For a moment, no one dared to move an inch.
The vast banquet hall seemed frozen solid, the air congealed into something suffocatingly terrifying.
Xiao Zhan slowly rose to his feet. At once, Shadow retreated to stand behind him.
Xiao Zhan glanced at Lei Biao, whose face had gone deathly pale, then lifted his foot and stepped squarely onto the two severed hands lying on the floor.
Lei Biao’s eyes nearly split apart. Several of his teeth cracked as he clenched his jaw.
“I already said it earlier,” Xiao Zhan stated coldly, looking down at Lei Biao without the slightest emotion. “I’m here to see Lei Zhen. Bring Lei Zhen out.”
Terror surged through Lei Biao’s heart. If he still could not understand that the other party had come specifically for his son, Lei Zhen, then he was unworthy of being the Lei family’s patriarch.
Once that realization struck him, his expression grew even uglier.
To come looking for Lei Zhen at a moment like this, there was a strong chance the other party was connected to the Temple of the War God!
Blood continued to pour from his shattered arms. Lei Biao was already on the verge of collapse, yet he still gritted his teeth and asked,
“May I ask… why have you come specifically for my son, Lei Zhen?!”
Xiao Zhan cast him a frosty glance. “Nothing complicated. I just want to look at him.”
“Have Lei Zhen show himself, or your Lei family will be wiped out. Choose one.”
Lei Biao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to faint, and shouted toward his subordinates,
“Go bring the young master here!”
Hearing this, the guests could not help but sigh inwardly.
The Lei family had once been at the height of their glory. In all of Wanshan Province, they were an existence no one dared provoke.
Lei Zhen, in particular, heir of the Lei family, had bathed his hands in blood since childhood, his temperament cruel and violent beyond measure.
And yet now, the Lei family was actually bowing its head before an unknown young man!
In less than two minutes, a thin, frail, white-haired man with a face pale as paper walked into the banquet hall.
His expression was numb. Even upon seeing his father Lei Biao with both arms severed, there was not the slightest emotional fluctuation in his eyes.
Xiao Zhan slowly approached this “Lei Zhen.” With a casual wave of his hand, the man’s clothes exploded apart.
Yet on this “Lei Zhen’s” chest, aside from a dark-red plum-blossom-shaped birthmark, there was not a single scar.
Shadow frowned and lowered his voice.
“Temple master, Jiang Yuan would not have missed. Since he said he hit Lei Zhen’s heart with a throwing knife, then he definitely hit him.”
“It seems someone deliberately impersonated Lei Zhen and went to the Ye family.”
Xiao Zhan’s brows knit together instantly.
Seeing the killing intent on Xiao Zhan slowly dissipate, Lei Biao let out a long breath, finally thinking he could faint in peace.
But Xiao Zhan suddenly pointed at the plum-blossom birthmark on the man’s left chest, his face once again brimming with murderous intent.
“My brother said the one who attacked him had a plum-blossom-shaped birthmark on his chest. Looks like I didn’t come to the wrong place!”
Hearing this, Lei Biao was completely stunned.
His mind reeled. From excessive blood loss, he was already hovering on the brink of unconsciousness.
Yet he still understood.
So the man before him was not from the Temple of the God of War at all, just an enemy of his son, Lei Zhen!
If that was the case, then the Lei family had nothing to fear!
Before completely losing consciousness, Lei Biao let out a hoarse roar,
“Father, avenge me!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, his body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
A fierce gust of wind swept through the hall, and a short, hunched old man appeared out of nowhere.
It was Lei He, the former patriarch of the Lei family!
Lei He’s cloudy eyes swept over Lei Biao. He snorted coldly.
“Useless trash. Not worth saving. No one is allowed to help him!”
In an instant, everyone present froze.
They all knew the Lei family was cold-blooded and ruthless, but none had imagined that Lei He would disregard even his own son’s life.
Ignoring the murmurs around him, Lei He glanced at Shadow standing behind Xiao Zhan and sneered.
“You’re only in your twenties, yet you’ve already touched the threshold of a Heaven-tier expert. That makes you a genius among geniuses.”
“I’ll give you a chance. Acknowledge me as your master and pledge yourself to the Lei family. I guarantee that within five years, you’ll become a true Heaven-tier expert!”
“There aren’t many Heaven-tier experts in the entire Yanlong Nation. Every one of them is an honored guest of the great families. Will you choose to be beaten to death by me, or become my disciple? Decide for yourself.”
Shadow looked at Lei He indifferently.
“You want to be my master? You’re not worthy.”
The moment his words fell, Shadow vanished from where he stood.
In the next instant, he appeared behind Lei He, his Heaven-tier aura erupting in full.
A violent gale swept outward, forcing all the guests to squint against the wind.
A chill ran down Lei He’s spine. He hurriedly dodged, yet a steel needle still pierced straight through his shoulder blade.
His face filled with shock as he stared at Shadow. “You hid your strength! Heaven-tier in your twenties, who exactly are you?!”
Shadow said nothing. He lunged again, several steel needles shooting out in a deadly burst.
Lei He’s hands trembled. Instantly, a pair of silver metallic gloves appeared on his hands, catching the needles firmly.
A battle between Heaven-tier experts unleashed shockwaves no ordinary person could withstand.
Their figures flickered across the banquet hall. Within a ten-meter radius, everyone was blasted off their feet.
After finishing a cigarette, Xiao Zhan glanced expressionlessly at Shadow, who was still toying with Lei He, and said, displeased,
“I’m giving you three seconds. End it.”
At the command, Shadow’s aura surged explosively.
Already at a disadvantage, Lei He’s pupils shrank violently.
“You… you’re still hiding strength?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! This aura far surpasses the peak of Heaven-tier! How could you be a Saint-tier expert?!”
Lei He was utterly terrified, his will to fight completely shattered.
A Saint-tier expert; there were so few in the entire Yanlong Nation that one could count them on two hands!
Inside, Lei He was screaming in disbelief. What on earth had the Lei family done to provoke a Saint-tier existence?!
Snapping back to his senses, Lei He charged toward Xiao Zhan at the fastest speed of his life.
He planned to take Xiao Zhan hostage; only then would he have a chance to escape.
Just as he was about to seize Xiao Zhan by the throat, Lei He noticed that the Saint-tier expert stood motionless ten meters away, not even the slightest hint of tension on his face.
The way he looked at Lei He was as if he were looking at a fool.
Boom!
Xiao Zhan’s aura erupted like a raging sea.
A pressure surpassing even the Saint-tier soared into the sky, filling the banquet hall with deafening roars that shook both body and soul.
God-tier!
Even though Xiao Zhan released only a trace of true qi, the sheer power inspired instinctive reverence.
All the martial artists present dropped to one knee, gazing at Xiao Zhan with awe and fear.
A God-tier expert, a realm that existed only in legends, unheard of for nearly a century.
Yet today, they had witnessed it with their own eyes.
Lei He’s heart quivered. Meeting Xiao Zhan’s naturally imposing gaze, he found himself utterly incapable of resistance. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees.
Xiao Zhan reached out, gripping Lei He by the throat and lifting his hunched body into the air.
“I’ll ask one last time,” he said coldly. “The one who went to the Ye family last night, was it your grandson, Lei Zhen, or not?”
“N-no… it wasn’t!” Lei He’s face flushed crimson as he forced out the words. “My lord, you are a God-tier expert. Even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn’t dare deceive you!”
“Didn’t you also say the impersonator was struck in the chest by a throwing knife? My grandson has no such injury at all!”
By now, Lei He had already guessed Xiao Zhan’s identity, and his fear only deepened.
He knew that if he admitted the truth, not only would he die without a burial, but the entire Lei family would be annihilated.
Insisting it was a frame-up, perhaps he could muddle through and save his own life.
Sure enough, Xiao Zhan frowned, tossed Lei He to the ground, and turned toward the exit.
Shadow followed silently behind him.
Lei He wiped the cold sweat from his face, relief flashing in his eyes.
But just as Xiao Zhan’s foot crossed the threshold, a trembling voice rang out,
“I… I’m not Lei Zhen. The real Lei Zhen was seriously injured.”
All eyes turned to Lei Yu.
No one knew Lei Zhen had a twin brother. Even less did anyone expect this seemingly simple-minded youth to expose Lei He’s lie on the spot.
Lei He’s face instantly turned ashen.
He had hunted hawks his whole life, only to be pecked in the eye by one, never imagining that the fool he had raised for over twenty years had been acting all along!
With a vicious snarl, Lei He raised his hand, intending to crush Lei Yu’s skull.
Xiao Zhan merely flicked his hand.
Lei He’s body was blasted away as if struck by artillery, then exploded into a cloud of blood three meters above the ground, leaving nothing behind.
Standing before Xiao Zhan, Lei Yu trembled uncontrollably. The vacant stupidity in his eyes was replaced by sheer terror.
He stammered,
“Lei Zhen and I are twins. When he came back last night, he was already badly injured. If his heart weren’t on the right side, he would’ve died.”
“And… there were also two Westerners with mamba snake tattoos on their necks hiding in our Lei family for several days. Grandfather killed them last night.”
Xiao Zhan glanced at Shadow.
Shadow immediately understood. He grabbed Lei Yu, flashed out of the banquet hall, and vanished.
At Shadow’s command, the three thousand Shadow Guards stationed in the provincial capital surged toward the Lei family from all directions.