On the other side.
Murong Feng barely escaped with his life. Still shaken, he rushed back to the prefectural office with the gravely injured Mister Zhang and Mister Qi to report to Prefect Kane Ji.
Kane Ji, in his forties with a small mustache, wasn't highly cultivated—only late Law-Phase—but his entire bearing radiated authority.
The entire Central Domain was covered by an ancient super-formation.
This ancient super-formation wasn't built by the Central Empire—it had existed since antiquity.
Although the Central Empire didn't construct the super-formation, its emperor could use the Great Emperor's Jade Seal to channel its power.
Legend had it that if the ancient super-formation was fully activated, it could even annihilate gods.
The official seals held by civil officials and the heads of martial halls in every prefecture and city were modeled after the Great Emperor's Jade Seal, crafted by special means, and could draw on a portion of the ancient super-formation's power.
Take Kane Ji for example: though his cultivation was only late Law-Phase, with his official seal he could borrow energy from the ancient super-formation and temporarily wield the power of an eighth-tier War General.
After hearing Murong Feng's report, Kane Ji frowned slightly, flipped his palm, and a bronze-colored official seal appeared in his hand.
In the next moment, the official seal suddenly burst into radiant light and floated above his head. His vision expanded rapidly, soon covering all of Skywind City.
He quickly noticed something strange at the Tanner estate. To his surprise, the entire compound was enveloped by a grand formation. With a thought, he increased the power flowing into the seal, trying to pierce the formation and see what was happening inside.
"Huh?"
Inside the Tanner estate, Ian Song suddenly let out a soft sound and glanced up at the sky. He saw a pair of eyes, peering down and trying to look inside the formation.
"Hmph!"
He snorted coldly and waved his hand, slashing through the air.
A terrifying strand of sword-qi shot straight at the eyes. With a crisp sound, the eyes shattered instantly.
Back in the prefectural office.
Kane Ji screamed, clutching his eyes as blood streamed through his fingers.
"Prefect!"
"Prefect, what's wrong?"
Murong Feng and the others were shocked by the sight.
Kane Ji waved his blood-stained hand and said in a deep voice, "Something's happened inside the Tanner estate. There must be a presence comparable to a ninth-tier War General!"
"What?"
Everyone gasped again. A ninth-tier War General was no ordinary figure—there were fewer than a thousand of them in the entire Central Domain.
And in a mid-tier city like Skywind, a ninth-tier War General was simply unheard of.
"Prefect, what should we do?" Murong Feng asked nervously.
Kane Ji looked helpless. "Play deaf and dumb. Report to Lord Wanyang immediately!"
The Central Empire's administrative hierarchy was, from highest to lowest: Empire—State—Prefecture—County—District.
Skywind City was the prefectural seat of Jinhua Prefecture.
Kane Ji held a fifth-rank prefect's title. Above him was Lord Wanyang, the Lu State governor. Lu State had sixteen prefectures and 987 counties, and the governor's rank was third-rank.
Lord Wanyang himself was an eighth-tier War General. With his governor's seal, he could channel the ancient super-formation's power and suppress even ninth-tier War Generals.
The scene shifted back to the Tanner estate.
Having been slapped and left with five humiliating finger marks on his face, Owen Tanner was both shocked and furious. He also felt a new, inexplicable wariness toward Ian Song.
Several elderly figures arrived—Tanner clan elders, each with the power of a sixth-tier War General.
Owen glanced at Flora, suppressed his anger, and fixed his gaze on Ian. "Who are you? Why are you making trouble for the Tanner Clan?"
"My name is Evan Chu," Ian replied calmly.
"Evan Chu?"
Owen searched his memory for the name but came up empty. "May I ask your purpose here?"
"To kill."
Ian slowly uttered two words.
Owen Tanner's pupils contracted sharply, and his anger could no longer be contained. "It seems the Tanner Clan has never offended you, has it?"
Ian glanced at Flora and continued, "You haven't offended me, but you slaughtered every member of my maid's family—several thousand people!"
Owen was stunned, thoughts racing through his mind. After a moment, he replied, "Regarding the Hua Clan, I truly regret what happened. It was all the result of that rebellious son acting on his own. But now he's already died at Miss Hua's hand—karma and retribution!"
"Heh!"
Ian sneered, "You make it sound so nice. The Hua Clan was a major family in Skywind City back then. Could Tang Dilon have acted without your approval as the patriarch? Without support from the Tanner Clan's experts, could he have wiped out the Hua Clan alone?"
Exposed, Owen's eyes flashed with embarrassment and anger. "Then what do you want?"
"Blood for blood, of course!" Ian said.
Owen's eyes narrowed, a murderous gleam flickering within. He knew there'd be no peaceful resolution today, so he said coldly, "Do you really think you can 'eat' the Tanner Clan that easily?"
"That's right, I intend to devour you!" Ian nodded seriously.
"Hmph! The Tanner Clan has stood firm in Skywind City for years—we aren't without our own backing. If you leave now and hand Flora over to us, I'll let bygones be bygones. Otherwise..."
As he spoke, Owen's aura erupted. From deep within the estate, another powerful force shot forth, echoing his own.
Whoosh!
A gigantic sword, over a hundred yards long, suddenly soared up from the depths of the Tanner estate, radiating endless sword-light. Its chilling aura made thousands tremble, and it hovered overhead, locking onto the souls of Ian and his group.
Grand Abyss—the Tanner Clan's clan-protecting Imperial Armament!
A savage grin appeared on Owen's face. With a casual gesture, the hundred-yard Imperial Armament slashed down toward Ian.
The might of an Imperial Armament could shake even ninth-tier War Generals.
But Ian only smiled with disdain.
"Imperial Armament, my ass. I can break it with one hand!"
The next moment, he threw out a light punch to meet the attack.
For a moment, a bizarre scene unfolded before everyone's eyes: on one side was the awe-inspiring Imperial Armament, radiating supreme power; on the other, a handsome young man, seemingly insignificant beneath its shadow, throwing a punch.
At that instant, everyone felt the same thing—like an ant trying to shake a tree.
But the result...
Crack!
Fist and Imperial Armament collided in midair. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a piercing crack.
Time seemed to freeze, but in the next moment...
Crack, crack, crack!
A series of shattering sounds rang out—the awe-inspiring Imperial Armament broke apart, scattering into countless fragments...
Owen Tanner's savage grin froze. The next second, he erupted into a hysterical roar: "This... this can't be! How could the Imperial Armament shatter!"