The young girl's brows were like painted ink, her face delicate and ethereal—like a fairy stepping out of a painting. She was none other than Tang Xingyu.
The female Insight God cultivator froze completely, not daring to move a single muscle. She could feel with perfect clarity the terrifying sword intent emanating from the blade pressed against her neck.
She knew—if she made even the slightest move, her head would immediately be separated from her body.
Seeing this, the burly man's heart sank. Panic and rage filled his chest. He forced Lin Shu back with a violent surge of power, his body twisting sharply as he swung a fierce punch toward Tang Xingyu, hoping to rescue his companion.
Lin Shu's face remained calm. Instead of fear, a trace of mockery flickered in her eyes.
She was well aware of Tang Xingyu's strength. For this fool to attack her was nothing short of suicide.
Sure enough, when the burly man's fist came crashing toward her, Tang Xingyu didn't even bother to turn her head. She simply lifted a hand and struck forward with a casual-looking palm.
That seemingly light, effortless strike contained a terrifying force that shook the air itself.
"Bang!"
With a dull explosion, the burly man's body was flung backward like a kite with its string cut. He slammed into the wall of the alchemy chamber with a thunderous crash, leaving a gaping hole before falling to the ground in a heap.
Both the burly man and the female Insight God cultivator stared at Tang Xingyu in horror, eyes wide with disbelief.
They could never have imagined that this seemingly frail young girl possessed such monstrous power.
Just then, two more figures stepped into the alchemy chamber from outside.
One was a thin, elderly man—it was Huang Gang. The other was a woman dressed in red robes, her aura refined and commanding. Huang Gang's respectful demeanor toward her made it clear that she held a high status.
When the two of them saw the scene inside, both showed visible surprise.
They had rushed here fearing they might be too late, yet before they could even act, the situation was already completely resolved.
And the one who had resolved it—was Tang Xingyu. That revelation alone left them both inwardly stunned.
Tang Xingyu turned to them and nodded slightly. "Since the two seniors are here, I'll leave these two to your handling."
After speaking, she sheathed her sword, turned gracefully, and walked out of the alchemy chamber.
Huang Gang immediately stepped forward. With a wave of his hand, he sealed the spiritual power of both the burly man and the female Insight God cultivator, rendering them completely helpless.
The red-robed woman's brows furrowed as she looked at the two captives. "It seems your Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy truly needs a proper cleansing," she said coldly. "To think outsiders could sneak into your alchemy chamber so easily."
Her expression darkened as a shadow of worry crossed her eyes. "I just don't know how things are going on Yang Cheng's side. He was facing multiple Insight God cultivators. His situation must be far more dangerous than ours."
Huang Gang stroked his beard and chuckled dismissively. "That boy's as sly as a fox. If he can't win, he'll definitely run. He won't be in any real danger."
The red-robed woman shook her head slightly, her voice low and grave. "You're underestimating the threat. This time, it wasn't just seven Insight God cultivators. Kong Shen himself came."
"Not good."
At the mention of that name, Huang Gang's expression changed drastically. His eyes widened as though he had been struck by lightning. Clearly, he knew how dangerous Kong Shen was.
Just then, the blindfolded man and the one-armed nun entered the chamber.
When the red-robed woman saw them, her expression tightened. "Why are you two here? Weren't you supposed to stay by Yang Cheng's side? Even if it cost you your lives, you were to protect him!"
The blindfolded man's expression turned awkward, and he forced a bitter smile. "My lady, the battle is already over."
"What?"
The red-robed woman's face changed instantly. "What happened? Is Yang Cheng… is he alright?"
Huang Gang also tensed up beside her, worry flashing across his face.
The blindfolded man quickly waved his hand. "Yang Cheng is fine. In fact, of the eight Insight God cultivators who attacked him, nearly all were killed by him."
"That's impossible!" Huang Gang's voice trembled, eyes going wide with disbelief.
The red-robed woman stared at the man in shock. "What did you just say? Are you telling the truth?"
"We saw it with our own eyes," the blindfolded man said firmly.
Beside him, the one-armed nun nodded silently, confirming his words.
The red-robed woman took a deep breath to steady herself. "Then… only Kong Shen survived?"
But the blindfolded man shook his head. "Kong Shen is dead too. The only one left alive is Wang Qing. Yang Cheng didn't kill him—he spared him to deliver a message. He told him to inform the Qingming Sect to think carefully about how to appease his anger. Otherwise, he'll personally visit and wipe their sect from existence."
The red-robed woman and Huang Gang both froze, staring at each other in stunned silence.
"Kong Shen… is dead too?"
The red-robed woman muttered the words softly, her voice trembling.
Kong Shen was a half-step Yin God cultivator—a top-tier powerhouse in the Horn Constellation Realm. Yet he too had fallen to Yang Cheng's hands?
Huang Gang took a deep breath, feeling his scalp go numb. He had known Yang Cheng was strong, but this… this was beyond imagination.
To face eight Insight God experts alone—including one half-step Yin God—and not only survive, but annihilate seven of them while leaving one alive as a messenger?
That level of strength was enough to terrify even the greatest powers of the realm.
"This… this is simply unbelievable."
Huang Gang let out a bitter laugh. "Back when he destroyed the Ouyang clan, I thought that was his limit. Now it seems… that was nothing more than a warm-up."
The red-robed woman took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down before turning toward the blindfolded man. "Are you certain about what you saw? Kong Shen is really dead?"
"Absolutely," the blindfolded man said with a firm nod. "Yang Cheng pierced Kong Shen's forehead with a single sword strike. He died on the spot—we saw it clearly with our own eyes."
The one-armed nun added softly, "Yang Cheng's strength far surpasses anything we could imagine. His Asura Sword Domain, Ancestral Dragon Sword Body, and terrifying physical power—each of them is unbelievably strong. In front of him, Kong Shen didn't even have a chance to fight back."
The red-robed woman fell silent, her gaze flickering with a mix of emotions—shock, relief, and a faint, indescribable awe.
She had worried that Yang Cheng might be overwhelmed, but now she realized she had underestimated him.
"It seems…the Wasteland Realm is about to change," she murmured.
Huang Gang nodded in agreement. Yang Cheng's victory would undoubtedly shake not only the entire Wasteland Realm but also ripple through the Horn Constellation Realm and even the Azure Jade Realm.
Just as they predicted, the news of Yang Cheng single-handedly defeating eight experts—and killing seven of them—spread through the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy like wildfire. From there, it swept across the Wasteland Realm and soon reached both the Horn Constellation Realm and the Azure Jade Realm.
In an instant, every major power was shaken.
Within the Qingming Sect of the Azure Jade Realm—
Wang Qing stumbled back into the sect, terrified and battered, and reported everything to the Sect Master in full detail.
Inside the grand hall, silence hung heavy and suffocating.
When the Sect Master of the Qingming Sect finished listening, his teacup shattered to the floor with a sharp "crack." His face darkened. "What did you just say? Kong Shen is dead? Of the eight top experts, only you survived? And Yang Cheng even dared to send a message—telling us to think carefully about how to appease his anger, or he'll personally come to destroy the Qingming Sect?"
"Y-Yes… Sect Master," Wang Qing stammered. His voice trembled as the memory replayed in his mind. "Yang Cheng was… terrifying. Kong Shen's Mist Illusion Divine Art was useless against him. The eight of us together couldn't last long—he slaughtered us like we were nothing…"
As he spoke, his face turned pale again. Even recalling Yang Cheng's horrifying might made his heart tremble uncontrollably.
The elders in the hall erupted into a storm of disbelief.
"How is that possible? How can Yang Cheng's strength be so overwhelming?"
"Kong Shen was a half-step Yin God! How could he be killed? Wang Qing, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"True or not, Yang Cheng spared you to deliver his threat. That alone shows he no longer places our Qingming Sect in his eyes!"
Doubt and disbelief rippled through the elders, but soon, messenger after messenger arrived—each bringing more reports that confirmed Wang Qing's account.
The great hall instantly fell into chaos, voices rising in heated discussion.
"Enough!"
The Sect Master slammed his hand down on the table, the sound echoing like thunder.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to think calmly. "Now is not the time to panic. Yang Cheng destroyed the Ouyang clan before, and now he's killed Kong Shen. His strength is not something we can underestimate. The Qingming Sect has already lost four Vajras—our power has greatly diminished. If we oppose him now, it's no different from walking into our own destruction."
An elder, his brows furrowed in worry, asked softly, "Then… what should we do? Do we really have to bow our heads and apologize to a youth from the Wasteland Realm?"
"What else can we do?" The Sect Master's expression darkened. "Do you want to watch our sect be wiped out? Pass down my order—immediately take stock of the sect's treasure vault. Choose the rarest and most valuable treasures, prepare a generous offering, and send a delegation to the Wasteland Realm to apologize to Yang Cheng in person."
The elders exchanged uneasy looks but, in the end, all nodded in reluctant agreement.
Their chests burned with humiliation, but they were powerless. They had provoked a monster they couldn't afford to offend.
Meanwhile, in the Horn Constellation Realm—inside the headquarters of the Star Sea Chamber of Commerce—
News that Deng Xiuxian had been crippled and Liao Chan had fallen reached the high council during a meeting.
"Trash! Useless trash!"
The President of the Star Sea Chamber of Commerce slammed his palm on the table, fury twisting his features. "It was only one Yang Cheng! We sent both Liao Chan and Deng Xiuxian, with Kong Shen backing them—and they still failed? Liao Chan is dead, Deng Xiuxian's spirit destroyed! Do you even realize the scale of this loss?"
One of the senior elders spoke cautiously. "President, please calm your anger. According to the reports, Yang Cheng's strength is unfathomable. Even Kong Shen died at his hands. Liao Chan and the others… did their best."
"Did their best?" The President let out a cold laugh. "I don't care about their best—I care about results! We didn't get the Earth Spirit Heart Pill, and instead, we lost two of our strongest. Do you expect me to just accept that?"
Another elder quickly interjected, "President, please, don't act rashly. If Yang Cheng could kill Kong Shen, then his power must already have reached the Yin God level. If we act in haste, we might bring disaster upon ourselves."
"So what?" the President snarled. "Are you telling me the Star Sea Chamber of Commerce should fear one man?"
"It's not fear—it's prudence," the elder replied bitterly. "Right now, Yang Cheng's name is echoing through every realm. He's at the peak of his fame and standing in his home territory—the Wasteland Realm. Even if we could kill him, the cost would be unbearable. It's wiser to hold back for now and wait for the right moment."
The President clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand. After a long silence, he slammed the table again and growled through gritted teeth, "Fine. We'll let him go—for now. But mark my words, this debt will not be forgotten. The Star Sea Chamber of Commerce will repay it."
Despite his harsh tone, everyone in the room knew the truth.
After witnessing the terrifying power Yang Cheng had displayed, not even the mighty Star Sea Chamber of Commerce dared to provoke him again—at least, not for a very long time.