Chapter 740: Chapter 740

In the Shen Family hall, the people from both the Shen Family and Sha Men were at the end of their tether. Their strength was initially inferior to those from the Western Province, and coupled with the lingering effects of the Bone-Piercing Tendon-Softening Powder's poison, their defeat came swiftly.

However, even in such a state, everyone still formed a protective circle around the unconscious Ye Qing, desperately fighting against the people from the Western Province. In their eyes, their ability to hold out until now was entirely thanks to Ye Qing's life-saving efforts. Therefore, not a single person left, but instead they all stayed to protect Ye Qing. The people from the Shen Family and Sha Men now shared the same resolve, that even if they were to die here, they would repay the debt of gratitude to Ye Qing!

The Right Protector Blood-Sealed Throat was not in the hall. He had quietly slipped away not long after the Netherworld Scholar had left. In the midst of the chaos, no one noticed when he had departed. By the time anyone realized, he had long since vanished.

The people of Sha Men were of course furiously angry, but at this point, even if they cursed the Right Protector, he would no longer hear them. Only now did everyone understand how absurd their previous life-and-death struggle with the Shen Family had been.

"You really are tenacious, aren't you? Even now, you still refuse to surrender!" Wang Tian'an stood at the entrance, smugly. He no longer needed to take action himself, and leisurely sat in a chair, saying, "Ah, why insist on making us waste more effort? Wouldn't it be better to end it all quickly for you? Why choose to die in such agony?"

The people from both the Shen Family and Sha Men looked at Wang Tian'an with angry eyes, their hearts filled with ire. But at this time, they were also powerless; the strength of the people from the Western Province was too overwhelming.

"That being said, the decline of the Shen Family's influence over these twenty years has been remarkably swift," Wang Tian'an smacked his lips and said, "After the fight between the King of North-South Boxing, the Shen Family had such a glorious period, didn't it? Who in the Southern Six Provinces didn't bow down to them? It's unexpected that in less than twenty years, the Shen Family has fallen to such a state. Sigh, it's truly easier to start a business than to keep it going. The empire that Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun built has been thoroughly ruined at the hands of you wastrels. The Shen Family has long since lost its substance to match its reputation. You people have been resting on your laurels for so many years, each becoming almost as useless as a straw bag. Even if I didn't plot against you, hmm, I reckon that the Shen Family wouldn't last much longer. Perhaps another family would take your place at any moment!"

The people from the Shen Family were even more furious, their feelings understandable when being insulted to such a degree.

Shen Da, indignant, said, "Wang Tian'an, had our family elders not suffered heavy losses twenty years ago, today it wouldn't be your turn to cause trouble here. Hmph, 'a tiger, when it falls in a flat land, is bullied even by dogs'. Even if you manage to eradicate our Shen Family, what then? Once you step out of the Western Province, General Helian will not let you off. When General Helian marches south, your end will be near too!"

"Hahahahaha…" Wang Tian'an laughed loudly, saying, "Oh, now that you mention it, I do recall something. Twenty years ago, when you rescued the orphan of the Huangfu Household, you were attacked fiercely, resulting in heavy losses among your elder generation. Actually, that was when the strength of the Shen Family began to decline. In these twenty years, you've never recovered. Twenty years, and all you've raised are a bunch of fools. Without those elders, what else is there to mention about the Shen Family? Right, speaking of General Helian, I do have a few more words to say. If he doesn't dare to come down to Jiangnan, it's his business, but if he does, I dare to ensure he dies in Jiangnan!"

Wang Tian'an's expression was arrogant, with an air of 'who but me', the manner suggesting he completely disregarded Meng District General Helian Tiehua.

Shen Da furrowed his brows and stared fixedly at Wang Tian'an. To him, this man seemed almost insane. General Helian, the First King of the North, Helian Tiehua, was an existence not even the Shen Family could challenge. How could Wang Tian'an dare to speak such words?

"Enough with the nonsense!" Wang Tian'an stood up, gesturing with his hand, "Kill them all!"

Upon Wang Tian'an's command, the people from the Western Province became even more brutal, intent on slaying all present. The people of the Shen Family and Sha Men immediately felt an increased pressure; they had already run out of energy to resist and were almost at the mercy of their attackers.

Despair flashed in the eyes of the Shen Family and the people from Sha Men. Were they really going to die here so helplessly?

Just as the people from the Western Province were about to slaughter, a graceful flute melody suddenly came in from the outside, instantly making the murderous atmosphere in the room a lot more serene. The people from the Western Province who were about to kill eased their actions considerably and even lightened their blows, apparently devoid of any desire to kill. Everyone seemed to be affected by the flute melody, their hearts inexplicably filled with peace.

Not only the people from the Western Province were affected, but also those from Sha Men and the Shen Family. Each person was immersed in the sound of the flute. Shen Da was the same, but ultimately, his strength was a bit stronger. Listening to the flute, he first became entranced, but then suddenly came back to his senses, his expression changing dramatically as he cried out, "The Divine Melody, the Puxin Ning Shen Qu! The Divine Melody, Puxin Ning Shen Qu! It's my father's Puxin Ning Shen Qu!"

Shen Da's voice was nearly a sob. At this moment, he was no longer the leader of the Shen Family's Ten Outstanding Members, but more like a child who had been wronged. Tears welled up in his eyes uncontrollably, and he forgot to resist, turning his head around excitedly, shouting, "Father! Father! I know it's you, I know you've returned, Father!"

The people of the Shen Family were all shocked upon hearing this, each of them turning their heads and looking around. Wasn't Shen Da's father the very Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun who had gone missing for twenty years? He... could he have really appeared again?

The members of Sha Men were also astonished, unsure whether to be happy or sad on their faces. If Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun were to return, it was uncertain whether it would be a good or bad thing for Sha Men.

However, the people of the Western Province were definitely deeply stunned, each person couldn't help but look around. Anyone who practiced martial arts had likely heard the name of Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun. His legend had been passed down for twenty years, a mythical figure whom people had only heard of, never seen. But, if this legendary figure appeared, then what awaited the people of the Western Province would be a disaster indeed!

"Who is it! Who is it! Who is playing god and witch?" Wang Tian'an's face lost all traces of ease, replaced by boundless panic. He looked around, his voice trembling, "Shen Tianjun is long... long since dead, you can't be Shen Tianjun, who is playing god and witch here. Show yourself, I... I'm not afraid of you, if you have the guts, come out and face me in a duel, I'm not afraid of you! I'm not afraid of you!! I'm not afraid of you!!!"

Although Wang Tian'an said he wasn't afraid, in reality, he was scared to death. His hysterical roars perfectly reflected the fear in his heart.

In fact, not just him, at this moment, anyone who bore malice toward the Shen Family would be very afraid upon hearing the possible appearance of Shen Tianjun. After all, the name of Southern Fist King Shen Tianjun had been passed down for twenty years, and other than a few people, nobody really knew the extent of his strength. Who wouldn't fear such a legendary character?

"It's Father's Puxin Ning Shen Qu! It must be Father's Puxin Ning Shen Qu!" Shen Er said, his face full of excitement, as he hurriedly spoke, "In this world, apart from my father, who else could play Puxin Ning Shen Qu! It must be Father returning! It must be Father returning!"

The people of the Shen Family were all cheering, for with Shen Tianjun, the Xihang Shen Family truly deserved to be called the Martial Arts Holy Land of the Southern Six Provinces!

The crowd from the Western Province was in utter panic. Wang Tian'an anxiously looked around, but seeing no one appearing, he gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and roared angrily, "It cannot be Shen Tianjun, absolutely cannot be Shen Tianjun. Don't let this trickster scare you, attack, attack now, kill the people of the Shen Family, kill the people of Sha Men, kill them all, not a single one shall be spared! Hmph, Shen Tianjun, what can Shen Tianjun do? As long as he dares to show up, I dare to kill him along with the rest!"

The people of the Western Province looked at each other, but none dared to make a move. Because they were truly frightened by the name of Shen Tianjun!

"What are you doing? Why are you just standing there? Attack, attack together!" Wang Tian'an shouted angrily, and drawing the Five-Colored Spirit Snake Sword from his waist, he ran towards the people of the Shen Family, ready to make a demonstration.

The Shen Family man showed no intention of resisting or, rather, he paid no attention to Wang Tian'an's actions, only looking around excitedly, waiting for Shen Tianjun to appear.

Just as Wang Tian'an's Five-Colored Spirit Snake Sword was about to stab into the man's neck, a stone the size of a soybean suddenly shot through the air, coming in from the outside. The stone was extremely fast, arriving first despite being released later, and hit precisely the Five-Colored Spirit Snake Sword in Wang Tian'an's hand.

Wang Tian'an felt a powerful force strike his Five-Colored Spirit Snake Sword, the massive impact making it impossible for him to hold onto the sword. The Five-Colored Spirit Snake Sword flew out of his hand, narrowly passing by the Shen Family man's ear, and stuck into the wall behind. The entire blade sunk into the wall, with the hilt still trembling, showing just how strong the impact was.

With this, everyone was shocked, Wang Tian'an was especially stunned. He looked at his right hand, which was cracked at the base of the thumb, blood gushing out, indicating the enormity of the force from the strike.

The key point was, it was merely a soybean-sized stone that had flown in, and yet it possessed such force. Then how terrifying must the person who made the move be?

"It really is Father! It truly is Father!" Shen Da was even more excited, shouting twice in a row, suddenly kneeling down, and loudly declaring, "Warmly welcoming Father's return to the Shen Family!"