A figure strode forward in huge strides. Seeing who it was, Han Feng blinked, then his face filled with pleasant surprise. "Xu Chen, you're not dead!"
"Young Master, this is Xu Chen. He also has thunder fruits on him—twelve in total." Zhao Feng immediately said to the blue-robed youth, whose face lit up with joy.
Looking at the corpses of Hong Yi and Li Chong, and then at Xu Hu, who was on the verge of death with heavy injuries, Xu Chen wore a chilling expression. "Zhao Feng, why did you do this?" he asked, suppressing the urge to kill, enunciating every single word.
Zhao Feng laughed loudly. "Ha, ha, ha! Why did I do this? If you want to blame someone, blame your own incompetence! Blame the unfair distribution! We all risked our lives together, so why should you get twelve thunder fruits while I only get a pitiful two? You acted unjustly first, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Xu Chen frowned and said, "The spirit fruits were distributed according to each person's contribution. You know how much you contributed yourself. Besides, if you were dissatisfied, why didn't you speak up at the time?"
Zhao Feng was left speechless.
"Xu Chen, run! Hurry and run! These people are from the Zhao family of Liuguang City, you are no match for them..." Xu Hu forced his body not to fall, speaking weakly to Xu Chen.
Zhao Feng sneered, "You still have the leisure to care about others at a time like this, Xu Hu. You'd better worry about yourself." With that, he raised his battle saber high and fiercely slashed down.
"You're courting death!" A chilling light flashed violently in Xu Chen's eyes. With a low shout, he lunged forward fiercely. With a loud *bang*, Zhao Feng was sent flying backward.
*Bang!* Zhao Feng crashed to the ground and rolled over a few times. Then, with a *splat*, he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of internal organs.
Following this mouthful of blood, Zhao Feng's aura withered rapidly; he was taking in much more air than he was letting out. Clearly, his internal organs had been shattered, and he was beyond saving. Seeing that Zhao Feng intended to kill Xu Hu, Xu Chen had acted in anger and killed Zhao Feng with a single strike.
"Xu Hu, you're..." Xu Chen turned to look at Xu Hu, asking with concern. His voice hitched, and a look of profound sorrow appeared on his face. Xu Hu had already breathed his last.
Of the seven who had teamed up to enter the Tianyuan Mountains, six were now dead, leaving only him.
Looking at the Zhao family martial artists surrounding him, killing intent surged through Xu Chen's heart. These people had killed Hong Yi. They had killed Li Chong. They had killed Xu Hu. And now they were going to kill him too.
"All of you deserve to die!"
Xu Chen's voice was bone-chilling. As the words left his mouth, the sword in his hand swept horizontally. The sword light flashed like lightning, so fast that people had no time to react.
*Splat! Splat!* Two heads flew high into the air.
*Clang, clang, clang!* Several people reacted and raised their battle sabers to block, but the sword in Xu Chen's hand was incomparably sharp, indestructible, and cut through iron as if it were mud. With a few crisp snaps, all the battle sabers were cut in two. Following that, the sword's edge swept across their necks. With several *splat* sounds, blood flew and spattered the ground.
Three men stood with wide eyes, frantically clutching their throats as blood poured from between their fingers, their pupils dilating rapidly.
Two heads sent flying. Three carotid arteries severed. Five men killed with a single sword strike.
*Thud!* One man collapsed weakly to the ground, and the others fell down one after another as well.
"You..." A Zhao family martial artist who had surrounded Xu Chen stepped back in terror. The smiles on the faces of the others vanished, replaced by sheer panic.
"Die!" Xu Chen's killing intent had already been fully aroused. Since he had made his move, how could he stop halfway? He took a step forward and brought his sword down.
*Splat!* A Zhao family martial artist was cleaved in two by a single sword stroke, dying a wretched death on the spot.
"Kill him!" The blue-robed youth reacted and shouted the command.
The remaining Zhao family martial artists knew that if they didn't fight for their lives now, they would only end up being slaughtered like fish on a chopping board. They raised their sabers and rushed forward to kill Xu Chen.
Xu Chen swung his sword in a full circle. With several *clangs* and flying sparks, the battle sabers snapped in half one after another. The charging Zhao family martial artists were knocked back repeatedly. Looking at their broken sabers, the terror on their faces could no longer be concealed.
"Die!"
"All of you, go to hell!"
Holding back nothing, Xu Chen charged forward, brandishing his sword in a continuous flurry. The sound of flesh tearing was incessant as the Zhao family martial artists collapsed one by one.
"Die!" The blue-robed youth lunged forward, his sword slashing ruthlessly toward Xu Chen's throat. The longsword tore through the air, actually producing a piercing screech of friction. The moment he struck, he aimed to kill. The blue-robed youth was at the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation Realm.
Facing the blue-robed youth's vicious attack, Xu Chen remained expressionless and calm.
The next moment, he slashed straight down.
*Splat!* The dull sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh echoed out. Then, a jet of blood spurted from the blue-robed youth's neck. Like a deflating balloon, the aura around the blue-robed youth plummeted rapidly. Panic plastered across his face, he frantically clutched his neck, trying to stem the flow of blood.
"It's useless. My sword severed your main carotid artery, and sword qi is lingering in the wound, continuing to destroy you from within. Unless you take a miracle medicine capable of bringing the dead back to life and growing flesh on bones, you are bound to die!" Xu Chen's cold voice rang in the blue-robed youth's ears like the verdict of the Grim Reaper.
"Your sword is so sharp... From your sword, I felt Sword Intent... But you shouldn't have killed me..." The blue-robed youth gave up struggling, his hands dropping limply. With every word he spoke, a large gush of blood welled up from his neck.
Sheathing his sword, Xu Chen said indifferently, "When I kill, I never regret it!"
The blue-robed youth's body tilted to one side, and he breathed his last.
After cleaning up the battlefield, Xu Chen sheathed his sword and was about to leave when his expression suddenly shifted. From the distance, the sound of someone piercing through the air was approaching. Someone was coming, and there was more than one person.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
Piercing sounds ripped through the air as seven or eight figures streaked from afar to near. At the lead was a grey-robed old man.
"Young Master!"
After arriving and seeing the blue-robed youth lying in a pool of blood, the grey-robed old man's expression changed drastically. He rushed to the side of the blue-robed youth and checked him over. Discovering that the youth had already perished, his expression shifted and twisted repeatedly.
Finally, he slammed his head up, his ferocious gaze locking onto Xu Chen. "Did you kill the Young Master?"
"He took the initiative to ambush me and was killed by me in counterattack when he was outmatched!" Facing the grey-robed old man's vicious glare, Xu Chen showed no fear at all and said indifferently.
"Capture him and hand him over to the Family Head for disposal." The grey-robed old man swept his arm forward. The people behind him drew their sabers and swords, rushing to kill Xu Chen.
***
### Chapter 30: Slaughter
Knowing that he had killed the opposing young master and that any reconciliation of hatred with the people opposite him was impossible, Xu Chen stopped talking and drew the Qingchi Sword.
He threw out a single sword strike, and a flash of sword light appeared.
*Splat!* A martial artist at the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation Realm who had charged to the very front clutched his throat and collapsed.
Just as he killed that one person, the attacks of the other six closed in from all directions, enveloping him. Xu Chen's figure flickered as he dodged the incoming onslaught.
*Crack! Crack!*
With a flick of his wrist, the Qingchi Sword slashed out at an angle. Two oncoming battle sabers snapped with a crisp sound, while the Qingchi Sword remained completely undamaged. Spitting out sword qi, with two *splats*, two more heads flew high into the air.
In the span of a few breaths, Xu Chen had killed three people in succession. The remaining four were so terrified they didn't dare step forward.
Murderous intent surged violently in the grey-robed old man's eyes. But before he could make a move, Xu Chen took the initiative to strike at him instead. Tiptoeing off the ground, his entire body soared into the air, his legs lashing out in rapid succession.
Feeling the terrifying power contained within Xu Chen's legs, the grey-robed old man's pupils constricted slightly as he quickly raised his hands to block.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
In a single breath, Xu Chen kicked over a dozen times, clashing head-on with the grey-robed old man's fists every single time. By taking the initiative and carrying the momentum of his charge, his leg power was vastly amplified, forcing the grey-robed old man to retreat step by step.
Panic gripped the grey-robed old man's heart. One had to remember that he was a martial artist at the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation Realm. Yet, when competing in pure strength against Xu Chen, he was actually falling into a disadvantageous position.
"Who are you? Why are you targeting the Zhao family?" the grey-robed old man blurted out in shock, suspecting that Xu Chen was deliberately targeting them.
Xu Chen landed gracefully. The moment his feet touched the ground, the sword in his hand was raised high. The Qingchi Sword pointed diagonally at the sky, and then he slashed down with all his might.
*Clang!*
A cyan battle saber suddenly appeared in the grey-robed old man's hand, held horizontally to block in front of his chest.
*Clang!*
Blade and sword collided, sending sparks flying. The grey-robed old man's body shook violently as he stumbled back several steps. Regaining his footing, he looked at his battle saber, and his expression changed immediately.
The battle saber he treasured like his life had actually sustained damage during their very first clash, with a chip appearing on the blade. He snapped his head up, staring greedily at the Qingchi Sword in Xu Chen's hand.
"A Spirit Artifact!"
Only a Spirit Artifact could possess such terrifying destructive power.
Xu Chen did not deny it.
*Sizzling!*
Two streams of sword qi slashed toward the grey-robed old man. The grey-robed old man swung his saber to parry. Xu Chen stepped forward, raising his sword to strike twice more in rapid succession.
*Clang! Clang!*
On this final collision, the battle saber in the grey-robed old man's hand broke into two pieces with a crisp snap. Amidst the grey-robed old man's stunned and terrified gaze, the Qingchi Sword shimmered with cold light and swept past his throat with a *splat*.
Blood spurted. Clutching his throat, the grey-robed old man collapsed limply to the ground.
Seeing that even the grey-robed old man was no match for Xu Chen and was killed within a few moves, the expressions of the remaining four changed drastically, and they scattered in all directions.
Holding his sword, Xu Chen strode forward in pursuit.
*Splat!*
Beheaded with a single sword strike. Without pausing for a single moment, three seconds later, the second person met a wretched death beneath his sword as well.
Twenty seconds later... the third person collapsed in terror.
Forty seconds, fifty seconds... Time ticked away bit by bit.
Xu Chen returned with his sword in hand, his brow slightly furrowed. The fourth person had actually managed to escape. If you cut weeds without eradicating the roots, future trouble is sure to follow.
However, his brow quickly smoothed out again. He was preparing to return to the sect. No matter how powerful the Zhao family was, of which the grey-robed old man spoke, could they possibly come to the Qingling Sect to exact revenge on him?
He immediately set off to return to the sect.
Yet, he had ultimately underestimated the Zhao family's operational capability. That escaping Zhao family martial artist had rendezvoused with other Zhao family members who had entered the Tianyuan Mountains shortly after fleeing. Upon explaining the situation, that faction of Zhao family martial artists flew into a rage, immediately dispatching men to blockade the exits of the Tianyuan Mountains and sending messages to the Zhao family members in Liuguang City.
***
Liuguang City was a city close to the Tianyuan Mountains, dominated by three major families, of which the Zhao family was the strongest.
On this day, Zhao Heilong, the head of the Zhao family, flew into a towering rage. His son—the genius with the greatest talent in the Zhao family—had actually died in the Tianyuan Mountains. The one who killed him wasn't a Monster Beast, but a human martial artist. According to the survivor, the culprit was a youth wielding a Spirit Artifact.
Upon learning that the killer possessed a Spirit Artifact, Zhao Heilong grew greedy. He immediately summoned the experts of his clan to march into the Tianyuan Mountains, both to avenge his unjustly killed clansmen and to covet the Spirit Artifact in the murderer's hands.
A Spirit Artifact—even a Low-grade Spirit Artifact—was worth a city. In the vast city of Liuguang City, with a population of no less than a million, not a single martial artist possessed a Spirit Artifact. This showed how rare they were. If he could obtain a Spirit Artifact, the death of his son was something he could reluctantly accept.
***
In the perimeter of the perilous Tianyuan Mountains, a figure flashed past, closely pursued by seven or eight martial artists.
"Damn it, he still managed to escape!"
After losing the target's tracks, the lean middle-aged man leading the group cursed bitterly. This man was the Ninth Elder of the Liuguang City Zhao family, at the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation Realm. Upon learning the news of the Young Master's tragic death, he had followed the Family Head into the Tianyuan Mountains to hunt down the culprit.
Yet, for three days straight, not only had they failed to bring the perpetrator to justice, but they had also suffered heavy casualties and losses. Not long ago, the team he led had tracked down the culprit's traces, but amidst the chase and flight, the person had still slipped away.
"You won't escape. Our entire Zhao family has been mobilized and laid an inescapable net at the exits of the Tianyuan Mountains. Even if you turned into a fly, don't even think about getting out alive!" the Ninth Elder roared in unwillingness, venting the pent-up frustration in his heart.
Just as his roar subsided, a figure lunged down from the canopy of a large tree not far away, swift as a goshawk.
*Splat!*
Unaware, a Zhao family martial artist on the Ninth Elder's front left was cleaved cleanly in two from top to bottom by a single sword strike. The two halves of his body toppled outward to either side, blood and internal organs spilling all over the ground.
"37." Xu Chen's gaze was cold as he muttered the number and swung his sword for another strike.
*Splat!* A martial artist was severed cleanly at the waist.
"38."
The number of Zhao family martial artists who had died at Xu Chen's hands had already reached thirty-eight.
Seeing two Zhao family disciples killed back-to-back by the culprit, the Ninth Elder's eyes split open in fury. "You beast, go to hell!"
With a low roar, he lunged forward, thrusting his large hand outward. His five fingers curled into claws, tearing through empty space.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
His fingers were like sharp blades, spitting out razor-sharp qi as they went straight for Xu Chen's head.
Facing this calmly, Xu Chen gripped the sword hilt and gathered his strength for a moment. With a single sweep of his sword, violent sword qi sprayed in all directions, tearing the surrounding earth to shreds as soil flew and not a single inch remained intact.
Simultaneously, the illusory phantoms of mountain peaks materialized within the sword qi, terrifying to the extreme, making one's hair stand on end and sending tremors through the entire body.
"Taichu Sword Technique, First Form: Mountain Shifting!"
The thick sword qi, carrying the phantom mountain peaks, slashed down fiercely. With a few tearing sounds, the razor-sharp wind at the Ninth Elder's fingertips melted and dissolved instantly, like fresh snow meeting a blazing sun.
The Ninth Elder's pupils shrank drastically. The breath of death washed over him. At this moment, he wanted to dodge, but it was already too late.
*Splat!*
The sword qi hacked viciously into the Ninth Elder's body, its terrifying power erupting in an instant. The Ninth Elder's physical flesh and blood actually exploded directly, turning into a bloody mist without a single speck remaining.
*Boom!*
The ground was slashed by the sword qi, leaving behind a terrifying fissure ten zhang long, one zhang wide, and three zhang deep. The might of a single sword strike was terrifying to this degree.
"Using a butcher's knife to slaughter a chicken," Xu Chen muttered indifferently, shaking his head. He had taken the Ninth Elder to test his sword, never expecting the other party to be so useless that he was blown apart by a single strike.
"39."
Xu Chen looked at the petrified Zhao family disciples. His figure flashed, and the Qingchi Sword thrust forward.
*Splat.*
The sword pierced clean through a throat.
"40."
Unstoppable, Xu Chen continued his slaughter.
"41."
"42."
"43."
As the final man collapsed, Xu Chen sheathed his sword. "Zhao family, you mobilized your entire clan and cast an inescapable net? Perfect. I'll play this game with you to the very end."
Xu Chen's expression remained cold. The slaughter had only just begun.
"Hurry, hurry!"
"Right up ahead, hurry!"
"We absolutely cannot let that scoundrel escape this time!"
"The Family Head has given orders: whoever kills the scoundrel will be rewarded with ten thousand spirit stones!"
"That scoundrel's life is mine, nobody is allowed to snatch him from me!"
The sounds of combat attracted nearby members of the Zhao family.
"There are people to the east, south, and west." With a light tap of his foot, Xu Chen bolted toward the north. He could not afford to be surrounded by the Zhao family, because even now, he lacked the individual strength to sweep through all of them single-handedly. Especially the Zhao family head, whose cultivation was rumored to be at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation Realm; paired with the cooperation of other Zhao family experts, he would only be left fleeing for his life.
"The Ninth Elder is dead!"
"Did you see the scoundrel's figure?"
"No, he escaped again."
"We were a step too late."
"I saw him—the scoundrel fled toward the north."
"Let's go."
Dozens of Zhao family martial artists led by three elders chased toward the north. Not long after they left, Zhao Heihu, the head of the Zhao family, arrived late with his own contingent.
Looking at the seven tragic corpses, his expression grew as dark as water.
The Zhao family had mobilized their entire force, dragging it out over many days, yet not only had they failed to execute the murderer, but they had suffered severe casualties. One after another, three family elders had already perished at the hands of the scoundrel. If they didn't kill him, not only would he himself become a laughingstock to everyone in Liuguang City, but the entire Zhao family would as well, leaving their family prestige completely ruined.
"At all costs, kill the scoundrel!" Zhao Heihu roared with a dark and gloomy face.
***
### Chapter 31: No Corpse Left Intact
When the number of Zhao family martial artists who died at Xu Chen's hands exceeded one hundred, the Zhao family's pursuit of him began to fall short of their ambitions, stretching them thin. A phenomenon of manpower shortages finally manifested.
After all, the Zhao family was only one of the three major families in Liuguang City; their clan martial artists could not possibly be replenished endlessly. After losing over a hundred martial artists back-to-back, a shortage of manpower inevitably appeared.
***
Bare-chested, his eyes slightly closed, Xu Chen sat cross-legged on a giant boulder, completely motionless. The aura around his entire body was fully restrained, making him look like a statue.
At this moment, he was at a critical juncture in his cultivation. Within his perception, the world was beginning to gradually change. Sounds drifted further and further away from him. Soundless, windless... every single sensory input from the outside world vanished one by one.
Finally, even the passage of time could no longer be sensed. He was currently in an extremely dangerous phase. Even if a First-rank Low-grade Monster Beast approached, he would remain completely oblivious.
Time ticked away second by second. How much time had passed, he did not know. His perception of the external world began to recover one by one. First was sound. He heard a faint trace of sound, and then the sound grew louder and louder, until finally, that trace of sound transformed into a roaring, thundering din. Then came his sense of hearing, his sense of smell...
Once all his perception fully recovered, his eyes snapped open. Two streams of sword qi shot from his pupils, piercing the void.
*Clang!*
Drawing his sword, he slashed forward! Smooth as flowing water, accomplished in a single, unbroken motion!
The waterfall opposite him suddenly cleaved in two. The upper section of the waterfall was blocked by an invisible surge of sword qi, while the lower section took the impact and accelerated its descent, finally smashing down heavily with a deafening roar, blasting water droplets dozens of meters into the air.
Pool water washed over him in waves, wetting Xu Chen's body, but the astonishing heat radiating from within Xu Chen instantly evaporated the moisture.
Simultaneously, under the continuous onslaught of the waterfall, the invisible sword qi began to gradually dissolve. When the volume of water from the waterfall accumulated to a certain threshold, the sword qi finally collapsed. The waterfall resumed its descent, its astonishing volume crashing into the bottom of the pool and stirring up thousands of layers of towering waves. Wave after wave battered against him.
With a thought from Xu Chen, a layer of sword-qi barrier formed three feet around his body. The crashing pool water smashed against the sword-qi barrier, bursting apart and scattering into countless droplets, while the sword-qi barrier remained completely unshaken.
"I've finally comprehended it."
"It's just a pity that I'm still one step short. What I've comprehended right now can only be considered half-step Sword Intent!"
Xu Chen sheathed his sword, pulled a set of clothes from his Storage Ring, and changed.
"The Zhao family martial artists who have died by my hand now total 133. The Zhao family is short on manpower; now is the time to strike back."
Xu Chen began his counter-hunt. Under his deliberate searches, he quickly discovered a seven-man squad. Judging by their attire, these seven were unquestionably members of the Zhao family.
Xu Chen made no effort to conceal his figure, walking forward in bold strides. His unhidden form was quickly discovered by the Zhao family martial artists. They froze for a brief moment before snapping out of it, though the expressions surging on their faces were not ones of wild joy, but of sheer terror.
The number of Zhao family martial artists who had perished at Xu Chen's hands exceeded one hundred. The ones still persisting in the hunt for Xu Chen now did so mostly out of fear of Zhao Heihu's pressure; otherwise, they would have long since scattered to the winds.
The leader quickly pulled a signal flare from his chest, and right as he was about to pull the fuse string, a stream of sword qi shot toward him, fast as lightning.
*Splat!*
The leader's arm holding the signal flare was severed completely at the wrist, blood spurting like a geyser. The moment the severed arm hit the ground, Xu Chen had already closed in on the seven men with his sword drawn.
He wove through the seven of them. Every time he swung his sword, someone died. After seven strikes, all seven were brutally slain. Not a single one of them was a match for a single strike of his sword.
Sheathing his sword, Xu Chen looked at the signal flare tightly gripped in the severed hand, feeling a mild sense of surprise. "A signal flare? The Zhao family aren't complete idiots after all."
***
"Hurry, hurry! There's movement over there."
"We absolutely cannot let the scoundrel escape this time!"
Commotion erupted from all directions. Shortly after, seven or eight teams arrived in succession. Just like the dozen or so times before, they were a step too late once again.
Another small squad had been completely wiped out.
Silence hung heavy over the scene. Uncontrollable terror leaked from the depths of all their eyes. When they asked themselves honestly...