Only a short while later, three bedraggled young men ran out of the woods a short distance ahead of Su Chen, with a pack of ferocious-looking martial artists hot on their heels.
"After them!"
"Seize the Jade Wonder Fruit they're holding!"
"They dared steal the Jade Wonder Fruit our Iron Garb Sect had set its sights on! They must be tired of living!"
The three young men had nowhere left to run. Seeing Su Chen, they hastily called out to him, "Sir, please lend us a hand and drive these villains away! We'll reward you generously!"
Before Su Chen could answer, the vicious-looking martial artists caught up and surrounded him and the three young men.
"Tch, I thought anyone who turned up in the middle reaches of the Rising Sun Mountains would be someone formidable. Turns out it's just a brat." "Get lost, brat. This has nothing to do with you." One of the vicious-looking men sneered disdainfully at Su Chen.
Only then did the three young men get a clear look at Su Chen. Seeing that he was merely a teenage boy, their hearts sank. In their flight, they had called out instinctively without getting a good look at him. Now that they realized the person they had asked for help was far younger than they were, their expressions became uglier than if they had been crying.
"Forget it, young friend. We don't need you to save us anymore. Hurry and run!" one of the three young men said, his face woebegone.
But one of the vicious-looking men suddenly sneered. "Heh heh, you've walked right into our line of fire. It's too late to run! Blame your rotten luck, brat. Who told you to cross our path?"
"None of you move! Leave this to me. I'll butcher this brat first!"
As he spoke, a burly man carrying a massive steel saber raised it and charged at Su Chen, a savage grin spreading across his scar-covered face.
Swish!
The young man standing closest to Su Chen could not help turning his head away, unable to bear watching the boy's blood spill on the spot!
He soon felt warm blood splash all over him. Yet a moment later, an uncanny silence settled over their surroundings, as though time itself had stopped.
Puzzled, he turned back, only to see Su Chen still standing unharmed in the same spot, a broad longsword in his right hand.
The saber-wielding brute who had looked so ferocious moments ago now lay on the ground, his head severed from his body and blood still spraying from his neck!
Gasp!
The young man sucked in a breath of cold air, utterly shaken by the sight.
The vicious-looking men likewise could not believe their eyes. Every one of them stood rooted to the spot in bewilderment.
A one-eyed man among them suddenly roared, "Brat, you dared kill Senior Brother Sun! Pay with your life!"
Waving a pair of spiked hammers, he charged furiously at Su Chen.
In the blink of an eye, Su Chen raised his longsword again. Before the one-eyed man could reach him, a flash of sword light had already swept down!
The one-eyed man did not even have time to react before the sword light cleaved his entire body in two!
Thud! The two halves of his body fell hopelessly to the ground.
At that moment, an even deeper silence fell over the scene.
"Weren't you going to kill me? Keep coming, if you have the guts." Su Chen sheathed his sword and spoke coldly.
The three young men stood frozen, staring incredulously at this boy who looked barely fifteen.
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br> The vicious-looking men cried out in disbelief, "Brat, you dared kill our people? Do you know who we are?"
"We're from the Iron Garb Sect! Now that you've killed our people, there won't be a place for you anywhere within a thousand li!"
The Iron Garb Sect!
At those words, all three young men shuddered, panic immediately appearing on their faces!
Everyone knew that in the Cloud Abyss Empire, the greatest powers were the "greater sects." There was generally only one greater sect within any three-thousand-li region.
Below the greater sects were the "lesser sects," with several in each thousand-li region. The Iron Garb Sect was the largest lesser sect within a thousand li.
Rumor had it that the Iron Garb Sect's master had reached the tenth layer of the essence condensation realm, and that several elders in the sect were above the essence condensation realm seventh layer. It was an extremely formidable power. How could the three young men not panic upon learning that the men Su Chen had killed belonged to the Iron Garb Sect?
After all, those Iron Garb Sect members had been killed while pursuing them. If anyone investigated, they would certainly bear part of the responsibility.
Su Chen remained indifferent. "What Iron Garb Sect? Never heard of it!"
The four remaining Iron Garb Sect martial artists flew into a rage. "You're tired of living, brat!"
"Brothers, attack together! Kill him!"
They were about to advance when the martial artist leading them suddenly raised a hand to stop them. His expression was grave. "Junior Brother Sun and Junior Brother Huo were both killed by a single stroke of his sword just now. Neither had any chance to fight back."
"Senior Brother Wu, you mean..." the others asked.
The Iron Garb Sect martial artist called Senior Brother Wu said solemnly, "Junior Brother Sun and Junior Brother Huo were both at the eighth layer of Qi-Attraction Realm. If this brat could kill them with a single stroke, he must be at the ninth layer of Qi-Attraction Realm or higher!"
The others' expressions changed at those words. Each layer was a world apart. Even the four of them, all at the eighth layer of Qi-Attraction Realm, could not together overpower someone at the ninth layer of Qi-Attraction Realm. Numbers alone could not solve this problem.
Senior Brother Wu shot Su Chen a vicious glare. "Brat, you killed two members of our Iron Garb Sect. We won't forget this grudge!"
Then he called to the other three Iron Garb Sect members, "Let's go!"
But just as they turned to leave, Su Chen said indifferently, "A moment ago, you told me to blame my rotten luck and said you'd butcher me. Now you want to leave?"
"What do you mean, brat?" The four Iron Garb Sect martial artists were hardly the sort to swallow humiliation. Hearing Su Chen's words, they all turned back.
"Brat, we're showing you mercy by letting you off. Don't take a mile when we give you an inch. Are you really planning to keep us here?"
"You may be at the ninth layer of Qi-Attraction Realm, but the four of us are at the eighth layer. If we stake our lives on fighting you, you might not come out ahead!" Senior Brother Wu said darkly.
"Besides, we belong to the Iron Garb Sect, and our young master is nearby. If you want to kill us, you'd better consider whether you can afford to provoke the Iron Garb Sect!"
Senior Brother Wu had thought those words would make Su Chen back down. To his surprise, Su Chen remained indifferent throughout, without so much as batting an eyelid, let alone showing any fear.
When Senior Brother Wu finished, Su Chen asked calmly, "Are you done?"
Senior Brother Wu froze.
"If you're done, then die."
The moment Su Chen finished speaking, the Vast Sea Sword left its sheath with a ringing clang once more! Only a short while later, three bedraggled young men ran out of the woods a short distance ahead of Su Chen, with a pack of ferocious-looking martial artists hot on their heels.
The moment Su Chen finished speaking, the Vast Sea Sword left its sheath with a ringing clang once more!
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