Chapter 89: Commanding Awe Over the Entire Audience

"Of course it's because... I'm a Foundation Establishment cultivator!" Shen Yan's voice paused slightly, and before he finished speaking, a fierce sword light flared from his body. In the next instant, the sword light split into two and slashed mercilessly toward Liu Jing and Xiang Chunfang!

"You're Foundation Establishment...?" The two were shocked, but before they could react, the terrifying sword light appeared out of nowhere, and an intense sense of danger surged in their hearts.

Zhou Shun, when still at the Qi Refining stage, could unleash sword techniques with Foundation Establishment-level power... and now his opponent was actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator...

This thought flashed through their minds simultaneously, but there was no time left to think further. They understood that if they hesitated even a moment longer, Shen Yan's sword light would wound them severely!

"Damn it!" Liu Jing roared furiously. He was closest to Shen Yan and completely unprepared for the sudden attack. All he could do was summon a shield of true essence and retreat madly, trying to retrieve his magic artifact for defense.

But Shen Yan had mastered the Azure Lotus Sword Technique to perfection; this was a deliberate ambush, his killing intent chilling and resolute. It was not something Liu Jing could fend off so easily.

The dazzling sword light struck Liu Jing directly, piercing through his body. If not for his deep Foundation Establishment cultivation, that single strike would have claimed his life.

Even so, Liu Jing was now covered in blood, gravely wounded by Shen Yan's sword. One more strike would be enough to finish him.

Yet Shen Yan suddenly stayed his hand, turning his gaze to Xiang Chunfang, who stood not far away, blood at the corners of his mouth and looking quite wretched. Shen Yan raised his sword-like brows.

"Fellow Daoist, might you consider retreating a step or two?"

Xiang Chunfang stared at Shen Yan, his face dark and gloomy. Rage surged in his heart, yet Shen Yan's earlier sword strike had made it clear—the other's strength was far above his own. He didn't know why Shen Yan had suddenly attacked, taking on two at once, but for the sake of his own life, he obediently retreated.

"Damn it... Zhou Shun... what are you trying to do?" Liu Jing gasped for breath. The sword light from the Azure Spirit Sword carried a fierce energy, which continued to destroy his true essence within, preventing him from healing himself.

Behind Liu Jing, a group of Qi Refining disciples were terrified, speechless with fear. Who could have imagined that the supposed hero of Jade Immortal Sect would suddenly assault his own sect's elder?

"He's not Zhou Shun."

Suddenly, a cold voice rose from the crowd, and everyone quickly turned to the speaker.

"Yang Yun... are you Yang Yun from Quiet Cloud Island? What makes you say he's not Zhou Shun?"

The speaker was indeed Yang Yun. She had hidden herself among the crowd earlier, unnoticed by Shen Yan. Now that he realized she was here, a pleased smile spread across his face.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect you to follow Liu Jing here, Yang Yun. I thought you'd stay on Quiet Cloud Island until you reached Foundation Establishment before coming out." Shen Yan looked at Yang Yun, his gaze like a hungry wolf eyeing a lamb, causing her to instinctively step back.

However, Shen Yan had called her by name, and he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Suppressing her unease, she asked uncertainly, "You know me?"

Shen Yan chuckled, pointing leisurely in the direction of Jinzhou Prefecture. "I was the one who accepted the task to protect your father. Have you forgotten?"

At his words, Yang Yun's brows furrowed. Indeed, she had issued a task to protect her father on Quiet Cloud Island, and Zhou Shun and Ling Qian were the ones who took it. That was why she dared claim Shen Yan was not Zhou Shun.

Now, since he could expose that matter so easily, either the real Zhou Shun had died long ago and this man had assumed his identity to take the task, or Zhou Shun had died at his hands...

Thinking of this, Yang Yun's face turned pale as a sheet. No matter if he'd replaced Zhou Shun or later impersonated him, it meant the Yang family had already fallen under his scrutiny...

"You... you didn't do anything to my..." Yang Yun's voice trembled. She wasn't afraid that Shen Yan had killed members of the Yang family; to her, even if everyone in the Yang household died at his hands, it meant nothing.

After all, she was now a cultivator, indifferent to the lives of mortals.

What mattered to her were the two retainers in the Yang household. Those two held the location of a Foundation Establishment cave.

"Are you referring to Yang Ze?" Shen Yan tilted his head, looking at Yang Yun with feigned curiosity. Seeing her face grow more and more grim, his satisfaction soared.

"Could it be this person?" Shen Yan took out a box made of sea-stone from his storage pouch and tossed it to Yang Yun.

"See if it's him."

Yang Yun caught the box instinctively, about to open it, when Shen Yan produced another box from his storage pouch.

"Or this one...?"

"Or perhaps this?"

"If none of them are, there are plenty more in the storage pouch. Take your time."

With that, Shen Yan threw the storage pouch to Yang Yun. His words were casual, but his actions were cruel.

Yang Yun opened the stone box and saw her father's shriveled head. Her expression did not change. She stuffed the head into the storage pouch and, suddenly calm, looked at Shen Yan.

"You killed Yang Lie as well, didn't you?"

"What a cold-blooded woman," Shen Yan tutted. He answered her query with a nonchalant nod.

"That's right, I killed Yang Lie. But I did it for your own good. You probably don't know that Yang Lie had betrayed you, colluding with Jade Shuo Peak. If I hadn't killed him, you would have been doomed by the two true disciples together. I couldn't bear to let that happen."

At this, everyone understood—this Zhou Shun seemed to have some deep and bitter enmity with Yang Yun.

He had slaughtered the entire Yang family, impersonated Zhou Shun to stay close to Yang Yun, and investigated those around her one by one.

A chill went through the crowd. What kind of hatred could drive someone to such extremes?

Especially Liu Jing, who now looked at Yang Yun with hatred, wishing he could flay her alive. It was all because of Yang Yun; if not for her, how could Zhou Shun have ambushed him so successfully?

Yang Yun took a deep breath to steady herself. She tied the storage pouch at her waist and stared at Shen Yan.

"Who are you, really?"

Her master, Immortal Yu Xing, had passed by the Yang family twelve years ago and chosen her to train at the Jade Immortal Sect. Strictly speaking, she had only been in the cultivation world for just over a decade; how could she have provoked such a formidable enemy?

Though the opponent's cultivation appeared to be at the late Qi Refining stage, he had managed to severely wound Elder Liu Jing with a single strike, and since he admitted to being Foundation Establishment, his strength must be at least mid-Foundation Establishment.

With such cultivation, if she had truly caused such trouble, would he still need to hide in the shadows?