Chapter 609 608: I Grant You a Duel with Me

"Why are you looking at me like that, Saint Prince? What is the meaning of this?"

Lu Tiansheng still wore a faint, beaming smile.

It was the kind of look that made you want to punch him.

But Yang Xiao simply smiled back, his own smile dripping with sarcasm, and he didn't mince his words. "To think a respected elder would slander his own junior—and a junior who could bring hope to your Lu Family, at that. It's truly been an eye-opener for me. No wonder they say it's better to offend a gentleman than a petty villain. If you offend a gentleman, the worst that can happen is an open fight. But a petty villain will try every trick in the book to plot against you and defame you. Truly, a spear in the open is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to defend against!"

The moment he said this, Lu Tiansheng's expression froze.

He never imagined Yang Xiao would dare to speak to him like that.

Without showing him the slightest bit of courtesy.

Calling him a petty villain to his face.

Accusing him of slandering Lu Fangliang.

How could a dignified Divine Marquis Level expert like him tolerate such an insult?

When the other Lu Family Elders heard this, they were also stunned.

A thoughtful look appeared in their eyes.

They weren't fools.

How could they not tell who was right and who was wrong?

However, Lu Tiansheng was, after all, a Lu Family Elder. His status and power were comparable to their own, so his words carried weight. To some extent, he even represented their collective body. Therefore, when Lu Fangliang had shown his displeasure toward Lu Tiansheng, they were incited by Lu Tiansheng's provocations and slander, and a sense of shared grievance took hold. They felt that no matter how angry Lu Fangliang was, as a junior, he should not treat an elder with such disrespect. Naturally, a feeling of disgust began to grow in their hearts.

Their perspective had inevitably become biased.

If it had been anyone else—some other junior—saying such things, the outcome would have been completely different. The Elders would have seen at a glance that the junior was simply jealous of Lu Fangliang.

But it was different when Lu Tiansheng said it.

As a member of the Elder Council, his words forced everyone present to consider the gravity of the situation.

Instantly, they all felt that Lu Fangliang's disrespect toward Lu Tiansheng was a heinous crime.

They completely forgot that this was all a result of Lu Tiansheng's provocations and insults directed at Lu Fangliang.

And now, Yang Xiao was using the same strategy.

Although many of the Elders present were somewhat displeased with Yang Xiao, his status as the Saint Prince was undeniable. Even the Great Elder and Elder Long couldn't ignore his words, let alone them. So, when he spoke, he achieved the same effect.

In an instant, he pulled the straying minds of the Elders back on track.

'That's right, Lu Fangliang is the hope of our Lu Family. Eighth Elder has gone too far. For him to give a junior such a hard time is truly unbecoming of an elder,' one of the Lu Family Elders immediately thought to himself.

He became dissatisfied with Lu Tiansheng's earlier words.

'As an elder, he truly shouldn't have acted this way.'

Naturally, the looks they gave Lu Tiansheng became filled with disapproval.

This made Lu Tiansheng's heart skip a beat. His eyes darted around as a new scheme formed in his mind. He spoke again, "The Saint Prince is truly silver-tongued. It seems my Lu Family won't have the honor of inviting you to our grand competition. Then again, why would someone as noble as the Saint Prince deign to participate in my Lu Family's competition? No wonder my grandson Fang Liang told you not to participate earlier. I suppose even a junior like him knows that the Saint Prince looks down on the Lu Family."

At these words, Lu Fangliang's expression changed drastically.

Yang Xiao was infuriated.

He pointed a finger at Lu Tiansheng and said, "You old dog, you're a real master of sowing discord. After all this talk, don't you just want to force me to participate in your Lu Family's grand competition? And then humiliate me there? I really don't know where you get the confidence to think that if I participate, someone from your Lu Family can actually defeat me. And I certainly didn't expect you to be so malicious, using this opportunity to suppress your own junior. Tsk, tsk. I will report this matter directly to Elder Long. A malicious person like you… I, Yang Xiao, truly cannot tolerate you!"

"Old dog, you're nothing but trash!" Yang Xiao said bluntly.

Seeing Lu Tiansheng's face flush red, clearly seething with anger, Yang Xiao felt a faint sense of satisfaction.

At this point, the other Lu Family Elders also saw where this was heading.

Although they were still somewhat unhappy, they were no longer so easily provoked by Lu Tiansheng.

Because they all knew that Yang Xiao was now furious.

He had even brought up Elder Long.

If they continued to meddle, they would likely get dragged down too. So, even though Yang Xiao calling Lu Tiansheng an "old dog" was grating to their ears, not a single one of them spoke up.

Lu Tiansheng waited for a long time, and when he realized that no one was going to speak up for him, he began to panic.

He looked at Yang Xiao.

Finally, he forced a smile and said, "Saint Prince, are you trying to insult me with those words? Insulting me is one thing, but I am still an Elder of the Lu Family. By calling me an 'old dog,' aren't you implying that the entire Lu Family are your dogs?"

"Stop hiding behind the Lu Family's name in every other sentence. Right now, I, Yang Xiao, am targeting you, and you alone, you old dog. However, from the way you're talking, it seems you think an insult to you is an insult to the entire Lu Family. It seems you're quite important, then—so important that you alone can represent the entire family. I just don't know what you've ever done for the Lu Family that gives you the nerve to say that."

"You!"

This time, Lu Tiansheng could no longer hold back.

He pointed at Yang Xiao, his face contorted with rage.

In that moment, he looked quite similar to how Lu Fangliang had looked earlier.

Yang Xiao laughed. "I only said a few words to you and you're already like this. When you were speaking about Brother Lu earlier, did you ever consider his feelings? Besides, you were trying to ruin Brother Lu's future. I just hurled a few harmless insults that won't cause you any real loss. And yet you dare to lash out at me, the Saint Prince? I'd say you're more like that traitor, Lu Changsheng. Oh, that's right, Lu Changsheng died by my sword. You should be careful. If you ever betray the Lu Family in the future, I will personally cut you down with my sword as well!"

"You!"

At this, Lu Tiansheng's face turned pale with rage.

But at this moment, he finally understood that he wouldn't gain anything by continuing this war of words with Yang Xiao. His previous advantage had relied on nothing more than his status, which allowed him to speak recklessly. But now, Yang Xiao was giving him a taste of his own medicine, being just as reckless. Nominally, his status was lower than Yang Xiao's, the Saint Prince. There was no point in dragging this out. It would only undo all the groundwork he had laid earlier.

He immediately stopped arguing with Yang Xiao and turned to the Second Elder. "Second Elder, the Saint Prince has insulted me so grievously! I ask you to seek justice for me!"

However, before the Second Elder could speak, Yang Xiao cut in.

"I insulted you? What about you insulting Brother Lu earlier? But I see it clearly now. You just want to force me to participate in the grand competition to humiliate me. Fine. I'll grant you your wish. However, I will not be participating in the grand competition. That is, after all, an internal affair of your Lu Family. But since you insulted a friend of this Prince, I will now give you a chance to commit insubordination. I grant you a duel with me. Do you dare accept?"

When these words were spoken, every member of the Lu Family—from the Elders who were secretly disgruntled with Lu Tiansheng's provocations to the juniors who had been riled up by him—was utterly stunned.

They never imagined that Yang Xiao would dare to challenge the Eighth Elder.

He was a Tier Seven Divine Marquis Level expert!

'How could he dare?'

As for Lu Tiansheng, after a brief moment of shock, he was overjoyed.

He opened his mouth, about to accept.

But then he felt something wasn't quite right.

A thought flashed through his mind, and a plan formed.

A triumphant smile spread across his face.

'This arrogant, conceited brat! Daring to insult me, Lu Tiansheng, like this… How could this Elder possibly let him off easy? This time, I will utterly ruin his reputation and make a complete fool of him!'