The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

In the next second, Chen Dong's plans came to nothing. Old Ji's aura erupted, her white hair flying as her Protective Celestial Spirits instantly solidified around her. Gritting her teeth, her eyes wide with fury, she roared, "Just ordinary clan members? Does that mean your Zhu Family's daughter is somehow superior!?"

Seeing this, a flash of contempt crossed Zhu Yanghua's eyes as his own Protective Celestial Spirits coalesced. "People are born into different classes. Some are noble, some are lowly. How can the lives of these people possibly compare to my daughter's!"

Old Ji commanded her Protective Celestial Spirits as if they were her own limbs. They instantly formed a spinning wheel of fate that swept toward Zhu Yanghua as she shouted coldly, "In that case, Zhu Yanghua, you must be of the lowest class!"

Zhu Yanghua gripped his right arm with his left hand, and his Protective Celestial Spirits formed into the shape of a great battle-axe, cleaving straight at the wheel of fate.

The wheel of fate and the battle-axe collided with a heavy THUD!

An astonishing shockwave swept outward.

Chen Dong flashed in front of Miss Bai Zhi and the surviving guards to shield them. Zhu Yanghua swept his arm out to block the shockwave for Zhu Ran. As for Kang Ming, he got exactly what was coming to him, sent flying by the blast straight into a wall.

"If I, Zhu Yanghua, am the lowliest, then where does that place the likes of you?" Amidst his laughter, Zhu Yanghua's Protective Celestial Spirits leaped up, a faint purple aura spreading through them. He let out a great roar: "Sword!"

Zhu Yanghua's Protective Celestial Spirits formed a giant purple sword that shot straight for Old Ji.

Old Ji snorted coldly. Her Protective Celestial Spirits spun out like silken threads, continuously wrapping around the giant sword.

"You think a cheap trick like this can stop me? Break!"

The giant sword still crashed against Old Ji's Protective Celestial Spirits, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke.

Zhu Yanghua said with a look of utter contempt, "Zhang Kongqing, don't try to pull rank with your age! If you keep pestering me, I won't mind giving that old face of yours a good slap!"

Old Ji's voice drifted from the cloud of dust. "As expected of one of the strongest at the Celestial Spirit realm. If we were only comparing the power of our spirits, I truly would be no match for you!"

The dust slowly began to settle, and a giant figure wreathed in Celestial Spirits rose from within the smoke.

The first hints of dawn touched the horizon, and in the light of the rising sun, the giant appeared even more majestic.

Zhu Yanghua's eyes widened in shock. He stammered in disbelief, "An... an External Manifestation!?"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! You can't have an External Manifestation!"

Old Ji laughed mockingly. "Whether I do or not, you're about to find out!"

Immediately, the Celestial Spirits coiled around the giant External Manifestation's hand, which then shot a punch toward Zhu Yanghua.

Zhu Yanghua shoved Zhu Ran aside with one hand, his eyes filled with terror. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Bell!"

The vast purple Celestial Spirits formed a giant bell that enveloped Zhu Yanghua.

DOOONNNGGGG! A colossal toll rang out, its echoes reverberating without end.

Zhu Yanghua was seen spitting out a mouthful of blood, having suffered internal injuries from that single blow. The difference between an External Manifestation and mere Celestial Spirits was instantly clear.

Before Zhu Yanghua had a moment to recover, the giant External Manifestation threw another punch.

There was no toll this time, only a CRACK! The purple bell shattered, and Zhu Yanghua was slammed into the ground by the punch.

"Se... nior... spare... me!" Zhu Yanghua cried out with great difficulty.

Zhu Ran watched in disbelief. Her father, her pride and joy, was actually begging for mercy—and he had been defeated by this old hag. She couldn't stop her body from trembling.

Old Ji said coldly, "Weren't you the one who's superior?"

Zhu Yanghua choked on two mouthfuls of blood. Clutching his chest, he struggled to his feet, lowered his head, and said, "Senior is superior. I am the lowliest!"

"Your daughter killed nine members of my Zhang Family. I am taking her life as payment. Do you still intend to stop me?"

Zhu Yanghua dropped to one knee. "I beg Senior to spare my daughter!"

Old Ji burst into laughter, a desolate and sorrowful sound. "Nine human lives, and you ask me to let her go?"

Zhu Yanghua was at a loss for words.

"Perhaps in your eyes, some lives are more valuable than others. But in the eyes of us healers, all life is equal! Today, I will take your daughter's life to pay for those she took. If you dare to interfere again, don't blame me for being merciless!"

The moment she finished speaking, the giant External Manifestation reached out to crush Zhu Ran.

This time, Zhu Ran was truly terrified. Her face was a mask of horror as she shrieked, "Dad, save me!"

A dead stillness filled Zhu Yanghua's eyes as he watched the giant hand of the External Manifestation crush Zhu Ran to death. His mouth opened, but he was voiceless; no sound could escape.

The External Manifestation then dissipated into the air. "A tally of the Zhang Family's losses will be sent to your Purple Cloud Sect."

Zhu Yanghua cradled Zhu Ran's body. "Fine," he said, his voice hoarse. His expression bleak, he slowly walked away.

Chen Dong looked at Qu Quan's body at the base of the wall and shook his head helplessly.

Kang Ming and Zhang Bai Zhi were also left spiritless by the incident.

"You should go," Zhang Bai Zhi said, walking up to Kang Ming, her voice devoid of all emotion. "When you went away to train, you didn't just lose my heart—you lost your own. It's no longer with me."

"Ai..." Old Ji sighed helplessly. How could a Mourning Bottle ever contain such sorrow!

What began as a celebratory feast for the Zhang Family ended as a funeral. Kang Ming left the Zhang Family, and Zhang Bai Zhi was never seen in public again.

After lighting a few sticks of incense to pay their respects, Chen Dong and his companions also left the Zhang Family estate. Once again, Chen Dong boarded the Yang Family's private jet to leave the Southern Border. For some inexplicable reason, he felt his state of mind had improved immensely.

He arrived back in Jiangzhou just as schools were letting out for the afternoon. Seeing parents on the street picking up their children, Chen Dong thought of Li Wang.

Just then, a call came in from an unknown number. As soon as he answered, Chen Dong heard Li Wang's voice. "Mama, this is my phone! Can you hear me? Can you hear me?"

"I hear you, I hear you!" Chen Dong replied.

"Haha, great! Oh, Grandma signed me up for elementary school. I've only gone for one day, but I don't think the teacher likes me very much. She told me to have my parents come see her!"

Chen Dong felt a headache coming on. 'Called in to see the teacher after just one day? What on earth has he been doing at school?'