CHAPTER 684: MARK’S DECLARATION

"And what gives you the right to interrupt a sparring session between two contestants?" Mark asked calmly.

Elder Wei’s face twitched. "He’s unable to continue..."

"Oh? I don’t recall him admitting defeat." Mark’s voice dropped into a dangerous tone. He raised his gun slightly toward the elder. "If you’re so eager, you can join him. Two on one, perhaps?"

Wei Zhen stiffened. Though Mark’s cultivation was lower, he knew that he wasn’t a match for him either. He only intervened in the hope that others would become motivated to speak up. But no one else did. They all stayed silent.

As a result, Wei Zhen could only remain a silent spectator.

Meanwhile, the prince tried to crawl away while still growling in anger. "I... I’ll remember this..."

BANG!

A bullet smashed into his calf.

*Argh*

"You’re not going anywhere," Mark said, stepping forward. "You still haven’t said the words."

The prince groaned, trembling now.

Mark stood over him and lowered the gun right to his head. "Now... kneel properly and admit defeat, O Prince of the Great Empire."

The courtyard went deathly silent.

Lan Xia leaned casually against the tree, crossing her arms.

The Fourteenth Prince clenched his bloody hands and teeth, shame burning hotter than the pain.

"Say it," Mark urged again. "Don’t worry. I’ve got all day."

BANG! The bullet grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody line across his face.

"I—I..." the prince stammered, his pride torn to shreds.

Elder Wei Zhen once again stepped in. "That’s enough, Lan Zhen. We can’t afford to offend the Imperial Family any further. End this, now!"

"Are we really?" Mark replied with a half-smile, turning his head lazily toward Elder Wei Zhen.

The elder blinked, confused by the question.

Mark’s eyes gleamed as he tilted his head slightly. "The Blizzard Pegasus, our guardian spirit, didn’t it promise to protect the Lan Sect with its life? So, are you truly worried about the imperial palace attempting to exterminate us... or are you just afraid of how fragile their pride is?"

Wei Zhen’s face hardened. "Be careful with your words, Mark. You’re not some loose cultivator without roots. You’re part of this clan and you are a prince... your words..."

"I know that my words represent the " Mark cut in coldly, no longer smiling. "The imperial family thinks they can move us like chess pieces. But the only reason they haven’t is because they fear us, even if they won’t admit it."

"Watch your tone."

Mark shrugged it off, already bored with the elder’s caution. His gaze returned to the prince, who was still trembling in pain and humiliation on the ground.

BANG!

Another gunshot tore through the prince’s thigh—again.

"ARRGHHH!"

Gasps rang through the crowd.

"Let’s see how long your pride lasts," Mark said nonchalantly, spinning the gun before dismissing it into thin air. A flicker of ether energy shimmered in his palm, then reformed into a new weapon.

This time, he summoned his Anti-Matter Gun.

The crowd went silent.

"What... is that?" murmured someone.

The elder narrowed his eyes. "That’s not the same weapon."

"That’s his soul weapon, isn’t it?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Mark raised it slowly, aiming it toward the prince’s head.

The Fourteenth Prince coughed blood, face twisted in both fury and fear. "You’ll pay for this... all of you! Your clan will suffer! My father will..."

BANG!

The prince’s words were cut short as the bullet didn’t hit his body, but the ground next to his face. Mark didn’t shoot any antimatter bullets. It was just an ether bullet, but powerful enough to split a crack in the ground, and the shockwave generated from it knocked the prince sideways.

Mark then leaned forward slightly, lowering his tone. "Shut up."

Mark continued. "If I wanted to, you’d already be dead. The only reason you’re breathing is because someone asked me not to kill you."

His eyes flickered to Lan Xia, who gave him an innocent blink in return. "But I wonder... what if I stop listening to her?"

The prince froze, paralyzed by the words. His pride was already shattered—his body bleeding, his ego humiliated. Now he couldn’t even speak without fear of being executed in front of dozens.

Elder Wei Zhen took a deep breath. "That’s enough."

"You... you... You can’t kill me. Stop bluffing." The prince said, already trying to crawl back a little bit. "The Blizzard Pegasus might be powerful, but it is certainly not a match for the might of the Empire. If you kill me, my father will make sure to bury you and the clan into the ground. At best, you can torture but can’t kill me."

Mark, however, calmly responded by grabbing his collar and placing it at the prince’s forehead, at point-blank range. "Sure, the imperial palace might punish us. They might wage a war against us. They might destroy us," he said, his tone devoid of any sympathy. "But what about you?"

Glancing at his gun, Mark continued. "This gun isn’t just here to threaten you or injure you, Your Highness. This gun is special. It can obliterate one’s soul. That means when I kill you, you don’t just die. You will lose the ability to resurrect or even reincarnate. You will cease to exist forever. What will you get out of my clan’s extinction without you being there to know whether it happened or not? And it is not like you are some favorite heir to the throne. The fact that you are used as a messenger itself indicates that your dear father is prepared for your death."

The prince’s eyes widened. His body tensed, fear creeping into his features. Mark’s words cut deeper than any blow he had taken so far.

Mark’s eyes bore into the prince, the darkness in his gaze making the prince tremble. "I’m asking you, do you think it is worth protecting your pride? Now, I count to 3, after that, I will shoot."

The prince’s breath caught. His body, battered and humiliated, could no longer maintain its defiance.

"1"

His anger crumbled beneath the weight of Mark’s words.

"2"

Slowly, unwillingly, the Third Prince sank to his knees, his pride completely shattered.

"Three.."

"I admit defeat," he said in a whisper, barely audible.

Mark smiled, a satisfied, almost pitying grin. He lowered the gun and dismissed it with a flick of his wrist. "Good choice," he said simply. "Now go crawl back to your palace."

With a last glance at the prince, Mark turned and walked away. The crowd parted, eyes wide with awe, fear, and respect. The prince, broken and humiliated, could only watch as Mark left the courtyard.

Lan Xia smirked, continuing to cross her arms. "Now that’s my future husband, someone with guts and someone who is different from the rest."

Later that Day...

Mark was summoned to the Sect’s Elder Council. He entered the grand hall, his footsteps echoing across the polished stone floor. Elder Wei Zhen, Lan Yujian, and the rest of the council sat in their seats, their eyes fixed on him.

The atmosphere was tense. No one spoke as Mark stood before them, waiting for the verdict.

Lan Yujian was the first to break the silence. "Lan Zhen," he began using Mark’s full name instead of any affectionate term like he usually does. "You know why we’ve called you here. What you did to the Prince... that’s not something we can ignore."

Mark, however, crossed his arms and replied. "Oh, shut it, if it is something you can’t ignore, you would have already stopped it. You know that he deserved it. Moreover, he was the one who challenged me and used insulting words against me. I can’t let him get away without facing any consequences just because he is a prince." Taking a pause, Mark added. "Also, I heard about the order from the Imperial Palace. It’s too overbearing. Once I become the Clan Head, the first thing I’ll do is make sure this clan becomes independent. If the Emperor doesn’t respect us, we won’t respect him or his authority either."

The room was silent for a moment. The elders exchanged glances, clearly conflicted.

Many of them were in agreement with Mark’s opinion. They indeed were angry at how the Emperor ordered them to go to war with the Ravagers. Regardless of the result, every elder in the room was aware that after the war, the Lan Sect’s influence and strength would dwindle to half. That is why no one even wanted to come and intervene in the battle. They secretly enjoyed the prince getting tortured in pain.

However, at the same time, they knew the strength of the Imperial family too. They were now afraid of the consequences. What is it going to be?

Lan Yujian leaned forward, his fingers steepled in front of him. "You’re becoming more of a challenge with every passing day, Lan Zhen."

Mark didn’t flinch as he’d expected.

Now, if his great-grandfather expels him, Mark would challenge his authority.

But to his surprise, Lan Yujian’s expression changed. The clan leader’s gaze grew more calculating, almost approving.

"You have become quite the force to reckon with," Lan Yujin said slowly. "And you’ve been pushing against the established order at every turn. It seems only fitting that you should face a true test of your strength."

Mark blinked, understanding where this was going. "Eh? You mean..."

Lan Yujian stood up, his tone shifting to calmness once again. "Since you’re so confident in becoming a clan head, how about a challenge with me then?"

Mark’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Lan Yujian’s eyes gleamed. "I will battle you. If you survive for five minutes, we will consider this matter closed, and you will continue maintain your position as heir to the clan. But if you fail to withstand me, we will show the Imperial Palace that we are making an example of you. You will be sent back to your mortal realm, and you will no longer be part of this clan."

"Hmm?"