Chapter 84: Worthy or Unworthy

"Master, we've searched every corner of the clan grounds, but we still haven't found Li Shang."

At this moment, in the main hall of the Li family, a young disciple knelt on one knee, cupping his hands as he reported to the patriarch seated above.

"Still haven't found him?" The head of the Li family frowned with rising anger. "If he's not on the grounds, what, has he grown wings and flown off?"

"Keep searching! If you come back without him, don't bother returning at all."

His voice thundered through the hall.

"Yes, sir!"

Sweat beaded on the disciple's brow as he hurriedly complied, quickly rising and jogging out the door.

"No need to search any longer!"

The Li family patriarch's expression darkened at the sound of that voice from the entrance.

It was none other than Li Shang himself, the very person he had sent his people to find.

Li Shang strode into the hall as if no one else existed.

Seeing him, the patriarch's anger erupted. "Li Shang—"

But Li Shang paid him not the slightest heed, walking straight up to Yan Li.

"You must be Yan Li, the one betrothed to me?"

Hearing his cavalier tone, Yan Li's delicate brows furrowed, a trace of disgust flickering in her eyes. "That's right, but we—"

"Heh, you think you're worthy of being my fiancée?"

Li Shang gazed down at her with disdain, as if she were nothing more than a servant.

Yan Li stared at him in disbelief, as if she'd just heard the most ludicrous joke in the world.

"You say I'm not worthy of you?"

She pointed at her own delicate nose, wondering if she had misheard.

Li Shang merely sneered, reached to his waist, and drew out a black-inked, white-sealed envelope, tossing it toward Yan Li.

"This is a letter of severance. From this day forward, there will be nothing between us. Do not sully my name again with your talk!"

"You dare repudiate me?!"

Yan Li's face flushed crimson, humiliation burning within her.

She was a direct disciple of the Elder of the Xuanqing Sect, a true daughter of heaven. Wherever she went, she was respected and admired.

Yet today, this useless good-for-nothing dared to slight her, to claim she wasn't fit for him.

How could she not be furious?

"Oh? You object?" Li Shang saw her cheeks inflamed with anger and let his tone shift. "Very well—I'll give you a chance, so no one can say I bullied a mere woman."

"As long as you serve me well, what's to stop me from recognizing you as my consort?"

"Insolence! Li Shang, do you know whom you're speaking to?"

At last, the Li family patriarch could restrain himself no longer, and scolded him harshly.

"Insolence? The two of us are speaking—what right does a mere Li family patriarch have to interrupt?" Li Shang's eyes were filled with utter contempt.

"Audacious!"

The patriarch was so enraged he laughed, his energy surging.

A massive phantom of a cyan serpent appeared behind him.

This was the Li family's secret technique, Profound Rank: [Azure Serpent Art].

By circulating his energy and invoking the art, his explosive power could increase by half!

If used skillfully, it could even enable him to defeat stronger opponents.

And in the hands of the patriarch, who had reached the third stage of the Profound Realm, its might was even more terrifying.

The profound energy radiating from his body warped the very air and filled the room with a sinister hissing, like the sound of serpents.

Li Shang's face paled. The oppressive force from a third-stage Profound expert was not something he could withstand.

As the patriarch's aura continued to climb, Li Shang asked hurriedly in his heart, "Elder Jiao, is there any way you can help me beat him?"

Within the small black horn at his waist, Jiao Buqi's mouth twitched. He was now certain he'd boarded a pirate's ship—no sooner had they struck their deal than this boy rushed headlong into trouble.

Still, he liked Li Shang's temperament, so he didn't complain. Instead, he simply said, "Relax your body and don't resist."

Li Shang obeyed at once, and suddenly felt a strange power flooding through him.

The suffocating pressure that had nearly crushed him a moment before vanished without a trace.

All of this took but an instant.

The patriarch completed a circuit of the [Azure Serpent Art] and struck.

With a flick of his right hand, the serpent phantom behind him shot forward like a sword, aimed straight for Li Shang.

The patriarch's fury was real—his murderous intent plain for all to see.

But just as the serpent was about to strike Li Shang, something uncanny occurred.

The cyan serpent froze in midair, a mere centimeter from Li Shang's body.

No matter how the patriarch urged it on, it would not move a hair's breadth further.

"Impossible!"

He was shocked and enraged. How could this useless wretch possibly block his attack?

"Impossible?" Li Shang sneered. "A frog in a well knows nothing of the vastness of the sky."

With that, he threw a punch, and a black smoke-formed skull shot forth from his fist.

It shattered the serpent phantom in an instant, then crashed into the stunned patriarch before he could react.

Blood spurted from the patriarch's mouth as he was sent flying.

With a resounding crash, he slammed into the wall, filling the hall with dust and debris.

"Miss!"

The old man who had accompanied Yan Li outside heard the commotion and rushed in.

His eyes swept the room. Seeing Yan Li unharmed, he relaxed, but his gaze quickly locked onto Li Shang.

Without a word, the old man's profound energy erupted, and a white wolf phantom appeared behind him.

But before he could attack, Li Shang's fist flashed out again.

The old man was flattened to the ground.

With all done, Li Shang turned to face the now terrified Yan Li.

He strode toward her.

Only then did Yan Li regain her senses, terror written across her face as she backed away.

But the room was small; how far could she retreat?

Her back pressed against the cold wall, and at last, tears began to slip down her cheeks.

Her body trembled, eyes wide as she stared at the man before her. Never had she imagined one person could be so terrifying.

Li Shang lifted his right hand.

Her pupils contracted, but the expected blow never fell.

Instead, Li Shang gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Confused, she looked up at him.

She met his gaze—eyes brimming with a wicked charm.

"Are you worthy?"

"I... am not."

P.S. Brothers, do I deserve a vote for the monthly ranking? QAQ *sob sob*