Chapter 535: Chapter 535: The Young Prince’s War of Attrition

BOOM!

The Blood Hand Butcher erupted with blood-colored True Qi.

It was like a thunderclap exploding from the ground, stunning the crowd. Their ears rang, and they felt as if their chests had been struck by a boulder; many even spat out blood on the spot. This alone showed just how savage the Blood Hand Butcher was. The fact that he was considered invincible below the Seventh-Rank Great Grandmaster level was proof enough of his combat power.

Unfortunately for him, he was no match for Yang Qi, who had never truly displayed the full extent of his realm. Up to this point, he had only used ordinary fighting methods.

"Take this!"

The Blood Hand Butcher let out a furious roar and hurled a punch at Yang Qi. The force of the blow carried a terrifying sound wave, like a supersonic aircraft streaking by, as it smashed directly toward Yang Qi’s head. The air seemed to shatter at that moment. Bizarre cracks appeared in the void, as though the very air had turned to glass—a truly eerie sight. From the crowd’s perspective, Yang Qi looked like a small glass figurine about to be instantly obliterated by this single punch.

Yang Qi made no attempt to meet the attack. Instead, he took three light steps back. After the third step, the force of the punch naturally dissipated, its power completely gone, as if he had calculated its trajectory and range to the finest degree.

"Interesting. Not only is your combat power outstanding, but your calculation skills are impressive, too. You certainly have some skill to dare challenge me here. I didn’t plan on humbling you, but it seems I must get serious. Otherwise, I risk an unexpected defeat," the Blood Hand Butcher said.

As he spoke, gloves of condensed, blood-colored True Qi materialized over his hands.

Materializing Qi into a physical form was a skill every Great Grandmaster possessed, and the Blood Hand Butcher was no exception. He could do it, and do it well.

"Kill!"

With his True Qi-formed gloves, the Blood Hand Butcher’s combat power surged. This new punch was far mightier than the first, carrying a tremendous momentum that even caused the air around it to ignite. This wasn’t due to any elemental mastery; his True Qi was simply so potent that its friction with the air generated flames.

"That punch of yours has killed quite a few people, hasn’t it?" Yang Qi remarked coolly.

"Hahaha, good that you know! Those fools who didn’t know their place dared to challenge me, so I simply killed them!" the Blood Hand Butcher laughed heartily.

"I hear you’re quite popular in the Jingnan Royal Mansion?" Yang Qi asked again.

"That’s right. So what?" the Blood Hand Butcher retorted.

"Then you can die!"

No one saw how Yang Qi moved. In the next instant, he was standing before the Blood Hand Butcher, his hand clamped around the man’s neck, giving him no chance to concede.

CRACK!

The Blood Hand Butcher had no time to scream or cry for help before he fell, dead on the spot.

Yang Qi casually tossed the corpse off the arena platform and announced in a loud voice, "I am a member of the Star Shining Society! I came here today for a hundred consecutive victories! Anyone from the Jingnan Royal Mansion with guts, come on up! I’ll take you on one by one!"

"Arrogant!"

In the VIP room, the young prince crushed his teacup, his eyes fixed furiously on the Blood Hand Butcher’s body. Although the Butcher wasn’t considered exceptionally strong, he had been a very profitable Fighter for their Jingnan Royal Mansion. To think he would be killed just like that—it was damnable, simply damnable!

The venue erupted into a roar of fervent applause and cheers. In truth, many people disliked the Jingnan Royal Mansion, but few ever dared to defy it. Now that Yang Qi had stepped forward, they naturally cheered for him with all their might.

"Hahaha, the Star Shining Society is really tough, actually causing trouble at the True Martial White Tower. It seems their challenge was no joke!"

"Thunder City is long overdue for a clean-up. Look at Kang City, peaceful and prosperous, a great place to live. Thunder City is chaotic because too many people want to dominate and carve out a piece of the pie for themselves. Even outsiders like the Tang Family from Sea City have gotten involved. It’s time someone sorted this mess out."

"I think I might just be a fan of the Star Shining Society now."

"But this kid only has thirty consecutive wins, and he’s already talking so big. Plus, he killed the Blood Hand Butcher. The Jingnan Royal Mansion definitely won’t let him off, right?"

"He just dealt with the Yan Family’s young master, too. They’ll probably send someone after him as well."

"The next battles are going to be even more exciting."

In the VIP room, the young prince ordered coldly, "Go, get those ten. They are the gatekeepers at the Tenth-Rank Great Grandmaster level. If one isn’t enough, send two. If two aren’t enough, send three. We must kill this kid. Let him reach fifty consecutive victories first. The stretch from fifty to sixty wins will be his end."

"Understood!"

Someone immediately left to carry out the order.

Yang Qi rested for ten minutes before continuing. He soon reached forty consecutive victories without any obstruction. Fifty consecutive victories were achieved just as effortlessly.

"Haven’t they arrived yet?" the young prince demanded furiously from the VIP room.

"Young Prince, those ten are all recuperating and can’t get here on such short notice. They probably won’t be able to make an appearance until after the sixtieth victory," the messenger replied.

"Fine. We’ll wait until he hits sixty wins. No matter what, we must kill him. We can’t let him continue his arrogant display here!" The young prince took a deep breath and resumed his observation of Yang Qi, hoping to gather more information to pass on to the ten fighters and improve their chances of success.

Soon, Yang Qi achieved his sixtieth consecutive victory.

At this time, the fighters the young prince had summoned finally arrived. However, only eight had made it; two were simply unable to come in time.

"Forget it. I shall take matters into my own hands," the young prince said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, radiating an icy, murderous intent. He was stronger than any of the eight men, for he was a Half-step Overlord.

"How about I get involved in this as well?" an elder offered with a smile as he stepped forward.

"Second Granduncle!" The young prince stood up, completely shocked. His own second granduncle, a powerful expert who was already a First-Rank Overlord at the Perfection stage, wanted to get involved?

"Say no more. If someone wishes to cause trouble at the True Martial White Tower, we absolutely cannot allow them to succeed. Let him die here," the elder said, shaking his head.

From the sixty-first to the seventieth victory, there would be no rest time between matches. The young prince’s goal was to wear Yang Qi down through a war of attrition. With the fighters they had lined up, victory was all but guaranteed. Even if the earlier fighters couldn’t win, they could at least injure their opponent with a desperate all-out effort, making it easier for those who followed.

"I’ll take the first match," a burly man declared with a smile as he stepped forward.

"Good. Iron Wall, you go first. Your defense is so formidable that it’s a headache for even Overlord-level experts. Even if you lose, you can still drain a significant amount of his energy, making it easier for the next fighter."

The young prince sneered. With these ten consecutive battles, they were determined to exhaust Yang Qi to death. In their eyes, victory was already assured. Yang Qi looked to be in his twenties, so to them, that meant he was a Tenth-Rank Great Grandmaster at most. It was impossible for him to be any stronger.