Ian Song waited in the tavern for less than a day before Brandon Lian showed up alone.
The shopkeeper hurried over and greeted him with excessive courtesy.
Brandon Lian waved impatiently. "Save the nonsense. Just bring me wine—now!"
"Yes, yes!"
The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly and retreated.
Just as Ian was about to trigger his formation, he sensed something odd and held back, deciding to watch instead.
As the shopkeeper brought wine to Brandon Lian, a faint shadow shot out from the shopkeeper’s own shadow, lunging straight at Brandon.
"Can’t even drink in peace—damn you!"
A sudden murderous intent flashed across Brandon Lian’s face. With a casual slap, the shadow exploded into fragments.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper was terrified and immediately knelt to beg for mercy. "Governor, please forgive me! I had no idea…!"
Brandon Lian snatched the wine jug from the shopkeeper’s hand and waved impatiently. "Get lost!"
"Thank you, Governor! Thank you, Governor!"
The shopkeeper kowtowed in gratitude, but as he rose, a pale green dagger appeared in his hand and flashed toward Brandon Lian’s brow like lightning.
Clang!
A thread of force shot from Brandon Lian’s fingertip, shattering the pale green dagger and piercing the shopkeeper’s forehead. With a thud, the shopkeeper’s body hit the ground—dead.
"Brandon Lian really is strong!" Watching Brandon drink alone, Ian silently marveled. Both attackers were Void Realm experts at their peak, yet he killed them with barely any effort.
After draining three cups, Brandon Lian swept his gaze over the tavern crowd and sneered, "Why don’t you all come at me together? That way I can deal with you at once and save myself the trouble!"
"Arrogant!"
"Presumptuous!"
"Brandon Lian, today is the day you die!"
"We’re here to demand your life for the countless wronged souls of the Moonveil God Nation!"
With a shout, the tavern’s patrons all stood up, their suppressed auras exploding out as they charged straight at Brandon Lian.
Hearing ‘Moonveil God Nation,’ Ian recalled a memory from Liam Lin: ten thousand years ago, Dogwood Kingdom allied with North Qin God Nation to destroy Moonveil.
In that war, Brandon Lian commanded an army. He not only killed two Ancestral Realm experts on the battlefield, but after breaching Moonveil’s capital, he went on a killing spree, turning the streets into rivers of blood.
He even personally beheaded Moonveil’s king.
By rights, the Moonveil King was at least Ancestral seventh-layer.
But he was ambushed and gravely wounded by two top experts from North Qin and Dogwood, and after another fierce battle, Brandon Lian ended up taking advantage and finishing him off.
Since Brandon Lian is the Dogwood King’s younger brother, he’s been targeted by Moonveil remnants for assassination many times over the years.
But not once did they succeed—instead, he’s killed plenty of them.
Facing the assault of over a hundred Void Realm experts, Brandon Lian showed no fear. He grabbed the wine jug and chugged, then stood tall. "You’re just a bunch of weaklings. I killed your king myself—if you think you, a bunch of leftovers, can kill me, you’re dreaming!"
The next moment—
He strode forward, waving his hands, and blades formed around him. Each blade carried terrifying cutting power; as he swept them out, more than a dozen Moonveil remnants were sliced in half.
He became a tiger among sheep, slaughtering as he charged. In less than ten breaths, more than half of the hundred-plus Moonveil remnants were sliced in two.
Seeing this, Ian narrowed his eyes slightly.
He wondered why Brandon Lian didn’t just kill them outright—why only slice them in half?
Was it because he’s cruel and likes torture, or did he have another motive?
"Ah, I get it!"
Ian suddenly sensed the truth: Brandon Lian was doing this to provoke the person hiding behind the scenes, trying to draw them out.
Sure enough—
As soon as he sensed a faint, almost imperceptible aura fluctuation, Brandon Lian noticed it too. He whipped his head toward a patch of empty air and shouted, "Let’s see how long you can keep hiding!"