The entire banquet hall of the Golden Tripod Club fell into a dead silence.
Everyone stared in horror at the young man standing by the entrance, and the figure of Wang Xu, the Wang family's young master, who lay crumpled like a rag doll beside the broken mahogany table. No one could see how the youth had attacked, only that an invisible force had instantly crushed Wang Xu, leaving the grandson of a Foundation Establishment Ancestor completely defenseless.
Qin Wan'er's shock was far greater than anyone else's. Her body went stiff, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, blurring her vision.
That face was the one deeply etched in her soul, the only person she revered in this life and the last, and her Guardian of the Dao. "Master... Master!" Her voice trembled uncontrollably, practically shouting the name with all her might, as if traversing countless spans of time and betrayal.
In Shan Hu's calm gaze, only she received a touch of tenderness. He walked toward her step by step, each stride seeming to land squarely on the heart of every guest present.
"After our last parting, this Emperor has allowed you to suffer injustice," he said. He reached Qin Wan'er, gently wiping the tears from her cheek.
Qin Wan'er finally broke. She rushed into his embrace, clinging tightly to him as if to meld him into her very bones. "I thought, I thought you were dead... Why? Why did you wait until now to return!" She sobbed uncontrollably, all her forced strength and endurance collapsing in that moment.
Shan Hu gently patted her back, isolating her from the clamor of the banquet hall.
"Cough, cough... You! Who the hell are you! How dare you lay a hand on me, Wang Xu?!"
Wang Xu spat out a mouthful of blood, struggling to his feet, his face etched with venomous disbelief. He pointed at Shan Hu, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and fury.
"Do you know who I am? I am the Young Master of the Wang family! My grandfather is Wang Xiaotian, the only Foundation Establishment Ancestor in Longcheng! If you dare to hurt me today, you are declaring war on my Wang family and the entire Longcheng! My grandfather will never forgive you!"
Hearing the name "Wang Xiaotian," the guests in the hall regained a fraction of their senses, retreating further, creating distance between themselves and Shan Hu.
"Ancestor Wang has emerged from seclusion; his cultivation is unfathomable. This young man might be strong, but he is absolutely no match for Ancestor Wang!" "The Qin family is truly finished this time. Is this youth an old friend of Qin Wan'er? By striking now, he has pushed the Qin family into an abyss."
Facing Wang Xu's threats, Shan Hu didn't even grant him a direct look.
"The Wang family?" Shan Hu scoffed, his voice arrogant and utterly contemptuous of the mortal world. "A piece of trash who has barely entered Foundation Establishment and hasn't even stabilized his foundation dares to bark before this Emperor?"
He wrapped his arm around Qin Wan'er's waist, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall, his voice like the proclamation of a supreme decree:
"From this day forward, Qin Wan'er is under this Emperor's protection. The grievances between the Qin and Wang families will be borne by this Emperor alone. Go back and tell Wang Xiaotian to immediately prepare his coffin. Within three days, this Emperor will personally visit him and take his life."
These words were like a sudden thunderclap, shattering the minds of everyone present. To openly challenge a Foundation Establishment Ancestor by name—what kind of arrogance and hubris was this?
Shan Hu wasted no more time. Holding the weeping Qin Wan'er, his figure blurred, and he vanished from the entrance of the Golden Tripod Club as if teleporting.
Longcheng, Wang Family Estate.
Wang Xu, supported by several attendants, staggered back like a dog who had lost its home. Ignoring his injuries, he immediately rushed toward the Wang family's secluded cultivation ground.
"Grandfather! Grandfather, please emerge quickly! Your grandson was severely wounded by a madman! That person threatened to come here and take your life within three days!"
Inside the stone chamber, an elder with a profound aura and radiating immense True Essence pressure suddenly opened his eyes. He was the sole Foundation Establishment Ancestor of Longcheng—Wang Xiaotian.
He sensed the chaotic True Essence and damaged Sea of Consciousness within Wang Xu, and his face turned ashen.
"Dare to injure my grandson? And threaten to take this old man's life?" Wang Xiaotian was so furious he laughed, a trace of blood-red light flashing in his eyes. "Arrogant! He clearly has a death wish!"
He took a step out of the stone chamber, and the powerful Foundation Establishment pressure instantly engulfed the entire Wang family estate.
"Issue the order! Immediately find out the identity of this person! I want to see who, in my Longcheng, has the audacity to challenge the authority of my Wang family!"
Longcheng was completely shaken that night. A mysterious young man, with just a single sentence, had terrified a top club, severely injured the Wang family's young master, and issued a death challenge to a Foundation Establishment Ancestor.
Shan Hu's return was destined to be a bloody storm that would entirely reshape the power dynamic of Longcheng.