A dull thud echoed through the hall.
Qin Xuan’s knee collided with the crossed arms of Qin Qingfeng.
*Crack—*
An incredibly faint sound was swallowed by the dull thud of the impact, barely perceptible. Yet, at that same instant, Qin Qingfeng’s face turned ghastly pale. Qin Xuan’s strike had cracked his forearm bone!
"Damn it..."
Qin Qingfeng’s expression darkened. He spat out a curse and instantly retreated to put some distance between them, his tone fierce as he shouted, "Qin Xuan, you asked for this! You will die today!"
As the words left his lips, Qin Qingfeng’s clothes shredded, and his bare torso was instantly covered in hideous, blood-red markings that writhed across his skin.
"Is this...?!"
Qin Xuan raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise appearing in his eyes.
At this moment, the onlookers in the hall had their expressions change drastically.
"It’s the ancestral bloodline!"
"Brother Qingfeng is actually using the power of the ancestral bloodline!"
"For a piece of trash like Qin Xuan to force Brother Qingfeng to get serious... hmph, I suppose he can die without regrets."
"Back then, relying on the power of the ancestral bloodline, Brother Qingfeng killed a Peak Tongxuan Realm martial artist across levels!"
"Qin Xuan is finished!"
The crowd whispered among themselves.
Qin Xuan ignored them, his gaze locked firmly on Qin Qingfeng, who stood several yards away. The latter reopened his eyes, and blood-red light surged over his body. His already formidable aura climbed steadily, bolstered by the blood flames, and a bone-chilling killing intent made the entire hall turn freezing cold.
"Die, Qin Xuan!"
Qin Qingfeng let out a low roar, spiritual energy gathering in both fists simultaneously.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
As he threw out alternating punches, fist shadows formed from spiritual energy descended upon Qin Xuan with the force of a violent storm!
Qin Xuan’s own spiritual energy vibrated, but simply blocking the first fist shadow forced him back over ten paces! Although he was now in the Zhoutian Realm, he had only recently broken through to the 1st Layer. Qin Qingfeng was already at the Zhoutian 9th Layer, and now, with the amplification of the blood flames, his strength was comparable to a Peak Tongxuan Realm powerhouse. Suppressed by an entire major realm, Qin Xuan could only defend passively, retreating step by step.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Qingfeng threw over a hundred punches. Qin Xuan’s arms were torn and bloody, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet he gritted his teeth and held his ground. He dodged and weaved as best he could; despite the ferocity of the assault, he sustained only minor injuries.
"Die for me!"
Qin Qingfeng’s eyes were blood-red, his murderous intent razor-sharp. The blood flames on his body converged with his spiritual energy in his palms, forming a fist shadow with an astonishing sense of oppression aimed directly at the retreating Qin Xuan. "This punch will take your life!"
With that, Qin Qingfeng unleashed the strike.
In that instant, his aura dropped significantly, and his face turned pale. He had no other choice; while the ancestral bloodline allowed his strength to skyrocket, it placed a massive burden on his body. As it stood, he appeared to hold the advantage, but in reality, he had exhausted most of his spiritual energy. If this dragged on any longer, he feared he would be worn down to death by Qin Xuan.
In a split second, the blood-red fist shadow whistled through the air. Wherever it passed, specks of blood flame lingered, and the very air was distorted by the intense heat.
A cold smirk played on Qin Xuan’s lips. If Qin Qingfeng had maintained his suppression, he would have struggled to find a way to break the deadlock. But now that Qin Qingfeng had chosen to stake everything on one blow, Qin Xuan understood immediately: his chance had arrived!
"Phantom Body Technique."
Qin Xuan whispered the words.
The moment Qin Qingfeng’s fist shadow made contact with his body, Qin Xuan’s figure rippled like a reflection in water or a flower in a mirror, dissipating into nothingness.
"What?!"
Qin Qingfeng’s face changed abruptly!
The next moment, a bone-chilling cold came from behind him. Qin Xuan, who knew not how, had appeared at his back.
"The one who should die is you."
Qin Xuan’s voice was utterly indifferent. As he spoke, he gathered his spiritual energy into his fist and struck at Qin Qingfeng’s back with all his might!
"Stop!!!"
Almost at the same moment, Qin Lie, who was seated on the high dais, sensed the crisis. He roared, "Qin Xuan, stop this instant!"
As he spoke, his Peak Tongxuan Realm aura exploded outward like a mountain, enveloping Qin Xuan, and he turned into a blur of motion as he lunged toward him!
However, it was already too late!
The moment Qin Lie’s voice died away, Qin Xuan’s fist slammed into Qin Qingfeng’s back.
*Bang!*
With a dull thud, a surge of spiritual energy burst through Qin Qingfeng’s chest.
*Crack—*
With a crisp snap, Qin Qingfeng’s ribs shattered simultaneously. The sharp bone fragments pierced his internal organs, causing him to spray blood from his mouth as his body was sent flying like a withered leaf in a gale!
"Qin Xuan! I told you to stop! Are you deaf?"
Qin Lie arrived in a flash, but he could only watch as his son was sent stumbling through the air. His eyes were instantly filled with killing intent.
"What? Is there a rule in a life-and-death duel that a father is allowed to step in for his son?" Qin Xuan sneered, meeting Qin Lie’s gaze without backing down.
"Insolent!"
Qin Lie was furious. His rolling aura pressed down on Qin Xuan like a mountain, causing cracks to spiderweb across the floor beneath his feet. "You bastard, how dare you talk back to me?"
"Get on your knees!"
He intensified his aura, and the pressure surged exponentially.
*Crackle, crackle—*
The cracks in the floor spread out like a web. Qin Xuan’s entire body trembled, but even so, he remained standing as straight as a pine tree. "Do you think you’re worthy?"
"You’re courting death..."
Qin Lie’s eyes were filled with chilling murder. "Qin Xuan, first you stole my son’s Monster Beast core, and now you dare to maim a fellow clansman in public. Do you have any respect for the Qin Family left?"
"What a joke."
Qin Xuan sneered, looking at Qin Lie with a cold, calm gaze. "Qin Qingfeng claimed he hunted a second-rank Monster Beast specifically for the previous clan leader. He can’t even beat me—how could he possibly hunt a second-rank Monster Beast?"
"You—"
Qin Lie was momentarily choked for words.
Before he could respond, Qin Xuan said coldly, "As for your claim about maiming a clansman, that is an even bigger joke."
"In a life-and-death duel, each person is responsible for their own fate. What? Does this duel mean others can die, but only your son is not allowed to?"
"A waste of a Zhoutian 9th Layer who was defeated by me, a Zhoutian 1st Layer... is he supposed to be superior to the rest of us?"
The hall fell silent!
Qin Lie’s expression shifted rapidly, his murderous intent brimming over. "What a sharp-tongued mongrel! Today, no matter how silver-tongued you are, you have violated clan law and maimed a fellow clansman. You will die without a doubt!"
"Today, I shall act on behalf of the heavens and end you with a single palm strike!"
"Prepare to die!"