"Master..."

"My fellow disciples and I have a formidable enemy. He has gone out of his way to humiliate us, strutting around Jiangnan with extreme arrogance and showing complete disregard for anyone!"

"He's especially insolent toward our Alliance, just exceedingly arrogant!"

"Yes, Master... Now that you've come out of seclusion, you must stand up for justice. We absolutely cannot allow this damned scoundrel to run rampant in Jiangnan!"

"As a role model for all Martial Artists, you should be the one to deal with trash like him!"

The disciples stood up one after another, speaking with righteous indignation. They all hoped that Liu Changyun would take immediate action to crush Chen Zheng underfoot, ensuring he would never rise again.

"Is that so?" Liu Changyun's brow furrowed deeply. "When did such an arrogant person appear in Jiangnan?"

His disciples were all young masters from wealthy and influential families. If even they couldn't handle this person, it seemed he would have to take action himself.

"No problem, but there's no need to rush. Once the Martial Arts Tournament is over, all of Jiangnan will be under the Alliance's control. You can deal with this person you speak of at your leisure then!"

With that, Liu Changyun waved his hand nonchalantly, clearly not taking the matter to heart. After all, it was just an issue among the younger generation. There was no need for him to act personally when someone of the same generation could easily resolve it.

"Thank you, Master!"

Xu Tianlong and the others were thrilled, as if they could already see Chen Zheng kneeling before them, trembling in fear.

You're finished, Chen Zheng... Enjoy what little good time you have left. Once the Martial Arts Tournament is over, you will be utterly destroyed...

***

At this time, Chen Zheng felt no anxiety and gave the Martial Arts Tournament barely any thought. He was currently spending two enjoyable days with Wei Zixuan in Jiangnan, visiting all sorts of fun places to make up for lost time.

Theirs was a relationship where commitment came before courtship, so they naturally had to take their time getting to know each other. But after these two days together, their bond had finally stabilized. At such a point, many things could be openly discussed.

"Actually, I haven't truly retired from the military. I'm still an officer on the frontier," Chen Zheng said, revealing his true identity as they sat on a park bench.

"I'd already guessed as much..." Wei Zixuan gently bit her lower lip. "You came back this time for some kind of mission, didn't you?"

She paused, then added, "What I really care about is this: will you disappear again without a word, like you did before?"

Wei Zixuan was a reasonable person, so she didn't press for details about his military duties. It was simple, really; many things were surely confidential. Otherwise, given Chen Zheng's character, he would have told her on his own. All she cared about now was whether her husband could stay by her side. If he couldn't, he at least had to give her a timeline. He absolutely could not just leave without warning or vanish without a trace.

"I have a mission in Yanzhou in a few days, but you can rest assured. No matter where I go, I will always keep in touch with you," Chen Zheng said with the utmost seriousness. "You're my wife. Home is wherever you are, and I will be with you for the rest of my life."

"Alright, then I'll wait for you here." A faint blush colored Wei Zixuan's cheeks, and she fell into Chen Zheng's embrace.

That promise was enough. No further explanations were needed, and she wouldn't hound him for them. After everything they had been through, words were often unnecessary.

Two days later, Chen Zheng arranged for Wei Zixuan to be sent back to Yunshan. Xu Da was dispatched to the frontier, and it was time to deal with some matters here.

The day of the Martial Arts Tournament finally arrived.

In the morning, just as Chen Zheng was starting his breakfast, Zhao Feng rushed over. "War God!" he reported, "The Martial Arts Tournament will begin at noon. I also need to give you a detailed report regarding the Earth Demon!"

In truth, Chen Zheng wasn't overly concerned with the day's events. A mere Liu Changyun wasn't worthy of his attention. He was more concerned about the Earth Demon in Yanzhou. He had never encountered such a creature before and wasn't entirely confident he could defeat it, so he had to be extremely cautious.

"War God, it seems that old geezer Wang Yuanchang wasn't deceiving you. Just as he said, the Earth Demon is elusive," Zhao Feng said, his expression grave. "Most importantly, the creature itself carries a corpse toxin. Ordinary people die on the spot without even getting close, and even a true Great Grandmaster would find it difficult to eliminate it completely!"

"Previously, the Central Plains command mobilized nearly an entire division of troops and only barely managed to contain it. Completely destroying it will likely be very difficult."

"That old bastard. I knew this matter wouldn't be resolved so easily," Chen Zheng said with a cold smirk.

It made sense. If the matter were simple, Wang Yuanchang wouldn't have come to him personally to request the use of the Iron Buddha.

"Have you determined its exact location yet?" Chen Zheng asked, turning his head.

"We received detailed intelligence this morning. It's near Mount Tai. I've already ordered our men to trap it there!" Zhao Feng replied quickly.

Chen Zheng nodded in satisfaction. "Very well. After the Martial Arts Tournament is over, we'll head there immediately and eliminate it for good."

"Understood!"

***

「Noon.」

At the sports center in the eastern outskirts of Jiangnan, the Martial Arts Tournament was held as scheduled. The venue, long abandoned, had been purchased by the Alliance and converted into a martial arts arena. With their arrangements, it naturally became the site for the tournament.

At this moment, a fierce wind howled across the grounds, causing the banners in the martial arts field to flutter wildly. In addition to the many local martial arts schools that had come to watch, many outside powers had also set up their own flags.

Several of these flags were particularly conspicuous, belonging to Alliance Hierarchs from other regions. The most eye-catching among them were from Yanzhou, Bingzhou, and Yuzhou. The Alliance Hierarchs from these places had all come to show their support for Liu Changyun.

Together with their disciples, their numbers swelled to nearly ten thousand people. Such a massive and imposing gathering was an unparalleled sight in the entire martial arts world...

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