"You’ve lost!"

The two words were simple, but they struck Jiang Ziyou’s ears with the weight of a mountain. Like a bolt from the blue, they drained the color from her face.

A dazed look appeared in her eyes. Staring at Jiang Chen before her, her eyes were filled with disbelief. "How is this possible? How could I lose to a piece of trash like you?"

"What? Even now, you still think you’re some high and mighty, favored daughter of heaven?" Jiang Chen’s lips curled into a sneer.

Jiang Ziyou’s face alternated between pale and livid.

She could hear the whispers of the crowd around her, hear them marveling at Jiang Chen’s strength and questioning her status as a chosen prodigy.

’No, I can’t lose. I still have trump cards I haven’t used. I haven’t even used my Martial Soul Talent yet. As long as I get serious, there’s no way I can lose...’

The daze in Jiang Ziyou’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by a look of determination and malice. She snapped her head up, her eyes locked on Jiang Chen, and said coldly, "Jiang Chen, you are indeed strong, to be able to repel my sword. But that last strike was just me being careless. It doesn’t mean you’re actually stronger than me."

"Oh? Careless, you say? From the sound of it, you’re planning to fight again?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.

’I’ve waited for this battle for so, so long!’

’And...’

’My goal in this fight isn’t just to defeat Jiang Ziyou. It’s to utterly crush her, to break this vicious woman in body and spirit.’

’And take back everything that belongs to me!’

Jiang Ziyou slowly rose to her feet, smoothed out her wrinkled skirt, and tucked away a stray strand of hair at her temple, once again reverting to that high and mighty, favored daughter of heaven.

Jiang Ziyou narrowed her eyes at Jiang Chen and said indifferently, "Jiang Chen, I won’t hold back in this next fight. Once I unleash my full power, even I won’t be able to control it. Only one of us will walk off this sacrificial altar alive."

"Enough with the nonsense!"

Jiang Chen waved his hand dismissively, his face calm as he said, "I’ll give you this chance, so you’ll have no excuses when you lose."

Jiang Ziyou nodded.

She turned and walked toward the edge of the altar, preparing to retrieve her sword which had fallen below. But just as she reached the edge, Yun Haoran’s figure flashed and appeared before her.

Jiang Ziyou was taken aback. "Senior Brother Yun?"

"Yes."

Yun Haoran nodded, his face cold as he said, "Senior Brother Lan wants you to enter the Saint Martial Sword Sect in glory, so I naturally won’t allow any accidents. That Jiang Chen’s strength is beyond expectations. I’ll lend you this Yellow Tier High-level Profound Weapon for now. With its help, you’re guaranteed to win your fight against Jiang Chen!"

Yun Haoran placed a longsword, pulsing with a cyan light, into Jiang Ziyou’s hands.

The moment she grasped the cyan-glowing sword, she felt its immense sharpness. Mystical Inscriptions covered the blade, which radiated a sharp Sword Qi on its own, without any Martial Skill needed!

This was no ordinary Profound Weapon!

A Yellow Tier High-level Profound Weapon could increase its user’s combat power by thirty percent!

Bai Ling’s expression changed, and she angrily rebuked him, "Yun Haoran, what do you think you’re doing?"

"Hmph, this Cyan Blade Sword was given to me by Senior Brother Lan to pass on to Junior Sister Ziyou. Bai Ling, are you telling me you dare interfere in Senior Brother Lan’s affairs?" Yun Haoran sneered smugly.

"Senior Brother Lan..."

Bai Ling’s pupils constricted slightly. For Yun Haoran to give a Profound Weapon to Jiang Ziyou at a time like this was a clear violation of the rules, a complete disregard for fairness.

However...

But since Yun Haoran had brought Senior Brother Lan into it, even someone with her background didn’t dare to openly defy him. With a grim face, Bai Ling looked toward Jiang Chen and said, "Jiang Chen, that Profound Weapon is called the Cyan Blade Sword. It can increase its wielder’s combat power by thirty percent. I advise you to just give up!"

"Junior Sister Bai, what you’re doing is breaking the rules!" Yun Haoran’s expression shifted, and he barked coldly, "Jiang Chen, since you agreed to a life-and-death battle with Junior Sister Ziyou, you must see it through to the end. If you dare break the rules and forfeit midway, I will execute you for the crime of disrespecting the Saint Martial Sword Sect!"

As soon as he said this, the entire audience was in an uproar!

Even Sima Tao and the others couldn’t help but frown. It was clearly Yun Haoran who had broken the rules first by giving a powerful Yellow-tier Profound Weapon to Jiang Ziyou.

But the way he twisted it, it sounded as if Jiang Chen was the one breaking the rules.

This was utterly shameless!

However, thinking of Yun Haoran’s status, Sima Tao and the others could only shut their mouths obediently. They looked at Jiang Chen with sympathetic eyes, feeling a sense of pity. ’Poor Jiang Chen. Why did you have to offend someone you can’t afford to offend?’

"KAKAKA, Jiang Chen, let’s see who can save you this time!" Jiang Tai gloated.

On the sacrificial altar.

Holding the Cyan Blade Sword, Jiang Ziyou felt victory was already in her grasp. She sneered, "Jiang Chen, you must be despairing right now! HAHAHA, I’m not afraid to tell you, I’ve already broken through to the Martial Arts Ninth Stage, and I have this Yellow-tier Profound Weapon from Senior Brother Yun. My current strength is at its absolute Peak. You’re no match for me at all. If you don’t want to die too horribly, you can kneel, kowtow, and beg for my forgiveness. Maybe if I’m feeling soft-hearted, I’ll give you a quick death. Otherwise, after I defeat you, I’ll chop off your arms and legs, slice the flesh from your body piece by piece, and leave you in a state where you’ll be begging for a death that will never come!"

BOOM—

A terrifying wave of energy erupted from Jiang Ziyou.

Streams of True Qi surged from within her, swirling around her body, carrying a trace of the aura of True Essence.

"Martial Arts Ninth Stage? My heavens, she’s only fourteen!"

"Incredible! This Jiang Ziyou is incredible! So she really was hiding her strength before, and only lost to Jiang Chen because she was careless!"

"Her future is limitless! With such strength, Jiang Ziyou will probably reach the True Martial Realm before she’s twenty. Plus, she’s caught the eye of a major figure in the Saint Martial Sword Sect. She’ll likely become a True Disciple in the future. For Jiang Chen to make an enemy of a favored daughter of heaven like her... he’s truly courting death!"

The news that Jiang Ziyou had reached the Martial Arts Ninth Stage swept through the crowd like a violent storm, causing a massive sensation.

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, his tongue licking the corner of his mouth, revealing a trace of fervent battle lust. ’Martial Arts Ninth Stage, is it? Now this is getting interesting!’

"Jiang Chen, have you made up your mind? Will you be defeated by me and then slowly tortured to death, or will you kneel, kowtow, and beg for a quick end?" Seeing Jiang Chen’s silence, Jiang Ziyou assumed he was hesitating. She lifted her chin slightly and spoke coldly.

"Kowtow and beg? HAHAHA, Jiang Ziyou, do you think you’re worthy of my kneeling? If you want a fight, then let’s fight!"

The True Qi in Jiang Chen’s body condensed to its absolute limit before erupting from him. His black hair whipped about, though there was no wind.

It was an incomparably powerful True Qi that flooded his entire body, causing his robes to billow and snap. He slashed out with the sword in his hand. In that instant, the world seemed to change color as a terrifying Sword Qi, accompanied by a deafening roar, swept out in all directions. It coalesced into a Sword Qi Storm that lunged viciously at Jiang Ziyou.

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot... Now, die!"

Jiang Ziyou snorted coldly. Her Martial Arts Ninth Stage cultivation erupted in full, and she frantically poured her True Qi, which was already beginning to transform into True Essence, into the Cyan Blade Sword.

The Inscriptions on the Yellow-tier Profound Weapon, the Cyan Blade Sword, were instantly activated, and a cyan glow enveloped the blade.

A Sword Aura, a full half-meter long, blazed into existence.

DING—

A crisp clash of metal rang out across the altar. The sword in Jiang Chen’s hand was sliced clean in two by the Cyan Blade Sword. Jiang Ziyou sneered relentlessly, "I haven’t even tried yet, and your weapon is already scrap. My next strike will land on you, and your fate will be the same as the sword in your hand..."

Before her voice had faded, Jiang Ziyou struck again. "Sword Soul Talent—Rakshasa!"

BOOM!

A stream of black energy surged from her Sword Soul and attached itself to the Cyan Blade Sword. This was the Rakshasa Power, said to be capable of corroding anything. Back when Jiang Ziyou was only at the Seventh Stage of Martial Arts, she had relied on this Rakshasa Power to inflict a major blow on the Green Water Golden-eyed Beast.

Now that her cultivation had reached the Martial Arts Ninth Stage, the Rakshasa Power was even stronger. The murky black Rakshasa Power coated her Sword Skill as she lunged at Jiang Chen.

Sinister, terrifying, and brimming with killing intent!

This sword strike shot forth, like a green-faced, fanged Rakshasa Evil Ghost, clawing its way toward Jiang Chen to claim his life.

And yet, as this tyrannical, fatal blow was unleashed, Jiang Chen slowly closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then slowly exhaled. When he opened his eyes again, a sharp gleam flashed through their dark, profound depths. In that instant, it was as if countless rays of light were gathering in Jiang Chen’s eyes, converging into a dazzling, radiant sun!

BOOM—

The radiant sun suddenly exploded, scattering into countless motes of light.

Fragments of the past six years flashed through his mind. Jiang Chen’s gaze turned chillingly cold, his expression becoming one of profound indifference...

"Jiang Ziyou, I told you before: no one can take what is mine. Anyone who dares to touch what belongs to me, I will kill."

"This next strike... I’ve waited more than two months for this. A sword strike prepared especially for you. This strike will sever all the grievances between us. Open your eyes and watch carefully. This strike will show you which one of us... is the real trash..."

The Profound Yellow True Qi within Jiang Chen’s body stirred, gathering onto his broken sword. His voice was suddenly as cold as ice.

SWISH!

Jiang Chen and the sword in his hand vanished at the same time. The sword transformed into a streak of light that flashed past in an instant.

Instant Sword—One Sword, No Trace!