In the blink of an eye, the youth in cyan, the strongest among the seven, had actually been defeated.
"Puff!"
Landing on the ground, the youth in cyan spat out a mouthful of blood. He glared at the Blood-Hand Butcher, both horrified and furious. "You—how despicable, you actually concealed your cultivation!"
"Hahaha, as early as a month ago, I broke through to the Middle Stage of Qi Condensation Realm. If you want to blame someone, blame your own bad luck!"
The Blood-Hand Butcher laughed triumphantly.
The expressions of the remaining six changed once again. The Blood-Hand Butcher had actually made a breakthrough! While they were still dazed, the Blood-Hand Butcher struck once more. With two loud thuds, two figures flew backward in disarray. After recovering their senses, the remaining four joined forces to surround and attack the Blood-Hand Butcher.
Even working together, the seven of them had been unable to handle the Blood-Hand Butcher. Now, with only four left, how could they possibly be his match?
After a dozen exchanges, the Blood-Hand Butcher kicked one person flying and struck another dead with a single palm blow. Filled with terror, the final two split up and fled in opposite directions.
However, after running only a few steps, both were overtaken by the Blood-Hand Butcher, who ruthlessly struck them down on the spot.
A dead silence fell over the scene. Countless onlookers trembled with fear.
Utterly audacious! The Blood-Hand Butcher had actually dared to murder sect disciples. Wasn't he afraid of the Liuyun Sect's wrath?
"Killing one is a killing, killing two is also a killing. Haha, all seven of you can go die!"
The Blood-Hand Butcher had been driven into a killing frenzy. He strode forward and delivered blow after blow until six of the seven were dead.
Only the youth in cyan remained.
Watching the Blood-Hand Butcher draw closer and closer, the youth in cyan was gripped by terror, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
"Whoosh!"
Enduring his injuries, he flipped himself up and bolted toward the crowd in the distance.
"Trying to run even in your heavily injured state?" the Blood-Hand Butcher mocked playfully.
Rushing close to the crowd, the youth in cyan reached out, grabbed a person, and hurled him toward the Blood-Hand Butcher.
"Puff!"
The Blood-Hand Butcher struck out with a palm, and the body of the flying person instantly burst apart, dying a tragic death on the spot.
The youth in cyan reached his demonic hands into the crowd once more. To save his own skin, he was actually using the lives of innocent people to block the Blood-Hand Butcher.
And the person he grabbed this time was none other than Xu Chen.
"To cling to life by harming the innocent—is this the style of sect disciples?" Xu Chen felt anger rising within him.
"Kid, I'm sorry, but dying for me is an honor even in death!"
The youth in cyan did not stop. Just as he was about to grab Xu Chen—
"Slap!"
To the utter astonishment of the youth in cyan, Xu Chen caught him firmly by the wrist. The youth in cyan stared in shock.
"An honor even in death? You think you're worthy? Get lost!"
Xu Chen gripped the wrist of the youth in cyan and whipped his arm outward with force. The youth in cyan was sent flying more than thirty meters away like a kite with a broken string.
"Boom!"
Like a shooting star, the youth in cyan slammed hard into a brick wall. The terrifying impact caused the masonry wall to collapse with a roar, burying the youth in cyan beneath the rubble, his life or death unknown.
The crowd, who had been continuously backing away, stared dumbfounded. They looked at Xu Chen with looks of shock and uncertainty.
Xu Chen looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, yet he had repelled a Liuyun Sect disciple with a single move. Although the youth in cyan was injured, he was still not someone to be underestimated!
The Blood-Hand Butcher, who had been charging over at high speed, also revealed a look of astonishment before coldly sizing Xu Chen up.
"Kid, are you also a sect disciple?" the Blood-Hand Butcher asked coldly.
"No," Xu Chen replied.
The Blood-Hand Butcher asked again, "Are you here to kill me too?"
"No." Xu Chen's expression remained unchanged.
The Blood-Hand Butcher waved him off. "Since you're not, then get lost."
Xu Chen turned and walked away.
However, the instant he turned around, a murderous intent abruptly flashed across the Blood-Hand Butcher's face as crimson spiritual power surged within his right hand.
"Die!"
He threw a punch straight at the fatal spot on the back of Xu Chen's heart, intent on sending him to his grave.
"Haha, all my life I've acted wantonly, burning, killing, and looting, but what I love most is torturing geniuses. Kid, too bad you ran into me. Die!" the Blood-Hand Butcher roared madly.
The next moment.
His fist punched straight through the back of Xu Chen's heart.
The smile on the Blood-Hand Butcher's face froze.
Xu Chen's figure slowly dissolved. It had merely been an afterimage!
"I'd already prepared for a trick like yours!"
Xu Chen's figure appeared ten meters behind the Blood-Hand Butcher, saying with a cold laugh.
The Blood-Hand Butcher whirled around, staring at Xu Chen with a solemn expression. "You've got some tricks. It seems I misjudged you."
He licked his lips, his killing intent fully exposed. "But you're truly stupid enough not to take the chance to run. Were you hoping to learn from those trash of the Liuyun Sect and take my head? You really don't know how the word 'death' is written!"
The murderous intent rolling off the Blood-Hand Butcher washed over them.
Xu Chen's expression remained calm as he said indifferently, "Your hands are stained with blood, and quite a few sect disciples have died at your hands. You must have accumulated quite a few spirit stones on you, right?"
The Blood-Hand Butcher frowned slightly. Xu Chen's calm face and detached tone made him feel a trace of crisis, as if something fatal was about to happen.
Yet the moment this thought surfaced, he dismissed it. How could that be possible? A teenager of only sixteen or seventeen years old, even if he were a sect disciple, could never match him. The seven Liuyun Sect disciples were living proof of that.
With that thought in mind, the Blood-Hand Butcher suppressed the unease in his heart and grinned. "You talk too damn much. Die!"
As his voice fell, he clenched his large hand fiercely, and a crimson saber abruptly appeared in his hand.
"Whoosh—"
Accompanied by a piercing sound as it cleaved the air, the crimson saber carried a brilliant blade aura as it slashed directly down toward the top of Xu Chen's head.
Under the shroud of the blade aura, Xu Chen slowly raised his right hand.
"Seeking death!" The Blood-Hand Butcher sneered aloud at the sight.
The onlookers also shook their heads one after another.
How could a body of flesh and blood contend with a divine weapon? They could already picture the bloody scene of severed limbs flying through the air.
Some people closed their eyes, unable to bear looking.
The next moment.
The blade collided with the hand.
The anticipated bloody spectacle of severed limbs flying never materialized.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew. The sound of metal clashing rang out clearly.
Immediately following.
"Crack!"
Under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes, the crimson saber suddenly snapped in two.
The half-blade spun away from the force, was caught by a large hand, and slashed fiercely through the air.
"Puff!"
The blade swept across the Blood-Hand Butcher's neck, slicing open his skin and tearing his trachea as blood gushed out like a fountain.
"Clatter!"
The half-saber dropped to the ground, and the Blood-Hand Butcher clutched his neck in sheer terror.
Without a doubt, this action was completely futile. Scalding hot blood dripped from between his fingers, and in the blink of an eye, it stained a large patch of the earth red.
"Who... are you..."
"Dead people don't need to know that much."
Xu Chen exerted force with his wrist, sending the half-blade flying. With a *swish*, it lopped off the Blood-Hand Butcher's head.
The onlookers dropped their jaws in utter shock.
Everything had happened far too quickly. One moment, they were pitying Xu Chen for his impending miserable death; the next, the Blood-Hand Butcher had been decapitated, dead as dead could be.
To slay the Blood-Hand Butcher in practically a single exchange—what kind of strength was this?
More crucially, the one who killed the Blood-Hand Butcher was still just a youth of sixteen or seventeen.
"This kid possesses the strength to kill the Blood-Hand Butcher at such a young age; his future achievements will be limitless," a scarred martial artist murmured softly.
Another martial artist stated with certainty, "Such a genius must be a sect disciple."
"Only the five great sects could cultivate such an exceptional talent."
"I wonder which sect this person hails from."
"Regardless of which sect's disciple he is, he's not someone we can afford to provoke."
While the crowd buzzed with discussion, Xu Chen had already walked over to the corpse of the Blood-Hand Butcher and removed the ring from his right ring finger.
A black ring, shimmering with a faint trace of spiritual power.
The ring was no ordinary item. It was a Storage Ring that held a universe within a mustard seed.
All the savings accumulated over the Blood-Hand Butcher's lifetime were inside that Storage Ring, and now they belonged to him.
After scavenging the Blood-Hand Butcher's belongings, Xu Chen looked over at the corpses of the Liuyun Sect disciples.
Sect disciples possessed exceptionally abundant resources. Although he hadn't killed these people himself, once he looted the resources on their bodies, it would inevitably bring him unnecessary trouble.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Xu Chen walked over to the corpses of the Liuyun Sect disciples and stripped them clean of everything.
He had killed the Blood-Hand Butcher, which could be considered avenging them. What was wrong with taking some resources as a reward?
When he walked near the brick ruins, however, he discovered that the youth in cyan had disappeared without a trace. Presumably, he had sneaked away while Xu Chen was fighting the Blood-Hand Butcher.
That's right. During that previous blow, Xu Chen had held back and hadn't killed the youth in cyan.
Seeing the crowd growing larger and larger, Xu Chen knew this place was no place to linger. He turned and stepped into the crowd, vanishing after a few flickers.
***
Sand River Town. An inn.
The doors and windows were tightly shut. Xu Chen sat cross-legged on the bed with ten Storage Rings laid out before him.
Six of the rings came from the Liuyun Sect disciples, one from the Blood-Hand Butcher, one from the Heavenly Sword Sect disciple, and the remaining two from the senior martial brothers of Qin Tai and Qin Jing respectively.
He had already checked them all. Although the resources in each Storage Ring weren't overwhelming, combined together, they were definitely quite considerable.
"12,304 spirit stones, 17 Low-Grade Yellow-Grade spiritual pills, 7 Low-Grade Yellow-Grade spiritual herbs, 1 Mid-Grade Yellow-Grade spiritual herb..."
Xu Chen's breathing turned slightly rapid.
"My current cultivation is still only at the peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation. Relying on the might of the Devouring Emperor Art, I am not afraid of martial artists at the First or Second Layer of Qi Condensation, but against martial artists above the Third Layer of Qi Condensation, I am simply no match."
"With the opening of the Shui Mansion, countless martial artists are flocking here. My meager strength is clearly inadequate and falls short of what's needed."
Xu Chen looked at the spirit stones, spiritual pills, and spiritual herbs carpeting the floor.
With a thought, the Devouring Emperor Art circulated silently.
***
Sand River Town. To the west.
Thirty miles away.
The river water churned abnormally. Countless people had gathered along the riverbank.
Suddenly—
The earth shook and the mountains quivered.
Several vicious-looking fissures split open at the riverbed.
Water rushed backward, and the water level dropped rapidly.
A Shui Mansion gradually emerged into everyone's view.
Countless burning gazes locked fixedly onto this scene.
"The Shui Mansion has appeared!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Charge!"
"Haha, I've got the first move!"
In a flash, countless figures surged forward, rushing frantically toward the Shui Mansion.
"Boom!"
The river water suddenly exploded upward.
A gigantic monstrous snake wreathed in monstrous demonic Qi burst out from the water.
"Hisss—"
The giant snake opened its bloody maw, and a martial artist who was rushing at the very front failed to dodge in time and was swallowed straight into its belly.
The giant snake whipped its tail, kicking up massive waves. With several loud thuds, multiple figures were batted away, then burst apart in mid-air, turning into bloody mists.
This sudden and drastic change abruptly halted those following behind.
They tilted their heads back to stare at the ten-zhang-long giant snake with a head as large as a millstone, feeling a chill run through their entire bodies.
Killing several people with a mere flick of its wrist—this demonic snake was no ordinary beast.
"A Second-Stage Late-Stage Monster Beast, the Black-Scaled Python!"
There were no lack of knowledgeable people present, and someone immediately recognized the species of the giant snake.
It was a Second-Stage Late-Stage Monster Beast, the Black-Scaled Python!
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions changed drastically as they retreated in haste.
A Second-Stage Late-Stage Monster Beast possessed combat power comparable to martial artists at the Seventh and Eighth Layers of Qi Condensation Realm. Most people present were at the Qi Condensation Realm, with those at the True Qi Realm being few and far between, and as for anyone capable of slaying the Black-Scaled Python, there wasn't a single one.
Fortunately, the Black-Scaled Python did not actively attack, acting as though it were guarding the Shui Mansion.
The crowd on the bank heaved a collective sigh of relief.
Yet another problem arose.
The prerequisite to entering the Shui Mansion was killing the Black-Scaled Python.
Even if everyone present joined forces to kill the Black-Scaled Python, the human side would inevitably suffer heavy casualties.
Realizing this, the crowd did not act rashly.
They were waiting.
Waiting for more experts to arrive, and then joining forces to kill the python!
Time slowly ticked away.
News of the Shui Mansion's appearance spread rapidly.
***
Inside the inn.
Xu Chen concluded his cultivation session. Looking at the completely exhausted resources before him, he frowned deeply.
"12,304 spirit stones, 17 Low-Grade Yellow-Grade spiritual pills, 7 Low-Grade Yellow-Grade spiritual herbs, 1 Mid-Grade Yellow-Grade spiritual herb... Resources that should have been enough to let a martial artist at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation break through to the Middle Stage of Qi Condensation Realm only managed to push me to the First Layer of Qi Condensation Realm..."
"While the Devouring Emperor Art is undeniably tyrannical, and the spiritual power cultivated through it is exceptionally formidable, the number of spirit stones required for each breakthrough is an astronomical figure—ten times, even dozens of times that of others!"
Xu Chen flipped off the bed. After washing up, he stepped outside and discovered that pedestrians on the street were few and far between.
He stopped a passerby and pressed him for information, learning from the other party that the Shui Mansion had already appeared.
"The Shui Mansion has appeared. Qin Jing's master must have gone there already."
Xu Chen set off immediately.
***
"So many people!"
Looking at the sea of people crowding the riverbank so densely that not even a drop of water could leak through, Xu Chen clicked his tongue inwardly.
There were simply too many people here.
A rough estimate counted no fewer than ten thousand. Finding a target among these ten thousand people would be difficult to imagine.
"The Shui Mansion has already appeared, but everyone has been unable to enter for a long time. Is it mainly because of that?"
Xu Chen's gaze landed on the ten-zhang-long Black-Scaled Python.
He was currently at the First Layer of Qi Condensation Realm; in front of a Monster Beast comparable to the Late Stage of Qi Condensation like the Black-Scaled Python, he was still insignificant.
"With the Shui Mansion guarded by the Black-Scaled Python, entering it will be no small difficulty. To kill it, at least a martial artist at the Late Stage of Qi Condensation needs to step in, otherwise relying solely on a group of Qi Condensation Realm martial artists would guarantee heavy casualties."
Just as his voice trailed off, the crowd to the east suddenly grew restless.
A group of Heavenly Sword Mansion disciples could be seen escorting a youth in purple as they walked toward the Shui Mansion.
At the same time, disturbances erupted from three other directions within the crowd.
"I didn't expect the emergence of the Shui Mansion to actually alarm Xiao Teng, an inner sect disciple of the Heavenly Sword Mansion!"
"Xiao Teng broke through to the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation not long ago, securing a spot among the top thirty inner sect disciples of the Heavenly Sword Mansion. With him making a move, the Black-Scaled Python is nothing to worry about."
"Quick, look over there! Zhao Yi, an inner sect disciple of the Liuyun Sect, has actually come as well."
"The person beside Zhao Yi looks pale, like someone who just recovered from a severe illness. I recognize him—yesterday, he almost died at the hands of the Blood-Hand Butcher. If some youth hadn't suddenly stepped in and slain the Blood-Hand Butcher, that guy would probably be a dead man by now."
"Du Shaoqiu of the Du family, one of the Eight Great Families, has actually come too."
"And Tang Xiaotian of the Tang family, another of the Eight Great Families, is here as well."
"Xiao Teng from the Heavenly Sword Mansion, Zhao Yi from the Liuyun Sect, Du Shaoqiu from the Du family, Tang Xiaotian from the Tang family—tsk tsk, I really wouldn't have expected the emergence of the Shui Mansion to alarm these four!"
"Judging by the scale of this Shui Mansion, its master's cultivation during life was at least that of a True Qi Realm martial artist. True Qi Realm martial artists are revered as True Persons; even for a rogue cultivator, their lifelong savings would be quite astonishing. Moreover, looking at the scale of this Shui Mansion, its master was clearly no ordinary True Qi Realm expert. It's no surprise that treasures left behind by a True Person have attracted the covetous eyes of these four."
"With those four around, we have no hope for the important treasures inside the Shui Mansion; we can only follow behind them and sip some broth."
"Hmph, treasures go to those with affinity; having strong strength doesn't necessarily mean having an affinity for treasure."
People gathered in groups of twos and threes, whispering and discussing animatedly.
Xu Chen's gaze lingered on the four of them for a moment.
Although the strength of these four was formidable, their individual power wasn't enough to defeat the Black-Scaled Python yet. However, if the four of them joined forces, the Black-Scaled Python would only meet its doom.
Approaching from different directions, the four finally converged at the riverbank.
"Everyone's grown tired of waiting. To avoid wasting everyone's time, let's strike together!" Xiao Teng took the lead in speaking.
"Agreed." The other three raised no objections and nodded successively.
Once the four reached a consensus, their gazes shot like lightning toward the Black-Scaled Python coiled in front of the Shui Mansion.
"Make your move!"
With a roar, the soil beneath the feet of Liuyun Sect disciple Zhao Yi exploded violently, and his figure shot toward the Black-Scaled Python like a shooting star.
The movements of the other three were not slow either, charging out almost simultaneously with Zhao Yi. Surrounding the four of them was surging spiritual power as they closed in to kill the Black-Scaled Python like spears and swords.
***
"Boom, boom, boom!!!"
The four people and the python instantly engaged in a chaotic battle.
The collision of spiritual power erupted into terrifying shockwaves that kicked up massive waves of river water, sending even the mud and sand of the riverbed flying.
Although the four lacked tactical coordination, they had the advantage in numbers. Unable to withstand all four of them alone, the Black-Scaled Python gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Across its thick python body, snake scales shattered, its skin split open, and wounds covered its entire frame.
Blood dyed the river water red.
The wounded Black-Scaled Python had its inner ferocity stimulated. Risking the danger of aggravating its injuries, it inflicted no small amount of damage on Xiao Teng and the other three.
While the four were not severely wounded to the point of near-death, minor injuries were unavoidable.
"The Black-Scaled Python is on the verge of death. Cut off its retreat and don't let it escape!" Xiao Teng shouted loudly.
Zhao Yi also spoke up immediately, "Kill it, and we'll split the materials evenly."
A Second-Stage Advanced Monster Beast like the Black-Scaled Python carried no small value. Whether it was the python tendons, the python skin, or the monster core, everything was worth a king's ransom. Splitting it four ways would still yield each of them a considerable income.
The four blocked the Black-Scaled Python's retreat from different directions, leaving it with no path to the heavens and no door to the earth.
Just as the Black-Scaled Python was about to be slain by the joint efforts of the four—
"The Black-Scaled Python is almost finished! Everyone, attack together, kill the python and enter the mansion!" someone in the crowd on the bank shouted.
As soon as these words were uttered, the crowd instantly grew restless. At once, over a thousand people could no longer suppress their impulses and charged toward the Black-Scaled Python.
The charge of a thousand people instantly disrupted the formation and footing of Xiao Teng and the other three, plunging them into momentary chaos. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Black-Scaled Python abruptly reversed direction, slammed straight through the gates of the Shui Mansion, whipped its tail, and plunged inside.
Watching the Black-Scaled Python vanish into the Shui Mansion, Xiao Teng and the other three darkened with anger, wishing they could slaughter the entire army of a thousand people who had just rushed over.
Yet doing so would undoubtedly be an idiotic move.
Leaving aside whether the four of them could manage to slaughter an army of a thousand—even if they could, it would provoke public outrage. By then, the ten thousand people on the bank would strike, and the four of them wouldn't even have ash left of them.
"The gates of the Shui Mansion are open. Let's go."
Suppressing his anger, Heavenly Sword Mansion disciple Xiao Teng waved a large hand toward the rest of the Heavenly Sword Mansion members, and a bustling crowd surged majestically into the Shui Mansion.
"We're going in too." Zhao Yi of the Liuyun Sect refused to fall behind.
"Let's go!"
"Follow me inside!"
Du Shaoqiu and Tang Xiaotian led the members of their respective families closely behind.
Once the disciples of the four major factions entered the mansion, the rest of the people no longer held any reservations, scrambling and swarming forward in a mad rush.
"Swish, swish, swish, swish!!!"
Figures surged into the Shui Mansion densely like locusts. Some, eager to take the lead, attacked the martial artists in front of them.
In an instant, spiritual power surged amid a storm of blood and gore.
Quite a few people fell right at the entrance of the Shui Mansion.
Xu Chen's eyes shone with a brilliant divine light as he scanned for his target, but with more than half the people already inside, that person was still nowhere to be seen.
Qin Jing's master was the murderer who had killed the Great Elder of the Xu family; Xu Chen held a deep impression of him. As long as that person passed before his eyes, he would definitely not mistake him.
With nine-tenths of the people already inside, that hateful face was still missing.
"What's going on?"
"Could I have been tricked?"
Realizing he was very likely deceived, Xu Chen's expression turned ugly at once.
"I can't wait any longer. I'll enter the Shui Mansion too."
With a movement of his feet, Xu Chen followed the crowd and charged into the Shui Mansion.
Upon rushing inside, the lighting grew slightly dim, somewhat obstructing his vision. Raising his head to look forward, Xu Chen saw hundreds of corpses lying haphazardly across the great hall, the ground stained crimson with blood.
Some seven or eight stone chambers lined both sides of the hall. Their stone doors had already been smashed open by brute force, and the treasures within had nearly been ransacked clean. Nevertheless, remnants still remained, and a portion of martial artists were still fighting tooth and nail over those scraps.