The Holy Sword Appears, Han Su Kneels Faster Than Anyone

The moment the golden light exploded.

The entire corridor lit up.

It was not a normal brightness.

It was a brightness that carried a sense of oppression, as if someone had forcibly shoved a sun beneath the eaves.

The palm strike Han Su had launched was still mid-air.

The palm wind was cold and sinister, surging with soul power, originally aimed straight at Su Chen's chest.

But the moment the Judgment Holy Sword was unsheathed.

His vicious momentum seemed to have encountered a natural nemesis, and even the temperature in the air shifted.

It was not heat.

It was scorching.

It scorched so intensely that the marrow in one's bones tightened.

Xiao Wu stood behind Su Chen, originally holding her breath.

At this moment, she only felt a flash before her eyes, and even her breathing hitched for half a beat.

Su Chen gripped the sword with one hand.

The blade was entirely brilliant gold, its edges pressed with a layer of extremely fine holy fire; the fire patterns did not flare, flowing quietly along the spine of the sword.

Quiet was the most terrifying part.

Because that was not posturing.

That was power that could truly be contained, and truly cut through anything.

Han Su's eyelids twitched violently.

He could not recognize what kind of martial soul this was.

But he recognized this suppression.

This was not a simple case of elemental counter-acting.

It was a crushing of status.

His hand, which had been thrust out, actually slowed by half a beat.

That half beat was enough.

Su Chen did not retreat.

He did not even dodge.

He simply raised the sword and swept it horizontally forward.

Clang!

A deafening explosion rang out, shaking the wall plaster of the corridor until it fell in rustling sheets.

Han Su's palm struck the blade as if he had slammed into a red-hot iron wall.

The next second.

His expression changed on the spot.

A searing pain shot from his palm up his arm, followed immediately by an unreasonably tyrannical recoil that surged along his meridians straight into his chest.

Thump, thump, thump!

Han Su retreated three steps in a row.

With every step back, his boot soles ground against the floor tiles with a screeching sound.

By the third step, his throat tasted sweet, and a trickle of blood had already spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The corridor fell silent at once.

The guards who had originally rushed forward were all stunned.

The two female Deacons behind Xu Tinglan were so shocked they even held their breath.

Xiao Wu was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up with a frightening intensity.

"Good man."

"Wasn't this old thing acting quite arrogant just a moment ago?"

"How come he looks like he's been slapped by a door panel now?"

Han Su's face turned green.

He raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, staring at Su Chen, his eyes revealing true shock and anger for the first time.

"You dare to injure me?"

Su Chen held the sword, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather.

"You struck first."

"I am merely letting you know what pain feels like."

As these words fell.

Xiao Wu nearly laughed out loud.

The more she watched, the more satisfying she found it.

The most disgusting thing about someone like Han Su was that he usually stood on high ground, accustomed to trampling others, so he always assumed that whatever he said was the final word.

But now.

He had struck out with a palm, not only failing to suppress his opponent but ending up coughing up blood himself.

In this moment, his reputation had been thoroughly dragged through the dirt.

Han Su clearly realized this as well.

His gaze darkened, and his soul power erupted from his body once more.

Five soul rings lit up in unison.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black.

A Soul King.

And not just an ordinary Soul King.

As his fifth soul ring flared, the chilling sensation throughout the corridor intensified instantly, and even the shadows on the floor seemed to stretch longer.

"Your Highness, Holy Son."

Han Su's voice was hoarse.

"If you truly wish to escalate this, then I shall accompany you to the very end."

Xiao Wu couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Is something wrong with your brain?"

"It's clearly you who is about to be in trouble, so why are you acting like the victim?"

Han Su ignored her.

He stared at Su Chen and suddenly raised his hand, pressing it downward.

His fifth soul ring shone.

A grayish-black soul power spread out from beneath his feet, slithering like ink through the cracks in the tiles, covering half the corridor in the blink of an eye.

"Be careful."

Xu Tinglan finally spoke.

"His martial soul has corrosive properties; don't touch the ground for too long."

Su Chen lowered his head and glanced at it.

When that grayish-black soul power touched the wooden shelves in the corner, the surfaces immediately emitted a sizzling sound, as if being gnawed away layer by layer.

Xiao Wu's expression turned serious as well.

She could fight.

But she wasn't stupid.

This kind of area-of-effect suppression was the most annoying thing for someone like her who relied on close-quarters combat.

Han Su sneered.

"A warning now is too late."

He stomped his foot and lunged forward.

He wasn't charging at Xiao Wu.

He was still going for Su Chen.

It was obvious.

He knew better than anyone who the true threat was tonight.

As long as he suppressed Su Chen, everyone else would scatter.

Unfortunately.

His plan was sound.

He just picked the wrong target.

Su Chen took a step forward.

His sword strike was devoid of any flair.

He simply brought his blade down in a single, direct slash.

No soul skill.

There was no buildup.

There wasn't even a single wasted movement.

It was simply fast.

Fast as a golden thread descending right before one's eyes.

Han Su's pupils constricted; he forcibly withdrew the hand he had intended to strike at Su Chen's chest, crossing his arms to block instead.

BOOM!

The blade edge did not truly slice into his arms.

Yet, the force of the descent was enough to buckle Han Su's knees.

Crack!

Two floor tiles beneath his feet shattered instantly.

Han Su's entire frame dropped by a head.

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up as she watched.

"He knelt?"

"No way, he actually knelt?"

Her remark was like another slap across Han Su's face.

Han Su nearly ground his teeth to dust.

He did not want to kneel.

It was just that the force was too heavy.

What was even more infuriating was that the golden light pressed down along the sword, striking the exact node where his soul power circulated, leaving him with a suffocating sense of powerlessness.

He was clearly a Soul King.

Clearly, his cultivation realm was higher.

Yet, before this sword of Su Chen's, he was being pressed down so hard he couldn't even lift his head.

"Get—up!"

Han Su let out a fierce low growl, his soul power exploding as he tried to shove Su Chen's sword away.

But Su Chen only looked at him, his gaze as indifferent as if he were watching a clown struggling in an unsightly manner.

"Do you really think having more soul rings makes you useful?"

As the words fell.

Su Chen flicked his wrist lightly.

The blade that had been pressing down suddenly tilted.

Han Su's upward thrust instantly met empty air.

His center of gravity was thrown into chaos.

And in that very instant of disorder.

Su Chen raised his leg.

One kick.

BANG!

It landed squarely on Han Su's chest.

Han Su was sent flying backward as if struck head-on by a battering ram.

With a thunderous crash, his back smashed through half of a wooden door at the end of the corridor, wood splinters flying everywhere, even knocking over the screen placed behind it.

After that kick.

Everyone in the corridor went numb.

Even Lu Ming forgot to tremble, kneeling there in a daze, his face as pale as if he had just been fished out of water.

Xiao Wu was quiet for half a second.

Then, she completely lost her composure.

"Su Chen."

"You're way too ruthless."

Though she said that, her eyes were shining as if they were glowing.

Xu Tinglan stood behind, her moon-white sleeves tightening slightly.

She had already tried her best to overestimate Su Chen.

But she had still underestimated him.

Han Su was not Zhou Ling, nor was he some ordinary Deacon.

That was the Vice Hall Master of the Suotuo Branch Hall, a genuine Spirit King.

Yet in front of Su Chen, he hadn't even managed to withstand two rounds.

This wasn't a victory.

This was a crushing.

Su Chen did not pursue.

He simply carried his sword, walking forward at a leisurely pace.

When he reached the door that had been smashed to pieces, Han Su was bracing himself against the ground, trying to stand back up.

His chest had caved in.

His breathing was ragged.

The blood at the corner of his mouth was no longer a mere trickle; it was flowing down incessantly.

Su Chen stood before him, looking down.

"Do you still think you're the one calling the shots now?"

Han Su looked up.

In those eyes, there was finally something real.

It wasn't anger.

It was fear.

It wasn't feigned.

It was the fear that instinctively arises in the face of absolute suppression.

Yet his mouth remained stubborn.

"You... you dare to harm me in the Branch Hall."

"Even the Pope Palace cannot—"

"You are wrong again."

Su Chen interrupted him.

"It is not that I am harming you."

"It is that you assaulted the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son, and you are merely receiving your just deserts."

These words tore away the final layer of pretense.

Han Su's face turned ashen.

He finally understood.

From the moment Su Chen obtained that ledger, the outcome of tonight's game was no longer something he could overturn.

He had originally thought he could suppress the matter by relying on the Branch Hall's territory, his guards, and his status.

But now.

The ledger was in Su Chen's hands.

The Black Seal was in Su Chen's hands.

Both human and material evidence were complete.

He hadn't even managed to suppress him with force.

What else did he have to turn the tables?

On the other side of the corridor, those few guards looked at one another, none daring to step forward again.

Xu Tinglan finally took two steps forward at this moment.

She looked down at Han Su, her voice remaining soft.

"Do you wish to continue?"

Han Su stared at her.

His gaze was as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

Yet Xu Tinglan did not flinch.

"You lost because of two things."

"First, you are too greedy."

"Second, you think too highly of yourself."

After hearing this, Xiao Wu gave a direct assessment.

"That was quite a stinging insult."

Xu Tinglan glanced at her.

"I wasn't insulting him."

"I am balancing the books."

Xiao Wu immediately burst into laughter.

"Fine, so everyone in the Internal Affairs Department talks like this, right?"

Su Chen sheathed his sword at this moment.

The golden light receded.

The aura that had been crushing everyone until they could barely breathe also faded significantly.

He turned his head to look at Lu Ming.

"Can you talk now?"

Lu Ming shuddered all over.

This time, he didn't even dare to look at Han Su.

"I'll talk, I'll tell you everything."

"It was Vice Hall Master Han who ordered me to alter the accounts."

"Those two transfer orders were also made at his request; he said to use the guise of an external transfer to wipe several batches of goods from the branch hall's ledgers."

"The travel permits for the Black Market were also, also issued by him."

"I was just following orders, I really was just following orders!"

He spoke quickly and incoherently.

It was as if he feared that if he were a second too slow, Han Su would silence him for good.

Han Su's face turned completely pale.

"Lu Ming, shut your mouth!"

"Let him speak."

Su Chen replied with only three words.

They were not heavy.

Yet, Han Su truly did not dare to make another sound.

The two female Deacons behind Xu Tinglan stepped forward, pulling out their notebooks to record Lu Ming's words sentence by sentence.

Shen Zhi finally arrived from outside.

The moment he stepped in, he saw half the corridor smashed to pieces, guards lying all over the floor, and Han Su looking half-dead, causing him to pause in his tracks.

"Am I a bit late?"

Xiao Wu turned back, grinning from ear to ear.

"Not late."

"You arrived just in time for the raid."

Shen Zhi's mouth twitched.

He took another look at Su Chen, with only one thought remaining in his mind.

This Holy Son truly does not like to play by the rules.

Xu Tinglan had already re-hung the remaining keys at her waist.

She looked at Shen Zhi.

"Go call the people from the Branch Hall Legal Department and the Sealing Department."

"The Suotuo Branch Hall cannot cover up what happened tonight."

Shen Zhi nodded and turned to leave.

Han Su seemed to finally realize something, snapping his head up.

"Xu Tinglan."

"Do you think that by taking me down, you'll come out clean?"

"You have keys in your hands too, you also failed to report what you knew, you—"

"That is why I am here."

Xu Tinglan cut him off.

"I brought the ledgers out and laid the human and material evidence out in the open."

"And you?"

"Besides being stubborn, what else do you have left?"

At this, Han Su was completely unable to speak.

Xiao Wu stood beside Su Chen, her mood exceptionally good.

She had originally been worried that this situation tonight would be difficult to dismantle.

And the result?

Han Su had buried himself.

She tilted her head toward Su Chen, lowering her voice.

"That kick you just did, it was so cool."

Su Chen turned his head.

"Only saying that now?"

"Otherwise what?"

"Weren't you watching the whole time?"

Xiao Wu's ear tips heated up, and she immediately glared at him.

"Who was watching you the whole time?"

"I was just checking if Han Su's posture was ugly when he flew out."

Su Chen looked at her with a faint, mocking smile.

"So, did you see it clearly?"

Xiao Wu coughed and turned her head away.

"It, it was alright, I guess."

Yet despite her words, her hand quietly inched toward Su Chen, finally brushing against the back of his hand, as if only then did she feel at ease.

The touch was very light.

So light it felt like a test.

Su Chen didn't dodge.

He didn't call her out, either.

Just as her fingers were about to retract, he flipped his hand and caught hers, gripping her slightly cool hand firmly.

Xiao Wu stiffened all over.

Her heart hammered against her chest.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

Su Chen, however, acted as if nothing had happened, his tone remaining flat.

"Don't wander off."

"This place hasn't been cleared yet."

Xiao Wu opened her mouth.

She clearly wanted to retort with a "Who's wandering off?"

But in the end, she only let out a very soft "Oh."

She didn't pull her hand away.

She couldn't bear to, either.

Outside the corridor, a sudden, rhythmic, and hurried sound of footsteps approached.

The Sealing Department, the Legal Department, and the branch Deacon—they had all arrived.

The leader, upon entering, first caught sight of Han Su's miserable state, and his brow twitched violently.

Then, seeing Su Chen, he immediately lowered his head in a bow.

"Your Highness, Holy Son."

"The ledgers are here, and the person is here," Su Chen said indifferently. "Handle it as you see fit."

The man dared not say more, quickly ordering his subordinates to seal the person, the room, and the ledgers.

Han Su still wanted to struggle.

But when two Legal Deacons pinned his shoulders from left and right, he couldn't even stand steadily.

In this state, he no longer possessed a shred of his former dignity.

Before being dragged away, he turned back to glare at Su Chen one last time.

There was hatred in that gaze.

And a sliver of fear he couldn't hide.

Su Chen ignored him.

He looked at him as if he were nothing more than a piece of filth about to be cleared away.

Once everyone was taken away, the corridor finally quieted down.

Wood shavings, bloodstains, overturned shelves, and ledgers scattered all over the floor.

Xu Tinglan stood where she was and let out a soft breath.

She turned her head to look at Su Chen.

"If you hadn't come tonight, this situation would have been impossible to turn around."

Su Chen released Xiao Wu's hand, his tone indifferent.

"It's not as if you didn't have a backup plan."

Xu Tinglan paused, then nodded.

"I did."

"But having one and not using it is much the same as not having one at all."

Xiao Wu finally managed to suppress the ragged breathing from moments ago, regaining a bit of her composure.

"So what about now?"

"Can we eat now?"

Xu Tinglan was uncharacteristically stunned.

"...You're still thinking about food?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Xiao Wu replied righteously. "I haven't been full since I stepped into the Banquet Hall; I've been acting the whole time."

Having said that, she cast a glance at Su Chen.

"Besides, I've expended so much energy today."

Su Chen gave a hum of agreement.

"You should indeed eat."

Xu Tinglan was silent for two seconds before actually nodding.

"There is still hot food kept in the back hall, originally intended for the staff on duty at the Internal Affairs Department." She looked at Xiao Wu. "If you don't mind, you can go there."

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up instantly.

"You're actually quite nice."

Xu Tinglan tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"You're quite direct with your compliments as well."

Su Chen raised his eyes, looking toward the inner door at the end of the corridor that hadn't fully closed.

The space inside was shrouded in darkness.

Yet, within that gloom, something seemed to flash faintly.

It was brief.

But it did not escape his eyes.

His gaze turned cold in an instant.

"Wait."

Xiao Wu, who had just been about to leave, stopped immediately.

"What is it?"

Su Chen did not reply.

He simply raised his hand once more.

The Judgment Holy Sword flared with golden light again.

The next second.

He swung his blade toward the half-hidden inner door.