Senior, I... I'm sorry

This middle-aged man had once been a Dou Zong, a powerhouse of immense strength.

Even now, with his cultivation fallen to Nine-Star Dou Ling, he could still unleash power capable of threatening a Dou Wang.

But his opponent was Xiao Chen.

A freak whose combat strength was wildly out of proportion to his cultivation!

On top of that, Xiao Chen was now using the Azure Nether Freedom Sword Scripture, created by his teacher Su Qingxue. Its power was even more astonishing.

Faced with this sword strike, the middle-aged man saw that even his strongest killing move was useless. Terror nearly drove his soul from his body, and he had no time to dodge!

The sword light radiated an aura as lofty and ethereal as the azure heavens. When it struck him, it split his body in two as easily as slicing tofu.

"No!"

The middle-aged man let out a heart-rending howl of pain.

Then his body separated into two halves.

The cut was smooth as a mirror, and the halves crashed to the ground.

This former Dou Zong powerhouse, this middle-aged man who had driven the girl in military attire and her companions to despair, had actually been cleaved in two by that single strike!

The might of one sword strike was terrifying indeed!

"Th-this is power a boy can control?"

The guards all stood frozen in place.

One of them, in particular, was so shaken that he cried out.

"To think... I was blind. I truly had eyes but could not see..."

The middle-aged man in black robes had swallowed a medicinal pill, and a little color had returned to his face.

He, too, had been shaken by the sight, and his expression was extraordinarily complicated.

"That boy... that sword strike just now must have been created by a supreme expert at least at the Heavenly Lord level, right?"

Yin Yuandong was dumbfounded as well.

He knew Xiao Chen's origins were mysterious, but throughout the ages, there had only been a handful of figures at the Heavenly Lord level-

Xiao Chen actually had ties to someone of that caliber?!

The girl in military attire stared fixedly at Xiao Chen, her mind utterly blank.

At that moment, wild joy, bewilderment, disbelief, and other emotions came crashing over her like collapsing mountains and a raging tsunami. She could only stand there in a daze, watching the boy who looked like an immortal banished to the mortal world.

Xiao Chen exhaled softly, then nodded in satisfaction.

It was his first time using the Azure Nether Freedom Sword Scripture, and he had failed to rein in its power, actually cleaving his opponent straight in two.

That was something Xiao Chen had not expected.

"Judging by that, my full-powered strike should be on the level of a Five-Star Dou Wang?"

Xiao Chen looked at his hands with a peculiar expression.

Just what kind of physique do I have?

I'm clearly only a One-Star Dou Shi, yet my combat strength far exceeds my apparent cultivation...

But that sword strike had drained almost all his power. He could not unleash a second one now.

"I have to expend Dou Qi before I can absorb it. This body really is sick..."

Xiao Chen shook his head in self-mockery.

"Thank you for saving us, Senior. I, Gong, will never forget such immense kindness as long as I live. If you ever have any commands for me, I will not refuse!"

By then, the middle-aged man in black robes had recovered from his shock. He climbed to his feet, clasped his hands, and bowed.

His expression was filled with reverence and gratitude.

He was a man of considerable experience and knowledge, and he understood at once.

The boy before him certainly was not truly a boy.

He was an old monster skilled in preserving his youthful appearance!

No.

He was a venerable senior skilled in preserving his youthful appearance!

Moreover, Xiao Chen's single sword strike had turned back the raging tide and saved all their lives.

Every word Gong Feng spoke came from the bottom of his heart, his gratitude overflowing.

It was no exaggeration to say that even the father of the girl in military attire would have been awed by Xiao Chen's earlier sword strike.

Seeing this, the guards hurried over as well and bowed respectfully.

"Senior, we will remember your life-saving kindness until our teeth fall out!"

Yet inwardly, they felt somewhat uneasy.

After all, their attitude toward Xiao Chen had been far from friendly throughout the journey.

Quite a few of them had entertained the thought of teaching Xiao Chen a lesson.

And now, they had witnessed this boy they had looked down upon slay the middle-aged man with a single sword strike.

They had already been shaken beyond measure.

Now their hearts were filled with both shock and fear.

They were afraid Xiao Chen would settle accounts with them.

"If you're so powerful, why didn't you act right away?"

Just then, the girl in military attire suddenly rushed over, her pretty face filled with anger.

"If you'd acted sooner, how could Chuang Yan and the others have been killed by the Ghost-Faced Insects? How could Uncle Gong have been so badly wounded? And how could we have been left frightened and anxious until now?"

Everyone fell silent.

Faced with such unreasonable accusations, Yin Yuandong gave a dry chuckle. "Miss, you all resisted and shunned Xiao Chen throughout the journey. You even said he was taking advantage of you by following along, and that you were protecting him."

"Xiao Chen never held any of that against you. Now he's saved your lives, and not only are you ungrateful, you're questioning him like this..."

"Aren't you going too far?"

The middle-aged man in black robes also paled, his heart shuddering violently.

Young miss, young miss, what are you doing?!

The person before us is a venerable senior of terrifying strength.

If you anger him, he could easily wipe out everyone here.

And you still dare say such things?

Have you gone mad?

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward, his expression stern and cold, and rebuked her. "Young miss, you need to come to your senses! We were the ones who slighted Senior Xiao earlier, yet he still kindly stepped in to save us. That is an enormous kindness. How can you be so rude?"

"Apologize to Senior Xiao at once!"

He minced no words, unleashing a barrage of scolding straight at her.

The girl in military attire was stunned by his rebuke.

It was the first time she had ever seen Uncle Gong, who doted on her most, lose his temper with her.

His stern manner felt utterly unfamiliar to her.

The girl in military attire had lived in pampered luxury since childhood, showered with every affection.

Coupled with her outstanding beauty, she had been pursued and praised wherever she went.

She had never imagined that a single remark would earn her the first scolding of her life.

And the one scolding her was Uncle Gong, who doted on her most!

"Young miss, Lord Gong is right. You mustn't lose your head at a time like this."

The guards also spoke up one after another to persuade her.

Their young miss's deeply disrespectful words had frightened them into a cold sweat as well.

The young miss truly fears neither heaven nor earth. She's going to get us all killed!

The middle-aged man in black robes was speaking up for Xiao Chen.

Even the guards were bluntly saying she had lost her head.

At that moment, the girl in military attire felt as though the world before her had changed.

Her gaze gradually grew bewildered and helpless.

Was I really wrong?

After a long while, the girl in military attire finally regained some clarity and reason.

She hurriedly looked toward Xiao Chen and bowed respectfully, lowering her proud, beautiful head as the light dimmed in her eyes.

"Senior, I... I'm sorry."

It was the first time she had ever lowered her head and apologized to anyone, and her feelings were exceedingly complicated.

Seeing this, Gong Feng let out a long sigh of relief, a trace of gratification appearing between his brows.

He addressed Xiao Chen respectfully. "Senior, our young miss has been spoiled by her family since childhood, so she is inevitably somewhat rash. Please forgive her!"

The other guards hurriedly bowed as well, pleading aloud for Xiao Chen's forgiveness.