Before he could finish the thought, Madam Lan of the First Inn had already shattered her divine ability. Her jade palm pressed against her chest, and Elder Yu's expression changed drastically. He knew he was no match for her—after all, she was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven cultivator while he was merely Fourth-Order. His body immediately rocketed backward, and at the same time, the phantom of his Small Universe World materialized behind him.
The aura of World Force erupted and flooded outward. The phantom of the Small Universe World flashed once and then vanished without a trace. The proprietress pursued him like a shadow, her beautiful eyes cold with killing intent.
Elder Yu felt his neck tighten, all the strength in his body grinding to a halt. By the time he reacted, he had already been hoisted into the air. A soft whip was coiled around his neck, and Madam Lan stood just three feet in front of him, the end of the whip clenched in her hand, her entire body radiating an intense chill.
How... is this possible?! Elder Yu's eyes bulged, and a storm of shock crashed through his heart. He knew he was no match for Madam Lan—the gap in their Open Heaven grades was plain for all to see—but he had never imagined she would be this powerful!
He had assumed that even if he couldn't beat Madam Lan, he could at least hold out for a while. Manager Yun would naturally come to his aid, and once the aftershocks of their battle spread outward, the people from Great Battle Heaven would step in.
As long as the people from Great Battle Heaven showed up, there would be no way this fight could continue, and everyone could sit down and talk things over calmly.
But in the face of absolute power, every last shred of that fantasy was shattered to pieces.
This was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven? The might of a High-Order Open Heaven wouldn't be much different! Though Elder Yu was only Fourth-Order, he had seen High-Order Open Heaven powerhouses in action before, and he could vaguely sense that Madam Lan's strength could hardly be summed up by the label of Sixth-Order alone.
At his side, Yun Zhenhua's face had also gone pale. He bellowed, "Madam Lan, show mercy!"
It wasn't that he had been slow to react—it was that the proprietress had moved far too fast. In the span of a breath, she had seized Elder Yu as easily as catching a pig or a dog, leaving him no time to intervene. Seeing Elder Yu's neck constricted by the whip, suspended helplessly in midair, he could not contain his mingled shock and fury.
On the other side, Yang Kai stood holding his broken wrist, his jaw hanging open. Half his blood boiled with excitement, and the other half was struck dumb with astonishment. Good heavens—the proprietress was absolutely terrifying! She had dared to start a brawl right here in the Star City, giving not a single shred of face to the Windcloud Auction House. What would happen if the people from Great Battle Heaven got involved? After all, this Star City was Great Battle Heaven's property.
Still, he had to admit the scene was rather satisfying to watch. It was a shame Old Bai had been knocked unconscious—otherwise, he definitely would have dragged him over to see the show.
"How many ribs are broken?" the proprietress suddenly asked.
Everyone was momentarily confused, unsure whom she was addressing.
"How many ribs are broken?" The proprietress turned her head and looked at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai finally realized she was speaking to him and hastily replied, "Three!"
The proprietress gave a slight nod, then abruptly struck out with her palm, slamming it into Elder Yu's chest. Elder Yu let out a miserable scream, spewing blood as he was sent flying. Cracking sounds echoed from his ribcage.
Yun Zhenhua's eyes narrowed. He flickered forward, caught Elder Yu, and the two stood shoulder to shoulder, both looking up with fury blazing in their eyes.
The proprietress flicked her sleeve, and the soft whip retracted like a spirit serpent, vanishing without a trace. Her expression was indifferent as she said, "You broke three of my subordinate's ribs, so I broke three of yours. Perfectly fair!"
Elder Yu nearly ground his teeth to dust. Yun Zhenhua's eyes were wide with rage, both men glaring daggers.
Standing behind her, Yang Kai couldn't help but shrink his neck. The ribs had actually been broken by his own palm strike earlier—Elder Yu had only fractured his wrist bone. This... things seemed to have escalated considerably.
"Now we can have a proper conversation." The proprietress tilted her luminous chin upward, her slender figure standing like a towering mountain before Yang Kai, as though she could shield him from all storms.
Her words were clearly in response to Yun Zhenhua. Earlier, while the proprietress had been examining Yang Kai and Old Bai's injuries, Yun Zhenhua had said that if they had something to discuss, they could talk it over calmly.
Too bad the proprietress had utterly ignored him. She had first seized Elder Yu—the one who had done the hurting—then broken three of his ribs, and only then given him the chance to talk.
What was there to talk about?! Elder Yu had never suffered such humiliation in his entire life. His blood churned like a volcano on the verge of eruption. If not for the fact that he was outmatched, he would have lunged forward to exact his revenge. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he paid it no mind. His eyes were fixed solely on the woman in the spotless white dress, filled with a hatred carved into his very bones.
Yun Zhenhua also said nothing. He had not expected this Madam Lan to be even more overbearing and unreasonable than the rumors suggested, and to give absolutely no face whatsoever. The bitterness in his mouth surpassed even that of eating raw coptis root!
He had already sent word to headquarters regarding the destruction of the First Inn, and had confirmed that a powerful figure from their own side had indeed made a move inside the First Inn. Its destruction was partly attributable to their faction.
However, the person who had struck had never gotten along with him. Though they both belonged to the Windcloud Blessed Land, they couldn't stand each other. Why should he have to pay reparations for someone else's mess? He was stationed at the Windcloud Auction House as the manager here, and every year's earnings served as capital for his upward climb. Ten million Open Heaven Pills was no small sum—without that ten million, his entire year's work would amount to nothing.
For that reason, he had flatly refused Yang Kai and Bai Qi, with no intention whatsoever of cleaning up someone else's mess. He had figured that even if Madam Lan herself showed up, he would simply ignore her. After all, it wasn't him who had attacked the First Inn—surely Madam Lan couldn't drag him into it and demand he pay. She could go to headquarters and find the culprit herself.