Chapter 717: Shock and Awe

“That kid’s really arrogant! Now we’ve got a good show to watch.”

Seeing Yang Xiao provoke Hex Yan like this, the onlookers grew increasingly interested.

A few others, however, had peculiar looks in their eyes.

They wondered.

What kind of backing could this man possibly have to dare kill Guao Han and provoke Hex Yan? The more contemplative ones, however, turned their gazes toward Nangong Miexian.

They had all been invited by this person with the goal of entering the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm.

Now, for someone like this to suddenly appear, kill Guao Han, and provoke Hex Yan, yet Nangong Miexian hadn’t reacted in the slightest.

Could it be?

‘Is this all part of Nangong Miexian’s plan?’

‘Could this be a test of our strength?’

A young man with a cold expression and a gloomy disposition thought to himself.

He was already a man of few words.

Now, he couldn’t help but become even more cautious.

He grew slightly warier of Nangong Miexian.

Because Guao Han was well and truly dead.

If this were a simple test, it wouldn’t have gone this far. Since it wasn’t a simple test, then there had to be a conspiracy involved.

It was only natural to be cautious.

Yun’Er and Nangong Yin, however, had different reactions.

Yun’Er had great confidence in Yang Xiao.

Although there was worry in her eyes, there was even more excitement.

Nangong Yin, on the other hand, was filled with anxiety.

She understood more than Yun’Er. She knew that regardless of whether Yang Xiao won or lost this fight, it would likely not end well.

At the same time,

she also knew very little.

She knew very little about Yang Xiao.

So much so that when she saw Hex Yan charging at Yang Xiao, her face was a mask of tension.

She was deeply worried.

‘Young Master Yang, you have to be okay… Right, where’s my cousin? Where did she go?’

Nangong Yin was both nervous and confused.

At that moment,

Hex Yan had already lunged in front of Yang Xiao.

The killing intent in his eyes was blazing and utterly unrestrained.

Anywhere else, he would have shown some restraint. But this was the Star God Continent, the Star God Academy. More importantly, he had been personally invited by the future heir of the Nangong Family.

Hex Yan felt that even if he killed the person before him, it would be no big deal.

Not to mention, the man had killed Guao Han, his best friend.

And now he was provoking him.

‘He’s so damned dead! I’ll kill him, no matter who tries to stop me.’

Fueled by this rage, Hex Yan immediately unleashed his strongest combat power.

An aura like a towering mountain erupted from him, channeling through his fist as he smashed it toward Yang Xiao. It was his family’s inherited Giant Spirit Divine Mountain Fist.

He threw the punch.

It was as if a colossal Divine Mountain that touched the sky came crashing down, with a Giant Spirit shouldering its immense weight as it charged forward.

It was as if a giant spirit god was bearing a Divine Mountain on its back and ramming it toward him.

It was terrifying.

This was one of the Hex Family’s most guarded secrets.

While not on par with an Emperor-level Divine Technique, it was still a top-tier King-level Divine Technique, and any such technique had the potential to be elevated to the Emperor Level.

Especially those King-level Divine Techniques created by a Supreme Divine King, which were already no weaker than Emperor-level Divine Techniques.

The Hex Family’s Giant Spirit Divine Mountain Fist, although not a King-level Divine Technique from a Supreme Divine King, still possessed considerable power.

Hex Yan’s mastery of it was also quite profound.

With this Fist Technique alone,

Hex Yan could fight opponents Two Tiers higher.

Coupled with his Upper-Grade Dao Body and a few Secret Techniques, even those Four Tiers stronger might not be his match.

Furthermore, because his ability to fight above his level rarely came from Secret Techniques, even upon reaching the True God Realm, Hex Yan could fight those Three Tiers, or perhaps even Four Tiers, above him.

He could definitely be called a genius in his own right.

Compared to Guao Han,

Hua Qianbai,

and even many others present, his potential was far greater.

He was the Hex Family’s precious treasure.

Unfortunately,

his temperament was too poor.

And he was too reckless.

Of course, if he had encountered someone from another family, they would have held back somewhat out of respect for the Hex Family.

But he had encountered Yang Xiao.

A Yang Xiao who had activated a Divine General Talisman and was dead set on causing a stir.

A mere Giant Spirit Divine Mountain Fist.

A mere Demigod Realm cultivator.

Even if he could fight opponents Four or Five Tiers higher,

so what?

Then,

Yang Xiao simply raised his hand and clenched it into a fist.

The Emperor-level Divine Technique, Star-Picking Hand, was instantly unleashed.

Combined with his Great Star Dominating Body and the pure Star Power within him,

he directly

crushed them into dust—both the Giant Spirit that looked like it could prop up the heavens and the Divine Mountain that seemed capable of obliterating anything.

Then, he gripped Hex Yan in his hand as well.

CRACK!

The sound instantly echoed all around.

It was the sound of shattering bones.

The aura of death descended in an instant.

Even a brutish youth like Hex Yan—reckless, arrogant, wild, unintelligent, and with little reverence for the world—

at this moment,

felt a fear that pierced his very soul.

‘This is bad. H-He’s going to kill me!’

Hex Yan was terrified.

He was panicked.

In the hundred or so years since his birth, everything had always gone smoothly for him. Even when competing with others, he was victorious most of the time.

On the rare occasion he encountered someone stronger, they wouldn’t dare to kill him because they were wary of his status.

Some didn’t even dare to defeat him.

As a result,

Hex Yan had always been arrogant and conceited.

He had no real concept of life and death.

Especially after he made it onto the Hidden Dragon List. Though he ranked low, somewhere past seven hundred,

in the eyes of the Hex Family,

he was a treasure.

They protected him even more fiercely.

As such, how could he ever know the terror of life and death? In battle, the concept of death simply didn’t exist for him.

But now,

it did.

And so, he was terrified.

He opened his mouth,

wanting to scream for help.

Unfortunately,

it was too late.

If it had been anyone else,

perhaps after sensing his frantic thoughts, they might have spared him for the sake of the Hex Family.

But Yang Xiao was different.

Now that he had started killing,

how could he stop so easily?

Without a moment’s hesitation, he squeezed.

The power of the Star-Picking Hand flared, just as it had when he killed Guao Han.

Hex Yan

was also dead.

His flesh, bones, and even his Divine Soul seemed to have been ground to dust by the stars.

He couldn’t be more dead.

After killing Hex Yan,

Yang Xiao’s gaze swept insolently over the others.

This time,

it was different from before.

Before, even when Yang Xiao had killed Guao Han, and despite his aura being so powerful they couldn’t discern his true cultivation, back then,

not a single person present had taken Yang Xiao seriously.

Because

they felt that in this tiny, insignificant place, a mere Divine Courtyard without even a single Divine King, there couldn’t possibly be anyone worthy of their attention.

But now,

it was different.

Hex Yan was dead.

Many among them wore looks of utter shock.

‘This kid is insane. He actually dared to kill Hex Yan… Does that mean he would dare to kill me, too?’

As soon as this thought arose,

many of them were panic-stricken.

If they hadn’t always been the favored children of heaven and possessed some measure of composure, they probably would have fled this courtyard immediately.

Because the man before them

posed too great a threat.

But for now,

they didn’t flee.

But the disdain in their eyes was gone.

In fact, many of them didn’t even dare to meet Yang Xiao’s gaze.

One by one, they were all stunned and terrified by Yang Xiao.

And so, in the end,

Yang Xiao’s gaze

finally came to rest on Nangong Miexian.

A slight smile played on his lips.

And then, Yang Xiao spoke.