Chapter 121: Young Prodigies of the Central Domain

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Young Prodigies of the Central Domain

Shen Yidu raised his Sword against the oblivious Chu Fan, but the other three made no move to stop him.

Shen Yidu didn’t hold back just because his opponent was under an Immobilization Technique. On the contrary, he put his all into the attack, unleashing a vicious wave of Sword Qi.

He wanted this single strike to tear the insufferably arrogant whelp to shreds.

The other three instinctively backed away a dozen paces.

The Sword Qi struck Chu Fan, but things didn’t unfold as they had expected.

The instant the Sword Qi reached Chu Fan, a surge of Sword Intent erupted from the top of his skull. The Sword Intent instantly shattered the Long Sword in Shen Yidu’s hand and blasted him dozens of yards away, a thick spray of blood erupting from his mouth.

Shen Yidu was clearly severely injured.

The other three stared at Chu Fan in utter terror.

The Sword in Shen Yidu’s hand was a genuine Celestial Grade Middle Class Treasure Sword, a gift from his grandfather on his sixteenth birthday. He had treasured it for years, never letting it out of his sight.

’A Treasure Sword like that just shattered?’

’But the man was still standing there like a statue, completely motionless!’

’So what was that incredibly powerful Sword Intent?’

Chu Fan’s consciousness was trapped in an unknown space. His entire being was consumed by the seven techniques of the Walking Dragon Sword Shadow, causing him to forget time, forget everything, even forget himself.

Over and over, he captured what Sword Intent he could, studying it and trying to piece together the last five techniques of the Walking Dragon Sword Shadow.

An unknown amount of time passed. He had likely captured over a thousand wisps of Sword Intent and had finally, just barely, managed to piece together the Fifth Technique.

But then, a powerful killing intent suddenly washed over him.

He had no idea where the killing intent was coming from, but in the next instant, he saw the swirling Sword Intent before him coalesce into a sword.

Mistaking it for the source of the killing intent he sensed, his heart sank. ’After all, my consciousness was swallowed by this place. If some Divine Being laid a Killing Array here, how could I possibly fight back?’

But before he could recover from his dread, the sword shot toward the heavens.

The next moment, his consciousness returned to his body, and he heard voices.

"Is he really the Guardian here?"

"How did he do that just now? How did Yidu’s Sword break?"

"Should we run? If we wait for him to wake up, we won’t be able to escape."

Hearing their conversation, Chu Fan instantly understood the source of that intense killing intent from before.

’These people actually tried to kill me?’

Not far off, a young man was slumped on the ground, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth, clutching half a broken sword.

’Clearly, he was the one who attacked. That sword formed from the Sword Intent in that unknown space saved my life.’

Though the logic was hard to fathom, Chu Fan’s guess was spot on.

He had nearly been cut down by them. It was impossible for Chu Fan not to be furious.

He was about to erupt in anger when he sensed another group approaching at high speed. He decided to remain perfectly still and see how things played out.

"Ding Xun, Yan Jin, I knew it was you."

A group of seven—five men and two women, all around the same age as the first group—had arrived. As they drew near, one of them spoke with excitement.

"Yao Zhi, I never thought a presumptuous brat like you would make it to the Secret Realm. Has your Heaven-Facing Sect run out of people?" the man named Ding Xun said furiously.

Unfazed by the insult, Yao Zhi sneered. "If the Extreme Dao Sect sent a waste of space like you, why shouldn’t I be here? Well, well, isn’t that the Tianbo Marquis Family’s own Young Master, Shen Yidu? What’s going on? Playing with self-harm, are we? Hahaha!"

Yao Zhi roared with laughter, and his six companions joined in.

Shen Yidu pressed a hand to his chest and struggled to his feet. "Yao Zhi," he said, "you think you’re hot stuff, don’t you?"

"What a question. Others might not know what I’m capable of, but you should know better than anyone. What’s this? You’re in that state and you still want to challenge me?" Yao Zhi said dismissively.

Shen Yidu pointed at Chu Fan. "See that man? He’s just standing there, not moving. I struck him once and ended up like this. My Yingcheng Sword is broken. If you can hurt him—hell, if you can even make him flinch—I, Shen Yidu, will acknowledge you as my big brother from now on."

Yao Zhi followed his finger and only then noticed the unmoving figure standing there.

He might be arrogant, but he wasn’t a fool. He could easily detect the taunt in Shen Yidu’s words.

"Give me a break. A lackey like you? I wouldn’t dare take you on. I’d be too afraid of a moron like you getting me killed someday, and then where would I go to cry? Besides, this guy is just standing here minding his own business. Why should I listen to you and attack him? Am I out of my mind? Or are you?"

"You..." Shen Yidu seethed at the comeback, but he was injured, and they were outnumbered seven to four. If a real fight broke out, they wouldn’t come out on top. Forcing his anger down, he said to Ding Xun and the others, "We’re leaving!"

"Leaving so soon? And here I thought you’d at least have the spine to make a move!" Yao Zhi taunted.

Before Shen Yidu could speak, Yan Jin pointed a finger at Yao Zhi and roared, "Yao Zhi, you’re only acting tough because you outnumber us today! Don’t get too cocky! Sooner or later, I’ll beat you until you’re crying for your parents!"

"Why wait for ’sooner or later’? Let’s do it today. No one can call for help from their Sect or family elders in here. Even if we die, it’ll just be chalked up to the dangers of the Secret Realm. How about it? I won’t even have my people step in. I’ll take you all on, one by one. You dare?" Yao Zhi challenged.

Ding Xun, Yan Jin, and their other companion were enraged by Yao Zhi’s words and immediately moved to draw their swords.

But Shen Yidu stopped them. "It’s not worth fighting them now," he whispered. "After we’re gone, they’re bound to get curious about that man. Then... heh heh."

The man he spoke of was, of course, Chu Fan.

Hearing this, the other three immediately understood his plan. If Yao Zhi’s group attacked that strange man out of curiosity, they could wait until they were all injured before coming back to take their revenge.

Ignoring the taunts and provocations from Yao Zhi’s group, Shen Yidu and his three companions turned and left.

"Brother Yao, those four were acting very strangely today," said a woman in a long, cyan dress standing near Yao Zhi. "You provoked them so much, yet they actually held back. Especially Shen Yidu. Everyone knows he’s a powder keg with a short fuse. Something isn’t right. It’s very strange."

The woman was quite comely, but her voice was surprisingly hoarse.

"Sister Qingling has a point," speculated a shorter man to Luo Qingling’s right, his eyes fixed on the motionless Chu Fan. "Those four were definitely acting bizarrely today. Could it be because of him? Why is that man just standing there without moving?"

Yao Zhi chuckled. "How can you not see through their simple-minded little plot? That idiot Shen Yidu must have attacked the guy. Not only did his Sword break, but he got himself injured. So now they want us to attack him too. If we get hurt, they can just swoop in like the oriole behind the mantis. Do they really think everyone is as stupid as they are?"

Hearing Yao Zhi’s explanation, the others began to shower him with praise.

But even though Yao Zhi had seen through Shen Yidu’s intentions, he still walked toward Chu Fan...