Xiao Yan silently called out to Yao Lao. Then, forcing himself to remain calm, he looked up at the towering figure before him and said stiffly,
"Yes. I said it."
"Good. You've got some backbone," the bearded man sneered. "You youngsters in the Chaotic Star Sea these days—"
"Brother Xiao, why waste words with him?"
Before the bearded man could finish speaking, Lin Dong suddenly stepped forward.
"Vermilion Bird Treasure Technique—Third Form, Heaven-Splitting Strike!"
His fist surged forward, the phantom of a Vermilion Bird blazing around it as it smashed directly into the bearded man.
—Boom!
A scorching shockwave erupted outward.
Golden light flared as a set of gleaming armor automatically manifested around the bearded man's body, blocking the punch.
The Vermilion Bird phantom shattered on impact.
Yet even so, the bearded man was sent flying backward like a cannonball, carving a white trail hundreds of meters long through the air.
Silence instantly fell over the Void Heaven Palace.
The Extreme Yin Ancestor and the others exchanged stunned looks, momentarily speechless.
Before the Void Heaven Palace officially opened, fighting was strictly forbidden here, regardless of cultivation level—a rule personally set by the Twin Saints of the Star Palace.
None of them had expected someone to actually dare violate it.
And even less did they expect the target to be the infamous Barbarian Beard of the Chaotic Star Sea.
This was shocking.
After all, this man had reached the mid–Nascent Soul stage, and the Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art he cultivated was renowned as the number one defensive technique in the Chaotic Star Sea.
He could even withstand a late–Nascent Soul cultivator head-on for a time.
He was undeniably one of the top demonic cultivators.
"Who are these youngsters? They look unfamiliar."
"I've never seen these juniors before…"
"They dared to attack the Barbarian Beard—could they be backed by the Star Palace?"
"Impossible! Before the Void Heaven Palace opens, fighting is forbidden. That rule was personally set by the Twin Saints. If they were from the Star Palace, why would they break it?"
The surrounding cultivators whispered among themselves, speculating wildly about Xiao Yan and his companions.
In an instant, Xiao Yan's group became the absolute focus of everyone present.
Han Li felt nothing but regret.
Ever since stepping onto the path of cultivation, he had always kept a low profile, never offending powerful seniors unless forced.
He would never have dared provoke someone of higher cultivation.
Yet now, because of Xiao Yan, he had been dragged straight into the spotlight.
If only he had known this fellow was so reckless!
He should have contacted Zhu Chen and Wang Lin privately instead of posting in the public group chat!
"You little brats… you're courting death."
The bearded man steadied himself in midair, fists clenched. Blood qi surged violently around his body like a ferocious beast awakening from slumber, his eyes blazing with barely contained fury.
Lin Dong's punch hadn't injured him—but it had humiliated him.
Even if it meant violating the Twin Saints' rules, he would make these arrogant juniors pay.
In the next instant—
The bearded man transformed into a streak of golden light and appeared before Lin Dong. His arm flared with radiant brilliance as a deafening roar filled the air, and his fist smashed down mercilessly.
Lin Dong immediately activated the Vermilion Bird Technique again, attempting to counter brute force with martial arts.
But his cultivation was still lacking.
Even with the Vermilion Bird's amplification, he was unable to withstand the bearded man's full-strength attack and was blasted backward.
At the critical moment, Zhu Chen calmly reached out and caught Lin Dong with one hand, stopping his retreat.
"Get out of my way!"
Seeing someone intervene, the bearded man's aura surged even more violently.
He stomped forward.
The ground shattered beneath his foot as his fist, wrapped in dazzling golden light, tore through the void and smashed straight toward Lin Dong's face.
"This guy… is too strong."
Lin Dong's pupils shrank sharply.
Before the punch even landed, he felt overwhelming pressure, as if a mountain were crashing down on him.
There was no way he could withstand it.
At that instant, Zhu Chen suddenly grabbed Lin Dong by the collar and pulled him behind himself.
Stepping forward, Zhu Chen calmly swung his fist to meet the incoming attack head-on.
—Boom!
The moment their fists collided, the entire Void Heaven Palace seemed to tremble violently.
Golden light exploded outward as a terrifying shockwave erupted from the point of impact, forcing cultivators in all directions to retreat.
Aside from a handful of Nascent Soul cultivators, everyone else was blasted hundreds of meters away.
"You… you actually blocked my punch? How is that possible?!"
The bearded man's eyes widened in disbelief.
That strike had contained all his physical strength and several layers of the Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art—power sufficient to heavily injure an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
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