Tian Shao nearly burst out laughing when he heard that.
Chen Shao was always entertaining like this — no matter how serious the other party was, no matter how imposing their display, he always found some peculiar way to puncture their bravado in one stroke.
"Tie Dazhi, you scum. Truly a rustic bumpkin with no manners," Tie Dazhi was so furious at Jiang Chen he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Manners? Manners are reserved for people who know how to behave. Someone like you doesn't deserve to talk about manners. Aren't you afraid of making people laugh their heads off? They say if the beam above is crooked, the lower ones will be slanting too. Tie Dazhi, was it? Stop beating around the bush. Just say it straight — are you here to fight or to cause trouble?"
Zhou Yi couldn't sit still at this point either.
After all, Liu Chengfeng and Xiao Yu's deaths, though they had nothing to do with him, did weigh on his conscience. As the leader of that operation, he felt at least some measure of guilt.
Now was his chance to reclaim some dignity.
"Jiang Chen, I know you've got a certain reputation in Tiangui Kingdom. But this matter involves the homicide case of the Qianlan Northern Palace Master. You'd best be sensible. We're taking Tian Shao, and that female personal guard of yours, Gouyu, hand her over too! Based on our evidence, both Gouyu and Tian Shao have significant connections to Liu Chengfeng's death."
Jiang Chen did have some recollection of this Zhou Yi, but that was all — just a passing impression.
In his memory, this man was fast and his swordwork followed the quick, ruthless, accurate school. But compared to Luo Huang, despite both being at the fourth level of the Spirit Realm, the gap between them was considerable.
At the very least, Zhou Yi didn't even have the courage to face Luo Huang one-on-one.
A martial artist without the courage to fight — even with some talent, his future would be limited.
"And who are you supposed to be? A scion of the Tie family, or a dog they keep?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly, feeling absolutely no goodwill toward Zhou Yi.
"You—" Zhou Yi's eyes blazed. "Jiang Chen, don't be so ungrateful!"
"How ridiculous! Grateful? Who do you think you are? Why should Jiang Chen of all people be grateful to you?"
Zhou Yi was so angry he laughed. "Fine, fine. So you're going to resist to the end and protect a suspect, is that it?"
"A suspect?" Jiang Chen scoffed coldly. "If you've got evidence, show it. If you don't, then keep your mouth shut."
Tie Dazhi raised a hand, cutting Zhou Yi off.
"Zhou Yi, step back."
Zhou Yi glared at Jiang Chen with hatred, but didn't dare disobey Tie Dazhi's order.
Tie Dazhi urged his mount forward several steps, his gaze locked onto Jiang Chen like a vice, as though trying to subdue him through sheer force of will alone.
Tie Dazhi's cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Spirit Realm, a step above Zhou Yi. Within the Treasure Tree Sect, he was one of the finest young disciples of his generation.
The pressure of the fifth-level Spirit Realm bore down, and Tian Shao stumbled back four or five steps, feeling as if a massive stone had been dropped onto his chest. The crushing force was like a mountain, and he could barely breathe, his entire body feeling as though it might shatter at any moment.
"Jiang Chen, you have repeatedly provoked the Tie family of the Treasure Tree Sect. You think that because someone's protecting you, you can do whatever you want? Fine. Today I'll teach you that in the face true power, all your petty tricks are nothing but clouds. Today, I, Tie Dazhi, in the name of the Tie family of the Treasure Tree Sect, will crush you!"
As he spoke, Tie Dazhi poured more spiritual energy into his pressure, directing it deliberately at Jiang Chen.
In truth, the spiritual pressure Tian Shao had felt was only a fraction of it. The bulk of Tie Dazhi's oppressive force was aimed squarely at Jiang Chen.
Yet for all his imposing demeanor, his face flushed red from the effort, continuously pouring out his spiritual might — the figure below stood like a mountain, motionless. A gentle breeze seemed to caress him, and there wasn't the slightest hint of strain on his face.
"Tsk, tsk, Tie Dazhi — did you skip breakfast this morning? With this level of ability, you still dare show your face in public?"
Jiang Chen burst into hearty laughter. "Hurry home and drink your mother's milk — drink your fill so you've got the strength to put on a real show!"
This single sentence was imbued with Jiang Chen's potent spiritual energy, surging toward the stars, carrying the momentum of a reversing ocean tide. Like a flood dragon overturning rivers and seas, it soared upward and crashed into Tie Dazhi's aura.
Tie Dazhi's aura was, in fact, quite formidable.
Even Zhou Yi could sense the terrifying spiritual might released beneath Tie Dazhi's fury.
Yet this same pressure — the kind that nearly made Tian Shao vomit blood — left Jiang Chen, who stood at its very epicenter and bore the brunt, looking as though he were bathed in a spring breeze, utterly untroubled?
This was absolutely bizarre.
Jiang Chen's strength had always been estimated by the outside world — at most the first or second level of the Spirit Realm.
A mere low-level Spirit Realm martial artist, under the full pressure of a fifth-level powerhouse, should have had virtually no capacity to resist.
But fantasies were beautiful, and reality was cruel.
Jiang Chen released a burst of spiritual energy upward like a heavy hammer smashing into Tie Dazhi's aura field.
Tie Dazhi felt his qi sea shudder slightly, as if struck by a devastating punch. His entire body trembled, and his powerful aura popped like a soap bubble.
BOOM!
Spiritual energy erupted in all directions, blasting outward. Grass and trees were torn loose, leaves swirling everywhere.
"What?!" Zhou Yi's eyes went wide with disbelief. As an insider, he could see it clearly — with a mere casual gesture, Jiang Chen had shattered the aura field that Tie Dazhi had carefully constructed.
"How could Jiang Chen possibly break Brother Tie Dazhi's aura field?" Zhou Yi couldn't believe it. Even he wouldn't have had full confidence in breaking Tie Dazhi's field so effortlessly, in such a casual manner.
Though Zhou Yi was at the fourth level of the Spirit Realm, he knew the gulf between himself and Tie Dazhi was enormous.
Tie Dazhi was of the Tie family's main line, one of the family's geniuses.
Zhou Yi himself, though a direct disciple of Elder Tie Can, was merely one of many direct disciples, and hadn't reached the level of a true transmission disciple.
The resources available to Tie Dazhi were even more generous than what true transmission disciples received.
Given that, it wasn't hard for Zhou Yi to accept that Tie Dazhi's level exceeded his own.
But this Jiang Chen — suddenly displaying such monstrous ability — was something Zhou Yi simply could not wrap his head around.
How could a mere secular disciple possibly surpass a sect genius like him?