You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

The interior is more bustling than the exterior.

The previously abandoned houses were simply cleared out; some became temporary dwellings, while others were used as stalls to trade various materials, pills, broken magical artifacts, and even intelligence obtained during the trials. People came and went along the wide village road, with discussions and bargaining voices filling the air.

Liu Piaopiao looked around curiously, while Chen Yang was more focused on finding a familiar figure.

They passed through the first village, but found nothing but unfamiliar faces and bustling trade. The situation was similar in the second village.

When they arrived at the third village, which also appeared to be the largest, Chen Yang suddenly stopped.

His gaze swept past the crowd and landed on the edge of a relatively open threshing ground in the center of the village.

There, two groups of people were facing off, the atmosphere tense, and a number of cultivators were gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Among them, the three people surrounded in the middle, with their backs against a dilapidated wall, were so familiar that Chen Yang's pupils contracted slightly—it was Su Meng, Xing San, and Qiu Niu!

At this moment, Su Meng's face was tense, and she gripped a short blade tightly in her hand.

Xing San stood in front of her, his muscles bulging, glaring angrily at the person opposite him.

Qiuniu's face was gloomy, and there seemed to be a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth. His eyes were cold and sharp.

Opposite them were seven or eight cultivators dressed in various styles, but all with unfriendly and contemptuous expressions. The leader was a young man in a blue robe with a sinister face and a folding fan in his hand, who was saying something with a forced smile.

The two groups were on the verge of conflict, with swords drawn and a clash imminent.

Chen Yang's eyes narrowed, and he whispered to Liu Piaopiao.

"Come with me."

Having said that, he moved swiftly, parting the crowd of onlookers and heading straight towards the center of the standoff.

Liu Piaopiao quickly followed.

Chen Yang's appearance immediately attracted the attention of both sides and onlookers.

He walked to Qiuniu's side, glanced at the group of people opposite him, and asked in a deep voice.

"Qiuniu, what's going on?"

Before Qiuniu could answer, the young man in the blue robe opposite him snorted coldly, snapped his folding fan shut, pointed at Chen Yang, and spoke in an arrogant and threatening tone.

"Where did this fool come from? Can't you see we're doing our business? If you know what's good for you, get out of here and mind your own business, or we'll take care of you too!"

When Qiuniu saw Chen Yang, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which quickly turned into anger. He wiped his mouth, his voice hoarse and filled with suppressed rage.

"Chen Yang! You've come at the perfect time!"
Those bastards! We found a 'Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon Grass' in an abandoned alchemy room, and they saw us picking it and took it by force because they outnumbered us!

We argued, and even got into a fight; Xing San and I lost a bit. We never expected to run into them again here, and they actually turned around and started causing trouble, saying we stole their things and demanding we hand over all our valuables as compensation! This is absolutely outrageous!

Su Meng also whispered anxiously.

“Senior Brother Chen Yang, there are many of them, and they're quite strong. The one with the fan is in the late Foundation Establishment stage… Should we… maybe we should just give up…”

Xing San, however, stubbornly refused and angrily retorted.

"What's there to calculate! They stole our things and then turned around and accused us. There's no such logic in the world!"
Chen Yang, don't listen to Su Meng, we can't let this go!

After listening, Chen Yang understood.

He turned his head, his gaze calm yet carrying an invisible pressure, and looked at the young man in the blue robe before slowly speaking.

"Hand over the stolen 'Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon Grass' and apologize to my friend, and I can pretend this never happened."

Upon hearing this, not only were the people opposite stunned, but even the cultivators watching the commotion around them cast surprised glances.

Chen Yang's group, including himself and Liu Piaopiao who had just arrived, only numbered five, and their cultivation levels seemed to vary greatly.

On the other side, there were eight people, each with a strong aura, and the young man in the lead was even in the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Under these circumstances, how dare Chen Yang be so forceful in demanding that the other party return the treasure and apologize?

After a brief silence, the young man in the blue robe seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and he threw his head back and laughed loudly. His companions behind him also sneered and mocked him.

"Hahaha! Hand it over? Apologize? Kid, are you still dreaming?"

The young man in the blue robe laughed until tears almost streamed down his face, pointing at Chen Yang with his folding fan, his tone full of sarcasm.

"You bunch of ugly bastards? You dare to talk to me like that? I think you're tired of living and want to die, huh?"

"Exactly! They should take a piss and look at themselves in the mirror!"

"Brother, why waste words with him? Just take care of them, take all their stuff, and see if they dare to be arrogant again!"

"That new girl is pretty good-looking, hehe..."

The people opposite them were swearing and extremely arrogant, clearly not taking Chen Yang and his companions seriously at all.

Su Meng's face paled even more, and she nervously tugged at Chen Yang's sleeve. Xing San and Qiu Niu, on the other hand, were furious and prepared to fight to the death.

Chen Yang ignored the jeers around him, his gaze turning cold as he looked at the young man in the blue robe.

"It seems you've chosen not to pay. That's fine."

He gently patted Su Meng's hand to comfort her, then stepped forward and faced the eight people alone. His voice was not loud, but it clearly carried throughout the entire area.

"Since you think that having more people means you can do whatever you want, then today I'll show you what regret really means."

"court death!"

The young man in the blue robe was thoroughly enraged by Chen Yang's attitude. A ferocious look flashed across his face, and he suddenly swung his folding fan forward.

"Charge them! Cripple them!"
Everything is ours!

The seven cultivators behind him could no longer contain themselves. Upon hearing this, they immediately shouted and charged towards Chen Yang and his group of five, each wielding a sword or magic weapon and grinning maliciously!
The surrounding crowd gasped in surprise and retreated, making room for more people, all thinking it would be a one-sided, crushing victory with no suspense.

However, what happened next left everyone speechless!

The moment the other party made their move, Chen Yang moved!

His figure seemed to transform into a blurry blue streak of light, moving faster than anyone could imagine. Instead of rushing towards the most crowded area, he shot straight and without any fancy moves toward the young man in blue robes who stood there, confident of victory!
Seeing that Chen Yang dared to charge straight at him, the young man in the green robe was not surprised but laughed. His folding fan flashed and transformed into a barrier stronger than steel, blocking his way. At the same time, he made a hand seal with his other hand, and a sharp wind blade was formed and about to be shot out.

But his movements were still too slow in Chen Yang's eyes!

"Clang!"

A crisp, piercing sound of metal snapping rang out!
Suddenly, Chen Yang had a long sword in his hand, its ancient style and its blade shimmering with a hazy light. With a flash of light, the folding fan magic weapon, which looked quite extraordinary, was cut in half as if it were rotten wood!

The fracture surface is as smooth as a mirror!

The sneer on the young man in the blue robe froze instantly, replaced by boundless horror. He hadn't even seen how Chen Yang drew his sword!

The wind blade spell hadn't even been cast yet!

The light from the broken folding fan vanished, but Chen Yang's sword continued its momentum. After severing the fan, it drew a cold arc and, with lightning speed, came to a steady stop just before the young man in the blue robe's throat!
The icy, bone-chilling sword intent sent shivers down his spine. If it had advanced even half an inch further, it could have easily pierced his throat!

The entire room fell silent!

Those cultivators who were rushing towards Xing San, Qiu Niu, and the others suddenly stopped, as if they had been frozen in place, and turned back to look at their leader in horror.

Chen Yang stood with his sword in hand, his gaze calm as he looked at the young man in blue robes who was terrified. His voice was still not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

"Now, can we talk this out? Tell your men to lay down their weapons."

The cold tip of the sword pressed against his throat, and the chilling killing intent was like the forked tongue of a venomous snake, making the hair on the young man's body stand on end, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner shirt.

He had no doubt that if he made the slightest move or was even a fraction of a second slower in answering, the terrifyingly calm young man in front of him would really slit his throat with a sword!

"Stop...stop! All of you, stop! Put down your weapons!"

The young man in the blue robe practically screamed at the top of his lungs; his voice was distorted by fear, sharp and piercing.

His seven or eight companions, who had initially charged aggressively at Xing San, Qiu Niu, and the others, were now completely dumbfounded, frozen in place like ducks with their necks being choked. Their leader had been subdued in one move, a sword practically at his throat—how could they possibly fight back?
They looked at each other, and finally, under Chen Yang's indifferent gaze, they reluctantly threw their swords and magical weapons on the ground with a "clang" and a "bang," raised their hands, and dared not make the slightest move.

A murmur of surprise and gasps rippled through the surrounding crowd, clearly unprepared for such a dramatic turn of events. The side that had been so arrogant and numerous just moments before was now sitting ducks on a chopping block.

The young man in the blue robe felt the sword at his neck loosen slightly, but it still didn't move away. He swallowed hard and glared at Chen Yang with a fierce but weak expression.

"You...you're just relying on the sharpness of your weapon! What kind of skill is that! If you're so capable, put down your sword and let's fight with our bare hands and real skill!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang's lips curled into a faint, almost mocking smile.

"Relying on weapons? Even if I were empty-handed, I could crush you as easily as crushing an ant. If I hadn't held back just now, it wouldn't have been just your fan that broke, but your neck."

These words were spoken without any politeness, like a slap in the face to the young man in the blue robe, making his cheeks turn pale and then red, filled with shame and indignation.

He stiffened his neck, seemingly out of spite or as if trying to salvage his last bit of pride, and gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"Fine! Fine! You win!"

"Then let's fight hand-to-hand! If you lose, you'll cut off your own arms, kneel down, and kowtow to me to admit your mistake! If I lose... I'll return your things and let you leave, how about that?"

His words seemed fair, but in reality, they still harbored malicious intent.

The "Seven Stars Accompanying the Moon Grass" was stolen by him, so returning it is only right and proper.

The idea of ​​"letting you leave" is even more ridiculous. Do Chen Yang and the others need his permission to leave? This bet is clearly an attempt to glorify himself and get something for nothing, while making Chen Yang pay the price of losing an arm.

How could Chen Yang not sense the trickery involved? His eyes turned cold, and the blade of his Xuan Sword moved forward another half step. The sharp tip pierced the skin, and a bead of crimson blood immediately flowed down the neck of the young man in the blue robe.

"what!"

The young man in the blue shirt was so frightened that his legs went weak.

Chen Yang's voice was icy and chilling.

"You seem to have a few things wrong."

First, that spiritual herb, wasn't it originally yours? You stole it from my friend. Returning it to its rightful owner is only right and proper; it wasn't a prize you lost in a bet.

Second, you want to gamble? Sure. If you lose, besides returning the spirit herb, you'll also have to kneel down and crawl between the five of us, and swear an oath to your inner demons that you'll avoid us whenever you see us and never provoke us again.

Furthermore, you must compensate my friend for emotional distress and medical expenses incurred during the physical altercation; 500,000 low-grade spirit stones, not a single one less.”

"Five hundred thousand spirit stones?! You...you're extorting me!"

The young man in the blue robe cried out, his eyes turning red. Five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones was a considerable sum for him.

"blackmail?"

Chen Yang tilted his head slightly, his tone as calm as if he were stating a fact.

"You can also choose not to accept it."

"Then let's stick to the status quo—either I shave your head right now, and then I'll find your companions and the contents of your storage bag. Which do you choose?"

Beneath the calm words lay undisguised murderous intent. The young man in the blue robe had no doubt that Chen Yang was capable of doing what he said. Feeling the chill of the sword at his neck and the warm trickle of blood, all his courage and hope were instantly overwhelmed by fear.

"...I...I agree! I agree to your terms!"

He almost cried out, his previous arrogance completely gone.

Chen Yang then slowly sheathed his Xuan Sword, returning it to its original sheath with unhurried movements.

As the sword left his throat, the young man in the blue robe's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground, but his two quick-thinking companions caught him.

He clutched the wound on his neck, his face deathly pale. His eyes were filled with resentment, fear, and a hint of relief at surviving a close call as he looked at Chen Yang.

At this moment, the conflict here had already attracted the attention of more people in the safe zone. Many cultivators gathered around to watch the spectacle, pointing and discussing among themselves.

Liu Piaopiao quickly walked to Chen Yang's side and whispered a reminder.

"Brother Chen, be careful."

"That kid's eyes are shifty; he's clearly not a trustworthy person. Be careful he doesn't cheat during the match or retaliate afterwards."

Chen Yang gave her a reassuring look and said calmly.

It's alright.

In the face of absolute strength, any tricks are futile.

If he dares to cheat, he will only lose more miserably and suffer a more tragic end.

His voice wasn't deliberately lowered; it clearly reached the ears of the young man in the blue robe and his companion, making their expressions even more unpleasant.

With the help of his companions, the young man in the blue robe took some medicine to barely stabilize his injuries and mind, a flash of resentment passing through his eyes.

He pushed aside his companion and walked to the center of a relatively open threshing ground, where he stood facing Chen Yang.

The onlookers spontaneously made way for a larger circle, everyone's face showing excitement at the prospect of a good show.

Let's begin!

The young man in the blue robe took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear and humiliation in his heart, and pinning all his hopes on the upcoming match.

He considered himself to have reached the late Foundation Establishment stage in cultivation, and his physical body, after years of tempering, was quite formidable. He had only been caught off guard by the opponent's divine weapon and speed. In a true hand-to-hand combat, he might not necessarily lose! (End of Chapter)