Given this, as a strong cultivator at the third level of the Body Purification Realm and a well-known figure in Star City, how could Gao Jingshan willingly be killed by a young member of the Long family?
Naturally, he did not just sit still and wait for deathhe immediately tried to escape. But the moment he moved his foot, a sudden change occurred.
From an angle no one could see, Long Chen picked up a matchstick from the fruit plate on the wooden table.
With a flick of his fingers, he channeled natural qi into kinetic energy, and the matchstick flew through the air like an arrow. It shot across the crowd at incredible speed, piercing Gao Jingshan's right leg in an instant.
Stab
Blood splattered in all directions, instantly dyeing his trouser leg red.
"Ah!!"
Gao Jingshan screamed in agony. The intense pain made him lose his balance and collapse. He clutched his bleeding leg tightly, his face twisted in pain, his body trembling as he curled up like a shrimp.
Long Nian, stunned by what had just happened, instinctively turned around. When he saw the faint smile on Long Chen's face, he immediately understood. The patriarch was silently supporting him. A wave of strength surged through him.
With burning fury in his eyes, Long Nian turned back to Gao Jingshan, roared, and drove his hand mercilessly into his abdomen again.
"Arrogant fool! How dare you insult our patriarch inside our own hall! Who gave you the right to teach him anything?!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One blow after another landed on Gao Jingshan's abdomen, completely destroying his dantian. Gao Jingshan writhed in pain but didn't dare resist. He lay there like a broken doll, awaiting death.
He remembered the terrifying moment earlier—how a simple matchstick had pierced his leg like butter. If such force had been aimed elsewhere... he might've died instantly. That fear paralyzed him.
Besides, he realized something even worse: the City Lord wouldn't interfere. Not over this.
The blows finally stopped. Gao Jingshan was drenched in blood, swollen and broken. His breath had stopped. He was dead.
Long Nian pulled his bloodied hand out of the corpse without hesitation.
"The Gao family got what they deserved," he said coldly. The poison in the Intermediate Soul Cleansing Pill had erased any sympathy he once had for them.
Hearing this, Patriarch Gao's rage swelled inside him. But when he remembered what had just happened, he lowered his head, silent and powerless.
He stole a glance at Long Chen. Their eyes met. That one glance—cold and indifferent—sent a chill down his spine and made his heartbeat pause. Fear clutched his soul.
Terrified of dying next, he rushed to speak:
"It... it was the Feng family! They gave us the order! We had no choice—they threatened us!"
But Long Chen cut him off mid-sentence.
"You blame everything on the dead, but you were eager enough to play your part. I'm not interested in your excuses..."
Patriarch Gao tried to protest, but his voice caught in his throat. He saw a flash of crimson light rushing toward him—too fast to dodge. His eyes widened, pupils trembling.
Bang!
A thunderous explosion rang out. Blood sprayed across the hall as Patriarch Gao's head burst open like a smashed watermelon. His lifeless, headless body collapsed, blood gushing out and forming a pool at his feet. Nearby onlookers were sprayed with red, their faces frozen in horror.
Everyone stared in shock. Their fear outweighed any thoughts of revenge. They realized they could be next.
The heads of the Sun and Lu families were no better off. Trembling uncontrollably, they stared at Long Chen, unable to comprehend his audacity—killing the Gao patriarch in front of the City Lord?
The entire hall fell into dead silence. None of the Sun, Lu, or remaining Gao family members dared utter a word.
Long Chen stood calmly, like a still lake, unaffected by the storm he had caused. These people were beneath explanations.
He finally broke the silence. His voice was cold and resolute.
"Fifty percent of your properties? No. I want one hundred percent. Everything."
Terror froze everyone in place.
Before they could react, Long Chen's body flickered like lightning. He unleashed dozens of palm strikes in the blink of an eye—phantom shadows rained down upon the crowd.
By the time he returned to his original position—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Skulls burst open. Over a dozen members of the Sun, Lu, and Gao families dropped dead instantly, lifeless on the ground.
Long Nian and the disciples at the door looked at Long Chen with eyes full of awe and worship. With a single order, three great family heads had been eliminated like ants.
This is the power of their patriarch now. Supreme. Unshakable.
Amid the reverence of the Long family disciples, Long Chen remained stoic, standing with his hands behind his back like a true master.
Suddenly, Ji Xuan's voice broke the silence:
"Haha, Patriarch Long has quite the method..."
Long Chen glanced at the scattered corpses around him, then calmly dispersed the remaining clan members beside him.
"I just killed some ants. What did the City Lord say again?"
Ji Xuan's expression grew serious. He stood slowly from the grandmaster's chair.
"The technique Patriarch Long cultivates... it must be extremely advanced, yes?"
Long Chen shook his head lightly and replied casually,
"Just a human-grade technique left behind by our ancestors."
Ji Xuan was not surprised. Instead, he nodded with a knowing expression. As the City Lord of Star City, he was well aware of the Long family's history. While Long Chen's techniques seemed beyond ordinary, he didn't assume they were Earth-grade.
He responded,
"Patriarch Long is indeed talented to have pushed even a human-grade technique to such heights. But to reach the next level... I fear your ambition may exceed your strength."
Long Chen's gaze darkened, his eyes sharpening.
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"