Chapter 96
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 96: Crossing the Line
The once cheerful atmosphere turned cold the moment Zhang Yang arrived.
Long Luanshen looked at him with a faint, mocking smile, occasionally glancing at Liu Feijue, as if silently asking, Is your dog unaware of the rules?
Qiu Yuwan smirked subtly, exuding an air of arrogance. With amusement, she looked toward Liu Feijue and said lightly, “Liu brother, didn’t you once say that within your Five Elements Commerce Association, aside from the bloodlines of the five great families, everyone else holds only honorary status? That they’re essentially just servants, barking and wagging their tails like pets? I thought you were serious, but it seems you were only boasting.”
Her words dripped with malice, and along with Long Luanshen’s pointed glances, they cornered Liu Feijue, pressuring him to put Zhang Yang in his place to preserve his own dignity.
Liu Feijue’s expression turned icy.
Zhang Yang felt the anger rising within him, but he kept it contained. He continued eating and drinking, sincerely needing the nourishment.
The battle that night—the annihilation of the Mo family—left him with complicated feelings.
It had been nothing like the slaughter of the one hundred thousand Demon Slayer Team members in the Vast Forest.
This was his first true battle after stepping into the world.
And it had been perilous.
If he hadn’t ended it so decisively, he might have fallen into a deadly trap. After all, the Mo family controlled all of Mo City. How many forces were entangled with them? How many might have taken advantage of the chaos?
Moreover, the depth of the Mo family’s foundation had been terrifying. Without his brutal and straightforward tactics, the battle could have easily dragged on, turning against him.
So, as he quietly ate, he was processing everything that had happened.
His indifference only deepened the frowns of the other three.
Long Luanshen and Qiu Yuwan exchanged mocking glances with Liu Feijue, clearly relishing his discomfort and applying even more pressure, forcing him to respond.
Just as Liu Feijue opened his mouth to speak, Zhang Yang looked up first and calmly asked,
“Liu brother, have you already informed your friends of my identity?”
Liu Feijue’s words caught in his throat.
"Pft~~"
Qiu Yuwan let out a derisive laugh.
Long Luanshen remarked, "Liu brother? Tsk tsk, what a title."
Liu Feijue’s expression grew even colder, his gaze toward Zhang Yang sharpening.
"Liu brother—that’s what you called me," Zhang Yang reminded calmly.
At last, Liu Feijue dropped the pretense of politeness toward the talented and revealed his true nature.
Zhang Yang was not surprised. He had already overheard Liu Feijue’s true colors when he handled the Golden Dragon Shield.
"Zhang Yang, it seems you still don’t understand your place," Liu Feijue leaned forward and said coldly. "Don’t think that just because you’ve broken the seals on the Golden Dragon Shield, you’re anything special. Let me make this clear—there is no place for you in the Southern Region. It’s only by my power that you’re still alive. If I give the word, the Mo family could have killed you long ago. You ought to be grateful to me. I’m the one saving you."
"Moreover, you clearly don’t understand what a Gold Medallion Appraiser really is. That’s nothing more than a title I granted you. Did you really think it made you noble?"
"In my Liu family, you’re just a servant—a dog of the Liu family. You ought to know when to wag your tail in front of your master, and when your master commands you to bite, you’d better bite. Do you understand?"
"Do you truly believe you’re something important?"
"I’ve given you face only because I hoped you’d wisely hand over the method to break the Underworld Spirit Forbidden Law. I don’t want to resort to force—that would damage my reputation. But you, so ignorant of heaven and earth, do you want to die, or do you want to die?"
He unleashed his frustration on Zhang Yang, tearing off his mask completely and revealing his true, domineering self.
In that moment, Zhang Yang felt the urge to smash Liu Feijue’s face in, but he held back.
He already recognized this type of man.
He recalled past experiences.
There was no point in arguing with words. If he wanted to humiliate someone and make them suffer, he needed action.
Zhang Yang glanced at him indifferently. Liu Feijue’s face twisted with cold malice, while Long Luanshen and Qiu Yuwan looked on with amusement, eager to witness Zhang Yang’s downfall.
Having nearly finished eating, Zhang Yang sipped his drink and said, "You claim you saved me."
"Didn’t I? If I told the Mo family you’re Zhang Yang, what do you think would happen?" Liu Feijue sneered. "Don’t mention your petty battles in the Vast Forest. Winning a minor skirmish like that is laughable. The Demon Slayer Team sent a massive force to control the four major cities, striking fear into your Vast Forest. Do you even realize your own worth?"
Zhang Yang replied calmly, "And yet, the mighty Young Master Liu couldn’t seize the Nightstone Mine from the Mo family. You could only play at tricks from the shadows. It really shows just how strong you are."
Liu Feijue’s expression darkened even further.
He was arrogant to his core, prideful beyond reason, and held nothing but contempt for those around him. While others might have feared the Mo family, he hadn’t taken them seriously. He tolerated them only because of their ties to the Daxia Imperial Family, hoping to provoke them into action so he could retaliate. Now Zhang Yang was throwing those facts in his face, and it infuriated him.
"So you mean to say it was you who intended to annihilate the Mo family within ten days?" Qiu Yuwan interjected at just the right moment.
Liu Feijue’s expression grew uglier. Wasn’t this like getting slapped across the face?
He hadn’t dared move against the Mo family, yet Zhang Yang claimed he would destroy them—wasn’t that an open insult?
Zhang Yang said, "The balance of the Southern Region has already been broken. Striking one family disrupts the whole. Across this entire land, tell me, Miss Qiu, besides me, Zhang Yang, who else has the courage to make such a move?"
The faces of the three soured. Wasn’t this mocking them?
His words suggested they were weak, cowardly, and lacked the nerve to act.
Even though the Liu family, the Burial Dragon Forbidden Area, and the Baoyue Tower were all far stronger than the Mo family and could challenge the Daxia Imperial Family itself, none of them had dared to move against the Mo family. At least, none of these three had ever shown the courage to do so.
"There are brave heroes," Zhang Yang added casually, "and there are cowardly fools."
Bang!
Long Luanshen slammed his hand on the table and barked angrily, "Who are you calling a fool?"
Qiu Yuwan’s exquisite face froze with cold disdain.
Liu Feijue’s eyes glinted with murderous intent. He was furious. To him, the man he once regarded as nothing more than a dog beneath his feet now dared to insult him publicly. He was on the verge of snapping.
"Long brother, calm down."
Surprisingly, it was Qiu Yuwan who maintained a chilling composure despite her anger. She smiled coldly and said, "I’m very curious to see whether you’re a hero or a coward. In ten days, I’ll be watching to see how you destroy the Mo family."
She countered his arrogance with a challenge.
Zhang Yang merely smiled and resumed eating, suddenly feeling a bit hungry again. After a few bites, he remarked, "The dishes at Baoyue Tower are quite good. Excellent flavor."
His relaxed attitude only deepened Qiu Yuwan’s irritation.
"You’re far too arrogant," she said coldly. "Completely disregarding the Mo family—it’s laughable. Do you even know the depth of the Mo family’s strength? Do you truly believe your Vast Forest can withstand them? Even if Bing Yuyan herself came with her Ice Spirit Holy Sword from five hundred years ago, daring to challenge the Mo family, she would have been crushed."
Zhang Yang replied, "Are you referring to the Mo Family Ancestor’s sacred soul?"
"Exactly. Now you understand. So, do you still have the courage to destroy the Mo family?" Qiu Yuwan asked.
Zhang Yang spat out a chicken bone and said, "Listen."
Qiu Yuwan paused and tilted her ear, listening.
Liu Feijue and Long Luanshen also leaned in slightly, curious.
But there was only silence.
"You’re playing with me!" Qiu Yuwan snapped, her face darkening with anger.
Zhang Yang replied casually, “Your people are coming.”
Qiu Yuwan was about to explode. If her people were coming, she would have known first. However, she quickly noticed the anxious expression of her trusted aide, who rushed forward and whispered in her ear.
In an instant, Qiu Yuwan’s expression changed dramatically.
