Chapter 327: Debt Collection

For Yun Che three years ago, entering the Profound Realm was an unattainable dream, a level he could only gaze at with envy. But in Yun Che’s eyes now, it was no different from a child's trick. Facing Xiao Yang's repulsive expression, Yun Che gave a cold smile. Without moving his upper body, he launched a kick with his right foot.

The speed Yun Che could unleash at that moment was far beyond anything a mere Xiao Yang could react to. Just as Xiao Yang's hand was about to grasp Yun Che's throat, intending to lift him like a little chicken, he suddenly felt his lower abdomen... as if it had been violently struck by a mountain.

Bang!! "Uwaah!!" Xiao Yang shrieked, flying backward like a ball. He tumbled through the air for more than a dozen rotations before landing, his face covered in blood, utterly silent, his condition unknown.

"Yang... Yang'er!" Xiao Bo cried out in shock, rushing forward. He checked Xiao Yang's pulse, and his face instantly turned ashen. Xiao Yang's injuries weren't fatal, but his profound veins were completely shattered! Even the legendary Great Rejuvenation Pill couldn't repair them... meaning Xiao Yang would be utterly crippled from now on.

"You... you..." Xiao Bo tremblingly rose, his aged face flushed crimson with shock and rage. "Xiao Che, you bastard... what did you do to Yang'er?! I... I'll kill you with my own hands, you mongrel!"

Xiao Bo rose in a furious rage, lunging at Yun Che like a mad, hungry wolf. His arm, swung in extreme anger, was imbued with his full power. Facing Xiao Bo's attack, Yun Che seemed either stunned or utterly incapable of dodging. Without a single move, he took Xiao Bo's punch directly to his chest.

The Xiao Clan members expected Yun Che's chest to be crushed by this blow, leaving him critically wounded at best, or dead on the spot at worst. However, when Xiao Bo's fist landed on Yun Che's chest, there was no sound of impact whatsoever. It was as if this punch, imbued with Xiao Bo's full might, hadn't struck a person but a mass of incredibly soft cotton. Not only was Yun Che not sent flying, his entire body didn't even move or tremble in the slightest.

What a joke. Even a furious palm strike from someone of Chu Yuechan's caliber could only push an unprepared Yun Che back a few steps. Xiao Bo's profound energy, only at the eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, was no different to Yun Che than a mosquito hitting his chest.

After delivering the solid punch to Yun Che's chest, Xiao Bo didn't even have time to sneer with satisfaction before he was completely dumbfounded. Staring at his right fist, which seemed to be stuck to Yun Che's chest, his pupils dilated to their maximum... reflecting Yun Che's devilish sneer.

With a disdainful sneer, Yun Che lightly pushed his chest forward.

"Urghh—" A wretched scream instantly echoed throughout the entire Xiao Clan. Xiao Bo flew backward, spilling crimson blood, his entire right fist shattered into a pulpy mess. Dozens of streams of blood gushed from his right arm... His entire right arm, from outer skin to bone, was practically pulverized into a honeycomb by the impact of an immense, terrifying force. He lay paralyzed on the ground, flailing his now completely numb right arm, howling in agonizing pain, his cries as shrill as a wailing specter.

Apart from Xiao Bo's tormented screams, the entire Xiao Clan fell into a deathly silence. Everyone's faces were filled with terror and extreme disbelief.

Xiao Yang's sudden backward flight and unconsciousness had shocked them, but not to the point of horror. But what about Xiao Bo's power? He was at the eighth level of the Spirit Profound Realm, one of the strongest experts in the entire Floating Cloud City. His attack was like a mere tickle to Yun Che, and with a movement so slight it could barely be called one, Yun Che instantly shattered his entire right arm! The terrifying aura in that instant made them all feel as if they had plunged into an ice cave, their hearts seizing up.

What kind of power was this? It was a strength so immense it almost defied their understanding! Yet, this person before them was clearly the Xiao Clan's universally known waste from years ago in Floating Cloud City, a cripple with naturally damaged profound veins, a good-for-nothing with no future!

"Xiao old dog," Yun Che said with a cold sneer, "Watch your mouth. First, my name is not 'bastard.' Second, my name is not Xiao Che... Three years ago, my name was already changed to Yun Che! From this moment on, apart from my grandfather, my little aunt, and the debts I must reclaim, I have no connection whatsoever with your Xiao Clan!"

The name "Yun Che" exploded like a clap of thunder in everyone's ears, causing identical expressions of terror to appear on all faces. Xiao Cheng's throat gulped audibly, and he asked with a trembling voice, "Could it be... could it be... the legendary... Yun Che... who topped the Ranking Tournament... is you?"

The day after the Ranking Tournament ended, the name "Yun Che" spread to every corner of the Azure Cloud Empire. Later, with his supposed demise, his name became even more prominent, and rumors about him multiplied... Naturally, these included that he was from Floating Cloud City and that the Xia Qingyue he married was also from Floating Cloud City.

These rumors, of course, also reached the Xiao Clan. Many details in the rumors, especially the part about marrying Xia Qingyue, strongly matched Xiao Che, whom they had cast out. However, the entire Xiao Clan, and even all of Floating Cloud City, were absolutely convinced that these rumors were false. Even when later rumors suggested Yun Che originated from the Xiao Clan, they simply dismissed them as jokes.

The reason was simple: everyone in Floating Cloud City knew that Xiao Che was a complete waste, born with crippled profound veins, destined never to break through even the first level of the Elementary Profound Realm. In contrast, the legendary Yun Che was young, yet he defeated the inheritors of major sects, earned the favor of a princess, captivated an Ice Palace immortal, and was an extraordinary individual, seemingly a favorite of the heavens... The two were as different as white clouds and mud; there was no way they could be the same person.

While it wasn't impossible for an ordinary person to achieve greatness through a massive stroke of luck, for a complete waste to become a top genius who dominated the Ranking Tournament in less than two years... that was simply a huge joke. Some rumors even mentioned Yun Che as the "inheritor of the Phoenix Divine Sect" or "a direct disciple of some reclusive master," none of which had any connection to the Xiao Che they knew.

However, in that brief instant, the terrifying power displayed by this "waste" they once scorned, combined with the name he uttered, suddenly pulled what they had dismissed as a "joke" much closer to reality in their reeling minds.

A black light flashed in Yun Che's hand, and the Heaven Smiting Sword materialized. As the sword heavily struck the ground with a resounding bang, the incredibly hard marble beneath him instantly shattered. Dozens of cracks spread wildly, extending for dozens of feet, reaching the feet of the Xiao Clan members. Gripping the hilt, Yun Che said in a low voice, "Of course, there is only one Yun Che in this world!"

The shattered ground, with cracks nearly a foot wide and seemingly bottomless, revealed looks of utter horror on Xiao Yunhai's and others' faces. Their countenances were almost completely drained of color from extreme shock and terror, and their eyeballs seemed on the verge of popping out of their sockets. Some disciples with weaker mental fortitude even collapsed onto the ground on the spot, trembling all over in fright... What lay before them was a power they could not comprehend, let alone imagine! It was a terrifying power that only gods in fantasy could possess...

They never dreamed that Xiao Che, whom they had mocked and despised for more than a decade, would return with such terrifying power—a power they could never possess in their lifetime, let alone dare to dream of. Looking at the face they once treated only with disdain and scorn, all they felt now was fear and trembling.

Xiao Yunhai's heart and face contorted violently. A fissure in the ground, created by the Heaven Smiting Sword's power, happened to run directly between his feet, making him feel as if his soul had fled his body in that instant, leaving him covered in cold sweat even now. He raised his right hand, forcing an incredibly awkward smile onto his face: "So... so you are actually... the legendary Yun Che! Haha... haha... I should have realized this sooner. I never expected that after leaving the Xiao Clan, esteemed nephew would achieve such a meteoric rise... truly... truly commendable..."

"Commendable, my eighteen generations of ancestors!" Yun Che interrupted Xiao Yunhai with a cold sneer, sweeping his arm horizontally as the Heaven Smiting Sword lifted from the ground. "Let me repeat: I am here today to collect my debts from you!!"

Yun Che's figure flickered abruptly, a blur in his wake, as he ghosted directly in front of Xiao Yunhai. Before Xiao Yunhai's eyes could even register what happened, an immense force slammed into his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and immediately toppled onto his back. As he tried to cry out in pain, a foot pressed down firmly on his mouth, preventing him from uttering a single sound.

Yun Che's right foot was planted on Xiao Yunhai's head, pressing most of it into the ground. He spoke with a chilling tone, "Xiao Yunhai, as the head of the Xiao Clan, driven by your personal greed and to curry favor with a Xiao Sect bastard, you actually conspired to frame my little aunt, almost sending her into an abyss of eternal damnation! Your acting that day was truly magnificent. With your superb acting skills and vile, malicious heart, being merely the head of the Xiao Clan is truly a waste of your talents!"

"Don't harm our clan master!" Xiao Li roared, suddenly thrusting his sword towards Yun Che's back. Without turning his head, Yun Che casually reached back and snatched the sword by its tip, instantly taking it into his own hand. Then, with a flip and twist of his wrist, the long sword shot out backward like a venomous serpent, piercing Xiao Li's shoulder. The hilt caught on his scapula, carrying him flying far away. With a "bang," the sword's tip deeply impaled the high wall behind, nailing Xiao Li to it.

A pig-like shriek erupted from Xiao Li's mouth. He struggled like a madman, but the more he struggled, the deeper the blade burrowed into his scapula, causing excruciating, bone-piercing pain. Blood gushed from his shoulder like a spring, dripping down and quickly forming a large puddle below.

Xiao Ze and Xiao Cheng had been about to act together, but seeing Xiao Li's horrific state, and Xiao Bo howling and screaming on the ground, their faces turned ashen, and their scalps tingled. They obediently sheathed their swords, recoiling and daring not to take another half-step forward, their eyes wide with terror.