Chapter 92: The Furious Xu Tianlong!

"Yang Yan, how are you? Are your injuries serious?!"

As Yang Yan, Zhang Lin, and the others were animatedly recounting their experiences and encounters within the Hundred Hunts Arena with Zhang Tai, a voice tinged with concern and urgency suddenly rang out behind them.

Yang Yan turned sharply, only to see Liu Zhengqing hurrying toward him, his face full of worry.

"I'm fine, just some superficial wounds. What about you—did you gain anything?" Yang Yan replied with a faint smile.

"Not bad..." Liu Zhengqing looked Yang Yan up and down. Seeing that his injuries were indeed nothing serious as he claimed, Liu Zhengqing finally relaxed. He raised the identity badge in his hand and smiled.

"Second place, huh? Who took first, then?!"

Noticing the slight tension in Yang Yan's expression, Liu Zhengqing seemed to understand his thoughts and let out a sly chuckle. "Don't worry, first place didn't go to that guy. Your 'little sweetheart' took it..."

Before he could finish, Zhang Tai and Ziling, standing to the side, both looked startled. Zhang Tai managed to keep his composure, but Ziling glared at him like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her big, bright eyes nearly spitting fire.

"Ahem..." Seeing this, Liu Zhengqing wisely swallowed the rest of his words, coughed awkwardly, and changed the subject. "But the people from Jade Sword Pavilion were cunning. When they saw that I and your... Sun Zhixin were closing in fast, they split Leng Yuetian's 'Soul Hunt Points' among their own badges and scattered to delay us. Though we chased and fought hard, we couldn't seize all of the Jade Sword Pavilion's badges. In the end, those crafty fellows funneled what was left of their points into Leng Yuetian's badge, securing him a spot as a disciple of Azure Profundity Sect..."

"I see..." Yang Yan frowned slightly as he listened. He hadn't expected the Jade Sword Pavilion crew to be so sly, coming up with such a ploy to stall for time and ultimately ensure Leng Yuetian's qualification for the sect.

After being teleported out of the hunting grounds, everyone's ranking was determined by their Soul Hunt Points, and there was no room left for dispute. Still, Yang Yan was relieved that at least first place hadn't gone to Leng Yuetian.

Leng Yuetian's earlier display of strength had left Yang Yan feeling quite troubled—especially the 'Four Swords of Annihilation' technique, which had nearly forced him into a corner. This was the first time Yang Yan's pale blue spiritual power had failed to grant him any decisive advantage, ringing a warning bell in his heart. That blue power within him was not invincible; its might had been greatly diminished by Leng Yuetian's formidable sword technique.

Had Leng Yuetian won first place and claimed the Spirit-Breaking Pill, after taking it, he would reach the fifth layer of the Sensing Spirit Realm. With Yang Yan's current strength, he would be no match for him. But thankfully, the worst had not come to pass.

His thoughts shifted as he glanced toward the Sun family. There, beside the elegant, middle-aged woman, the young girl stood quietly, her face once again showing that cool, distant air she often carried. Seemingly sensing Yang Yan's gaze, Sun Zhixin looked over, her lovely but aloof visage tinged with a rare, rosy blush before she glanced away.

"What a keen spiritual perception..." Yang Yan was momentarily dazed, then couldn't help but marvel inwardly. To notice his scrutiny among such a crowd—perhaps only Sun Zhixin among their peers was capable of this.

"Shaoguang! Who could have dealt such a cruel hand?!"

Suddenly, a voice filled with grief and fury roared from the ranks of the Xu family, drawing the attention of many present.

At the forefront of the Xu family camp lay a heap of white bones, still stained with traces of blood. The upper torso remained clad in a silver-white inner armor, while the limbs had been severed cleanly with a sharp blade, the smoothness of the cuts attesting to the torment endured before death.

Before entering the Hundred Hunts Arena, every contestant had a drop of their blood collected by Azure Profundity Sect. Using this as a marker, once the trials ended and the arena closed, all participants—dead or alive—would be teleported back to their faction's camp. The pile of bones now before the Xu family was, without doubt, all that remained of Xu Shaoguang.

"You little wretch, I'll skin you alive!"

A furious roar erupted again from the Xu family. All eyes watched as Xu Tianlong, his face twisted and eyes bloodshot, shot up like a cannonball, hurtling toward the Zhang family camp. His fist, the size of a sandbag, was instantly wreathed in blazing red spiritual power, and his target was none other than Yang Yan!

Xu Tianlong had been one of the plotters who colluded with Jade Sword Pavilion against Yang Yan in the arena. Now, seeing Yang Yan emerge unscathed while his own son had died so miserably, the culprit was obvious.

Such a sudden outburst saw those from other factions hastily retreating; none had expected someone to break out in open violence right under the Azure Profundity Sect's nose.

"Xu Tianlong, do you think the Zhang family is defenseless?"

Zhang Tai, standing before Yang Yan, narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. The aura of a fifth-layer Spiritual Communion Realm cultivator burst forth, sweeping outward like a tangible storm.

At the same time, emerald-green wood spiritual power gathered on his right fist, and he met Xu Tianlong's onrushing attack with a simple, powerful punch.

A thunderous boom exploded as the two fists collided, unleashing a tempest of energy that sent the weaker onlookers tumbling to the ground.

In the aftermath, both men parted instantly. Xu Tianlong was sent flying, landing and stumbling back dozens of steps before he could steady himself, his scarred face flushed. In contrast, the slender Zhang Tai had only retreated half a step—an immediate testament to who held the advantage.

"Zhang Tai, if you don't hand over that brat today, I swear your Zhang family will pay in blood for this!"

Suppressing his churning energy, Xu Tianlong glared at Zhang Tai and bellowed.

"Hmph, if you want to swallow the Zhang family whole, let's see if you're up to the task!" Zhang Tai retorted coldly, leaving no room for negotiation. Handing over Yang Yan was even harder than surrendering his own name.

"Fine, very well!" Xu Tianlong laughed furiously, his face contorted with rage and madness. With a wave of his hand, dozens of Xu family experts surged forward, moving to encircle the Zhang family camp.

As tensions soared between the two sides, others looked on with anticipation, ready for a spectacle. Even the Jade Sword Pavilion, despite its ties to the Xu family, offered no assistance, unwilling to risk incurring Azure Profundity Sect's wrath for the sake of Xu family's vendetta.

"The outer perimeter of the Hundred Hunts Arena strictly forbids private duels. Any faction seeking trouble here will find itself erased from Jinzhou by order of the Azure Profundity Sect!"