“Ha-ha-ha-ha…” Xu Zhen was immensely proud, letting out a long howl to the sky. The howl vaguely formed strange dark power waves, each with a unique amplitude, that spread continuously. Within a hundred meters of him, Azure‑winged Sword Birds that couldn’t escape in time shrieked piteously and fell one by one.
“A Spirit Qi surge—this is a Spirit Dao powerhouse!” On Erdu Pass, Princess Gouyu’s expression suddenly changed. She immediately called over a Golden‑winged Sword Bird, leapt onto its back, and flew to Jiang Chen’s side.
Even the ever‑brave and fearless Marquis Jianghan, Jiang Feng, was greatly alarmed when he heard the words “Spirit Dao powerhouse.” He too summoned a Golden‑winged Sword Bird and charged down from the pass.
One must know that Jiang Feng was a man of unyielding pride—even the top vassal Long Zhaofeng could not subdue him. Yet even he could not help losing his composure at those words.
In a mortal kingdom, a Spirit Dao cultivator was a legendary existence.
Even without Princess Gouyu’s warning, Jiang Chen had already deduced that the two approaching men were definitely Spirit Dao cultivators from the Purple Sun Sect.
Xu Zhen was clearly flaunting his strength; with each step forward, the Spirit Dao pressure increased, causing the sword bird forces around him to scatter and retreat ceaselessly.
Although Jiang Chen was two to three hundred meters away, Xu Zhen’s every step, intentionally or not, exerted the Spirit Dao pressure on him.
This invisible pressure was not the flash of blades or the clash of steel, but it was more terrifying than any weapon or bloodshed.
Jiang Chen could clearly feel his father’s breathing become ragged and his teeth begin to chatter uncontrollably.
Princess Gouyu was not much better: though she had slightly stronger self‑control, the slight trembling of her delicate shoulders betrayed her difficult position.
It was Jiang Chen, with his Ten‑Meridian True Qi, who could barely withstand it thanks to the Heart of Rock in its limit state.
But Jiang Chen understood that if this continued and that man took a few more steps, his father and Princess Gouyu would likely collapse on the spot.
So he let out a long cry, his voice like spring thunder, and shouted, “Evil heretics, what are you showing off?”
This shout contained a great divine ability that subdued heart demons, and with that single cry he freed his father and Princess Gouyu from the grip of those demons.
The force of the shout clashed with Xu Zhen’s aura; though not evenly matched, it canceled out at least half of it.
“Eh?” The azure‑robed young master, Yu Jie, showed a hint of surprise, then frowned. “Xu Zhen, if you’re going to fight, get on with it.”
“Yes!” Xu Zhen smiled grimly. “Kid, you can actually drive these sword birds to fight—that’s a bit strange. Who is your backer? State your name!”
Jiang Chen’s eyebrows moved slightly, but he only sneered coldly at Xu Zhen and ignored him.
“Kid, your Uncle Xu’s patience is limited. I’ll ask you one more time: who is your backer?”
If it had been an ordinary mortal martial artist, Xu Zhen wouldn’t have wasted a single word; he would have attacked immediately, used a great divine ability to kill his opponent, and gone to curry favor with Long Juxue.
But Jiang Chen’s miraculous ability to drive the sword birds made Xu Zhen both curious and greedy, and also faintly worried that if the other party had a significant background, killing him rashly might be satisfying now but could bring endless trouble later.
“Why should I tell you who my backer is?” Jiang Chen said flatly.
“Jiang Chen, don’t be arrogant! These two are genius disciples of the Purple Sun Sect. You, a mere mortal martial artist, dare to talk back—you’re asking for death!” Long Juxue’s face was full of hatred as she said to Xu Zhen, “Senior Brother Xu, this Jiang Chen is just a minor vassal’s son. This bird‑driving trick must have come to him by chance during the endless cavern trial. The Longteng Marquis’s household has investigated the Jiang family for generations—he definitely has no backing!”
Long Juxue, with her current strength, could not kill Jiang Chen. So she wanted to use these two senior brothers to do it.
At the same time, her eyes reddened as she looked at the azure‑robed young master Yu Jie beside her. “Senior Brother Yu, this Jiang Chen killed my father, killed my elder brother, and killed many, many people of the Long family. If this boy is not eliminated, he will surely become my heart demon. I am now a weak woman without father or brother, with no one to rely on. I depend entirely on you, Senior Brother, to do justice for me.”
Long Juxue was a great actress. As she spoke, tears kept falling like rain on pear blossoms, making Yu Jie want to take her shoulders and whisper words of comfort.
“Junior Sister, rest assured! In this territory of the Sixteen Surrounding Kingdoms, no matter who his backer is, there is no one our Purple Sun Sect cannot afford to offend. This kid killed your father and brother—that’s the same as killing someone from our sect. Today, your elder brother will make things right for you!” Unable to resist a beauty’s tears, Yu Jie patted his chest in promise.
Having said that, Yu Jie stepped forward, his form flickering, and it seemed that with that single step he was already in front of Xu Zhen.
“Junior Brother Xu, step back. I’m taking over this matter.” Yu Jie’s tone was cold and proud. Though both were disciples of the Purple Sun Sect, Yu Jie had an obvious superiority over Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen was somewhat surprised, but he tactfully withdrew and added a flattering remark: “Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Since Senior Brother Yu wants to torment this kid personally, dying at your hands is a blessing from his past life.”
Yu Jie remained expressionless, unmoved by Xu Zhen’s flattery.
Instead, he raised his cold eyes, shot a piercing glare, and stared at Jiang Chen from several hundred meters away. “Your name is Jiang Chen? Now I give you two choices. The first: tell me the secret to driving these sword birds, and I’ll let you die a quick death. The second: you’d rather die than speak. I will slowly torture you to death, then kill your father, then rape and kill the woman beside you, and then go to your clan and kill every single member of your nine generations.”
Yu Jie’s tone was not one of negotiation, but a command.
A disciple of one of the nine elders of the Purple Sun Sect, whether in status or strength, was like a god in these mortal kingdoms, giving him the right to speak so condescendingly.
In other words, although Jiang Chen had the ability to command sword birds, in Yu Jie’s eyes he was merely a slightly peculiar mortal martial artist.
Mortal martial artists were still just mortal martial artists. In the eyes of these lofty sect disciples, accustomed to looking down on all living beings, mortal martial artists were nothing but ants.
“Jiang Chen, my Senior Brother Yu is merciful and has given you a choice. If you’re smart, hand over the secret of controlling the birds right now. Otherwise, every single person in your Jiang clan’s nine generations will die without escape!” Xu Zhen called out from the side.