"Tiger Palm!"
Zhang Meng didn't care about anything else. A "crackling" sound of bones resounded throughout his body. With this palm strike, the sound of breaking air was like a tiger roaring. The air around Zhang Meng transformed into the phantom of a black tiger, charging towards Ye Bufan.
"I'll cripple you!" Ye Bufan said. He didn't even consider using his Broken Sword against Zhang Meng's strength.
Ye Bufan's entire body was enveloped in surging sword intent, and an invisible long sword flew towards Zhang Meng.
"Who!" At this moment, Ye Bufan felt a chill from behind. The invisible long sword had just broken through Zhang Meng's black tiger phantom when Ye Bufan's sword turned and flew into a dense forest behind him.
"Is it that Onmyoji from yesterday?" Ye Bufan sensed the opponent's aura and realized they had played a trick of the shadow under a lamp.
On the other side, Zhang Meng saw that Ye Bufan had broken his Tiger Palm and was about to launch a second attack when he saw Ye Bufan turn and run towards the dense forest.
"Kid, don't run!" Zhang Meng thought Ye Bufan was scared. "What? You're running now because you can't beat me?"
Zhang Meng immediately became arrogant. Some people who didn't understand what was happening looked at the Wu Zun, Zhang Meng, in awe. This greatly boosted Zhang Meng's confidence as he chased in the direction Ye Bufan had "fled."
"Get lost!" Ye Bufan impatiently glanced back at Zhang Meng, then turned around sharply, appearing before Zhang Meng.
"Shadowless Palm!"
Ye Bufan struck Zhang Meng with a palm. Zhang Meng was ready to block, but with this palm strike, Ye Bufan used only one-third of his power.
Zhang Meng was sent flying backward after being struck. Everyone present, including Wu Cheng and Zhuang Qian, was stunned. What was going on? Ye Bufan had only used one palm, and Zhang Meng was sent flying.
Zhang Meng's condition was even worse. He tumbled in mid-air before crashing heavily onto the ground, creating a deep pit.
"Pfft—" Zhang Meng spat out a mouthful of blood, his face ashen.
Wu Cheng quickly stepped forward to check on Zhang Meng's condition—his meridians were shattered, and he was now crippled.
"Was that… if I'm not mistaken, that was Ye Bufan?" a passerby who had approached to take photos of Zhang Meng said. "It seems like it. He seemed to have gone into that dense forest."
"My god, one palm! Why didn't I record a video earlier? If I had, no one would believe me even if I posted it online."
"Unbelievable. With just one palm, he crippled an elder of the Martial Alliance."
Wu Cheng examined Zhang Meng's injuries while recalling Ye Bufan's move from earlier. He shivered, imagining himself in Zhang Meng's place, realizing he would have had no power to retaliate.
"What's going on?" Ji Feiyang drove to the Martial Arts Convention and saw a commotion at the entrance of the Tianxing Martial Hall's training ground. He went forward and saw Wu Cheng examining another elder from the Martial Alliance.
"Elder Zhang Meng had a conflict with Ye Bufan earlier and was crippled by him," Wu Cheng said.
"What?" Ji Feiyang couldn't believe his ears. "What exactly happened?"
Wu Cheng briefly recounted the events to Ji Feiyang, who then looked back at Zhuang Qian.
"General Ji! You must bring justice for us common folk. My son, he came to watch the Martial Arts Convention yesterday, and that brat Ye Bufan killed him." Seeing Ji Feiyang, Zhuang Qian rushed forward, knelt before him, and cried.
Ji Feiyang frowned at Zhuang Qian's demeanor. He had reviewed the information on the Zhuang family's tea house; neither the father nor the son were good people. Zhuang Qian's crying seemed genuine, but if he were to become truly ruthless, it would be terrifying. This was all an act.
As Zhuang Qian cried, more and more people gathered. Especially when he saw people pointing cameras at him, he started crying more intensely at the phone lenses.
"Enough!" Ji Feiyang shouted, startling Zhuang Qian.
Ji Feiyang slowly walked up to Zhuang Qian and squatted down, saying, "Patriarch Zhuang, you know perfectly well what kind of person your son was. Let me tell you, if you continue to make such a scene, how this matter will be resolved will not be up to me."
Zhuang Qian paused, glanced at Ji Feiyang, and then cried even louder.
"They're bullying me! This is outrageous. They're all in cahoots. Give me back my son's life!"
Ji Feiyang glanced at the crowd and stood up, addressing those holding phones. "You should all know who I am, right?"
The people recording with their phones nodded, thinking Ji Feiyang wanted them to stop. As soon as they lowered their phones, Ji Feiyang called out, telling them to continue recording.
"As soldiers, we stand tall and have nothing to hide. You record your videos; don't be led by the nose by certain people." Ji Feiyang looked back at Zhuang Qian and continued, "First, I hope you will release the full video when the time comes."
Ji Feiyang saluted the cameras and said, "Ye Bufan is a specially appointed member of our military. At a young age, he has already reached the Wu Zun cultivation level. Therefore, to a certain extent, Ye Bufan is one of our military personnel. According to the laws of Great Xia, those who bully military family members should be severely punished. And Zhuang Qian's son, Zhuang Sijie, molested Ye Bufan's girlfriend yesterday and deserved to die."
After speaking, Ji Feiyang looked back at Zhuang Qian.
Zhuang Qian's face was now extremely grim. He deeply regretted his actions, never imagining that Ye Bufan would have any connection to the military.
Ji Feiyang nodded at the people recording, who then ended their recordings. Ji Feiyang turned to look at Zhuang Qian.
"Zhuang Family Tea House, isn't it?" Ji Feiyang lightly placed a hand on Zhuang Qian's shoulder. "I know your tea has a certain market share in Great Xia. I have something to tell you: don't think that your despicable actions can truly deceive everyone."
Zhuang Qian shivered at Ji Feiyang's words. Only Zhuang Qian knew what Ji Feiyang was referring to.
"Now, do you want to leave on your own, or shall I escort you out?" Ji Feiyang asked.
Zhuang Qian, feeling weak, got up and scurried away from Ji Feiyang.
"Which direction did Ye Bufan go just now?" Ji Feiyang asked Wu Cheng.
Wu Cheng pointed towards the small forest and looked up at Ji Feiyang, asking, "General Ji, what you said just now, is it true? Is Ye Bufan one of yours?"
Ji Feiyang smiled and said, "Would I lie about that?"
After speaking, Ji Feiyang also headed towards the dense forest. In his opinion, Ye Bufan wouldn't go to the small forest for no reason; something must have happened.
...
Meanwhile, after entering the small forest, Ye Bufan immediately unleashed his spiritual power, searching for the Onmyoji's location and venturing deeper into the woods...