The instant those words fell, the atmosphere throughout the martial arena abruptly froze.
Thousands of gazes turned in unison toward the blood-soaked figure on the platform. Some held horror, some confusion, some the gloating delight of spectators watching a spectacle, while deep in the eyes of a very few, a flicker of admiration appeared.
But whatever those gazes held, one shared thought overshadowed them all at that moment.
Had Chu Yunfei gone mad??
A youth who had only just broken through to the Spirit Martial Realm intended to oppose the entire sect single-handedly.
"You intend to make an enemy of the sect?"
One elder rose from his seat, his brows tightly knitted. His cultivation was in the Heavenly Origin Realm, and the pressure he released bore down toward the platform like an invisible mountain.
Immediately afterward, two more elders stood.
The pressure of three Heavenly Origin Realm cultivators overlapped, making even the air on the platform turn viscous. The surrounding rubble creaked beneath it.
Chu Yunfei would rather break than bend. He swept a glance over the elders who had risen, a cold sneer tugging at his lips.
"Heh. From this day forward, I, Chu Yunfei, am no longer a disciple of the Azure Mystic Sect."
In the VIP seats.
Nangong Wuhen's gaze sharpened slightly. His fingers unconsciously tapped the armrest twice, and his eyes settled on the Giant Que Sword, a sharp gleam flashing through their depths.
Could the Azure Mystic Sect's refusal to let Chu Yunfei take the Giant Que Sword mean they had discovered its origins?
"You're courting death."
Zhou Huanzhang's expression darkened completely. The veneer of false composure he had maintained tore apart, exposing the vicious true face beneath.
"Chu Yunfei, you practice evil arts and violate sect rules, and now you openly betray the sect. Today, I shall cleanse the sect of you."
Before his words had finished falling, he moved.
The speed of the Heavenly Origin Realm was far beyond anything the Spirit Martial Realm could match.
To Chu Yunfei's senses, Zhou Huanzhang's figure seemed to have been erased from reality. One moment, he stood among the elders' seats; the next, he was already three feet in front of him.
The wind of his punch arrived first.
A vast surge of spiritual power poured forth like a mountain torrent, carrying the full pressure of Heavenly Origin Realm cultivation as it blasted straight toward Chu Yunfei's chest.
Chu Yunfei's pupils abruptly contracted. He had no time to draw his sword, nor even to activate the Divine Movement Art to evade.
The gulf between the Heavenly Origin Realm and the Spirit Martial Realm was a hundred times more terrifying than the Spirit Martial Realm's crushing advantage over the Qi Condensation Realm.
All he could do was instinctively drive all the spiritual power in his body to form a defense before his chest at the instant the force of the punch arrived.
Pfft-
A dull, teeth-grating sound came from his ribs.
That spiritual power defense shattered like paper beneath the Heavenly Origin Realm punch. The force drove straight through, slamming squarely into his chest.
Chu Yunfei's body flew backward like a fallen leaf swept up by a gale.
The Giant Que Sword was knocked from his hand by the violent impact, spinning through the air before plunging between the shattered stones of the platform with a clang. His body crashed heavily onto the other end of the platform, smashing a patch of already cracked blackstone flooring and sending rubble flying.
A mouthful of blood surged up his throat and sprayed onto the ground before him.
Agonizing pain came from his chest. At least three ribs had broken, and all his internal organs felt as though someone had churned them up.
This was the power of the Heavenly Origin Realm.
Chu Yunfei lay amid the rubble, his ears buzzing. That punch had nearly battered his consciousness into a haze, and not a single part of his body was free of pain.
In the spectator stands below the platform, countless people sucked in a cold breath.
"One punch. Just one punch."
"The Heavenly Origin Realm against the Spirit Martial Realm-this isn't even a contest on the same level."
"Chu Yunfei is finished. How could he possibly be Elder Zhou's match?"
At the edge of the martial arena, Yan Guining leaned slightly forward, her lips pressed tight and her brows knotted, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the figure lying amid the rubble.
She wanted to speak.
But the words reached her lips, only to be swallowed again.
She was merely a disciple at the fourth level of the Spirit Martial Realm. Before a Heavenly Origin Realm elder, she did not even have the right to speak.
Yan Guining gritted her teeth. In the end, she said nothing, only letting out a silent sigh.
Beside the elders' seats.
Lin Wanyin could finally sit still no longer. She rose, a rare trace of anxiety appearing on her jade-white face.
Her beautiful eyes, usually tinged with cold indifference, were now slightly red, and most of the chill in her voice had faded.
"Elder Zhou, there's no need to strike so hard. It's only a sword. He's doing this for something Chu Batian left behind. That's only human."
She turned her head, looking toward Chu Yunfei on the platform, and softened her voice.
"Chu Yunfei, listen. Admit your mistake and apologize, and this matter will be over."
At that moment, how Lin Wanyin wished Chu Yunfei would yield.
She knew these elders' temperaments all too well.
Zhou Huanzhang had already held back with that punch. If Chu Yunfei continued to talk tough, the next punch would not be as simple as a few broken ribs.
A youth who had only just entered the Spirit Martial Realm, opposing the entire sect single-handedly-what a foolish act that was.
Yet deep down, she vaguely knew that this man would not yield.
Just like his father.
On the platform, Chu Yunfei braced his hands against the rubble and pushed himself up, little by little.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the gray-green rubble. His body swayed, nearly falling again, but in the end, he steadied himself.
Chu Yunfei raised his head and glanced at Lin Wanyin, then turned to look at Zhou Huanzhang.
"Don't even think about it. If I don't fight for my dignity today, I'm unworthy of being his son."
Zhou Huanzhang's expression turned utterly cold.
"Obstinate fool."
Heavenly Origin Realm spiritual power gathered over his right fist once more. This time, its power was more concentrated and more vicious than the previous punch. His figure became a blur as he closed in on Chu Yunfei again.
Lin Wanyin's expression changed drastically. She wanted to intervene, but another elder beside her extended a hand and pressed down on empty air. An invisible force pinned her firmly in place.
"Elder Lin, do not interfere. This is an internal sect matter."
Lin Wanyin's face went pale for an instant.
On the platform.
Zhou Huanzhang's fist had already reached Chu Yunfei.
Yet at that very moment.
Chu Yunfei abruptly raised his head, a frenzied light bursting from his dark-gold eyes.
"You old bastard, did I give you too much face?"
His right hand pulled something from inside his robes.
A silver needle.
As fine as an ox's hair and about an inch long, it was silvery white throughout, shimmering with a faint, eerie light in the morning sun.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Yunfei drove the silver needle into the space between his brows.
The instant the silver needle sank between his brows, his body shuddered violently.
Then, an indescribably terrifying presence erupted from within him.