Chapter 1928: Chapter 1921: Over Before It Began
Zhang Menglong’s appearance caught everyone off guard, especially since they were just bad-mouthing him. Instantly, the room fell silent.
Zhang Menglong casually walked in with his people and directly sat in the spot reserved for guests from Illusion City. He casually took out a plate of fruit, a luxury not found in the Endless Land.
"Keep talking! Why’d you stop? You all seemed pretty enthusiastic just now!" Zhang Menglong remarked with a smile, "I wonder what you were chatting about. I’m curious to listen in. My hometown has an old saying, ’It’s better to share joy than enjoy it alone.’
Everyone bore awkward smiles; there wasn’t anything amusing. They had been speaking ill of Zhang Menglong just moments before. Could they now say it to his face? Their skin wasn’t that thick.
But in situations like this, Zhang Menglong believed in the saying, "As long as I don’t get awkward, others will."
"I just overheard someone saying I hit some jackpot by luck?" Zhang Menglong’s gaze swept over the crowd, "Who said that? Care to elaborate?"
The one who spoke earlier flushed red, suddenly too embarrassed to lift his head.
"Brother, why are you so red in the face? Might you also be contagious? Need me to give you a couple of antigen tests?" Zhang Menglong teased, leaning in closer.
"What’s going on, huh? Why talk behind someone’s back but not admit it now? Am I, Gu Xiao, that scary? Or are these people worse than the trash that stumbled upon luck?"
"Gu Xiao, City Lord," Bei Xu spoke up, playing the peacemaker. Today, he gathered everyone here not to stir up conflict. Given the circumstances, unity was needed.
"And you are?"
"I’m the City Lord of this Beikun Giant City," Bei Xu said, "It was probably just a misunderstanding. Gu Xiao, City Lord, please don’t take it to heart."
"Misunderstanding? I doubt my ears are broken," Zhang Menglong insisted relentlessly, "What’s happening; why is everyone quiet? It’s so hard to admit talking behind someone’s back? Say it to my face! Even my dog barks at me when angry; are some people more cowardly than a dog?"
"Enough!" The City Lord who spoke earlier finally lost his patience, "It was me! What can you do? You, a mere Martial Artist at the peak of Divine Cultivation, are in no position to sit equally with us. You don’t deserve Illusion City!"
"Oh? Really?" Zhang Menglong sat next to him; this was Guswes, City Lord of Meino Fortress City.
"Let me ask, how did your Meino Fortress City fare during the spatial turbulence?" Zhang Menglong smiled, "If I recall correctly, about 30% of people died, and the city lost around 25% of its infrastructure, right? You’re so pathetic!"
Guswes glared at Zhang Menglong in anger, "What did you say?"
"Did I say anything wrong?" Zhang Menglong grinned, "In my Illusion City, not a single person died, and ten minutes after the spatial turbulence ended, all city damage was repaired! This is the city I, Gu Xiao, personally built. Who’s the real waste here?"
"Hmph!" Guswes knew full well that no one could match Illusion City in that regard, "You can stand here talking with me only because Ose backs you. Do you think it’s your own capabilities?"
"Looks like you’re very dissatisfied?" Zhang Menglong inquired, "Think you’re so strong?"
"Someone like you, I could kill a bunch with a mere glance or breath!" To Guswes, the difference between a Martial Artist at the peak of Divine Cultivation and an ant was negligible.
"Come, try it!" Zhang Menglong laughed, "Ose, don’t interfere; I want to see how he plans to kill me with just a glance or breath."
"Gu Xiao, City Lord, this..." Bei Xu, the host, was caught in a difficult position.
"Haha, Bei Xu, City Lord, since he’s so confident, why not let him try? I’ll pull back just enough; can’t have a killing spree in your Beikun City, right?" Guswes seemed confident, assuming Zhang Menglong couldn’t even withstand his glare without Ose’s protection.
"Beikun, City Lord, it’s fine. We’re just having some fun. I want to see if Guswes’s eyes are really that formidable. Besides, it has nothing to do with you."
"Eh..." Bei Xu sighed, but honestly, he was curious to witness the exchange. How could Zhang Menglong, a Martial Artist at the peak of Divine Cultation, challenge Guswes, a Dao Realm Peak Martial Artist?
Ose stood not far away. Honestly, he had no worries for Zhang Menglong. Even if Guswes strained his eyes and exhausted his breath, he couldn’t harm Zhang Menglong in the slightest.
The two squared off; a surge of power burst toward Zhang Menglong. This force could instantly kill an average Martial Artist at the peak of Divine Cultivation, even when Guswes was holding back, thinking Zhang Menglong had some qualification to be a City Lord, maybe a bit stronger than the usual peak.
This force could crush him but shouldn’t kill him. On Bei Xu’s territory, Guswes had to spare some decency.
Yet, facing this force, Zhang Menglong didn’t even flinch.
"Guswes, City Lord, has it started? I’m ready!"
A few people burst into laughter at Zhang Menglong’s words.
The remark was as sarcastic as when during that certain activity, a woman suddenly asks, "Did you start yet?"
For Guswes, that line was extremely irritating. His eyes flashed murderous intent, amplifying the force by tenfold. Such power could utterly crush any Martial Artist in the Divine Cultivation Realm!
Yet Zhang Menglong remained indifferent, even wearing a confused expression, "Guswes, City Lord, haven’t we started? I’ve been waiting!"
"Pfft!" Again, several laughed aloud. Zhang Menglong’s tongue was truly sharp, but simultaneously, their evaluation of him skyrocketed. Amid such oppressive force, he maintained composure; his physical resilience matched that of a typical first-grade Dao Realm expert.
"Want to die!" In an instant, Guswes unleashed full power, a presence difficult for standard Dao Realm cultivators to bear, directly aimed at Zhang Menglong.
"Is that all?" Zhang Menglong sneered, manifesting an axe-like force dividing Guswes’s presence in two.
Boom!
The entire room shook violently as Zhang Menglong and Guswes each took a step back. The outcome left everyone stunned.
Zhang Menglong’s presence withstood a full-on assault from a Dao Realm Peak’s presence, even matching its intensity, shattering the conventional understanding of their world.
"Killed with a glance?" Zhang Menglong’s tone dripped with mockery, "I thought you were tougher. Guess not!"
