SCRAPE... SCRAPE...
Beneath the sound of heavy breathing, the noise of Ning Xuan carving the Bone Spirit Plaque was particularly prominent.
"You motherfucker, stop!"
Chen Tai's eyes were bloodshot with fury, his rage pushed to its absolute limit. In his very presence, Ning Xuan was carving a Spirit Tablet from his father's breastbone for a man who had been dead for six years. This was the ultimate insult!
A clang of steel rang through the heavens.
Chen Tai struck with another slash of his saber.
The Eighteen Death Warriors intercepted it once more. This time, the webbing of each warrior's hands split open, bleeding profusely. Yet their auras surged, their battle spirit immense.
What we couldn't do, the Young Master has accomplished! Even if we die, we must let the Young Master complete his masterpiece!
"You little bastard, you think they can stop me?!" Chen Tai's voice was chillingly cold. "Just wait! Not only will I kill them all, but I will also dig up your grandfather's corpse! You take a bone from my father, and I'll whip your grandfather's corpse a hundred times!"
As his voice fell, he slashed down again.
PFFT!
The three Death Warriors blocking his Long Saber could hold on no longer. Their sabers flew from their hands as they spat out blood in unison, creating a gap in the Formation.
"Is this your confidence? A mantis trying to stop a chariot!"
Locking his sights on Ning Xuan, Chen Tai strode forward, his killing intent surging.
Focused on his carving, Ning Xuan suddenly looked up. He gave an enigmatic smile and glanced behind Chen Tai. "My trump card is him."
Chen Tai's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively looked back.
BOOM!
Moving like a thunderclap, Ning Xuan created a sonic boom as he tore through the air, appearing instantly before Chen Tai. He threw a punch!
Realizing he had been tricked, Chen Tai felt an incomparably massive force rushing toward him and hastily used the flat of his saber to block.
CLANG!
Ning Xuan's fist slammed into the blade. A golden light pierced through it, and the saber shattered like brittle iron.
BOOM!
A force as vast as the ocean and as heavy as a mountain sent Chen Tai flying. Ning Xuan followed like a shadow. The moment before Chen Tai hit the ground, his claw had already plunged into his Dantian.
THUD!
Chen Tai landed, his killing intent completely gone.
Ning Xuan spoke softly, "Actually, I am my own greatest trump card."
"You... you destroyed my Dantian!" Chen Tai shrieked, his face a mask of horrified disbelief.
He was not the only one. The Eighteen Death Warriors behind him were also completely dumbfounded. They had always thought that Ning Xuan had no Cultivation, but the Young Master was a slumbering true dragon!
The dormant dragon has been startled from its slumber; its roar shakes a thousand mountains!
Grabbing Ning Xuan's arm, Chen Tai suffered a complete mental breakdown. "Dark Realm? You're only in the Dark Realm! Why?! Why did I lose?!"
The Dark Realm and the Profound Realm were separated by two major Realms, encompassing more than twenty minor ones! Even if Ning Xuan had used a sneak attack, he should never have been defeated so utterly!
The approaching Eighteen Death Warriors were equally bewildered.
"You were blinded by rage. You unleashed three strikes, each with your full power. Meanwhile, while carving the Spirit Tablet, I was not idle. I mobilized the Qi, blood, and Element Force within my twelve meridians, merging them with my True Blood, just waiting for the right moment."
Ning Xuan gave him a sudden smile, wiping his blood-stained hand on Chen Tai's robes. "In a dream, I once heard an ancient saying: 'At the first drumroll, the fighting spirit is aroused. At the second, it flags. At the third, it is exhausted.' You were exhausted while I was at my peak, hence my victory. What do you think? Did I apply it well?"
"You... you..." Wounded in both body and mind, Chen Tai was so overcome with rage that he fainted on the spot.
"Young Master, how should we deal with him?" As Ning Xuan turned, Number One immediately cupped his fist in a salute. He and the seventeen men behind him stared at Ning Xuan, their eyes filled with shock, admiration, and deep respect.
They had braced themselves for certain death, yet the Young Master, with his Dark Realm Cultivation, had effortlessly turned the tide of battle!
This is the stuff of myths! Soon, it will become an eternal legend!
"Since we've already startled the snake, we might as well rest for a day. Tie him up. Tomorrow at noon, in Wuling Square, we will extract his bones and then behead him!"
Ning Xuan's voice was not loud, but to the Eighteen Death Warriors, it sounded like a clap of thunder. This act was, without a doubt, a public declaration of war against every clan in Wuling City!
With our current strength, this is...
"What, are you afraid?"
Their eyes met Ning Xuan's. Their hearts clenched for a moment before they roared in a voice that shook the heavens, "We are not afraid!"
"A son wishes to support his parents, but they have already passed. Whether my foe is a Profound Realm expert or the scion of a great clan, anyone who harms my family must pay in blood," Ning Xuan said, his voice suffused with a chilling killing intent. Sweeping his gaze over them, he slowly made a solemn vow.
"Since you recognize me as your master, then as long as I live, I shall cut down all sin, wipe out every contemptible foe, and ensure your glorious names last forever! Should I perish, I will refine my own True Blood to grant you all eternal life! I call upon the sun and moon to witness, heaven and earth to acknowledge, and all immortals, demons, ghosts, and gods to hear this oath!"
The blood of the Eighteen Death Warriors boiled. They immediately dropped to one knee, cupped their fists, and roared in unison, "As long as we live, the Young Master lives! If we die, the Young Master lives forever!"
Ning Xuan nodded. As he bid them rise, he handed the newly carved Spirit Tablet to Number One with instructions. "Move quickly and raid the Chen Family. When you return, close the gates, refuse all visitors, and focus on healing your wounds. If anyone causes trouble, throw Chen Tianfu's corpse out. I'll be back soon."
Speed is of the essence. If the other families react, all the good stuff will be gone.
"Is the Young Master going to the Chen Family's Element Vein?" Number One asked.
Ning Xuan nodded. The Chen Family alone had been so much trouble. He desperately needed to increase his strength. Devouring the ore from an Element Vein was the fastest way.
"The Chen Family's Element Vein is located..." Number One immediately gave Ning Xuan its location.
Ning Xuan nodded, a thought sparking in his mind. "What about the other families' Element Veins?"
"The Chen Family's Element Vein is a Fourth Grade source, for their exclusive use. The only other is a Fifth Grade vein, rich with boundless Element Stone energy. It stretches for several miles and is shared by the Zhao, Zhou, and Wang families, who have experts guarding it day and night."
Ning Xuan understood the concern in Number One's voice and did not press further. With a wave of his hand, the lone surviving Wild Savage Wolf King from the battle trotted over obediently and knelt, allowing Ning Xuan to mount it.
The Eighteen Death Warriors were all astonished.
Seeing that Ning Xuan was about to leave, Number One hesitated for a moment before sharing a secret. "Young Master, the old master left a gift for you. He said that when you one day returned to Wuling City and took back everything that was rightfully yours, you were to go to the place you frequented as a child to retrieve it."
"Alright."
The Wild Savage Wolf King bolted, vanishing in an instant, leaving a single word hanging in the air.
The Eighteen Death Warriors did not dare delay. Two of them carried the Chen father and son, while Number One respectfully carried the Bone Spirit Plaque into the residence. The rest departed for the Chen Family's estate.
As they plundered the Chen estate, news of Ning Xuan's return and his bloody retribution against two families swept through Wuling City like a world-shaking hurricane.
"Ning Xuan, who vanished for six years, is actually alive! I heard he wore white robes, unstained by blood, and single-handedly wiped out the Zhang Family!"
"The Chen Family is gone! All one hundred and fifty-one of their Martial Artists were killed, and both Chen Tai and his son have fallen!"
"But Chen Tai was a Profound Realm expert! How could he have fallen?!"
"Latest news! Ning Xuan stripped Chen Tianfu of his breastbone and carved it into a Spirit Tablet for Ning Baizhan! Chen Tai is still alive, but Ning Xuan destroyed his Dantian. Tomorrow at noon in the square, he's going to extract his bones and then execute him!"
"What? This is clearly aimed at us! Who gave him the audacity?! What is his Cultivation?"
"He's only in the Dark Realm, they say. The Eighteen Death Warriors are stronger, but not even the best of them has reached the Profound Realm!"
"Hmph! A bunch of deluded fools! They don't know their own limits!"
Despite such dismissive words, all the major clans began to stir.
Undercurrents surged through Wuling City. A storm was about to break.