuries and had no strength left to fight.
Cao Zheng’s eyes glared venomously at Lin Xiao. He could never have imagined Lin Xiao possessed such terrifying strength, defeating him in one move without any chance to retaliate.
“It seems there are indeed some noteworthy figures among the Xu family’s youth,” Cao Yuhua spoke, addressing Lin Xiao, “However, since you claim to challenge all our younger generation, let’s have one of our Third Stage Martial Venerable youths spar with you, to showcase the strength you boast of challenging us all. Surely you wouldn’t object?”
The onlookers inwardly scoffed at the shamelessness of sending a Third Stage Martial Venerable, though it wasn’t unreasonable given Lin Xiao’s bold claim.
“Of course!” Lin Xiao nodded approvingly, his tone laced with mockery, “I knew you would, which is why I said I’d challenge everyone.”
The Cao family youths’ expressions darkened further. This was tantamount to saying that even if he hadn’t claimed to challenge all of them, the Cao family would have sent stronger youths after their Second Stage Martial Venerable lost, shamelessly pressuring the Xu family…
“Heh, sharp words aren’t much of a skill!” Cao Yuhua sneered, not bothering to argue further, and turned to Cao Shi, “Cao Shi, go spar with him.”
His gaze carried a hint of coldness.
“Got it!” Cao Shi nodded, stepping forward and soaring into the air to face Lin Xiao.
“Cao Shi’s up, a Third Stage Martial Venerable with formidable combat strength. He even defeated Xu Hao easily. I wonder if this Xu family youth can still win.”
“Blasting Cao Zheng away in one hit is something Cao Shi could do too. Though this Xu family youth is impressive, the gap in cultivation likely makes him no match for Cao Shi.”
The crowd whispered among themselves, their faces showing anticipation. Someone who could defeat Cao Zheng in one move wouldn’t fall quickly, so this fight promised to be worth watching.
“Don’t know if you still have the confidence to defeat your opponent in one move?” Cao Shi stood facing Lin Xiao, speaking coldly.
“Want to find out?” Lin Xiao’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Naturally,” Cao Shi’s eyes narrowed coldly, his fists already clenched, vital energy surging within him.
Lin Xiao’s earlier strike that sent Cao Zheng flying had cost the Cao family face, and now he intended to return the favour by blasting Lin Xiao away in one move.
“You’d better be careful then,” Lin Xiao grinned, then moved, charging towards Cao Zheng. His speed was the same as before, not overly fast, and his punch carried little momentum, as if it were an utterly ordinary strike.
“Hmph, get lost!” Cao Shi shouted coldly, his vital energy already fully circulating. He unleashed a core Cao family martial technique, unafraid of killing Lin Xiao.
Even if he did, it would be Lin Xiao’s own fault for being too arrogant, and he could easily claim he struck too hard because of Lin Xiao’s bold words.
Surging power flowed through Cao Shi’s body, coursing through his meridians and gathering in his fist. His punch unleashed a terrifying shockwave, as if tearing the void itself, accompanied by a sharp sound of piercing air.
Everyone could see the power of Cao Shi’s strike.
Boom!
Under the crowd’s gaze, their fists collided, a clash ringing out.
Then, a shocking scene unfolded.
In everyone’s view, a large spurt of blood sprayed from Cao Shi’s mouth, his body hurtling backward.
Just like Cao Zheng before him, Cao Shi’s body smashed into a Cao family building, obliterating it.
Where the building once stood, a large crater formed, thick dust billowing upward, engulfing Cao Shi’s body.
In that moment, everyone was stunned, the scene so silent a pin could be heard dropping.
