My Ares Son-in-Law

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Ao Tianchen suddenly turned around and slammed his right palm, imbued with powerful true energy, onto the conference table!

With a crisp "crack," the heavy solid wood tabletop instantly split open with spiderweb-like patterns, the teacup fell to the ground, and shards of porcelain splattered everywhere.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the people standing below with their heads bowed, his tone icy: "So many days, and not a single person in sight! What use are you to me?!"

The conference room was deathly silent; everyone was terrified and dared not even breathe loudly. No one dared to provoke the New Martial Arts Association's leader, who was in a fit of rage.

After a long pause, an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a gray Taoist robe, reluctantly stepped forward, bowed, and said:
"Chief, it's not that we're incompetent... it's just that their cleanup methods are too ruthless. Every time there's a breakthrough, the clues are completely cut off, leaving not a trace. Behind this 'devil'... there's probably someone we can't afford to offend."

"Can't afford to offend him?" Ao Tianchen's lips curled into a cold sneer, his eyes filled with arrogance and conceit. "In the Western Region, is there anyone I, Ao Tianchen, can't afford to offend?"

Before he could finish speaking, a series of knocks on the door broke the silence of the conference room.

A young martial artist dressed in black pushed open the door and entered. His face was ashen, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his voice trembled with urgency: "Chief...Chief! There's a girl outside...she says she knows the person in the photo on the wall!"

Ao Tianchen's eyes suddenly sharpened, a fierce glint flashing in his crimson pupils, and he said in a deep voice, "Bring him in!"

A few minutes later, a girl in a white dress was led in.

She lowered her head, her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders, obscuring most of her face. Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, as if she were quite frightened by the heavy atmosphere in the conference room.

Only when she reached the center of the room did she slowly raise her head... revealing a delicate but bloodless face, her eyes red-rimmed, with a pitiful and timid expression.

If Xiao Chen were present, he would recognize her at a glance; this was indeed Chen Ziyan.

Ao Tianchen strode up to her, looking down at her. He pointed to the blurry picture of her back on the wall and said in an unquestionable tone, "You say you know him?"

Chen Ziyan bit her lower lip tightly, her long eyelashes trembling. After a few seconds, she nodded slightly, her voice barely audible, tinged with tears: "But... if I say it, my family and I might die."

Ao Tianchen narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping across her face as if judging the truthfulness of her words.

After a long pause, he slowly spoke, his tone carrying an undeniable authority: "If you can truly identify this 'devil,' I, Ao Tianchen, swear here and now that I will protect you from now on, and your family will receive the full protection of the New Martial Arts Association, with no one daring to touch them in the slightest."

A complex struggle flashed in Chen Ziyan's eyes, as if she were having an internal conflict.

But in an instant, the struggle vanished, replaced by a barely perceptible sense of triumph.

She suddenly raised her head, her gaze fixed on the photo of the figure's back, her previously timid eyes instantly turning cold and resolute.

His name is... Xiao Chen.

A few words came out of her mouth clearly.

The conference room fell into a deathly silence; you could hear a pin drop.

The name exploded like a thunderclap in a deep pool, reverberating in everyone's memories and sending shockwaves through the air... It sounded familiar, so familiar, yet they couldn't quite place where they had heard it before. Ao Tianchen frowned, pondered for a moment, then his pupils suddenly contracted: "Xiao Chen? You mean the Xiao Chen from the ancient city?"

Before he finished speaking, a series of gasps suddenly filled the conference room.

"Is that the boy who killed Situ Xiong on the martial arts stage?!"

"Hiss... How could it be him? Although Situ Xiong is strong, he is only at the bottom of the Celestial Realm Ranking. But the 'Devil' has successively destroyed the Qingyang Sword Sect and killed Tie Xuan. His methods are far beyond what ordinary Celestial Realm cultivators can achieve!"

"That's impossible! He's only in his early twenties, how could he have such terrifying strength?"

Shocked whispers filled the conference room as everyone exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with disbelief.

How could that boy who once caused a brief stir in the western region be so powerful?

That "devil"? The devil who caused the deaths of top experts on the Heavenly Ranking and terrified the entire martial arts world, could it be him?

Ao Tianchen's eyes were sharp as knives as he stared intently at Chen Ziyan, his tone scrutinizing and suspicious: "What makes you so sure it's him? As far as I know, there's absolutely no way this kid could have reached such a level back then!"

Chen Ziyan had anticipated their questions. A barely perceptible sneer played on her lips as she pulled a kraft paper bag from her limited-edition handbag, presented it to Ao Tianchen with both hands, her posture respectful yet concealing smugness.

"Chief, please take a look at these photos. I secretly sent people to follow Xiao Chen for many days and took many pictures of him going out."

Ao Tianchen snatched the paper bag, roughly tore open the seal, and a stack of photos spilled out, landing on the conference table.

One, two, three...

All I could see were their backs.

Different times, different places... late at night in alleys, mountain roads in the suburbs, and even the parking lot downstairs at Xunjiang Group.

But the upright posture of the figure in the photo, the slight leftward shift of his weight when walking, and even the curve of his neck when he occasionally turned his head, all overlapped and matched with the blurry "devilish" back on the projection screen under everyone's gaze!
"Bang!!!"

A deafening roar erupted! Ao Tianchen's aura surged wildly like a raging torrent, his powerful true energy shattering the already cracked solid wood conference table into pieces! Wood chips flew everywhere like arrows, startling everyone into retreating, their faces filled with shock.

His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead like writhing dragons, and he gripped the photograph tightly in his hand, his knuckles white, almost crushing it. His roar shook the windows.
"Find him! Turn the entire western region upside down! Dig three feet into the ground and drag this little bastard out! I want to skin him alive and pull out his tendons myself!"

Chen Ziyan was forced back three steps by the shockwave, and only regained her balance after her back hit the wall. However, she couldn't help but curl a cold smile onto her face.

Xiao Chen, when the Chen family was in trouble, I begged you for help, but you stood by and watched coldly. Since you refuse to save my Chen family from this dire situation, don't blame me for sending you to hell!
I'll see how you, this so-called "genius," can withstand Ao Tianchen's overwhelming rage and the thunderous power of the New Martial Arts Association!
No one noticed that in the corner of the conference room, He Yongnian, dressed in a light blue Tang suit, was gripping his phone tightly. His knuckles were white, his palms were covered in cold sweat, and his fingertips were trembling slightly. He didn't even dare to breathe loudly...

He never expected that Chen Ziyan would actually dare to take the risk and leak Xiao Chen's information to Ao Tianchen!
……

Xiao Chen's villa, top-floor cultivation room.

The aura of the spirit-gathering array enveloped the entire room, and the dense spiritual energy transformed into a visible vortex, circulating around the seated young man. Xiao Chen's eyes were tightly closed, his aura as solid and imposing as a mountain. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. (End of Chapter)