Chapter 54: Chapter 54: A Sudden Violent Strike
"You... A mere Vice Commander, throwing your weight around. I call you ’Commander’ out of courtesy, and you really let it go to your head. I’d like to see which of you from the City Guard dares to arrest me." Wang Xuan was already furious, and Lin Xiong’s interference only made him more volatile. He sneered, his eyes glinting with murderous intent. The immense power of a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist surged around his body, forming a violent whirlwind that made him look like a War God.
"Truly lawless, with no regard for even the City Guard." Lin Xiong’s eyes narrowed as he sneered, "Today, I, Lin Xiong, will arrest you. If you’ve got the guts, just try and resist. Arrest them all!"
As Lin Xiong’s furious roar subsided, a large number of City Guards began frantically making arrests.
"CLANG!"
The Wang family and the Zhou family were two of Blue Moon City’s three great families, virtual tyrants of the city. Since when did the City Guard dare to lay a hand on them? Faced with the arrests, they all drew their weapons and began shoving back, all while looking to Wang Cong and the others. It was clear that they would fight back the moment their masters gave the word.
Wang Xuan’s eyes blazed with fire. With a jolt of Profound Qi from his body, he instantly sent a nearby City Guard flying. He then strode toward Lin Xiong, his body emanating a terrifying aura. The dense killing intent was almost tangible, reverberating through the air.
"Insolence." Seeing this, Lin Xiong flew into a rage and bellowed, "Ji Ling."
"At your command."
"Arrest them all. If any resist, kill them without mercy. This is absolute rebellion! Blue Moon City is under the kingdom’s rule. Do the Wang and Zhou families truly believe this city belongs to them?"
"Yes, sir!"
Once the order was given, the previous shoving match immediately escalated. The City Guards became like a pack of wolves. Within moments, blood was drawn, and the scene teetered on the verge of chaos.
A vicious look flashed in Wang Xuan’s eyes. Killing intent overflowed as he was about to erupt.
Just then—
"Stop." Wang Cong suddenly roared. He took two deep breaths, his eyes cold as ice. "All members of the Wang family, do not resist. We will all go to the City Guard Office. I’d like to see what crime Vice Commander Lin will charge us with."
"Fourth Brother." Wang Xuan grew anxious. At this rate, their plan to surround and kill Ye Xuan would fail.
"Second Brother, the City Guard represents the City Lord’s Mansion. Our Wang family cannot afford to oppose them," Wang Cong said through clenched teeth. "But don’t worry. That Ye Xuan is just a brat; he won’t get away. Besides, the City Guard isn’t Lin Xiong’s personal army. I have a slight acquaintance with Commander Jia Fang. Once we get to the City Guard Office and explain the situation, we’ll be able to get out immediately."
With Wang Cong having spoken, the Martial Artists of the Wang family immediately stopped resisting and obediently surrendered. Seeing this, the Zhou family had no choice but to stop resisting as well.
"Vice Commander Lin, the City Guard is not your personal domain. This matter today is far from over," Wang Cong said coldly. Since all pretenses of cordiality were gone, he no longer bothered with a soft tone. The mere fact that hundreds of Wang family Martial Artists were being dragged to the City Guard Office was enough to make his family lose all face in Blue Moon City.
"Am I to take that as a threat against a royally appointed official?" Lin Xiong gave a cold smile and waved his hand. "Take them all away."
Ji Ling and the other captains immediately approached Wang Cong and his men.
Just as Wang Xuan was about to be taken away, a blaze of fury erupted in his eyes.
"Just die!" he suddenly roared. Like a bolt of lightning, he shot into Xingxuan Academy and viciously slammed a palm toward Ye Xuan’s head. The rage in his heart burned like a volcano; it would not be extinguished until Ye Xuan was dead.
It was too fast. Wang Xuan’s movements were too fast. No one had expected him to suddenly charge into Xingxuan Academy and attack Ye Xuan at a time like this. By the time everyone reacted, Wang Xuan was already right in front of Ye Xuan.
"Not good!" Yun Aoxue, Luo Zhan, and Lin Xiong cried out in alarm, all soaring into the air.
Yun Aoxue was the closest to Ye Xuan. She suddenly drew a longsword from her waist. The sword was like ice, cold as frost, and it transformed into a sharp flash of light that slashed toward Wang Xuan’s chest.
"Get lost!"
Wang Xuan roared like thunder and struck out with his palm. Unleashing the full power of a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist without restraint, he sent Yun Aoxue, who was only a Third Layer Martial Master, flying.
Yun Aoxue’s intervention bought just enough time for Luo Zhan to arrive.
"Ruthless Iron Leg, Break!"
Luo Zhan kicked out with both legs. The air shrieked as if filled with the wails of ghosts. A sharp whistling sound accompanied the terrifying afterimages of his legs as they chopped toward Wang Xuan.
"You damn cripple, get lost!"
Wang Xuan’s eyes turned cold. A terrifying, nearly ten-foot-long black snake suddenly appeared above his head. The snake’s eyes were sinister. As Wang Xuan’s right palm slammed viciously onto Luo Zhan’s legs, there was a loud THUD. Luo Zhan coughed up blood and was sent flying backward.
"Little bastard, let’s see who can save you now!" Wang Xuan laughed hideously, his face twisted and ugly. Amid his roar, his palm was already descending upon Ye Xuan’s head. In the next moment, Ye Xuan would lose his head.
HUMMM!
A divine glint suddenly blossomed in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
"Formless Soul Skill—Swift!"
An ethereal strand of Soul Power, like an arrow, shot out from Ye Xuan’s eyes and into Wang Xuan’s body, causing his expression to freeze for an instant.
But it was only for an instant. Although Ye Xuan’s Soul Power was strong, it was at most high-grade Tier One. It could only stop his opponent for a fraction of a second. In the blink of an eye, Wang Xuan’s palm was falling once more.
WHOOSH!
But that single instant was all the enraged Lin Xiong needed to finally arrive. A blade of light that shot to the heavens, like a celestial pillar falling from the sky, chopped down viciously toward Wang Xuan. An intense sense of crisis rose in Wang Xuan’s heart. He could feel that if his palm landed, Ye Xuan would surely die, but he too would die under Lin Xiong’s blade.
At the critical moment, Wang Xuan could no longer afford to kill Ye Xuan. He spun around and unleashed a palm strike with his full power.
"Lin Xiong, you’re courting death! Piss off!" Wang Xuan’s face was savage as he fearlessly struck out, combining his Black Snake martial soul with the Great Celestial Palm.
Lin Xiong’s earlier tone had left him simmering with rage. A mere First Layer Earth Martial Artist Vice Commander had dared to speak to him like that. If he didn’t teach Lin Xiong a lesson, the hatred in his heart would be hard to quell. With this palm, Wang Xuan intended not only to repel Lin Xiong but also to severely injure him.
BOOM!
The palm’s afterimage was a blur. The Black Snake martial soul combined with the Great Celestial Palm, and a massive, pitch-black palm print seemed to slowly materialize in the air, carrying a sinister, chilling light as it suppressed everything.
Finally, the palm and the blade collided in mid-air. Violent Profound Qi swept out like a hurricane, exploding in all directions.
A scene that shocked everyone unfolded. Lin Xiong’s blade light was invincible, viciously tearing apart the palm print Wang Xuan had created and hacking into his chest.
PSHHH!
Wang Xuan stumbled back in a sorry state, his eyes wide with shock as he sprayed a mouthful of blood.
"Wang Xuan, you dare attack right in front of me!" Lin Xiong was furious. Truly furious. If Yun Aoxue and Luo Zhan hadn’t delayed him for a moment, Ye Xuan would have been killed. Just thinking about that possibility filled Lin Xiong’s heart with rage and lingering fear.
Ye Xuan was his benefactor, like a parent who had given him a new life. If not for Ye Xuan, he would have long since become a cripple. Wang Xuan attacking Ye Xuan was more grievous than an attack on Lin Xiong himself.
At this thought, Lin Xiong became incomparably enraged. He roared repeatedly, unleashing a relentless torrent of blade light, as if his own life meant nothing.
PSHH! PSHH! PSHH!
Across from him, Wang Xuan was completely overwhelmed by the assault, forced to retreat again and again. If he weren’t also a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist, and if the Wang family’s Black Snake martial soul wasn’t adept at both offense and defense, he would have died under Lin Xiong’s blade long ago. Even so, Wang Xuan was now covered in blood, without a single uninjured spot on his body.
It wasn’t just Wang Xuan who was stunned; all the Martial Artists present were also dumbfounded, frozen in place, unable to believe their eyes.
Wang Xuan was the number two figure in the Wang family, a master at the Second Layer of the Earth Martial Artist realm. Lin Xiong, on the other hand, was just a Vice Commander at the First Layer. And just a few days ago, it was said his martial soul had been damaged, and he had almost become a cripple.
Logically, Lin Xiong should have been no match for Wang Xuan. But the result was Lin Xiong completely and brutally suppressing him. This unexpected scene shocked everyone to their core.
"Commander Lin, stop!"
At this point, Wang Cong had no choice but to rush forward. If he just kept watching, Wang Xuan would be killed, and that was something he absolutely could not let happen.
Before making a move, Wang Cong also signaled to Zhou Chong and Zhou Qian. He alone was not enough to stop Lin Xiong.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
In an instant, several Earth Martial Artist experts from the Wang and Zhou families shot out. The three of them, joining forces with Wang Xuan, were just barely able to stop Lin Xiong.
"Commander Lin, no matter what wrongs my second brother has committed, his fate should be decided by the City Lord’s Mansion! Are you, a Vice Commander of the City Guard, really going to commit murder in public?" Wang Cong demanded, exasperated.
"Hmph." Lin Xiong ignored him, continuing to pursue Wang Xuan, who was now scurrying around like a beaten dog.
"All Wang family disciples, listen up! Stop this man!" Wang Cong could no longer hold back. True, Lin Xiong was the Vice Commander of the City Guard, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch him kill his second brother. The Wang family was deeply rooted in Blue Moon City. Even if trouble arose and the matter went to the City Lord’s Mansion, there would be room to maneuver. But he absolutely could not let his second brother die here.
With Wang Cong’s command, the Wang family’s Martial Artists, who had previously surrendered, suddenly erupted. Their pent-up fury burst forth in an instant as they roared and began to fight back.
"Protect the students!" Yun Aoxue shouted anxiously to the many instructors at the entrance.
All the onlookers in the crowd were dumbstruck.
No one could have predicted that the stable situation would descend into massive chaos because of Wang Xuan’s sudden outburst. At this rate, it looked like the pandemonium wouldn’t stop until dozens, if not hundreds, were dead.
Furthermore, for the Wang family to openly defy the City Guard was an act of rebellion. When the heavy charges came down, the Wang family would certainly suffer immense losses, but Lin Xiong, as the Vice Commander, would also be unable to escape blame and would face punishment.
Just as the situation was about to spiral completely out of control—
"Enough! How long are you all going to keep this up? This old man was about to settle in for some peaceful cultivation, but you’ve been making a racket for this long. And you, Wang Xuan, you even dare to enter my Xingxuan Academy to kill my student. Do you really think my Xingxuan Academy is so easily bullied?"
