326: Don't you have any pride?

The incident occurred yesterday.

As was his habit, Duan Hong arrived at the 'Flowing Cloud Immortal Market,' one of the core immortal markets controlled by the Duan Family, to relax, surrounded by a crowd of lackeys.

News of his arrival seemed to grow wings, quickly reaching the ears of several small cultivation families within the market that were subordinate to the Duan Family.

The Clan Chiefs of these local families dared not be negligent. They immediately came together to pay their respects and, with great trepidation, stated that they had arranged a grand feast at the 'Star-Plucking Tower,' the finest restaurant in the market, pleading for Young Master Duan to grace them with his presence.

Duan Hong was long accustomed to such treatment and naturally had no reason to refuse, so he readily agreed.

Thus, amidst the crowding and flattering of the group, he arrived at a luxurious private room on the top floor of the Star-Plucking Tower, feeling quite smug.

During the banquet, rare delicacies were served like flowing water, and 'Jade Marrow Nectar'—carefully brewed from several types of rare spirit fruits and aged for over a hundred years—was brought out.

This wine not only possessed gentle and mellow spiritual energy but also had the miraculous effect of nourishing the Divine Soul; its price was exorbitant.

On ordinary days, these small Clan Chiefs couldn't bear to drink much of it themselves. Today, to curry favor with Duan Hong, they had truly spared no expense.

Initially, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Duan Hong sat in the seat of honor, enjoying the attention and flattery, and began to hold forth, talking grandiosely about world affairs.

The several Clan Chiefs forced smiles and carefully chimed in, while their Family members accompanied them on the side, some playing the zither to add to the fun, others performing light songs and graceful dances.

However, after several cups of 'Jade Marrow Nectar,' Duan Hong gradually felt something was off.

The aftereffects of this wine seemed much stronger than expected!

An inexplicable emotion rose from the bottom of his heart, rushing straight to the top of his head, making the scene before his eyes seem covered by a thin veil.

His gaze began to wander, involuntarily landing on the several wives of the Clan Chiefs who still possessed their charms and were standing nearby in attendance.

Perhaps it was the surge of alcohol, perhaps it was his usual indulgence, or perhaps it was some unspeakable emotion that made him act on impulse.

In full view of everyone, Duan Hong actually performed an action that left everyone dumbfounded!

He actually grabbed the wrist of the Beautiful Woman closest to him, forcibly dragging her to his side. Ignoring her shock and struggle, one of his hands began to grope her with extreme smoothness while a frivolous laugh escaped his mouth.

In an instant, the air in the entire private room seemed to freeze!

The Clan Chiefs, who had been full of smiles and were raising their cups to toast, had their smiles freeze on their Faces, their wine cups suspended in mid-air.

It was wrong to stay, yet wrong to retreat.

They had hosted Duan Hong out of awe and a desire to curry favor with the Duan Family's power, hoping to gain some benefits or protection for their families by flattering this Young Master.

But they never expected that this Duan Hong would be so lust-crazed and muddled that he would publicly toy with and harass their Family members right in front of them!

This was no longer a matter of not giving Face; this was a blatant humiliation!

It was trampling their dignity under his feet with reckless abandon!

And this harassed Beautiful Woman was the Dao Companion of the Li Clan Chief.

Seeing his own Dao Companion treated this way, the Li Clan Chief's Face instantly turned flushed red.

Fury burned in his eyes, his fists clenched until they creaked, and his body trembled slightly with rage.

The other Clan Chiefs also had ashen Faces. Although the person being publicly harassed by Duan Hong wasn't their own Family member, a sense of shared bitterness and humiliation inevitably surged in their hearts.

However, their long-standing fear of the Duan Family and their rational weighing of pros and cons caused them to freeze in place for a moment.

As if a freezing Spell had been cast on them, no one dared to step forward to stop him, and no one even dared to shout for him to stop!

They were like a group of the most incompetent husbands, forced to watch their wives and daughters be insulted by a bully.

Seeing that no one dared to stop him, Duan Hong became even more carried away.

The alcohol and that inexplicable emotion made him even more unscrupulous.

Simple touching no longer seemed able to satisfy his amplified desires.

He actually began to tear at the Beautiful Woman's lapel!

However, the slight sound of silk tearing seemed to awaken the struggling hearts of the Clan Chiefs.

If this can be endured, what cannot!

Amidst a roar suppressed to the extreme, a surge of hot blood rushed straight to the crown of his head.

He was the first to strike, instantly transforming the accumulated humiliation and anger in his heart into the most violent power!

A Spell slammed unreservedly and solidly into Duan Hong's Face, which was distorted by lust!

And this strike was like lighting a powder keg!

Seeing someone take action, the other Clan Chiefs, who had long been suppressing a belly full of foul fire, no longer had any reservations!

In an instant, spiritual light exploded in the private room, and Spells roared!

Various attacks filled with fury rained down like a violent storm upon the caught-off-guard Duan Hong, who hadn't even processed what was happening!

Duan Hong's meager cultivation, piled up by Medicinal Pills, was simply not enough to look at before this group of Clan Chiefs striking out in rage!

His protective spiritual light shattered instantly along with his screams; his magnificent brocade robe was torn to shreds, his flesh was mangled, and his bones were broken.

Duan Hong was surrounded and subjected to a flurry of punches and kicks that lasted for nearly half an hour!

By the time the Dao Protector waiting outside the restaurant realized something was wrong, the Clan Chiefs had already fled with their respective Family members like startled birds, vanishing without a trace.

The private room was a mess, leaving only the blood-covered, dying, and barely human-shaped Duan Hong lying in a pool of blood, twitching from time to time.

When Duan Hong's Dao Protector saw this, his Soul Flew Away and his Spirit Scattered!

If anything happened to this little ancestor, the lives of his entire Family wouldn't be enough to pay for it!

Fortunately, as the only son of a Golden Core True Person, Duan Hong had many life-saving methods, which prevented him from being beaten to death on the spot.

But even so, Duan Hong was in a miserable state.

The Dao Protector immediately took out a treasured life-saving Medicinal Pill and stuffed it into Duan Hong's mouth, then used his own pure Qi to sustain his life, barely managing to keep Duan Hong's breath going.

Then he rushed him back to the Duan Family lands to ask the Family Elders for treatment.

Finally, there was the scene in the main hall at the beginning.

Under the Family's treatment at any cost, Duan Hong finally woke up slowly.

Recalling yesterday's encounter, humiliation instantly flooded his heart, making Duan Hong fly into a rage.

Rebellion! This is truly a rebellion!

He, Duan Hong, the Young Lord of a Golden Core Family, was actually mobbed in his own 'back garden' by a group of 'servants' who usually bowed and scraped and wagged their tails for mercy when they saw him!

And he was beaten so miserably!

If this got out, where would Young Master Duan put his Face?

How could he continue to mingle in his circles in the future?

As for the cause of this incident being his own lust and the public insult of others' wives and daughters?

Duan Hong didn't think about it at all, let alone feel that there was anything wrong with it!

He, Duan Hong, did things only according to his own wishes!

As for what morality was, it couldn't be spent like Spirit Stones, so why should he care?

Besides, wasn't it only natural for those lowly subordinate families to offer up their wives and daughters for his pleasure?

And they actually dared to resist? It was simply an act of insubordination, a crime punishable by death!!

Thus, there was the scene in the main hall at the beginning.

The first thing he did upon waking was to complain to his father, the Duan Clan Chief, Duan Tianxiong.

And he demanded that those rebels be severely punished, their nine generations executed as a warning to others!