Chapter 19 Enemy of the Entire City

Even the master alchemist Xu Wendan was slain with a mere wave of his hand—how terrifying that was.

“Elder Xia Hui-feng of the Xia Clan, execute!”

The blade rose and fell, showing no mercy whatsoever.

“Elder Xia Hui-yun of the Xia Clan, execute!”

Another head toppled to the ground.

No matter how they wailed or begged for mercy, it was all futile.

Their lives were lost by their own choices.

Before long, all the dozen or so elders who had betrayed the clan lay dead.

Naturally, the souls of these men were also seized by the Slaughter Arena and turned into puppets.

Xia Jiuxuan immediately refined more than a hundred pieces of profound crystal and absorbed them, accelerating his cultivation.

If all went as expected, within a day Xia Jiuxuan would reach the peak of the Ninth Innate Realm, just a step away from entering the Palace Realm.

No sooner had the killings ended than powerful figures surged forth from all directions.

Experts from the four great clans hovered in the air.

Besides them, an even stronger force was approaching in formation.

These were the guards of the City Lord's Mansion, the legitimate power of the Immortal Martial Dynasty.

They were also the strongest authority in Dragon Lair City.

“Xia Jiuxuan, you court death!”

“Beast, return my son’s life!”

“Kill him! Kill!”

…

Nearly all the most formidable cultivators of Dragon Lair City had gathered.

They shared a single goal—kill Xia Jiuxuan.

“Good, you're all here. Only a pity that Xia Zhong hasn’t arrived yet,” Xia Jiuxuan said, utterly fearless. Today, he would kill any who dared lay a hand on him.

“Everyone, stand down!”

At these words, the furious warriors of the four great clans halted.

From the crowd, a tall, imposing middle-aged man in battle armor strode forward.

“Greetings, Lord of the City!”

“Lord Liang, today you must uphold justice for us all!”

With the City Lord’s Mansion intervening, no matter how great Xia Jiuxuan’s abilities, he would not survive the day.

“Young Lord Xia Jiuxuan of the Xia Clan, why do you not immediately surrender and confess your crimes?” Lord Liang gazed at Xia Jiuxuan with indifference.

“Confess? According to the laws of the dynasty, as the young lord of the Xia Clan, I have the right to execute any traitor of my family. Who dares force me to confess?” Xia Jiuxuan sneered.

“Hmph.”

Lord Liang snorted coldly. “You may execute members of your own clan, but you killed the young lords of the four great families. That is a capital crime. Do you deny it?”

“They tried to kill me first. It was only because they were useless that I turned the tables. Who dares force me to confess?”

On hearing this, Lord Liang’s expression darkened.

“Quibbling is pointless. No matter what, if I say you are guilty, then guilty you are. If I demand your life in payment, you must pay it. Do you understand?”

Xia Jiuxuan’s face did not change. “Well said. Then let me return the words to you—if I want you dead, you will die as well!”

“Insolence!”

“Courting death!”

“Do you know to whom you are speaking?”

No sooner had Xia Jiuxuan spoken than several city guards leapt into the air and surrounded him.

Every city had a garrison sent by the dynasty, each at least at the fourth level of the Palace Realm.

“How interesting, most intriguing,” Lord Liang said with a laugh. “The world says you are the Xia Clan’s good-for-nothing, yet here you are, stirring up storms in Dragon Lair City, committing crimes and misdeeds. Remarkable. Tell me—what treasure did you obtain to bring about such a transformation?”

“Why waste words with the dead?” Xia Jiuxuan’s reply sent shockwaves through the crowd.

Who stood before him? The Lord of the City, the one who suppressed an entire city!

He was but a youth. Even if he obtained some extraordinary treasure, how could he possibly challenge the city lord?

Not to mention the city lord himself, even the guards under his command could easily obliterate him.

Just a few days earlier, Elder Xia Kongming of the Xia Clan, with his peerless spear mastery, had shocked the world.

He had slain and wounded over a dozen elders from the four great clans, all at the Palace Realm, and even gravely injured the ghostly elder from the Alchemist Guild, forcing him to flee.

Yet in the end? He was subdued by just two city guards, forced to submit and thrown into prison.

No matter how strong Xia Jiuxuan was now, could he possibly surpass Xia Kongming?

To challenge the City Lord’s Mansion was certain death.

“Xia Jiuxuan, oh Xia Jiuxuan. Originally, I meant to give you a chance, but since you do not treasure it, you have only yourself to blame,” Lord Liang said, having ruled the city for many years and never before encountering such brazen defiance—let alone from a sixteen-year-old boy.

Still, his curiosity could not be dispelled.

What kind of supreme treasure could transform a wastrel into a force of such savagery?

“My lord, allow me to seize this scoundrel at once!” a city guard volunteered.

“No need,” Lord Liang waved him off. “I want to see what this boy is truly capable of. Besides, I have an agreement with that young master—this one must be delivered to him for execution. Let us see what he can do first.”

“Yes, my lord,” the guards said, standing down.

Lord Liang then turned to the representatives of the four great clans.

“Gentlemen, you know the rules of Dragon Lair. Grudges that cannot be resolved can be settled by duel. If you seek vengeance, step forward.”

At these words, the hearts of the four great clans soared with joy.

Lord Liang was granting them the honor of avenging themselves with their own hands!

It was clear that even Lord Liang had to give some respect to the four families. What did Xia Jiuxuan amount to?

Today, his death was certain!

“Thank you, Lord of the City!” an elder from the Zhou family stepped forward, cupped his fists in gratitude, and immediately leapt onto the execution platform.

“Boy, when you sent others to the executioner’s block, did you ever imagine you would lose your life here as well?

But death will not come so easily to you. First, I’ll take an arm, so you may taste true suffering!”

This Zhou family elder was at the second level of the Palace Realm.

To all onlookers, it was overkill for a second-level Palace Realm expert to kill someone at the Innate Realm.

Their gap was not just several levels—it was a gulf between realms.

No matter what tricks he might have, before overwhelming force, they were meaningless.

“Perfect. I could use a few new Palace Realm puppets,” Xia Jiuxuan replied with a sly smile. This was a gift delivered to his door.

“Enough nonsense! Kneel before me!” the elder roared.

Boom!

The force of the Palace Realm erupted, and many low-level cultivators below the platform could not withstand the pressure, stumbling backward.

On the platform, Xia Jiuxuan’s black hair whipped wildly as the spear in his hand began to hum.

“Hm?” Sensing the gun intent gradually emanating from Xia Jiuxuan, Lord Liang’s brows furrowed.

How could this boy’s spear intent be so strange? It seemed even deeper than Xia Kongming’s.

Truth be told, both Lord Liang and the other Palace Realm experts were inwardly shocked.

For a sixteen-year-old to comprehend spear intent at all marked him as an extraordinary genius. Yet to have grasped it so profoundly was astonishing.

Still, none of them believed this was due to Xia Jiuxuan’s own talent. Surely he had stumbled upon some incredible treasure.

“Impressive, boy. A pity you’re only at the Innate Realm!”

Swish!

The elder attacked.

Wielding a massive axe, he swung at Xia Jiuxuan from a cunning angle.

Clang!

Xia Jiuxuan raised his black iron spear and clashed directly with the elder!

Thud, thud, thud—

The Zhou family elder was forced back repeatedly, tumbling off the platform in utter disgrace.

Xia Jiuxuan, holding his spear single-handed, stood motionless atop the stage.

The difference in strength was obvious to all.

“This…”

“Impossible! He’s stronger than a second-level Palace Realm elder?!”

The crowd below stared, dumbfounded.