It was clear Taiyue had made thorough preparations before arriving. Now, upon seeing Li Changâan, he spoke without pause, unleashing a full verbal barrage.
As he repeatedly spoke with such insolence, the expressions of Lu Sang and the members of the Divine Shadow Guard grew increasingly grim. Some even drew their weapons, poised to rush forward and reclaim the Guardian Godâs honor at a single command.
After all, even for an ally, some things were unforgivable.
At the very least, they had to demand an explanation.
As the Divine Shadow Guard went on alert, the escorts of the other tribe leaders did the same. The atmosphere in the hall instantly grew taut with tension.
Li Changâan waved his hand, signaling Lu Sang and the others not to get agitated. He stared at Taiyue, sizing him up for a moment before smiling. "It seems your prejudice and resentment toward me run quite deep. I do bear some responsibility for Man Yuâs death, but that is not an excuse for you to act so outrageously in my presence. It wasnât acceptable in the past, it is not acceptable now, and it never will be!"
The reply was sharp. While his tone held a hint of apology, it was clearly a faint one.
It was certainly not enough to satisfy Taiyue.
Taiyueâs murderous eyes locked onto Li Changâan, his chest heaving violently like a great bellows. He rumbled, "In that case, why donât you let a junior like me ask for some pointers? A friendly spar, weâll stop before it goes too far. What do you think, Senior?"
After all that beating around the bush, Taiyue had finally bared his fangs.
He wanted to defeat Li Changâan through this provocation, proving his own power in front of everyone.
By doing so, he could not only awe the members of the God Eater Alliance, but more importantly, he could also redeem his master Man Yuâs honor. He would show everyone that she had been the strongest, that her contributions to the Human Race had been the greatest, that she should not have been subordinate to anyone, and that she would never have taken a creature of unknown origin as her own master.
It was only then that the others belatedly realized his intentions, and their gazes toward the two immediately became filled with keen interest.
Clearly, after so many years, the authority of this so-called Guardian God, Li Changâan, was effective only within the Fusang Tribe. Even some of its own members were not necessarily willing to obey him completely, let alone could he suppress the surrounding factions who were eyeing him like a tiger its prey.
Leaving aside all else, the grandiose title of âAncestor of Martial Artsâ alone would bring Li Changâan a mountain of trouble the moment it spread.
This time, Li Changâan didnât let Lu Sang speak.
Instead, he answered directly, "Fine, no problem. Iâd also like to see just how strong this disciple Man Yu so casually took in really is, and whether that strength can match such an arrogant tone!"
Taiyueâs prestige and influence within the Godslayer Alliance were considerable. Just as he wanted to prove himself, Li Changâan intended to make an example of him.
The only reason he hadnât acted sooner was to give Taiyue time to find fault, which would provide the perfect justification to deal with him.
Both men were eager to get physical.
The once quiet atmosphere of the hall was instantly ignited.
The expressions on the faces of Lu Sang and the members of the Divine Shadow Guard were not pleasant. It wasnât that they lacked confidence in Li Changâan, but because no matter the outcome, the Fusang Tribe would most likely lose a great deal of face.
After all, allowing an outsider to question their newly returned Guardian God inside the Ancestral Templeâeven if he was an allyâwas something that would be quite shameful once word got out.
Taiyue proposed leaving the Temple to fight in the grand plaza outside, where both sides could stretch their limbs and go all out.
But Li Changâan just shook his head and said lightly, "Thereâs no need. Youâre not much stronger than your master was at your age. Youâre simply not worth me making a big scene."
He said this lightly.
But their meaning was incredibly heavy.
It was hard to tell if the expression on Taiyueâs face was stern or furious. He simply nodded and said, "I hope youâre not just bluffing. Since you wonât go outside, then right here..."
He was still speaking; his words hadnât even fully left his mouth.
Li Changâan, who was in his human form inside the Divine Hall, was already in front of him.
As he drew near, Li Changâan shot out a hand and swatted at Taiyue as if shooing a fly. Taiyue, whose muscles had been relaxed, instantly tensed his entire body. He exerted all his strength to take a single step back, narrowly dodging Li Changâanâs casual strike.
Li Changâan paused his advance and chuckled. "Not bad reaction speed. It seems youâve been through your share of life-or-death struggles and arenât just someone who trains blindly. In that regard, youâre stronger than your master was back in her day..."
Hearing this casual, breezy critique, Taiyue was utterly humiliated. But before he could react, Li Changâanâs attack was upon him again.
Compared to before, Li Changâanâs strike this time was faster and more vicious, aimed directly at Taiyueâs neck.
The hairs on Taiyueâs entire body stood on end. He raised one arm to block his neck while simultaneously trying to grab hold of Li Changâanâs body to counterattack.
However, he had clearly underestimated Li Changâanâs physical strength.
It was safe to say that for Taiyue, Li Changâan was operating on a completely different level of power. The only reason Taiyue could even put up a semblance of a fight was that Li Changâan was holding back for Man Yuâs sake.
THUD!
A muffled thud echoed out. As everyone in the Temple watched, Li Changâanâs deceptively light punch caved in Taiyueâs arm.