Chapter 249: Chapter 149: One Slash
"A word once spoken cannot be taken back."
Chen Sheng spoke, each word deliberate.
Lu Canghai gave a slight nod. After a moment’s thought, he turned to Li Xuance and said,
"Xuan Ce, my young friend, how about I ask you to step forward and withstand three of Chen Sheng’s strikes on my behalf?"
Then, he sent a voice transmission:
"After this is done, I will have a generous reward for you. I also guarantee your life will not be in danger. Furthermore, the reason Sect Leader Lu had you challenge Chen Sheng previously was that I had already reached an agreement to work with the Iron Sword Sect..."
Lu Canghai continued to persuade Li Xuance.
The main reason he didn’t want Lu Maozhi to intervene was that he didn’t trust Chen Sheng. He had studied the young man and found him to be tyrannical and brutish, yet his true capabilities remained a complete mystery.
’For him to dare propose this "three-strike agreement," he must have an ace up his sleeve.’
He felt a nagging sense of unease about letting Lu Maozhi face him.
But Li Xuance was different. He was the fifth of the Ning’an Ten Heroes and had previously cornered Chen Sheng to the point that he’d refused a challenge. His strength was plain to see. Lu Canghai believed that no matter how powerful Chen Sheng had become, he couldn’t possibly defeat Li Xuance in just three strikes.
Li Xuance’s expression turned hesitant at his words. He glanced at a nearby elder from his sect, deferring to his judgment.
The elder looked toward Lu Canghai, his lips twitching slightly as if they were conversing. After a moment, the Iron Sword Sect elder finally turned back to Li Xuance and gave a slight nod.
Li Xuance understood the gesture. He took a deep breath and looked at Chen Sheng.
"I once challenged you, Deputy Captain Chen, but you were in seclusion and could not accept. It has been a lingering regret for me. Since Manor Master Lu has made the request today, I shall be the one to face you. What do you say, Deputy Captain Chen?"
"Fine."
Chen Sheng nodded slightly, as if it made no difference who he fought.
"In that case, allow me to witness your brilliant techniques, Deputy Captain Chen."
Li Xuance wasn’t angered by the slight. Instead, his expression grew even more serious. With a single leap, he stood suspended in mid-air, a tyrannical aura rapidly radiating from his body.
The surrounding guests all stared, unblinking, at the figures in the air.
Chen Sheng gently released Wang Zilan, motioning for her to step back.
"Be careful."
Wang Zilan pursed her lips, a worried look in her eyes.
Sun Yuzhi shot her a cold glance before turning to Chen Sheng and sending him a voice transmission.
"Don’t hold back. I am here today. Even if you lose this three-strike exchange, they won’t be able to cripple you."
Without waiting for Chen Sheng’s reply, she turned into a streak of light and positioned herself in front of Lu Canghai, as if to prevent him from making a move on Chen Sheng after the duel.
Chen Sheng gave Sun Yuzhi a long, deep look. He took a slow breath, and a faint crackling sound rippled through his bones and muscles.
The Profound Yin Qi, which he had been forcefully suppressing deep within his Dantian, now burst forth like a raging flood. It surged through his Meridians, rushing into his every limb and bone.
In an instant, his aura surged. His muscles bulged and knotted, with veins standing out like writhing serpents. A dark golden sheen flowed across his skin, and his entire frame seemed to swell, transforming him into a battlefield Slaughter God on the verge of awakening.
Li Xuance’s face fell at the sight, and he didn’t dare show the slightest hint of complacency.
His right hand reached behind him, and with a CLANG, the Red Water Sword was unsheathed. The blade caught the light of the sky, sending out crimson ripples. A protective layer of Evil Qi rose from within him, enveloping his body like a shroud of mist and armor.
"HYAH—!"
Li Xuance was the first to attack. With a fierce cry that tore through the air, he lunged forward, leaving a blurry afterimage in his wake.
His sword followed his movement. In the blink of an eye, dozens of sharp beams of Sword Light coalesced into a surging, crimson river that swept toward Chen Sheng like a tidal wave. The air screamed where the Sword Qi passed, thick with chilling killing intent.
This single strike contained the entirety of Li Xuance’s power; he held nothing back.
Yet, in the face of this overwhelming Sword Stance, the icy calm in Chen Sheng’s eyes only deepened.
Like a hundred rivers flowing to the sea, the violent power within his body surged into the Cold-Intimidating Treasure Saber he held. The blade hummed incessantly as a tangible, bone-chilling Yin Fiend Qi coiled around it, causing the ambient temperature to drop sharply.
SLASH—!!!
The instant his aura reached its zenith, Chen Sheng finally moved.
No flashy Body Technique, no superfluous maneuvers—just a simple, vertical chop that concentrated his entire being.
The saber’s light ripped through the void, erupting into a brilliant golden beam nearly a hundred feet high. It was like a divine giant’s blade, tearing through the air with a demonic shriek as it crashed down upon Li Xuance.
Li Xuance’s pupils contracted violently as a storm of shock crashed through his mind:
’A hundred-foot-long blade aura?’
’How could an Earth Fiend Martial Master possibly possess such power?!’
But at that moment, there was no one to answer his question.
Before this mountain-cleaving blade of light, his mighty, condensed Sword River was like ice meeting boiling water, disintegrating in an instant.
The saber’s momentum, undiminished, continued downward, viciously slamming into the crimson layer of protective Evil Qi.
"BOOM—!!!"
A deafening explosion rang out as a shockwave blasted outward.
Li Xuance’s protective Evil Qi shattered on impact. His hair crown burst, his long hair spilling free. His white robes were shredded by the Fierce Qi, revealing the shimmering silver Inner Armor he wore underneath.
But even then, the terrifying force punched through the armor. As if struck by a mountain, he violently coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent hurtling backward to crash heavily into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
A dead silence.
Every gaze was fixed upon the figure standing in mid-air, saber in hand.
Shock, fear, disbelief... a cocktail of emotions was frozen on every face.
The color drained from Lu Canghai’s face, his fingers unconsciously clenching into a fist behind his back.
Lu Maozhi was simply dumbfounded, looking as if he had been turned to stone.
Chen Sheng hovered in the void and slowly exhaled.
After unleashing that strike, the True Qi in his body flowed even more freely, creating a feeling of profound breakthrough that washed over him. He lowered his gaze to the dust-choked spot below, the corner of his mouth curling into a detached smirk.
"Li, this strike... was it to your satisfaction?"
As the dust settled, Li Xuance could be seen collapsed in the center of a crater, his previous composure completely shattered.
His hair was matted with dust, his clothes were in tatters, and a horrifying gash, more than half an inch deep, marred his silver armor.
Hearing Chen Sheng’s voice, Li Xuance struggled to rise, but failed after several attempts. The blood drained from his face, and his eyes were filled with nothing but defiance and humiliation.
A surge of rage overwhelmed him, causing him to cough up another mouthful of blood. His vision went black, and he passed out completely.
A faint breeze swept by, kicking up a little dust.
The area remained deathly silent, the only sound being the long, low hum of the Cold-Intimidating Blade in Chen Sheng’s hand.
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