They trembled with fear, not daring to breathe too loudly.
It was Number One who braced himself and spoke, "Please enlighten us, Young Master."
"The Chen Family resides closest to the South Gate. You should have caught them off guard, yet you wasted so much time even though Chen Tai wasn't home."
Number One lifted his head and opened his mouth to explain, but a single glance from Ning Xuan made him lower his head in terror and shut his mouth. An inexplicable fear rose in his heart.
"Furthermore, each of you is equipped with sleeve arrows. Why didn't you use them?"
At this, all eighteen Death Warriors stared at Ning Xuan, their faces a mask of utter disbelief, as if they were looking at a ghost. They had never revealed their sleeve arrows, so how did the Young Master know they possessed them? Even more terrifying, how did he know they hadn't used them? How was that possible?
"You little beast, how arrogant!" Chen Tianfu struggled to get up, spewing curses at Ning Xuan. Not only did he massacre our Chen Family, but he's also complaining it took too long? What does he take us for? Lambs to be slaughtered at will?!
A Death Warrior in the rear moved to act, but Ning Xuan raised a hand and shot Chen Tianfu a cold glance. The man immediately felt the terrifying sensation of being targeted by a primeval beast. An icy chill shot through him, and he obediently knelt back down, not daring to meet Ning Xuan's gaze again.
Damn it, could this little beast have recovered?! Immense fear filled Chen Tianfu's heart. Ning Yang had already shown him what the Nine Nether Divine Body represented. If Ning Xuan's Divine Body had regenerated, the Chen Family would likely be wiped from existence today!
A sudden roar erupted as a commotion traveled down the main street.
"Which bastard massacred my Chen Family? I will exterminate your ten clans today, leaving no one alive!"
An enraged roar thundered through the skies above Wuling City. The ground shook, and cobblestones cracked under the pressure.
More than a dozen ferocious-looking Martial Artists on first-rank Element Beasts—Savage Wolves—galloped into Ning Xuan's line of sight. The leader's mount was a Savage Wolf twice the size of the others, its pitch-black fur exuding a kingly aura.
AWOOO!
Aboard the Wolf King, Chen Tai pointed his Long Saber at Ning Xuan, who was protected by the Eighteen Death Warriors. His killing intent surged. "You little mongrel, was it you who ordered the massacre of the one hundred thirty-five members of my Chen Family?!"
"Tai, that's Ning Xuan! These Eighteen Death Warriors know a combined attack—"
Pulled to his feet, Chen Tianfu started to warn his son but was cut short by a hard slap across the face from Number Nine.
Chen Tai froze for a second before his murderous gaze locked onto Number Nine. "I'll be taking that hand of yours!"
He turned back to Ning Xuan, his eyes filled with savagery. "Ning Xuan, release my father, and I'll spare your worthless life!"
Even if Ning Xuan's Divine Body had regenerated, he wasn't afraid. How powerful could a Divine Body that requires such heavy protection possibly be? I'll break his limbs and seize his Divine Body True Blood!
"Young Master, please retreat to the manor," Number One said, taking a deep breath. As he spoke, he began preparing the formation.
But his opponent gave him no such chance.
A peerless Sword Light slashed down from above. Chen Tai struck forcefully, aiming directly for Number One. As the man with the highest cultivation here, once he fell, the rest would crumble.
With the Young Master behind him, Number One had no room to retreat. With a roar, he drew his broadsaber.
CLANG!
The two weapons clashed forcefully. The cobblestones beneath Number One's feet shattered as he was sent flying backward, only steadied by several warriors behind him. He retched, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His right hand trembled uncontrollably, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger torn open and bleeding freely. The broadsaber had already been knocked from his grasp.
In a single move, Number One was defeated.
Such was the power of a Profound Realm expert. Their mastery of the Martial Arts' Profound Mystery allowed them to dominate the three lower realms. Even though Number One had spent years battling Element Beasts in the Sealed Martial Mountains and had reached the Tenth Heavens of the Spiritual Realm, he was still no match for a single blow.
"With such meager strength, you dare return to Wuling City to die!" Having succeeded with his strike, Chen Tai landed elegantly back on the Savage Wolf King. He gazed disdainfully at the warriors before looking down on Ning Xuan. "Ning Xuan, make them submit to me, then obediently offer up your Divine Body True Blood, and we'll be even."
These eighteen men are clearly top-tier fighters. With them and the Divine Body True Blood, even if I am the only one left in the Chen Family, I can become more powerful than ever before! He even felt a little grateful that Ning Xuan had chosen to attack the Chen Family first; otherwise, this opportunity would have never been his.
The Eighteen Death Warriors were all enraged, a fearsome killing intent erupting from them.
"Do you know why I didn't kill your father?" Ning Xuan, however, remained as calm as still water.
Chen Tai's imposing presence gave Chen Tianfu a sudden surge of confidence. Hearing Ning Xuan's words, he laughed wildly. "Hahaha, you little beast, if you dare touch a single hair on my head, my son..."
His laughter died abruptly as he looked down, his eyes filling with disbelief. A bloody hole had appeared in his chest, and Ning Xuan was holding the man's entire sternum in his hand.
This sudden turn of events left everyone present completely dumbstruck. No one had expected Ning Xuan to strike so suddenly, and with such savage violence.
"The hatred from the extermination of one's clan is irreconcilable. I should have taken my time, shattering every one of your bones. But my grandfather still lacks a Spirit Tablet, so you should feel lucky that your sternum is of use."
"You... you took my bone to make a Spirit Tablet for that old thing Ning Baizhan? And you call that my honor? You arrogant whelp! Cough, cough... Tai, quickly kill... kill him! Avenge... avenge me!"
The wound in Chen Tianfu's chest was too large. Blood gushed out, impossible to staunch. As he felt his life slipping away, his boundless hatred found no release, and he could only pin his hopes on Chen Tai.
The first of the Eighteen Death Warriors to react had already formed a defensive formation, not to attack, but to shield Ning Xuan in the center. The three-layered formation moved in a circular pattern as the eighteen men constantly shifted positions, their nerves stretched to the absolute limit. A Profound Realm expert was far too terrifying, and they feared Chen Tai would lash out at Ning Xuan in his rage.
In the center of the formation, Ning Xuan took off his outer robe to wipe the blood from the sternum. He then took a sleeve arrow from the quiver of the nearest Death Warrior and, as if no one else existed, began to carve a Spirit Tablet for his grandfather.
The Eighteen Death Warriors didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was good that their Young Master was decisive and deeply loyal. However, he acted with a complete disregard for the consequences, even revealing their trump card—the sleeve arrows. Now, their chances of defeating Chen Tai were even slimmer.
"Good! Very good! Ning Xuan, today I will not only take your True Blood, but I will also flay you and pull out your tendons! Nothing less will quell the hatred in my heart!"
The turn of events had been so sudden that Chen Tai was momentarily stunned. He never imagined that even after witnessing his power, Ning Xuan would still dare to insult his father in such a manner. Now that he had snapped out of it, his aura surged, his killing intent boiling to its peak.
"Kill them for me!"
At Chen Tai's furious roar, the dozen or so men he had brought with him charged.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Sleeve arrows flew, and several men fell. Those who managed to get close were swiftly cut down by the Death Warriors' sabers. In an instant, only Chen Tai remained.
Chen Tai said nothing. With a twist of his Long Saber, the blade sang. He moved like a mountain soaring through the sky as a terrifying Sword Light cleaved through the air, slashing down with invincible force.
CLANG!
With a spray of sparks, three Long Sabers intercepted Chen Tai's Long Saber. Simultaneously, saber flashes appeared from high, middle, and low angles.
If one man couldn't stop him, then three, six, or even nine would try.
"You're courting death!"
With a thunderous roar, Chen Tai pivoted and threw a punch with his left fist. Amidst the ceaseless ringing of metal, he retreated. Aside from a few new cuts on his clothes, he was uninjured. In contrast, many of the Eighteen Death Warriors had the webbing of their hands torn open, their right hands trembling so violently they could barely grip their sabers.
In the center of the formation, Ning Xuan remained completely focused, his eyes fixed only on the bone in his hands.