Chen Sheng gripped the spear’s shaft with both hands, feeling the immense power contained within. With a flick of his wrists, he treated the long spear like a giant club, swinging it in a wide arc straight toward Xiong Lie’s chest and abdomen.

The motion was fluid, overwhelmingly dominant.

"BAM—!!!"

With that single sweep, Xiong Lie’s Protective True Qi shattered like paper. A terrifying force penetrated his body, and the distinct CRACK of ribs breaking could be heard.

In the next moment, Xiong Lie was sent flying high into the air as if struck by a behemoth, spewing a torrent of blood.

"Senior Brother Xiong!"

"How dare you!"

Below, the faces of the Iron Sword Sect members twisted in horror. Several elders, both shocked and furious, instinctively moved to intervene.

"KENG! KENG! KENG—!"

However, the moment they moved, every Peacekeeper Envoy and Deputy Captain from the Jingwu Bureau present took a step forward in unison, their long sabers sliding half an inch from their sheaths.

The cold glint of the blades reflected their even colder gazes. A murderous aura instantly locked onto the members of the Iron Sword Sect.

The message was clear: this was a fair duel where life and death were decided by fate.

Anyone who dared break the rules would have to face their blades, which had no eyes.

The Jingwu Bureau had lost three consecutive matches and suffered a great loss of face. Now that they finally had a moment of vindication, how could they allow anyone to spoil it? 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Besides, Xiong Lie had not yet conceded defeat, so the battle was not over.

High in the air, Xiong Lie endured the searing pain and tried to right himself. But as his gaze swept downward, he found that Chen Sheng had vanished.

’Where is he?!’

A lethal sense of crisis enveloped him. Xiong Lie instinctively looked up—

He saw Chen Sheng, who had somehow leaped above him. Gripping the Earth-shaking Spear that had once been his, Chen Sheng’s body erupted in a brilliant Golden Light. He swung the spear in a terrifying, power-filled arc, bringing it crashing down on his head.

The force was like a falling mountain!

It was unavoidable. Terrified, Xiong Lie could only frantically channel his remaining True Qi to protect himself while forcing his relatively unharmed right arm up to block.

"CRACK—!!!"

A sickening crunch of bone breaking rang out clearly.

The Earth-shaking Spear smashed through his Protective Qi Shield without any fanfare and landed squarely on his right arm.

His thick arm instantly bent at an unnatural angle. If not for the high-quality Inner Armor Xiong Lie wore, which had absorbed some of the force, his arm would have likely been snapped in two on the spot.

The next moment, the immense force sent Xiong Lie hurtling downward like a meteor, straight toward the private room where Li Xuanche was.

"Senior Brother Xiong!"

Li Xuanche was beside himself with horror. Without a second thought, he leaped out of the window, intending to catch Xiong Lie.

But Chen Sheng’s figure descended like a shadow, almost at the same time as Xiong Lie. He held the spear in one hand, its tip like a venomous dragon striking from its lair, a glint of condensed cold light aimed directly at the space between Xiong Lie’s eyebrows.

"I concede!!!"

At this moment of life and death, Xiong Lie could no longer care about his pride. He screamed with his last ounce of strength, having no doubt that if he had been even a split second later, the cold spear tip would have pierced his skull.

Just then, Li Xuanche caught Xiong Lie’s falling body, but the terrifying impact forced them both to stumble and fall to their knees.

Before he could even steady himself, Li Xuanche felt the bone-chilling intent of the spear lock onto him. The hair on his body stood on end, and his scalp prickled with fear.

Looking up, he saw the tip of the Earth-shaking Spear, held steady just half an inch from the space between Xiong Lie’s eyebrows.

The sharp aura of the spear blew aside Xiong Lie’s bangs and shattered Li Xuanche’s hair crown, leaving him kneeling there disheveled and pathetic, holding the severely injured Xiong Lie, not daring to move an inch.

The area before the Jingwu Bureau fell into a dead silence.

All eyes were fixed on the frozen scene: Chen Sheng stood tall and unmoving, holding the spear in one hand. Its tip was pointed at Xiong Lie, who lay collapsed in Li Xuanche’s arms on the brink of death, and at Li Xuanche himself, kneeling on the ground as if in surrender.

"Arrogance requires the capital to back it up."

Chen Sheng slowly withdrew the spear and planted it heavily on the ground. He calmly swept his gaze over Xiong Lie’s pale face.

"And I... just so happen to have it."

Only now did he respond to Xiong Lie’s initial, condescending advice. Throughout the entire fierce battle, he had not uttered a single word, speaking only through the roar of clashing fists and weapons.

Hearing this, all color drained from Xiong Lie’s face. Shame and defeat overwhelmed him, and he violently coughed up another mouthful of blood before fainting completely.

Only then did the disciples of the Iron Sword Sect seem to wake from a dream. They cried out in alarm and rushed forward, shielding Xiong Lie and Li Xuanche while glaring furiously at Chen Sheng.

The surrounding crowd of onlookers finally erupted in an uproar.

"My god, that Chen Sheng... he’s just ridiculously strong."

"He didn’t even use his saber. He used Xiong Lie’s spear from start to finish."

"Once this kid achieves Condensing Evil, he’s guaranteed a spot among the Ning’an Ten Heroes!"

"*Hiss*... I’ve really seen something today!"

"It’s over, it’s all over! I bet on Xiong Lie to win! My entire fortune!"

"Son of a bitch Iron Sword Sect! They hyped him up to the heavens, but he couldn’t even take a hit."

"Waaaah... I borrowed from a loan shark to make that bet."

The sidelines were in complete turmoil.

Cries of amazement, wails of despair, and shouts of profanity instantly mingled together.

Chen Sheng paid no heed to the surrounding din. After a single glance, he turned to face the gates of the Jingwu Bureau, pointed the Earth-shaking Spear toward the Government Office, and his voice boomed like a great bell:

"Where are the Jingwu Guards of G Camp!"

"Here!"

"Here!"

"Here!"

From the eaves and within the gates of the Jingwu Bureau, figures in black official robes responded in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Zhao Changqiu, Lu Cheng, Xu Shenzhi, Li Huai Sheng, and the others leaped down and hurried to stand behind Chen Sheng. Their faces beamed with excitement and pride, as if they themselves had just won that exhilarating victory.

Chen Sheng’s gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over the men as he gave a clear command:

"Follow me to the Iron Sword Sect. We will pay them a visit and challenge their young heroes."

"Yes, sir!"

"As you command!"

"RUMBLE—"

The vermilion gates of the Jingwu Bureau swung wide open. Yan Ming and others, who were already prepared, led out over a hundred magnificent Black-Scaled Horses. The men of G Camp mounted their steeds in perfect unison.

Chen Sheng leaped and landed steadily on the back of the lead horse, slinging the Earth-shaking Spear to his side. He spurred the horse’s belly, and with a long neigh, his steed reared up and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging in the direction of the Iron Sword Sect.

"Move out."

"Yah!"

"Yah!"

Over a hundred Jingwu Guards shouted in unison, spurring their horses to follow close behind. The black tide surged forward with unstoppable momentum, parting the crowd.

The surrounding Martial Artists paled in shock at the sight and scrambled to clear a path.

As for the other Peacekeeper Envoys and Jingwu Guards who had been watching, seeing this scene made their blood boil. Without any orders, they too leaped onto their mounts or used their Body Techniques to follow G Camp.

In the blink of an eye, several hundred members of the Jingwu Bureau had formed a massive torrent, rushing menacingly toward the Iron Sword Sect. Seen from a distance, their surging murderous aura gave them the terrifying appearance of an army marching to annihilate a clan.

The smile on Sun Siniang’s lips widened. Seeing this, she didn’t hesitate. Her figure instantly transformed into a streak of red light, tailing the large contingent from the Jingwu Bureau.

This time, she would not only witness this moment of vindication firsthand but also personally act as Chen Sheng’s protector, lest those old geezers from the Iron Sword Sect become enraged by their humiliation.

Wang Zilan stood by the window, watching the Jingwu Bureau forces recede like a black tide, her eyes fixed on the proud figure leading the charge. A brilliant light shone in her beautiful eyes, the shock in her heart refusing to subside.

Once the large contingent from the Jingwu Bureau had vanished at the end of the long street, the many Martial Artists who remained erupted into a thunderous clamor once more.

"Sweet mother, what is the Jingwu Bureau doing? Are they taking the fight to their doorstep?"

"Isn’t it obvious? It’s a taste of their own medicine. A month ago, Xiong Lie blocked the Jingwu Bureau’s gates. Today, Chen Sheng is going to block the Iron Sword Sect’s mountain gate."

"Hahaha, how satisfying! Truly satisfying! I have to go see this!"

"Let’s go, let’s go! If we’re late, we won’t get a good spot!"

"Let’s go together! Coming here today was so worth it!"

"Wait for me, wait for me! I haven’t gotten on my carriage yet!"

The surrounding crowd was like a disturbed anthill, calling to their friends and scrambling over each other as they surged toward the Iron Sword Sect.

...

Something came up and I was delayed. I didn’t finish the second Chapter, but I’ll make it up tomorrow. Sorry...