"Hey, isn't he being a bit too reckless?" Fang Ziqian remarked, glancing at Lin Qian hovering in the air and tapping Li Yunfeng on the shoulder. "Is this really okay? If something happens to him, my old man will kill me."
"Hmm?" Hearing Fang Ziqian's words, Yang Tianhao also looked surprised and spoke with confusion, "My master also gave strict orders that if anything happens to Lin Qian, my junior and I shouldn't even think about returning alive."
The two of them exchanged bewildered glances before both turned to look at Li Yunfeng.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Li Yunfeng sighed and said, "My grandmaster also privately instructed me to take good care of Brother Lin, even if it means sacrificing my own life to protect him."
With that, the three of them stared at each other in astonishment, all wondering why their elders had placed such importance on Lin Qian.
Even Ye Xin, standing nearby, looked curiously at the three of them. Why did all three of them receive the same instructions to protect Lin Qian? What was going on?
"If all three of us have the same responsibility, is it really okay to let him act so recklessly?" Fang Ziqian asked, looking up with concern at Lin Qian.
Seeing Fang Ziqian's worry, Li Yunfeng and Yang Tianhao exchanged glances and then burst into laughter.
Fang Ziqian, baffled by their laughter, asked, "How can you two be laughing in this situation? Shouldn't we be getting ready to help?"
But before he could finish, two hands rested on his shoulders as Li Yunfeng and Yang Tianhao stood on either side of him.
"Brother Lin's strength isn't just at the Life and Death Realm Body Tier," Li Yunfeng said, giving Fang Ziqian a knowing look. "You're confident because you have power, right? So why assume that Brother Lin is arrogant without the strength to back it up?"
Thinking back to the terrifying power Lin Qian had shown when dealing with the Swift Shadow Tribe, Yang Tianhao also chuckled bitterly. "Not long ago, I was in a dangerous situation, and it was this very person—who I was supposed to protect—who ended up saving my life."
Hearing Li Yunfeng and Yang Tianhao both praise Lin Qian, Fang Ziqian's curiosity and interest in Lin Qian's abilities only grew. He now wanted to see for himself what kind of strength Lin Qian had to be so confident in facing Qin Feiyu and his group.
It wasn't just Fang Ziqian; all the other geniuses present also focused their attention on Lin Qian. However, many of them believed that Lin Qian would soon pay the price for his arrogance.
"Since childhood, no one has ever dared to speak to me like this," Qin Feiyu growled, his face contorted with rage as he glared at Lin Qian. "I'll rip your head off and use it as a chamber pot, and I'll make your woman my plaything."
"Third Prince, that woman is quite a beauty. How about sharing her with us?" The prince of Wei Kingdom leered at Ye Xin, his expression full of lust.
Beside him, the prince of Qiu Kingdom also showed approval. "Indeed, such a gem shouldn't go to waste."
Ye Xin trembled with fury, her face as cold as ice.
In the air, Lin Qian's expression turned equally cold as his voice dripped with frost. "If your goal was to anger me, then congratulations—you've succeeded!"
Boom!
Suddenly, an overwhelming imperial pressure erupted from Lin Qian's body. Scarlet-gold lightning soul power surged around him, and his equipment and heart of soul power materialized, completing his armor.
Gripping the black-gold patterned Thunder Night Sword, Lin Qian's body radiated layers of scarlet-gold light.
"Twelve-layered soul glow!"
As Lin Qian unleashed his full power, the onlookers gasped in shock.
Yang Tianhao and his junior stared in disbelief at Lin Qian, bathed in the scarlet-gold lightning. This was the first time they had seen him unleash his full power.
Even Fang Ziqian's fan slipped from his hand as he stood frozen, staring at the figure in the sky.
Now, Fang Ziqian understood why Lin Qian had been so confident and arrogant—he had every right to be!
Boom!
At that moment, the air behind Lin Qian suddenly exploded, and he vanished in a flash of scarlet-gold lightning.
Many onlookers' pupils contracted as a single thought crossed their minds...
So fast!
In the next instant, Lin Qian reappeared behind Qin Feiyu, standing in front of Qin Yiyi, his eyes cold.
The sudden appearance of Lin Qian startled Qin Yiyi, and her soul power instinctively surged out, forming a defensive barrier in front of her.
Qin Feiyu quickly turned around, but Lin Qian was already faster.
With his Thunder Night Sword crackling with scarlet-gold lightning, Lin Qian slashed through Qin Yiyi's soul power barrier as if it were paper, leaving her defenseless before him.
After shattering the barrier, Lin Qian grabbed Qin Yiyi by the collar and, with a powerful throw, sent her flying toward Ye Xin.
"Xin'er, she's all yours for revenge," Lin Qian said with a smile, raising his eyebrow at Ye Xin.
Ye Xin returned the smile before her face turned icy. Her starry soul power erupted as she charged at the now panicked Qin Yiyi.
"Scoundrel!" Qin Feiyu roared in fury. His soul power armor manifested, and a long golden sword appeared in his hand as he slashed at Lin Qian's chest.
Yet Lin Qian remained standing, unmoving, as Qin Feiyu's sword slashed across his chest.
Slash!
The golden sword, imbued with golden sword energy, cut through Lin Qian's robe, exposing his solid chest beneath. The sword energy, after passing through Lin Qian's scarlet-gold lightning, sparked harmlessly against his chest.
Boom!
The golden sword energy exploded against Lin Qian's chest, forcing Qin Feiyu back several steps in the air. Stabilizing himself, Qin Feiyu looked on in shock—Lin Qian was completely unharmed.
Lin Qian glanced down at his torn robe and the faint white mark on his chest, then looked at Qin Feiyu with a mocking grin. "Is that all you've got, Prince of Qin? Did you even eat today?"