Ye Qingxuan glanced at Xiao Chen and was about to speak when Zhang Shiyi's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a corpse lying on the ground not far away. The clothes on the corpse looked remarkably like the outfit Zhang Youzhi had worn when he left home that morning. His expression changed drastically. "Move aside."
After shoving several students blocking his path away, Zhang Shiyi went straight to Zhang Youzhi's corpse. Seeing Zhang Youzhi's already stiff body, Zhang Shiyi looked as though he had been struck by lightning, his face turning deathly pale.
Zhang Youzhi was the Zhang Family's only son. Yet under his protection, he had actually been killed. The Zhang Family would surely tear him to pieces, and might not even spare his family.
The four Zhang Family experts behind Zhang Shiyi also saw Zhang Youzhi's corpse. Their pupils shrank sharply, all color drained from their faces, and terror overwhelmed them.
"Commander Zhang... what do we do?"
A Zhang Family expert looked at Zhang Shiyi and asked in a trembling voice.
Today, they had escorted Zhang Youzhi from the Zhang Family to take part in the martial academy assessment. Later, Zhang Youzhi had found them obstructive and ditched them to look for Ye Qingxuan alone. They never expected that when they found him again, he would already be a corpse.
This was truly a disaster falling from the sky!
"Find the murderer who killed the young master and slice him into a thousand pieces. Perhaps the Zhang Family will spare our families. As for us, we are certainly dead!"
After saying that, Zhang Shiyi turned and swept his scarlet eyes across the crowd, roaring, "Who? Who did this? Step forward at once!"
Suddenly, as though he had thought of something, his gaze locked onto Xiao Chen and Lin Qingxian. "There seems to be Sword Qi lingering in the young master's wounds. Was it you two?"
Lin Qingxian suddenly felt a terrifying pressure descend upon her head. It was like a hill falling from the sky, crushing her until she could barely breathe!
She tried to use her Sword Qi to disperse the pressure, only to discover in horror that her normally incomparably sharp Sword Qi had lost all effect. No matter what she did, she could not withstand that dreadful pressure.
Lin Qingxian's expression changed drastically, and beads of cold sweat seeped from her forehead.
Every hair on her body stood on end, as though she had been targeted by a terrifying beast. She was shaking with fear!
A Half-Step Martial Master truly was terrifying!
Though he had not yet reached the Martial Master Realm, he was still not someone a mere eighth-level Martial Disciple Realm cultivator like her could handle.
Sword cultivators might be invincible within the same minor realm, but killing enemies across realms was far too difficult!
Even sword cultivators, renowned for their astonishing attack power, found it hard to accomplish.
Only when there was an enormous gap in talent and cultivation techniques between both sides could one possibly kill across realms.
"Xiao Chen, I'll hold him back for you! Run quickly and go to Sword Immortal Academy. Find my grandfather to save me!"
Lin Qingxian said anxiously in a voice only the two of them could hear.
She still had several secret treasures on her that could hold out for a while.
Holding Zhang Shiyi back while letting Xiao Chen seek help was the best solution she could think of.
It was just that she did not know whether Xiao Chen would be killed instantly when facing five great experts!
Xiao Chen shook his head. "When sword cultivators face trouble, they would rather break than bend. If I flee today, my Sword Dao heart will be destroyed, and I will find it difficult to make any further progress in the future. Besides, these people before us cannot hurt me."
Lin Qingxian froze upon hearing this and stared at Xiao Chen in disbelief.
These people could not hurt you?
Did you hear the nonsense coming out of your own mouth?
One Half-Step Martial Master and four eighth-level Martial Disciple Realm cultivators!
Not to mention a mere seventh-level Sword Disciple, even a ninth-level Sword Disciple would only be meat on the chopping block!
Where did you get the courage to say something like that?
Ye Qingxuan and the others also widened their eyes, unable to believe what they had just heard.
Xiao Chen was far too full of himself!
He still dared to be so arrogant before a Half-Step Martial Master!
"Kid, from the sound of it, you killed my young master?"
Zhang Shiyi immediately looked toward Xiao Chen, killing intent flashing in his eyes.
"That's right. It was me."
Xiao Chen nodded indifferently.
"Kid, I'll slice you into a thousand pieces!"
A Zhang Family expert immediately drew the steel saber at his waist and was about to charge at Xiao Chen.
He was so furious not because he was in a rush to avenge Zhang Youzhi, but because he had thought of how he himself would soon be sliced into a thousand pieces by the Zhang Family over Zhang Youzhi's death. His hatred for Xiao Chen was boundless!
"Wait!"
Zhang Shiyi stretched out a hand and stopped him.
"Commander Zhang, why are you stopping me?"
The Zhang Family expert looked utterly stunned.
"Have you gone mad? He is the Zhenbei King's son. Are you going to rush up and kill him just like that?"
"But wasn't he expelled from Zhenbei King Manor?"
"You actually believe that? Can blood ties be severed just because someone says so? Believe it or not, if you kill him today, your entire family will be wiped out, not even chickens or dogs left alive, by tomorrow!"
Zhang Shiyi lowered his voice as he spoke.
"Then what should we do?"
"Capture him and deliver him to the family head. Whether he is killed or flayed will have nothing to do with us!"
Zhang Shiyi was an old hand at such matters and was unwilling to take the risk of killing Xiao Chen himself.
Judging from what had happened during the martial academy assessment, Princess Zhenbei wholeheartedly wanted Xiao Chen to return, while the Zhenbei King remained somewhat undecided. Under such circumstances, if he dared kill Xiao Chen, a catastrophic disaster would likely befall him!
Though the Zhang Family was powerful and one of Barren North City's five great families, before Zhenbei King Manor, it was not even worth a single hair.
If they killed Xiao Chen, it would be fine if Zhenbei King Manor did not pursue the matter. But if it did, the entire Zhang Family might be reduced to ashes beneath the Zhenbei King's wrath!
They were merely guards drawing salaries. Why risk their lives?
"Kid, you killed my young master. Come with us."
After making that Zhang Family expert step back, Zhang Shiyi looked at Xiao Chen and spoke.
"You are wary of Xiao Zhentian and do not dare kill me? There is no need. I, Xiao Chen, am Xiao Chen, and he, Xiao Zhentian, is Xiao Zhentian. I have already severed all ties with him."
Xiao Chen spoke indifferently.
"Heh, you are merely talking big. If you were not the Zhenbei King's son, would you dare act so fearlessly before me, a Half-Step Martial Master? Don't you simply believe that, as the Zhenbei King's son, we would not dare kill you?"
Zhang Shiyi sneered disdainfully.
He felt that Xiao Chen was truly hypocritical. He was clearly clinging to the Zhenbei King's thigh, yet he claimed that he had severed their relationship.
Other than his identity as the Zhenbei King's son, Zhang Shiyi could not think of any reason Xiao Chen would have the confidence to face him so calmly.
A mere seventh-level Sword Disciple was as weak as an ant before him, a Half-Step Martial Master. He could destroy him with a casual wave of his hand!
"Dealing with you, I alone am enough!"
Xiao Chen raised his longsword and pointed it at Zhang Shiyi.
"Hahaha, kid, have you gone mad? A mere seventh-level Sword Disciple like you wants to deal with me, a Half-Step Martial Master?"
Zhang Shiyi laughed wildly.
Everyone else present also thought Xiao Chen had gone mad, and they all looked at him with contempt.
In Great Xia, almost no one could fight across realms. Even crossing one minor realm was exceedingly difficult, let alone Xiao Chen and Zhang Shiyi, who were separated by several minor realms. Their strength differed as vastly as heaven and earth.
Xiao Chen had not the slightest chance against Zhang Shiyi.
Xiao Chen said nothing. He suddenly swung his sword, and fierce Sword Qi instantly flooded the surroundings. In the next instant, Xiao Chen's Dragon Slayer Sword was directly at Zhang Shiyi's throat. The sharp sword light cut a tiny wound, and blood slowly seeped out.
At the sight of this, everyone was dumbstruck.
A seventh-level Sword Disciple had slain a Half-Step Martial Master with one sword?
How was that possible?
"Senior Brother Liu, didn't you tell me before that fighting across realms was almost impossible?"
A round-faced girl from Zhenkun Academy looked at a young man beside her.
The young man called Senior Brother Liu stared with his eyes wide open. "B-by all reason, that should be the case. It is a universally acknowledged iron law of the cultivation world!"
"Then why did Xiao Chen, a seventh-level Sword Disciple, instantly slay a Half-Step Martial Master?"
The round-faced girl looked unconvinced.
"M-maybe sword cultivators are just stronger!"
After racking his brains, Senior Brother Liu had only that answer left.
What they did not notice was that Lin Qingxian, also a sword cultivator, stood nearby with her mouth agape in shock!
Stronger my ass!
Sword cultivators being strong only meant they could be invincible within the same minor realm!
She had never seen a monster like Xiao Chen, who could instantly slay a Half-Step Martial Master at the seventh level of Sword Disciple!
As Ye Qingxuan looked at Xiao Chen, who stood only inches away from her, countless flashes of shock suddenly appeared in her beautiful eyes.
How could he be this powerful?
Again and again, he had overturned everything she knew!
Fighting across realms, and even crossing several minor realms in succession, was exceedingly rare throughout Great Xia's thousands of years of history. Those who could accomplish it all eventually became Peerless True Dragons, unparalleled throughout the ages!
"Y-you... your strength has actually reached such a level!"
Zhang Shiyi glanced at the longsword pressed to his throat and asked in disbelief.
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