"Humph! You might kill me, but as the son of the Cloud Sect leader, being engaged to someone else's fiancée is truly disgraceful! I once heard the Cloud Sect was great, but now it just seems like a brothel full of whores!"
Long Yan appeared fearless, staring at Nuo Qing with cold indifference. Having been labeled a waste for years, he had long ceased fearing death.
As soon as those words landed, a cold gleam flashed in Nuo Qing's eyes.
Especially when he sensed the mocking gazes around him—gazes treating him like a joke—his chest filled with rage. How dare this cripple challenge him?!
At that moment, Nalan Yu'er realized something was wrong.
Wanting to calm the situation quickly, she addressed the Long family members, "I believe you all know why I'm here. I've come only to dissolve my engagement with Long Yan. If this matter is settled quickly, it'll be better for everyone, don't you agree?"
Hearing Nalan Yu'er's voice, Nuo Qing forcefully suppressed his anger.
Attacking a cripple would only sully his hands and damage his reputation.
The members of the Long family, sensing the tension, tried to de-escalate.
One of the elders stepped forward, offering Long Yan a marriage certificate, along with paper and pen. "Yan'er, your mother passed early, and your father's whereabouts are unknown. Life, no matter how hard, is still worth living. My advice: sign the agreement and let this engagement end. It's best for everyone."
Seeing the once-promising family genius brought this low made the elder's heart ache.
Long Yan reached out and took the certificate. As he stared at the black-and-white characters, a tide of sorrow and anger surged through him.
Since ancient times, when had a woman dared to break an engagement publicly? How could he let the Long family suffer this humiliation?
Under everyone's stunned gazes, Long Yan tore the marriage certificate apart.
Then he turned to the stunned Nalan Yu'er and said firmly, "The engagement ends today, but know this—it wasn't you who broke it off. I, Long Yan, have divorced you."
A collective gasp swept through the crowd. Nalan Yu'er's face turned ashen.
If she had ended it, she could've kept some dignity. But being publicly divorced? That was a slap in the face.
Thinking of how people would mock her once the news spread, Nalan Yu'er bit her red lips, aggrieved. "Long Yan! Must you go this far?!"
Long Yan sneered, his eyes full of scorn. "From start to finish, were you ever in the right?!"
Nalan Yu'er trembled, her face pale. Seeing this, Nuo Qing felt deeply angered.
He stepped toward Long Yan, his voice cold and laced with killing intent:
"How arrogant. Yu'er tried to preserve the Long family's dignity, but now I see it was pointless."
Nuo Qing's eyes turned sinister. "As punishment for your foul mouth, let's see... should I break your hands first? Or your legs?"
His chilling words seemed to drop the room's temperature by ten degrees. The Long family members were dead silent.
The elder who had given Long Yan the certificate quickly stepped forward, pleading:
"Master Nuo, Yan'er is still young and foolish. With your noble status, please don't take offense. I assure you, we'll settle the engagement matter, and I'll personally apologize—"
"Who do you think you are to lecture me?! Get lost, old man!"
Nuo Qing, already enraged, wouldn't listen. He kicked the elder to the ground.
Seeing this, several Long family disciples rushed forward, lifting the elder and glared furiously at Nuo Qing:
"Nuo Qing! You're the son of the Cloud Sect's leader, yet you strike our elder? Aren't you worried about shaming your sect?!"
The murmurs grew louder, fueling Nuo Qing's fury.
"Shut up! If anyone dares say another word, I'll kill you!"
Though their hearts burned with anger, the Long family could only lower their heads in the face of the Cloud Sect. Powerlessness gripped them.
Long Yan clenched his fists as grief and fury flooded his heart. If he hadn't been crippled, if he could still cultivate, how could the Long family be treated like this?
As Nuo Qing raised his arm, ready to strike, a mocking voice suddenly rang out:
"A dog will always eat shit. The Cloud Sect hasn't changed at all."
Gasps echoed through the courtyard. Who dared mock the Cloud Sect so openly?!
Nuo Qing froze mid-motion, his expression turning deadly.
Long Yan turned his head in shock, eyes wide. He saw a handsome, unfamiliar youth standing confidently at the entrance of the hall.
Behind him stood a refined man in black robes and an elderly man with silver hair.
Grandfather?!
Long Yan was stunned. He hadn't expected Long Hongwen to return at such a crucial moment.
Whispers rippled through the crowd:
"It's the old master! He's returned!"
"Who are those two beside him? I've never seen them."
"I heard he went to seek help from the main family. Could they be from there?"
As the crowd speculated, Elder Kun—standing behind Nuo Qing—glared at Long Chen and the newcomers.
With a wave of spiritual perception, he scanned their cultivation levels.
One was at Body Formation Stage 9, another at the 7th Spirit Cleansing Stage, and the third... perhaps Innate Realm?
Just as he tried to probe further, his spiritual sense was severed.
Elder Kun's expression tightened. He had never heard of an Innate Realm expert in the Long family. Were these outsiders?
To avoid unnecessary trouble, he cupped his hands toward Long Chen and asked respectfully:
"I am Kai Kun, an elder of the Cloud Sect. May I know your name?"
If the visitor had a powerful background, they had to tread carefully. But if not...
Long Chen replied calmly, "Long family—Long Chen."
Before Kai Kun could even ask which Long family, a young disciple suddenly gasped, shouting:
"Long Chen?! He's the clan leader!"