"Who are you calling dogs?! I'll fucking kill you!"
At least half of the guards in that room charged at Su Yang with their weapons raised, their gaze filled with killing intent.
"Halt!"
The middle-aged man suddenly roared, causing the air in the room to shake.
The guards immediately froze their movements.
"Return to your positions," said Lord Xie.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Although they were reluctant, the guards returned to their positions. However, their gaze was still fixated on Su Yang and filled with killing intent.
"Senior Zhong, is he the individual who killed in my city?" Lord Xie asked him.
"Reporting to His Majesty! I do not believe he is the culprit!"
"Hoh? Explain to me why you think he is innocent. You were the one who said the Sword Intent belonged to him. Or is he not Xiao Yang?"
"Xiao Yang is an alias. His real name is Su Yang," said Senior Zhong. "As for why I believe he's innocent… it's because he has an alibi."
"An alias, huh? That's not uncommon amongst cultivators." Lord Xie pondered to himself.
"Let me hear his alibi."
Senior Zhong showed hesitation when Lord Xie asked such a question.
"What's the matter, Senior Zhong? Why are you hesitating? Or is there something to hide?" Lord Xie pressed on.
Senior Zhong sighed inwardly and spoke, "When this one went to visit the Profound Blossom Sect at their hotel, Su Yang was cultivating, and it was confirmed by the Profound Blossom Sect's Sect Master that he has been at it since they arrived at the hotel before the murder had occurred. Therefore, it's simply impossible for him to have committed the crime."
Lord Xie looked at Senior Zhong with a puzzled expression and said, "What kind of an alibi is that, Senior Zhong? How do we know that he did not sneak off during his cultivation? Or was that Sect Master by his side the entire time?" Lord Xie questioned him.
"Your Majesty… the cultivation I am referring to is not your normal cultivation but… dual cultivation…" Senior Zhong nearly choked when he said that.
"W-What did you just say?" Lord Xie's expression turned stiff from surprise.
"Su Yang… he was not cultivating alone… In fact, there were two other ladies by his side when I saw him… and they even seemed quite exhausted..."
After Senior Zhong finished his sentence, the entire placed turned dead silent.
"What the hell is this about, anyway?" Su Yang suddenly opened his mouth to speak, breaking the silence. "First you interrupt my cultivation session, then you dragged me all the way out here, and now I am being judged like some kind of a criminal? If you don't have a good explanation for this, even if you are the Xie Family, don't blame me for being rude."
"Shut your damn mouth! Who gave you permission to speak?! And you have been nothing but rude since the moment you stepped into this room!" One of the guards roared at him.
"..." Lord Xie stared at Su Yang with a doubtful gaze. If he did not kill the sect elder then who did?
"If Senior Zhong believes that he's innocent, then I will no longer pursue this issue with him," said Lord Xie a moment later.
He then turned to look at Su Yang.
"You are the first one I have met that dares to act so arrogantly before my Xie Family. However, I will leave that aside for now. Xiao… Su Yang, right? I only have one simple question for you."
Lord Xie narrowed his eyes, looking like he was prepared to kill Su Yang if he answered incorrectly, and continued, "What is your relationship with my daughter?"
"We are only acquaintances that have exchanged a few words before. There is nothing between us," said Su Yang with a calm voice.
"Is that so?" Lord Xie remained suspicious of Su Yang's relationship with his daughter, Xie Xingfang. After all, the way Xie Xingfang reacts towards his name suggests something much more intimate.
"Although we are only acquaintances right now, that will change in the future."
Su Yang suddenly continued to speak.
"W-What did you just say?"
Not just Lord Xie, but even Senior Zhong looked at him with wide eyes filled with shock.
"Since you are her father, I ought to let you know in advance that I plan on becoming more than just acquaintances with your daughter," said Su Yang with a smile on his face. "Not only is she a gentle beauty but her body is quite special and impressive, too."
"The audacity!"
Killing intent suddenly filled the room.
However, it was not the guards that emitted such killing intent. Instead, it was Lord Xie, who was looking at Su Yang as though he was already a dead man.
Lord Xie is a tolerable man with great patience, hence why he did not take Su Yang's arrogant behavior to heart. However, when it comes to his precious daughter, he becomes almost an entirely different individual.
"I dare you to mention my daughter one more time!"
The profound energy of a peak Heavenly Spirit Realm expert emitted from Lord Xie's body as he stood up and approached Su Yang with a threatening aura.
However, Su Yang was not the type to cower under pressure. In fact, he only thrives during such situations.
"What's wrong with me revealing my feelings for your daughter? Is it a crime? I cannot imagine how many other men in this world besides myself want to hold such a fairy."
"You bastard!"
Without any warning, Lord Xie threw a punch at Su Yang with almost his entire cultivation base behind it.
Su Yang smiled at the incoming attack and also punched forward.
Boom!
When their fists met, the Profound Qi in their punches exploded, causing the entire building to tremble. If not for the defensive array that protected this place, the Xie Family's household would have crumbled to the ground from their exchange just now.
"Aaah!"
Lord Xie flew backward from the impact, landing a few meters away.
"Your Majesty!"
The guards panicked for a moment, but when they saw that Lord Xie was fine, they released a sigh of relief.
As for Su Yang, he only took a single step backward after the impact.
"You…" Lord Xie looked at Su Yang with a shocked expression, seemingly in disbelief.
To think that he, a peak Heavenly Spirit Realm Cultivator, would lose to this nobody in an exchange that used only their Profound Qi; it was simply too shocking.
"How dare you raise your hands against His Majesty! Forfeit your life right now!"
The guards in the room quickly sprang into action and charged at Su Yang with their weapons raised, and even Senior Zhong had retrieved his sword.
"Wait!"
Lord Xie suddenly roared.
"Y-Your Majesty!"
The guards couldn't understand why Lord Xie would restrain them even at this point. Are they only allowed to act after he's dead?
"Did you not just witness our exchange?! None of you are his match — even if you all group up together!" Lord Xie quickly said.
"..."
The guards gnashed their teeth. Even if all of them banded together, they would not defeat Lord Xie, much less Su Yang, who easily repelled his attack.
"Su Yang… you… who are you? No… are you an enemy or foe?"
Senior Zhong asked him with a frown. After witnessing Su Yang's exchange with Lord Xie, it was obvious to him that even he cannot defeat him. Although he may be hailed as the strongest Sword Master in the Eastern Continent, he is still many steps behind Lord Xie in terms of cultivation.
"Don't worry, I did not come here today to purposely cause trouble," said Su Yang with a calm expression. "If I wanted to harm your Xie Family, I would've done it when we first met."
"Then what is the meaning of all this?!"
"I just wanted to prove something, that's all."
"Prove? What are you trying to prove here?" Lord Xie asked him with a puzzled expression.
"You will know that sooner or later," said Su Yang with a mysterious smile.
"By the way, I was speaking just to provoke you to attack me just now; I hope you do not take it the heart."
"..."
The room instantly turned silent.
"As for my relationship with the Young Lady, we really have nothing special going on, and I do not plan on chasing after her."
Although Xie Xingfang is a top beauty and even has a Heavenly Constitution, it is not something that could make Su Yang chase after her, much less crazy for her, as she is simply not qualified. But this is something that he would never say out loud.
"Anyway, if you brought me here just for these two things, then I will take my leave now."
Su Yang turned around and began making his way towards the exit.
"W-Wait!" Lord Xie suddenly stopped him.
Su Yang stopped walking and turned around to look at Lord Xie. "Make it quick. I have people anxiously waiting for my return, as our cultivation session was interrupted by someone here," he said with a nonchalant voice.