223: Destroy the sword

"It's you!"

Baimei recognized Shen Lian immediately. Seeing the intense Killing Intent on his face, he quickly shifted his gaze, sending a look to Gu Xichao.

Gu Xichao didn't realize the consequences he was about to face. He simply stepped forward and asked, "Who exactly are you, and what are you doing here!"

Shen Lian swept his cold gaze over him: "What am I doing here? Didn't you understand just now? As one of the Arbitrators of this Sword Show Assembly, shouldn't you explain everything that happened today?"

Gu Xichao frowned: "Explain what?"

"Explain why the Heavenly Sword appeared before Midnight, and what underhanded methods were used?"

"Audacious!"

Gu Xichao roared in anger.

"What tone are you using to speak to me!"

*Bang—*

Shen Lian's Palm Qi was Gu Xichao's response.

Gu Xichao received the blow bare-handed and his pupils instantly contracted.

He felt extreme numbness in his arm, and an unstoppable surge of Origin Power rushed through his limb straight into his heart, forcing him to retreat more than ten steps.

"You..."

Just as Gu Xichao steadied himself and was about to speak, he felt a tightness in his chest and immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Now, can you, you piece of trash, speak properly?"

Shen Lian's expression was cold and arrogant, his eyes disdainful; he didn't put Gu Xichao and the other two in his sight at all.

"I ask you again, why did the Heavenly Sword appear early? I advise you to explain it clearly."

Daoist Baimei saw that Gu Xichao was already struggling after taking just one palm strike, and his heart was greatly alarmed. He realized the cultivation of the person before him was unfathomable, and a direct confrontation would likely end poorly.

Therefore, he immediately tried to mediate: "Fellow Daoist, I know your mood is poor because your beloved disciple lost today, but all of this is the will of Heaven.

In fact, with your disciple's talent, he is bound to achieve great things in the future, so why dwell on this matter and refuse to let go?"

Shen Lian closed his Folding Fan, merely glancing at Baimei, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly.

"When did I allow you, Old Wall Lamp, to speak? Kneel!"

*Bang!*

The moment the words fell, Baimei's body seemed to be crushed by a gigantic peak, forcing him to kneel hard on the ground.

"Revered Master!"

Seeing Baimei kneeling, Xiao An immediately cried out in surprise, decisively drawing the Heavenly Sword and aiming it at Shen Lian.

"Seeking death!"

The next moment, Shen Lian let out a cold shout and swept out his palm.

In an instant, a Palm Sword swept past, directly severing Xiao An's entire right arm. The Heavenly Sword also fell to the ground.

"Ah! My arm!"

With a miserable scream, Xiao An agonizingly covered his wound and retreated to the side.

"Xiao An!"

Baimei cried out in alarm upon seeing his beloved disciple's arm severed, then looked at Shen Lian with anger and hatred.

He tried to get up, but his body couldn't move an inch, feeling the pressure on his shoulders grow heavier and heavier.

At this moment, Gu Xichao had recovered some Origin Qi and spoke sharply to Shen Lian: "Do you know who you have offended? No one in the world dares to offend both the Jade Void Palace and the Sword Sect simultaneously."

"Hahahahaha."

Unexpectedly, these words only provoked Shen Lian's unrestrained laughter.

"These two trash Sects, when mentioned by you, somehow give me the illusion of Ancient Divine Sects.

It's a pity, Divine Sects are no different from ants in my eyes. What confidence do the small Jade Void Palace and Sword Sect have to threaten me?"

Gu Xichao's heart trembled: "You are truly boundless in your arrogance, but dare to insult the Sword Sect, and I will ensure you die without a burial place!"

"Based on you?"

Hearing this, Shen Lian slightly closed his eyes, slowly extended a middle finger, and gently shook it.

"Are you qualified?"

"I'll kill you!"

Gu Xichao was furious and immediately displayed his full cultivation, intending to kill Shen Lian with a single strike.

"Immortal Realm Third Level, that's your confidence?"

After sensing his opponent's complete cultivation, Shen Lian's face was filled with disappointment.

"Then take that confidence and self-assurance, and perish with regret."

As he turned his back, a Gang Qi mixed with Lightning Tribulation shot out from behind his billowing cloak.

Before Gu Xichao could react, the Gang Qi directly pierced through his body.

"Uh, ah~"

*Boom—*

The next moment, Gu Xichao exploded and died instantly.

"Ah..."

Seeing Gu Xichao's tragic death, Baimei and Xiao An's faces turned pale.

Only then did they realize what kind of existence they had provoked.

"I'll give you one more chance: why did the Heavenly Sword appear early? If you don't answer in Three Breaths, you'll never answer again."

Shen Lian didn't spare a glance for Gu Xichao's death.

He just tilted his head slightly and asked Baimei behind him.

"I'll tell you! Actually, the Heavenly Sword was already acquired by the Sword Sect before the Sword Show Assembly began. It was simply placed within a Void Realm Barrier,

As long as Gu Xichao activated the Spell, it could appear early at any time."

"So, this Sword Show Assembly was just a trick to deceive the world? You colluded with Gu Xichao to seize the Heavenly Sword, using the futures of those ants as stepping stones?"

"There was no other way. This is the Law of the weak being prey to the strong. Scenes like this,

are actually common among various Sects. If the Chess Sword Pavilion hadn't been destroyed, this opportunity wouldn't have fallen to my Jade Void Palace."

Shen Lian: "You are right. The weak are prey to the strong, the Law of the Jungle—this is the true, cruel cultivation world.

Then, doesn't the current situation between you and me count as a true reflection of the weak being prey to the strong?"

"If you kill me, the Jade Void Palace will not let you go!"

"Then I shall wait and see!"

After Shen Lian finished speaking, he clenched his five fingers.

Baimei was startled and was about to utter a few placating words, but then he felt his internal organs being tightly constricted by the meridians throughout his body, which began to continuously contract.

*Crack—*

As a series of bone-cracking sounds echoed, Baimei died instantly, his body twisted into a ball of flesh. His eyes were wide open even in death, his facial expression frozen in a moment of shock and terror.

Seeing this scene, Xiao An wet himself.

He had never seen such an abstract death before. Baimei was at least at the Immortal Realm First Level, yet he hadn't even let out a cold grunt before dying.

When Shen Lian's gaze fell upon him, Xiao An immediately knelt on the ground.

"Please don't kill me, they arranged everything, they really arranged it!"

Watching Xiao An weep and kowtow in supplication, Shen Lian contemptuously shook his head: "Why do pieces of trash always have the delusion that begging for mercy will save their lives? Why don't they dare to muster the courage to fight back?"

As he spoke, he simply raised a hand.

In an instant, the contrary gale swept through, and Xiao An was directly reduced to ashes.

Xiao An, who had been the Sword Champion of this session for barely two hours, successfully broke the Primordial Continent's record for the fastest instant kill.

Watching the debris fly everywhere in the darkness, Shen Lian silently walked towards the Heavenly Sword.

*Buzz—*

As if sensing the Killing Intent emanating from the newcomer, the Heavenly Sword trembled incessantly, its Sword Qi vibrating, seemingly begging for forgiveness.

"As for you, you are blind and ignorant. As the Heavenly Sword, you willingly recognized a piece of trash as your Revered Master. What use is scrap metal like you!"

The moment he finished speaking, the great dao human sovereign cauldron was activated, drawing the Heavenly Sword inside and directly refining it into a piece of scrap metal.

Having completed everything, Shen Lian strode toward the edge of the Small Grove.

"Why did you die? Was it because of your schemes and calculations, or your unscrupulous methods?"

"Wrong. I killed you because you schemed against the person Shen Lian intends to protect. That is all."