At the sound of the voice, the hearts of everyone from the Nan Family trembled with fear.

Everyone present turned to look around. The news that the Nan Family had abandoned Yang Ao—who had just awakened the True Dragon Sword Intent—for a mere 3rd Realm Warrior son-in-law had spread throughout Luyun City.

Now that Yang Ao had become the personal disciple of a Spirit Sword Academy elder, his status had skyrocketed. He was clearly here to avenge his past humiliation!

"What? Scared now? Hiding like a coward in your shell?" Yang Ao's voice rang out again.

Qin Guan suddenly stood up and looked at Yang Ao. "What business do you have with your grandpa?"

Hearing the reply, everyone present turned to look at Qin Guan.

"You little bastard! If you're his grandpa, then what does that make me?" Yang Hongmei suddenly shrieked.

"Haha!"

Those who understood the family relationships roared with laughter.

"You little mutt! My Way of the Sword was unstable that day, and you got lucky. This time, I'll kill you with my own hands. Come and fight!" Yang Ao said arrogantly, pointing his sword at Qin Guan.

"Since you're so eager to die, it would be a crime not to oblige you. Even the King of Hell would be disappointed." With that, Qin Guan walked toward Yang Ao.

Seeing this, Nan Rou rushed to follow him.

Nan Yunqi also rose quickly, leading a dozen or so members of the Nan Family right behind them.

"Excellent. You're all here!" Yang Ao laughed upon seeing Nan Yunqi and his family.

"Ao'er, for your aunt's sake, please spare the Nan Family!" Yang Hongmei pleaded with Yang Ao.

Yang Ao's expression suddenly turned savage. "Shut up!" he snarled. "That day, Nan Yunqi said he would divorce you and told you to get out, yet you still shamelessly cling to the Nan Family. You're a disgrace!"

Hearing this, Yang Hongmei was stunned for a moment before retorting angrily, "I'm your aunt! All these years, I've treated you like my own son. How could you humiliate me like this?"

Yang Ao pointed his sword at Nan Yunqi and said coldly, "Fine. For your sake, I can spare the Nan Family. Make Nan Yunqi kneel and kowtow to me in apology, and I will let them go today!"

Hearing Yang Ao demand that her father kneel, Nan Qiao said angrily, "When you had nowhere else to turn, it was my father who took you in! All these years, he treated you like his own son and never wronged you in the slightest. Now that you've gained some power, you turn on him? You're a real White-Eyed Wolf!"

"Shut up!" Yang Ao roared. "Qin Guan killed my cousin, and your father sided with him, abandoning me! Why don't you talk about that?"

"You…"

Before Nan Qiao could say more, Qin Guan cut in impatiently, "Enough nonsense. I'll be sending you to meet your cousin soon enough."

"Heh." Cang Yuan looked at Qin Guan with a faint smile. "Today, I would like to see just how you plan to kill my disciple."

Qin Guan looked at Cang Yuan and cursed, "You old man, if you're tired of living, I don't mind sending you on your way too."

Hearing Qin Guan's words, everyone present drew a sharp breath. The Nan Family's son-in-law was truly arrogant, showing no respect even for an elder of the Spirit Sword Academy.

Cang Yuan's eyes narrowed.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

The dozen or so disciples from the Spirit Sword Academy also drew their swords, and a bone-chilling killing intent instantly descended upon Qin Guan.

"Using your power to bully others! And you call yourselves the righteous Spirit Sword Academy!" Nan Yunqi snorted coldly and prepared for battle. Though he worried for his family, he was no coward.

The Xiao Family's ancestor, Xiao Yun, snorted. He looked at Nan Yunqi and said, "Nan Yunqi, don't push your luck. A third-rate family like yours dares to offend the Spirit Sword Academy? I advise you not to act rashly. Otherwise, the Xiao Family wouldn't mind making the Nan Family disappear from Luyun City!"

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As his voice fell, dozens of Xiao Family disciples shot to their feet.

Seeing that a fight was about to break out, the disciples from the surrounding families all backed away, clearing a large open space.

Nan Yunqi's face darkened. It seemed they were finished this time.

"My lady, should we intervene?" Xu Lao asked in a low voice from a short distance away.

"Be ready. If the Xiao Family dares to touch the Nan Family, we'll make our move. As for Qin Guan, we don't need to worry about him," Jiang Lianyue replied with a light laugh.

"Understood. This is a good chance to see what that boy is really made of," Xu Lao nodded slightly.

Just then, Qin Guan turned to Nan Yunqi. "Father-in-law, take them and fall back."

Nan Yunqi started to object, but Qin Guan cut him off. "Listen to me. If you get involved, you'll only be a burden."

Nan Yunqi hesitated, but ultimately pulled Nan Rou back with him.

Watching from a distance as Qin Guan faced so many enemies alone, Nan Rou's face turned deathly pale.

Seeing the Nan Family retreat from the fray, Qin Guan scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Yang Ao. "Come on. Your problem is with me. Try and kill me first."

"Die!"

Yang Ao could wait no longer. Sword Intent surged around him as he stepped forward and slashed violently at Qin Guan. A sharp shriek of the blade, mingled with a dragon's roar, suddenly echoed.

The strike was terrifying enough to chill one's soul!

A flash of disdain crossed Qin Guan's eyes. He formed his fingers into a claw and shot his hand upward, catching the descending sword and locking it in his grip.

"Die!"

Yang Ao's face contorted in a snarl. He slammed his other hand onto the hilt, frantically pouring Spiritual Power from his Dantian into his arms as he pressed down with all his might.

Yet, no matter how much force he used, the sword refused to move even a fraction of an inch.

Suddenly, Qin Guan yanked. An irresistible force pulled the sword-wielding Yang Ao forward.

In the next instant, Qin Guan grabbed Yang Ao by the neck and lifted him into the air. He looked at the once-arrogant young man and sneered, "Is this all you've got?"

"Aargh!"

Yang Ao's eyes looked ready to burst from their sockets. He roared, and a golden dragon made of sword energy suddenly shot out from his body.

*Roar!*

The golden sword dragon opened its massive jaws and lunged for Qin Guan's head.

*Whimper!*

But the golden sword dragon was like a helpless eel. Qin Guan simply grabbed it by the neck, and it let out a mournful cry, its tail thrashing.

"Submit, or die," Qin Guan said coldly to the golden sword dragon.

*Roar!*

The golden sword dragon cried out, tilting its head back.

Qin Guan released his grip. In the next instant, the dragon transformed into a streak of golden light and shot into the space between Qin Guan's eyebrows.

Everyone was stunned by this scene. Qin Guan had actually stolen Yang Ao's True Dragon Sword Intent!

Sword Intent does not change masters easily. Forcibly seizing it is incredibly dangerous and often results in a backlash. No one could have imagined that with a single command from Qin Guan, Yang Ao's True Dragon Sword Intent would simply defect!

"Release him!"

Cang Yuan, who had been standing to the side, spoke, his face grim and his voice as sharp as splintered ice.

Qin Guan turned to look at him. Cang Yuan said in a low, dangerous tone, "Hand over the True Dragon Sword Intent and release Yang Ao. Otherwise, I will make you regret ever coming…"

*CRACK!*

Before Cang Yuan could finish his threat, Qin Guan snapped Yang Ao's neck.

At the sound of breaking bone, everyone's heart clenched. A genius of the Way of the Sword who had awakened the True Dragon Sword Intent had been snuffed out in his prime, given no chance at all!

In the distance, Yang Hongmei collapsed to the ground. Qin Guan hadn't been bluffing—he had really killed her nephew.

"You insolent whelp! How dare you!"

Sword Qi erupted from Cang Yuan, and a terrifyingly powerful sword pressure burst forth from his body.

In that instant, everyone within a thirty-meter radius felt as if countless blades were pressed against their foreheads. They were completely immobilized, pinned down by Cang Yuan's overwhelming presence.

"Is this the power of a Great Sword Master?" someone in the crowd murmured, their eyes filled with shock and terror. The immense sword pressure made them feel as if they had been plunged into a frozen cavern.

*This should be enough to force out the boy's true strength, right?*

From a distance, Xu Lao's eyes narrowed.

He, too, had wanted to test his skills against Qin Guan. If his lady hadn't stopped him that night, he would have challenged him long ago.

"Die!"

With a flick of his finger, Cang Yuan sent a tidal wave of countless Sword Qi streams surging toward Qin Guan, swallowing him in an instant.

"Husband!"

Nan Rou shrieked. Seeing Qin Guan submerged by the endless Sword Qi, two crystalline tears streamed from her eyes. In that moment, she felt her world come crashing down.

Just when everyone thought Qin Guan was about to be pierced by a thousand swords, his eyes snapped open!

A powerful surge of Gang Qi erupted from him. His entire body was enveloped in a faint red glow, and the surrounding Sword Qi was instantly pulverized.

In that instant, Qin Guan was like a ferocious beast breaking free from its seal. His body, wreathed in roaring Gang Qi, radiated an explosive, shattering power!

"My heavens, that's a martial artist's Gang Qi!"

"He... he's a 4th Realm Warrior!"

The crowd was utterly astonished. They never imagined Qin Guan was a 4th Realm Warrior. There were likely only a handful of such warriors in the entire Qingzhou.

"A 4th Realm Warrior is indeed rare, but his chances against Cang Yuan—who is also in the 4th realm and has achieved the rank of Great Sword Master—are slim." From a distance, the gray-robed elder from the Yunlan Sect shook his head slightly.

Hearing this, the disciples behind the gray-robed elder nodded in agreement. It was truly a rare feat to cultivate one's physical body to the 4th Realm and manifest Gang Qi.

However, a martial artist's combat techniques were limited. Cultivators, on the other hand, could use Spiritual Power to fuel a wide array of techniques and skills, giving them a much greater margin for error. What's more, Qin Guan was facing a Great Sword Master.

There were no more than fifty people in all of Qingzhou who had surpassed the rank of Great Sword Master.

Cang Yuan's eyes narrowed. "So, a 4th Realm Warrior. It seems I've underestimated you."

As his voice fell, Cang Yuan clapped his hands together with lightning speed. In an instant, the Spiritual Power around him churned and converged, forming a sword of pure energy that slashed down at Qin Guan like a silver flash of dawn.

Just as the energy sword was about to cleave Qin Guan's skull, he vanished.

He was gone!

Everyone was stunned.

Cang Yuan's pupils contracted. He snapped his head up, but before his eyes could even focus, a fist radiating savage power filled his vision.

It struck with the force of a pouncing tiger and the speed of a thunderclap!

*BOOM!*

With a thunderous crash, Qin Guan's punch smashed Cang Yuan's head straight into the ground, creating a massive crater with his skull at its center.

The single punch left Cang Yuan unable to even get to his feet, feeling as if his entire body had been shattered.

While the crowd was still reeling in shock, a red streak flashed through the air. Qin Guan vanished again, only to reappear an instant later in front of the Xiao Family's ancestor, Xiao Yun.

Xiao Yun was horrified. Before he could even react, Qin Guan's fist sent him crashing to the ground. Immediately after, the Xiao Family Head, Xiao Yeshan, met a similar fate—a single punch from Qin Guan shattered his Dantian.

Xiao Yeshan clutched his abdomen, wailing in agony as his Spiritual Power bled out from his shattered Dantian. He was now a cripple.

"You little mutt!"

Xiao Yun's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He had just struggled to his feet when a wave of dizziness sent him crashing down again. Just like his senior brother Cang Yuan, his head was smashed into the ground by Qin Guan's fist.

Seeing such a terrifyingly powerful Qin Guan, the entire area fell deathly silent.

No one had seen it clearly. They simply couldn't process how Qin Guan had defeated Cang Yuan, Xiao Yun, and Xiao Yeshan in such a short amount of time.

So strong!

In that moment, Qin Guan stood like a god of war, an avatar of absolute, inviolable power.

"The boy's physical combat skills are so refined... simply flawless!"

From a distance, Xu Lao's face turned ashen as he watched Qin Guan defeat the three men with absolute, crushing force. He was secretly thanking his lucky stars. If he had acted that night, he would have ended up just like Cang Yuan.

Chen Guanxiang, the Yunlan Sect elder who had previously dismissed Qin Guan, was now mortified. His old face grew stiff. "The gap between one person and another can be vast…"

Not far away, Wei Hongyan, dressed in a red gown, had a peculiar glint in her beautiful eyes, her thoughts a mystery.

Just then, Qin Guan grabbed Xiao Yun and tossed him in front of the barely conscious Cang Yuan.

"One of you wanted to kill me, the other wanted to annihilate the Nan Family," he said. "You're both old men. Couldn't you have just lived out your days in peace? Why did you have to provoke me?"