Chapter 3

The young boy stood up slowly amidst the shocked gazes of the countless onlookers, gripping the executioner's blade that had just fallen upon him.

Drip! Drip...

Fresh blood flowed from his palm, but a force protected him, preventing the blade from severing his hand.

The boy lifted his head, and beneath his disheveled hair, his dark golden eyes glowed with a cold, bloodthirsty light.

"How, how is this possible?"

The executioner stared in shock at the boy. He himself was a powerful warrior at the Ninth Level of Physical Strength, and this blow contained a thousand pounds of force, enough to cleave through steel. Yet, the boy had caught the blade with his bare hand.

"Boy, let go!"

The executioner roared in anger, trying to pull the blade free, but the boy's hand clamped down like a vise.

"You will be the first to die as I rise from the ashes!"

Xiang Chen smiled coldly, his other hand forming a fist, and he unleashed a furious punch.

"Roar!"

The wind of the punch roared like a wild beast, and the fist glowed with a golden light, striking the shocked executioner with terrifying force.

Bang!

"Spit..."

The executioner screamed, his eyes bulging as if they would pop out of their sockets. His body was hit as if by a ten-thousand-pound hammer, and he was thrown back over ten meters, spewing blood.

Power, an overwhelming and unprecedented force filled his body.

Silence, the entire scene fell silent, and everyone stared at the boy in disbelief.

Countless people gaped at the dead executioner, and a scream broke the silence.

"Murder!"

The crowd screamed and scattered in all directions.

Xiang Quan also stared wide-eyed at the dead executioner, then roared in fury.

"What are you all standing there for!"

Xiang Quan screeched, his body retreating step by step. The boy's once weak aura had changed, becoming fierce and domineering, like that of an ancient beast radiating a terrifying aura.

"Ah, yes!"

The dozen or so sword-wielding guards around him snapped back to their senses, drawing their four-foot-long waist swords and surrounding Xiang Chen.

"Little brat, die!"

A guard roared to bolster his courage, stomping his foot and charging at Xiang Chen. The others followed, drawing their swords and attacking him.

Swish!

The sword flashed, enveloped in a red true qi that emitted intense heat, slicing through the air with a whistling sound, aiming directly for Xiang Chen's head.

These guards were all servants of the Grand Consort, each possessing peak physical strength, capable of handling two or three dozen ordinary men, making them elite by common standards.

Bang!

Xiang Chen stomped his foot, his slightly bent body like a taut bow, bursting forth with the speed of a cannonball, instantly reaching his opponent and delivering a powerful punch to his chest.

"Crack!"

The ribs shattered, and the guard screamed, being thrown back over ten meters, spewing blood and losing his life.

Swish!

Several true qi sword strikes came from all around, tearing through the granite floor, as three guards attacked in unison.

Bang!

Xiang Chen leaped into the air, soaring over ten meters high, evading the sword strikes. As he landed, his hands transformed, and pale golden claws grew from his fingers, tearing at a guard.

Spit!

The sharp claws sliced through, releasing five golden claw energies like light blades.

True martial practitioners had martial arts techniques, which enhanced their true qi combat power. However, Xiang Chen did not know any; he relied solely on the explosive power within his body and his instincts.

"Roar..."

Xiang Chen landed and roared, his hands touching the ground, and he pounced like a tiger, launching himself at another guard.

Spit!

The man's mouth opened wide as he staggered back, falling to the ground with a thud.

Xiang Chen, like a wild horse or a mountain tiger, pounced, tore, and struck with simple but terrifyingly powerful moves. No one could withstand his attacks, and his speed was astonishing.

"How is this possible? This, this little brat had no spiritual energy cultivation at all, how could he become so powerful?"

Xiang Quan, seeing Xiang Chen like a tiger, was filled with shock. These guards were not ordinary people; they were true qi martial practitioners.

Bang!

In a few moments, he had killed them all.

"Ah, this, this..."

Xiang Quan was so frightened that he fell to the ground, his face pale.

Drip, drip...

Xiang Chen, covered in the blood of his enemies, walked step by step toward Xiang Quan, who kept crawling backward in fear.

"Don't come closer, don't come closer!"

Xiang Quan screamed in terror, getting up and fleeing.

Whoosh!

Xiang Chen, hands on the ground, leaped with his hind legs, covering over ten meters and blocking Xiang Quan's path.

"Ah!"

Xiang Quan fell to the ground again, his face pale, his cultivation level similar to that of the guards.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!"

Xiang Quan screamed in terror, looking at the blood-covered boy, then knelt down, begging for mercy: "Young Master, spare my life, Young Master, spare my life. It wasn't me who wanted to kill you, it was the Grand Consort."

Xiang Quan kowtowed, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Young Master..."

Xiang Chen laughed coldly and mockingly: "Didn't you always call me a little brat and a bastard? It seems that with power, one can be a Young Master. It seems that the principles of this world must be defended with power."

He laughed to himself mockingly.

He walked to Xiang Quan and said coldly: "Four years ago, when your eldest son was gravely ill and you had no money for treatment, my mother pitied you and gave you a medicinal herb. When you were severely injured by a beast, my mother saved you, yet you betrayed her and joined the Grand Consort to harm me! You repay kindness with enmity, and I will make sure the Grand Consort joins you in the afterlife, and I will destroy the future of your son!"

"Traitors, die!"

"No!"

Xiang Quan, hearing this, felt a sense of impending death.

Bang!

Xiang Chen kicked him in the chin, and the terrifying force instantly killed him.

Whoosh...

The north wind blew, bringing a chill, and dust rose.

The execution ground was empty, filled with the smell of blood, leaving only a dozen corpses and a blood-covered boy.

The boy walked to the two heads, Ming Shu's and Hong Xiu's, and held them in his arms, roaring silently.

But this time, he did not shed a tear.

His tears were dry, and his heart was numb with pain.

"Ming Shu, Hong Xiu, I, Xiang Chen, swear that I will live, and live for both of you. Even if heaven, gods, people, and demons abandon me, I will still live!"

Xiang Chen knelt three times before the heads, his voice choked with emotion, and then placed them in a sack and slung it over his back.

"Sister!"

Xiang Chen did not linger, running away from there, heading toward the Wang family, his eyes filled with worry. Today was the day his sister Ye Rou was forced to marry the playboy son of the Wang family. He could not let his sister become a concubine and ruin her life.

Even if he had to die, he would break into the Wang family and save his sister!