Slaughter Under the Stars

Li Daoyuan had truly become a corpse, driven solely by battle instinct. All other consciousness had faded as he pursued Xiao Chen relentlessly.

Nine bolts of lightning as thick as bowls engulfed both men, the punishment shared equally between them.

Xiao Chen's eight divine acupoints burst into blinding radiance simultaneously. Boundless life essence surged forth, instantly enveloping his body.

"Slay God!"

"Reverse Chaos!"

He gripped the broken blade, fusing two great killing arts into his sword technique. His eyes were ice-cold as he used his formidable flesh and vast life energy to withstand the nine terrifying lightning bolts, charging to within three yards of the spellmaster Liu Ziliang in an instant.

The frigid blade swept across without mercy. Blood erupted. A severed arm flew into the sky, staining the heavens red.

"Impossible!"

Liu Ziliang retreated swiftly, clutching his severed limb and groaning in agony. Blood gushed from the wound, twisting his face with pain.

Xiao Chen had gambled everything on a life-for-life assault, breaking through the blockade of nine lightning bolts to close in on Liu Ziliang. Though blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, he had grievously wounded his opponent in the shortest possible time.

Xiao Chen had known from the start that a master lurked in the shadows. He could not afford to face two strong opponents at once—that would be far too dangerous. So he had deliberately taken a blow to eliminate one enemy first. He had not killed Liu Ziliang, but he had drastically reduced the man's combat power.

At that moment, the Infernal Corpse Li Daoyuan also crossed the nine lightning bolts. Whether he had been injured was impossible to tell, but his movements were unimpeded as he lunged straight at Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen used the dragging-sword technique, sweeping his blade backward in an arc. The dazzling sword light fell like a star crashing to earth, transforming into a blinding divine radiance that slashed diagonally at Li Daoyuan's neck.

Li Daoyuan was entirely governed by combat instinct. He sensed the terrifying power of this strike and shifted his body sideways by two yards to evade the edge, then pounced from the flank.

After breaching the lightning, Xiao Chen pushed his Undying Heavenly Wings to their limit. He surpassed both the spellmaster and the spiritist in speed, completely avoiding Li Daoyuan's renewed assault as he went straight for the severely wounded Liu Ziliang.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One afterimage after another streaked across the sky. Liu Ziliang endured the agony, constantly shifting positions to evade. He tried to move toward Li Daoyuan, but with his unexpected severe injury, he could only muster seventy percent of his power. He dared not clash with Xiao Chen again.

Xiao Chen would not give him the chance!

He was faster than Liu Ziliang, and faster than Li Daoyuan. Ignoring Li Daoyuan's pursuit from behind, Xiao Chen hunted Liu Ziliang like an avenging god.

Liu Ziliang was undoubtedly a supreme expert among his generation, with few peers. But tonight he had been unlucky. In his carelessness, he had never expected Xiao Chen to stake everything on a single gambit, crossing those nine lightning bolts to deliver a fatal blow.

In Liu Ziliang's eyes, Xiao Chen was simply a desperate gambler. To be so grievously wounded in this manner was infuriating—he had not even had the chance to display his full strength!

What Liu Ziliang did not know was that Xiao Chen's gamble was no gamble at all. Xiao Chen had the capital to back it up. His exuberant vitality allowed him to suppress his injuries to a minimum, and his recovery was astonishing. Though he had coughed blood, his combat power remained largely unaffected. His eight great acupoints simultaneously circulated brilliant life essence, rapidly repairing his damaged body.

It was a bizarre sight: Li Daoyuan chasing Xiao Chen, Xiao Chen hunting Liu Ziliang—each seemingly operating in their own world, completely ignoring the others.

"Slash!" Xiao Chen roared, fusing the "Demon-Suppressing" art into his blade. He shattered the light curtain formed by the curse technique. A streak of black light grazed Liu Ziliang's neck, shearing off a long lock of hair and leaving a shallow wound on his throat. A hair's breadth more and his head would have been taken.

"Kill!"

Another great shout. The broken black blade swept across the sky, the blade aura unwinding like a silken ribbon.

Brilliant light flashed. Liu Ziliang chanted incantations, and a blanket of radiance descended to block Xiao Chen's ferocious assault.

But the broken blade seemed unstoppable. It parted the boundless luminous curtain with the force of a hurricane, carving a path through. Xiao Chen reached him in the blink of an eye, charging into the light to strike Liu Ziliang down.

Liu Ziliang was terrified out of his wits. He had the strength but could not use it. After losing an arm, the searing pain made it impossible to focus his mind on spellcasting. His power had plummeted, and he was no match for Xiao Chen.

In a battle of masters, victory hinged on seizing the first opening. Liu Ziliang's strength had waned, and he had lost the initiative—how could he possibly hold against Xiao Chen?

"Slay God!"

"Demon-Suppression!"

"Reverse Chaos!"

Xiao Chen shouted, fusing three of his four great killing arts into his blade technique. The broken sword became like the Grim Reaper's scythe, unspeakably dreadful. The pitch-black light seemed to tear the sky apart.

A fatal strike, delivered with all his might!

The protective light curtain shattered completely. Despair filled Liu Ziliang's heart. He was outmatched in speed and now in power as well—he could not possibly withstand this blow.

Blood erupted. Xiao Chen's blade sliced Liu Ziliang clean in half at the waist.

"Impossible!" Liu Ziliang let out a final, desperate scream of despair. He had come to kill Xiao Chen—how could he die like this? He could not believe what his eyes were seeing. With two experts attacking simultaneously, his opponent had focused entirely on him and slain him.

Resentment and disbelief filled his eyes as the light gradually faded.

Blood gushed again. Xiao Chen swung his blade, splitting the two severed halves into four pieces!

He halted in midair, turned, and coldly swept his gaze over the pursuing Li Daoyuan. Then, raising his blade to the heavens, he charged back into battle.

Now that the killing had begun, his strikes grew even fiercer. Xiao Chen fought with wide, sweeping movements, battling the Infernal Corpse. The black broken blade slashed horizontally and vertically, sending sword aura soaring into the sky. One after another, blinding blade beams formed a great wave of energy, surging and erupting.

"Slay God!"

"Demon-Suppression!"

"Collapse!"

The three great arts merged into one. Xiao Chen poured that annihilating power into the broken black blade and struck with a momentum that brooked no resistance.

"I alone am invincible!"

He left no path of retreat, sealing off all escape routes. One strike was meant to decide everything, to bring a resolution!

This was the life-and-death battle of a true man.

He was ruthless not only to his enemies but to himself. Driven to extremity, he unleashed his strongest power.

One blade sealed all ten directions!

Li Daoyuan could not evade. With ghostly speed, he twisted within the black mist, performing movements that seemed impossible. His palms, as hard as refined steel, clamped down on the broken blade at an impossibly sharp angle.

But the combined force of three Great Dissolving Hands was irresistible! When Xiao Chen also unleashed his fourth art, "Reverse Chaos," even the Infernal Corpse's body could not withstand it.

His palms could not hold the blade. The black blade aura pierced the black mist, and with a metallic clang, slashed diagonally into Li Daoyuan's left shoulder.

The blade edge bit deep into the flesh, yet it did not sever the arm. The broken blade was trapped inside. Xiao Chen was deeply shaken—what state was Li Daoyuan's body in? Even after merging several Great Dissolving Hands, he could not cut through it. It was truly monstrous.

Slay God, Demon-Suppression—the power surged like a mighty river, rolling out without end. The broken blade pressed down like a mountain of ten thousand jun, steadily increasing in force. Xiao Chen was determined to take off that arm.

A roar—the Infernal Corpse voiced its first sound, raising its head to the heavens. The cry shook the sky, its hair flying wildly, the light in its bloody eyes growing even colder. It twisted its body violently, then wrenched itself free.

Li Daoyuan's arm did not fall off. Though Xiao Chen had carved a terrible wound into it, not a single drop of blood spattered. His body had become fully corpse-like—the blood had long since stopped flowing.

Xiao Chen stepped through the void as if treading on solid ground. The very sky trembled with his footsteps as heaven and earth energy surged. His momentum swelled with each step.

Then, in an instant, blade-light erupted skyward. Xiao Chen struck again and again—eighteen consecutive strokes, all aimed at Li Daoyuan. Eighteen beams of brilliant light fell like a meteor shower streaking across the heavens.

Those in Heavenly Emperor City who looked up at the stars were astonished. The light of these meteors was far too dazzling—they lit up an entire quadrant of the sky!

The clang of metal striking metal rang out without end. Li Daoyuan's arms continuously met the side of Xiao Chen's broken blade. He deflected eleven strokes, but the unstoppable blade-light gradually overwhelmed him.

The final seven strokes were like raging thunder, impossible to block!

Blood erupted again. All seven strokes landed on Li Daoyuan's body—though not in the same spot. He had managed to spread them out.

Gruesome wounds crisscrossed the Infernal Corpse's frame. The last two strokes actually drew blood. The Infernal Corpse body was shattered, completely broken. Li Daoyuan was about to revert to his original mortal form.

Xiao Chen prepared to strike again, but at that moment, a figure stepped onto five-colored auspicious clouds and soared into the sky, catching the collapsing Li Daoyuan.

"Wu Xingfeng!" Xiao Chen's eyes shot forth two beams of divine light. Blade raised to heaven, he faced his old enemy. Then he strode forward, advancing through the void.

"Xiao Chen, do you want to slaughter us all?" Wu Xingfeng's expression was icy. "I would like to fight, but you are already wounded. Defeating you like this would be too dull."

Xiao Chen said nothing. He knew that Wu Xingfeng was not being arrogant—the man truly possessed supreme strength. Though Xiao Chen had once thoroughly defeated him, his opponent had improved again. To fight to the death would likely require a bitter struggle. Xiao Chen would not forget the peril of their last battle.

"Kill!"

There was no room for retreat.

Xiao Chen raised his blade and struck. The Slay God art went straight for Wu Xingfeng's midsection.

Wu Xingfeng's eyes were like lightning. His Earth Element Fist exploded outward, a cloud of yellow light surging like endless dust and smoke, sweeping toward Xiao Chen.

Clang!

Blade and fist met with a deafening crash, like a thunderclap splitting the sky.

Afterimage after afterimage, radiance upon radiance. Xiao Chen fought Wu Xingfeng, stirring up a tidal wave of energy in the heavens.

The blade-light was dazzling, forming a mountain of blades where sword aura filled the air.

Wu Xingfeng's Five Element Divine Fist had grown much more refined. With each punch, heaven and earth shook. Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—the five great primal arts contained all methods under heaven. The most ancient and profound mysteries shone brilliantly on this foremost genius of the Heavenly Prison.

The Five Element Divine Arts were about to reclaim their ancient glory!

Xiao Chen flipped backward, then extended his leg. His right leg swept out, colliding with Wu Xingfeng's vicious Fire Element Fist. With a thunderous crash, the sky seemed to ignite, blazing divine flames roaring everywhere.

They were equals—still evenly matched. Neither could defeat the other in a short time.

Wu Xingfeng had already pushed the revived Li Daoyuan aside. He was now fighting Xiao Chen with all his might.

Xiao Chen had sheathed his broken blade, meeting Wu Xingfeng's Five Element Divine Fist with his own fists!

The two masters clashed fiercely in the sky. A hundred moves passed in the blink of an eye, yet still there was no winner. Tidal waves of energy rolled violently.

Finally, Wu Xingfeng shouted, "Kill!"

He struck five consecutive punches, each slower than the last but each carrying greater power. One mountain after another crashed forward. This was a Five Element Divine Art he had recently comprehended—a heritage from the ancient age that contained countless mysteries awaiting discovery.

Xiao Chen pushed himself to the limit and also delivered five punches. The Undying Imprint, Slay God, Reverse Chaos, Demon-Suppression, Collapse—five beams of divine light blazed across the sky. Thunder rolled and lightning flashed in the heavens, erupting in a dreadful deathly radiance.

This was destined to be a night of bloodshed.

After those five punches, both men coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. Then each withdrew, no longer attacking. They faced off for half an hour. Finally, Wu Xingfeng turned and retreated without looking back. Xiao Chen did not pursue. He silently regulated his breathing for another half hour, then streaked away across the sky.

Second target: Yu Wenfeng!

He flew at extreme speed, low to the ground, passing over a patch of brightly lit buildings. Xiao Chen appeared amid a cluster of palaces. It was the "Drunken Beauty Palace." Yu Wenfeng was currently in seclusion here, in this imperial pleasure quarters.

This was destined to be a sleepless night. If anyone learned of Xiao Chen's successive life-and-death battles tonight, it would surely stir up a storm.

A madman, with mad actions.