Chapter 129: Chen Zhong Appears

"Is the Yun family truly prepared to make an enemy of the Hall of Non-Existence for the sake of this outsider?" From the aura Yun Kongming projected, Liu Yangqiu sensed that the other man’s cultivation level was nearly identical to his own. He knew that if they were to truly clash, even a victory would be pyrrhic, so he felt compelled to invoke the prestige of the Hall of Non-Existence.

Yun Kongming paused for a moment before replying, "He is no outsider to the Yun family; he is my granddaughter's fiancé!"

He needed a justification to protect Lin Xiaobao, and this was the only one that came to mind. Furthermore, he harbored his own private motives. According to the secret legends of the Yun family, Lin Xiaobao was destined to lead the clan toward prosperity; if he were to truly become Keke's husband, it would be an absolute blessing.

As for the threat from the Hall of Non-Existence, had this been before his breakthrough to the Dao Body Dharma Manifestation realm, Yun Kongming might have felt some anxiety. Now, however, having attained the Dao Heart Dharma Manifestation, there were few in the Hall of Non-Existence capable of defeating him—excluding, of course, those ancient monsters with even higher cultivation.

Yet, those ancient masters, unless the very survival of the Hall was at stake, were all preoccupied with desperate cultivation; who would bother with such trivial matters? Thus, having ascended to this new realm, Yun Kongming no longer felt overly concerned by the threat of the Hall.

No one had expected Yun Kongming to intervene at this moment, much less that he had already broken through to the Dao Body Dharma Manifestation realm. Long Zhentian no longer cared about the issue of Lin Xiaobao; his mind was now consumed by the future plight of the Long family.

Meanwhile, the other two major clans, the Xia and the Qi, were plagued by the same anxieties. Yun Kongming’s sudden emergence had clearly shattered the equilibrium between the four great families. What would happen next? The three families were all too aware of the consequences; after all, they knew exactly how they would behave if one of their own elders were to be the first to reach that breakthrough.

Of course, those most terrified at this moment were not them, but the second and third elders of the Wind and Snow Pavilion. Today, they had finally witnessed the true power of Lin Xiaobao. Though they did not understand why so many formidable figures were rushing to his aid, they knew the Wind and Snow Pavilion was insignificant in the face of such power. Quietly, the two men began to edge toward the exit, taking Ao Wuchen with them.

Naturally, many others in the hall were less concerned with Yun Kongming’s strength and more focused on his previous statement: Lin Xiaobao was Yun Keke's fiancé?

Hadn't this boy already been betrothed to Si Mengling? How had he suddenly become Yun Keke's fiancé? The crowd looked from the two young women to Lin Xiaobao, a single thought crystallizing in everyone’s mind: the finest cabbage had been devoured by a pig!

"Brother Yun, why didn't you send word before visiting our Long family? My juniors lack manners; I would be mortified if they were to slight you." Just as the members of the Long family were in a state of distress, an aura no weaker than those of Yun Kongming and Liu Yangqiu descended from the heavens, and a towering figure appeared in the hall.

"Long Wencheng? You’ve broken through as well?" Yun Kongming was slightly taken aback to see the arrival. He had not expected this old fox from the Long family to reach this level at the same time.

Long Wencheng chuckled, "If you have broken through, how could I be so rude as to lag behind? If I hadn't, I fear the Long family would have been wiped out by your Yun clan!"

With that, Long Wencheng turned to glare at Long Zhentian and the others, barking, "Useless fools! You let someone bully their way into our home and all you can do is wag your tongues? Where has the grit of the Long family gone?"

"Father is right to rebuke us!" Faced with Long Wencheng's reprimand, Long Zhentian dared not talk back and could only bow his head in admission of his failure.

"Brother Liu, since the Yun family has seen fit to bully my house, I must defend my home before I can properly attend to my guests," Long Wencheng said, cupping his hands toward Liu Yangqiu. "I ask that you hold the line for me!"

Clearly, Long Wencheng had decided to leverage Liu Yangqiu’s influence to eliminate Yun Kongming. As for Lin Xiaobao, he was merely a tiny ant in his eyes, one he could crush at any moment.

"Brother Long, feel free to do as you please!" Having just been rebuffed by Yun Kongming, Liu Yangqiu was eager for Long Wencheng to act. Even if he could not kill Yun Kongming, he would be happy to clean up the wreckage once the man was wounded.

"Grandfather, you must also kill that boy, Lin Xiaobao!" Long Xiuping approached Long Wencheng, pointing hatefully at Lin Xiaobao.

Long Wencheng looked at Long Xiuping with none of the rage he had shown Long Zhentian, his expression filled with tenderness instead. "Rest assured, Grandfather will not let him leave the Long residence alive."

"Who said they wanted the life of my brother?" Just then, accompanied by a thunderous roar, a black shadow descended from the sky, and a great sword slammed into the center of the hall.

"The Great Evolution Profound Sword!"

"Chen Zhong's Great Evolution Profound Sword! Who did he say was his brother just now?"

The attendees instinctively turned their gaze toward Lin Xiaobao. They had thought they understood his identity, only to realize that what they had seen was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, the person who regretted his actions the most was likely Cheng Yi. What an incredibly rare opportunity to curry favor with Elder Chen, all lost because of his own indecision.

"Does a broken sword deserve to be stuck at my door?" Chen Zhong walked in from the entrance and kicked Liu Yangqiu's Fire Dragon Sword. The blade flew into a corner, emitting a series of mournful wails, its crimson luster dimming instantly. Liu Yangqiu’s eyelid twitched visibly, but seeing Chen Zhong's imposing figure, he was forced to suppress his burning rage.

Accompanying Chen Zhong was a middle-aged woman. Though she did not appear particularly striking, she possessed an air of profound warmth.

"Brother, are you alright?" As Chen Zhong approached, the crowd instinctively parted to make way. He walked straight up to Lin Xiaobao and asked with genuine concern.

"Thanks to you, Big Brother, I am still in one piece!" Lin Xiaobao was not lying. Being able to secure the support of these forces within the Blood Wind City in such a short time, especially the support of the Carefree Pavilion, was truly thanks to Chen Zhong.

"Good. Wait for me," Chen Zhong patted Lin Xiaobao on the shoulder and walked toward Cheng Yi.

Cheng Yi watched Chen Zhong approach, the smile on his face fading into a look of solemnity. He felt an immense pressure radiating from Chen Zhong and was filled with bitter regret.

"Did you see the Star Peak Ring on his hand?" Chen Zhong asked in a low, heavy voice.

The Star Peak Ring? Everyone in the hall turned their eyes toward the ring on Lin Xiaobao’s ring finger. Though some had previously noticed that the ring looked remarkably like Chen Zhong’s, no one had dared to connect the two; after all, in terms of age, cultivation, and status, they seemed to belong to entirely different worlds.

"I saw it," Cheng Yi replied, bowing his head.

"Did he mention his relationship with me?" Chen Zhong’s face turned grim.

"He did, but..." Cheng Yi began to explain, only to be cut off.

"There is no 'but.' From this day forward, you are no longer a disciple of the Profound Yang Hall!"

What? Though the events of the day had already left the crowd somewhat numb, Chen Zhong’s treatment of Cheng Yi shocked them once more. Was he expelled from his sect simply for failing to help Lin Xiaobao? Everyone knew that in the Longxiang Continent, being expelled from one’s sect was a grave disgrace.