Zuo Cang had already removed his imposing flying fish attire and was now wearing a simple robe, blending into the surroundings of the Jianghai Palace.
He had not left with the main group, instead, he had received an order from Ji Congyun to stay hidden here.
Once the Duke of Chongwu, who was stationed in Jianghaizhou, left, Zuo Cang would seize the opportunity to eliminate Fang Yuan, a young man who might become a future thorn in the side of the Yan Kingdom's court.
Just a moment ago, Zuo Cang had witnessed the Duke of Chongwu flying off from Jianghaizhou with someone.
He observed closely, but the person taken by the Duke was not Fang Yuan.
Unlike other states of the Yan Kingdom, Jianghaizhou was the Duke of Chongwu's fief, essentially an autonomous region where the court did not interfere with internal matters.
And with the Duke of Chongwu gone, there would be no other strong individuals in Jianghaizhou. With Zuo Cang's cultivation at the fifth stage, he would be invincible here!
He didn't even need to conceal his aura; he could directly reveal his cultivation and turn the place upside down!
Thinking about this, Zuo Cang was too lazy to hide and was preparing to swagger into the Jianghai Palace!
However, as soon as he took a step, he suddenly saw large whirlpools form in the sky!
The spiritual energy in the air was being pulled toward the center of the Jianghai Palace, rushing in with great force!
Zuo Cang immediately realized that someone was attempting to break through to the [Spirit River Realm]!
And the scale of this spiritual upheaval was the most exaggerated spiritual energy draw he had ever seen in his life!
Zuo Cang tried to absorb the nearby spiritual energy to counter it, but he found that he was unable to compete with the other party. Not a single thread of spiritual energy was willing to enter his body.
"This person's spiritual affinity is terrifyingly high!" Zuo Cang exclaimed, then sneered, "But so what?"
"Foolish! Absorbing such a massive amount of spiritual energy all at once—does the practitioner think their body's spiritual channel, as thin as a thread, can handle this much energy?!"
Zuo Cang found the other's self-destructive behavior amusing. He had never seen such a foolish martial artist!
This would surely result in backlash, and the outcome wouldn't just damage the spiritual channel, the entire body would likely explode!
He speculated that the Duke of Chongwu's departure had caused his subordinates to become agitated, which was why someone attempted to forcibly break through to the fifth stage, hoping to add another powerful force to Jianghaizhou.
At this thought, Zuo Cang grew calm and leisurely watched the spectacular scene in the sky, eagerly awaiting the other's body to explode.
During this time, he saw a large group of people rush out from the palace, shouting that their master was in seclusion and that everyone should not panic.
"Don't panic? Your master is about to explode!"
Wait a minute... Zuo Cang suddenly sensed something was wrong. Didn't the Duke of Chongwu already leave? Then, who was their master?
As he wondered, Zuo Cang suddenly heard a loud bang!
He quickly looked up and saw a burst of golden light shoot up from the center of Jianghai Palace, soaring into the sky!
Zuo Cang's smile, ready for the show, instantly froze.
"This is the spiritual tide produced when one formally steps into the fifth stage—this person has succeeded in breaking through and has officially entered the fifth stage?!"
In the blink of an eye, Zuo Cang's expression changed from mockery to terror. This was something he had never heard of!
Then, he noticed something even more terrifying. Normally, the spiritual tide of a martial artist would rise to about a hundred feet at most.
But this one seemed like a ray of sunlight shooting down from the heavens—it probably exceeded a thousand feet!
"This isn't right. There's something terribly wrong. How can there be such a terrifying existence in Jianghai Palace? What am I even trying to kill?!"
Zuo Cang waved his sleeve and turned to leave!
Logically speaking, with his mid-stage fifth realm cultivation, he should be able to defeat an opponent who had just entered the fifth realm.
But the problem was… with this terrifying anomaly from the breakthrough, how could the opponent, even at the early stage of the fifth realm, not easily defeat him?!
At this point, Zuo Cang desperately wanted to use his superior agility to escape this place immediately!
However, calm Zuo Cang did not act rashly. He simply squeezed through the crowd of onlookers and chose to walk away:
"I need to report to the Fourteenth Prince. I can't complete this mission. I need to find a stronger martial artist for this!"
"What is going on in Jianghaizhou? One genius like Fang Yuan was already enough, and now another terrifying one has appeared!"
At this point, Zuo Cang dared not reveal his strength, afraid of attracting the other's attention. He continued to blend in as a commoner, walking briskly toward the city gate.
But in the next second, Zuo Cang heard a powerful sound of air being torn!
Boom!!!
What's that sound?!
Instinctively, he looked up and saw a pale white hand descending from the sky, directly pressing down!
The hand, which was of normal size, seemed to block out the sky, covering all of Zuo Cang's vision, and pressing directly onto his face!
Zuo Cang's heart raced, but before he could react, the hand grabbed his head, lifted him up, and threw him with great force!
Zuo Cang soared into the air, the scenery around him retreating rapidly. He tried to stabilize himself, but the force gripping him was too powerful, and he couldn't break free!
Boom!!!
He flew through the air for several seconds before crashing heavily into a rock wall, burying himself into it.
Cough cough!
Dazed and disoriented, Zuo Cang quickly crawled out from the rubble and looked ahead, his spine immediately chilling.
He realized that he had been thrown all the way to the top of a small mountain outside Jianghaizhou...
Thrown that far with a single toss... and he didn't even know who threw him.
"This place is desolate, perfect for business…"
As he was still in doubt, a young voice suddenly sounded beside him. Zuo Cang turned his head to see a handsome face.
A white-clad youth stood nearby, looking at him.
Fang Yuan!
At this moment, Zuo Cang's confusion was cleared up. He stepped back a few steps and screamed:
"So it was you, the one who broke through to the fifth realm!"
It was Fang Yuan who had broken through to the fifth realm, and it was Fang Yuan who had thrown him from the city!
But why?!
Zuo Cang couldn't understand how such a young man could have reached the fifth realm!
If the other were a noble son, with access to national resources, it would make sense. But he was just a country bumpkin!
Fang Yuan had no interest in talking to Zuo Cang. He simply took a deep breath.
The next moment, a deafening thunderclap echoed in the clear sky!
Then, the sharp sound of lightning transformed into a heavy thunderclap. Fang Yuan spread his arms, his robe flying, and the light from his Spirit River surged!
A torrent of pure lightning surged from the ground, shooting straight into the sky!
Boom, boom, boom!!!
The massive force caused the entire mountain peak to tremble!
In an instant, it felt as though the world had lost its color!
All that remained was the golden lightning, lighting up the heavens and casting the completely stunned expression on Zuo Cang's face!
His body trembled as he watched Fang Yuan in disbelief.
This couldn't be… Could such power really be possible for someone just entering the fifth realm?
In front of this thunder, which seemed to fall from the Milky Way, Fang Yuan lowered his arms, and his slightly expectant voice rang out:
"Captain of the Guards? You should have some skills, right?"
"Very well, then I'll only use my one skill, and you… use all your strength, wit, and bravery to please me!"
"If you make me happy, I'll make your death less painful!"