"Truly shameless. They haven't even fought us, yet they dare to be this arrogant."
Chu Zhiyuan was furious at this moment, and his fury was no act — he had genuinely been provoked by the contemptuous attitude of the Li Heavenly Clan's juniors.
After all, he was no longer the same Chu Zhiyuan who once endured humiliation and allowed himself to be bullied.
He had already proven his strength — not only had he defeated every junior in the Upper Realms, but he had even defeated Chu Qing.
Now, his cultivation stood at the first level of Heavenly Immortal, placing him above all juniors. He was, without question, the greatest prodigy of the entire Upper Realms.
With such glory upon his shoulders, how could he possibly tolerate such an insult?
To endure it would bring shame not only upon himself, but upon the entire Chu Heavenly Clan.
Consumed by rage, Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists toward Chu Hanpeng and spoke: "Lord, the juniors of the Li Heavenly Clan are exceedingly rude. They show no respect not only toward this junior, but toward my Chu Heavenly Clan as a whole."
"This junior respectfully requests permission to spar with them, so that they may understand clearly that my Chu Heavenly Clan is not something they can insult at will."
Once these words left Chu Zhiyuan's mouth, quite a few people reacted — not only bystanders, but even Chu Hanpeng and Chu Zhiyuan's own grandfather. Their brows furrowed deeply.
Anyone with half a brain understood that the Li Heavenly Clan's juniors were indeed stronger than the Chu Heavenly Clan's juniors.
Even now, with Chu Zhiyuan at the first level of Heavenly Immortal, his odds against the Li Heavenly Clan's juniors were not favorable.
This move on his part could only be called reckless.
Yet in a situation like this, if they simply allowed the other side to provoke them without striking back, word would inevitably spread, and the Chu Heavenly Clan would become a laughingstock.
Therefore, upon hearing Chu Zhiyuan's words, Chu Hanpeng did not respond, nor did Chu Zhiyuan's grandfather try to dissuade him. Even they couldn't decide whether or not Chu Zhiyuan should fight the Li Heavenly Clan's juniors.
"Very well, I accept your challenge. But a man of your caliber isn't worthy of a male member of the Li Heavenly Clan stepping forward. This lady will spar with you instead."
At that moment, from among the Li Heavenly Clan's juniors, a young woman stepped forward.
When she did, the crowd from the Upper Realms felt even more certain that the Li Heavenly Clan's juniors had truly come looking for trouble.
As for their earlier claims about who had destroyed the main formation and injured their clansmen — that it was Chu Feng — that was nothing more than a fabricated excuse.
Their true purpose was to pick a fight.
After all, the moment the Upper Realm Gate opened, a battle between the Li Heavenly Clan and the Chu Heavenly Clan was inevitable.
Now, the main formation inside the Upper Realm Gate had been sabotaged by the Chu Heavenly Clan's side, causing the gate's opening to be delayed and preventing the Li Heavenly Clan's army from arriving in the Upper Realms in a timely manner.
The Li Heavenly Clan naturally harbored a grudge, which was why they had dispatched these juniors to stir up trouble as soon as possible.
They had even cooked up the excuse of being attacked by the Chu Heavenly Clan's juniors, and gone so far as to name Chu Feng — a man already dead.
Everything they claimed seemed absurd on the surface, but was actually quite clever.
Because Chu Feng was dead, he could never step forward to explain the truth. They could say whatever they wanted.
Thinking it over, the people of the Upper Realms generally felt they had seen through the Li Heavenly Clan's intentions.
And so they grew ever more convinced that the one who had destroyed the main formation of the Upper Realm Gate was none other than Chu Zhiyuan.