Terrifying Threat!

For this reason, Tang Jie could only comply with the martial arena's demands.

This was Tang Jie's fourteenth martial combat. He had won all thirteen of his previous fights, defeating each opponent with a single saber stroke. That was why, under the martial arena's promotion, Tang Jie had become the so-called undefeated king, Bull Devil King.

Every martial combat attracted countless people who wanted to see whether this so-called Bull Devil King was truly as powerful as the rumors claimed. In just one year, because of Tang Jie, the martial arena's ticket prices had been driven even higher, and every match was packed. Otherwise, the martial arena could never have offered Tang Jie the sky-high appearance fee of three thousand taels of silver per match!

"Bull Devil King, I'm Li Zhan. You're very strong... but I'll defeat you!" Li Zhan stared at Tang Jie with a solemn expression. Tang Jie's roar just now had shaken him. Li Zhan knew that this Bull Devil King was truly powerful, perhaps even the strongest martial artist he had ever encountered. He had to bring out all his strength.

Tang Jie said nothing. In the martial arena's persona for Bull Devil King, he was a cold, taciturn invincible king who never spoke any nonsense and only crushed his opponents with absolute power.

"Let the martial combat begin!" the host ordered, signaling the start of the battle.

"Whoosh!"

The moment the words left the host's mouth, Li Zhan stamped his foot and shot toward Tang Jie at tremendous speed. Facing this opponent who brought him immense pressure, Li Zhan chose to strike first.

"Die!"

Li Zhan held a saber in one hand and a shield in the other. As he closed in on Tang Jie, he slashed fiercely through the air. The stroke was fast and fierce, with inner force condensed within it and saber qi sweeping like wind. Among martial artists, very few could withstand the full-strength saber stroke of a first-rate expert like Li Zhan!

However...

"Clang!"

Tang Jie suddenly moved. His right hand gripped the hilt at his waist as his strength gathered.

Draw the saber. Iron Cutting!

"Shing!"

The Iron Cutting Saber scraped against its sheath, letting out a sharp shriek like an enraged dragon roaring. A silver-white saber flash burst forth, like a waterfall of the Milky Way, slashing down in fury!

It was as if a tiny crack had been sliced through the void. Tang Jie had clearly drawn his saber later, yet at that moment, it gave everyone the feeling that he had struck first despite moving second. The speed of that stroke surpassed ordinary imagination.

"Crack!"

The two sabers collided. Almost in an instant, sparks flew in all directions, and the saber in Li Zhan's hand was severed in two by a single stroke, utterly unstoppable!

"What?"

Li Zhan's pupils contracted violently. His single saber had condensed inner force, yet at the instant of collision, it had been cleanly severed down the middle without the slightest suspense. What kind of terrifying stroke was this?

Almost instinctively, with the battle-hardened reflexes he had honed through countless fights, Li Zhan raised the metal round shield in his left hand and placed it before him, intending to block Tang Jie's stroke.

"I have to block this stroke!" Li Zhan no longer had any thought of defeating Tang Jie. At this moment, he only hoped to block Tang Jie's saber. To him, that would already count as a victory!

Bull Devil King used only one stroke against his enemies. If he could force Bull Devil King to use a second stroke, that alone would be something to boast about!

"Bang!"

Yet the moment the blade struck the shield, Li Zhan's entire body shuddered. He felt as if what had slammed into his shield was not a saber, but a mad bull—a furious dragon—with the force of a thousand jun, unstoppable!

Amid the muffled explosion, the tremendous force of that stroke sent Li Zhan's burly body flying backward. The metal round shield in his hand, unable to bear the burden, shattered with a bang. Metal fragments sprayed across his body like bullets, leaving his flesh covered in blood.

When he crashed to the ground, Li Zhan was completely dazed. He could not even feel the pain of the bones in his shield-bearing left hand breaking.

"I lost... I lost in a single exchange..." Li Zhan muttered to himself. His body and spirit had both suffered a tremendous blow. He was already a first-rate martial artist, one of the top among martial artists, yet today, facing Tang Jie, he had been crushed by that terrifying saber stroke. He found it impossible to believe.

"This... this..."

Watching the scene below, Tang Tianhao sucked in a cold breath. What a terrifying saber stroke was that? As someone skilled in the Iron Cutting Saber Art, Tang Tianhao was confident that very few people could withstand one of his strokes. Yet the stroke from this Bull Devil King before him was simply transcendent and unrivaled in dominance, as if nothing in the world could withstand it!

Li Zhan had been effortlessly killed in a single stroke. Tang Tianhao believed that even if he faced this Bull Devil King himself, the outcome would probably be the same. It would be difficult to make his opponent use a second stroke!

"How is it? I told you Bull Devil King was absolutely invincible! He's the strongest martial artist I've ever seen. And he's still young—perhaps he'll even become a Martial Arts Grandmaster renowned across the land in the future!"

Cheng Yuan spoke with great pride, basking in reflected glory and feeling that the two men who had questioned Bull Devil King's strength just now had been utterly foolish.

"Strong... he really is strong!" the man in blue said, drawing in a cold breath. He was shaken by Bull Devil King's strength. Even their gang leader probably would not be this man's match! That terrifying saber stroke had shaken them to the soul!

Tang Tianhao smiled bitterly. "My son is also devoted to martial arts. If he can reach a realm like this Bull Devil King's in the future, I'll be satisfied."

Tang Tianhao thought of his own son, who was likewise obsessed with martial arts. If Tang Jie could one day reach the level of the Bull Devil King before him, he would have every reason to feel proud.

Tang Tianhao would never have imagined that this brave, invincible, wild-haired, undefeated Bull Devil King was his son, Tang Jie!

"Not bad. I only used fifty percent of my strength just now."

Tang Jie looked at Li Zhan lying on the ground, unable to get up for a long while because his confidence had been shattered, and nodded in satisfaction. Tang Jie's Boyhood Art had already reached the fourth level. That saber stroke just now had not been his full strength—he had used only fifty percent.

"Roar!"

Tang Jie raised both hands high and threw back his head, roaring at the heavens as he savored the glory of being watched by tens of thousands!

"Bull Devil King!"

"Invincible Bull Devil King!"

Amid the frenzied cheers of the crowd, Tang Jie left the martial arena through the entrance passage.

"Incredible... Your strength seems to be even greater than before!"

Back in the preparation room, Tang Jie removed his mask. Manager Mu approached him from the side, speaking with incomparable amazement.

Manager Mu had watched more than a dozen of Tang Jie's battles. He could clearly sense that Tang Jie was even more at ease now, as if he had not even used his full strength!

Tang Jie smiled. His strength was of course greater than before, and it would continue growing stronger! It was not as if he could simply stand still and make no progress.

"Here are three thousand taels in silver notes. I look forward to your next martial combat." Manager Mu took out a prepared silver note and handed it to Tang Jie.

"Thank you." Tang Jie accepted it. His cultivation was growing ever deeper, and he needed more and more cultivation resources.

After finishing his martial combat, Tang Jie left the martial arena and rested for a night in Lingyue City.

Early the next morning, Tang Jie purchased a massive quantity of Qi and Blood Pills, clearing out the entire stock at the Spiritual Medicine Hall before setting off on his return journey.

Tang Jie's inner force cultivation had now reached the level of a superior first-rate expert. The energy he consumed during cultivation was so great that he basically had to eat Qi and Blood Pills like candy!

"This world is vast..." On the carriage, Tang Jie lay on the seat, staring blankly into space. Tang Jie was already a rare powerhouse among martial artists, yet he knew clearly that even so, he was still nothing more than an ordinary person in this world.

In this world, cultivators existed, as did demons and monsters. As for him, Tang Jie was merely a tiny martial artist who did not even have the qualifications to come into contact with such things!

All Tang Jie could do was constantly grow stronger!

"Whoa!"

Just then, the carriage that had been moving forward suddenly stopped, and the driver's startled cry rang out.

"Who... who are you?" the driver demanded in alarm, apparently because someone outside the carriage had stopped it.

Tang Jie's eyes sharpened. He sensed an icy aura, an aura of extreme danger. It came from outside the carriage. This was the first time Tang Jie had ever felt threatened!

"Bull Devil King, you're in the carriage, aren't you? Come out and meet me."

A hoarse voice rang out from outside the carriage. It sounded like sandpaper scraping against glass, setting one's teeth on edge and causing unbearable discomfort.