Chapter 166: The Arrival of Grandmaster Chen

There are no paved roads leading to Mount Tianjue; the highway simply ends thirty miles away from the peak.

After taking a taxi to that point, Chen Xian had no choice but to proceed on foot.

"I wonder how the Martial Arts Tournament is going, and whether the Ma family has been targeted and suppressed by the Bai family?" Chen Xian thought to himself.

Before coming to participate in the tournament, Ma Tian had called him to explain that the event included a segment where martial arts families could challenge and seize the territories of their rival or competing counterparts.

"If the Bai family dares to lay a hand on the Ma family, who belongs to the Chen Group, I will make them regret it!" Chen Xian thought as he quickened his pace toward the manor.

...

Inside the manor, upon the arena stage.

Bai Changsong cast a cold glance at the deceased Ma Shan, shifted his gaze to Ma Tian, and laughed audaciously, "Ma Tian, as the head of the Ma family, you actually hid behind a youngster, letting someone else die in your place while you cowered there. I find it disgraceful just thinking about it."

"You butcher, shut your mouth!" Ma Tian's eyes turned bloodshot as he glared at Bai Changsong and roared in fury.

Hearing this, far from being angered, Bai Changsong laughed heartily instead. "I am a butcher. What can you possibly do about it?"

"You bastard!" Ma Tian was consumed with rage.

Bai Changsong still did not lose his temper, merely staring at Ma Tian with a mocking expression.

At that moment, Bai Changxiong, the head of the Bai family who was seated on the elevated platform, stood up and said in a deep voice to the members of the Ma family, "Listen up, people of the Ma family. If you don't wish to see more of your kin die, obediently surrender all of the Ma family's territories in H City. Oh, and the formula for the 'Spirit Water' as well. If you do, my Bai family can spare your lives, allowing you to shrink back into M City and live out a few peaceful days. Otherwise, who knows how many more people from the Ma family will die today, and you will lose everything anyway—you won't even be able to hold onto your territory in M City!"

Bai Changxiong spoke in an authoritative tone, leaving no room for negotiation.

As soon as these words were spoken, not to mention the aggrieved members of the Ma family, even the Fang family could no longer stomach it.

They felt that the Bai family was being utterly tyrannical and overbearing, using their superior strength to bully the weak in broad daylight.

Particularly Fang Jing. As Chen Xian's girlfriend, seeing her boyfriend's faction being thus oppressed by enemies caused a raging fire to burn within her beautiful eyes. She abruptly stood up and shouted indignantly, "Bai family, don't you think it's going too far to bully the lesser with the greater like this?"

Seeing his granddaughter speak out, Fang Yilong was deeply startled and hurriedly whispered a warning, "Jing, have you lost your mind? Sit down quickly! How dare you speak to the Bai family like that!"

The rest of the Fang family were also startled by Fang Jing.

"Hmph! Where did this little girl come from, daring to point fingers and make remarks about my Bai family?" Bai Changxiong said coldly, his sharp gaze shifting toward the Fang family's section. "Ah, so it's people from the Fang family. We in the Bai family almost forgot that you and the Ma family are cut from the same cloth."

"My granddaughter is young and ignorant, which is why she spoke out of turn. I beg the head of the Bai family to be magnanimous and spare her your anger!" Fang Yilong hurriedly stood up and bowed toward the elevated platform.

Ignoring Fang Yilong, Bai Changxiong's expression turned frostier as he gave a decisive order, "Bai Changyu, go up and challenge the Fang family's territory!"

"Understood, Family Head!"

A bald middle-aged man abruptly rose from the ranks of the Bai family, leaped into the air, and landed squarely on the four-to-five-meter-high black iron-wood arena. Standing in the center, he looked toward the Fang family and said in a deep voice, "I, Bai Changyu, challenge the Fang family and intend to seize XX Town under their jurisdiction. If the people of the Fang family are afraid of getting beaten by me—or worse, losing their petty lives—they might as well act like turtles hiding in their shells!"

Hearing this, Fang Jing felt an even greater surge of anger and made a move to rush up and fight the bald middle-aged man.

At that exact moment, however, a strong and steady hand pressed down on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw it was her grandfather.

Fang Yilong knew that a battle with the Bai family was already inevitable; Fang Jing was merely the fuse that detonated the bomb. The Bai family had never intended to spare any faction associated with Grandmaster Chen.

It was just as the old saying goes: misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and blessing may conceal misfortune.

On that day, Grandmaster Chen had appeared at the Fang estate, suppressing the Wu and Ke families with thunderous methods and saving the Fang family—a development they had thought was a tremendous blessing, only for it to plant the seeds of disaster right here at the Martial Arts Tournament.

He sighed, turned to his granddaughter, and said, "Jing, sit back down. Even if someone has to go up, it won't be your turn. Don't be so impulsive in the future!"

Without waiting for Fang Jing to reply, Fang Yilong kicked off the ground and his body soared toward the black iron-wood arena where Bai Changyu stood.

Watching her grandfather's retreating figure, Fang Jing felt a pang of heartache, yet she felt no regret for her words just now.

What pained her was her own lack of strength. If she herself were a powerful half-step grandmaster, or even a grandmaster, she could have rushed up there and crushed the arrogant aura of the Bai family.

On the stage, Bai Changyu looked at Fang Yilong with utter disdain and sneered, "Old man Fang, I am a half-step grandmaster, while you are merely at the peak of Dark Force. I'm afraid this old skeleton of yours will fall apart after just a few moves from me. I'll give you one last chance—get lost down the stage!"

Bai Changyu's words provoked immense indignation among the Fang family members, and Fang Jing clenched her fists tightly.

Fang Yilong took a deep breath to steady his emotions and said, "Since this old man has stepped onto this arena, there is no reason to surrender without a fight. Come on!"

"Since you want to die, old thing, I'll grant your wish!" Bai Changyuh sneered and launched an offensive against Fang Yilong.

At the same exact moment, on another arena stage, Ma Tian, the head of the Ma family, had also stepped up. He would never surrender the Chen Group's territory for nothing; otherwise, when Grandmaster Chen arrived, he would have no way to face him.

"Haha, Ma Tian, you finally had the guts to come up instead of playing the coward. Good, very good! Then today, I will send you straight to the netherworld!" Bai Changsong said with extreme arrogance.

With bloodshot eyes, Ma Tian stared at his opponent and roared, "I'll be the one sending you to the netherworld! Pay with your life!"

Clenching his fists tightly, bulging veins protruding along his arms, true qi surged rapidly through his meridians as he unleashed a powerful martial technique and charged toward Bai Changsong.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ma Tian and Bai Changsong clashed fiercely, while Fang Yilong and Bai Changyu became embroiled in a chaotic melee.

The combat between two peak martial artists and two half-step grandmasters possessed a startling momentum, sending fierce gales of wind sweeping outward accompanied by deafening explosive concussions.

Before long, the battles on both stages yielded preliminary results.

Fang Yilong and Ma Tian were both driven back to the edges of the arenas, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths as they suffered heavy injuries.

Meanwhile, Bai Changsong and Bai Changyu stood nonchalantly in the centers of their respective stages, looking down at Fang Yilong and Ma Tian with mocking sneers.

A profound sense of humiliation filled the hearts of both Fang and Ma, yet they were simply outmatched in skill.

Nevertheless, neither of them stepped down.

Seeing that their two defeated opponents refused to retreat, ferocious grins spread across the faces of Bai Changsong and Bai Changyu as they charged forward once more.

Right at that moment, at the entrance of the martial arts arena, a figure appeared. With a buzz-cut, a face carved as if by a knife and axe, and a tall, slender physique, the newcomer was none other than Chen Xian, who had hurried all the way.