The Peerless Emperor (TPE)

The female disciple from Yunhai Sect turned pale when she saw the person standing before her.

"Senior Brother Li…?"

The man before her was none other than Li Yunfeng, who had left earlier. She never expected him to be the one to intervene and protect Lin Qian.

Seeing Li Yunfeng block the sword energy for him, Lin Qian withdrew the soul power that had started to gather around him.

At that moment, Lin Qian furrowed his brows and looked at the Yunhai Sect disciple. He had already learned about her identity since she was participating in the clan assembly as an ally of the Northern Branch.

Du Ziyue, a talented disciple of Yunhai Sect, had reached the peak of the Mortal Realm's Physical Stage at just twenty-five years old. She was considered the most gifted disciple of her generation in Yunhai Sect and was a prized student of Wu Chunshan.

Lin Qian also knew something interesting: although Yunhai Sect controlled an entire state named Yunhai, it was still a vassal sect under a more powerful force—Li Yunfeng's own Xiaoyao Sect.

Li Yunfeng wasn't just anyone. As the son of Xiaoyao Sect's current leader and a disciple of the renowned Elder Zhou Yian, his status was formidable. Even Wu Chunshan would have to show him respect.

Li Yunfeng frowned, his voice cold as he reprimanded Du Ziyue. "There's an unwritten rule in Houhai Street that no one is allowed to use force. How dare you break that rule? Is this how Yunhai Sect teaches its disciples?" The bubbles continuously rising from his water-breathing device made it clear that he was not pleased.

Du Ziyue, seeing Li Yunfeng's anger, panicked. But when she noticed Lin Qian was about to leave, she quickly devised a plan. "Senior Brother Li, I only lost control and attacked because he insulted me first."

Her words left Li Yunfeng perplexed, and he turned to look at Lin Qian.

At the same time, Lin Qian stopped in his tracks and turned around, his expression darkening.

By now, a crowd had gathered, curious about what was happening.

"He deliberately groped me and, thinking he could get away with it due to the rules here, spoke lewdly and asked me to accompany him back. Out of anger, I retaliated!" Du Ziyue shouted, her voice filled with righteous indignation.

Hearing her accusations, the onlookers began murmuring, their gazes toward Lin Qian filled with disdain and scorn.

Seeing the crowd turn against Lin Qian, a sly smile flashed across Du Ziyue's face. This way, Li Yunfeng wouldn't punish her for breaking the rules. Instead, she could use him to deal with Lin Qian.

How dare this lowly man ignore her and even mock her! He deserved to be taught a lesson!

Lin Qian's outburst of laughter caught everyone off guard, and they turned to him in confusion.

Du Ziyue sneered. "What? Out of words? Hiding your guilt behind laughter?"

"No," Lin Qian retorted, his tone icy. "I'm laughing because of how delusional you are."

He continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You once accused me of ogling you, claiming I was too cowardly to act on my lustful thoughts."

"You assumed that because I supposedly looked at you with desire and then quickly averted my gaze when you noticed."

"And how was I wrong?" Du Ziyue lifted her chin arrogantly. "Men like you are all the same. I don't mind if you admire my beauty, but sneaking glances and then fantasizing about who-knows-what is just disgusting."

Lin Qian couldn't help but laugh. "How amusing. My fiancée is far more beautiful, graceful, and well-endowed than you could ever hope to be. You're not even in the same league. As the saying goes, ugly people are the most troublesome. Why would I bother looking at you? I'd probably have nightmares afterward."

"You—!" Du Ziyue's face turned pale with rage, and she was about to retort when Lin Qian cut her off sharply.

"Listen carefully," Lin Qian's tone was cold as he spoke. "I wasn't looking at you back then. I was observing your master, Wu Chunshan, because I was contemplating how best to kill him. Understand?"

"What?!" Du Ziyue was stunned, stumbling backward in shock at the killing intent radiating from Lin Qian. She was utterly unprepared for such a statement.

Not just Du Ziyue—everyone in the crowd was equally taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

However, Du Ziyue quickly regained her composure and smiled smugly. "Lin Qian, you're incredibly bold. Do you even know who Senior Brother Li is? He's the heir of Xiaoyao Sect's leader, and our Yunhai Sect is under their command. You dare to speak of killing Yunhai Sect's Vice Leader in front of him?"

"Do you think Senior Brother Li would allow that?"

"I would," Li Yunfeng calmly replied, his voice cutting through the tension.

A stunned silence fell over the crowd. Du Ziyue stared at Li Yunfeng in disbelief, unable to comprehend what she had just heard.

"You know, she's not entirely wrong. Wu Chunshan is technically one of your people. You really don't mind?" Lin Qian asked as he walked over to stand beside Li Yunfeng, his tone curious.

"I don't mind. Do as you please."