Chapter 249 – The Startling Swan Banquet at Qian Court Peak (Three)

Eight Directions Inn.

Though seemingly a banquet venue, it might as well be called a tavern.

Ye Kuang stood before the inn, suddenly lifting his gaze upward where faint laughter and the strains of a zither could be heard.

“Zheng, zheng, zheng…”

The melody was not only clear and pleasing to the ear but also exceptionally graceful. Compared to the majestic chimes, its lingering notes seemed to coil around one’s heart, stirring emotions deep within.

Even Ye Kuang couldn’t help but close his eyes and listen intently. At first, he didn’t grasp the meaning behind the tune, but upon closer listening, he found himself enchanted.

For the style of the music resembled the world of martial arts—full of twists and turns, unforgettable loves and hatreds interwoven like threads, yet never letting love deepen too much or hatred grow too intense.

Unfortunately, as the zither’s notes gradually faded, they dissipated like the bustling Mortal World, echoing within and without.

Ye Kuang snapped back to reality, inevitably feeling a sense of incompleteness.

At that moment, two young men in dark green attire emerged from either side of the entrance, resembling chivalrous swordsmen roaming the martial world, their entire beings exuding an imposing aura of masters.

Moreover, they had actually been observing Ye Kuang for quite some time.

Seeing him brazenly attempting to enter the Banquet Hall, the two simultaneously stepped forward to block his way.

“Kid, which academy are you from?”

“We’re talking to you, cat got your tongue?”

Hearing this, a classic saying inexplicably flashed through Ye Kuang’s mind:

“Fear not the dog’s wide-open eyes, but fear the dog that looks down on people!”

Thinking this, he could only reply, “Yuandao Academy.”

“Yuandao Academy? Don’t you know what time it is? It’s not yet open for Yuandao Academy disciples. Scram, scram.”

“Putting on airs like some big shot—I thought it was Kun Dao Academy just now.”

As they spoke, they cursed under their breath, clearly having no regard for Yuandao Academy disciples.

Ye Kuang couldn’t help but feel irritated upon hearing this.

In a big forest, you’ll find all kinds of birds.

“Wait a minute,” Ye Kuang said woodenly, “aren’t there already people up there? What do you mean it’s not yet open for Yuandao Academy disciples? You’re acting awfully high and mighty.”

At this point, still unsatisfied, he suddenly shouted, “You’re nothing but two watchdogs trying to play the big bad wolf? Piss off before I lose my temper.”

To put it simply, his thinking was straightforward.

If he was in a good mood, this banquet might proceed smoothly. But if he was in a bad mood, he’d just cause trouble—what did some stupid rules have to do with him?

“Damn it, say one more word and see what happens!”

“Brother Cheng, why waste words on him? Let’s just teach him a lesson.”

Hearing this, Ye Kuang’s expression suddenly changed, and he replied sarcastically, “Oh my, I’m so scared! You’ve frightened me, you know?”

With these words, he perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be arrogant and domineering.

When it came to audacity, if he claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.

Naturally, this scene ignited the two men’s fury.

At this point, if they said anything more, they’d be utter fools.

“Brother Cheng, why are you holding me back? This kid has no filter. If you can tolerate this, I can’t.”

“Brother Lin, they’re probably handling important matters upstairs. If we cause trouble now, neither of us will be able to explain it.””What trouble could he possibly cause? He’s just trash from Yuandao Academy, at most at the Innate realm. I could beat this idiot even with both hands and feet tied.”

“But why do I keep feeling uneasy in my heart… Forget it, let’s take him down first!”

Ye Kuang watched the two finish discussing their plan and couldn’t help feeling somewhat amused, then sneered coldly: “Have you reached an agreement? I seriously doubt you two are real brothers. This back-and-forth of yours is like performing a classic good-cop-bad-cop routine…”

Before he could finish speaking, the two were clearly infuriated.

Instantly, they rushed forward simultaneously, their speed noticeably faster than before.

All their rage concentrated into their two clenched fists.

BOOM!!

When these two thunderous impacts echoed into the distance, it was remarkably two different fists producing identical explosive sounds.

Ye Kuang was actually quite surprised by this.

Although these two could put on quite a show, the force behind their fists was genuine – combined, it was enough to knock down a full-grown elephant.

Unfortunately for them, they had encountered Ye Kuang!

And worse, a Ye Kuang who was in a particularly foul mood!

The outcome was predictable: both men’s fists were caught firmly in Ye Kuang’s grasp, completely immobilized.

“How is this possible?”

“This… this…”

In that moment, not only were the two shocked beyond belief, but even the surrounding crowd that witnessed this scene found it hard to believe.

After all, Ye Kuang’s cultivation was clearly only at the Peak of Kongming realm – how could he possibly challenge two Innate realm experts?

Everyone recognized the two gatekeepers.

They were none other than the famously strongest attendants of Qian Dao Academy – Xiong Cheng and Tie Lin, both top-tier experts among the Innate realm disciples of Kun Dao Academy.

Yet now, both were being overpowered by some unknown youngster, and apparently in considerable pain.

Ooooh…

This unbelievable scene became a spectacular sight, immediately causing commotion throughout the area.

It should be noted that most of the cheers came from Yuandao Academy disciples.

The scene instantly erupted into chaos.

Traditionally, Kun Dao Academy and Qian Dao Academy had always treated Yuandao Academy disciples as trash. Who would have thought that today this “trash” would make the high-and-mighty Kun Dao Academy lose face?

One had to ask: how could this not unite Yuandao Academy disciples against their common rivals? Ye Kuang had unwittingly become their hero.

“I declare you the strongest! Beat them to death!”

“Heavens, has the world gone mad? Or is this Yuandao Academy’s rise to power?”

“Who is that guy? I want to be his number one follower! I’ll fight anyone who tries to compete for that position!”

Attack!

Attack!!

Attack!!!

Hearing the overwhelming uproar, Ye Kuang couldn’t help feeling slightly stunned.

This unintended achievement had made him famous whether he wanted it or not.

Feeling the terrifying wave of sound, he couldn’t suppress his surging excitement.

“Hear that, Senior Brothers? It’s not that I want to attack – this is the people’s will. I’ll go easy on you later, just endure it and you’ll get through this.” Ye Kuang suppressed his bloodlust and warned them in a low voice.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Xiong Cheng and Tie Lin mustered all their strength and roared furiously: “You’re dead! Do you even know who we…”Little did they know, before the words even faded, Ye Kuang swiftly leaped forward with two knee strikes!

Thump! Thump!

Crash!

In that instant, Xiong Cheng and Tie Lin were unexpectedly defenseless, both sent flying through the entrance of the Banquet Hall!

Simultaneously, they barely managed to utter a single phrase: “Damn… ugh…”

As they spoke, the two abruptly lost consciousness and collapsed.