Chapter 80: Chapter 78: Fame in a Single Battle

"D-Don’t come any closer..."

Lui Xun had long since lost his earlier confidence and composure. His face was pale with fright as he stumbled backward and fell to the ground. He scrambled back on all fours, his terrified gaze fixed on Jiang Chen.

In his eyes, Jiang Chen was like an unrivaled demon, invincible in this world!

Lui Xiao, a True Martial Realm First Stage master, hadn’t even been able to block a single palm strike and was sent flying.

What terrifying power.

It was enough to drive one to despair!

Grasping Lui Xun’s neck with one hand, Jiang Chen slowly lifted him up. His gaze was indifferent. "I told you before. If you had honored our bet, I would have only crippled your cultivation. But you don’t know what’s good for you. Not only did you go back on your word, you framed my brother and even tried to steal my spot for yourself. Tell me, how should I deal with you?"

"N-No..."

Lui Xun’s body dangled in midair, his limbs struggling feebly. His eyes bulged, bloodshot and filled with terror as he begged for his life, "Jiang Chen, Uncle Jiang... I was wrong! I’ll never do it again! Please, spare me! Don’t cripple my cultivation, I’m begging you..."

In this world where the weak are prey for the strong, strength is the foundation of everything.

Lui Xun’s current status was not just because he had Lui Xiao as his backer; more importantly, it was due to his own strength.

If that strength was crippled and he became a good-for-nothing, he would have nothing left!

"When I saved you from the Qinghuo Gang, did you ever think this day would come when you decided to be so ungrateful? When you incited the entire Lui Family to pressure Afa, did you ever consider the consequences? You realize you’re wrong now, but it’s too late." Jiang Chen shook his head lightly, his expression as placid as an old well.

With a flick of his finger.

A thread of golden True Essence condensed and shot out like a golden steel needle, piercing into Lui Xun’s body.

CRACK!

A crisp sound echoed from within Lui Xun’s body. The golden True Essence had directly destroyed his Dantian and shattered his Martial Soul.

"No..."

Lui Xun’s whole body shuddered violently. His True Qi leaked away like water from a broken dam. The light in his eyes faded, replaced by a look of utter despair and regret.

THUD!

With a flick of his arm, Jiang Chen tossed Lui Xun aside.

He was now a cripple!

Lui Xiao had just scrambled to his feet when he saw Jiang Chen cast Lui Xun aside like a piece of trash. He let out a roar of despair, "My son...!"

His black hair whipped about, though there was no wind. His bloodshot eyes shone with a vicious light, as if looking for someone to devour.

VMMMM!

Gales of True Essence erupted from his body. In an instant, his black hair turned snow-white. His hate-filled gaze locked onto Jiang Chen as he let out a hysterical roar, "You little bastard, you actually dared to cripple my son? I’ll have your life...!"

RUMBLE—

True Essence surged, and the phantom of a black blade appeared, hovering above his head.

This was his Martial Soul, the Demon Blade!

"This is bad! Lui Xiao is even using his Innate Divine Techniques! He’s ready to risk it all!" someone among the spectating experts recognized the black blade and cried out in alarm.

One of the experts had a grim expression. "Lui Xiao’s Innate Divine Technique is said to be the Spirit-devouring Demon Blade. At the cost of his own Essence Blood and soul, he can unleash combat power that surpasses his realm. I’m afraid this kid, Jiang Chen, won’t be able to block this strike!"

"Lui Xun is the apple of Lui Xiao’s eye. Now that he’s been crippled, it’d be a wonder if Lui Xiao *didn’t* go insane!"

"Even if Lui Guan were to intervene, he wouldn’t be able to stop Lui Xiao. Jiang Chen is a dead man!"

The crowd murmured in agreement.

Facing a berserk True Martial Realm expert, even a powerhouse several levels higher in cultivation would find it a thorny problem.

"Little bastard, go to hell!" Lui Xiao’s face was contorted. His body was wreathed in black Demonic Qi, and a ring of black airflow expanded from his feet, withering all the grass and trees within a thirty-foot radius.

BOOM!

Lui Xiao stomped his feet hard on the ground. Wreathed in thick Demonic Qi, he shot forward like a Fierce Beast shrouded in black, his killing intent soaring.

He gripped the Spirit-devouring Demon Blade with both hands and swung it forward violently.

The black Demonic Qi coiling around the Demon Blade suddenly began to writhe, transforming into a hundred ferocious Demon Spirits. With green faces, long fangs, and bared claws, they resembled Demons from Hell, rushing madly toward Jiang Chen, intending to tear him to shreds. A hundred Demon Spirits surged forth, carrying a terrifying devouring and Destructive Power.

Wherever the black blade energy passed, the vegetation withered in an instant. The earth itself let out a SIZZLE as it emitted black smoke, heavily corroded.

A strike this powerful could put even a True Martial Realm expert to death!

"Father, quickly, save Boss..." Lui Yifa said anxiously.

Lui Guan’s face was ashen. He shook his head and sighed, "It’s too late. I never expected Lui Xiao to be so ruthless as to use the Spirit-devouring Demon Blade directly. Alas, my carelessness has doomed Jiang Chen..."

"No, Boss can’t die..."

Lui Yifa said in anguish.

Little White curled its lip and said impatiently, "What are you shouting for? There’s no way that old geezer can kill the Boss."

"Huh?"

Lui Yifa and Lui Guan were both stunned. Just as they were about to question Little White, they suddenly felt a heaven-piercing chill that made them shudder involuntarily.

Facing the Spirit-devouring Demon Blade and its Devilish Qi, Jiang Chen’s eyes snapped open, two beams of extreme cold light shooting from them.

A longsword materialized in his hand, its edge pulsing with a faint cyan gleam. With a SWISH, he slashed through the void. The cyan sword light was incomparably pure and swift, vanishing in a flash, leaving no visible trace of its path.

The Devilish Qi was seen parting to both sides, as if it had been sliced down the middle.

One by one, the vicious Demon Spirits shattered into pieces.

CLANG—

The Spirit-devouring Demon Blade trembled violently. A network of fine cracks spread across it, and with a BANG, the entire blade exploded. At the same time, the crowd finally saw a sliver of cyan sword light appear before Lui Xiao.

"Th-This is impossible... How can a sword be so fast? How can a sword be so sharp? No... I can’t accept this..."

Lui Xiao’s pupils contracted violently, his eyes reflecting a sliver of cyan sword light that grew larger and larger. It sliced down from the top of his head, straight through his entire body. With a wet THWACK, the dignified True Martial Realm master was cleaved in two, as dead as could be!

HISS—

The sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed through the Celestial Demon Canyon, followed by dead silence.

He had cut through the Devilish Qi, shattered the Spirit-devouring Demon Blade, and cleaved Lui Xiao in two with a single strike.

The young man, Jiang Chen, had done it all with just one sword strike!

At that moment, everyone felt as if an invisible hand was clutching their throat, making it hard to breathe.

"J-Jiang Chen, you dare kill Lui Xiao?" Lui Chen’s expression changed drastically. Everything had happened too quickly. From crippling Lui Xun to killing Lui Xiao, only a few breaths’ time had passed. He’d had no time to intervene!

Jiang Chen, holding the blood-dripping longsword, glanced sideways at him and said coolly, "What? You want to kill me to avenge him?"

"I... I... I..."

Lui Chen, a dignified master at the Peak of True Martial Realm Second Stage, was so frightened by Jiang Chen’s single glance that he was rendered tongue-tied.

His face alternated between pale and ashen.

He clenched his fists, but upon seeing Lui Xiao’s bisected corpse, his tightened hands quietly relaxed. He let out a cold snort and said no more.

Jiang Chen gave a cold smile. He sheathed the Cyan Blade Sword, his gaze sweeping over the members of the Lui Family as he said calmly, "The father and son, Lui Xun and Lui Xiao, were ungrateful and went back on their word. Worse, they hatched wicked plots and framed the righteous. I, Jiang Chen, have enforced justice on heaven’s behalf by executing them. If anyone objects, feel free to come find me! Tell me, does anyone object?"

"N-No!"

"Thank you, Young Hero, for cleansing the Lui Family for us!"

The members of the Lui Family all bowed their heads. Not one dared to show dissent.

"Hahahahaha..."

Jiang Chen threw his head back and laughed long and loud.

Gazing at the young man holding the Cyan Blade Sword, everyone—be it the members of the Lui Family or the many experts who had been watching the spectacle—had expressions of reverence and awe.

He had slain Lui Xiao with his sword and subdued Lui Chen with a single sentence.

After this battle, the name of Jiang Chen would spread throughout Yulan Mansion...