Still, everyone had to admit that ever since Shao Yuan had killed Xiahou Zong, he had become someone no one—whether among the younger generation or across the entire Eternal Divine Kingdom—could afford to ignore.
Perhaps Shao Yuan was still young and couldn't yet rival the true titans of the martial world. He still had a ways to go before matching those supreme-tier powerhouses.
But at this terrifying rate of growth, who was to say that in a few years this monster wouldn't be sitting on equal footing with the rest of them?
When it came to how he spoke to the Yan patriarch, well—that wasn't exactly an exaggeration.
The Yan patriarch's body trembled with rage. "Shao Yuan, you may be the sword tournament champion, but that doesn't make you the foremost man in the Divine Kingdom! For you to speak to me in this manner is exceedingly arrogant. So young, yet so brazen—aren't you afraid of an early grave?"
The Yan patriarch had always been short on backbone, but even he had been pushed to his breaking point. The words tumbled out before he could think.
The moment they left his mouth, the Great Sacred Master's expression turned cold. "Patriarch Yan, the geniuses of our Sacred Land have never been called arrogant. If anyone is being overbearing, it's because certain people pushed too far. As a patriarch of your standing, you'd tear up a prior agreement without shame? Aren't you afraid the world will laugh at you?"
In front of the Great Sacred Master, the Yan patriarch didn't dare talk back.
He stammered, "Great Sacred Master, this humble Yan only knows that a daughter cannot be promised twice. Yan Qinghuang was already pledged to the Xiahou family as a cultivation furnace. You ask my Yan family to renege—that puts me in an impossible position."
The Great Sacred Master smiled coolly. "There's no need for this nonsense. At the Supplement Heaven Summit, the matter of Yan Qinghuang was already settled beyond dispute. Raise it again, and you're only embarrassing yourself."
Jiang Chen sneered as well. "I thank the Great Sacred Master for upholding justice. However, there's no point in further debate with the Yan family. Elder Yan Wanjun himself made the original promise. Huang'er is his direct descendant—having her grandfather determine her future is perfectly reasonable. What right does anyone else have to decide Huang'er's fate?"
Jiang Chen cut Huang'er's ties to the Yan family altogether, leaving the patriarch with no room to maneuver.
The Yan patriarch trembled from head to toe, yet there was nothing he could do.
What could he do? With the Great Sacred Master backing Jiang Chen, openly defying the Eternal Sacred Land was utterly out of the question. Even with the Xiahou family's support, the Yan family would never dare. Charging into the fray would only make them cannon fodder, and that held no appeal for the patriarch whatsoever.
So the Yan patriarch declared, "My Yan family has suffered a misfortune. Yan Wanjun betrayed the clan and vanished without a trace. His branch is therefore expelled from our family. From this moment on, my Yan family will neither inquire about nor concern itself with Yan Qinghuang. She is merely an ordinary woman of the martial world, with no ties to us whatsoever."
This patriarch was clever enough. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he simply washed his hands of it entirely, severing all connection between the Yan family and the matter.
Over on the Xiahou family's side, several young geniuses were seething with indignation. Clearly, they felt that this scene—Shao Yuan essentially snatching Yan Qinghuang right out from under them—was an unbearable slap in the face.
Yes, Xiahou Zong was dead. But did that mean Miss Qinghuang of the Yan family could just be taken? People gone, tea gone cold? Absolutely not!
"Shao Yuan, champion or not, you've gone too far! Yan Qinghuang was promised to our Xiahou family long ago. What you're doing is stealing another man's bride—it's against all rules!"
"Don't get it twisted. She was promised by the Yan patriarch, not by Yan Qinghuang herself. And now the Yan patriarch has publicly declared that Yan Qinghuang has no connection to the Yan family whatsoever. So what does the patriarch's promise have to do with Yan Qinghuang? If you want to hold someone to account, go find the patriarch."
Jiang Chen's smile was frigid. If they wanted to fight, he'd fight. If they wanted to debate, he'd debate. Whether they came with words or with fists, he feared nothing.
His Evil Golden Eye swept over them with an icy gaze. "Is there anyone among the Xiahou family's younger generation who disagrees? Step up, and I'll be happy to enlighten you. If none of you are satisfied, you may all come at once."
All at once—that was an open invitation for a group fight.
Yet among the Xiahou family, every single face exchanged glances with the next. The Xiahou family had plenty of geniuses, but in recent years, they had lost more than a few.
Setting aside the others, those killed by Jiang Chen's hand alone included Xiahou Jing, Xiahou Xi, and the strongest of them all—Xiahou Zong!
Humiliation. This was true, undiluted humiliation.
But the Xiahou family's geniuses just stared at each other, and not a single one had the courage to step forward.
If Xiahou Zong couldn't do it, what good would any of them be?
Looking at how Shao Yuan fought, even numbers wouldn't help if you couldn't match his strength.
And so, the Eternal Divine Kingdom's genius sword tournament drew to a close amid this atmosphere of joy for some and misery for others.
The Eternal Sacred Land couldn't be called the decisive victor overall, but at least the championship remained theirs.
Among the other factions, some were satisfied with their results, while others stewed unhappily.
Of course, the most displeased of all the great powers was none other than the Xiahou family. They had come into this tournament expecting a sweeping triumph.
What they got instead was nothing short of catastrophic defeat.
After the tournament ended, word of its contents and its outcome spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the Divine Kingdom.
Before long, the entire Eternal Divine Kingdom knew: a genius of the Eternal Sacred Land named Shao Yuan had burst onto the scene. Against all expectations, he had unleashed astonishing combat power, suppressed Xiahou Zong, and ultimately slain him—seizing the championship as the dark horse no one saw coming.