Bai Zihan casually strolled forward, the sound of his slow, mocking applause echoing louder than it had any right to.
He stopped a few steps away from the little standoff and tilted his head, wearing that ever-so-punchable smirk of his.
“Well now,” Bai Zihan said, eyes locked on Xu Yuhan.
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone so confidently threaten a member of the Bai Clan.”
He chuckled—low and sharp.
“You’re quite brave. Or maybe just stupid?”
Xu Yuhan narrowed his eyes in anger.
Not only had he been rejected by Bai Xinyue, now some smug bastard was rubbing salt in the wound.
Of course he was about to snap.
But before he could even speak, one of his lackeys tugged on his sleeve and whispered frantically,
“Young Master, that’s Bai Zihan… the heir of the Bai Clan.”
Xu Yuhan blinked.
“What?”
He looked from his lackey to the smirking Bai Zihan. Now that it was mentioned, yeah—he did recognize the face.
The Mo Clan and Bai Clan both ranked among the Top Ten of the Desolate Heaven Empire, so they’d crossed paths before.
But Bai Zihan was a joke.
A “waste.” Even if he was heir to the mighty Bai Clan, Xu Yuhan never saw a reason to take him seriously.
Understandably, it slipped his mind—at least until his lackey whispered the name.”
Suddenly, Xu Yuhan’s puffed-up chest deflated just a bit.
Not because he feared Bai Zihan—he still believed he could take him in a one-on-one fight—but the Bai Clan?
Yeah. That was a different beast entirely.
The Mo Clan might be in the top ten, but the Bai Clan? Top three, maybe even number one.
So, he adjusted his tone. Just a little.
“What exactly do you mean by that, Bai Zihan?”
He asked with a frown.
His voice still carried that arrogant edge. He couldn’t help himself—he still looked down on Zihan deep inside.
“Everyone knows Bai Xinyue was exiled from the Bai Clan. So how exactly am I threatening the Bai Clan?”
He asked.
Bai Zihan’s smile didn’t fade. In fact, it widened—dangerously so.
“Whether she’s exiled or not, that’s none of your concern.”
He took another step forward, voice lowering just enough to make the threat under the sarcasm hit clear as day.
“This is a family matter. And you should know better than to provoke someone with the name Bai attached to them.”
“Or what?” he added, eyes gleaming.
“Do you think your Mo Clan stands a chance against my Bai Clan?”
The arena went dead quiet.
Not a single soul dared make a sound.
After all, this wasn’t some friendly spat. This looked like before a clash between two of the Empire’s giants.
“You…”
Xu Yuhan’s jaw clenched.
It was one thing to argue. It was another thing entirely to throw around clan-level threats.
“Hmph! Let’s go!”
He turned and stormed off, his lackey scrambling after him.
Bai Zihan watched him leave like he was watching a person who didn’t even know his place.
Bai Zihan watched him leave like he was watching some clueless fool who didn’t even know his place.
Honestly, if you looked at the bigger picture, you could say he just saved Xu Yuhan’s life.
The guy had the balls to bare his fangs at Heaven’s Chosen One—his fate was already on a countdown the moment he opened his damn mouth.
So really, Bai Zihan had done him a favor.
Too bad the idiot wasn’t smart enough to thank his fellow villain for saving him from a cliché villain’s death.
“Tch. No spine!”
Bai Zihan muttered under his breath, then turned to the rest of the dumbfounded crowd.
“Well?”
He said lazily, voice echoing across the emptying arena.
“The drama’s over. Go back to whatever boring crap you were doing before.”
The disciples exchanged glances, shifting awkwardly.
“Hah? Who the hell does he think he is?”
“Arrogant bastard… This is Azure Cloud Peak, not his Mystic Moon pigsty!”
“Just because he scared off Xu Yuhan, he thinks he can boss us around?”
…
Despite the salty muttering, not a single one of them said it to his face.
One by one, they started to leave—some grumbling, some glaring—but none dared stay.
Because if even Xu Yuhan backed off… who the hell were they to pick a fight?
Soon, the arena emptied out, leaving just two people—
Bai Zihan!
And the girl who looked like she wanted to set him on fire.
Bai Xinyue stood still, arms crossed, her glare sharp enough to draw blood.
Her voice came out cold as frostbite.
“Why are you here, Bai Zihan?”
No thanks. No pleasantries.
Not that Bai Zihan expected any.
He smirked the moment she opened her mouth.
“Why?”
He repeated, his head slightly tilted.
“Am I not allowed to be here? Didn’t realize Azure Cloud Peak belonged to you.”
“You know damn well what I mean.”
Bai Xinyue snapped, stepping forward. Her glare only sharpened.
“Don’t act like you helped me, you hypocrite.”
Her voice shook with fury, but she held it together. Barely.
“I don’t know what you’re scheming, what kind of twisted plan dragged you all the way here… but let me guess.”
She tilted her chin upward.
“You want to shut me up. Make sure I never tell anyone what you did to me.”
Then she sneered.
“But unfortunately for you, your measly strength isn’t nearly enough to make that happen.”
She, who had vowed to take revenge on him, never stopped tracking his movements.
She kept her ears open to every whisper about the Bai Clan—especially anything tied to Bai Zihan.
She knew he was still in the Core Formation Stage. Not a threat. Not to her.
Sure, if he’d dragged an elder along, maybe she’d worry. But this was the Heaven Sword Sect.
Even for the mighty Bai Clan, there were limits to what they could get away with here.
Meanwhile, Bai Zihan stood there, still smirking like he was looking at a child throwing a tantrum.
(Still the same!)
Bai Zihan thought.
Bai Xinyue, despite the years, hadn’t changed.
She still wore her emotions on her sleeve—at least around him.
He’d worried that time and exile might’ve twisted her. Turned her into a cold, scheming snake.
But no.
If she was that kind of person, she wouldn’t be snapping at him like this.
She’d have smiled sweetly, maybe even thanked him for “saving” her… all while sharpening the knife behind her back.
But she didn’t.
And honestly?
That made her easier to deal with.
“People like her are straightforward. You always know where the blade’s coming from.”
“It’s the smiling ones that bury it in your spine.”