Chapter 120: Awake, Kill!

“Senior Brother Xia, you’re finally awake!” Mu Feng turned around with delight, his cold expression instantly melting away into a foolish smile.

“I was awake earlier, just that my injuries were a bit severe, so I rested a little longer,” Xia Jiuxuan replied with a smile.

“That’s good, that’s good!” Mu Feng exhaled deeply, suddenly feeling utterly exhausted, and plopped down onto the ground.

Moments ago, he had been forcing himself to intimidate the others, but in truth, his internal organs had already been injured by the Heavenly Seal’s shock.

“You stubborn fool, does it still hurt?” Duanmu Wan asked bluntly, rushing over to wrap her arms around Xia Jiuxuan’s waist, tears of joy streaming down her face.

“A little, but nothing serious now,” Xia Jiuxuan said, patting Duanmu Wan’s head with a smile.

Ahead, more than a hundred prodigies from the Mortal Nation, seeing Xia Jiuxuan awake, began to waver and consider retreating.

After all, Mu Feng himself was formidable, and Xia Jiuxuan was likely not an easy opponent either.

They couldn’t confront him openly; they had to find a way to kill him covertly!

“Let’s go, retreat!” “Wait for another chance!”

Gradually, some began to withdraw into the sky.

Xia Jiuxuan lifted his head, his cold gaze sweeping across the sky. Then, gently pushing Duanmu Wan away, he said, “If you want to take advantage, wait a bit. I have something to handle now.”

Duanmu Wan pinched Xia Jiuxuan’s side and said coquettishly, “Who’s taking advantage of you, you shameless scoundrel, hmph.”

Xia Jiuxuan chuckled softly, then said, “You both have worked hard, rest well. Watch me perform.”

“Senior Brother Xia, be careful. These people are not easy to deal with,” Mu Feng cautioned.

“You’re injured too, take it easy,” Duanmu Wan added.

“Don’t worry, just a few pesky bugs,” Xia Jiuxuan replied, then soared directly into the air.

“Everyone, stop right there!”

A wild and domineering voice echoed like thunder across the land.

The hundred or so prodigies from the Mortal Nation stiffened, startled by the murderous intensity in the voice.

“Xia Jiuxuan, we won’t make things difficult for you, but we advise you to behave yourself!”

“That’s right, don’t think we don’t see it. Your two teammates are already exhausted. Do you really think you can fight us all alone?”

“We’re sparing your life; you should be grateful. Yet you still dare to attack us? You truly have no sense of your place!”

The prodigies looked at Xia Jiuxuan with disdain.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Xia Jiuxuan’s mouth. “Weren’t you all eager to kill me just now? Why have you all chickened out now? All that’s left is hot air?”

“How dare you be so arrogant! We just don’t want to waste time on a worthless trash like you,” one of the youths shouted, pointing a knife at Xia Jiuxuan.

“Fine, you’ll be the first to go!” Xia Jiuxuan moved.

All of them had come to kill him; he was no saint and would not show mercy.

Whoosh!

With a single sword strike, blood gushed wildly. The youth’s body was severed in two and fell to the ground.

“Seize!”

After killing him, Xia Jiuxuan trapped his soul, turning it into a puppet.

A few days ago, Xia Jiuxuan had forced the puppets in the Killing Dojo to refine their spirit crystals to save his life, causing many puppets to shatter.

He now urgently needed to capture new puppets.

“Xia Jiuxuan, don’t get too arrogant!”

The youth’s companions, eyes bloodshot with rage, charged forward.

“What’s that? The real arrogance is yet to come!”

Xia Jiuxuan swung his sword horizontally, unleashing a terrifying shadow that tore a rift through the very space.

“Ahhh!”

A series of screams followed as at least twenty were cut down with a single slash from Xia Jiuxuan’s blade.

Terror!

An indescribable terror arose within everyone.

This Xia Jiuxuan was terrifyingly powerful!

Many of the prodigies present were at the Mortal Departure Realm, possessing extraordinary constitutions far stronger than ordinary cultivators of that realm.

Yet they had been slain by Xia Jiuxuan with a single sword strike—more than twenty of them!

How shocking!

Especially Yang Kui, who felt Xia Jiuxuan’s frenzied sword intent and was nearly shattered in spirit.

“Shh, let’s quietly slip away,” Yang Kui’s face drained of color as he quickly concealed his aura and attempted to retreat from the crowd.

“Phew, luckily that bastard Xia Jiuxuan is a bit foolish and didn’t notice us escaping. Haha.”

After retreating several hundred paces, Yang Kui finally relaxed, cursing Xia Jiuxuan.

“Senior Brother, once we exit the secret realm, we must hire someone to kill that bastard!”

“Of course! Not only will I kill Xia Jiuxuan, but I’ll also annihilate his entire lineage!”

Yang Kui ground his teeth, swearing vengeance against Xia Jiuxuan.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a phantom flashed past, startling Yang Kui into retreating hastily.

When he regained his composure, he saw Xia Jiuxuan blocking his path.

“This!”

Yang Kui’s eyes nearly popped out.

“Brother Xia, it’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!”

“Yes, Brother Xia, those elders from the secluded sect forced us to attack. I, Brother Yang, dared not disobey, but I couldn’t bear to kill you, so I pretended to lose against your friend. Please understand, Brother Xia.”

Yang Kui’s companion acted clever, putting on a helpless expression as he explained to Xia Jiuxuan.

“Do you think you’re clever?” Xia Jiuxuan stared coldly at the youth, sending chills down his spine.

“It’s true, Brother Xia, we’re all good people. Please see reason…” the youth was nearly in tears.

“Good people? Ha! I, Xia Jiuxuan, love nothing more than killing good people!”

Xia Jiuxuan drew his sword and slashed toward the youth’s head.

The youth panicked and quickly raised a dark rune shield.

But Xia Jiuxuan’s sword sliced through the metal shield like tofu and pierced the youth’s skull.

Seeing his companion die, Yang Kui fled desperately.

Xia Jiuxuan became a blur, kicking Yang Kui in the back and knocking him out of the air.

Boom!

Yang Kui crashed heavily onto the ground, creating a massive crater.

He scrambled up and knelt, begging for mercy.

“Brother Xia, spare my life! I’ll give you a half-step Saint Artifact!”

Yang Kui offered the Heavenly Seal with both hands.

Suddenly, a purple light erupted from the seal, blasting toward Xia Jiuxuan.

“You little bastard, my grandfather left a divine martial mark inside the seal. Bet you didn’t expect that!”

Yang Kui raised his head with a grimace, but the next moment, he was dumbfounded—Xia Jiuxuan’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

Splat!

A bloodied sword appeared in his chest.

His eyes widened as his body felt weightless.

“N-no, I don’t want to die, wuwu. Grandpa, save me!”

Yang Kui spat a mouthful of blood onto the seal, and an old man’s ghostly image emerged from it.

“Impudent wretch, how dare you harm my grandson!” the old man bellowed, eyes as large as copper bells.

“A mere soul phantom, old dog, who are you trying to scare?” Xia Jiuxuan raised his hand and smashed the furious apparition to pieces.

In an instant, the phantom reformed.

“My young friend! I beg your pardon, please don’t kill my grandson. I, the old one, kneel before you!”

The phantom actually knelt respectfully before Xia Jiuxuan and kowtowed.

This scene was witnessed by high-ranking figures from the secluded sects outside.

They were even more shocked than the youths inside the secret realm upon seeing the old man.

“That… isn’t that Yang Guirong, the Guardian Marshal Yang?”

“Yes, he retired thirty years ago. Who would have thought he’d return to the Mortal Nation!”

The old man’s identity astonished the sect leaders to no end.

The so-called Guardian Marshal was a disciple sent from the Sacred Martial Land to guard the border barriers, a position of extraordinary status that few dared to provoke!