"Bold madman, how dare you lay hands on our young master of the Xiahou clan! Have you eaten bear gall and leopard's heart? Kneel down and surrender immediately to await judgment, and there's still a sliver of hope to escape death. Otherwise, you won't be leaving this gate alive today!"
From the Xiahou family's side, a young powerhouse with an extremely dense aura of the Saintly Path stood out abruptly. His physique was tall and robust, a full head taller than normal people, exuding an awe-inspiring presence and extraordinary divine might. The fluctuations of his cultivation were as deep as the ocean, unfathomable.
"That's Xiahou Yuan, the backbone of the Xiahou clan's younger generation. It's said his talent is even greater than Xiahou Hu's. But unfortunately, he is not a direct descendant of the Xiahou clan, otherwise, the position of young master of the Xiahou family would likely not be held by Xiahou Hu; it would undoubtedly be within this man's grasp!"
"It's long been rumored that Xiahou Yuan has already entered the sixth stage of the Manifestation Realm, not far from the seventh stage. His strength is far greater than that of some established Saint General family patriarchs. Seeing him today, he is indeed a peerless prodigy."
"Once this man makes a move, most people present will not be his match. Apart from a select few patriarchs in the seventh stage of the Manifestation Realm who can resist him, everyone else will only be suppressed. Although that kid's strength is not bad, managing to suppress Xiahou Hu with a single palm, I dare say he is by no means Xiahou Yuan's opponent."
"The Xiahou family is already the strongest among the descendants of the Ten Great Saint Generals, even implicitly threatening the Zhou family's position. This kid is truly overestimating himself; he is completely like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, how can he have a good end?"
Xiahou Yuan's appearance immediately caused a stir of exclamations and discussions. Clearly, the people present were not unfamiliar with this man's reputation.
"You are also from the Xiahou family? As expected, your arrogant demeanor is just like that of Xiahou Hu, always shouting about fighting and killing. People like you deserve to be suppressed."
Ling Fan glanced at Xiahou Yuan and said indifferently.
"Presumptuous! You think you can suppress me? I am..."
Two beams of light shot from Xiahou Yuan's eyes, and he let out a majestic roar like a lion.
But before he could finish speaking.
Ling Fan's gaze was indifferent, and he struck out with a palm.
Instantly, a large hand, as white as jade and seemingly composed of translucent divine jade, swept fiercely towards Xiahou Yuan.
*Bang!*
A look of horror appeared in Xiahou Yuan's eyes. Under that palm, his surging Saintly power seemed to have completely fallen silent, rendering him unable to muster any strength to resist. He could only watch helplessly as the palm slapped onto his face.
*Slap!*
The leading figure of the Xiahou clan's younger generation, a powerful Saint in the sixth stage of the Manifestation Realm, was directly slapped to the ground in full view of everyone, convulsing like Xiahou Hu.
Humiliation!
Immense humiliation.
Xiahou Yuan was slightly better than Xiahou Hu, still possessing some consciousness. However, he would rather have passed out. Being suppressed by a mere youngster who hadn't even entered the Saint Realm was ten thousand times more unbearable than killing him.
The entire scene fell silent once more.
Xiahou Hu was one thing.
His cultivation was only at the third stage of the Manifestation Realm.
Although the threshold of the Saint Realm was insurmountable, there were still some heaven-defying, peerless prodigies who could fight against Saints at a higher stage, battling true Saints even in the Quasi-Saint Realm.
But Xiahou Yuan was in the sixth stage of the Manifestation Realm! And not just any sixth stage, but a powerhouse with one foot already in the advanced Saint realm.
With his cultivation, even a thousand or ten thousand Quasi-Saints attacking him simultaneously would not be able to harm him in the slightest; instead, they would all be suppressed and annihilated by him.
And yet now...
Xiahou Yuan had actually lost!
And he was suppressed so decisively with a single palm.
This was simply enough to shock everyone into numbness.
The powerhouses of the Xiahou family had their faces involuntarily twitching, as if Ling Fan's palm had not only slapped the faces of Xiahou Hu and Xiahou Yuan but also the faces of all of them.
"You court death!"
Xiahou Xing's eyes shot out with majestic fury. He could no longer sit still.
He had come here to show off, but their Xiahou family's prestige had been tarnished by a junior, leaving him utterly mortified.
*Boom!*
An extremely terrifying pressure erupted, like a tidal wave, fiercely sweeping in all directions.
Xiahou Xing, like an enraged deity, suddenly grabbed towards Ling Fan.
"Stop! Have you caused enough trouble?"
Just then.
Zhou Fusheng could no longer hold back.
Xiahou Hu and Xiahou Yuan were one thing.
No matter how much they bickered, it was still a conflict among the younger generation.
But once Xiahou Xing made a move, the nature of the situation changed.
A slight misstep could trigger a war between the two Saint General families. In such a life-or-death moment, even he could not bear the consequences.
Zhou Fusheng's inaction was one thing, but his move displayed the formidable strength of the current Zhou family patriarch. He unleashed a punch, silencing the heavens and earth, with only his punch shattering the void and blocking Xiahou Xing's hand.
Xiahou Xing's body trembled, and he retreated three to four steps before stopping himself, a hint of apprehension in his eyes.
However, he was also a formidable figure, unwilling to suffer such a loss easily. He still pressed on, saying, "Patriarch Zhou, are you determined to interfere in the affairs between our Xiahou clan and this brat? He dared to slap the faces of our Xiahou family members; this is a naked provocation, and I will never tolerate him!"
Zhou Fusheng's expression was grim, and he said, "Patriarch Xiahou, restrain yourself. Xiahou Hu and Xiahou Yuan were inferior in skill and were suppressed; this is their own lack of mastery. As an elder, how can you interfere in the disputes of the younger generation and escalate the conflict! This is a critical time, and we should unite our forces to deal with the external enemy, not engage in infighting and deplete our strength!"
Xiahou Xing replied, "Patriarch Zhou, rest assured, our Xiahou clan's assistance in defending against the external enemy is sufficient. This person is arrogant and ignorant, audacious and reckless. Failure to kill him is insufficient to appease the wrath of our Xiahou clan."
Zhou Fusheng had initially thought that Xiahou Xing would stop at his behest, but who knew that Xiahou Xing would not give him any face at all and would still be so domineering, intending to deal with Ling Fan. This made his expression turn somewhat displeased.
"Patriarch Xiahou, please consider the bigger picture!"
Zhou Fusheng said, suppressing his anger.
Xiahou Xing sneered, "The bigger picture? The attitude of our Xiahou clan is the bigger picture! Patriarch Zhou, I won't beat around the bush with you. In a word, if you support this brat, our Xiahou clan will leave immediately. If you support our Xiahou clan, then do not obstruct me."
"You!"
Patriarch Xiahou Xing had not expected Xiahou Xing to be so ruthless, daring to threaten him with such a matter.
"Patriarch Xiahou, do you think our Zhou family cannot do without you! Don't forget your Xiahou family's status."
Other Zhou family powerhouses could not help but speak up.