58: Chapter 58 Slaying Wang Mang with a Sword

The inside of the inn was a mess; tables and chairs were shattered, walls were cracked, and the air was thick with the smell of dust mixed with blood.

On the street outside, the mangled remains of the Iron Fan Scholar lay motionless, as dead as could be.

An expert at the Lunhai Realm First Level had failed to last even ten moves under Ye Chen's sword.

Scarface, Lin Dong, and the others had long since dealt with the remaining small fry. The One-Eyed Wolf was pinned under Scarface's foot, already half-dead.

At this moment, everyone's gaze was focused on the youth in green standing in the center of the room with his sword.

And on Wang Mang opposite him, whose face was deathly pale and whose entire body was shaking like a sieve.

Wang Mang stared fixedly at Ye Chen, his eyes filled with resentment, fear, and a bone-deep madness.

The Wheel Sea Realm Guest Elder he relied on had actually been slain so easily by Ye Chen!

Just what kind of heaven-defying Opportunity did this kid obtain in the Molten Fire Abyss?

How could his strength have exploded to such an extent?

Killing a Wheel Sea Realm expert while at the Meridian Opening Realm—this was simply unheard of!

"Ye Chen, you... you can't kill me! I am the Head of the Wang Family!"

Wang Mang's voice was hoarse as he roared with hollow bluster.

"If you kill me, the Wang Family will never rest until you are dead! Even the City Lord's Manor won't let you off!"

"Never rest until I'm dead?"

Ye Chen sneered, his eyes as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice.

"From the moment you and your son tried to intercept and kill me outside the Trial Valley, from the moment you conspired with the Black Wind Stockade, and from the moment you sent the 'Shadow Fiend' to assassinate me, it has already been a battle to the death between us. Wang Teng is dead; now, it's your turn."

He walked forward step by step, his ice scar sword pointing diagonally at the ground.

At the tip of the sword, a light interwoven with icy blue and golden red flickered slightly, emitting a heart-palpitating chill and Killing Intent.

Every step he took felt as if he were treading directly on Wang Mang's heart.

"No! Don't come any closer!"

Wang Mang stumbled backward, crashing into the broken counter and knocking over several wine jars.

Wine splashed all over him, making him look incredibly pathetic.

He suddenly looked toward Scarface and Lin Dong, then toward Lin Qingxue, shouting hoarsely.

"Lin Qingxue! Scarface! Are you just going to watch him commit this crime? This is the territory of Qingyun City! Is your Lin Family really going to indulge this boy's lawlessness and break the Three-Clan Covenant?"

Lin Qingxue's expression was calm. Her cool eyes swept over Wang Mang, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"Wang Mang, you were the one who first sent people to intercept and kill our Lin Family's Guest Elder, and later tried to put me to death. Now, you have even conspired with assassins to set an ambush here. You were the one who broke the rules first and cut yourself off from Qingyun City. Ye Chen's actions are for self-preservation and revenge, which is perfectly justified. My Lin Family will not interfere."

Scarface also sneered, "Wang Mang, you finally have your day!"

Wang Mang's last hope shattered, and a look of desperate madness appeared on his face.

He knew that Ye Chen would never let him go.

He suddenly pulled a blood-red Medicinal Pill that emitted a violent aura from his robes and swallowed it in one gulp!

"Blood Fiend Pill! You're crazy!"

Scarface's expression changed. The Blood Fiend Pill burned one's essence blood and Lifespan to briefly gain immense power, but after the effects wore off, the user would be left either dead or crippled!

As the pill entered his stomach, Wang Mang's skin instantly turned bright red, his veins bulged, and his aura surged wildly like a balloon being inflated.

He actually briefly broke through the limits of the Meridian Opening Realm, reaching the Lunhai Realm First Level, and it was still climbing!

His eyes were blood-red as he roared like a wild beast, "Little bastard! Let's die together!"

He struck out with both palms, the palm wind carrying a thick scent of blood and a scorching heat wave.

Like two small burning mountains, they crashed toward Ye Chen!

This was a life-risking strike, its power far exceeding his usual level!

Facing this violent deathbed counterattack, Ye Chen's eyes didn't flicker in the slightest.

He didn't even use the prototype of the 'Ice Fire Seal' which had consumed much of his energy earlier.

He simply pushed the Ice Fire True Essence within his body to the limit and infused it into the ice scar sword.

The sword blade trembled slightly, letting out a clear, ringing sword hum.

"Just right. I'll use you to consecrate my sword and stabilize my Realm."

His figure flickered, disappearing from his spot like a ghost. When he reappeared, he was already at Wang Mang's side.

The ice scar sword traced a profound arc. It wasn't a direct thrust, but rather like a 'Spirit Goat Hanging Its Horns'—completely unpredictable.

With no trace to follow, it struck with absolute precision at the point where Wang Mang's palm wind was strongest yet also at its weakest!

"Chirp!"

The sword tip made contact with the palm wind. There was no loud explosion, only a slight sound, like a needle piercing leather.

Wang Mang's violent palm force was like a punctured balloon, instantly collapsing!

The ice scar sword's momentum didn't slow. Following the gaps in the collapsing palm force, it drove straight in.

Like a hot knife through butter, it easily pierced through the protective Qi Wang Mang had hastily gathered and stabbed into his heart.

Wang Mang's forward-charging figure jerked to a halt. He lowered his head in disbelief, looking at the deep blue longsword buried in his chest.

He could feel an extreme chill instantly freezing his blood, followed immediately by...

A burst of scorching aura that incinerated his heart and Meridians to ash.

Ice and fire, two diametrically opposed forces, intertwined within his body.

They brought unspeakable pain, yet swiftly robbed him of all life.

"You..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only spat out a mouthful of black blood mixed with ice shards and charred fragments of internal organs.

The madness, resentment, and fear in his eyes quickly dimmed, finally turning into a dead silence.

The Head of the Wang Family, Wang Mang, was dead!

Ye Chen flicked his wrist and withdrew the ice scar sword.

The sword blade was as clean as new, not a drop of blood clinging to it.

Wang Mang's corpse fell backward with a thud, his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

Inside the inn, silence fell once again.

Only the faint sounds of discussion from the townspeople could be heard from the street outside; they were alarmed by the commotion but dared not approach.

Scarface, Lin Dong, and the others looked at Wang Mang's corpse.

Then they looked at Ye Chen, who had sheathed his sword and remained calm, their hearts filled with complex emotions.

Wang Mang, a figure who had called the shots in Qingyun City and stood on equal footing with the Head of the Lin Family and the Grand Elder of the Ye Family.

He had died just like that, slain by a youth's sword, in...

This dilapidated inn in a remote small town. The sky over Qingyun City was truly about to change.

Liu Yiyi's face was pale as she tightly gripped Chen Feng's arm.

Chen Feng was also filled with shock.

Although they knew Ye Chen was powerful, seeing him personally slay Wang Mang—who had taken a forbidden drug to briefly reach the power of the Wheel Sea Realm—with a single sword strike...

This visual impact was still far too intense.

Lin Qingxue walked to Ye Chen's side. Looking at his slightly pale profile, she whispered,

"Are you alright?"

"It's nothing. I just consumed a bit too much energy; I'll be fine after meditating for a moment."

Ye Chen shook his head, looking at Wang Mang's corpse on the ground and the mess inside and outside the inn.

"This place isn't safe for long. Wang Mang's death here will soon spread. We must leave immediately."

"Mhm."

Lin Qingxue nodded and said to Scarface,

"Uncle Scar, take care of things. We're leaving right away."

Scarface understood and immediately set to work with Lin Dong and Chen Feng.

They searched the bodies of Wang Mang, the Iron Fan Scholar, and the 'Shadow Fiend' assassins.

They collected all valuables and items that might reveal their identities.

Then, they set a fire that completely burned away the traces in the inn, along with the corpses of the One-Eyed Wolf and his thugs.

The innkeeper had long since hidden away somewhere.

The group quickly left the now-ruined Yuelai Inn under the cover of night.

They disappeared into the vast mountain forests outside Qingshi Town.

...

It wasn't until they were dozens of miles away from Qingshi Town that the group stopped in a dense forest.

Ye Chen found a clean spot to sit cross-legged, swallowed a Medicinal Pill, and began to meditate.

Slaying Wang Mang just now had seemed easy, but it had actually required a significant amount of Ice Fire True Essence.

Especially the final move to break through his desperate strike—it required extreme precision in timing and power application, resulting in no small consumption.

Lin Qingxue stood guard nearby, silently acting as a Protector.

Scarface and the others also took the time to recover.

An hour later, Ye Chen opened his eyes, his aura already steady.

He looked at everyone.

"With Wang Mang dead, the Wang Family will certainly be shaken and might even counterattack in a frenzy. We must reach Luoxia Valley as quickly as possible to meet up with the people Uncle Lin sent. Additionally, the Tianyun Sword Sect messenger has arrived early, so the selection might be moved up. We need to plan ahead."

"Young Master Ye is absolutely right."

Scarface said in a heavy voice.

"From Qingshi Town to Luoxia Valley, there are still over a hundred miles of mountain roads. If we pick up the pace, we should arrive by noon tomorrow. However... Young Miss, Young Master Ye, if the Wang Family gets the news,"

"They will surely put the area around Qingyun City under full lockdown. They might even join forces with the remnants of the Ye Family Grand Elder's faction and the Black Wind Stockade to intercept us along the way. We must be extremely careful."

"We will deal with whatever comes our way."

Ye Chen's tone was calm, but a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"If they dare to come, we will simply kill them. Kill them until they are afraid, kill them until they no longer dare to come."

The plain words carried a bone-chilling decisiveness.

Scarface and the others felt a shiver in their hearts, knowing that after this incident, this youth's Heart-Nature had already changed.

Decisive in killing, he truly had the prototype of a powerhouse.

"No time to lose, we travel through the night," Lin Qingxue said, standing up.

The group didn't delay any further and set out once more under the moonlight.

This time, they were even more cautious, specifically choosing rugged mountain paths that were rarely traveled.

Scarface constantly changed their route to prevent being tracked.

As the night deepened, the mountain forest was deathly silent, save for the chirping of insects and the sound of footsteps.

Ye Chen and Lin Qingxue walked side by side. Both were silent, yet a wordless understanding flowed between them.

"Ye Chen," Lin Qingxue suddenly spoke softly.

"Mhm?"

"Thank you."

Her voice was very light, almost scattered by the night wind.

Ye Chen turned his head to look at her under the moonlight.

Her elegant profile seemed to be covered in a layer of soft light, less of her usual coldness and more of a gentle touch.

"For what?"

"Thank you for not leaving me behind in the Molten Fire Abyss, and thank you... for always protecting me."

Lin Qingxue's voice carried a trace of an undetectable tremor.

Ye Chen smiled.

"We are friends, and also partners. It's only right to support each other."

Friends...

Lin Qingxue repeated the word in her heart. She didn't speak again, but only tightened her grip on the profound ice token.

The cold sensation, however, gave her a sense of peace.

In the latter half of the night, the group crossed a steep mountain ridge, and a relatively open valley appeared ahead.

The valley was shrouded in mist, with lights faintly visible.

"Luoxia Valley is just ahead," Scarface pointed toward the depths of the valley.

"Our Lin Family has a secret herb garden and a villa there. It's guarded by a trustworthy elder from a branch of the Family. We can stay there and wait for the Head of the Family to send people to meet us."

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they quickened their pace toward the valley.

However, just as they were about to enter the valley mouth,

Ye Chen suddenly stopped, his eyes looking sharply into the depths of the mist ahead.

"There are people. Many of them. Their auras aren't right."

Almost simultaneously, Scarface and Lin Qingxue also sensed it, their expressions changing drastically.

The mist ahead billowed as dozens of figures walked out, spreading out in a fan shape to block the valley entrance.

Each of these people had a sharp aura and piercing eyes, and they were dressed in uniform black combat gear.

On their chests was embroidered a ferocious wolf head pattern.

The leader was a man nine feet tall, with a build like a tiger and a back like a bear. His face was full of scars, and he carried a ghost head saber the size of a door panel on his shoulder.

His aura was fierce; he was remarkably at the Wheel-Sea Realm Second Level!

Beside him stood an 'old acquaintance' of Ye Chen's—Ye Hu!

However, the current Ye Hu was missing an arm. His face was full of resentment as he stared fixedly at Ye Chen.

Behind these black-clad men, more figures could be seen moving in the mist, brimming with Killing Intent.

"Black Wind Stockade! Ye Hu!"

Scarface gritted his teeth and gripped the hilt of his blade.

The giant man carrying the ghost head saber gave a sinister laugh, his voice like a booming bell.

"Kid Ye Chen, I've been waiting for you for a long time! You killed my Black Wind Stockade's Second and Third Leaders, and you caused our Stockade Master to return empty-handed from the Molten Fire Abyss."

"You even stole the Opportunity that should have belonged to us! Today, this Luoxia Valley will be your burial ground! Surround them for me, don't let a single one escape!"

Before his voice had even faded, the dozens of Black Wind Stockade elites behind him,

Along with the remnants of the Ye Family brought by Ye Hu, all erupted with heaven-soaring Killing Intent.

With swords and blades unsheathed, they completely surrounded Ye Chen's group!

A desperate situation had arrived once more!