Chapter 624: Ego meets Power
"I am the Peng clan’s young master!"
His shout drew more attention towards them, and hearing his declaration, people widened their eyes in surprise, some even bowing their heads slightly at the mention of the Peng clan.
"The Peng clan? They’re the ones who rule Fengying City."
"The young master of the Peng clan... these girls are in real trouble now."
Such were the murmurs of the newcomers to the crowd and as if on cue, a group of guards marched forward, their polished armour gleaming under the sunlight, each adorned with the emblem of a golden phoenix—the unmistakable symbol of the Peng clan.
They stood behind the young master, their presence making it abundantly clear he spoke no lies. The message was clear: defy the Peng clan’s young master at your own risk.
The young master sneered, feeling vindicated as the guards made his identity undeniable.
"Now you see? You should be honoured. Many would kill for the chance to stand where you are."
But neither Artemisia nor Beatrix seemed impressed. They just turned to leave, deciding to forget the drinks they ordered.
Beatrix’s voice rang out with a playful tone as she recalled something she’d heard recently.
"I think this is probably one of those cliché situations Arthur and Evan have been talking about for the past few days."
Artemisia nodded in agreement, her expression composed as usual.
"Let’s just go somewhere else and avoid any unnecessary trouble."
But before they could step away, the Peng clan’s guards moved swiftly, blocking their path. Artemisia’s expression immediately hardened, her eyes narrowing as her aura shifted from calm to dangerously cold.
"It would be in your best interest not to block our way."
Her icy voice made the guards hesitate, with some stepping back instinctively. But just as quickly, they recovered, shaking off their initial fear.
How could they, members of the mighty Peng clan, be scared of a girl whose power they couldn’t even sense? To them, she seemed weak, a low-level cultivator at best. Probably the daughter of some rich merchant or so.
The lead guard sneered, stepping forward as if to reaffirm his authority, but Artemisia’s patience was wearing thin.
Beatrix, sensing that things were about to get messy, sighed and began considering teleporting them both out of there.
Just as tension hit its peak, however, a familiar voice broke through the crowd.
"Huh? What’s up with the crowd?"
Arthur and Evan had returned.
The bystanders went silent, but none dared answer Arthur’s question. He looked at the cluster of guards blocking the way, then raised an eyebrow.
"Um, can you excuse me? I need to get to my companions."
The guards, still puffed up with their self-importance, ignored him entirely. One of them even stepped forward and tried to push Arthur back. As his hand made contact, though, it felt like he was hitting solid stone. His eyes widened in shock.
Arthur glanced down at the guard’s hand, then looked up with an expression of complete confusion.
Why had this random guy just tried to push him out of nowhere?
He didn’t have an answer to that question, so he just retaliated—on all the guards.
Without a word, he waved his hand, and suddenly, a powerful force enveloped them all. The guards yelped as their bodies were lifted off the ground, weightless and suspended in mid-air, completely at Arthur’s mercy.
Then, he waved his hand once more and casually tossed them across the street like they were nothing more than paper dolls.
Before they could recover, Arthur pressed his hand downward and a surge of gravity energy followed, pinning all the guards to the ground.
The immense pressure made them pass out instantly, leaving them motionless on the ground.
Arthur walked forward, unhindered, toward Artemisia and Beatrix as he raised an eyebrow and asked.
"What are you guys doing?"
Beatrix shrugged and responded nonchalantly.
"Oh, just dealing with some minor inconvenience."
The Peng clan’s young master, now shaking with a mix of fear and rage, could barely keep his voice steady.
"You... you dare to lay hands on my guards?! Do you even know what kind of trouble you’ve just brought on yourselves?!"
Arthur tilted his head slightly, clearly confused about what ’trouble’ he was talking about. Evan, on the other hand just chuckled.
’If he wants to cause Arthur trouble then he’d need to be at least a ’Supreme’ Race King.’
Just as Evan thought this, Beatrix pointed toward the young man still standing there, dumbstruck.
"The guy said he’s the Peng clan’s young master. Last I checked they’re the rulers of this city so he’s pretty important around these parts."
Immediately, Arthur and Evan froze.
They exchanged a glance, a shared understanding passing between them. Then, almost in unison, they turned towards the arrogant young master who had claimed his title with far too much pride.
"Dude, are you really the Peng clan’s young master?"
Evan asked, his voice dripping with utmost seriousness.
Seeing their sudden interest, the Peng clan’s young master, who had been simmering in anger moments before, now wore an expression of smug satisfaction.
Assuming they were admirers or people who finally recognized his greatness, his posture straightened with pride, and he puffed out his chest.
"Yes, I am the young master of the great Peng clan."
He declared, his voice brimming with self-importance and Arthur and Evan stood still for a moment, processing the words.
Then, without warning, they both exploded into uncontrollable laughter. They doubled over, clutching their stomachs, their laughter loud enough to echo through the street.
Evan wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye and gasped between laughs.
"Oh, my goodness, Author! You’re really killing us these days. What the hell is this? Are we in some sort of manhua now?"
Arthur, barely able to contain his amusement, replied.
"I guess so! The author must’ve read way too many cultivation manhuas recently, and now we’ve got the Peng clan’s young master!"
Their laughter only grew louder, and the people around them began to stare, utterly confused.
The bystanders, especially those familiar with the Peng clan’s power, couldn’t understand why these two boys found the situation so hilarious. To them, the name "Peng clan" was a symbol of fear and respect, not a punchline.
Artemisia and Beatrix exchanged knowing glances, then, in a coordinated move, subtly stepped away from Arthur and Evan as if to disassociate themselves from the two laughing lunatics.
Beatrix gave an exaggerated yawn, pretending not to notice, while Artemisia folded her arms, feigning indifference.
Despite their best efforts, Arthur and Evan’s infectious laughter made it impossible for them to stay quiet for long.
Finally regaining some composure, Arthur straightened up, wiped the last of the tears from his eyes, and looked directly at the Peng clan’s young master.
"Alright, what you got next on your roster? Gonna call your hidden guards?"
"Arthur, you just knocked them unconscious."
Evan reminded Arthur of this and the boy’s eyes went wide as he realised this. He’d messed up the routine!
The Peng clan’s young master’s face darkened, his pride clearly bruised by their blatant disrespect. But before he could say anything, Beatrix chimed in, her tone curious but sharp.
"So... is this how things work on Denerth Prime? The young scions of governing families can just walk up to a random woman on the street, demand she become your concubine, and she’s supposed to feel honoured?
Damn, try that on Aidos and the other governing families would beat you up for embarrassing them."
Her words struck a chord with the onlookers, many of whom shifted uncomfortably. Some of them, especially the locals, felt a pang of shame.
Beatrix wasn’t exaggerating; she was simply calling out what had just happened, but hearing it out loud from an outsider’s perspective made the custom seem even more ridiculous.
"Crazy planet."
Her final words hit the nail in the coffin.
The crowd murmured in response, and the Peng clan’s young master’s expression twisted in fury.
Arthur waved his hand dismissively at the Peng Clan’s young master, his earlier amused expression having changed to one of disinterest.
"Go play somewhere else. We have more important things to do."
The young master’s face twisted in rage, and his hand immediately went to the sword at his side.
"How dare you, nameless fools, make fun of me!"
He drew his sword with a flourish, its blade shimmering with law essence as he growled.
"You laugh at me, but now you shall pay for your disrespect."
He brandished the sword with an elaborate technique, his voice booming as he chanted.
"Peng Clan Style, Sword Form: Thunder Clap!"
Energy gathered around the blade, crackling with force as it surged toward Arthur, cutting through the air with a sharp hiss.
The onlookers gasped, some stepping back, while some others watching from corners drew their silently unsheathed their blades when they saw how Arthur barely reacted.
He raised his hand, almost absentmindedly, and caught the blade mid-strike. There was a brief moment of silence as the crowd stood in awe.
Even those who had drawn their weapons to try to save him, thinking he couldn’t sense the attack were gobsmacked.
The young master looked smug—until Arthur’s fingers clenched a little too tightly. With a loud crack, the entire sword shattered in his grasp, pieces of metal clattering to the ground.
"Ah."
Arthur blinked in surprise, looking down at the broken remains and Evan, standing to the side, remarked.
"You still haven’t gotten a handle on your strength, huh?"
Arthur turned back to Evan, completely ignoring the stunned young master whose prized sword had just been obliterated.
"Dude, do you know how much my strength has increased? It’s really hard to control these days. I mean, I could just accidentally wave my hand and—"
Before Arthur could finish, he casually waved his hand to illustrate his point, his palm grazing the Peng Clan’s young master’s shoulder. The impact, however, was far from casual.
With the force of an Intermediate Transcendent behind it, the poor Peng Clan young master was sent hurtling across the street, his body crashing through a wall with a deafening thud.
Arthur froze, staring at the newly formed crater where the young master now lay embedded.
"Ah."
He repeated, this time with a bit more concern. On the side, Evan slapped his forehead, laughing a bit.
"Really, Arthur?"
From behind, Artemisia and Beatrix facepalmed in sync. To think he’d actually send the guy flying with a wave of his hand.
"Dude, sorry about that."
Arthur called out, lifting a hand as if to offer an apology. But before he could take another step, a heavy, oppressive aura descended upon the area.
He stopped, his gaze snapping upward as an old man, dressed in flowing robes and exuding the power of a Sovereign Realm existence, appeared in the sky.
The old man landed, his face twisted in fury as he looked at the battered young master. He turned slowly to Arthur, his eyes burning with rage.
"You! You dare attack the young master of the Peng Clan, foreigner? I don’t know what backwater planet you crawled out of, but in this city of Fengying, the Peng Clan is supreme! And you dare to lay hands on the young master?"
His voice grew thunderous.
"Die!!"
With a roar, the old man leapt forward, his sword drawn and immense law energy, aiming directly for Arthur.
Arthur raised an eyebrow, glancing at Evan with a half-laughing expression.
"Oy, what the fuck is this bullshit?"
