Chaotic Land

Kill!

At the command of the burly man with a face full of flesh, more than a dozen vicious-looking bandits pounced on Chen Xuan like starving wolves.

You're courting death!

Chen Xuan's gaze turned cold. He shot into the air from horseback and lunged straight at the first few bandits charging toward him.

The bandit closest to Chen Xuan saw him coming and immediately swung his blade. The blade wind howled as it slashed directly toward Chen Xuan's face.

Chen Xuan threw a punch with his right hand, and a terrifying force instantly burst forth from his body.

Bang!

The fist wind struck the bandit's chest from a meter away. A crisp crack of breaking bones rang out. Before the bandit could even scream, he flew backward, blood spraying wildly from his mouth as he died on the spot.

One punch, killing an enemy from afar.

The other bandits who had rushed forward froze in their tracks, their expressions changing abruptly.

A... a Huajin master!

No one knew who shouted it, but terror instantly crept across the bandits' faces.

At the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering, the Huajin Realm, the inner force cultivated within the body condensed without dispersing, guarding the entire body without flaw. Blades and spears could not pierce it, and the force could leave the body for several meters, killing enemies from afar.

Against a martial artist of this level, let alone a dozen of them—even twice as many would not be enough for Chen Xuan to kill.

They had never imagined that a Guiyuan Sect outer disciple they encountered casually on the road would be an expert at the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering, the Huajin Realm.

Run!

Several cowardly bandits turned and fled. They were so frightened that they even threw away their blades, just so they could run a little faster.

Seeing that things had gone wrong, the burly man with the fleshy face was the first to run. When it came to selling out his companions, he was exceptionally decisive.

Trying to run?

Chen Xuan snorted coldly and darted forward.

In an instant, he caught up to one bandit. With a palm strike to the back of his head, the bandit did not even manage a groan before toppling stiffly to the ground, dead on the spot.

Although Chen Xuan had never cultivated a specialized movement technique, with the speed of the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering, these bandits were caught before they could run more than a few meters.

A fist, a kick, a palm...

Every strike was clean and decisive, without the slightest drag.

These bandits were only around the fourth or fifth stage of Body Tempering. If Chen Xuan had not awakened his cheat, meeting them would have meant certain death. But now, no one could withstand a single move from him.

Within just a few breaths, the dozen or so bandits who had charged forward had all died at Chen Xuan's hands.

The burly man with the fleshy face had run the fastest. By now, he had already fled dozens of meters and plunged headfirst into the scrub forest by the roadside.

Chen Xuan stopped and looked in the direction where the man had disappeared, but did not pursue him.

He bent down and picked up a chopping saber abandoned by a bandit. After weighing it in his hand, he hurled it fiercely.

The saber turned into a streak of cold light and whistled into the scrub forest.

Aah—

A shrill scream came from the woods, followed by the dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground.

Chen Xuan dusted off his hands, his expression calm as still water.

Most of these dozen bandits were at the fourth or fifth stage of Body Tempering. The burly man with the fleshy face had probably reached the sixth stage, perhaps even the seventh. They had wiped out a small merchant caravan.

In the eyes of ordinary people, these bandits were no small force. But before him, a Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Huajin Realm martial artist, they were nothing but earthen chickens and porcelain dogs. Killing them was not much harder than killing chickens.

Next, Chen Xuan began searching the corpses.

He found several hundred taels' worth of banknotes on the bandits, while the merchant caravan members slain by the bandits had a total of several thousand taels' worth of banknotes on them.

These bandits had not even had time to loot their spoils before they encountered Chen Xuan and hurried off to see the King of Hell.

I've avenged you. I'll take this silver as payment.

Chen Xuan swung back onto his horse and continued on his way.

Half an hour later.

Chen Xuan saw the outline of a city rising on the horizon ahead.

That was Lianshan City.

The city walls were not particularly tall, but their surfaces were covered in blade marks and arrow holes. Several sections had obvious signs of collapse, hastily patched with fresh earth.

Chen Xuan approached from the southern gate.

Lianshan City was divided into four districts: east, west, south, and north. The southern district was controlled by the Guiyuan Sect, and the guards at the gate were also people from forces affiliated with the Guiyuan Sect.

If he went through another gate—

For example, the Beicheng controlled by the Blood Fiend Devil Sect—then as a Guiyuan Sect disciple, he would likely "disappear" the moment he entered the city.

Chen Xuan urged his horse closer and presented his letter of recommendation.

So you are a disciple of the higher sect. Please, come in.

After examining the letter, the gate guard plastered a fawning smile across his face and hurriedly waved him through, not daring to charge an entrance fee at all.

Chen Xuan took back the document and rode through the city gate.

The instant he passed through the gate tunnel, an utterly different atmosphere rushed toward him.

The southern district of Lianshan City was livelier than he had imagined.

The main street, paved with bluestone, was a full three zhang wide. Shops lined both sides—blacksmiths, apothecaries, pawnshops, inns, taverns. It could not be called prosperous, but at least their doors were open, with the occasional pedestrian coming and going.

Yet most people on the street hurried along with wary eyes. When they saw Chen Xuan riding toward them, they moved far away, retreating to the roadside and standing with their hands at their sides. Only after he passed did they dare continue walking.

At a street corner, several ragged beggars huddled together. When they saw Chen Xuan pass, a flicker of fear crossed their clouded eyes, and they lowered their heads again.

Chen Xuan noticed dried bloodstains and blade marks everywhere on the walls lining the street. On the second-floor windows of a two-story restaurant, several holes had been punched through the paper panes, as if arrows had pierced them.

As Chen Xuan surveyed the scene on both sides of the street, a burst of noisy shouting suddenly came from ahead.

Remnants of the Vajra Sect, today is the day you die!

The sharp clang of blades colliding rang out from a restaurant not far ahead, followed by the crashing sounds of overturned tables and chairs and several angry roars.

The already sparse pedestrians on the street scattered like birds and beasts. The vendors by the roadside also hurriedly began packing up their stalls.

Within a few breaths, more than half the street had emptied, leaving only Chen Xuan and his horse standing in the middle of the road.

Chen Xuan frowned slightly, reined in his horse, and looked toward the restaurant.

The signboard of the restaurant bore three words: Drunken Immortal Restaurant.

Bang!

At that moment, a figure crashed out through a second-floor window. Amid splintering wood, he slammed heavily onto the street and rolled twice before coming to a stop.

He was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in gray martial attire and covered in blood. His chest, shoulders, and arms were all marked by saber wounds. The deepest wound ran from his left shoulder down to his chest, flesh curled open as blood gushed out.

He struggled to get up, but his injuries were too severe. He tried twice and failed both times.

Then seven or eight burly men wielding sharp weapons rushed out of the restaurant.

The leader was a man around thirty with a sinister face. A saber scar ran from the corner of his brow to his jaw on the left side of his face. He held a long, narrow Goose Feather Saber, blood still dripping from its blade.

He wore black martial attire, with the two silver characters for "Tyrant Blade" embroidered on his cuffs. His entire body radiated a sharp, baleful aura.

Run, then. Why did you stop running?

The scar-faced man walked up to the young man, looking down at him with a cruel smile curling his lips.

The young man ignored him. The blood and qi within his body boiled, then instantly began burning. A layer of blood-red light enveloped him, and he shot up like an arrow released from its bow, streaking toward the city gate.

He was so fast that even a master at the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering, the Huajin Realm, might not have been able to catch him.

Damn it! The scar-faced man stomped his foot fiercely. After him! He used the Blood Burning Secret Technique. He can't keep it up for long and won't get far!

The Tyrant Blade Sect disciples immediately chased toward the city gate.

Tiannan Prefecture truly was far from peaceful.

It was only Chen Xuan's first day in Lianshan City. On the road, he had encountered bandits slaughtering a merchant caravan, and now he had witnessed a martial world vendetta.

Tiannan Prefecture truly was a land of chaos.