140: You dare to mess with my mount?

When Golden Lion Simba’s impatient growl, like an invisible heavy hammer, sent Ao Tian, Guixu City’s top Genius, and his ridiculous “show of force” flying, the entire banquet hall instantly fell into a suffocating silence, more profound than death itself.

The clinking of glasses stopped.

The music from the flutes and strings ceased.

All the guests’ lively conversations came to an abrupt halt at this moment.

Hundreds of prominent figures from Guixu City’s major local powers were frozen in place as if petrified. Their wine glasses hung in mid-air, their smiles rigid, and their eyes filled with unprecedented horror and disbelief that overturned their understanding.

What did they see?

Ao Tian, the Young Lord, the most favored and usually arrogant and untouchable figure in the City Lord’s Mansion, was… by someone—no, by a “pet”—with just a roar… severely injured?!

This… this was simply unbelievable!

After a dead silence that lasted over ten seconds, City Lord City Lord finally recovered from his extreme shock.

He abruptly stood up from the main seat, his face, which had been beaming with a warm smile moments ago, now completely replaced by a livid expression! A terrifying pressure, like a surging tsunami, belonging to an S-rank Peak Expert, erupted and fiercely pressed towards the main table!

“Your Excellency Lin Tian!”

His voice no longer held any politeness; every word seemed to be squeezed from between his teeth, filled with the towering, forcibly suppressed rage of being publicly humiliated!

“This is my City Lord’s Mansion! It is not a place where you can arbitrarily let your ‘Vicious Beast’ injure people!”

“Your ‘pet,’ in front of me, severely injured my nephew. Is this… not too overbearing?!”

He bit down hard on the words “pet” and “overbearing,” clearly questioning and… demanding an explanation!

Facing the towering rage of this “local tyrant,” and the terrifying pressure that would make even ordinary S-Class Experts change their expressions, Lin Tian, however, seemed completely unaffected.

He didn’t even stand up.

He merely slowly put down the untouched glass of champagne, then raised his head, looking at City Lord with a gaze so calm it was almost cold, as if he were looking at an unreasonable child.

In a “reasonable” tone, he uttered the most unreasonable words, words that sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

“First.”

“He was the one who first attacked me with his inferior Mental Energy. My mount was only fulfilling its duty to protect its master. What fault is there in that?”

“Second.”

He paused, a cold, utterly contemptuous curve forming on his lips, his eyes seeming to say, “You should be grateful.”

“…It’s much better for my mount to act than for me to act personally.”

“After all…”

He glanced at Ao Tian, who was still frothing at the mouth and twitching in the corner, and said indifferently.

“…It only severely injured him.”

“And I would have killed him.”

Boom—!!!

These words, once spoken, were utterly domineering!

The entire hall once again fell into a dead silence!

Everyone was completely awestruck by the absolute, undeniable dominance in Lin Tian’s words, a dominance that regarded human lives as worthless and rules as non-existent!

City Lord was so choked by these words that he nearly couldn’t breathe, his face instantly turning a liver-like purple!

He wanted to retort but found himself utterly unable to do so!

Because what the other party said was the truth!

It was his nephew who provoked first!

And even more so, because he saw in the other party’s calm eyes an absolute, undeniable… confidence! He had no doubt that if Lin Tian himself had acted just now, his nephew would already be a cold corpse!

However, while that was the logic, what about face?

City Lord, as the City Lord of Guixu City, a regional overlord! If today, his nephew was severely injured on his own territory by an outsider’s “pet,” and he didn’t even dare to utter a peep, how could he establish himself in Guixu City in the future?!

At this thought, a ruthless glint flashed in City Lord’s eyes!

He knew that today, this insult had to be avenged!

He gave a look to the black-clad old man behind him, who had been like a shadow, guarding him every step of the way.

That old man was his chief guard and the strongest combatant under his command, a top Expert who had also reached S-rank Peak and was renowned for his “Overturning Sea Palm”—“Elder Xuan” of the Two Elders of Xuanming!

Elder Xuan understood, stepped forward, cupped his fists towards Lin Tian, and said in a hoarse voice, “I’ve long heard that Your Highness, the Dragon family’s ‘Alpha,’ has hidden talents around him. This old man, though untalented, wishes to ‘learn’ a thing or two from your Divine Beast mount. May I?”

Ostensibly, it was a “spar.”

In reality, he wanted to regain face!

Everyone’s hearts were in their throats!

However, Lin Tian still did not speak.

He merely picked up the red wine on the table and gently swirled it, as if the imminent S-rank Peak battle before him was less captivating than the crimson liquid in his glass.

But at his feet, Golden Lion Simba, who had been feigning sleep, slowly stood up.

He sensed his master’s will, filled with “impatience” and a desire for a “quick battle.”

More importantly, he also wanted to put on a good show in front of his “new master” and… those beautiful “mistresses”!

“Roar—!”

A roar filled with supreme majesty and soaring Battle Intent erupted from Simba’s mouth!

His massive, mountain-like golden body instantly transformed into a golden lightning bolt, actively charging towards Elder Xuan!

“Good!”

Elder Xuan roared, equally unwilling to show weakness! The terrifying aura of an S-rank Peak erupted, and his hands instantly turned as black as ink, as if they could overturn the entire sea!

Overturning Sea Palm!

However, he still underestimated the… terror of an ancient Divine Beast Crown Prince!

Simba used no flashy techniques at all!

First move!

His giant claw, forged like gold, directly ignored Elder Xuan’s palm force, which was capable of shattering mountains, and with the most unreasonable, pure power, crushed down hard on his protective Qi shield!

Crack!

Elder Xuan’s indestructible protective Qi shield shattered with a resounding crack! He was struck as if by lightning, flying backwards!

Second move!

Before Elder Xuan could regain his footing, Simba’s massive body had already appeared above him as if by teleportation! Nine ferocious lion king head phantoms, each with different attributes, emerged behind him, simultaneously opening their gaping maws!

Nine Nether Devouring Soul Roar!

Nine terrifying sound waves, imbued with different Law powers (fire, ice, lightning, death…), instantly intertwined into an impenetrable net of death, completely enveloping Elder Xuan!

“Oh no!”

Elder Xuan was scared out of his wits, and without thinking, he unleashed all his trump cards without reservation, trying to resist this fatal combined attack!

However… third move!

Simba’s right foreclaw, like a golden pillar, had already penetrated all the energy storms, and with an unstoppable, irresistible momentum, fiercely stomped on his chest!

Boom—!!!

Elder Xuan, as if struck head-on by a meteor falling from the sky, was violently slammed into the center of the hall, creating a massive human-shaped crater in the incredibly hard floor, which was made of special alloy!

Three moves!

Just three moves!

A long-renowned, S-rank Peak top Expert was… utterly defeated!

Simba stepped on Elder Xuan’s chest, immobilizing him. His nine ferocious lion king head phantoms slowly rotated, simultaneously letting out a deep roar filled with supreme majesty and warning towards City Lord City Lord, who was already stunned and pale from the scene before him!

In the entire banquet hall, all members of Guixu City’s local powers were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to even breathe.

Only then did Lin Tian, who had seemed like an outsider from beginning to end, slowly stand up from his seat.

He raised his wine glass and surveyed the entire hall, his indifferent gaze sweeping over every local big shot who had lowered their heads in fear.

Finally, he asked indifferently:

“Now…”

“…Does anyone else have an opinion about my mount?”