Chapter 527 - 297: Dominating the Tournament, My Aim—Fourth Rank!

"You scoundrel, how dare you!"

A furious roar burst from the guest seat as the Tao Family’s Patriarch, Tao Yang, who had been blocking Li Linfeng with a playful expression, suddenly turned furious, his figure shooting forth like an arrow.

At this moment, it wasn’t just him.

Multiple figures leapt up, transforming into swift streaks that ignited mountain-top energies, causing the skies to tremble invisibly—a truly magnificent spectacle.

Every single one of them were Fourth Grade cultivators, undoubtedly the strongest batch beneath the great cultivators of Donglai County.

Among them were Fourth Grade cultivators from the Tao Family, as well as figures from the Li Family, the County Mansion, County Academy, and other forces.

"Boom!"

Faced with the wrathful shout from Tao Yang of the Four Families of Donglai, Su Mu remained indifferent and brought his raised fist crashing down. Tao Xinglie’s body flew back like a cannonball.

Tao Jidong from the Tao Family shot out with his eyes wide and filled with anger, yet did not reach out to catch Tao Xinglie, instead charging at Su Mu with murderous intent.

"Tao Jidong, how dare you!"

An elder from the Li Family shouted furiously, his figure also transforming into a radiant flash to intercept Tao Jidong, exchanging a palm strike mid-air.

"Boom!"

Two Family Elders clashed palms, abruptly unleashing a terrifying wave of sound mid-air, as if two massive raging furnaces collided violently.

The air currents twisted ferociously and spread, seemingly igniting thunderbolts, startling the spectators around the martial arts arena to retreat in panic.

The two figures separated after the palm clash in the sky.

Tao Jidong’s face was gloomy, his silk robe fluttering fiercely with the killing intent surrounding him, as his gaze locked onto Wang Chan on the stage beyond the Li Family elder blocking him.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the guest seat was tense, as Tao Yang, who initially intended to stop Li Linfeng and others, was now blocked behind by Li Linfeng and the Li Family Elders.

The previous moment had the Tao Family members feeling complacent, poised to hinder the Li Family from rescuing someone.

The next moment witnessed an astonishing reversal, a dramatic shift in attack and defense.

"Li Linfeng, are you courting death?!"

Tao Yang shouted angrily.

Li Linfeng merely snorted coldly, his usual calm demeanor vanished, revealing iron determination and authority, standing firm before Tao Yang.

"What are your intentions, Patriarch Tao?!"

"Everyone, stop!"

Just then, someone spoke in a deep voice; a man in a green robe strode confidently between the two, Donglai County’s Governor Song Yuanshan, looking seriously at the two.

"Both of you are Patriarchs of noble families of Donglai, taking action during the competition—aren’t you afraid of being ridiculed by others?"

As soon as the words fell, Tao Yang gave Tao Jidong a cold glare, to which the latter understood.

"The outcome of this battle has been decided, yet that boy named Wang deliberately insists on murder, and he killed my Tao Family genius—he deserves death!"

Tao Jidong’s eyes were fixed on Su Mu on the martial arts arena, his face unrestrainedly malicious.

This remark was cleverly spoken, referring to Su Mu by the surname "Wang" rather than as a tributor of the Li Family, thereby creating a separation between Wang Chan and the Li Family.

At the same time, it was a bold misstatement, defining the battle as having already decided, with Su Mu determined to kill as an act of intentional murder, making the Tao Family’s action not a breach of rules.

The words fell.

The scene plunged into silence, but many subtly changed expressions, eyes revealing a trace of disdain, despite the fact that Tao Jidong’s words were cleverly spoken, today’s events were witnessed by all.

Yet the matter concerned the Tao Family and Li Family, no one dared to easily intervene.

Many could only sigh inwardly; judging by today’s situation, Wang Chan might not be able to leave Bai Jiao Mountain after killing Tao Xinglie, given the Tao Family’s tough stance, the Li Family might not fully protect him.

After all, as Tao Jidong mentioned, Wang Chan bears the surname Wang, not Li.

"Second rule of the competition: no eyes on fists and feet, life and death in the martial arts arena are to be self-borne, earlier your Tao Family junior spoke it himself... Could it be, Patriarch Tao, you’re about to deny the rules set by our Donglai noble families and Lord Governor back then?"

Upon hearing this, Li Linfeng showed no intention of backing down, directly referencing other noble families and the former Governor, responding strongly, and reasserting Wang Chan as a tributor of the Li Family, not just a person with surname Wang, signaling a firm protection stance.

This moment surprised even Su Mu, who hadn’t expected the Li Family’s attitude to be so resolute.

"Good, very good. The Li Family protects someone who deliberately murders—are you seeking enmity with my Tao Family?"

This time, it wasn’t Tao Jidong who spoke but Tao Yang, as he’d now expressed the Tao Family’s stance. If Li Linfeng dared to respond, it would mean they were ready to tear faces apart and the families would inevitably engage in all-out war.

Li Linfeng’s hand within his sleeve clenched tightly, his peripheral vision catching sight of the anger of Li Changshan, Li Yao, and other younger members, and the serious expressions of the family elders behind him.

"If any of you truly care about Tao Xinglie, you might want to take a look — you’ll find that your Tao Family genius is not dead."

Just as the tension reached its peak, someone spoke unexpectedly.

The words stirred a thousand waves.

The speaker was none other than Su Mu in the martial arts arena.

In this moment, even Tao Yang, Li Linfeng, Song Yuanshan, and others were taken aback, while Tao Jidong, closest to the location, immediately flashed his figure and stepped forward to where Tao Xinglie lay.

In the fractured and sunken earth, Tao Xinglie lay quietly within, his massive Xuan Fire Technique body dissipated, reverted to his original form.

At this moment, Tao Xinglie seemed drained of muscles and bones, his body crushed into a lump of muck, severely sunken in the abdomen.

Tao Jidong reached out to Tao Xinglie’s body, quickly sensing that his Dantian’s sea of energy had been completely shattered, the Spiritual Qi within his body rapidly dispersing like a burst balloon.