He's been played!
Everyone had been toyed with by Chen Jinzhao.
Anyone would feel enraged.
Let alone.
An elder of Li Buyan's standing.
Li Tiance shook his head privately. He had previously told Li Buyan to eliminate Chen Jinzhao and Qian Deshui without any hesitation.
If the old man had heeded his advice, how could this have happened?
But this was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.
He coldly stared at Chen Jinzhao, a snort escaping his nostrils, "Letting Qian Deshui escape is meaningless. No matter how capable he is, he cannot turn the tide. As long as we kill you, all your efforts will be in vain."
"Chen Jinzhao, say your last words."
Chen Jinzhao stood up.
Looking around, the beautiful scenery came into view, making him sigh, "I truly thought I would become family with you all."
Who would have imagined it would come to this.
Li Buyan said with a stern expression, "You know, the choice was yours."
"You chose to let the situation escalate to this point."
The implication was that the Li family was not to blame.
The one who caused this situation was the culprit, Chen Jinzhao.
A smile flickered across Chen Jinzhao's face, and he turned his gaze back to Li Buyan, "You know, for the past two months, I've been thinking about how to deal with the Li family. I thought and thought, and from the perspective of power or military strength, I couldn't find any way."
"It's good that you understand. My Li family is already a strong contender for the foremost family in the present era," Li Tiance said with a condescending tone.
It was truly difficult for Chen Jinzhao to destroy the Li family.
However.
Under the gaze of the three members of the Li family, Chen Jinzhao's smile widened, "Later, I suddenly realized that I didn't need to contend with you head-on. As long as I kill all three of you, I can crush the Li family."
Although the Li family was vast, these three individuals were its masterminds.
Once they perished, the Li family would rapidly decline.
Li Buyan's pupils contracted sharply.
Li Tiannan also stared intently at Chen Jinzhao, wary of Chen Jinzhao suddenly attacking and killing the elder.
Only Li Tiance chuckled, "Chen Jinzhao, I see you're becoming more arrogant. You're just a dragon in shallow waters now, lacking your former might. How can you possibly kill us? I advise you not to daydream, lest you appear foolish."
"Brother, deploy more troops. I have a feeling Chen Jinzhao is confident," Li Tiannan said.
It was his usual style to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Li Tiance had initially thought it unnecessary, but seeing the increasingly grave expressions on Li Tiannan and Li Buyan's faces, he obediently relayed Li Tiannan's order to reinforce the Li family's defenses and prevent Chen Jinzhao from causing any trouble.
Li Tiannan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Chen Jinzhao.
Recalling the scene of Chen Jinzhao breaking in, he became vigilant again and asked in a deep voice, "Have you recovered your peak strength?"
Chen Jinzhao shook his head, "Not yet."
In his prime, Chen Jinzhao was close to breaking through to an S-class level, and dealing with Li Tiannan would have only taken one hand.
He was still some distance away from his peak.
"However—"
Chen Jinzhao changed the subject and said with a faint smile, "I believe I'm sufficient to deal with you."
Whoosh!
The temperature in the pavilion dropped drastically, giving a chilling sensation.
Li Tiannan detected a hint of danger emanating from Chen Jinzhao, so he said to Li Tiance, "Brother, take the elder to a safe place. I'll spar with Chen Jinzhao. I have a feeling Chen Jinzhao has recovered a considerable amount of strength and shouldn't be underestimated."
"Then you must be careful and not let Chen Jinzhao succeed," Li Tiance said with a frown.
Li Buyan's expression was extremely grim.
He never expected another slight hitch.
Chen Jinzhao sidestepped, blocking Li Buyan's path.
Li Tiannan's heart leaped in alarm. Li Tiannan also quickly appeared in front of Chen Jinzhao, preventing him from harming Li Buyan.
"Brother, hurry and take the elder away," Li Tiannan commanded.
A curve appeared on Chen Jinzhao's lips, "I said, all of you will die here."
As his words fell.
The three members of the Li family suddenly felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, as if they were being stared at by a deep-sea demon.
Before Li Tiannan could react, he saw Chen Jinzhao holding a three-edged dagger, its sharp tip aimed directly at his heart.
Too fast!
Chen Jinzhao's speed in drawing the blade was incomparably swift.
By the time Li Tiannan reacted, the dagger's tip was less than ten centimeters from his heart.
Li Tiannan raised his hand and struck Chen Jinzhao's palm holding the dagger, causing the strike to deviate from its original trajectory. It only wounded his left arm instead of piercing his heart.
Even so.
It made Li Tiannan's face contort.
He had once believed he had reached Chen Jinzhao's former level, that no one in this world could harm him.
Who would have thought that Chen Jinzhao, whom he considered trash, would wound him in a single exchange?
"You ambushed me?" Li Tiannan was furious.
Chen Jinzhao was disappointed that he hadn't severely injured Li Tiannan and said with a smile, "If it were my peak, you would be a corpse by now. Unfortunately, my prime has passed, and I can only resort to such means. Li Tiannan, don't think you are invincible."
"I said, I will kill all of you."
As his words fell.
Chen Jinzhao feigned an attack on Li Tiannan, but the blade turned halfway and struck towards Li Tiance and Li Buyan.
Neither of them possessed Li Tiannan's transcendent abilities; they were ordinary people, utterly incapable of fighting back against Chen Jinzhao.
Li Tiannan was once again tricked, and he roared in anger, "Chen Jinzhao, you damn well deserve to die!"
Chen Jinzhao pursed his lips, remaining silent. The dagger's tip had already reached near Li Tiance's throat. Li Tiannan rushed to block Chen Jinzhao's strike, causing him to miss again. However, Li Tiance was not much better off. A crimson line appeared on his neck, a wound left by the dagger.
He was mere inches away from having his head severed.
Li Tiannan threw a punch, hitting Chen Jinzhao's chest, causing his heart to momentarily stop. It took three seconds for his heartbeat to gradually resume.
This caused Chen Jinzhao to bleed from his nose and mouth.
Chen Jinzhao steadied himself, staring at Li Tiannan.
Li Tiannan said coldly, "If you weren't relying on sneak attacks, you wouldn't be my match at all."
Chen Jinzhao did not argue, as it was the truth.
"Your progress in these three years has been rapid, but you are still far from the me of yesteryear," Chen Jinzhao said dismissively. Li Tiannan, hearing this, was already growing impatient and retorted coldly, "Talking about your past self all the time, it seems you only deserve to live in the past."
"Even if I haven't reached your peak, I will definitely be stronger than you were at your peak in the future!"
"The younger generation always surpasses the older. You, the former wave, are destined to be washed ashore and die by the latter wave."