Chapter 73: Whoever dares lay a hand on my young master shall die!

“Fight to the death!”

Seeing King Liang the Blade coming for his life, Su Hongde stopped overthinking. His master was dead, his dantian gravely wounded—there was no meaning in survival anymore.

If a fight is what it takes, then so be it. This life, it was meant to end.

“Ultimate Sword of Tai Xuan!”

Having seen through life and death, Su Hongde suddenly gained an epiphany. He fused the Thirteen Swords of Tai Xuan with the piercing technique at its extreme, creating a new sword art.

He raised his sword and, with a motion no more than ordinary, slashed forward.

Boom!

The earth shook and the entire martial arena was rent asunder by a torrent of sword energy, leaving a ravine stretching a hundred yards.

“No!”

King Liang the Blade roared in utter resentment.

He was split in two, but failed to kill Su Hongde.

That was his bitterness—to pay with his life, yet not claim his enemy’s.

Bang!

The moment King Liang the Blade died, his attack struck Su Hongde, blasting him back a hundred yards.

Su Hongde spat blood, fell from the sky, and knelt on the ground, leaning on his sword.

“Teacher!”

Li Huaifeng had already dashed over to duel the Yang family patriarch for several rounds. Seeing Su Hongde fall, he grew anxious, but was hopelessly entangled by the Yang clan head.

“Hahaha.”

Jiang Qingyang and his companions exchanged smiles.

At last, the trouble had been resolved.

Jiang Qingyang stepped forward, landing before Su Hongde.

“Su, my junior, look at what you’ve come to. Do you regret it?” Jiang Qingyang looked down upon him, speaking with the tone of a victor.

Su Hongde steadied himself with his sword, forcing himself upright, his gaze calm. “Regret? When have I ever regretted anything I’ve done? But you, Jiang, the grand headmaster of Tai Xuan Academy—letting outsiders slaughter at will within the school. Don’t you find it disgraceful?”

Jiang Qingyang sneered. “Those who achieve greatness care not for trifles. You’re still too young.”

Su Hongde looked at him with contempt. “Despicable! Why bother with words? If not for my old injury, it would have been easy to kill both you and that brute Liang the Blade today.”

Jiang Qingyang laughed coldly. “Victors write history—no room for ‘ifs.’ Still, we were fellow disciples once. I’ll grant you a whole corpse. End yourself.”

Su Hongde raised his sword, pointing at Jiang Qingyang. “You want me to kill myself? Are you worthy? Even in death, I’ll spit blood in your face!”

“Stubborn fool. Men, behead this traitor!”

At Jiang Qingyang’s command, several heads of the academy flew over.

Head Lu raised his sword, ready to strike off Su Hongde’s head.

“Su, you were at least a senior, yet you consorted with that lowborn brat, and lost your life for it. Truly, you deserve it!”

He unleashed the Blue Lotus Sword Intent, slashing at Su Hongde.

The sword’s light fell like a waterfall.

“Ah!”

A scream rang out.

Before Head Lu’s sword could strike, his shoulder was sliced off.

“Who—who did this?”

“What terrifying sword intent!”

“A master, but where did they come from? I never noticed!”

Witnessing this, the academy heads were horrified.

There was another hidden master in the arena!

How could that be?

Even the location of the mysterious strike eluded them. It was truly frightening.

Jiang Qingyang too was shaken to the core, immediately searching with his mind for the attacker.

“Luoyan, with me—kill!”

From the ruined debris of the shattered ground, a figure rose, floating in midair.

He held a black broken sword. Eight shadows of black swords swirled about him, his aura majestic.

“Master… you’re alive!”

Upon seeing Xia Jiuxuan’s figure, Li Luoyan nearly wept with joy.

Just moments before, even she had lost hope, convinced Xia Jiuxuan was doomed.

“How could I die?”

Xia Jiuxuan looked at Li Luoyan. Their eyes met, and he saw in hers the most sincere emotion.

It was joy, heartfelt and soul-deep.

From this moment, Xia Jiuxuan could no longer regard her as a mere maid.

“Good. Master, let’s fight!”

Li Luoyan spread her snow-white palm, a violet longsword appearing. Sword intent unfurled from her, deep as an abyss, torrential as a waterfall!

All eyes in the arena were drawn to the woman in the corner.

“So it’s her! The maid!”

“How is it possible—a maid with such formidable sword intent?”

“Just who is Xia Jiuxuan?”

Jiang Qingyang and the others, even racking their brains, could not fathom it.

The mysterious master was merely Xia Jiuxuan’s maid? It was too bizarre.

“Hmph, do you think you can escape death with this maid? Am I nothing to you?”

Let it not be forgotten—the Yang clan had brought a master of the Transcending Mortal Realm, who had yet to act.

This elder was more composed than anyone present, surviving by caution alone.

“My chief failed to kill you. Let’s see if you can withstand my palm!”

Boom!

The Yang clan elder struck, ninefold palms raining down.

“Old dog, what are you pretending for?”

Xia Jiuxuan rushed forward, fearless, charging at the elder.

Boom!

A thunderous clash. Xia Jiuxuan collided with the palm, golden light erupting from his body, shattering the attack.

Then, Xia Jiuxuan slashed down with his sword.

The wild black sword shadow cleaved into the elder’s shoulder.

Clang!

The elder sank, his shoulder armor shattered.

“You!”

The elder was terrified.

He was at the Transcending Mortal Realm!

He crashed heavily to the ground, breaking through the floor.

After his strike, Xia Jiuxuan did not hurry forward. Li Luoyan flew to his side.

“Master, how did you suddenly become so powerful?” Even Li Luoyan was astonished.

“No, it’s the Tai Xuan Will empowering me, granting me defense.”

Xia Jiuxuan spoke truthfully.

Indeed, the reason he could withstand the elder’s palm was the protection of Tai Xuan’s Will—it made him immune to the attack.

“What about before? When the Will was not present, how did you survive that palm?” Li Luoyan asked curiously.

“Look.”

Xia Jiuxuan lifted his robe, revealing a suit of black armor.

“Ah, that’s the battle armor you forged two nights ago!”

Xia Jiuxuan nodded. The armor was crafted from the shell of the humanoid black-armored beast—the demon race’s carapace, as Duanmu Wan had called it.

This armor could resist attacks from the Transcending Mortal Realm; the Yang clan chief, merely at the peak of the Sealing Spirit Realm, could never breach it.

“All right. With King Liang the Blade dead, you can fight freely. I’ll guard little Ranran—go to battle!”

“Of course. I will not fail you!” Li Luoyan lifted her veil, her beautiful face—like a goddess—carrying a frosty killing intent.

“Don’t be careless. Take care.”

Xia Jiuxuan’s words made Li Luoyan shiver. Was her master showing concern for her?

Why did she feel so happy, a secret joy blooming in her heart?

Xia Jiuxuan turned and flew to Xia Ran’s side.

Swish!

With a single sword strike, all Yang and Liang clan members surrounding Xia Ran were slain, not one left alive.

Xia Ran saw Xia Jiuxuan return unharmed, and, laughing through tears, rushed into his arms.

“Little one, don’t cry. Second Uncle’s fine.”

“Second Uncle, I was scared just now. But now I’m not, and I won’t cry anymore.”

“Good girl. Look—watch how Aunt Luoyan fights those villains. Learn from her.”

Xia Jiuxuan pointed to the figure standing in midair.

“Okay.” Xia Ran nodded, staring intently. Thinking it over, she felt something was off and asked in confusion, “Second Uncle, isn’t that Sister Luoyan? Why call her Aunt?”

“It’s all the same. Call her whatever you like,” Xia Jiuxuan replied offhandedly.

“Oh.” Xia Ran touched her little head, watching closely.

Bloodied Han Yu came over too. “Teacher, should I assist Miss Luoyan?”

Xia Jiuxuan glanced at him with disdain. “You’d barely fill the cracks in their teeth. Hide yourself, so you don’t get killed by a sneak attack.”

“Uh…” Han Yu was speechless. Compared to those present, he truly was a weakling.

On the other side of the arena.

Li Luoyan’s skirt fluttered as she landed lightly, sword pointed at the elder.

“You tried to kill my master just now, didn’t you?”

“Vile woman, what do you want?”

Swish!

Before Xia Jiuxuan, Li Luoyan was a sweet girl. But to outsiders, she was a death goddess.

One sword strike split the Transcending Mortal Realm elder in two.

Not only that, Li Luoyan struck again, slicing him into four pieces to vent her anger.

“Miss, help me!”

Elsewhere, Li Huaifeng was losing to the Yang family chief, cut with several wounds and nearly spent.

Li Luoyan’s icy gaze swept over, her sword intent descending.

The Yang chief panicked, hastily activating protective qi and using his clan’s treasured armor to block.

Bang!

He was knocked flying, his armor shattered.

Li Luoyan’s figure appeared instantly. “You ambushed my master, didn’t you?”

The Yang chief’s chest was a bloody mess. He fell to his knees. “Goddess, spare me! It was all a misunderstanding—please, have mercy…”

“Lower than a dog. Why should I spare you?”

Swish!

One sword took his head.

The Yang chief was dead.

Witnessing this, Jiang Qingyang and his group were thrown into utter panic.

This woman’s sword intent was outrageously strong!

No weaker than Su Hongde.

If they knew that Li Luoyan’s current power was less than one ten-thousandth of her peak, who knows what they’d think.

“Seize Su Hongde!”

Seeing things turn dire, Jiang Qingyang immediately ordered. Several academy heads moved, restraining the heavily wounded Su Hongde.

“Miss, if you don’t want me to kill Su Hongde this instant, leave now.”

For safety, Jiang Qingyang stepped forward, gripping Su Hongde himself, pressing his fingers to Su Hongde’s throat.

Li Luoyan frowned slightly, looking to Xia Jiuxuan.

“Master, don’t mind me—kill! Let Miss Li slaughter that old dog Jiang Qingyang!”

Su Hongde’s face twisted with ferocity.

Seeing Xia Jiuxuan alive, he was relieved. But his dantian was shattered, his future ruined—what was death to him?

If he must die, he’d make sure Jiang Qingyang paid for it.

All threats in the arena had been cleared. Xia Jiuxuan, holding Xia Ran, flew over.

“Su Hongde, it was thanks to you that old Liang was slain. I owe you.”

“Master, don’t say that. I am your servant—dying for you is an honor!” Su Hongde grinned.

Jiang Qingyang and his group were utterly dumbfounded by this exchange.

Had Su Hongde been struck senseless, calling Xia Jiuxuan ‘master’?