Chapter 231

Chapter 231: Zhang Yang’s Pride

Zhang Yang’s eyes widened in disbelief. This woman was truly tenacious, following him all the way here. It seemed she had been watching him for a long time, and nothing had escaped her notice.

The key issue was that he hadn’t sensed anything earlier.

What did that mean?

For Zhang Yang, Qiu Yinong was indeed a terrifying opponent.

“Qiu Yinong, don’t think that just because you have some ‘special’ tactics, I can’t deal with you,” Zhang Yang said, watching the Great Path Sacred Fruits slip through his fingers, frustration surging within him with no outlet. “Do you really believe that if you push me too far, I won’t cut you down right here and now?”

Compared to her usual explosive demeanor, Qiu Yinong seemed unusually calm today. Though intense killing intent flickered in her deep-set eyes, she restrained herself. She instinctively reached for the Golden Autumn Divine Sword but hesitated for a moment. Glancing at the Flower Phantom, she said, “You leave. I have something to say to him.”

The Flower Phantom looked between them, and before Zhang Yang could speak, she voluntarily stepped away.

Zhang Yang sneered. “What are you trying to do? Strip down for a fight?”

“Scoundrel! You deserve to die!” Qiu Yinong gritted her teeth, suppressing the urge to tear the man apart.

“Then come and kill me,” Zhang Yang said dismissively. “Qiu Yinong, don’t flaunt your so-called pride in front of me. If you’re really proud, then face me in a life-and-death battle on equal footing. If you manage to defeat me, then maybe—just maybe—I’ll respect your so-called pride. Have you ever done that? In Mo City, you used your Great Boundless rank to oppress me, and you even had the nerve to team up with twenty other Great Boundless cultivators to take me down. And you still call yourself the pride of the Southern Region?”

Finally finding an outlet for his frustration, Zhang Yang vented his anger at Qiu Yinong. “Fine, you call yourself ‘pride.’ Autumn pride, right? You claim to be invincible, yet when faced with someone more talented than you, you hide behind that pride because you’re insecure! You fear that others are stronger than you!”

“Don’t interrupt me. Let me finish, or I might just beat you to death.”

“Where was I?”

“Oh, right—you’re insecure because your so-called pride is a joke here.”

“Let me tell you what true pride is!”

“I, Zhang Yang, rose from humble beginnings. Along the way, Chi Zhenyi was saved by me and improved because of me. The Divine Forbidden Gate and the Ice and Snow Divine Palace survived because of me. I am the Wolf King of the Howling Wolf Palace. I gathered the Snow Guards, the Ironback Blue Bull army, the Golden Apes, the Purple-Eyed Spirit Birds, and the Golden Armored Giant Clan. All these forces exist because of my efforts alone.”

“I faced the Demon Slayer Team and the top ten Saint-level forces of the Southern Region without ever bowing, even when I was only at the Returning to Origin realm. I fought to the end.”

“I have walked my own path, step by step, standing against the saints of the Southern Region and all my enemies without ever lowering my head.”

“That is true pride!”

“And I have never spoken of our past—our special experience—to a third person, not even to my sister, Yuluan. Not a single word. Only to you. That is true pride—because I do not need to belittle your pride to elevate myself, nor do I mock others to lift myself up.”

He thumped his chest loudly and declared, “Listen well, Qiu Yinong—the one with true pride in the Southern Region is me!”

For once, Qiu Yinong listened to Zhang Yang’s outburst without interruption. Her expression remained cold, and she said nothing.

When he finally finished, a strange light flickered in her eyes.

At last, she pointed at the Great Path Sacred Fruit tree, which was slowly dimming in the void, and said, “I came to work with you.”

Zhang Yang hesitated, looking between the Great Path Sacred Fruit tree and Qiu Yinong. It seemed this woman’s strength truly met the requirements.

If they worked together, they would undoubtedly break through.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Zhang Yang shouted angrily. “You made me think you were just here to pick a fight, like some woman looking for an excuse to vent!”

Qiu Yinong smirked. “What’s this? You’re embarrassed? You, with your thick skin, actually embarrassed?”

Zhang Yang’s face flushed slightly as he huffed, “Enough nonsense. Give me a reason to trust that you’re not just setting me up. You, a woman with such a ruthless heart, came all this way, braving danger, just to kill me. You failed once, so now you’re trying again. And now, when you see the Great Path Sacred Fruit tree, you suddenly start talking about cooperation?”

Qiu Yinong coldly replied, “Watch your words. Don’t twist my intentions.”

“I—!”

Zhang Yang nearly exploded in frustration. How did this woman’s mind even work? Where was her focus?

Qiu Yinong said, “We split the Great Path Sacred Fruits evenly.”

“Dream on!” Zhang Yang rejected her instantly.

“I want six.”

“No way. Two at most.”

“Four.”

“Two.”

“Four!” Qiu Yinong’s barely restrained killing intent flared again. “Do you even know how to negotiate? I’m willing to compromise, but you seem clueless.”

Zhang Yang replied, “Fine, I’ll go one step further—three.”

Qiu Yinong nearly drew her sword again. How could this man be so infuriating?

“Three is the maximum,” Zhang Yang said firmly.

Qiu Yinong clenched her jaw. “I won’t argue with you anymore, you infuriating man. Three it is.”

Zhang Yang still looked dissatisfied, as if he wanted to argue further.

“Enough.” Qiu Yinong waved a hand, cutting him off. “Zhang, I admit you’re strong. But later, as you said, show some manly pride. When the time comes, don’t just hoard all the Great Path Sacred Fruits for yourself.”

Zhang Yang chuckled. “You finally realize that, here in the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins, you’re no better than me. It’s rare for a proud woman like you to take a step back. Fine, I’m in a good mood—I’ll give you an extra one. You’ll get four.”

Qiu Yinong scoffed. “An extra? I don’t need your pity! I’ll earn it with my own strength!”

“Let it go,” Zhang Yang said. “I’m a proud man. If I say I’ll give it to you, I will. Besides, once this is settled, we’ll settle our own matters the next time we meet.”

Qiu Yinong looked deeply into Zhang Yang’s eyes for a moment, then drew her Golden Autumn Divine Sword and stepped closer.

These two, who had been adversaries since the moment they met, were now joining forces for mutual benefit—something Zhang Yang had never experienced and something Qiu Yinong, in all her pride, had never done.

They both felt an odd sense of discomfort, staring ahead yet stealing glances at each other. Whenever their eyes met, they quickly looked away.

Each tilted their head in a display of pride.

“Let’s do this.”

“Let’s do it!”

They struck simultaneously.

Two tremendous waves of Holy Might erupted together, shaking the sky as their combined power surged forward.

Fully developed Diamond Dragon Holy Power!

Autumn Wind and Autumn Rain—Qiu Yinong’s might!

Both forces were extreme bursts of strength.

In that instant, the fusion of Holy Power and Saints’ laws reached an extraordinary synergy. The Diamond Dragon Holy Power seemed to enhance the Saints’ laws, while the Saints’ laws nourished the Diamond Dragon Holy Power, merging seamlessly.

For a brief moment, both of them raised their eyebrows slightly.

They instantly understood.

Qiu Yinong’s comprehension of the Saints’ laws came from points Zhang Yang had exposed, cutting through the gloom in her heart. They were also insights she gained from facing the explosive force of his fully developed Diamond Dragon Holy Power. By standing on Zhang Yang’s shoulders, she had been able to grasp the essence of the Saints’ laws, allowing them to blend perfectly.

This realization lasted only an instant.

Boom!

Their combined strike detonated.

The void shattered, and they stepped forward into the chaos.