C8 A Contract

"Who is this guy? He's so arrogant, not even giving a second thought to the Treasure Pavilion or the young master of the Ye family," a martial artist unfamiliar with the dynamics of Cloud City couldn't help but ask.

"Well, it seems you don't really know the power players in Cloud City. This is Shen Yanfan, the notorious playboy of the Shen family! His cousin is a disciple in the War Cloud Sect's Inner Academy, and there's practically no one in the city who dares to cross him."

"That's right. Plus, Shen Lingwei, the Shen family's young lady, is engaged to Ye Chen, the young master of the Ye family. Unfortunately, word is that Ye Chen's talents have been stripped away, and his martial spirit destroyed. He's no longer the genius of the War Cloud Sect he once was."

"It's probably because Ye Chen's foundation is ruined that Shen Yanfan, who used to be so deferential, now dares to act so brazenly."

Hearing the martial artist's question, several others from Cloud City quietly explained the situation.

Nearby, Shen Yanfan listened to the discussions about him with a smug look, glancing at Ye Chen with disdain and ridicule. If Ye Chen still had his talents, Shen Yanfan would have already handed over that piece of cold iron armor and used his sister Shen Lingwei's connection to curry favor with Ye Chen.

Just a few days ago, he overheard his father planning to take his sister, Lingwei, to the Ye family to break off her engagement. The reason was that Ye Chen's potential had been destroyed; his martial spirit shattered, leaving him practically useless. Marrying their family's daughter to someone like that would be a disgrace to the Shen family.

With this in mind, he no longer needed to curry favor with this so-called failure. Before his sister went to the Ye family to call off the engagement, he decided to teach Ye Chen a lesson himself.

"Ye Chen, have you thought about what I said earlier?" Shen Yanfan sneered as he approached Ye Chen, his mocking gaze sweeping over him.

"Shen Yanfan, if you don't want to get hurt, you'd better get out of the Treasure Pavilion right now. But if you're determined to push your luck, I don't mind showing you what real fear feels like," Ye Chen replied calmly, looking up at Shen Yanfan with a cold expression.

"Fear of death? What a joke! You, with your broken potential and shattered martial spirit, dare to talk to me about fear? In my eyes, you, who were once the top talent of Heavenly Cloud City, are now nothing more than a stray dog everyone wants to kick!"

Shen Yanfan burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as if he'd just heard the funniest joke. With a mocking look, he turned to Ye Chen and said, "If you know what's good for you, you'd get on your knees and beg for mercy. Maybe then I'll let you keep a shred of dignity. Otherwise, things might get ugly."

Sizing up Ye Chen, Shen Yanfan continued with a smirk, "You think you can make me apologize? You're not worth it. Let me tell you something—guys like you, who are all bark and no bite, usually end up getting what's coming to them."

Ye Chen shook his head, a cold smile on his face as he replied, "Looking for trouble, are we?"

"Ye Chen, don't think you can act all high and mighty just because you're still engaged to my sister," Shen Yanfan sneered, his expression turning dark. "I'll be straight with you: it won't be long before our family calls off the engagement. I bet your reaction will be priceless when that happens."

Shen Yanfan expected Ye Chen to turn pale and show fear or shock at the news, thinking it was only natural.

After all, Ye Chen now was nothing more than a nobody. The only thing he could rely on, besides his family, was his sister, Lingwei. However, to his disappointment...

"It seems your family is just a bunch of opportunists. Since you've chosen to be ungrateful and shameless, I'll make sure you understand what regret truly means."

Hearing Shen Yanfan's words, Ye Chen just smiled faintly, unfazed.

Decades ago, when the Shen family first arrived in town, they sought to establish themselves by proposing a marriage alliance with the Ye family. As for his relationship with Shen Lingwei, there was never any affection. Over the years, they had barely met, and even when they did, Ye Chen couldn't be bothered to acknowledge her.

Now, with Shen Yanfan announcing the annulment of the engagement, Ye Chen felt nothing. If the Shen family thought they could use him to secure their place in town and squeeze out the Ye family, they'd soon regret their actions.

"Ye Chen, how dare you call us ungrateful and shameless? Do you really think I can't make your life a living hell with just a snap of my fingers?"

Shen Yanfan, who had been smirking, was suddenly taken aback by Ye Chen's words, his expression turning sour.

The Shen family had always relied on the Ye family to establish themselves in the city, even going so far as to propose breaking off an engagement, making them a laughingstock. And now, Ye Chen dared to bring this up in front of everyone...

Wasn't this a direct slap to the Shen family's face?

Especially when Shen Yanfan heard the laughter from the surrounding warriors, he felt utterly humiliated, as if he'd been slapped repeatedly. He wished he could disappear into the ground.

"Shen Yanfan, if you don't leave now, by the time I change my mind, you might not even have the chance to crawl out of the Treasure Pavilion."

Seeing Shen Yanfan's sour expression, like he'd swallowed a fly, Ye Chen sneered and spoke.

The crowd, who had been mocking, suddenly fell silent, the Treasure Pavilion echoing with the absence of sound. It was clear they all sensed the terrifying aura of killing intent emanating from Shen Yanfan.

If anyone dared to laugh now, they might not even know how they met their end. Beyond that, the prevailing thought in their minds was whether Ye Chen had lost his mind.

After Ye Chen's bone structure was destroyed and his martial soul shattered, he was left like a shell of his former self, almost devoid of any strength. Yet, he still dared to mock Shen Yanfan, one of the spoiled brats of the city. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?

"Ye Chen, prepare to meet your end!"