Chapter 172: Chapter 172: All Rise
The crowd below only saw Yang Fei stride toward Yan Zhongshan, but no one felt the terrifying murderous intent and oppression like Yan Zhongshan did.
However, when Yan Zhongshan suddenly made the first move, attacking Yang Fei, many people showed strange expressions on their faces.
Damn, wasn’t it said that to avoid making it seem like bullying the weaker, the other party should strike first?
Since when did respected seniors become so shameless, actually resorting to trickery?
At that moment, many young people secretly despised him, but everyone’s eyes were wide open, not wanting to miss the spectacle.
Yan Zhongshan was like a javelin, darting out like a dragon whenever he moved.
He turned into a blur, instantly appearing in front of Yang Fei, and violently slapped toward Yang Fei’s forehead.
A flash of cold light appeared in Yang Fei’s eyes, he held nothing back, unleashing a powerful move right from the start.
Sky Splitting Divine Fist, first form, Po Gang!
That day when he fought Xu Yingluo, he had used this move and Xu Yingluo had been directly crippled.
Now, Yang Fei’s strength had grown significantly stronger than it had been on Yun Mountain, already at fifty percent of his peak strength. Facing the public of the Martial World, he intended to establish his dominance, to let everyone know that Yang Fei was not to be trifled with, thus he unleashed his full power right at the start, aiming to kill Yan Zhongshan with one strike!
"Bang!"
The fist and palm collided.
The fierce energy explosion scattered, transforming into invisible waves of Qi that radiated in all directions. The soft, thick mats on the ground were cut open by several sharp slashes.
"Splurt!"
A mouthful of old blood spurted out of Yan Zhongshan’s mouth.
His body flew out of the platform like a kite with its string cut, landing heavily on the ground seven or eight meters away, struggling symbolically a few times before becoming still.
One move, just one move.
A one-strike kill meant instantly ending his opponent, not even allowing him a chance to utter another word.
Silence!
The vast fighting arena, previously somewhat noisy, became utterly quiet following Yan Zhongshan’s death from that single punch.
The majority of the people were dazed, somewhat unsure of what had just happened.
Some martial artists in the middle late stage of Inner Strength, who had decent vision, had seen the entire process clearly, but the shock in their hearts was even greater than those who couldn’t make sense of the situation.
One punch to kill a fifth-grade of Energy Transformation?
Some senior martial artists couldn’t help but rub their eyes, then opened them again to look at Yan Zhongshan’s body.
Still a body, not a trick of the eye.
Could it be an illusion?
Someone pinched the thigh of the person next to him.
"Ah!"
A cry of pain rang out, and that person jumped up, his face full of grievance, "Master, you... why did you pinch me?"
The master, shaken inside, murmured to himself, "It’s not an illusion, it’s... it’s actually real!"
Many people stood up in shock, including Jiang Ziman, Du Minghui, and Li Zhengyi on the chairman’s platform, who also stood up and walked toward Yan Zhongshan’s body.
"Dad... Dad, what... what’s wrong with you, say something!" Yan Cheng was the first to rush to his father’s side and picked him up.
However, Yan Zhongshan’s organs had been shattered, his meridians utterly destroyed; he had already stopped breathing long before, making a response impossible.
Yan Cheng felt no signs of life in his father’s body, and he was shocked, angry, and afraid.
How could this have happened?
His father had long been a notable martial artist in the Jiangnan Martial World, a high-ranked master in the Middle Third Grade of Energy Transformation Realm, not low in rank and rich in real combat experience. He had once defeated a fifth-grade of Energy Transformation when he was only in third-grade, known for being able to challenge those beyond his level.
And now, faced with a young man in his twenties who had no reputation in the Martial World, how could he have been killed with one punch?
Indeed, if it had been a back-and-forth battle where Yan Zhongshan was eventually defeated, people might have accepted it reluctantly.
After all, there was a process of comparing strengths.
But now, Yang Fei had killed Yan Zhongshan with just one move, this was too brutal and straightforward, not giving the audience any time to prepare psychologically, making it truly difficult to accept.
Wang Xiongying, Tong Fujun, Xu Chou, and others were also surrounding Yan Zhongshan’s body, checking his status. After confirming that Yan Zhongshan was indeed lifeless, their faces turned incredibly pale, with Wang Xiongying’s legs trembling so badly that he almost couldn’t stand.
How could this be?
Wasn’t it said that killing this kid would be a breeze?
Didn’t they say that Yan Zhongshan was confident in defeating anyone below the Seventh Rank of Energy Transformation?
Now, how come he’s the one lying flat first?
Or was he killed by an enemy with a single move?
Wang Xiongying’s heart raced wildly, almost cursing Yan Zhongshan’s ancestors for eighteen generations in his shock as he thought of something else.
He had signed his name.
At this moment, Wang Xiongying felt no anger or hatred for avenging his son, but only a tremendous fear for his life.
He looked up at the platform.
He met the indifferent gaze of Yang Fei.
Wang Xiongying’s legs trembled, and he almost soiled himself.
As the current ruler of the Wang Family, he had been a person of great presence and stable mentality, but he wasn’t a martial artist, and seeing the brutal scenes of combat in the martial world now completely shattered his composure.
In the crowd, Zhu Wenjie had already stood up, trembling all over, utterly shocked deep inside, internally screaming, "How is this possible? He... he’s not even much older than me, how can he be so strong?"
Looking at Yang Fei, Zhu Wenjie’s eyes were filled with shock.
Below the platform, Tong Fujun stared at the corpse of Yan Zhongshan, stunned.
It took a long time before he regained his senses, and when he looked at Yang Fei on the platform again, his eyes were filled only with fear.
He was filled with hatred towards Yang Fei, coming today with the sole intention to take Yang Fei’s head back to pacify the spirit of his son in heaven.
He thought it would be an easy task, just waiting for Yan Zhongshan to kill the kid and then take his head and leave.
But he never expected that the kid would have such formidable strength, killing Yan Zhongshan in one move.
This... this revenge, he could not avenge by himself.
Tong Fujun felt a deep sense of powerlessness, eyes filled with reluctance and despair.
But soon, he calmed down, his eyes ablaze with raging fury.
So what if he could kill Yan Zhongshan? The Tong Family has a supremely terrifying powerhouse. As long as he takes action, no matter how strong you are, you will surely die!
Tong Fujun secretly clenched his fists, determined to visit Xuanzhen Temple no matter what, begging on his knees if he had to, to ask his uncle to avenge his son.
Jiang Ziman came next to the corpse of Yan Zhongshan, confirmed after checking, and took a deep cold breath, looking up to Yang Fei on the platform.
At this moment, he finally understood why Qin Yanyang was so calm when she called him this morning.
She had already known the strength of Yang Fei, already aware that Yan Zhongshan was bound to die.
And he had been secretly worried.
But this kid is only twenty-three years old.
How could someone so young be so powerful?
To kill a Fifth Grade of Energy Transformation instantly, he must be at least a Seventh Rank of Energy Transformation, if not higher.
Are the young people of today all so outstanding? How could someone like him, who only stepped into the realm of Energy Transformation in his fifties and sixties, survive in this martial world?
He took a deep look at Yang Fei, attempting to suppress the shock in his heart, and declared loudly, "Yan Zhongshan is dead. In this duel on the Life and Death Platform, Yang Fei wins! After this, both parties must not provoke each other privately, settling their grievances."
Upon hearing this, Yan Cheng, Xu Chou, Wang Xiongying, and others, for some reason, felt a sense of relief.
However, before they could fully exhale, the cold voice of Yang Fei reached their ears, "Yan Zhongshan is dead, yet my grievances with them are not settled. The three who just signed their names, Wang Xiongying, Yan Cheng, and Xu Chou, come forth and meet your deaths!"
Jiang Ziman’s expression shifted slightly, complicating his gaze at Yang Fei.
He had just made that announcement with the intention of putting an end to this feud.
Although Yang Fei was powerful, and had that kind of relationship with Qin Yanyang, he also knew that their marriage was not recognized by the Qin Family, and this matter further involved a certain second young master of the Zhang Family.
So he thought of ending this to keep Yang Fei’s hands cleaner of blood, which wouldn’t have been too extreme, but he hadn’t expected Yang Fei to be so rigid, insisting that the others who had signed must die.
Yet he could not object.
Because Yang Fei was not wrong; he was acting according to the rules of the Martial Arts World.
In the Life and Death Platform, once your name is signed, you must bear the risk of being killed, and even if you don’t step up to the platform, your opponent can kill you at any time without being restricted by the rules of the Martial Alliance.