Chapter 2011 - Cultivation Crippled

Ran Chenghua's cultivation was unremarkable, and he had barely reached the third level of the Golden Immortal Realm. However, the bodyguard at his side was a formidable Great Golden Immortal.

"He's nothing but a clown," Liu Wuxie told Long Yuanxiong calmly. He had encountered plenty of spoiled brats like Ran Chenghua and had never taken him seriously.

"How dare you call our young master a clown, brat! You're a dead man!" the bodyguard snapped.

Beside the Great Golden Immortal stood two Golden Immortals who served as Ran Chenghua's personal guards. Enraged by the insult, they unleashed their auras and lunged at Liu Wuxie from opposite sides.

A large crowd gathered at the commotion, yet no one dared step in. Even those who were knocked down by the earlier attacks stayed well clear.

The Great Golden Immortal cut off Long Yuanxiong's attempt to intercept them, thrusting a terrifying palm strike at his chest.

"How brazen the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion has become. They're openly attacking Azure Jade Palace disciples in broad daylight," someone in the crowd whispered.

Many onlookers recognized the robes Liu Wuxie and Long Yuanxiong wore and were baffled by the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's recklessness. Did they really have no fear of incurring the Azure Jade Palace's wrath?

"Didn't you hear? Word is, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion secretly joined the Heavenly Alliance long ago. The Heavenly Alliance even has experts stationed there," another cultivator murmured.

Liu Wuxie caught every word despite their hushed voices. He hadn't anticipated a connection between Ran Chenghua and the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion.

Liu Wuxie evaded the incoming attacks with the Seven Dipper Steps, without attempting to summon Blackie.

"Look for an opening to break away, Brother Long!" Liu Wuxie called.

Against a Great Golden Immortal, the two faced a severe disadvantage. Escaping had to come first.

"Got it!" Long Yuanxiong answered, meeting the Great Golden Immortal's palm strike head-on.

The collision hurled him backward and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Even after that blow, he stayed on his feet. That alone showed he was no ordinary cultivator. Like Liu Wuxie, his combat strength far exceeded his cultivation realm.

Liu Wuxie again refrained from summoning Blackie. Instead, he drew the Bloodthirst Blade and unleashed a thin, diagonal slash. The blade ray swept out too swiftly for anyone to track.

Mastery of the eighth form of the Divine Ninefold Step made his movements impossible to predict. The two Golden Immortals had no time to adjust their defenses before chilling blade intent reached their necks.

"We're in trouble!" the two Golden Immortals cried in horror. Neither could fathom how a mere Profound Immortal could overpower them so easily

Like a falling comet, Liu Wuxie's blade flashed. A chill raced down the two men's spines, then their bodies froze. With a single stroke, he severed their heads.

Without pausing, Liu Wuxie turned toward the Great Golden Immortal.

"Go, Brother Long!" he roared.

He channeled all his immortal energy and latent world force into the Divine Eternal Fist. As he drove his fist straight into the Great Golden Immortal's path, a roaring divine dragon took shape.

"You two aren't getting out of here alive!" the Great Golden Immortal bellowed. His companions had died right before his eyes. Unless he killed Liu Wuxie and Long Yuanxiong, how could he answer to the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion Master?

He drove his palm forward, releasing a towering wave of energy that crashed into Liu Wuxie's fist.

The two Golden Immortals had fallen largely because Liu Wuxie had caught them by surprise. A Great Golden Immortal was another matter entirely, for the gap in cultivation was simply too vast.

A deafening blast shook the street, and nearby cultivators covered their ears. Even so, the shockwave left many of them bleeding.

Liu Wuxie spat out blood from the backlash, but his reckless strike had done what he intended. It had interrupted the enemy's attack and created an opening.

"Right now!" he shouted, propelling himself backward with the recoil.

Long Yuanxiong broke free and retreated without delay.

"Where are you trying to run?!" the Great Golden Immortal roared. He turned on Long Yuanxiong, whose retreat was noticeably slower, and slammed his palm down with twice the force of his previous strike. He meant to crush him on the spot.

Liu Wuxie had already put a safe distance between himself and the enemy, yet he turned back at once.

"Thunderclap Blade, Three Thousand Thunderclaps!" Liu Wuxie brought forth the sixth form of the Heavenly Crest Divine Blade Art. As the sky darkened, a fierce gale tore through the street, obscuring everyone's vision. His blade ripped through space, cutting a vacuum toward the Great Golden Immortal. He meant to buy Long Yuanxiong time to escape by forcing the enemy to defend himself.

The Great Golden Immortal sensed the approaching strike, and his expression grew grave. Such destructive power was the last thing he had expected from a Profound Immortal.

"Brat, if you were a Golden Immortal, that might have hurt me. But you're no more than a Profound Immortal!" he sneered, his mouth twisting into a sinister grin.

With his left hand, he summoned a defensive artifact to intercept the blade ray, while his right palm continued toward Long Yuanxiong at undiminished speed.

"Soul Sword!" Liu Wuxie activated the Divine Tribulation Pupil, summoning the Soul Sword. Even if killing the Great Golden Immortal lay beyond its power, it could still disrupt his concentration.

The thunderous blade struck the artifact, shattering into thousands of flickering lightning arcs. In that same instant, the Soul Sword slipped past the Great Golden Immortal's physical defenses and pierced his head.

The Great Golden Immortal recoiled at the sudden danger. Although this eased the pressure on Long Yuanxiong, the remaining palm energy still caught him and hurled him into a stone wall. He crumpled, his face pale and his breath coming in gasps. If the blow had landed squarely, it would have killed him on the spot.

"AARGH!" the Great Golden Immortal screamed as the Soul Sword plunged into his brain. Excruciating pain consumed him, and he clawed at his head, tearing his scalp with his nails.

In a flash, Liu Wuxie reached Long Yuanxiong and seized his shoulder, readying himself to escape.

"You... you're both going to die today!" the Great Golden Immortal rasped. The spiritual attack had failed to kill him. Though his soul sea had suffered severe damage, the injury would not kill him immediately.

The Soul Sword could kill Golden Immortals instantly. Against a Great Golden Immortal, however, it could inflict only severe injuries.

Like a wounded tiger in a frenzy, the Great Golden Immortal lunged forward and blocked their path. Blood streamed down his face. In his agony, he had ripped away half his scalp, leaving bloodied hair and strips of flesh hanging against his neck. Onlookers retched at the gruesome sight.

He staggered toward them, blood marking his trail across the cobblestones. His full aura bore down on Liu Wuxie like a collapsing mountain as he lifted his blade for one final, desperate strike.

"Get out of here, Brother Liu! I'll hold him back!" Long Yuanxiong gasped, forcing himself upright. He was ready to invoke the Long Clan's forbidden secret technique and battle to the death to give Liu Wuxie a chance to escape.

Liu Wuxie refused to abandon him. He quickly settled on a plan and readied himself to summon the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. Once he got Long Yuanxiong safely inside, he could escape alone.

The blade had begun its descent when a shadow swept down from overhead.

A sharp command rang through the street as a powerful Great Golden Immortal aura erupted, "Get back from them!"

The force of the landing ripped up the surrounding pavement, sending fragments of stone flying. Its shockwave hurled the charging Great Golden Immortal backward. His body burst apart in midair, scattering mangled flesh.

To obliterate a first-level Great Golden Immortal with a single casual strike required strength comparable to the higher levels of Great Golden Immortal Realm.

"Brother, are you okay?" Long Ying asked, landing on the cobblestones. She had stayed in Mulberry Sea City to finish her breakthrough, expecting it to take three full days. Liu Wuxie's Primal Chaos Crystals had allowed her to succeed in two. Worried about her brother, she had rushed over as soon as she had stabilized her cultivation. A moment's delay, and the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"I'm all right... Brother Liu saved my life," Long Yuanxiong groaned through a grimace of pain. He would already have died if Liu Wuxie hadn't intervened in time.

Long Ying took out a high-grade pill, fed it to her brother, and told him to concentrate on healing his internal injuries. Then she turned to Liu Wuxie and offered a brief, respectful nod, silently thanking him for protecting her brother.

Her demeanor shifted. In a flash, she appeared before Ran Chenghua, seized him by his collar, and hauled him off his feet before he could react.

"You... w-what are you doing?!" Ran Chenghua shrieked beneath her murderous stare. Terror robbed him of control of his bowels. He soiled his robes, drawing a disgusted look from Long Ying.

"You piece of trash!" Long Ying spat, raising her other hand to deliver him a killing blow.

"Leave him alive!" Liu Wuxie shouted, rushing forward to stop her. He swept his gaze over Ran Chenghua's limp, trembling body, then fixed Long Ying with a sharp warning look.

At the last instant, Long Ying checked her strike and redirected her palm from Ran Chenghua's head to his lower abdomen, striking his dantian. Had she not changed the course, he would already be dead.

"He's the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's young master. We could have spared ourselves a great deal of trouble by holding him hostage," Liu Wuxie said as he caught his breath, uncertain whether to laugh or sigh. With the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's heir in their custody, collecting the overdue tribute would have been much easier.

Long Ying had now crippled his cultivation permanently, putting any peaceful settlement with the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion beyond reach.

"He almost killed my brother. I won't let this go until he's dead," Long Ying said indignantly. Had Liu Wuxie not intervened, she would have reduced Ran Chenghua to dust.

Liu Wuxie gave a faint, wry smile and shook his head. He couldn't fault her. Had someone put one of his loved ones in mortal danger, he would have slaughtered their entire lineage without a second thought. His only regret was losing such a useful bargaining chip. Her ruthless decisiveness was, in truth, much like his own.

"What's your connection to Ran Hu?" Liu Wuxie asked as he stepped over and looked down at the groveling youth.

"You're a dead man! My father will rip you to pieces!" Ran Chenghua spat through bloodstained teeth, hatred filling his bloodshot eyes. The destruction of his dantian had crippled him for life. In the brutal Celestial Realm, that fate was worse than death.

"I'll ask one more time. What's your connection to Ran Hu?" Liu Wuxie demanded. Killing intent gleamed in his eyes as he stomped on Ran Chenghua's chest and pressed down.

At the same moment, his murderous intent condensed into a translucent needle and pierced Ran Chenghua's soul sea, plunging him into agony.

"H-he's... he's my father!" Ran Chenghua sobbed, trembling as he blurted out the truth.

Satisfied with the answer, Liu Wuxie lifted his foot from Ran Chenghua's chest. He had already suspected the connection, but its confirmation still brought a trace of resignation to his face.

"What do we do now? Leave this cripple alive, or finish him off?" Long Ying asked, her hand poised near her sword hilt.