Chen Jiuyang and Xi Butui had both used their strongest moves, inflicting heavy damage on each other.
Now, Xi Butui lay in a rocky pit at the mountainside, blood seeping from his lips, his soul suffering a backlash, rendering him almost immobile.
Chen Jiuyang, however, could still grit his teeth and stand, his figure somewhat disheveled but with enough residual energy to release his true qi, managing to hover in mid-air.
The crowd was a mix of shock and admiration. Had the life-and-death battle between Chen Jiuyang and Xi Butui finally reached a conclusion?
Had the underdog, Chen Jiuyang, emerged victorious?
It was laughable that Xi Butui had initially chosen Fengshan as the battlefield, intending to force Chen Jiuyang out and kill him easily while he was in a state of qi deviation and weakened cultivation.
Yet, the situation had reversed.
It was also understandable that Xi Butui, having encountered the formidable genius Chen Jiuyang, could not be blamed for falling by his hand.
But then, the crowd's eyelids twitched as they secretly glanced at the two unmoving figures on the mountaintop, like immovable rocks.
Chen Jiuyang's lips were also bleeding. He too was heavily injured, his hand gripping the Yan Sheng Blade trembling. He slowly swung the blade, his voice calm as he said,
"This strike is for making my brother 'commit suicide'!"
With a powerful blade energy, he unleashed a strike that slammed into Xi Butui.
"Ah!"
Even Xi Butui could not help but cry out in pain as Chen Jiuyang deliberately struck his leg.
"Heh heh..." Chen Jiuyang's face contorted into a mocking smile. "So the high and mighty Xi Butui can also cry out in pain."
"Victory or defeat, there's nothing more to say!" Xi Butui's eyes were dark and resentful, his features twisted in pain. "I only blame myself for not eliminating you in the cradle!"
Chen Jiuyang swung the blade again, striking Xi Butui's lower body. Xi Butui was too weak to move and could only watch as the blade hit him, letting out an involuntary scream:
"Ah!"
Strike after strike, Chen Jiuyang unleashed dozens of attacks from a distance. He controlled the power of each strike perfectly, hitting Xi Butui at his most sensitive points without causing him to bleed to death prematurely.
Xi Butui had become a bloody mess, his body covered in wounds. He roared hoarsely, "Chen Jiuyang, why don't you just kill me? Why do you humiliate me like this!"
He, Xi Butui, was a prominent figure who had governed Fengcheng for thirty years.
Chen Jiuyang retorted coldly, "Then I have a question for you. Since you wanted to kill my brother, why did you leave him with one hundred and thirty wounds before making him 'commit suicide'?"
"This is too much!" Xi Butui gritted his teeth, mustering the last of his strength to climb out of the rocky pit, intending to jump off the mountain and end his own life.
Chen Jiuyang sneered, "Too much? You dare to say that word?"
With that, Chen Jiuyang raised his hand, and a large hand formed from true qi pressed him down into the pit, preventing him from struggling out.
Tens of thousands of spectators witnessed this scene. Their expressions were calm, and no one showed any mercy. Instead, some marveled at the abundance of Chen Jiuyang's true qi.
Even now, Chen Jiuyang's true qi showed no signs of depletion.
"Kill me!" Xi Butui struggled weakly, but Chen Jiuyang remained unresponsive. Only when Xi Butui was completely powerless and Chen Jiuyang sealed his pressure points did the qi hand that held him slowly dissipate.
Chen Jiuyang raised the Yan Sheng Blade again, tears silently streaming down his face. "Xi Butui, when you forced my brother to commit suicide, did you ever imagine this day would come?"
Although Xi Butui was defeated, Chen Jiuyang felt no sense of satisfaction from revenge.
He wanted to kill Xi Butui only to avenge his brother, who had saved his life.
Otherwise, he would not be able to live with himself.
"My brother, Zhang Jialong, was a soldier in the Sharp Blade Legion before his retirement. He shed blood for his country, and he had a wife and daughter. Did he ever offend you?"
"No! He did not offend you, yet you made him 'commit suicide'! Just to threaten me, to make an example of him!"
"Xi Butui, you deserve to die!"
Chen Jiuyang's tears flowed freely as he berated Xi Butui furiously. Only at this moment did the suppressed emotion within him finally find release.
Chen Jiuyang raised the Yan Sheng Blade in his hand, strike after strike, until Xi Butui was on the verge of death...
"Enough."
At this moment, a indifferent voice, like the wrath of heaven, echoed. The figure standing motionlessly on the mountaintop spoke, and the crowd's hearts leaped in shock.
The figure on the mountaintop could no longer remain still.
After all, Xi Butui was his confidant of many years.
In an instant, the figure on the mountaintop flashed to the front of Xi Butui's rocky cave.
The atmosphere in the scene suddenly tensed, and countless people became nervous.
Chen Jiuyang looked at him calmly. "Zhou Fangzun, you intend to stop me from killing him?"
"So what if I do?" Zhou Fangzun was like a great mountain. Although he stood before the mountain, it felt as if the mountain was beneath his feet.
Zhou Fangzun, the Third King of the Heavenly Realm in Long Country. His reputation preceded him, and no one present dared to underestimate or disrespect him.
This did not include Chen Jiuyang.
Chen Jiuyang chuckled. "He made a life-and-death pact with me. Zhou Fangzun, what right do you have to interfere?"
Zhou Fangzun simply looked at him calmly. "Your talent is exceptional. Do not ruin your future."
This was Zhou Fangzun's warning to Chen Jiuyang – do not completely offend him for Xi Butui, or your future will be uncertain.
If Chen Jiuyang were to spare Xi Butui's life now, Zhou Fangzun would let him off the hook in the future, and past grievances would be forgotten.
If it were anyone else, would they dare to defy Zhou Fangzun?
Chen Jiuyang's face showed mockery. "Can you stop me from killing him?"
The temperature in the area suddenly dropped by three degrees, sending a chill down everyone's spines. The atmosphere became incredibly tense.
Chen Jiuyang dared to speak to Zhou Fangzun like that. Was he tired of living?
"Don't do anything rash..." The Chen family patriarch was sweating profusely with anxiety.
A Heavenly Realm King like Zhou Fangzun was someone they could not afford to offend. Moreover, Chen Jiuyang himself was on track to reach the Heavenly Realm. Even if he were to confront Zhou Fangzun, it should not be now.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Many people were thinking this. Chen Jiuyang's displayed talent and combat prowess today had proven to everyone present that he would undoubtedly become a Heavenly King in the future.
"You can try," Zhou Fangzun continued to look at Chen Jiuyang calmly.
"Then..." Chen Jiuyang tilted his head and smiled. "Let's try..."
As his voice fell.
"Crack—"
All of Xi Butui's more than a hundred wounds burst open. Xi Butui died, his body pulverized.
This was clearly a hidden move left by Chen Jiuyang on Xi Butui, intended to make Xi Butui die in front of Zhou Fangzun.
Just like Zhang Jialong's suicide back then.
"Boom!"
The crowd felt as if the sky had fallen. Their faces changed drastically. How could Chen Jiuyang dare to do this...
Thump!
The Chen family patriarch, Elder Han, Marquis Feng Han, Yao Zixuan, Qiu Yihan, and others turned pale, their hearts sinking.
"Rumble!"
A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Fangzun's eyes. With just a glance, an incredibly terrifying and mountain-like true qi surged out, directly smashing Chen Jiuyang's body into the mountainside, creating a large pit.
"Pfft—"
Chen Jiuyang spat out a mouthful of blood, but he chuckled. "What a shame. The coffin I prepared for Xi Butui can't be used. What a waste of my effort..."
His eyes were filled with provocation towards Zhou Fangzun.
If not for Zhou Fangzun, would Xi Butui have targeted the Yao family? Would Zhang Jialong have died because of him?
More than killing Xi Butui, Chen Jiuyang wished to tear Zhou Fangzun limb from limb!