Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 85: Chapter 83: Breaking the Rules, Joint Execution by the Ten Great

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and the stars shone brilliantly.

"What a pity for this lake, for this water."

Ning Jiang glanced at Star Moon Lake below his feet. His clothes were unstained by blood, and his aura was otherworldly.

Zhou Wenhao’s body had fallen into the lake, dyeing the nearby water a faint, scarlet red.

But for the vast expanse of Star Moon Lake, his blood was but a drop in the ocean.

Around them.

An utter silence had already fallen.

Slaying an Innate Middle Stage expert with a sword while only at the Postnatal Peak—not even the Sword King Chu Bai of old could have accomplished such a feat.

"A Postnatal Peak cultivator defeating someone in the Innate Realm has indeed happened in the history of the Cyan Cloud Country, but there have been fewer than ten such cases. Moreover, every single one of them had to endure a bitter struggle to claim a pyrrhic victory."

"But this boy... he made it look easy from start to finish. And Zhou Wenhao was at the Innate Middle Stage, far stronger than someone at the Innate Early Stage."

"A monster! This boy is an absolute monster!"

Countless Martial Artists were profoundly shaken. The shock of this battle was simply too great. To them, it was like a massive earthquake that left their minds reeling.

"Bastard! How dare you break the rules of the annual gathering!"

Just as the entire crowd was reeling in shock, an furious voice rang out from the high platform.

Xue Wuhen rose from his chair, his expression turning icy cold.

"Don’t you know? No killing is allowed at the annual gathering. This is a rule known throughout all of Luoyang City. Since these gatherings began, six people have broken this rule, and all six of them ended up as corpses."

"The last person to break the rule did so ten years ago. For a full decade, no one has dared to do so. You are the first in ten years. You’re outrageously audacious!"

Xue Wuhen’s voice was stern as he loudly berated him.

Many in the crowd showed strange expressions. As Xue Wuhen said, the rule against killing at the annual gathering had indeed always existed.

"My fight with Zhou Wenhao was a battle to the death. The victor lives, the loser dies. He lost, so his life was mine to take. That is the true rule," Ning Jiang said, his expression unchanged.

"Nonsense! You claim it was a battle to the death, but do you have a written agreement to prove it? Without written proof, it doesn’t count!" Xue Wuhen retorted harshly, his tone aggressive.

"HAHAHAHA! I’m going to kill someone, and you think you have the right to tell me what to do? Who the hell do you think you are?!" Ning Jiang began to laugh. He knew reasoning was useless, so he didn’t waste his breath. "I’ve killed him now. What are you going to do about it?"

"What an arrogant maniac. Do you really think no one can deal with you?" Xue Wuhen’s gaze turned cold as he slowly announced, "He who breaks the rules shall be executed by all of the Ten Great!"

The moment he said this, the faces of countless people in the surroundings changed drastically.

"Well said. If someone breaks the rules and goes unpunished, then won’t everyone start a killing spree at the annual gathering in the future? That would be chaos. This matter cannot be simply dropped," Wang Ziming also stood up to declare his stance.

"Heh heh, I’m quite curious about his physique. I heard he beat Huang Qing half to death with a single punch," Iron Vajra Hong Tai grinned.

"I’d also like to see whose Lightweight Skill is superior, his or mine," Shadowless Step Xu Tengfei said, a militant glint in his eyes.

"Count me in as well," Cloud-Piercing Eye Bai Qi added, his eyes narrowing.

"His Sword Technique is very strong. I can’t help but feel the itch to fight," said Lin Qiuye.

Xue Wuhen, Wang Ziming, Hong Tai, Xu Tengfei, Bai Qi, and Lin Qiuye. All six had made their positions clear.

That left Liu Xianyu, along with the newly promoted Gao Jin and Zhang Yao. freēwēbnovel.com

As for Zhou Wenhao, he was already dead by Ning Jiang’s sword, so now there were only nine members of the Ten Great.

Gao Jin stood up and said coldly, "I lost to him last time. I swore I would wipe away that shame."

With Gao Jin, that made seven.

Zhang Yao, however, shook her head. "I was only able to advance to the Innate Realm and become one of the Ten Great because of his help. Not only will I not attack him, I will stand in your way."

Zhang Yao had always been clear about her debts and grudges. She repaid kindness with kindness and spoke her mind, completely unafraid of offending the crowd.

"Zhang Yao, that won’t be necessary. Mr. Ning can handle them himself," Liu Xianyu said lightly. "A few little snakes ganging up think they can bite a True Dragon to death? How laughable."

"Starting today, you two are expelled from the Ten Great."

Xue Wuhen snorted coldly. He usually had a refined and elegant demeanor, but when he got serious, he was swift and decisive. His words and actions were both incredibly forceful.

"Wang Chen, Peng Zhuang, join the fight. You two can reclaim your positions among the Ten Great," Xue Wuhen said indifferently. He seemed to exude the aura of a leader, and his every word and action carried an authority that was hard to refute.

"Count me in, too!"

Suddenly, another voice rang out.

It was Wang Tao of the Wang Family.

Wang Tao had once clashed with Ning Jiang at the Treasure Auction over the price of the Fiery Fire Qi Exposure Technique.

Back then, he was a candidate for the Ten Great, but now his cultivation had reached the Innate Realm.

However, he had not challenged any of the Ten Great at this year’s gathering.

This was because he wasn’t confident. Even if he activated the Fiery Fire Qi Exposure Technique to temporarily boost his cultivation and barely managed to seize a spot among the Ten Great, he would then enter a Weakness Stage.

Once he was in the Weakness Stage, if someone else challenged him and knocked him out of the ranks, wouldn’t he lose all face?

"You’re in," Xue Wuhen nodded.

And with that, there were ten of them!

The situation had developed far beyond anyone’s expectations.

Ten Innate Realm experts were actually going to team up to execute Ning Jiang.

The last time something like this happened was ten years ago, when someone broke the rules and was killed on the spot by the Ten Great.

The ten people joining forces now represented almost the most formidable lineup of Luoyang City’s younger generation.

’That despicable villain! Who in Luoyang City doesn’t know that my little brother and Zhou Wenhao had a life-and-death duel? For him to use the lack of a written contract as an excuse to move against my little brother is truly shameless. It’s obvious he’s just jealous of my brother’s excellence and wants to stifle a genius.’

Ning Yu’an’s eyes were cold, her heart filled with rage.

The other eight Alchemy Masters also had cold and indifferent expressions.

But at that moment, Ning Jiang glanced over at them.

They understood his unspoken message: he wanted them to stay put.

"Heh heh, interesting. From his fight with Zhou Wenhao just now, I suspect he still hasn’t used his full strength. Perhaps ten of them working together can force out his true power,"

Luo Haisheng chuckled, his interest piqued.

He was already more than satisfied with today’s trip.

As for Liu Yuanlong, just like Liu Xianyu, he wasn’t worried about Ning Jiang in the slightest.

"Miss, should we help him?" in the pavilion, the maid Qiu Yue asked.

Yue Lianxi parted her red lips, which were as alluring as dewdrops on a flower. "There’s no need. I trust he can handle it."

「At this moment.」

The ten of them stepped forward, walking toward Ning Jiang.

The aura of the Innate Realm emanated from them, causing the surface of the lake to roil with turbulent waves.

Among them, Xue Wuhen’s aura was the most powerful.

Last year he was the head of the Ten Great, and this year he was still one step ahead of everyone else.

"You broke the rules, so you were in the wrong first. If we don’t kill you, it will be impossible to maintain order," Xue Wuhen said with an air of self-righteousness.

"Your strength is indeed impressive, but against the ten of us combined, you have absolutely no chance of winning," Wang Ziming said, full of confidence.

"You are a bunch of worthless dogs."

Ning Jiang stood there and slowly uttered six words. Facing ten people alone, his aura was not the least bit inferior.

’When had he ever taken these ten people seriously?’

At that moment, everyone felt that although Ning Jiang was just one person, he possessed an aura that an army of thousands could not match.

He alone was invincible!

"Arrogant bastard! I’ll be the first to test you!"

Iron Vajra Hong Tai took a step forward. His frame was enormous, a full head taller than everyone else. His arms were thicker than a man’s thighs, and his entire body was a mass of knotted muscle. He exuded a ferocious and terrifying aura like that of a great beast. Anyone who met his gaze felt as though they were facing a Demon Beast, their hearts pounding with fear.

As he walked forward, the Blood Qi in his body immediately began to surge, rumbling audibly.

A wave of Blood Qi erupted from his body, burning like fire.

Bathed in flames, he was a terrifying sight.

Among Luoyang’s younger generation, his physique was the strongest. He was at the level of a Body Refining Master and was known for having a Copper Head and Iron Arm, uninjured after a hundred battles.

"Do you dare take three of my punches!"

Hong Tai roared, his voice so loud it made everyone’s eardrums ring.

The moment his voice fell.

He abruptly exerted his strength. With a stomp of his foot, the surface of the lake instantly caved in, and a wave as tall as a man erupted from behind his heel.

His body tore through the air with a WHOOSH, covering several dozen feet in an instant to appear before Ning Jiang.

His massive body, seemingly forged from steel, was suffocating to behold.

BOOM!

His right arm shuddered as he threw a punch. His fist was like a great spear, incomparably fierce.

"Pathetic parlor tricks."

Ning Jiang clenched his five fingers into a fist and suddenly raised his right hand. His slender fist looked so delicate that no one would think it held any power.

But.

When their two fists collided, it was as if two ten-ton blocks of iron had smashed together. A massive shockwave rolled out, and beneath their feet, a hundred-foot-wide section of the lake’s surface caved in like a basin.

"Good! Second punch! Four-Split Fist!"

Hong Tai’s expression hardened. When his first punch failed to affect Ning Jiang, he knew his opponent’s physique was formidable. He immediately activated a Martial Technique, and his fist shot out like an arrow, fast and ruthless.

Ning Jiang’s white robes fluttered, but his figure remained motionless. He threw his second punch, and with another thunderous shockwave, the exchange ended in a draw.

"Mountain Shattering Fist."

Hong Tai roared, holding nothing back. As his fist flew, it felt as if it shattered the very air in a hundred-foot radius. The sheer intent behind it—a fist that could shatter mountains—was enough to extinguish any thought of resistance.

If it could break a mountain, what chance did a person have?

"Now you take a punch from me."

A chorus of snaps echoed from Ning Jiang’s bones and tendons. The blood in his body surged endlessly, creating a rumble even louder than Hong Tai’s.

"Great Sun Demon Slaying Fist!"

In that instant, golden flames erupted from his body, making him look like an undefeated War God. His fist shone with an ultimate brilliance, as if cast from gold. The force of the punch was ferocious and unstoppable.

It was a punch that would slay gods who blocked it, kill buddhas who stood in its way, and topple all demons.

BANG.

The fists met. Hong Tai held on for barely the blink of an eye before he could no longer withstand the tyrannical Fist Power. His body was sent flying backward, and he spat out several mouthfuls of blood in midair.

"What? His physique is even stronger than Hong Tai’s!"

Everyone was aghast. Not only was Ning Jiang’s Sword Technique peerless, but his physique was also at the pinnacle of the younger generation.

The golden Blood Qi seething around his body made him look like Taiyang’s Son—sacred, noble, and immune to all Myriad Techniques.

"Attack together," Xue Wuhen barked coldly.

SWISH.

A figure moved rapidly, appearing behind Ning Jiang.

Shadowless Step Xu Tengfei.

He was the fastest, the first to get behind Ning Jiang.

"I’ve gotten in close. Ning Jiang of the White Head Sword Sect, it seems your Body Technique is nothing special after all," Xu Tengfei said with a look of arrogance.

He held two extremely sharp Short Forks in his hands, which he thrust toward Ning Jiang’s back.

His back was wide open!