75: Chapter 75 One Punch Kill

His venomous words sent a chill through Xu Linger and the others.

Her pretty face turned deathly pale.

And in the center of the high platform, the Holy Sect Envoy Gui Cang, who had not spoken from the beginning,

merely watched everything below with indifference.

He watched the Elders' superficial pleasantries.

He watched the Disciples' excitement and fear, and the Jiuyou Sect's arrogance.

His eyes were filled entirely with contempt.

A bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well.

In his eyes, this so-called Great Competition was nothing more than a brawl between country children, laughable and tedious.

These so-called top prodigies, whether it was Jian Wuchen or Xing Lie,

if they were placed in his Heavenly Dao Holy Sect,

they probably wouldn't even have the qualifications to become an Outer Sect Disciple.

He had only come this time because he was following orders.

It was just that...

His gaze fell upon the white-robed youth who had stepped onto the arena, remaining as calm as water even when facing a certain-death situation against a Half-step Nascent Soul.

This kid named Chu Xiao was actually somewhat interesting.

Either he was an utterly stupid madman who didn't know the meaning of death,

or... he had an absolute trump card that allowed him to ignore all of this.

Which one would it be?

...

Upon the arena, the smell of blood and a murderous aura came rushing forth.

Xing Lie stood at the other end of the arena, his tall body

like a demonic mountain, radiating a terrifying pressure that made one's heart flutter.

He looked at Chu Xiao, who walked up to him unhurriedly, and the smile on his face grew increasingly hideous.

"Chu Xiao, I must admit, your courage is much greater than I imagined."

His voice was low and filled with amusement!

"With your talent, if given enough time, you might truly have become a powerhouse. Unfortunately, of all the things you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have killed Shen Fei!"

He paused: "Now, I'll give you a chance. Kneel, kowtow, break your own limbs, and then crawl out of this Yunzhou City like a dog. Perhaps then I might show some mercy and let you live for a few more days."

His words were full of humiliation.

In his eyes, Chu Xiao was already a turtle in a jar.

He was meat on a chopping block, to be slaughtered at will.

However, facing this "mercy," Chu Xiao only slowly raised his eyes and said calmly, "Are you done with the nonsense?"

"If you're done, then use your full strength."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll lose quite miserably."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience erupted in an uproar!

Everyone looked at Chu Xiao on the arena as if they were looking at a madman.

"Did I hear that right? He... he's telling Xing Lie to go all out? And saying he's afraid Xing Lie will lose miserably?"

"Crazy! This kid is absolutely insane! He has no idea how huge the gap is between the Eighth level of the Golden Core and a Half-step Nascent Soul!"

"Arrogant! Arrogant to the extreme! Who does he think he is? A Soul Transformation expert?"

"Death is at his doorstep, yet he's still acting tough! Senior Brother Xing Lie, tear him apart! Let him know the meaning of true despair!"

The Disciples of the Jiuyou Sect were even more infuriated by Chu Xiao's words, and they all began to shout and clamor.

And at this moment, the smile on Xing Lie's face completely froze.

In its place was endless rage!

"Good... very good!"

He laughed out of extreme anger: "Since you're in such a hurry to die, then I shall fulfill your wish!"

Boom!!!

A surge of Devilish Qi, even more violent than before, erupted from his body!

The pressure of a Half-step Nascent Soul, like a tangible wave, swept across the entire arena!

"Originally, I wanted to torture you slowly and let you die in endless pain."

"But now, I've changed my mind!"

Xing Lie's eyes were blood-red, and Devilish Qi churned around him as he suddenly raised his right hand.

A massive claw print, condensed from pitch-black Devilish Qi, appeared out of thin air.

Carrying a terrifying power that seemed to tear through space, it clawed down toward Chu Xiao's head!

"Jiuyou Soul-Rending Claw!"

An Earth-Grade Medium Grade Cultivation Technique!

He used a killing move right from the start!

But he still hadn't used his strongest power.

He hadn't even activated his Demonic Path True Intent.

In his view, using this Earth-Grade technique to deal with a mere kid at the Eighth level of the Golden Core was already like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

What he wanted was not a one-hit kill.

But to first cripple Chu Xiao's limbs and then slowly deal with him!

"It's over!"

In the Tianyan Sect area, Xu Linger let out a cry of alarm, her heart instantly sinking to the bottom.

Immortal Master Lingyun suddenly stood up, his eyes wide, staring fixedly at the arena.

The magic power within his body had already begun to surge uncontrollably.

However, facing this terrifying strike that could easily tear apart a Cultivator at the Ninth Level Golden Core,

Chu Xiao, the target, remained calm.

He didn't even assume a defensive posture.

Nor did he use any martial arts or Magic Treasures.

He just stood there quietly.

As if the world-destroying claw before him was nothing more than a gentle breeze blowing against his face.

It wasn't until the massive demonic claw was about to touch his body that

he finally slowly raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.

Unremarkable and simple, he met it with a single punch.

There was no magical radiance, no True Intent swirling around; it was a plain, unadorned punch, just like a Mortal's brawl.

Under the gazes of everyone—some disdainful, some worried, some horrified—

that fist, which looked fair, slender, and even somewhat thin, collided violently in mid-air with that hideous, terrifying demonic claw capable of tearing through metal!

At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

The cruel smile on Xing Lie's face suddenly froze the moment the fist and claw met!

"Crack!"

A crisp sound of bone shattering echoed above the martial arena.

It wasn't the sound of the fist and claw colliding, but rather... the sound of the demonic claw shattering.

Under the watchful eyes of the countless people present,

the demonic claw, condensed from the pure Devilish Qi of a Half-step Nascent Soul, shattered instantly upon contact with the fist!

Then, amidst the sound of collective gasps,

it transformed into pure and violent Devilish Qi that filled the sky, scattering in all directions.

However, this was only the beginning.

That terrifying power, which seemed capable of shaking the stars, did not pause for a moment after crushing the demonic claw.

It surged along Xing Lie's arm and blasted into his body with unstoppable force!

"No—!!!"

The hideous and cruel smile on Xing Lie's face had been replaced by shock and terror.

He felt an irresistible, mighty force instantly crush the protective Devilish Qi within his body and shatter his arm bone.

Then it rampaged into his internal organs, causing his blood and Qi to churn and his Meridians to snap!

He didn't even have time to activate his Half-step Nascent Soul trump cards or sacrifice his strongest defensive Magic Treasure!

He was sent flying backward.

Boom!!!

His body slammed heavily below the arena,

smashing a huge human-shaped crater into the hard ground of the plaza!

"Pfft!"

Inside the crater, Xing Lie violently spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs.

He struggled to stand, only to find that at least half the bones in his body were broken.

That domineering and peerless fist force was still ravaging his body,

destroying all his life force.

His eyes were filled with endless shock, bewilderment, and disbelief.

Defeated?

He... had actually been defeated?

He was a genuine Half-step Nascent Soul!

The most outstanding Prodigy of the Jiuyou Sect in a hundred years!

A being who was about to be chosen by the Holy Sect Envoy and soar to the heavens in a single bound!

How could he lose?

And lose to a mere kid at the Eighth level of the Golden Core!

And with just one punch!

The opponent hadn't even used any magic power or activated any True Intent; with just one simple punch, he had been beaten into this half-dead state!

This... how was this possible?!

This completely overturned the cultivation knowledge he had gained over decades! It was irrational! It was unscientific!

The entire martial arena remained in a dead silence.

One could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's brains seemed to have stopped functioning at this moment.

On the arena, Chu Xiao slowly withdrew his fist and stood with his hands behind his back.

He didn't look down at Xing Lie's miserable state in the crater, only saying in a faint voice, "I warned you to use your full strength."

"Otherwise, you would lose quite miserably."

His words were nonchalant, yet they felt like a slap to the face of everyone present.

Especially for the people of the Jiuyou Sect; their faces were incredibly unsightly!

Unsightly?

It was more than just unsightly!

This was a complete and utter crushing!

A profound humiliation!

"Gulp."

Someone swallowed hard, and the sound finally broke the suffocating silence.

Boom!!!

The next moment, a mountain-shaking roar of clamor and discussion erupted,

nearly overturning the sky above the entire Yunzhou City!

"Am I... am I seeing things? Xing Lie... that Half-step Nascent Soul Xing Lie, was... was insta-killed with one punch?!"

"Fake! This must be an illusion! An eighth-level Golden Core exploding a Half-step Nascent Soul with one punch?"

"What kind of power was that? I didn't feel any magic power fluctuations at all! That was pure physical strength! Heavens! Just how terrifyingly strong is his Physical Body?"

The Disciples of the Jiuyou Sect collectively lost their voices.

The arrogance and triumph on their faces had long since vanished without a trace.

And in the Tianyan Sect area, there was also a deathly silence.

But this silence had nothing to do with despair.

Xu Linger's autumn-water eyes were wide and round.

She covered her mouth with her delicate hands to keep herself from screaming out loud.

Beside her, Ye Fan gripped his sword, his entire body trembling slightly and uncontrollably.

The gap!

So this was the true gap!

How could he ever catch up? How could he ever surpass this?!

A feeling of helplessness once again arose in Ye Fan's heart.

"This... this... this..."

Immortal Master Lingyun stood there, his hair and beard bristling, his mouth open wide enough to fit a watermelon.

He pointed at Chu Xiao on the arena, stammering for a long while without being able to utter a single word.

Ridiculous!

It was simply too ridiculous!

Could it be... this kid is actually some old monster who has reincarnated to cultivate again?!

Aside from this explanation, Immortal Master Lingyun couldn't think of any other possibility!

On the high platform, the expressions of the Elders from the various Sects were equally spectacular.

*Cough...*

The Elder from the Hundred Beasts Valley, who had previously spoken rudely to Chu Xiao, now had a face flushed bright red.

Letting out a dry cough, he turned his head away in embarrassment!

The Divine Sword Sect Elder's hand, which had been stroking his beard, froze in mid-air, and the smile on his face had long since solidified.