Chapter 173 Blackwater City

Ye Fan only understood what it meant to be a frog in a well after arriving at the Central Continent; it seemed the Heavenly Spirit Continent was far more vast than he had imagined.

"Brother Ye Fan, ahead is Black Water City, where my Mei Family is located."

Despite Mei Changluo's repeated warnings, Mei Yinger didn't take them seriously at all, calling him "Brother Ye Fan" one after another, making Mei Changluo's heart skip a beat.

The group entered Black Water City with the horses and carriages. Mei Changluo originally wanted to go straight home, but he didn't expect to encounter his Family's arch-rival halfway there.

"It's the people from the Zhao Family," Mei Changluo said with a grim expression.

"The Zhao Family?"

Ye Fan looked at Mei Yinger, puzzled. The Little Girl clutched Ye Fan's sleeve and wouldn't let go, her face full of panic.

It turned out the Zhao Family and the Mei Family were the two major families of Black Water City. In the past, their strengths had always been equal, and for many years, they had stood on equal footing in this small territory.

However, unexpectedly, a Prodigy had emerged from the Zhao Family's current generation. At a young age, he had joined the Hunyuan Sect, a major sect in Liefeng Prefecture. In his twenties, he already had a Foundation Establishment Realm Fifth Level cultivation, putting him on par with the older generation's Mei Changluo.

With the help of this Prodigy and the Hunyuan Sect behind him, the Zhao Family's prestige in Black Water City soared, once pressing the Mei Family so hard they could barely breathe.

Not long ago, that Zhao Family Prodigy, Zhao Tong, even came to propose marriage, wanting to marry Mei Yinger as his wife.

As one of the only two daughters of the Mei Family, Mei Yinger's elder sister had been missing for many years, leaving Mei Yinger as the Family's only remaining child.

Zhao Tong's calculation was so loud it could be heard from miles away; he clearly just wanted to plot to take over the Mei Family.

Although Mei Changluo was furious, he was helpless. He could only deflect by saying Mei Yinger was too young and that they should discuss the matter in a couple of years.

Zhao Tong naturally knew this was the Mei Family's stalling tactic, so he came to apply pressure every few days.

Unable to bear the harassment, Mei Changluo took his daughter out on a business trip, but he didn't expect to run into the other party as soon as they returned.

Zhao Tong was in his twenties this year, and his cultivation had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm Fifth Level. In terms of cultivation, he had barely touched the threshold of the hidden dragon ranking, otherwise he wouldn't be so arrogant.

The two sides came face to face. It was too late for Mei Changluo to change routes, so he could only bite the bullet and continue forward. As expected, Zhao Tong immediately approached them.

"Uncle Mei, we meet again. I haven't seen you or Yinger for some time. I heard you went out on a business trip."

Zhao Tong spoke politely, but his eyes never left Mei Yinger's body.

That aggressive gaze frightened Mei Yinger so much that she lost her color, tightly clutching Ye Fan's arm and refusing to let go. This action, however, made Zhao Tong extremely dissatisfied.

"Yinger, who is this guy?!"

Mei Yinger was too scared to speak and instead held on even tighter.

Seeing this, Mei Changluo quickly spoke up, stating that Ye Fan was a Core Formation Realm Cultivator and a distinguished guest invited by the Mei Family, warning Zhao Tong not to be presumptuous.

When the words "Core Formation Realm Cultivator" came out, Zhao Tong was indeed startled. But after looking closely at Ye Fan, he was stunned for a moment, then broke into a cold sneer upon realizing something.

"A Core Formation Realm Cultivator? Uncle Mei, you must be seeing things from drinking too much. He looks no more than twenty years old; how could he possibly be a Core Formation Realm Cultivator?" Zhao Tong said with a sneer.

"You..."

Mei Changluo wanted to explain something but didn't know how to start.

More and more onlookers gathered on the street, whispering among themselves. Clearly, no one believed that Ye Fan was a Core Formation Realm Cultivator.

In fact, even Mei Changluo himself had doubts. After all, from beginning to end, this was only something Ye Fan had said himself; others had no way to verify it.

Even if they couldn't see through Ye Fan's cultivation, it only proved his Realm was higher—perhaps the sixth, seventh, or eighth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. As for Core Formation, it was simply too far-fetched.

But Mei Changluo didn't dare to gamble. If Ye Fan really was a Core Formation Realm Cultivator and he neglected him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After thinking it over, he decided to treat him as an honored guest; at least the Mei Family wouldn't suffer an undeserved disaster because of it.

The discussions of the crowd made Mei Changluo's old face flush red. Zhao Tong glared at Ye Fan, telling him to leave Mei Yinger immediately, or else he shouldn't blame him for being impolite.

"Impolite? Then I'd like to see how impolite you can be."

Ye Fan spoke indifferently, his tone extremely relaxed as if he didn't consider Zhao Tong a threat at all.

This Hunyuan Sect Prodigy immediately felt humiliated. In a fit of rage, he actually attacked in the middle of the street.

"Bastard, die!"

Zhao Tong attacked in a rage, intending to directly destroy the carriage, which terrified Mei Yinger.

Mei Changluo's expression changed drastically, but it was too late for him to intervene. He could only watch helplessly as Zhao Tong's Spiritual Blade blasted toward the carriage.

At the critical moment, Ye Fan suddenly reached out a hand and casually blocked Zhao Tong's furious strike.

Let alone the carriage being destroyed, even Mei Yinger beside him didn't feel the slightest impact.

She stared blankly at Ye Fan. When she came to her senses, her innocent eyes were filled with admiration.

Zhao Tong was even more incredulous, unable to believe that Ye Fan had so easily blocked his attack.

But before he could say anything else, Ye Fan's figure appeared before him like a teleportation, and he raised his hand to deliver a massive slap.

"This slap is to teach you a lesson on behalf of your elders."

Ye Fan swung a full slap, sending Zhao Tong flying through the air. His back molars, mixed with bloody foam, flew everywhere, and his vision went black as he fainted instantly.

Looking at the unconscious Zhao Tong on the ground, everyone present was stunned.

This was a Foundation Establishment Realm Fifth Level Cultivator, a Zhao Family Prodigy, and a Dao Child of the Hunyuan Sect.

Yet the result was that he was slapped unconscious by Ye Fan. This fully demonstrated that the strengths of the two sides were not in the same dimension at all.

Mei Changluo was even more dumbfounded. When he came to his senses, he was so excited he was somewhat incoherent.

"Core Formation! This person must be a Core Formation Realm Cultivator!"

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Mei Changluo invited Ye Fan into his home as a guest under the terrified gazes of the crowd.

As for Zhao Tong, he lay on the ground like a dead dog. It wasn't until the Mei Family had left that his lackeys mustered the courage to come forward and save him.

They then discovered that Zhao Tong's injuries were far more severe than imagined; half of the bones in his face had been shattered.

Without the help of some miraculous Spirit Pill, he would surely be disfigured even if he was saved.

"What should we do now?!" a subordinate asked in terror.

"How should I know? Let's get the young master home first."

The two carefully carried the unconscious Zhao Tong home. On the other side, Ye Fan was respectfully invited into the Mei Family home.

When everyone heard that a Core Formation Realm Cultivator had arrived, the entire Family, young and old, rushed out to welcome him.

But when they saw that the man before them was not even twenty years old, they were all stunned, completely unable to associate him with a Core Formation Realm Cultivator.

Finally, Mei Changluo spoke up to remind them. Only then did everyone snap out of it and hurriedly bow to greet him.

"Patriarch Mei, you are being too polite. Saving my life was already a great favor, and now you've arranged such a reception; it truly overwhelms this Junior." Ye Fan said with some embarrassment.

"What are you saying, Young Friend Ye? For us Cultivators, the Realm is what matters most. If you hadn't forbidden it several times, I would have even wanted to call you Senior." Mei Changluo said seriously.

...