High Martial Arts: Martial Soul Great Sage Equal to Heaven, crushing all races.

The banquet begins.

The atmosphere suddenly became incredibly strange.

At the main table, Gu Chongyi chatted and laughed with several representatives from holy sites and aristocratic families, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to carry throughout the room.

They chatted about strange tales and events in the capital, the latest martial arts techniques, and the gains from a certain secret realm.

But let's not talk about Shanghai.

It was as if that catastrophe that swept through the city, that earth-shattering battle to slay the dragon, had never happened.

The music, delicacies, and clinking of glasses in the main hall deliberately avoided the corner where Feng Mo was.

There, an invisible vacuum zone was formed.

Isolation, exclusion, and disregard.

This is the method that powerful clans are best at: killing without shedding blood, enough to break down anyone with a weak will on the spot.

Feng Mo simply sipped his tea quietly, watching the glitz and glamour unfold before him with a calm gaze, like a true outsider.

Finally, after several rounds of drinks...

Xiao Poxiao, the host, strode onto the high platform.

His loud voice drowned out the noise of the entire venue.

"Gentlemen!"

"The scale of this demonic calamity in Shanghai is unprecedented in a century! Fortunately, all the soldiers of the Shanghai Demon Slayer Division fought bravely, and the acting commander-in-chief, Feng Mo, turned the tide, slaying a seventh-tier demon emperor, quelling the rebellious clans, and restoring peace and order to Shanghai!"

Xiao Po-xiao's voice was strong and resonant.

"His merit deserves reward!"

"Today, I have been ordered by the Deputy Chief to formally bestow upon Feng Mo the title of 'Honorary General of the Magic City' and grant him the General's golden seal!"

"Now, please welcome our great hero—Feng Mo—to the stage!"

The words fell.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

All eyes, whether open or hidden, were fixed on that forgotten corner.

Shoot at the young man who, from beginning to end, only drank three cups of tea.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Feng Mo slowly put down his teacup.

He stood up.

In that very instant!

"etc!"

A loud shout sent a jolt through the air in the hall!

At the main table, Gu Chongyi slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly!

His terrifying pressure from the late stage of the seventh rank was released without reservation, sweeping across the entire area, and finally smashing down on Feng Mo like a heavy hammer!

His gaze was sharp, cold, and fixed intently on Feng Mo.

"Inspector Xiao, I have a family, but there's something I don't understand!"

"This young man, in Shanghai, disregarded the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty and murdered my cousin, Gu Chongli, the imperial envoy appointed by the capital!"

"This matter is still under investigation, and the guilt or responsibility has not been determined!"

Gu Chongyi's voice, each word deliberate and measured, carried a condescending, judgmental tone.

"What right does he have to accept this honor?!"

Gu Chongyi's voice echoed throughout the main hall.

Every word transformed into tangible pressure, attempting to nail Feng Mo to the pillar of shame.

As soon as he finished speaking, several figures stood up one after another.

An elder from the Burning Heaven Holy Land, his face sinister, sneered, "Elder Gu is absolutely right! The envoy from the capital represents the face of the Grand Commander and the laws of Great Xia! The indiscriminate killing of meritorious officials must not be allowed to continue!"

A middle-aged man with sword-like eyebrows from the Qingyun Sect, his hand on the hilt of his sword, spoke in a voice as sharp as the clang of a blade: "The position of General is of utmost importance. It requires both virtue and talent, and profound experience. How can an eighteen-year-old brat, even with some military achievements, be promoted to such a high position in one fell swoop? I refuse to accept this!"

"We deserve an explanation! An explanation for the rules of the capital!"

"I request that the Commander-in-Chief thoroughly investigate this matter. Until then, the investiture is absolutely out of the question!"

The wave of cheers grew louder and louder.

Seven or eight representatives from different factions spoke with conviction, all pointing their fingers at Feng Mo.

They are deeply entrenched with the Gu family and have long been in cahoots.

Today, we will use the word "rules" to completely crush Feng Mo under our feet, ensuring he never has a chance to rise again!

The atmosphere in the main hall instantly became tense and confrontational.

Xiao Po-xiao stood on the high platform, his face ashen, about to speak in rebuttal.

However, Feng Mo made a move.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd and locked by countless oppressive forces, he took a step forward.

Step by step.

Not fast, not slow.

He walked straight to the center of the hall, ignoring the surprised and gloating gazes and the condescending accusations.

He stopped three steps away from Gu Chongyi.

He didn't speak.

It didn't unleash any momentum.

He stood there quietly, raising his eyes to look at the arrogant late-stage seventh-tier expert before him.

His eyes were calm and undisturbed.

There was no anger, no fear, not even the slightest emotional fluctuation.

It's like looking at an inanimate object.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for his explanation, or for his outburst after being overwhelmed.

This feeling of being completely ignored ignited Gu Chongyi's anger, and a surge of rage rose to the top of his head.

As an elder of the Gu family and a seventh-level expert, he was always surrounded by people wherever he went in the capital. He had never been looked at like that before.

"What are you looking at?!"

Gu Chongyi shouted sternly, his internal energy already surging wildly, ready to give this ignorant country bumpkin a lesson he would never forget.

"I asked you a question, and you..."

His words came to an abrupt end.

Snapped! ! !

A slap in the face.

crisp.

Loud and clear.

The sound echoed throughout the deathly silent hall.

The sound was so clear that everyone present heard it clearly, and some even felt a slight pain in their cheeks.

Time seemed to stretch out at that moment.

Everyone, including Xiao Po-xiao on the high platform, only saw a blurry afterimage flash by.

Then they saw—

Gu Chongyi's late-stage seventh-order protective true qi, which was strong enough to withstand the bombardment of a tactical-level energy cannon, shattered like paper in front of that palm, without playing any role in hindering it.

The slap landed squarely on his face, a face etched with arrogance and anger.

"Bang!"

A terrifying force suddenly erupted!

Gu Chongyi was like a spinning top hit by a high-speed train, flying out at an incredible angle!

"puff--"

In mid-air, he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with more than a dozen broken teeth.

His once handsome face was now half completely mangled and swollen, resembling an over-fermented purple steamed bun.

"Boom!"

He smashed a banquet table made of thousand-year-old ironwood, sending wood chips flying and cups and plates turning to dust.

Finally, he fell awkwardly to the ground more than ten meters away with a thud. He struggled for a few moments but couldn't get up immediately.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape, their minds blank.

The elders who had just launched a joint attack froze instantly, as if they had seen a ghost.

Gu Chongyi...

Late stage of seventh rank!

The powerful elder of the Gu family!

A big shot in the capital city whose stomp of the foot can cause an earthquake!

That's it...

In the victory celebration hall of the Demon Slayer General Headquarters, under the watchful eyes of all the forces in the capital...

He was slapped across the face by an eighteen-year-old boy and sent flying?