Chapter 309 - 48: Golden Saber Slashes Fierce Tiger

Chapter 309: Chapter 48: Golden Saber Slashes Fierce Tiger

Flesh, bones, and internal organs... all reduced to an unrecognizable pile of fragments on the ground. Then, corroded by that strange, gray aura of death, they rapidly weathered away, finally becoming a nauseating pile of blackish-gray dust.

A gust of wind swept by, scattering the dust until it vanished completely.

Not even his bones remained!

Everyone who witnessed this fell silent.

No one had expected the Young Manor Master of Celestial Sword Manor to die just like that—and in such a gruesome, absolute manner, right before their very eyes.

The disciples of Celestial Sword Manor turned ashen-faced. They couldn’t begin to imagine the thunderous rage their Manor Master would unleash when he finally emerged from seclusion and learned the news.

At that point, it wouldn’t just be Chen Ye who would die; they, the disciples who had failed in their duty, would likely be unable to escape the same fate!

In stark contrast to their despair was Elder Jian.

The moment he saw Jian Wuchen turn completely to ash, his murky old eyes held not a hint of sorrow. Instead, a flicker of... relief?

Yes. Relief.

Relief that he wasn’t the one who had died.

But a second later, that sliver of relief was replaced by boundless terror.

He could clearly feel it: the destructive power within his body was no longer suppressed. It was now rampaging through him, devouring his life force at ten times the previous speed.

He had completely lost all feeling in his right arm. The cracks running across it were so deep the bone was visible, and it looked as if it might break off from his body at any moment.

Worse, the terrifying cracks had already begun to spread to his chest.

’No... I don’t want to die! I can’t die!’

An intense will to live sent Elder Jian’s mind racing.

’Fighting him is out of the question. Even the Manor Master’s avatar was cut down by this monster in a single blow. If I go up there now in my half-crippled state, what’s the difference between that and suicide?’

’So... what can I do?’

’In Elder Jian’s mind, the reason Chen Ye’s Saber Technique was so bizarre couldn’t be the technique itself. His blade had to be imbued with some kind of incredibly vicious Magic!’

’If... if I can just get him to undo this Magic, I’ll be saved!’

The moment this thought surfaced, it grew like wild weeds, instantly consuming his entire mind.

’Dignity? Honor? My status as an Elder of Celestial Sword Manor?’

’In the face of death, these things were worthless!’

’As long as I can survive, I’ll do anything!’

Having come to this realization, Elder Jian no longer hesitated.

As tens of thousands of people watched with their jaws agape.

This Elder of Celestial Sword Manor, who moments before had been so imposing and imperious, this Core Formation Realm expert who had cultivated for over a hundred years, fell to his knees with a THUD, kneeling ramrod straight before Chen Ye.

The entire motion was as smooth as flowing water, utterly seamless, without a trace of hesitation or shame.

"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist Chen Ye, spare me!"

Elder Jian slammed his head against the ground—THUD, THUD, THUD—as he wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face. It was a pathetic sight.

"I was blind! It was I who was audacious enough to offend you, Fellow Daoist! My crimes deserve ten thousand deaths! I beg you, Fellow Daoist, for the sake of my difficult Cultivation, please be merciful and undo this Magic!"

"If you spare my life, Fellow Daoist, I am willing to become your slave! I will toil for you like a beast of burden and serve you for the rest of my days!"

An uproar erupted both on and off the stage. The disciples of Celestial Sword Manor, in particular, were utterly stunned.

This was the same Elder Jian who had long presided over the Law Enforcement Hall, a man famous for his cold and merciless nature. He was feared and revered by all the disciples of Celestial Sword Manor; many had never even seen him crack a smile.

To think that such a man would, without a moment’s hesitation, kneel and beg in public just to save his own life—it completely shattered their understanding of the world.

Meanwhile, the representatives from the various powers on the Observation Platform were secretly thrilled. They felt this trip had been well worth their while.

Not only had they witnessed the rise of a peerless talent, but they had also watched as hundreds of years of Celestial Sword Manor’s reputation was torn to shreds by one of its own Elders.

But as he faced the desperately pleading Elder Jian, Chen Ye’s expression remained one of icy indifference.

He knew people like Elder Jian all too well.

When they held high positions, with the lives of others in their hands, they wore a mask of indifference, like a Divine Spirit above the mortal plane. But the moment their own lives were on the line, their true forms were revealed: selfish, hypocritical mortals, terrified of death.

’He might be willing to kneel and act like a dog to survive now, but the moment he recovered, he wouldn’t hesitate to stab you in the back. And he would use methods ten times more cruel than before, leaving you in a state where you could neither live nor die.’

Chen Ye had no interest in wasting another word on such a person.

Besides, he didn’t know any way to dispel the Magic.

What he severed was ruin itself—the fundamental principle of decay.

Once triggered, it was irreversible.

Therefore, from the moment his saber struck Elder Jian, the man’s fate had been sealed.

His death was certain.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Ye turned and walked away.

’The reason is simple. Although I just destroyed an avatar of Jian Jingchuan, there’s no telling if that old bastard will fly into a rage and force his way out of seclusion regardless of the consequences.’

’He’s a true Great Cultivator at the Core Formation Realm Late Stage. Even if forcing his way out of seclusion damages his Cultivation, he’s still far beyond what I, a mere Inner Realm Cultivator, can handle.’

’This is no place to linger.’

’My quest for vengeance is complete, and the flaw in my state of mind has been brought to Perfection. It’s time to leave.’