Can I Start Killing?

Soul Severing Cliff.

The name sounded perilous, yet the scenery was unrivaled.

The cliff looked as though a gigantic axe had split it open beneath the sky. Its walls rose sheer on both sides, a thousand fathoms high and smooth as mirrors. Clouds and mist churned below, seeming to plunge ten thousand fathoms deep, with no bottom in sight.

A gale poured upward from the abyss, making clothes flap loudly. Anyone with slightly weaker cultivation standing here would even feel their mind sway, as though they might tumble into the deep abyss at any moment.

At the cliff's summit lay a vast natural platform, already packed shoulder to shoulder with people.

As far as the eye could see, there were martial artists wearing sabers and carrying swords. Nearly every sect with a name in Azure Province had sent representatives. Even the weakest among them were second-rate experts capable of standing on their own in the martial world.

They gathered in small groups, discussing loudly, their words brimming with anticipation and excitement for the coming "battle between righteousness and evil."

"Xue Yutang, the eldest young master of the Blood Saber Sect, True Man Songyue, the Qingcheng Sword Sect's leader, and the leaders and elders of Diancang, Hengshan, Taishan, and other sects... Heh, a spectacle like this comes once in several decades."

"What ability does that demon Lu Shaoyou even possess, to make the entire Azure Province martial world mobilize for him alone?"

"Hmph, that fiend was cruel by nature. He wiped out two major halls of the Blood Saber Sect and slaughtered four young heroes of Qingcheng on the official road. He had long become an object of outrage to gods and men alike! Today is his day of death!"

"Come to think of it, such a huge commotion has broken out, so why is there no sign of the Giant Whale Gang? A few days ago, Lu Shaoyou killed Xiong Tai, the Black Tiger Hall Master, on their turf."

"What else could it be? I say the Giant Whale Gang had long been colluding with this demon! Perhaps they even wanted to sit back and reap the fisherman's profit in secret—a pack of rats unfit to see the light!"

On the northern side of the platform, Xue Yutang sat in a luxurious grandmaster's chair, smiling as he calmly listened to the surrounding discussion.

Beside him sat True Man Songyue, his face iron-blue and his eyes bloodshot. The old Taoist held an ancient sword in his arms, his entire body radiating a chilling killing intent that warned strangers to keep away.

Just as the crowd's discussion reached a fever pitch, a voice that was not loud yet exceptionally clear came from behind the packed crowd.

"Make way."

The voice was calm, yet seemed to carry an unquestionable force.

The crowd turned at the sound and saw a young man in blue robes, holding a long staff, slowly walking over.

He looked not yet twenty, with delicate features and eyes as calm as a deep pool. He was utterly out of place amid the noisy, fervent atmosphere around him.

"Where did this brat come from? Don't you know the rules?" A brawny man with a face full of flesh barked impatiently. "If you want to watch the excitement, line up in the back. Is this somewhere you can squeeze into?"

"Hahaha, I think he came to try his luck too, see if he can pick up some scraps."

"With that scrawny body and a fire poker in his hand? Don't go throwing your life away!"

The crowd erupted in laughter.

Yet before the laughter died down, several martial artists who had just arrived from the direction of the official road turned deathly pale upon seeing the young man's face. As if they had seen a ghost, they pointed at him, their voices trembling.

"It... it's him! He's the fiend who killed the Black Wind Seven Fiends with a flick of his finger!"

"Lu Shaoyou! He... he really dared to come alone!"

The cries of alarm were like a basin of cold water, instantly dousing the uproar across the venue. Every gaze snapped toward the blue-robed figure.

Among those countless gazes were shock, greed, and fear, but even more was the cruel anticipation of watching a good show.

"So you're Lu Shaoyou!" The brawny man who had rebuked him earlier showed no fear. Instead, wild delight burst from his eyes.

He considered himself somewhat renowned in the martial world. Known as Wang Meng the Mountain-Splitting Saber, he was one of the finest among Super First-rate Masters.

In his view, the rumors were mostly exaggerated. Now that Lu Shaoyou was alone, this was the perfect chance to make a name for himself and seize the bounty!

"Demon! You slaughtered people like hemp, and your sins towered to the heavens! Today, I, Wang Meng, shall act on Heaven's behalf and take your head!"

Wang Meng roared. Inner Force surged from him, and the ground beneath his feet cracked in response.

He yanked out the thick-backed Mountain-Splitting Saber from behind him and brought it down upon Lu Shaoyou's head with the force to split mountains and cleave rocks.

This saber strike was his signature technique, overwhelmingly powerful and heavy. Ordinary experts would lose their composure from the saber wind alone.

He could practically see Lu Shaoyou being split in two by his blade, while he himself collected fifty thousand taels of silver under the gaze of the masses and became famous throughout Azure Province.

Yet in the face of this thunderous blow, Lu Shaoyou did not even raise an eyelid.

He merely extended one finger.

His index finger.

That finger was pale and slender, seemingly devoid of any strength. He casually raised it to meet the Mountain-Splitting Saber and lightly tapped it.

A faint, almost imperceptible golden glow curled around his fingertip.

Ding!

A soft, crisp ring sounded.

Before everyone's horrified eyes, Wang Meng's unstoppable Mountain-Splitting Saber seemed to strike an invisible divine mountain the instant it touched Lu Shaoyou's fingertip.

The violent Inner Force on the blade vanished in an instant.

Then that pale golden force, like a living spirit serpent, spread from the tip of the saber across the entire blade in the blink of an eye.

Crack... crack-crack-crack...

A rapid series of dense fractures rang out. The Mountain-Splitting Saber, forged from hundred-times-tempered refined steel, began shattering inch by inch from its tip, turning into countless iron chips that clattered onto the ground.

The ecstasy on Wang Meng's face froze, leaving behind only endless terror and bewilderment.

Before he could react at all, the pale golden force that had destroyed the Mountain-Splitting Saber continued without losing momentum, like an invisible sharp arrow piercing precisely through his brow.

Puff.

A spray of blood mist burst from the back of his head.

Wang Meng's expression completely froze. His towering body swayed, then fell straight backward with a heavy crash.

Slaughter Value +1000

A deathly silence.

The wind, the rolling clouds, heartbeats, breathing... every sound seemed to vanish in that instant.

One finger.

Only one finger.

A divine weapon shattered with a touch, a Super First-rate Master killed in an instant!

The thousands of martial artists present all felt a chill shoot from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads. Their limbs went icy cold, and none dared even breathe loudly.

Those who had been shouting about executing the demon were now as pale as paper, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

Lu Shaoyou withdrew his finger, as though he had merely crushed an insignificant ant.

His gaze swept over the crowd. Like Moses parting the sea, the people before him retreated in terror to either side, opening a broad path leading to the arena.

No one dared block him again.

Step by step, unhurried and unhurried, he walked onto the crude arena built from enormous boulders and casually planted the Qi Mei Cudgel beside him.

After doing all that, he did not look at the murderous True Man Songyue, nor did he pay any attention to the thousands of so-called martial comrades below the stage.

His gaze passed over everyone and settled directly on Xue Yutang, who sat high in his grandmaster's chair with a composed smile.

Though this was their first meeting, he immediately confirmed the other man's identity.

A faint smile that was not quite a smile curved at the corner of his mouth.

He spoke calmly, his voice clearly spreading across the summit of Soul Severing Cliff.

"You invited the people."

"You built the stage."

He paused, raised his foot, and lightly stomped on the hard stone arena.

Boom!

With a dull boom, the entire platform seemed to shudder violently. Countless fine cracks spread outward from beneath his foot.

"Now, can I start killing?"

The moment those words fell, the entire venue was stunned!

What arrogance! What insolence! He actually regarded this public trial assembly of Azure Province's martial world as a feast of slaughter under his control!

"You brat! How dare you be so arrogant!" True Man Songyue trembled with rage, his beard and hair bristling as he could no longer restrain himself and was about to attack.

However, someone was faster than him.

"You insignificant demon, and you dare wag your tongue here? Let This Seat take your life!"

With a stern shout, a blue figure swept over the crowd and drifted onto the arena.

This man was Zhou Qingyun, leader of the Diancang Sect. With Xiantian Early-stage cultivation, he was also a prominent figure in Azure Province's martial world.

Seeing Lu Shaoyou treat the gathered heroes with such contempt, he knew this was the perfect opportunity to establish his authority.

"Behold Diancang's supreme art—Cloud Gate Flying Sword!"

Zhou Qingyun wasted no words. He held two fingers together like a sword, and an extremely condensed azure sword force shot from his hand. It shrieked through the air as it flew straight for Lu Shaoyou's throat.

This sword strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, fully displaying the bearing of a Xiantian expert.

The people below the stage cheered one after another, as though they could already see Lu Shaoyou's throat pierced through by the strike.

However, Lu Shaoyou merely gave him a contemptuous glance.

Facing the sword force capable of piercing steel plates, he still did not use a weapon. He only raised his right hand, curling his five fingers into a claw.

Dragon Claw Hand!

Hum!

A phantom dragon claw condensed from pale golden true energy appeared out of thin air. It struck later yet arrived first, grabbing the fierce azure sword force firmly in its palm.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out, like crushing a flatbread.

The sword force Zhou Qingyun had placed such hopes on was crushed to powder in a single grip by Lu Shaoyou's dragon claw, turning into specks of azure light that dispersed into the air.

Lu Shaoyou withdrew his hand and even shook it lazily. Looking at the dumbfounded Zhou Qingyun, he spat out two words.

"Too weak."

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