At this moment, everyone saw a figure that was clearly Yang Dingshan, the newly emerged overlord and Family Head of Ancient Moon City. However, his complexion had now turned extremely grim, a surge of malice stuck in his throat, eager to be vented.
"Father… Father, save... save me!"
Yang Wanliu, whose Dantian had been crushed, felt he was on the verge of death as overwhelming fear rendered his speech somewhat incoherent. Even if Yang Dingshan wanted to save him now, there was nothing he could do.
A broken Dantian is not necessarily beyond repair, but on the Tenglong Continent, it might be even more difficult than ascending to heaven. After all, finding the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures capable of mending the Dantian is no easy task.
Moreover, even with these Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, one would still need to find a Meridian Refining Master of at least the Heavenly Rank to perform the repair, and such a master, as legend has it, is only the Chairman of the Meridian Refining Master Association at Lianyun Mountain who has reached the level of the Heavenly Rank.
For a small family like the Yang family, which has only ever managed to survive in its own niche, it was questionable whether they could afford such precious treasures. At the very least, a figure like the Chairman of the Meridian Refining Master Association would probably not even give them a second glance.
Therefore, as Yang Dingshan stepped onto the stage, he knew that his only beloved son's life was likely ruined, and the chief culprit responsible for this result was standing not far in front of him.
Perhaps there was some regret in Yang Dingshan's heart at this moment, but of course, it was not for setting up this challenge stage. Instead, he regretted not having taken action sooner, allowing this young man to seize the opportunity and disable his son.
"Boy, I just told you to stop. Are you deaf?"
Yang Dingshan's ruthless gaze shifted away from his son and focused on the young man opposite with a look of superiority and disdain, as if looking down on a mere ant.
"Who are you? Why should I listen to you?"
Yun Xiao patted his clothing, tilting his eyes to look at Yang Dingshan. Although he had already guessed, he still pretended ignorance at this time, making the latter's anger intensify.
"Humph, I, Yang Dingshan, have long reigned in Ancient Moon City, and I've never seen a brat as ignorant of life and death as you!"
How could Yang Dingshan not know that the youth opposite was doing this on purpose, especially since Yang Wanliu had just called out to his father, so he coldly snorted, allowing some in the crowd who were unfamiliar with him to instantly understand, and a curious expression spread across their faces.
With his only beloved son incapacitated, Yang Dingshan didn't look like he was going to let things rest. A youngster at the Middle Stage of the Qi Seeking Realm might easily handle another at the same level like Yang Wanliu, but what if he faced Yang Dingshan at the Seeking Origin Realm?
"Ignorant of life and death? Family Head Yang, are you referring to the recent challenge match?"
By this time, Yun Xiao was no longer pretending to be unfamiliar with the other party. He stretched out a hand, pointing at Yang Wanliu with an incredulous face as if baffled by something.
"Is this not the challenge stage that your Yang family set up? The stage has rules that allow life and death fights; doesn't it say so right over there? Are you saying that only Yang Wanliu is allowed to maim or kill others, and no one else can injure him? Your Yang family seems quite overbearing, don't you think?"
Yun Xiao shifted his finger away from Yang Wanliu and pointed once more towards a place below the stage, where the rules of the challenge were written. His words led to a subtle nodding of heads in agreement among the crowd.
"Or is it that your Yang family set up this challenge stage just as a farce for your own amusement, to flaunt your family's tyranny and ruthlessness, and then refuse to accept defeat?"
The words from Yun Xiao came out like machine-gun fire, making Yang Dingshan's face grow darker, but leaving him no words to retort. However, it was impossible for him to swallow this insult easily.
Yang Dingshan indeed wanted to use this challenge to display the Yang family's dominance and resolve, but never imagined that it would end like this, with his own beloved son's cultivation ruined and no longer able to cultivate.
"Family Head Yang, if there's nothing else, then I'll take this Thunder Wood as my prize for winning the challenge. I bid you farewell!"
Watching Yang Dingshan's somber face, Yun Xiao was reluctant to linger, but his words prompted a somewhat peculiar expression on everyone watching below the stage.
"Think you can leave so easily?"
Seeing Yun Xiao take a step, Yang Dingshan's anger was extraordinary. He coldly shouted and quickly moved to block his way.
"What's wrong? Is Family Head Yang really a sore loser?"
Yun Xiao's expression changed slightly as he once again sneered, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed a strange smile surface on the Yang Family Head's face.
"Boy, you just said it yourself, you won this arena battle and took the reward, which means this fight has long since concluded, right?"
Yang Dingshan's eyes filled with cold laughter, as he said, "This contest on the arena, indeed, you won, and we, the Yang Family, honored the promised treasure, so this matter is settled. Now, let's settle the score for you crippling my son's Dantian, shall we?"
As an ambitious Yang Family Head, Yang Dingshan was indeed not an easy opponent; with just a few words, he cunningly shifted his own dishonorable behavior onto a new level.
At first glance, these words might not seem problematic; the arena battle is over and both sides have settled their accounts, indicating this challenge has concluded. But between the Yang Family and Yun Xiao, there is still a grudge to be settled.
In fact, Yang Dingshan was merely bringing forward the timing of his revenge. He did not want this youngster out of his sight because, once allowed to escape, finding him again would not be so easy.
"Boy, you dare injure my son, Yang Dingshan, in Ancient Moon City, if you can leave Ancient Moon City alive today, that would be a real achievement!"
Yang Dingshan, with extreme self-confidence, spoke those words, and the next moment, an extremely formidable aura erupted from him, his Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage cultivation truly being second to none in Ancient Moon City.
However, what Yang Dingshan failed to see was the young man called Starlight across from him, also had a sneer flicker in his eyes, thinking to himself that this old man probably fell short by dozens of times compared to Douling Commerce's Special Envoy Xia Yong.
Facing Peak of the Qi Seeking Realm Xia Yong, Yun Xiao might need to rely on the power of the Golden Snake Worm, Xiao Wu, combined with his half-mastered Flying Thunder Wings, in order to escape by the skin of his teeth.
But what was this Yang Dingshan worth? Believing that with just his Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage cultivation he could detain him; it was simply a pipe dream. Even with Xiao Wu still in slumber, escaping with Yun Xiao's own power was nowhere near as difficult as everyone imagined.
But everyone present, one and all, was unaware of Yun Xiao's true strength. His defeat of Yang Wanliu earlier had merely been a warm-up. Should this youngster unleash his full power, it might just shock everyone to their core.
Of course, with Yun Xiao's current Mid Stage Qi Seeking Realm cultivation, he had no intention of battling the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage Yang Dingshan for three hundred rounds. He already had some ideas in mind; it all depended on whether the Yang Family Head was sensible or not.
"Family Head Yang, I, Starlight, am someone who never lets any offense slide. By provoking me today, I fear you might bring great disaster upon the Yang Family!"
Seemingly oblivious to the terrifying energy of the origin-seeking expert before him, Yun Xiao spoke these words, leading many in the crowd to think he was being overly arrogant.
While these people did not have much affection for the Yang Family, a Middle Stage Qi Seeking Realm youngster daring to speak such words to an Early Stage Origin Seeking Realm expert was sheer audacity unlike anything they had ever heard.
"Hmph, you better worry about whether you can even leave this arena alive!"
Yang Dingshan, like ginger that grows spicier with age, naturally wouldn't be intimidated by a few words from Yun Xiao. After scouring his brain and failing to recall any first-rate power with a genius by the name of Starlight, he shed all reservations.
After the disdainful snort, Yang Dingshan's hand movements changed, conjuring a Meridian Qi Net right before him. Under his mental command, the net swelled rapidly in the wind and, as it lunged towards Yun Xiao, it seemed to cover the sky and the earth.
It appeared that Yang Dingshan was not underestimating Yun Xiao, intending to first ensnare him with the unavoidable Meridian Qi Net, then drag him back to the Yang Family to endure excruciating torture, which might satisfy his son's thirst for revenge.
Yang Dingshan also held absolute confidence that, as an Early Stage Origin Seeking Realm expert, the Meridian Techniques he employed, combined with the support of the Earth Element, would instantly turn this youngster named Starlight into a tightly-bound zongzi.
Even if the kid turned to flee this very moment, he could never outrun the speed of his Meridian Qi Net; after all, he was merely a Mid Stage Qi Seeking Realm ant. What kind of waves could he possibly stir?
Even the spectators watching the fray believed Yun Xiao had no chance of escape, especially Hu Ying'er, her eyes filled with worry, thinking to herself that she had really dragged Brother Starlight into trouble this time.
Although Hu Ying'er had witnessed Yun Xiao's miraculous feats several times, whether it was the Yang Family's Great Elder Yang Qiwu or the Hua Family Head Hua Beisheng, they only had the Peak Stage Qi Seeking Realm cultivation.
Origin Seeking Realm is so named because one at this stage can seek and harness the essence of the earth, the Earth Element, a power far more formidable than ordinary Earth Power.
Despite the lack of an Origin Seeking Realm expert in the Hu Family, it was precisely for this reason that the Hu Family Head constantly educated Hu Ying'er about the fearsomeness of Origin Seeking Realm experts. It was the realm that he dreamed of breaking through.
These concepts, instilled from a young age, made Hu Ying'er, who had great faith in Yun Xiao, incredibly anxious at this moment. Two different levels; maybe he could fight above his level, but overcoming a whole rank was far too difficult.