54

"Such powerful swordsmanship!"

Xue Pingzhi's sword strikes were even faster than before!

The third brother, who had just raised his axe to block, was struck in the wrist by the sword. The axe handle clattered onto the sand, and blood dripped from his palm through his fingers.

"How did this kid suddenly become so strong?" the fifth brother cursed.

He swung his steel saber horizontally, but Xue Pingzhi dodged it, the blade grazing his side and sending a wisp of cloth flying.

The five brothers, who had been barely managing to hold their own, were now being forced back, the sand beneath their feet flying everywhere.

No one noticed a figure hidden on a low hill not far away.

Qing Chen, wrapped in a gray Daoist robe, had already activated the secret technique of the "Demon Seed Golden Lotus" throughout his body.

With the 'Spirit Concealment Technique' at full power, mortals couldn't detect his presence at all.

He waited to see if any other cultivators appeared on the battlefield, such as the old town mayor's daughter; perhaps she might be hiding among them.

At this moment, Qing Chen was even more intently watching everyone on the battlefield.

......

The battlefield was now even more chaotic.

"Xue Pingzhi, you idiot! Why didn't you wait for the immortal to arrive before attacking?" the old town mayor cursed inwardly.

His arm trembled as he swung his sword. Although he had the foundation of a second-rate expert, he was old. He had just parried a man's blade when he was kicked in the lower back.

"Old man, prepare to die!" The man raised his sword and slashed.

The old town mayor hurriedly rolled away, but the sword struck the spot where he had just been lying, tearing his cloth shirt and drawing blood.

Screams of agony echoed across the battlefield.

A third-rate martial arts expert was stabbed in the back, blood gushing from his mouth, his hand still gripping his opponent's leg, before being stabbed several more times.

Another martial artist had his leg severed, collapsing to the ground howling in pain, but before he could finish his cry, his throat was slit.

The onlookers who had been hiding in the bushes were now deathly pale with fear.

A loafer tried to sneak back, but as soon as he lifted his leg, he froze!

His mouth gaped open, but no sound came out; his eyes were wide open, and his body seemed nailed to the sand.

Qing Chen crushed several 'paralysis spells' on the hill.

The black ash drifted down with the wind, landing around the people; anyone touched by it was immobilized.

He glanced at the frozen people, a smirk playing on his lips. These people were troublesome to keep alive; he'd deal with them later.

The fighting on the field continued.

The old mayor's side and the five brothers were all bloodthirsty, corpses piled upon corpses on the ground, blood staining the sand a dark red.

The sun slowly slanted westward. The battlefield, which had once teemed with hundreds, now saw only about thirty remaining, each wounded, their weapons trembling.

Xue Pingzhi's steel sword was dulled, and he had been slashed in the arm; blood flowed down his forearm to the hilt, which he gripped even tighter.

However, neither side showed any sign of retreating.

In a life-or-death battle, surrender would only hasten death.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

A dark figure suddenly drifted from the hillside, appearing on the battlefield like a ghost.

"Immortal Master! Immortal Master, save me!"

The old mayor was the first to react, scrambling towards the figure, the wound on his back tearing at him with excruciating pain.

He saw it as a lifeline.

The eldest, second, and fourth brothers, the remaining members of the five brothers, stood rooted to the spot, their faces deathly pale.

Though they had never seen a cultivator before, they could feel the oppressive aura emanating from the dark figure, their hearts filled with resentment.

The others also stared at the dark figure in terror.

Qing Chen ignored the old town chief, his eyes, hidden beneath his black robes, sweeping across the scene.

The others lay on the ground, either dead, wounded, or feigning death, a scene of utter chaos.

Xue Pingzhi, also badly injured, stood there panting heavily.

When Xue Pingzhi saw Qing Chen, he immediately sprang to attention and respectfully greeted him:

"Master."

Qing Chen then raised his hand, flicking out a dark red pill from his fingertip.

It was a pill he had refined using the essence blood of a low-level sea beast, capable of rapidly replenishing qi and blood.

The pill flew to Xue Pingzhi with a "whoosh," and he quickly opened his mouth to catch it.

A moment after swallowing, a faint flush appeared on his chest, his breathing became heavier, the wound on his arm stopped bleeding, and his eyes regained some strength.

Qing Chen, knowing that the old town mayor had a personal disciple, had already subdued him using various methods during the days since the notice was issued.

This man was outwardly tough but inwardly weak; faced with a life-or-death situation, he kowtowed repeatedly.

The old town mayor, kneeling halfway down the road, heard the words "Master," and his mind went blank. He looked up at Xue Pingzhi, then at Qing Chen.

"What...what's going on? How could Xue Pingzhi acknowledge this man as his master?"

Qing Chen's voice came from within the black robe, devoid of warmth, "Pingzhi, tie this old man up. Kill all five brothers."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the remaining twenty-odd martial artists, "As for the rest, listen, only ten of you will survive. Only ten of you can continue standing."

These words were like a stone thrown into boiling oil.

A moment of silence fell over the arena, then someone reacted.

"Ten alive" meant killing until only ten remained.

A tall, thin martial artist, quick as lightning, a ruthless glint in his eyes, swung his blade and stabbed his comrade who had just been fighting alongside him.

As the knife was pulled out, blood splattered across his face, staining the eyes of everyone present.

"You're insane!"

Someone cursed, but quickly raised their own knife towards those around them.

The comrades who had just fought side-by-side were now death's temptors.

A bearded warrior hesitated, about to say, "Stop fighting," when someone behind him slashed his neck, and he collapsed to the ground, twitching twice before going still.

Xue Pingzhi scrambled to his feet, picked up his sword, and walked up to the old town chief.

The old chief tried to beg for mercy, but before he could even open his mouth, Xue Pingzhi struck him on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword, knocking him unconscious.

Xue Pingzhi found a broken rope and bound the old chief tightly, like a wrapped-up dumpling, before throwing him onto the beach.

Then he turned and walked towards the eldest of the five brothers. Before the man could speak, his sword was plunged into his chest.

The second brother stepped forward to seek revenge, but Xue Pingzhi severed both his hands and beheaded him with a single stroke.

The fourth brother, devastated, tried to run, but Xue Pingzhi caught up and stabbed him through the back, leaving him lifeless on the ground.

The fighting on the beach intensified.

Some, with severed hands, still clung to their opponents' legs and bit them;

Some tried to feign death, but were pulled back and stabbed in the chest with a backhand.

After an incense stick had burned, when the time finally came to a stop, only nine people remained standing on the field.

One of the short, stout men had killed an extra person; he was still panting heavily, his eyes filled with madness, clearly caught up in the carnage.

"Good, well done," Qingchen's voice rang out again.

He pointed to the civilians frozen in the grass, "You nine, go and kill those onlookers too."

No one could be allowed to leak the word.

If anyone did, kill them.