Battle of Life and Death

Early the next morning, many people rushed toward the Arena. They thirsted for blood, thirsted for violence, thirsted to see someone killed.

The viewing stands were packed to the brim in no time. Naturally, Xiao Jun, Xiao Yang, and the others were among them. However, their expressions turned grim when they saw Xiao Jian, especially Xiao Jun. Of the five, only Xiao Jun had reached the Mid-Grade Emperor Spirit Realm, so he understood the gap between the two.

"Brother Jun, he's gone mad. Why is he seeking death the moment he comes back?" Xiao Kai was the most hot-tempered and could not help saying.

"Stop talking. Later, even if we have to break the rules, we must step in and save him." Xiao Jun patted his forehead with his right hand and said in a deep voice. Clearly, Xiao Jian's actions were giving him a massive headache as well.

"Brother Jun, but..."

"We can't just stand by and watch our brother die, can we? So what if we get thrown out? I refuse to believe that, without the Xiao Clan's protection after leaving this branch, the Black Alliance would really capture me." Xiao Jun said disdainfully, clearly not believing it.

Yet that was indeed the truth. In order to keep them, the Xiao Clan had mixed truth with falsehood. As for the Black Alliance hunting squads, those were real—but no one knew whom they hunted.

Xiao Yan was cultivating, so he had not come.

On the fighting platform, Xiao Jian stood there with his longsword planted in the ground. One hand gripped the hilt while the other rested over it. His eyes were closed, as if the clamor around him had nothing to do with him.

There were no referees in a battle of life and death—only a victor. The victor was the referee, and he would declare himself the winner.

After waiting for quite a while, Xiao Jian's opponent finally sauntered onto the platform. His left hand was tucked into his pocket, while his right held a toothpick that he used to pick his teeth. A wicked smile hung on his face. This match would likely be the easiest of his ten matches. He enjoyed the look of fear on his opponents' faces before a fight.

Xiao Leng—this was his name. He always wore a smile, yet hid a blade within it. That was the chill he gave others.

The moment Xiao Leng appeared, screams erupted from the square. In people's hearts, the strong had no flaws. Even if they did, plenty of people would cover them up and call them personality.

Xiao Jian slowly opened his eyes. Without a word, he thrust his sharp sword straight toward Xiao Leng's heart. He used no Dou Skill. Close combat—that was Xiao Jian's plan. His Dou Skills were only Heaven Tier, and against a Dou Emperor stronger than himself, they would not be of much use. Thus, close combat was his best choice.

Not only would this save his Dou Qi, it would also improve his actual combat ability.

Xiao Leng merely shifted slightly to the side and evaded it. Yet the sword edge followed close behind. Xiao Jian had clearly planned for this, sweeping his longsword horizontally at him.

Xiao Leng tossed his toothpick into the air and crouched low. One, two, three—he landed three solid punches on Xiao Jian's abdomen. Xiao Jian staggered backward, his inner Dou Qi churning violently.

Xiao Leng apparently had no intention of letting Xiao Jian die so quickly. Rather than pressing his advantage, he raised his hand to catch the toothpick and continued picking his teeth, spitting out "Pah" after "pah." No one knew whether he was cursing someone.

Had Xiao Leng used two daggers just now, or pursued him while he had the upper hand, Xiao Jian would already have been lying on the ground. The gap between mid-grade and low-grade was enormous in both strength and speed.

The audience seemed thoroughly entertained by this sort of match, looking at Xiao Jian as though he were an idiot.

"You're weak, slow, and lacking in strength. I really don't know why you chose to fight me in a battle of life and death. Wouldn't it be better to go home and keep your wife company?" Xiao Leng tossed the toothpick in his hand aside and walked toward Xiao Jian. At the branch, they had many ways to make money, but the fastest was through battles of life and death—taking the other party's Storage Ring.

Battle of Life and Death

Xiao Jian gripped his longsword tightly. No fear could be seen on his face as his eyes remained fixed on Xiao Leng.

Two daggers appeared in Xiao Leng's hands. He casually tossed them upward. The daggers traced circles through the air before returning to his hands. Step by step, he walked toward Xiao Jian. He ignored every movement Xiao Jian made, placing pressure on him mentally. The more unconcerned he appeared, the greater Xiao Jian's fear of him would become.

As Xiao Leng drew closer, sweat began to bead on Xiao Jian's forehead, and his heartbeat accelerated. He gritted his teeth as a cold gleam flashed from the longsword in his hand. Xiao Jian intended to seize the initiative, sending the longsword straight at Xiao Leng. Even without a Dou Skill, it would still put pressure on him.

"Using the same move once is enough..." Before Xiao Leng could finish speaking, he discovered that Xiao Jian had not thrown just one sword, but two. Each was incomparably sharp, and neither was weaker than the previous attack.

Xiao Leng was briefly stunned, but the wicked smile returned to his lips. He did not dodge. Standing where he was, he wrapped his hands in Dou Qi and forcibly caught both swords.

The longswords collided with his fists. Xiao Jian's hands went numb, and the vibrations traveling through the swords nearly made him lose his grip. Blood appeared on his hands, and when it flowed onto the swords, an abnormal sight emerged.

Xiao Leng's feet sank directly into the ground, yet he seemed entirely unharmed. That trademark smile still hung at the corner of his mouth.

With a burst of strength from both hands, one sword vanished, while the other broke free of Xiao Jian's control and flew backward to one side of the ground. Xiao Jian looked at that sword and sighed. In the end, he had still been too impulsive. Improving his strength was certainly important, but he should not have chosen such an opponent.

The threat of death could drive people forward. Many geniuses used it to temper themselves and seek opportunities for breakthroughs. Yet such danger was also immense; one wrong step, and death would follow.

Xiao Leng did not look at the regretful Xiao Jian. He walked over to the sword that had been knocked away. The smile on his lips deepened as he laughed. "Good sword. What a fine sword. For this sword's sake, I can let you die by this sword."

Xiao Leng held the sword and examined it again and again before looking at Xiao Jian, his lips filled with mockery.

Those who practiced the sword took pride in their swords. To die beneath one's own sword was a humiliation to any swordsman.

Below the platform, Xiao Jun and the others could no longer hold themselves back. Xiao Leng's strength was completely beyond what Xiao Jian could contend with.

"Xiao Jian, come down now. Breaking the rules will bring punishment, but that's still better than dying," Xiao Jun said to him.

"That's right, Xiao Jian. Whatever it is, talk to us."

"Shut up, all of you. My affairs are none of your concern." Xiao Jian kept staring at Xiao Leng. This was his battle of life and death. Even if he died, he did not want anyone else's help. To protect certain things, what was there to fear even in death?

"Since you want to die so badly, then I'll grant your wish. Dying beneath this sword can be considered your honor."