Started out getting scumbags, but then invested in the invincible Empress.

Chapter 157 A Crushing Victory

"boom--"

Suddenly, a metallic clanging sound rang out in the arena.

Li Wudao clenched his fist and then slammed it down on Wang Huan's heavy blade, producing a muffled thud that sent the entire blade flying out of his hand.

Upon closer inspection, everyone was speechless with astonishment.

A clear fist-shaped dent was visible on one side of the blade, almost breaking the entire knife in two!

Looking at Wang Huan again, the moment the heavy sword left his hand, he was so shaken by the residual force of the fist that he staggered back dozens of steps before finally stopping.

Moreover, with each step he took back, obvious cracks appeared in the floor tiles beneath his feet, demonstrating the immense force of the punch.

"puff--"

After finally regaining his footing, Wang Huan felt a sweet taste in his throat, his chest heaving, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of black blood, his face turning pale.

"How is this possible... You have not already reached the King Realm?!"

His pupils trembled violently.

In their first encounter, he realized that Li Wudao was not to be underestimated, but he never expected that even if he fought seriously, he would still be no match for him.

The power of just one punch is terrifying; it has already exceeded the scope of the Martial Grandmaster realm!

"So easily defeated, is that all you've got?"

Li Wudao felt somewhat bored.

"You... Pfft!"

Wang Huan's lips twitched violently, his anger rising to the point that he immediately spat out another mouthful of blood.

"hiss--"

In the distance, Xiang Leping couldn't help but gasp, exclaiming in horror:

"So powerful! Even I would have to avoid that punch; I couldn't possibly withstand it... This young man definitely has the combat strength to rival an early-stage Martial King!"

At this moment, the head of the branch pavilion was completely impressed.

Murong Qinglan stared blankly at the profile of the proud young man standing in the arena, her eyes gleaming with a strange light, and murmured:

"I never expected to encounter such a monstrous talent in this mere inferior dynasty. This trip has truly been worthwhile..."

She had a feeling that the boy would definitely win, but she never expected him to win so decisively, it was simply overwhelming!

Under the awe-inspiring gazes of the crowd.

Li Wudao strolled leisurely to Wang Huan and the others, and said coldly, "I'll ask you one more time, will you kneel or not?"

"Kneel, I'll kneel right now!"

Meng Yan and Wang Chenfei were already terrified out of their wits, their teeth chattering, and they knelt on the ground with their legs outstretched, as obedient as lambs, showing no trace of their previous arrogance and domineering nature.

Li Wudao ignored the two scoundrels and kept his gaze fixed on Wang Huan.

This person is absolutely responsible for his mother being kicked out of the house back then.

Meeting the boy's cold gaze, Wang Huan couldn't help but tremble, but still said defiantly, "You want me to kneel before you? Dream on!"

"You know what? I love guys like you who're so stubborn. Otherwise, it would be too boring if it ended too soon."

Li Wudao clapped his hands lightly, a playful smile curving his lips.

"What...what do you want to do?"

Wang Huan's heart tightened, his voice trembled slightly, and he subconsciously took two steps back, all the arrogance he had shown when he arrived vanished.

Snapped!

A hard slap landed on his cheek, causing it to swell up immediately.

"Of course I'll punch you, do you expect me to give you an award?"

Li Wudao shook his hand, his tone mocking.

Touching his burning cheek, Wang Huan was instantly filled with endless shame, anger, and hatred. "You little bastard... how dare you insult me?!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another powerful blow came crashing down on him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented for a long time.

The entire room fell silent; everyone stared at each other in bewilderment.

This young man is too ruthless. He even dares to humiliate the fourth master of the Wang family like this. Isn't he afraid of being purged by the Wang family afterward?

"Don't deceive people too much!"

Noticing the strange looks around him, Wang Huan's face turned a mix of blue and purple, half from being beaten and the other half from anger.

"I'll bully you, so what?"

Li Wudao spoke with disdain, increasing the force in his hand and sending Wang Huan flying. Wang Huan rolled heavily on the ground several times before stopping, covered in dust and looking utterly disheveled.

"you........"

Wang Huan staggered to his feet, about to curse a few words, when he saw the young man walking quickly towards him. His face immediately fell, and he begged for mercy:

"Wait, wait a minute, do you remember? I used to hold you when you were little. We're family..."

The conversation ended abruptly there.

"When your Wang family kicked my mother out of the house and mocked her wantonly, did you ever think that you were family?"

Li Wudao sneered and kicked Wang Huan in the stomach. The latter immediately spat out blood and curled up on the ground, sweating profusely.

"I'll ask you one last time, kneel or not?!"

Seeing the boy's impatient and cold expression, Wang Huan felt a chill run down his spine. Intense fear quickly filled his mind, and he said in a dry voice, "I... kneel."

As he spoke, to everyone's astonishment, he knelt down on the ground with a thud.

If this dragged on any longer, he felt that Li Wudao would kill him without hesitation, and he was still aware of that much.

"this........"

Seeing this scene, many people's eyes changed, and they felt a sense of bewilderment.

This is none other than the Fourth Master of the Wang family, a very famous and influential figure in the capital. It's truly astonishing that he would kneel down in the street before a mere boy.

"Kneel for two full hours. Anyone who dares to run away before then will face the consequences!"

After glancing at Wang Huan and the other two kneeling trembling on the ground, Li Wudao felt somewhat disheartened. He left after saying this and called to Li Nanzhi, who was still in a daze, to leave.

"What are you daydreaming about? Let's go."

The girl gave an "oh" and quickly followed obediently behind him, her pretty face still showing lingering shock, as if she hadn't fully recovered yet.

After taking a few steps, Li Wudao suddenly thought of something, stopped and looked around until he stopped on Du Peng outside the crowd.

"Damn it, he looks like he's coming towards us. Du Peng, didn't you say you didn't mess with him?"

Not far away, Xiang Leping's expression changed slightly, and his body tensed up instinctively.

Based on the combat strength Li Wudao has displayed, he is definitely a formidable opponent. Even after years of immersion in the early stages of the Martial King realm, he is not confident of defeating him.

Du Peng was dumbfounded. He swallowed hard, his face bitter, and said, "I don't know either..."

Xiang Leping's lips twitched slightly as he lowered his voice and said, "You say you don't know? Damn it, I really want to beat you to death!"

"Don't panic, things haven't gotten to the worst yet."

Murong Qinglan gently comforted him, her beautiful eyes quietly watching the approaching young man.

Under the anxious gazes of Du Peng and Xiang Leping.

Li Wudao strolled over, glanced at the three of them, and then his somewhat amazed gaze lingered on Murong Qinglan for a moment, and he couldn't help but admire her.

"What a beautiful woman..."

He had seen countless beauties, but the number of ones he could remember could be counted on one hand.

The girl before me, her face veiled in purple gauze, though not revealing her true features, was already no less beautiful than Li Nanzhi, who was hailed as the most beautiful woman in Dayu, simply because of her graceful figure and extraordinary temperament.

Li Wudao didn't look at it for long, quickly shifting his gaze. He took out a silver note with a face value of one thousand taels and handed it to Du Peng, who looked uneasy, saying, "This money should be enough to compensate for the plaque, right?"

Du Peng took the silver note blankly, stammering, "That's enough... I don't need that much, fifty taels will do..."

"No need to look for more."

Li Wudao waved his hand, then turned his head and found Li Nanzhi staring into the eyes of the girl in purple gauze. The atmosphere was strangely eerie.

He shook his head, turned away helplessly, and walked towards the Imperial Treasure Pavilion on his own.

"Cousin, wait for me!"

Li Nanzhi jogged after her, not forgetting to turn back and cast a provocative glance at the girl in the rainbow-colored dress.

Seeing this, Murong Qinglan smiled faintly, finding it quite amusing.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that such a handsome and harmless young man was actually a top-notch expert!"

After Li Wudao left, Xiang Leping couldn't help but sigh, then frowned slightly and said:

"It's strange that he's offended so many powerful figures, yet he didn't think of running away immediately. I really don't know where he gets his confidence from..."

The combined strength of the Minister of War, the Marquis of Zhennan, and the Wang family alone is enough to give his branch a run for its money.

Not to mention, there's also the Li Huo Sect, who most likely won't let this go easily either.

"Didn't you notice that the boy didn't show the slightest bit of concern on his face from beginning to end?"

Murong Qinglan's eyes flickered, and she parted her red lips slightly, saying, "Perhaps he really can give us a surprise..."

As she spoke, she turned back, leaving behind a stunningly beautiful silhouette.

"A surprise... If that's really the case, this young man is rather terrifying!"

Xiang Leping and Du Peng muttered to themselves, a look of shock flashing across their faces, before they hurriedly jogged after them.

..........

Inside the pavilion of the Zhennan Marquis's residence.

Meng Zhenhu was playing chess with Wang Xu. His scholar's robe was spotless, and he moved his pieces with elegance and composure.

"I lost."

After a long while, Wang Xu looked distressed and slowly put down the chess piece that had been hanging in mid-air.

"Heh, just lucky..."

Meng Zhenhu smiled faintly, then raised his eyebrows slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes, and said, "Your Highness is certainly showing great sincerity. Brother, are you really not going to reconsider?"

Wang Xu hesitated, looking somewhat troubled: "This..."

Suddenly, a servant rushed into the pavilion, panicking, "My lord, something terrible has happened!"