The Child of Destruction

The young experts of the Great Shang Empire suffered one defeat after another. In recent days, Western Tribe curse-speakers and warriors had shone brilliantly in Yin Capital, beating the Shang’s young masters until they could barely resist. Many had lost face.

Among the famous young experts in the capital, only Chu Xingkuang, Yan Lingkong, Bo Shi, Chen Hangjin, and a few other royal bloodlines remained undefeated. The rest had been thoroughly crushed.

Of course, this did not mean the Shang youths were inferior to the Roman experts. There were many reasons. After all, these Solar Knights were elite warriors chosen from across the entire nation, and the few who came out to challenge were the cream of the crop. Moreover, they chose their opponents carefully, measuring their own strength.

Yin was merely the capital of Shang. The young experts here were formidable, but aside from a few like Chu Xingkuang and Yan Lingkong, they could not represent the absolute peak of Shang’s power. The strongest were never concentrated in one place but scattered across the land. Otherwise, the Third Princess, Yin Ying, would not have needed to send letters summoning help.

As Xiao Chen had expected, the Third Princess indeed began sending people to find him, hoping he would fight against the Solar Knight experts of the Roman Empire.

It was not that Xiao Chen was unwilling to help, but he truly did not want to become entangled in such strife. He had killed the Fierce Tiger himself, so he owed no debt to the resourceful Third Princess. No means could bind him. But he could not refuse directly either, so for now he chose to keep his distance.

Dugu Jianmo, having received Zhang Sanfeng’s three sword insights, bore a debt to the Third Princess and could not decline. News spread that he would step in when necessary.

The Solar Knight masters swept through Yin Capital. The seven leaders among the five hundred knights became the talk of the Shang capital, the focus of all discussion.

On the seventh day, the military drill ground south of Yin Capital swelled with murderous intent. Thousands had already gathered.

The atmosphere was electric, for the seven great Solar Knight masters were about to challenge the royal experts—Bo Shi and Chen Hangjin.

Neither side’s elders intervened.

The younger generation had fought with real fire.

Thus a formal duel was arranged at the military drill ground south of Yin Capital.

Bo Shi was a towering figure; the scar across his face gave him a sharp, fierce aura, a wild boldness. Surrounded by noble scions of the capital, he strode into the arena.

Opposite him stood a man of equal build. Bare-chested, his muscles bulged like rows of meat hammers packed onto his frame, bursting with explosive strength and a primal wildness. Cold light shot from his eyes.

“Bo Shi!” His introduction was simple.

“Solar Knight Rhodes!” Rhodes announced his own name, then drew his greatsword and stepped forward. “Remember my name. Today, you are doomed to be a loser.”

“Rhodes, defeat him! Defeat him within fifty moves!” shouted several hundred Solar Knights. The Saintess had been coveted by the Second Prince of Shang, and these fervent knights poured all their anger onto their opponents.

Bo Shi had an eagle’s gaze and a wolf’s wariness. His innate sharp aura made him imposing without anger. His cold stare swept over the knights, and a faint sneer curled at his lips.

“Baldy Number Two, beat him in thirty moves!”

“Baldy Number Two, give him a good thrashing!”

The nobles of Yin’s royal houses shouted encouragement. No one else dared call him Baldy Number Two to his face—that risked a broken neck.

The battle began. Bo Shi opened with the Purple Prison Space, showing he meant business. He would not have used his strongest technique otherwise. Boundless purple mist spread, instantly forming a spatial prison that flew toward Rhodes, ready to engulf him.

Rhodes roared to the heavens, gripping his greatsword with both hands and slashing forward. His golden hair blazed like the sun, and the greatsword itself seemed to catch fire.

“The Blazing Divine Sword! Rhodes is using his ultimate technique!” The watching Solar Knights recognized the fearsome killing move at once. It was a divine art that pushed the body’s potential to the limit, unleashing maximum power—a sword strike that could shock the gods.

Silently, the Purple Prison Space met the Blazing Divine Sword. No sound emerged, but the sky kept shattering. The hazy purple qi and the blazing golden radiance devoured each other in endless collisions.

Finally, the two colors mixed and erupted in an instant. Bo Shi spat blood and flew backward. Rhodes, equally bloodied, tumbled away as well.

Mutual defeat. The two experts had clashed with their ultimate techniques from the start, producing this result.

A draw. Both sides rushed to tend their wounded.

Next came Chen Hangjin, pale-skinned and scholarly in appearance. His opponent was a Divinely Gifted Curse-Speaker, who looked similarly frail, not very tall.

“Chen Hangjin.”

“Lancelot.”

They exchanged names.

“Bedwetter, crush him!”

“Didn’t wet the bed since ten—give him a good beating!”

Chen Hangjin shot an angry glance backward, then unleashed his ultimate technique—the Nine Nether King Wheel. Matters of pride between two kingdoms’ youth were at stake. Chen Hangjin went all out from the start, while the Curse-Speaker Lancelot also employed his strongest divine curse—Radiant World.

Demonic clouds roiled as if a black tempest had suddenly descended. Black mist shrouded the battlefield in an instant. A millstone-sized wheel, like a black sun, spun out ten thousand dark beams, emanating a terrifying, heart-shaking fluctuation.

From the other side, a sun seemed to rise into the sky, its blazing light illuminating all directions—a power diametrically opposed to the black sun.

The two suns, like gigantic meteors, collided in an instant. Beams of black and gold shot out like fireworks in every direction. Everyone dodged frantically. Anyone struck would surely have their flesh and bones melt—that was a dreadfully fearsome power.

The wheel and the blazing golden sun shattered. The light from their collision was extraordinarily brilliant. Streams of radiance splashed everywhere, blotting out the sky and the earth. In the end, Chen Hangjin and Lancelot both suffered mutual defeat, spitting blood as they flew backward.

Another draw. Both sides rushed to rescue their wounded. The atmosphere grew oppressive, especially for the Great Shang side. Over the past days, the enemy had won many matches, and now, in true expert duels, Shang still had not secured a single victory.

Not far away, in a temporarily erected bamboo pavilion, the ground was carpeted with fresh flowers. Zhao Lin’er, clad in snow-white garments, reclined on a bamboo couch. Smiling, she addressed the Third Princess on another couch. “Yin Ying, I dare say you will lose today.”

“Is that so?” Yin Ying still wore her veil, her slender jade body subtly curving; her long dress was loose yet fitting, tracing graceful lines.

Zhao Lin’er laughed lightly. “It’s uncertain whether those you invited will come. Even if they grant you face, they cannot arrive immediately. Even if they do come in a few days, the major religions will send their strongest supporters to hold them off. You can’t be counting on those so-called Four Heroes of Yin, can you? Only two are in Yin, and I heard that Chu Xingkuang of that group suffered a major defeat not long ago.”

Both women were extraordinary. Though they spoke with smiles, each had her own agenda, trying to undermine the other.

The bamboo pavilion where they sat was not far from the drill ground. Chu Xingkuang, having cultivated the Fate Twins, possessed spiritual perception more than twice as sharp as those of his level. He clearly heard the Sun Saintess and the Third Princess’s conversation.

He had pursued the Third Princess, Yin Ying, for years. How could he sit still after such words? Yet he was no ordinary man. Though a flicker of anger passed through him, he quickly calmed down. A cold smile on his lips, Chu Xingkuang strode into the arena.

“Chu Xingkuang, one of the Four Heroes of Yin, is entering the fray!”

Pandemonium erupted among the onlookers. A man’s reputation was like a tree’s shadow. The Fate Twins were a rare divine art—only a handful had mastered it in history, and all had left their names in the annals of cultivation. How could Chu Xingkuang not draw attention? The elite young generation of the Solar Knight Order had studied him in detail and regarded this possessor of an undying body with great seriousness.

Chu Xingkuang was striking in appearance. Clad in golden battle armor, his upright posture made him look heroic and martial, like a war god who had survived a hundred battles.

“All of you, come at once.” Chu Xingkuang pointed at the five opponents before him. Such boldness was not ignorant arrogance but came from his very nature. It must be said that some people’s inherent pride undeniably enhanced their charisma.

Many were moved. Among the watching noble ladies of Yin were not a few admirers of Chu Xingkuang. Seeing his grand bearing, some felt both thrilled and secretly sorrowful. Chu Xingkuang was desperately in love with the Third Princess and had turned down countless marriage proposals, breaking the hearts of many aristocratic girls.

Of the seven experts selected from the five hundred Solar Knights, two were already severely wounded. The remaining five all changed color. To them, this was no longer a challenge but an insult.

“Chu Xingkuang, you are too arrogant!” A Divinely Gifted Curse-Speaker flew out. Without even announcing his name, he unleashed a dazzling barrage of divine curses—lightning, flames, light blades tore across the sky at Chu Xingkuang.

“An ant shaking a tree!” Chu Xingkuang had only four words in reply. Violet light exploded from his eyes, and in an instant, he split into two. The Good Child appeared sorrowful and compassionate, while the Evil Child was marked by murderous intent, surrounded by a grim malaise.

Around the Good Child, sacred radiance shone in all directions, a realm of divine peace. A Heavenly Buddha Wheel manifested above his head, its vast, unfathomable energy fluctuations chilling every heart.

Around the Evil Child, baleful energy surged. Endless black mist roiled, shrouding him in netherworld qi. A huge Death Scythe appeared in his hand, unspeakably sinister and terrifying, pulsing with a dreadful fluctuation.

Clearly, Chu Xingkuang did not underestimate his enemy. He unleashed his ultimate technique from the start, unwilling to waste a moment. The Fate Twins, wielding the Heavenly Buddha Wheel and the Nether King’s Supreme Treasure, charged forward.

The undying body controlled two supreme treasures. They shattered all the incoming attacks, turning into two streaks of light that reached the Curse-Speaker in an instant. The Nether King’s Death Scythe rent the void and sent the Curse-Speaker flying.

Had he not carefully restrained his power, the Curse-Speaker would have been annihilated on the spot.

Everyone drew in a sharp breath. The terror of the Fate Twins was unimaginable. With one strike of their ultimate power, the formidable opponent collapsed at once!

The nobles of Yin naturally cheered. After days of pent-up frustration, they finally vented it. They praised Chu Xingkuang as worthy of being one of the Four Heroes of Yin, taking down his opponent in one go.

The Solar Knight Order’s expressions were all grave. One of the remaining four—a tall figure wielding a golden war spear—walked to the center of the arena.

“I said, all of you come at once,” the Twins said calmly in unison.

“Defeat me first.”

The war spear shot up like lightning, shattering the void. At its tip, dozens of meteor-like orbs blazed like little suns, flying at Chu Xingkuang.

“It’s the Sun Wheel’s Edge!”

Many recognized this divine art. But against the Fate Twins, even the most fearsome powers were useless—unless one could seal the Twins separately into different worlds and destroy them one by one.

The Heavenly Buddha Wheel spun out. The void shattered in pieces. The dozen little suns dissolved like snow before a furnace, vanishing… The Heavenly Buddha Wheel shook heaven and earth, emitting a serene Buddhist sound, sending the spear-wielding figure flying.

Blood scattered across the sky. The loser was gravely wounded, on the verge of death.

“Once more: all of you, come at once.”

The Fate Twins scanned their surroundings, finally fixing their gaze on the remaining three experts before them.

Cheers deafened the crowd.

In the bamboo pavilion, the Third Princess, Yin Ying, smiled radiantly. “It seems the Saintess will be disappointed. One Chu Xingkuang is enough to sweep away the Seven Experts.”

Zhao Lin’er smoothed her hair, her jade-like hand gently waving. She chuckled lightly. “Even if they lose, I need only send one more person to sweep away all the Shang experts here today.”

In the arena, battle erupted again. Chu Xingkuang, wielding the Heavenly Buddha Wheel and the Nether King’s Treasure, rampaged across heaven and earth, unstoppable. Though the three experts joined forces and shattered his body several times, they could not truly kill him.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Buddha Wheel and the Death Scythe threatened their lives at every moment.

“It ends now!” Chu Xingkuang roared, his hair wild.

In that moment, the Good Child was sacred and solemn, as if a heavenly Buddha reborn, radiating ten thousand beams of light, a thousand auspicious rays. The Evil Child was like the Nether King descending upon the world, black clouds roiling, baleful aura surging. Chu Xingkuang was like a god!

The Heavenly Buddha Wheel and the Nether King’s Death Scythe shattered the void. In a short span, all three experts were sent flying, blood staining the long sky. They crashed hundreds of feet away, gravely wounded and near death.

The people of the Great Shang Empire cheered. At last, they had defeated the Seven Experts of the Solar Knight Order, utterly releasing the pent-up frustration of the past days. Many shouted Chu Xingkuang’s name.

But on the other side, Zhao Lin’er showed no trace of discouragement. She clapped her hands softly. An elderly knight carefully carried over a child of eleven or twelve—a wooden, lifeless boy.

He wore a Solar God robe, his beautiful golden hair leaping like flames. But no matter how one looked, he lacked vitality, as if he were merely an exquisite puppet.

The old knight gently set the child down in the bamboo pavilion. The handsome boy stepped onto the flower-strewn ground and stood motionless, like a living ‘stone statue,’ his eyes tightly shut.

What astonished everyone most was the vertical eye in the center of his forehead. How could a human have a third eye? But that eye, too, remained closed, firmly shut.

In the crowd, Xiao Chen watched the child quietly. For some reason, in that instant, his heart stirred. He sensed a powerful threat—and it came from a child! Incredible.

“Saintess, is the expert you said could sweep everyone here just a child?” The Third Princess Yin Ying had sensed something was wrong.

Zhao Lin’er laughed softly. “Though he is only a child now, he will become a supreme god in the future.”

“God, please go and defeat the Fate Twins,” Zhao Lin’er said to the child.

The handsome golden-haired boy, hearing this, drifted silently into the arena. Though no energy fluctuation emanated from him, every expert felt the anomaly and recognized the child’s terror.

Eyes still closed, feet not touching the ground, the child floated lightly to the center of the arena. Facing the Fate Twins, he showed not a trace of fear. As if in a dream, he softly uttered two words: “Destroy…!”

A flash of blood-red light became the sole radiance between heaven and earth. Like a stunning rainbow spanning the sky, it shattered the Fate Twins.

That single blow stunned everyone. The Fate Twins were pulverized in an instant, without even time to dodge. Such terrifying power, and the one who unleashed it was merely a child of eleven or twelve.

The Twins slowly reformed in the distant sky. Chu Xingkuang, wielding the Heavenly Buddha Wheel and the Nether King’s Treasure, his expression grave, advanced cautiously.

Beams of blood-colored annihilation light shot forth, each from the little boy’s single opened right eye. In a brief span, they had shattered Chu Xingkuang’s Fate Twins seven or eight times.

Terrifying combat power!

Xiao Chen was all too familiar with this feeling. Such a fearsome scene had once appeared in the Southern Wastes.