The might of a half-step Martial Sovereign was like the wrath of heaven.
Fierce winds howled, whipping Yang Cheng's hair and making his robes flap wildly.
Under the dark clouds that filled the sky, his figure seemed tiny like an ant. But his back stayed straight like a sharp blade.
In the next moment—
"Courting death? Who gave you the guts to speak like that to the Crown Prince of Great Zhou?!"
Boom!
Heaven and earth lit up in an instant.
A flash of violet light erupted in the darkness.
That glow grew brighter and brighter until it became a bolt of purple lightning streaking down from the sky.
As it got closer, people saw clearly—it wasn't lightning.
It was a black spear.
Its tassel blazed like fire, and its shaft curled like a dragon.
In a daze, it felt as if an ancient thunder dragon had descended from the skies.
Terrifying waves of destruction raged across the heavens.
"Yun Jinghuai!"
The Taoshan elder shouted in shock and anger.
He swung his sword, unleashing a massive torrent of flames that turned into a river of fiery sword qi.
But the next moment—
The sword qi was pierced through.
Pshh!
The Taoshan elder's chest was run through.
Blood sprayed downward, burning dense black pits into the ground where it fell.
Then, the elder plummeted from the sky.
A single strike decided victory.
Countless cultivators watching froze in shock.
Yun Jinghuai was only a peak Martial Saint, still a step below the Taoshan elder in cultivation.
Yet in the clash, the elder was defeated in just one move?
"Just how strong is the Marquis Champion?"
"Anyone who could fight their way through the Great Yan Empire can't be measured by normal standards."
Cultivators from other factions were all on edge.
The Taoshan elder flipped and dashed far away, reappearing miles out in the blink of an eye.
"Yun Jinghuai, Taoshan won't let this go!"
His voice echoed from the distance.
"You're throwing threats in front of me?"
A shadow flickered mid-air as Yun Jinghuai appeared next to the black spear.
He grabbed it and hurled it straight toward the fleeing elder.
The elder sensed the terror and shouted, "Yun Jinghuai, what are you doing?! Aren't you afraid this will trigger war between Skyfeather Empire and Great Zhou?"
"If that's how it is, all the better. Worst case, I'll lead an army and wipe out your Taoshan."
Yun Jinghuai was full of disdain.
Almost simultaneously—
Pshh!
The spear pierced through the elder again.
Already heavily injured, he couldn't take another hit like that.
Boom!
This time, something terrifying happened.
His body exploded mid-air, bursting into dozens of chunks that rained down to the earth.
A light blood shower fell across the ruined lands.
Two spear strikes, and a half-step Martial Sovereign was dead.
Silence blanketed the area.
By now, nearly 10,000 cultivators had gathered near the ruins of the Ancient Desolation Tower.
Most had just come to witness the talents of this new generation.
They never expected to see something so earth-shattering.
A half-step Martial Sovereign, slaughtered on the spot by Great Zhou's Marquis Champion Yun Jinghuai—before their very eyes.
And it only took two spears!
"That power… it's on par with a Martial Sovereign."
"At the Martial Saint level, and already comparable to a Martial Sovereign. The Marquis Champion of Great Zhou is terrifying."
Every powerhouse present grew wary.
"Forget it. Let's get our geniuses out of here quickly."
"A pseudo-Sovereign just fell here. This place is cursed—move out!"
One by one, more powerful figures appeared.
None of them stopped to greet the Marquis Champion. They simply took their sect's young talents and fled at full speed.
No one wanted to mess with someone so ruthless.
Some forces had originally planned to confront Yang Cheng for killing their young elites.
But after witnessing what happened to the Taoshan elder, they all swallowed their protests, turned pale, and ran even faster than the others.
"Yang Cheng…"
Nangong Yi's eyes were full of resentment and frustration.
"Your Highness, let's go."
A powerhouse from the Bian'an Divine Sect grabbed his shoulder and pulled him onto a massive elephant, retreating at top speed.
Leng Qianyu and Kongxing gave Yang Cheng a deep look, then left with their elders.
In the past, they were prideful beyond reason. They never cared about any other young geniuses in the world.
But today, Yang Cheng had left a lasting mark on their hearts.
"Big Sis, Yang Cheng really isn't just talking big. He's so strong… I really want to be his follower," Yu Ruoxi said longingly.
Yu Mengqi's face didn't look good.
Right now, she had no choice but to admit—she had misjudged him.
Yang Cheng's power had far exceeded her expectations.
When someone's strong enough, even if they're not the chosen one, it might not matter anymore.
Though she wouldn't put all her bets on him, it wouldn't hurt to build a connection either.
But she still had her pride.
She'd treated Yang Cheng coldly before. If she turned around now, wouldn't others think she was just trying to curry favor?
She, Yu Mengqi, couldn't stomach that kind of shame.
Still, deep down, she knew she regretted it.
Her sister had gotten along well with Yang Cheng earlier. She shouldn't have interfered back then.
But now it was too late.
Yang Cheng had already shown his strength. If she sent her sister to approach him now, it'd be no different from sucking up herself.
"We're leaving," Yu Mengqi said firmly.
"But…"
Yu Ruoxi looked at Yang Cheng reluctantly.
"No buts."
Yu Mengqi said, "Just because someone shows early promise doesn't mean they'll stay on top forever."
"You're still young. Don't be in a rush to chase after someone. Otherwise, when the true chosen one appears, what will he think of you?"
She immediately signaled the elder from Phoenix Island to drive the golden roc and depart quickly.
Throughout this trip to the Ancient Desolation Tower, she'd been quietly observing.
Now, she'd mostly figured out who the chosen one was.
'When a tree grows taller than the forest, the wind will break it.'
Yu Mengqi fell into thought. "The Crown Prince of Great Zhou is a monster, but he's way too flashy. That's never a good thing."
"By contrast, the Sixth Prince Yang Xiu hasn't missed out on any benefits either, but he keeps a low profile. When it comes to targeting the Crown Prince, he just pushes others forward while hiding in the shadows."
"That's the mark of a true schemer."
The Taichu Sword Talisman's power was second only to the Taiyi Sword Talisman.
Yang Xiu got this talisman, yet hardly anyone paid him much attention.
To her, that made him the most dangerous one of all.
If nothing goes wrong, the chosen one must be Yang Xiu.
On a distant mountaintop—
Lu Jingshu had run even faster than the others.
She might not match those top-tier geniuses in combat, but when it came to saving her own life, she was second to none.
She didn't even try to compete for the five sword talismans—just observed from afar.
But the outcome had completely caught her off guard.
After thinking it over, she understood why.
"Yang Cheng… it's you again!"
Sure enough, wherever Yang Cheng showed up, the future she foresaw would shift.
He really was the anomaly.
"A so-called anomaly is just another name for a devil. Yang Cheng must be the future nemesis of the chosen one."
Lu Jingshu's eyes turned cold.
She had to admit—Yang Cheng wasn't easy to deal with.
During this journey to the Ancient Desolation Tower, she'd secretly manipulated Nangong Yi and the other geniuses to develop hostility toward Yang Cheng.
Things had gone even better than she expected.
Yang Cheng was so flashy and sharp-edged that she didn't even need to push further before the others ganged up to kill him.
But who would've thought he was so insane?
Eleven geniuses joined forces and still couldn't beat him. In the end, he killed seven of them.
And one of them was even Baili Guan.
"Looks like I'll need to revise my plan."
"I'll have to start with Nangong Yi again."
"He lost his sword talisman this time, so I'll give him another big opportunity as compensation. That should be enough to win him over."
With that in mind, Lu Jingshu quickly left.
Back in the ruins of the Ancient Desolation Tower—
Yang Cheng wasn't paying attention to the others.
He was looking up at Yun Jinghuai, a little dazed.
This life was really different from the last.
In his past life, by this time Yun Jinghuai had already died.
As a total martial waste, he had no allies, no protection—only his mother quietly shielding him from behind.
Because she had to protect a useless son like him, she was exhausted in every way. Eventually, she couldn't fight off Noble Consort Zhuang and Yang Xiu anymore.
He remembered all of it.
That was why he'd always acted carefully, afraid of causing trouble and making life harder for his mother.
Even so, fourteen years later, she was still thrown into the Cold Palace.
He lost his title as Crown Prince.
But now, Yun Jinghuai was still alive.
Even after killing the Skyfeather Empire's prince Baili Guan and angering one of their half-step Martial Sovereigns, nothing happened to him.
Because Yun Jinghuai stood by him and took all the heat.
That line—"Who gave you the guts to speak to the Crown Prince of Great Zhou like that?"—was the strongest support he could've asked for.
He and his mother were no longer alone.
[The host stands amid the ruins of the Ancient Desolation Tower. All geniuses in the Wasteland Realm flee in panic, with no one able to match him.]
[What a majestic sight. As a mere Martial Saint, the host terrifies even true gods and slays seven, including a Yang God-level powerhouse like Baili Guan.]
[The host's name now shakes the entire Wasteland Realm. The Eastern Wastes tremble, and even the Heaven's Mandate Emperor keeps his distance.]
[From this day on, the host's reputation surpasses that of the Heaven's Mandate Emperor.]
[Congratulations, host. Mission complete. Reward: Innate Gourd. Please claim it now.]
Line after line of system text appeared before Yang Cheng.
At that moment, Yun Jinghuai landed beside him and looked at Yang Cheng curiously. "Chengcheng, what exactly happened in the Ancient Desolation Tower? Why did it collapse?"
Before Yang Cheng could answer, Tang Xingyu's eyes lit up. She excitedly spilled the whole story.
After hearing everything, even Yun Jinghuai was stunned. His gaze toward Yang Cheng was full of disbelief.
"There were actually five Innate Sword Talismans inside?"
"And you took two of them, giving one each to Tangtang and Lin Shu, while also helping Muxue get the opportunity with the wordless stele?"
"Then because of that, you pissed off the others, and eleven geniuses tried to kill you?"
"And you killed six, with Baili Guan being the seventh I saw?"
Even Yun Jinghuai, who had seen plenty and just pulled off a massive feat himself, still found it hard to wrap his head around.
He'd always known his nephew was extraordinary—but not this monstrous.
And the most shocking part—Yang Cheng was only three years old.
What kind of monster would he become after just a few more years?
"It's all true," Tang Xingyu said, her little face blushing. She even wanted to show off the Taiyi Sword Talisman Yang Cheng gave her.
But then she remembered his warning, and managed to hold back.
"Hahahahaha!"
Yun Jinghuai burst out laughing. "Well done! My Crown Prince of Great Zhou isn't someone those sneaky ghosts and monsters can mess with. If they come one at a time, kill them one by one. If they come in pairs, kill them in pairs!"
"Chengcheng, your uncle's proud of you!"