Chapter 173 - 169: Now, Can We Talk Properly?

Chapter 173: Chapter 169: Now, Can We Talk Properly?

Chen Yue looked at Xu Jichuan strangely, sizing him up.

When he’d struck out with his palm just now, he sensed that while the power in Xu Jichuan’s fist was immense, it was far from the peak of the Refining Organ Realm.

Xu Jichuan was likely in the middle or late stage of the Refining Organ Realm, still a good distance from the true peak.

His combat prowess was comparable to Cheng Fengjun’s right after his breakthrough, a notch stronger at most.

And Chen Yue?

After his fight with Cheng Fengjun, although his Cultivation hadn’t increased by much, he had gained the enhancement of the Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell, an Innate Technique.

The value of this Cultivation Technique was something that a mere increase in Cultivation could not measure.

That was why a single palm strike was enough to give him the absolute upper hand.

Not only had Xu Jichuan failed to anticipate this outcome, but even Chen Yue himself was a little surprised. He had been prepared for a tough fight.

The courtyard grew quiet.

The shockwave had dissipated and the dust had settled. All eyes were fixed on the two men in the center of the courtyard.

Even Shen Dujiang, still on the ground, was staring blankly at Chen Yue.

Yesterday, during Chen Yue’s fight with the Chong Ghosts, he had watched with his own eyes as Chen Yue drove the Ghostly Creatures out of Shi Zhen Shu’s body with one palm strike after another. He had seen that mass of black shadows get incinerated within the glow of Chen Yue’s Qi Blood.

Shen Dujiang knew Chen Yue was strong, of course, but encounters with ghosts were rare. It was difficult for him to equate what he had seen with a Martial Artist’s specific realm.

He had no idea just how strong Chen Yue truly was.

But now, Shen Dujiang understood.

The point of reference was no longer some ethereal Ghostly Creature, but an Inner Sect Disciple from the Flame Palace who radiated the aura of the Refining Organ Realm.

When Chen Yue sent that Refining Organ Realm expert stumbling back seven or eight steps with a single palm, Shen Dujiang finally understood: Chen Yue was absurdly strong.

It was difficult for Shen Dujiang to reconcile this image with the memory of the person who had bought a Basic Technique from him in the black market.

The corner of Shen Dujiang’s mouth twitched. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Just that day, he had been racking his brain for a way to handle this on his own, to avoid dragging Chen Yue and the others into it.

And what was the result? With a single palm strike, Chen Yue had driven back the very opponent who had been giving him sleepless nights.

Xu Jichuan felt the stares of everyone around him. Their gazes landed on him like countless needles piercing his skin.

Xu Jichuan’s expression turned grim. His lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw muscles tightened, and a vein throbbed at his temple.

He was an Inner Sect Disciple of the Flame Palace. He had joined the sect ten years ago.

Ten years of arduous cultivation and countless life-and-death battles had brought him to his current level of Cultivation. He couldn’t lose face to a mere Marrow Refining Realm disciple from the Panshi Sect.

A cold light flashed, and a long saber materialized out of thin air in front of Xu Jichuan.

The saber was about three feet long, its blade long, narrow, and slightly curved. The spine was thick, the edge sharp, and the hilt was wrapped in dark-colored cord.

Xu Jichuan’s right hand shot out, grabbing the saber.

The instant his hand closed around the hilt, the patterns on the blade seemed to come alive, crawling up his arm before quickly disappearing into his skin.

Xu Jichuan’s figure flickered. The bluestone tiles beneath his feet shattered from the force of his step, kicking up a high curtain of dust and debris behind him.

In the next instant, he appeared before Chen Yue, his saber slashing down from above. The blade tore through the air with a piercing shriek.

A fiery glow erupted from the blade, so brilliant it lit up the entire courtyard as if it were day.

Before the blade even fell, a wave of searing heat washed over Chen Yue.

The air crackled with a menacing aura and chilling killing intent.

Chen Yue’s right hand went to his waist, his fingers closing around the hilt of the saber that always hung there.

Gang Qi surged from Chen Yue’s Dantian, coursing through the meridians in his arm and pouring into the blade.

Infused with this Gang Qi, the steel blade began to tremble slightly with a low hum, its edge taking on a faint golden sheen.

Chen Yue stared into Xu Jichuan’s eyes, his own gaze as tranquil and unrippled as a deep pool.

The next moment, an immense Sword Intent erupted from his Heart Spirit, an invisible blade that slashed directly into Xu Jichuan’s Sea of Consciousness.

Furious Wave Saber Intent!

Sword Intent was formless and intangible. It bypassed physical defenses and barriers of Gang Qi, launching its assault from the depths of the Sea of Consciousness to strike at the very core of one’s Heart Spirit.

The ferocious expression on Xu Jichuan’s face instantly froze.

For a split second, his eyes lost focus. They refocused almost immediately, but in that brief lapse, his body lost its coordination, and his Sword Momentum faltered.

CLANG!

The explosive clash of steel erupted in the courtyard, a sound so sharp and piercing it was like a thunderclap right beside his ear.

Xu Jichuan, who had been charging forward, was thrown backward. The power and Sword Intent embedded in Chen Yue’s strike hit his saber like a heavy sledgehammer.

The force traveled up the blade, through his arm and shoulder, and into his entire body. He lost his footing, his center of gravity thrown off-balance.

Xu Jichuan gritted his teeth, fighting desperately to steady himself, but the force was too great—so great his body simply couldn’t resist it.

Before Xu Jichuan could recover, Chen Yue’s next slash was upon him.

Xu Jichuan’s eyes flew wide. He frantically channeled all the Qi Force in his body, pouring it into the saber in his hand.

In that instant, the fiery glow on his saber flared violently, blazing so intensely it seemed about to burst into flame.

Xu Jichuan swung his saber, attempting to block Chen Yue’s strike.

CLANG!

Another explosive ring of steel.

Immense power and surging Sword Intent intertwined, forming an unstoppable torrent that shattered all of Xu Jichuan’s defenses.

The saber in his hand was knocked upward by the blow, the blade trembling violently and emitting a mournful hum.

His right arm was numb from the impact, and the webbing between his thumb and forefinger had split open. Blood gushed from the wound, dripping down the hilt and onto the ground.

His guard was completely broken.

Chen Yue stepped forward with his right foot. As his foot landed, the bluestone tile beneath it shattered, sending stone fragments and dust flying in all directions.

He shifted his weight from his back foot to his front, dipped his left shoulder, drew his left arm back, and then thrust his palm toward Xu Jichuan’s chest.

Inner Strength gathered in his palm, then erupted with the force of a volcano. The strike created a visible white shockwave in the air that shot straight toward Xu Jichuan’s chest.

Xu Jichuan’s face twisted in horror, his pupils instantly dilating to their absolute limit.

It was far too late to dodge. All he could do was throw his left arm up in a desperate attempt to block the blow.

CRACK!

The sharp crack of a bone breaking echoed, jarringly loud in the quiet courtyard.

The terrifying force of Chen Yue’s palm shattered Xu Jichuan’s forearm, the bone exploding into countless tiny shards that embedded themselves deep within muscle and sinew.

Its momentum undiminished, the palm strike crushed Xu Jichuan’s broken arm against his body and slammed viciously into his chest.

PTHOO!

Xu Jichuan sprayed a mist of blood as he was sent flying backward. His feet left the ground, his body arcing through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

He tumbled several times across the bluestone tiles before coming to a stop, leaving a long smear of blood on the ground amidst the flying dust and gravel.

Xu Jichuan lay prone on the ground, his body wracked with violent tremors. His left arm was twisted at an unnatural angle, and his chest heaved violently. A gurgling, bloody sound came from deep in his throat with every breath.

He coughed up another spray of blood, staining the bluestone tiles a dark crimson.

Xu Jichuan pressed his right hand against the ground, his arm trembling violently as he tried to push himself up.

His vision was blurry, his ears were ringing, and through the chaos of his senses, he saw a pair of feet.

They were black cloth boots, covered in dust and gravel. His gaze traveled upward from the boots until he saw the young man’s face.

Chen Yue loomed over him, his gaze as tranquil as a deep pool.

"Can we talk properly now?"

Xu Jichuan said nothing. The emotions in his eyes were too complex to describe: humiliation, anger, disbelief, and a sliver of fear he refused to even admit to himself.

"We can talk! We can talk!"

Xu Hanjiang’s voice cried out from a distance, shrill and frantic, laced with terror.

The middle-aged man, so insufferably arrogant just moments before, now seemed like a completely different person.

His face was ashen, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and even his voice shook.

Xu Hanjiang’s gaze darted to Shen Dujiang on the ground.

"Old Shen, Old Shen! You have to see, I never intended to kill you! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble! I just wanted... I just wanted to settle our old scores, to vent a little. I never meant to take your life!"

His words were jumbled and illogical, but the meaning was perfectly clear: he was admitting defeat, surrendering, and begging for intercession.

Lying on the ground, Shen Dujiang looked at Xu Hanjiang’s pathetic state, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

"You really did just want to humiliate me."

Xu Hanjiang had gone to all that trouble, sending men to search the Prefecture City for days, even mobilizing his son from the Flame Palace. His goal had never been to kill Shen Dujiang.

It was to make him bow his head, to admit defeat, to kneel and beg for mercy.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Xu Hanjiang’s eyes. He nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, that’s right! I just wanted to vent! Old Shen, could you talk to that... that young man for me? Tell him we can sort this out between ourselves, alright?"

Shen Dujiang didn’t answer. He turned his head to look at Chen Yue.

Chen Yue stood in the moonlight. His gaze shifted from Xu Jichuan to Shen Dujiang’s face, and he gave a slight nod.

’This is your business. You make the call.’

Shen Dujiang closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

Xu Hanjiang watched Shen Dujiang, waiting for his answer, his expression taut with extreme tension.

’If this fight continues, my son is going to die.’

As the thought flashed through Xu Hanjiang’s mind, the blood in his veins felt as if it had turned to ice.