89: Spare him a life

“Your heart is in disarray.”

Shen Xi keenly caught Zhao Delong’s emotional shift.

After all, he was only at the Great Accomplishment of Yuanqi Realm, yet he could contend with an old-timer Initial Stage of Acquired Realm expert like Zhao Delong, which was enough to make the latter feel uneasy.

Now that Zhao Delong couldn’t even defeat Shen Xi, if another five or ten years passed, wouldn’t it be effortless for Shen Xi to kill him?

Zhao Delong’s killing intent grew even stronger; this time, it wasn't just to avenge his son, but also for his own safety.

“You want to shake my confidence? Stop dreaming!”

Zhao Delong said, gritting his teeth.

He was unwilling to admit that he was somewhat flustered.

Seeing this, Shen Xi said nothing more, his eyes becoming much sharper.

Then, a long sword appeared out of thin air in his hand.

He had retrieved it from Chen Fang before leaving Zhu Feng City.

“One Sword Eight Desolations!”

As his voice fell, a Sword Qi condensed into being.

The sword, being the king of offense, combined with Sword Intent, was even more than the sum of its parts.

Before the Sword Qi even reached Zhao Delong, he couldn't help but gasp.

If Shen Xi being able to fight him to a standstill had already shocked him immensely, then at this moment, for the first time, the fear of death emerged in him.

He couldn't block this sword!

Zhao Delong didn’t even have the confidence to resist, desperately dodging the sword in a panic.

But even so, he was still half a beat too slow.

As One Sword Eight Desolations struck, one of his arms was severed.

“What? Councilor Zhao actually lost?”

“Impossible, this is absolutely impossible, he’s a big shot of Senator-level!”

“I must be hallucinating; how could a dignified Senator lose to this kid in front of me?”

“Exactly, he’s a Senator!”

The sales assistants were all in disbelief.

You see, the highest-level existence they usually had contact with was merely the captain of the Inner City guard.

And above the captain, there were even bigger figures like the General Captain and Senators, whom they simply couldn't reach.

But now, Zhao Delong, who was high and mighty in their eyes, had an arm severed by Shen Xi; this was simply like a fantasy.

In fact, let alone them, even Shen Xi’s family and friends were stunned at this moment.

Initially, they had been sweating for Shen Xi, worried that something untoward would happen to him, but in the end, it seemed they should be worried about Zhao Delong instead.

The opponent was very likely to die here.

“I, I actually lost…”

Zhao Delong aged a lot in an instant.

He hadn't expected that he would lose to Shen Xi, and in such a one-sided crushing manner.

This created a sense of disparity in him; he had lived for decades, how could he not even defeat a fledgling kid?

And accompanying the sense of disparity was an even stronger fear.

Even in his peak state, he was no match for Shen Xi, and now having lost an arm, he was even less likely to defeat Shen Xi.

To lose was to die!

He didn't want to die!

“I, I am a Senator; if you kill me, you will also pay the price!”

“Not only will you be wanted by the Twenty-eighth City, but even your family and friends will also be in trouble.”

“You let me go, and this matter ends here.”

Zhao Delong said in extreme terror.

But what he hadn't expected was that he had grown so accustomed to being high and mighty that even his plea for mercy naturally carried a hint of threat.

“Are you threatening me with my family?”

Shen Xi narrowed his eyes, enunciating each word.

As he spoke, he stepped towards Zhao Delong.

“Gulp!”

Zhao Delong swallowed hard, quickly shaking his head and saying, “No, it’s not like that, I didn’t threaten you, you, you…”

He was momentarily speechless.

The oppressive feeling Shen Xi exuded at this moment was simply too strong.

Even Zhao Delong, who had held a high position for many years, was frightened.

“Stop!”

Just then, an old man with white hair and a youthful face arrived in time, stopping Shen Xi.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xi couldn’t help but frown; the old man’s strength was not to be underestimated.

“Are you going to stand up for him?”

Shen Xi pointed at Zhao Delong, questioning him.

“Young friend, you are too serious. I, Liu Piaoling, am the Speaker of the Senate of the Twenty-eighth City, responsible for maintaining order in the Twenty-eighth City.”

“Although it is a special period with the Yao Beast tide approaching, I must still maintain order to avoid any unstable factors.”

“If a young friend openly kills someone in the Inner City, and this spreads, I fear it will attract more people to follow suit, leading to senseless slaughter.”

Liu Piaoling explained.

In fact, he had received a report from his subordinates yesterday that an Outer City person had trespassed into the Inner City, and Zhao Delong was looking for him.

Liu Piaoling was well aware of Zhao Delong’s character: arrogant, self-opinionated, and ruthless, so he had his subordinates keep a close eye on Zhao Delong and notify him once the latter found the Outer City person.

After all, if Zhao Delong made a move, that Outer City person would surely die, but if he were present, at most, he would just expel that Outer City person from the Inner City.

Because of this, Liu Piaoling received the news as soon as Zhao Delong arrived at the sales office; he initially intended to save Shen Xi’s life, but when he arrived, he saw Zhao Delong with a severed arm, and he had no choice but to intervene.

“Oh?”

Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, agreeing with Liu Piaoling’s words.

According to records, every time a Yao Beast tide erupted, it was a time of countless casualties.

Among these, it wasn't just due to Yao Beasts, but more so due to human malice.

For example, people like Yang Wei, who, feeling that the Yao Beast tide was coming and they were doomed, would start acting recklessly and wantonly during this period.

If, at this critical juncture, a Senator died, and was killed in public, it would indeed be inappropriate for the news to spread, only causing widespread panic.

If even a Senator couldn't protect his own life, let alone ordinary citizens.

Furthermore, even if Shen Xi didn't care, he had to consider his family.

“Alright, I can spare his life, but while the death penalty can be waived, the living penalty cannot be avoided.”

Shen Xi stared at Liu Piaoling, unwilling to give an inch.

“That is natural. If the Yao Beast tide erupts, I will send him to resist the invasion of the Yao Beast tide, and he will be in the first echelon. How do you think of this punishment?”

Liu Piaoling sought Shen Xi's opinion.

“Accepted. To spare his life and protect more residents, I have no objection.”

Shen Xi also nodded.

An Initial Stage of Acquired Realm expert could still play a certain role in the Yao Beast tide.

As for whether Zhao Delong survived the Yao Beast tide, that would be his good fortune, and Shen Xi wouldn’t say anything more.

Unless the other party continued to trouble him, then he would be courting death.