Chapter 220 - 205: Stepping onto the Sword Heart Ranking

Chapter 220: Chapter 205: Stepping onto the Sword Heart Ranking

Immediately after, the sword’s tip shattered, sending fine metal fragments flying through the air.

The blood-red Sword Aura on the blade was ripped wide open by the edge of the Jinghong Saber. The force on Chen Yue’s blade, like the weight of the collapsing heavens, poured through the opening unopposed.

Then, that force swept over the hands gripping the sword.

Guan Duhai could only watch as his hands—tempered by Inner Strength until they were harder than refined iron—began to twist under the impact of this savage force.

First, his flesh began to disintegrate and peel away as if ground by a millstone, revealing the stark white bone beneath.

Then, with a series of sickening cracks, the bones too began to fracture before shattering completely.

The rampaging force surged upward!

From his fingers to his palms, his wrists to his forearms, his elbows to his upper arms—before everyone’s eyes, Guan Duhai’s arms were brutally twisted by that terrifying force into a mangled mess of flesh and bone.

"PFFT!"

Guan Duhai threw his head back and sprayed a mist of blood, his body sent flying backward uncontrollably.

His arms, now nothing but bone and shredded flesh, could no longer grip the Azure Sky Sword that had accompanied him for so many years.

The longsword flew high into the air, tumbling end over end. The cracks on its blade were clearly visible in the sunlight, its Spiritual Light dimmed.

Hanging in mid-air, Guan Duhai’s vision blurred from blood loss and excruciating pain.

He gazed at the vast azure sky above, his eyes filled with despair.

’I don’t understand. Why is it that even after using all my strength, even after burning my Origin and unleashing a future-ruining Life-or-Death Secret Technique like Sword Waterfall, I still couldn’t affect Chen Yue in the slightest?’

’Why is the gap between us so incomprehensibly large?’

’This shouldn’t be possible!’

’He only just broke through to the Refining Organ Realm. He’s not even at the peak of the realm. How can he be this strong?’

Countless questions swirled in his mind, destined to remain forever unanswered.

Suddenly, a dark figure blotted out his view of the sky.

At some point, Chen Yue had caught up to his backward trajectory and now hovered above him.

Chen Yue looked down on him, his gaze placid. There was no joy of victory, no pity—only indifference.

Behind him, the heaven-shaking white tiger stared with wide eyes, radiating a heart-stopping pressure.

Chen Yue raised his right foot and stomped down viciously on Guan Duhai!

The White Tiger phantom behind Chen Yue mirrored the action, raising a massive paw and swiping down in unison!

Guan Duhai’s eyes widened, his pupils reflecting the approaching sole of Chen Yue’s foot.

The fear of death washed over him like an icy tide, drowning all reason. He instinctively raised his skeletal arms to shield himself.

But it was meaningless.

"BOOM!"

Chen Yue’s kick first shattered Guan Duhai’s already ruined arms.

The sound of splintering bone was sharp and grating.

Then, without losing momentum, the foot slammed heavily into Guan Duhai’s chest.

A violent force instantly flooded Guan Duhai’s chest cavity, utterly pulverizing his heart.

In mid-air, Guan Duhai’s body bent backward at a grotesque angle.

"THUD!"

With a muffled thud, Guan Duhai’s body crashed heavily onto the ground, gouging a small crater into the hard stone floor.

Blood slowly pooled out from under him, staining the surrounding ground red.

Guan Duhai convulsed a few times, coughing up mouthfuls of blood mixed with organ fragments, his vacant gaze fixed on Chen Yue.

He suddenly recalled the words he had spoken earlier: "My brother is waiting for you down below."

The corner of Guan Duhai’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to speak, but in the end, no words came out.

The light in his eyes faded completely.

The Martial Arts Arena fell into a dead silence.

On the Observation Platform, Bei Sujian of the Liuyun Sword Sect forcefully suppressed the restless Primordial Power stirring within him.

For a fleeting moment, he’d had the impulse to intervene and save Guan Duhai.

After all, Guan Duhai was ranked eighth on the Sword Heart Ranking, an elite disciple the Liuyun Sword Sect had invested vast resources in cultivating. His death here would be a considerable loss for the sect.

But the instant he was about to move, he felt a gaze land on him like the edge of an icy blade.

It was Song Mingke’s.

The old man, whose life was nearing its end yet still possessed the power of the Peak of Innate Realm, was watching him quietly.

There was no overt threat in those slightly clouded eyes, but Bei Sujian knew with absolute certainty that if he dared to interfere, Song Mingke would strike him down on the spot.

Although he, Bei Sujian, was at the Late Stage of the Innate Realm, he was no match for someone at the Peak of the Innate Realm.

Even though this was the Liuyun Sword Sect, home to numerous Innate Realm experts, if Song Mingke was determined to kill him, he would surely die unless the sect was willing to risk everything to intervene.

’And would the Liuyun Sword Sect break the rules for a Refining Organ Realm disciple who lost a fair Life and Death Decision, risking all-out war with the Panshi Sect?’

Bei Sujian already had his answer.

He sat back down, his expression as dark as a thundercloud.

On the Martial Arts Arena, Chen Yue stood beside Guan Duhai’s corpse, observing it silently for a moment.

Then, he reached out. Guided by his Inner Strength, the Storage Ring on Guan Duhai’s hand flew into his palm.

’So sure of victory that he wore his Storage Ring onto the arena.’

Then, Chen Yue slowly raised his head, his calm gaze sweeping across the Liuyun Sword Sect disciples around the Martial Arts Arena.

The moment his gaze met theirs, the Liuyun Sword Sect disciples with lower cultivation felt a chill rise from the depths of their hearts.

They involuntarily lowered their heads, avoiding his gaze.

Even the veteran disciples at the Refining Organ Realm found their Heart Spirits trembling violently after meeting his eyes for just a moment.

It felt as if they weren’t meeting the eyes of a man, but those of the legendary Divine Beast White Tiger.

A breeze swept across the bloodstained stone, carrying with it the faint scent of blood.

After his gaze swept slowly across the crowd, it finally settled on a specific area.

There, dozens of figures stood or sat, their auras noticeably more solid than the other disciples. Each one of them radiated the sharp, cutting presence unique to a Sword Cultivator.

The Sword Heart Ranking.

The one hundred strongest Refining Organ Realm disciples of the Liuyun Sword Sect. Most of them were present, having just witnessed Chen Yue slay Guan Duhai.

As Chen Yue’s gaze swept over them, these prodigies of the Sword Heart Ranking reacted in various ways.

Most looked displeased, their eyes shifting, but the few ranked at the very top of the Sword Heart Ranking didn’t flinch. Instead, they glared back without reservation.

A chilling Sword Intent rose from that section of the crowd, seeming to coalesce into an invisible greatsword hanging in the air, ready to strike Chen Yue at any moment.

"Alright. You’ve won this duel. You may leave."

A cold voice cut in, interrupting the clash of gazes between Chen Yue and the disciples of the Sword Heart Ranking.

The speaker was Ding Yuli, the Liuyun Sword Sect Elder who had refereed the Life and Death Decision.

Her face was cold, her tone carrying an obvious desire for him to leave.

Guan Duhai was dead. Allowing Chen Yue to remain on the Martial Arts Arena would only bring further humiliation to the Liuyun Sword Sect.

Chen Yue turned his head to look at Ding Yuli.

"I have always heard that the Liuyun Sword Sect’s Sword Dao is divine, and I have long admired it. It is a shame that I was unable to fully appreciate the subtleties of your esteemed sect’s Swordsmanship in the last fight."

Chen Yue paused, his gaze shifting back to the area where the Sword Heart Ranking disciples were gathered.

"I wonder, would any of the senior brothers here on the Sword Heart Ranking be willing to offer their guidance? I would be honored to experience the profound Swordsmanship of the Liuyun Sword Sect once more."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the entire Martial Arts Arena was plunged into an instantaneous, deathly silence.