Chapter 369 - 222: Exchanging Blows

Chapter 369: Chapter 222: Exchanging Blows

The next moment, he landed on both feet, while Bao Lingyun stumbled back two steps.

The demons in the stands fell silent at once. The entire Martial Arts Arena became deathly quiet.

What had they just seen?

The Thirteenth Prince, Bao Lingyun, had retreated?

In a contest of strength, the Thirteenth Prince had lost?

"Good! You are truly the worthy opponent I’ve been dreaming of!

Only this is worthy of this Prince using his full strength!"

Though Bao Lingyun had retreated a few steps, he wasn’t angry. Instead, he was overjoyed and burst into laughter.

A series of light CRACKLING sounds came from his body.

Golden fur with black spots rapidly grew over his originally human form, and his height instantly doubled.

In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a living, bipedal leopard.

The massive, door-panel-like saber in his hand now looked remarkably slender compared to his new physique.

"Take another slash from me!"

Bao Lingyun roared and slashed out.

In an instant, a gale howled as scorching flames erupted from the saber’s edge, forming a fiery serpent that advanced with the blade.

Where he stepped, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground, a testament to his immense power.

The Perfection Realm of the Li Fire Realm, the Great Success Realm of the Gen Mountain Realm, and the Minor Success Realm of the Xun Wind Realm.

They were all on full display in this single slash.

By being able to merge three different realms into a single slash, Bao Lingyun had already far surpassed the vast majority of Martial Artists.

The demons in the stands once again erupted in earth-shaking cheers.

Qianyun Mountain, Huo Zhen Court, and the other surviving True Essence Realm Martial Artist turned deathly pale.

Putting themselves in his shoes, they knew if they were the ones facing that slash, they would undoubtedly die.

"This is utterly absurd. A demon has actually mastered three different realms..."

Huo Zhen Court muttered to himself, a flicker of despair in his eyes.

’How could a mere Taiping Captain possibly block a strike like that?’

’I thought we were finally going to be saved, but it looks impossible now.’

He had once ventured deep into the savage wilds to search for a specific weapon-forging material, only to unfortunately fall into the hands of the Demon Court.

For several years he had fought in this Martial Arts Arena, enduring humiliation and hardship.

Of those who had fallen into the Demon Court’s hands with him back then, very few were still alive.

’Perhaps today is the day I, Huo Zhen Court, will die.’

At this thought, although he had long been prepared for this, he couldn’t help but sigh.

’I really don’t want to die. I still have a whole life ahead of me.’

BANG!

A muffled thud reverberated through the Martial Arts Arena.

A black shadow shot out like a cannonball, flew straight across half the Martial Arts Arena, and slammed into the surrounding wall with a thunderous CRASH.

The massive sound reverberated through the Martial Arts Arena, and the entire venue seemed to tremble for a moment.

The vast Martial Arts Arena once again fell deathly silent.

The eyes of the demons in the stands were about to pop out of their sockets, their faces filled with disbelief.

Huo Zhen Court’s eyes widened as well, his breathing growing heavy.

What had he just seen?

That unparalleled slash, which merged three different realms—before the blade even arrived, the fire had already enveloped Su Mu.

In that split second, Su Mu had somehow grown several times taller out of thin air.

The scorching flames, hot enough to melt iron and refine gold, hadn’t caused him the slightest harm.

He had stepped into the flames and with a single kick, he had forcefully shattered the massive door-panel saber and then sent Bao Lingyun flying.

That’s right. The one who went flying wasn’t Su Mu, but the Demon Court’s Thirteenth Prince, Bao Lingyun!

The breathing of Qianyun Mountain and the other True Essence Realm Martial Artist also became extremely heavy.

"General Qian, are you telling me that’s a Taiping Captain?"

The True Essence Realm Martial Artist asked in disbelief.

"Perhaps... he is."

Qianyun Mountain was no longer sure either.

’Taiping Captains are all in the Rebirth Realm. Can someone in the Rebirth Realm be this strong?’

’But then again, the Demon Court’s Thirteenth Prince is apparently only a Tier Two Demon.’

’The combat prowess of these freaks of nature simply can’t be judged by ordinary realms.’

’How many people in the Rebirth Realm can cultivate a realm to Perfection?’

SWOOSH!

Su Mu’s figure flashed across the Martial Arts Arena, leaving a series of afterimages in his wake.

Before Bao Lingyun could even crawl out of the rubble, Su Mu was already in front of him, stomping him back down with a single foot.

CRACK!

The massive rocks shattered, and Bao Lingyun was driven into the rubble.

His eyes bulged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Stop!"

Several furious roars came from around the Martial Arts Arena.

In an instant, seven or eight demons with powerful auras rushed down from the stands into the arena.

There were Tier Three Demons and even Tier Four Demons among them.

CRACK!

Su Mu pressed down with his foot, and it was impossible to tell how many of Bao Lingyun’s bones were broken.

The demons were so frightened they stopped in their tracks, not daring to advance any further.

"Human, release the Thirteenth Prince, or we’ll make sure you die a horrible death!"

The demons roared angrily.

"In the Martial Arts Arena, life and death are determined by skill."

Su Mu said coolly, "The weak deserve to die.

Your Thirteenth Prince said that himself. What, now that he’s losing, you’re planning to bully me with numbers?"

"You—"

The demons were speechless. "Release the Thirteenth Prince!"

All they could do was clamor.

The demons in the stands also stood up, shouting loudly.

Su Mu remained expressionless, as if he didn’t even see the demons.

He raised his hand, pointing the Thunder Shocking Saber at Bao Lingyun’s neck.

Bao Lingyun opened his eyes and stared ferociously at Su Mu. Not only was there no fear in his gaze, but it was filled with excitement.

’This guy’s a psycho.’

Su Mu made his judgment and swung his saber without hesitation.

"Spare him!"

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

Immediately after, an invisible pressure descended from the heavens, instantly enveloping the entire Martial Arts Arena.

The chaotic noise in the arena vanished in an instant, and some of the weaker demons were so terrified they collapsed to the ground.

On Shi Ziran’s shoulder, Ao Qing abruptly raised his head, a rare look of gravity—and a trace of fear—in his eyes.

The Thunder Shocking Saber stopped precisely at the surface of Bao Lingyun’s skin. Any further and it would have sliced open his neck.

Su Mu slowly raised his head and looked in the direction the voice had come from.

He felt himself locked on by a powerful aura. If his saber fell, he would surely face a thunderous attack.

’Could it be the Master of the Demon Court? The legendary Demon Court Saint Venerable?’

’Did I beat up the kid only to draw out the old man?’

’I wonder if Ao Qing can handle the Demon Court Saint Venerable.’

The gates of the Martial Arts Arena opened, and a slender figure walked in slowly.

It was a human!

The human was dressed in green robes and wore a snow-white cloak.

Following behind him was a demon with a reverent expression on its face.

The man and the beast walked slowly into the Martial Arts Arena.

The moment they appeared, all the demons in the stands knelt and paid their respects, addressing him as "National Preceptor."

The Demon Court National Preceptor, Liang Jinglue!

Although it wasn’t the Demon Court Saint Venerable himself, the Demon Court’s National Preceptor was still a truly important figure.

What was terrifying wasn’t just Liang Jinglue, but also the demon following behind him.

Su Mu couldn’t see through the demon, but just from the aura it exuded, it was at least a Tier Six Demon.

’Stronger than Ao Qing!’

"Lord Su, according to the rules of the Martial Arts Arena, a loser can buy their life with wealth."

Liang Jinglue walked until he was about thirty feet from Su Mu before speaking slowly, "Ling Yun has lost. I am willing to buy back his life. Would Lord Su grant me this favor?"

’Does the Demon Court’s Martial Arts Arena have such a rule?’

Su Mu didn’t know.

But with the Demon Court National Preceptor speaking, even if the rule didn’t exist before, it did now.

Su Mu wasn’t some hot-headed brat. Facing the Demon Court’s second-in-command, he had no intention of spouting heroic nonsense.

It wasn’t like he was invincible.

Refusing to give face to their number two on the Demon Court’s own territory? Wasn’t that just blatantly asking for death?

Besides, the man had at least a Tier Six Demon with him.

’There’s no way I can kill Bao Lingyun today.’

"The Thirteenth Prince of the Demon Court... I wonder how much his life is worth."

Su Mu looked at Liang Jinglue, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke slowly.

Liang Jinglue studied Su Mu with some amusement and said calmly, "I can assure you, Lord Su will not be disappointed."