Chapter 379

Chapter 379: Only Those with Kidney Weakness Called Taixu

The Zi Tian Pavilion once again fell into stunned silence.

Even though Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, and the others were reluctant to see Zhang Yang lose his bargaining chip in the Black Cloaked Strategist, watching him effortlessly subdue Ye Wolf sent chills down their spines.

That was Ye Wolf!

In a Western Desert with billions of people and talents as numerous as grains of sand, making it into the top thirty was no small feat, it marked someone as a Battle God-level genius, truly extraordinary.

Ye Wolf, in particular, practiced the assassin’s path, which made his presence among the top thirty even more unique and impressive.

Additionally, Ye Wolf had mastered assassination skills, setting him apart from the other top thirty talents. Witnessing the Western Desert’s most renowned assassin being effortlessly subdued by Zhang Yang, like a lifeless snake, left a profound impact on them.

Not to mention the fleeting flashes of brilliance that hinted at their suppressed realms, it reminded everyone that Zhang Yang had dared to come alone because he possessed absolute confidence.

Their surprise only grew as they cast more playful, mocking glances at Jin Liuli.

This was the classic case of trying to steal a chicken and losing the rice instead.

With one Black Cloaked Strategist and now a top-ranked assassin captured, Jin Liuli, regardless of her royal status, was in a precarious position. This was a loss the Taixu Dynasty could not afford.

“Jin Liuli, you really don’t understand the rules if you dare to play tricks on me,” Zhang Yang said coldly. “I play above board with you, yet you insist on playing dirty. Don’t blame me for being ruthless. Maybe I should kill one of them first to make my point clear. I gave you a chance, and you didn’t cherish it, so now, don’t blame me if blood is shed in the Zi Tian Pavilion.”

He raised his hand, clearly intending to kill Ye Wolf.

For the first time, Jin Liuli truly panicked.

Though she was the head of the Hunters’ Guild, with countless elites under her command, those who ranked among the top thirty talents in the Western Desert were extremely rare, even across the entire Taixu Dynasty. Such individuals were scattered among major Holy Lands, dynasties, and forbidden zones.

If she lost Ye Wolf, especially because of her own actions—she wouldn’t escape punishment.

This was even more critical considering the Hunters’ Guild had already suffered significant losses.

And the fate of the Black Cloaked Strategist remained uncertain.

Panic finally surfaced on Jin Liuli’s face.

“Wait!”

A voice, deep and commanding, rang out with unquestionable authority.

Space beside Jin Liuli twisted and distorted.

A man in his thirties stepped forth from the spatial rift.

He bore a resemblance to both Jin Zhihong and Jin Liuli, but his presence was far more overwhelming—as if he was born to command respect and instill a sense of awe.

His eyes were particularly striking deep like an abyss, vast as the ocean, or endless like the night sky, making others instinctively avoid his gaze.

Tall and well-built, neither thin nor heavy, he stood with his hands behind his back, exuding a sovereign aura that instantly became the center of attention.

The atmosphere shifted the moment he appeared.

Jin Liuli, Wind Dragon, Ji Shaolong, and the other members of the Taixu Dynasty immediately knelt.

“Your Majesty!”

Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, and Yun Tianhuang instinctively clasped their fists in a respectful salute.

This man was none other than the current emperor of the Taixu Dynasty.

Though newly crowned, he had already been famous throughout the Western Desert for over thirty years. Born a prodigy, if Ye Wolf was ranked among the top thirty geniuses of the Western Desert, then this man was undoubtedly in the top three.

No one in the Western Desert dared claim to surpass him in talent, he was the one who confidently declared himself the number one.

In his youth, he had been arrogant.

Now, he was the emperor of the Taixu Dynasty.

He was Jin Shengtian, the Taixu Emperor.

With the power of the forbidden laws from the Taixu Palace and the fully awakened truth of his ancestral bloodline, he had once fought over ten saints while still in the Opening the Sky realm, and emerged unscathed. He seemed like the destined protagonist of the Western Desert.

A true embodiment of invincibility, sculpted by the heavens.

“You said ‘wait,’ so I should wait?” Zhang Yang looked him up and down. “And who might you be?”

He asked, though he already knew the answer.

“Taixu Emperor, Jin Shengtian,” the man responded flatly.

Those six simple words, though spoken without any display of power, struck everyone like a heavy hammer, pressing down on their hearts and leaving them short of breath.

“Taixu Emperor?” Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes. “So… you’re very empty? Got kidney deficiency or something? Why else would you be called Taixu? You do look a little empty.”

The atmosphere turned incredibly awkward.

Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, Yun Tianhuang, and the others nearly choked on air.

Was this guy for real?

Zhang Yang lacked even the most basic decorum.

If he was the youngest Lord of the Sacred Forest since Eternal Night, then Jin Shengtian was the youngest emperor in that same stretch of history.

They were equals in status.

Yet in front of Jin Shengtian, Zhang Yang looked nothing like a refined lord.

"Empty? Kidney deficiency?" The insult was outrageous, yet incredibly satisfying.

Yan Chihuo and the others were practically shaking with excitement. The man who had outshone them for over two decades had finally met someone who could rival him—someone who stood as an equal, and maybe even more.

Most importantly, Zhang Yang currently held the absolute upper hand.

Jin Shengtian, caught slightly off guard by Zhang Yang’s absurd comments, replied coldly, “Taixu refers to the Dao—the path that is vast and void, tranquil in essence. That is Taixu.”

“Well said,” Zhang Yang nodded seriously. “For example, my surname is Zhang, and I am the arrogant Zhang!”

As he uttered the final word, a deafening wave of power erupted from him, like a thunderclap shaking the heavens.

The sudden outburst surged through the crowd, making blood boil and ears ring. Even the mighty pressure released by Jin Shengtian was forcibly pushed back as the entire Zi Tian Pavilion trembled.

At that moment, the two titans of the Southern Region and Western Desert stood face-to-face, their auras colliding. Everyone else faded into insignificance.

Even Jin Liuli couldn’t help but look at Zhang Yang in astonishment.

She finally realized that Zhang Yang was not at all inferior to Jin Shengtian. In fact, he seemed to be over a decade younger.

Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, and the others stared, pupils dilated.

Only now did they truly understand, the man they had dismissed as shameless, irreverent, and a con artist was, in fact, a peerless figure. Anyone who underestimated him based on his antics would suffer dearly.

They even recalled the dread they’d felt during the battle at Heavenly Reaching Mountain, yet it had been buried beneath the memory of Zhang Yang’s ridiculous behavior.

“You’re quite good,” Jin Shengtian finally spoke, as if appraising a worthy subordinate.

This posture made Zhang Yang grin. “You’re really not very good. Upon meeting me, you still don’t know how to offer the Mother Bead? That’s disappointing.”

Jin Shengtian’s gaze turned icy.

Zhang Yang responded with a cold laugh. “You can try to ambush me like that piece of trash Ye Wolf, go ahead and see if you succeed. But you’d better be prepared, because I’m ready to kill.”

Jin Shengtian replied calmly, “I came to make a deal with you. Killing you can wait.”

Arrogant.

His innate pride and dominance radiated with every word.

Even with hostages in enemy hands, he carried himself as if completely in control.

Zhang Yang scoffed, he despised such unbridled arrogance. So he decided to thoroughly con him.