Chapter 110: Smacking Yale In The Face
“Zen, you mongrel, you're lucky you're not dead in the hands of the demon generals.” Yale Zhuge said out loud, a sly smile hanging on his lips.
The disciples of Cloud Sect were positioned in White Emperor City, waiting to be picked up by their overseers. The narrow escape from death had alleviated their sense of danger and granted them much-needed relief. They reveled in their survival for the time being. Laughter rang out in the camp as the usually aggressive disciples engaged in cordial talk. Yale's loud voice broke this harmony and the others whipped their heads in his direction, annoyed at the remark.
“Yale, you were well-behaved in the Sky Forest. Now that we're in White Emperor City, you've become arrogant and rude. Is it because you're confident your brother would protect you?” asked Lenard rather sharply. Before Zen could respond to Yale's words, Lenard and Cleve shifted to move in front of him and blocked Yale's path.
“Why, Lenard, you're absolutely right. White Emperor City is my territory. You might be dominant at Cloud Sect, but you're nothing here. I advise you to stop meddling,” Yale said, a hint of disdain in his words.
Lenard opened his mouth to spit out a fitting reply, but Zen held up a hand to stop him. The latter took a step forward. “I'm in a good mood today, Yale, so I'll give you a shot to save yourself. Get out of here!” Zen rested his gaze on Yale and said calmly.
Yale paled at Zen's words. He thought everyone would be afraid of him because of his brother's influence in the city. Zen stood in front of him with his chin tilted in defiance, mocking Yale's false sense of authority. He blinked in embarrassment. “Zen, you did kill the demon generals. So do you really think you're mightier than everyone else?” he scoffed, the tip of his ears reddening. “There are plenty of people stronger than you. You're not capable of driving me out!”
“I can't vouch for Zen's capabilities, but I'm quite sure you're not qualified enough to confront Zen,” a melodious female voice sounded near Yale and he froze instantly. The disciples turned to the source of the mocking voice and saw Nina Zhu standing at a distance, a murderous look adorning her face.
The girl cocked a graceful eyebrow. She held a small jade box in her hand that was aimed at Yale.
Yale stared at her in shock, his jaw clenched. Others might not be aware of how terrible the hidden weapons of the Zhu Clan were, but Yale was a member of the Zhuge Clan, one of the top seven noble clans including the Zhus. He knew very well the destructive power of her inconspicuous, harmless-looking jade box.
If Nina pressed the button at the front and triggered the machine inside, the Shock Dragon would leap out and turn his bones to ash.
Yale stood rooted to his spot, not daring to move an inch. He cursed inwardly. Was this girl mad? Zen was the one he was challenging. It was none of her business. Did she really want to kill him over something so paltry? This altercation didn't involve her.
“Nina, this is between Zen and me. What's it to you, huh?” Yale asked, nonplussed.
“Zen told you to leave, so you should be making your exit now. Or do you think I won't dare to trigger the Shock Dragon?” Nina had her finger placed on the machine trigger of the jade box. Just one push and the Shock Dragon bound in the jade box would vault over.
Terror overtook Yale's face and he hastily took a few steps back. “Nina, don't mess around with me. This doesn't concern you. Besides, the Zhuge Clan is not afraid of the Zhus. You know my brother ...”
Just then, Zen reached out and stopped Nina. “Nina, don't worry about me,” he said softly. “Put your box away. I'll deal with this myself.”
Nina smiled at him faintly and shifted her finger from the trigger button. The hand that held the box moved behind her back.
“I'll give you one last chance. Get out of here.” Zen walked over to Yale slowly, his low voice honed with veiled threat.
The noble clans valued their reputation the most. They could hardly stand to be humiliated in public. Yale had already learned that Zen could kill a demon general all alone by himself, so he dared not act rashly.
But since he had just recovered, Zen might not be as strong as before. Besides, Yale's brother would protect him in White Emperor City, so he had no reason to hesitate.
Here, the only person he feared was Nina Zhu.
She held a high position in the Zhu Clan. Even if Nina injured him or killed him, she wouldn't be held culpable for her crime because the Zhu Clan would spare no effort in protecting her. On the contrary, Yale, while being a direct descendant of the Zhuge Clan, was far inferior to his brothers, Josef and Fren.
Hearing Zen tell Nina not to interfere in this dispute, Yale heaved a silent sigh of relief. “What if I don't leave?” Yale said, narrowing his eyes at Zen.
“You really won't leave?” asked Zen and paused for a brief moment. Then he moved as fast as lightning.
Smack!
Zen struck him in the face with the back of his hand.
Zen was alive thanks to the doctor's medical prowess and his robust body. Fortunately, his soul did not get injured in the battle with the demon generals.
As long as he didn't die, he could recover ten times faster than ordinary people. Because his body was a spiritual weapon.
Yale was a noble offspring. He gaped at Zen even as his eyes bulged out, clearly shocked at being slapped in the face in front of so many people. His face turned red and his body became luminous with his life vitality, as if he were about to explode.
Just as Yale was about to condense it, Zen lunged and kicked him in his belly, scattering his life vitality.
Bam! “Still don't want to leave?”
Zen slapped him soundly once again as he asked the question.
Yale's strength was certainly not weak, a master as he was at the fifth grade of nature level. It was a great shame that he found himself too slow to fight back when slapped in the face.
He stood there pathetically, struck dumb with astonishment. Zen had managed to catch him off-guard!
As his mind went blank, his mind acted on conditioned reflex. Subconsciously, he gathered his life vitality to his belly once again.
The unexpected humiliation had made him forget how to dodge Zen's attack and fight back.
Each time he grew close to extracting his life vitality, Zen kicked him in the midriff to disperse it.
Thwack! “What about now?”
Zen taunted him with each slap, following up with another kick.
He did it ten times in a row, but Yale could hardly react.
Zen was known to have great strength.
Today, however, he used only about a third of it. If he had utilized it all, he could have knocked Yale's head off.
Yale's handsome face was now bleeding and swollen like a pig's head. It was hard to ascertain what he looked like originally.
The disciples of Skywrath Peak who stood behind Yale wanted to help him, but Cleve and Lenard had blocked their way. In strength, the disciples of that peak were no match to Lenard. Moreover, the disciples of Drizzle Peak and Skytop Peak, and even the female disciples of Lady Peak were watching closely, their eyes stuck to the scene unfolding in front of them. They could only stand by, fearful to step in and fight.
Smack! “Do you regret that you didn't leave when I first warned you?” Raising his hand, Zen was about to start another round of punches and kicks.
Yale staggered on his feet, about to collapse. Finally, he nodded profusely and begged, “Stop! Stop hitting me. I'll go, I'll go!”
He felt the sharp pain in his cheeks as unbridled shame coursed through him. No longer attempting to gather his life vitality, he disgracefully left the camp with the rest of the disciples of Skywrath Peak.
“We have advised him not to rouse Zen and try to attack him. But he didn't listen to us. In challenging Zen, he only brought shame to himself and his Clan,” said Cleve, shaking his head.
Zen was only half a step into the nature level, but apparently, the nature creatures like Cleve and Lenard had all forgotten that. They believed that Zen's feat was far beyond others.
“Yale's brother is a counselor to the imperial army in White Emperor City. He would surely seek retaliation,” Lenard said, furrowing his brows.
After all, they were not in Cloud Sect anymore, but in White Emperor City. If Yale asked his brother to avenge him, Zen would be facing a monumental complication.
The Zhuge Clan wasn't the strongest, but it was the most resourceful among the top seven noble clans. They were exceptional when it came to military strategies and battle arrays.
Yale's brother, Josef, did not display prominent strength either, although he was at the grade six of the nature level. After all, there were generations of talented masters in White Emperor City.
Josef had only become a counselor in White Emperor City by sheer virtue of his intelligence.
The position of a counselor was reverential in the city. Josef's success was closely linked with the support he got from the Zhuge Clan, but his own performance could not be disregarded. A mediocre man could never live long on the Shura Battlefield.
In skittering voices, The disciples reminded Zen to be careful of Josef.
Zen smiled calmly and in turn comforted them. But their hearts were still uneasy. After all, they were now in another's stronghold, without the protection of the Cloud Sect, and the army was usually not reliable.
Nina stood not far away, gazing at Zen in secret from under her lashes. She had made up her mind. No matter who tried to outmaneuver Zen, she would do everything she could to put an end to it.
Just as the disciples moved the topic of conversation to their return to Cloud Sect, a muffled sound was heard.
The noise, although not loud, seemed to come from the deep underground.
The very next moment, they felt the floor underneath them begin to tremble.
“It's the demons! They are attacking!” the soldiers shouted.
The incessant sound of a ringing bell broke through, and the disciples of Cloud Sect turned white, the blood draining from their faces at once.