Deal with Them All

Huang Nian's voice was not low—in fact, it was quite loud. Regardless, everyone in the Mad Blade Martial Hall heard him clearly. In an instant, the faces of everyone in the hall were twisted with fury. Huang Nian's words didn't treat them as human beings at all; he had beaten their fellow disciples to death, yet he still had the gall to mock them for being fragile.

Although the Huang Family was one of the two great clans in Yufeng Prefecture, the people here were currently itching to pounce forward and tear these arrogant, dehumanizing bastards into shreds.

They turned their gazes toward Ba Dao, waiting for a single word from him. If he gave the order, they would charge forward without hesitation to fight to the death. Even though they knew they couldn't win, a person had to have some backbone and retain a shred of dignity while alive. If one lacked even that, then living held little meaning. Huang Nian's words had shattered their bottom line; now, even if they were to die here, they would have no regrets.

"Look, look, you're losing your composure, aren't you? Look at your disciples—they're dying to tear me apart right now. But what good does that do? Even if all of you came at me together, could you even scratch a hair on our heads? Having backbone is fine, but you have to know when to show it. Life is so good, why throw it away for the sake of some dignity? Tell me, am I right?" Huang Nian naturally saw the state of the disciples outside. He looked at Ba Dao, spread his hands in a gesture of indifference, and spoke with his trademark arrogance.

At this, the eyes of everyone in the martial hall turned bloodshot. If this wasn't bullying, nothing was. If this wasn't looking down on others, nothing was. Huang Nian embodied it perfectly. Of course, given their current strength, he certainly had the capital to do so.

Ba Dao's breathing grew ragged, his right hand already gripping the giant blade on his back. Seeing this, the numerous disciples outside immediately grabbed their weapons from the training ground, waiting only for Ba Dao to make a move before they charged in to fight those bastards to the death. In contrast, Huang Nian and his four guards showed no signs of tension. They all looked relaxed, watching the movements of Ba Dao's group with undisguised contempt, much like giants watching a colony of ants brandishing blades at them.

Clang! The giant blade behind Ba Dao left its sheath. His aura erupted, and he swung the blade toward Huang Nian, who sat in the seat of honor. The essence of the Mad Battle Blade Art lay in the word "mad"—only with an insanely wild fighting spirit and an unstoppable momentum could one unleash the true power of this technique. However, this time, Ba Dao's Mad Battle Blade Art achieved nothing. Before he could even get close to Huang Nian, one of the guards kicked him, sending him flying backward to crash heavily onto the ground.

The moment Ba Dao drew his blade, his disciples had charged forward with him. Seeing their master struck down in a single blow, they faltered for a moment, but then continued to rush into the living room.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. You actually dared to draw your blade on me—you're a real man. And all these disciples of yours, they're all real men too. It's just a pity, I wonder if your families are as 'manly' as you are?" Huang Nian looked down at the fallen Ba Dao, a faint smile on his face, his words dripping with endless mockery.

The disciples of the Mad Blade Martial Hall stopped in their tracks at these words. Because Huang Nian had mentioned their families, they hesitated. They could risk their lives for the sake of their pride against opponents they clearly couldn't defeat, but what would happen to their families afterward? How many could bear the agony of white-haired parents burying their children? Most importantly, based on what they knew of Huang Nian, this bastard was very likely to target their families. That was a price they could not afford to pay.

Sometimes, a person might not even fear death, but once family is involved, the situation changes instantly.

"Hahahaha! How refreshing! Watching you weaklings look like you want to tear me apart, yet you can only glare with impotent rage and have no way to stop me—it makes me feel so good all over. Are you still going to kill me? If not, I'm leaving. The frustration I felt yesterday has been completely washed away by you today; I really must thank you. Here, take these spirit stones as a token of my gratitude. I haven't been this happy in a long time—you lot are truly good people." Huang Nian laughed heartily, looking at the crowd with glee, completely unbothered by their murderous glares. Dropping a few spirit stones on the floor, he stood up and walked toward the exit of the hall.

Though the disciples of the Mad Blade Martial Hall were filled with immense resentment and fury, they could only clear a path, allowing these bastards to strut out of the hall with their heads held high.

"Oh? What a top-tier beauty. To find such a gem in a place like this—it seems this trip was truly worth it." No sooner had Huang Nian stepped out of the hall than he spotted Xia Xue standing in the corner of the training ground. His eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but let out a lecherous grin. As soon as he finished speaking, he and his four guards surrounded the area, trapping Xia Xue and Chu Xiaotian in the center. Judging by their practiced movements, this was clearly not the first time they had done such a thing.

Xia Xue and Chu Xiaotian had previously been held back by the disciples of the Mad Blade Martial Hall, who wouldn't let them intervene on the grounds that they weren't members of the hall. Although Xia Xue desperately wanted to help, she knew that with their combined strength, they couldn't change anything, and she could only fret in silence. As for Chu Xiaotian, in such a situation, he could only do his best to protect Xia Xue; as for the others, he felt powerless to help.

He knew Xia Xue's beauty would inevitably invite trouble and had wanted to take her away, but Xia Xue refused to leave, insisting on finding a way to help, so he had no choice but to stay by her side. Now, things were unfolding exactly as he had feared: Huang Nian had been captivated by Xia Xue's beauty.

Three at the peak of the Tongmai Realm, two at the initial stage of the Pi-Hai Realm... hmm, a bit tricky. But if I'm careful, I should be able to take them all down. These guys are clearly no good; killing them would be a service to the people. I'll play the hero for once. Looking at the five men surrounding him and Xia Xue, Chu Xiaotian did not panic. His eyes darted across the five of them as he muttered to himself.

"Kid, why are you still standing there? Our young master has taken a fancy to the beauty beside you. If you're smart, get lost now. It would be a shame if you got hurt over a misunderstanding," one of the guards said, waving his hand at Chu Xiaotian as if shooing away a fly, his eyes fixed on Xia Xue. After speaking, he looked at Xia Xue himself and couldn't help but swallow hard. Based on their past experiences, the young master wouldn't forget them after he was done. They had never encountered a top-tier beauty like Xia Xue before, and the thought that he might get a share of the spoils made his blood boil with uncontrollable lust.

The others behaved similarly, their faces flushed with heat as if they could already see Xia Xue being humiliated. As for Chu Xiaotian, they ignored him entirely. They didn't fear such a weakling causing any trouble, and besides, in their experience, men usually scurried away in such situations.

Chu Xiaotian did not disappoint them. He looked at Xia Xue with deep longing, cast one last resentful glance at the five men, and finally gritted his teeth, turned around, and walked out of their circle. Huang Nian and his guards made no move to stop him, their eyes fixed solely on Xia Xue.

"Chu Xiaotian, I misjudged you! I never thought you were this kind of person!" Seeing Chu Xiaotian turn and leave just like that, Xia Xue was heartbroken. She screamed at his retreating back with eyes full of despair. The moment she finished, a dagger appeared in her hand, and she slashed it toward her own throat. Even in death, she would not let these beasts defile her.

"Little beauty, don't be so impulsive. It's not worth dying for a man like that." Xia Xue's suicide attempt failed; Huang Nian had easily grabbed her wrist, causing the dagger to clatter to the ground.

"Pah! You beast! You'll die a horrible death! Even as a ghost, I won't let you go!" Having failed even to end her own life, Xia Xue could already foresee her tragic fate. Her eyes flashed with endless rage as she spat in Huang Nian's face and cursed him.

Huang Nian wiped the spit from his face and was about to strike Xia Xue, but suddenly, a cloud of yellow mist descended from above. His hand, only halfway extended, went limp. Then, his entire body collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud. Before he even hit the floor, he felt a powerful force strike his chest, sending him flying backward through the air.

Xia Xue's body had only fallen halfway before she vanished from the spot, only to find herself lying horizontally in Chu Xiaotian's arms.

"Little Xue, be good. You scared me just now. I told you I'd be with you even in death, so how could I possibly run away and leave you to these beasts? I just knew I couldn't beat them head-on, so I had to come up with a plan. Next time, remember not to go seeking death at every turn, or else how am I supposed to live? Hmm, I promise you, I'll never do that again." Holding Xia Xue's soft body, Chu Xiaotian lowered his head to kiss the tears from her face, whispering softly in her ear. Once he finished, he took a small red pill from his pocket and gently placed it into Xia Xue's mouth.

Facing five such experts, he had no guarantee of victory, so he had resorted to the packet of Bone-Softening Powder he carried, leading to the scene that had just transpired.

However, Xia Xue's reaction had been beyond his expectations. If Huang Nian hadn't been quick to act, his beloved might have truly perished.

Thinking of this, a wave of lingering fear washed over him. He swore to himself that he would never let this happen again; he would grow stronger, so that he could use absolute power to crush anyone who dared to harbor evil intentions toward Xia Xue.