Chapter 20: One Man Holds a City

After the first strike, Xia Jiuxuan did not pause. His figure became a blur as he pursued his target. The Zhou family elder, sensing lethal danger, summoned all his true power and swung his massive axe wildly. Yet, every blow of the enormous weapon struck nothing but air.

A sharp, cracking sound. Agonizing pain shot through him. A head tumbled to the ground, blood splattering the faces of those nearby. A cultivator of the Second Palace stage, killed in a single blow. His soul was seized, turned into a puppet.

All of this happened so swiftly that even the head of the Zhou family and the other elders had no time to react, let alone attempt a rescue. Around the execution platform, a dreadful silence fell.

Was this truly the Innate Realm? No one could believe it, even under threat of death. A Second Palace elder had survived less than two exchanges! The uncanny scene filled everyone with terror.

“Elders of the Bai family, surround and attack him!”

“Yes, Family Head!”

With the death of a Zhou family elder, their honor was in shreds. The Bai family would not repeat the same mistake; at a single command, eight elders moved out at once.

All eight were at the Second Palace stage. It was not that the Bai family was unwilling to send stronger elders—rather, all of their Third Palace elders had been injured by Xia Kongming, and one had even been killed. These eight Second Palace elders were now the strongest force the Bai family could muster.

With a rush of movement, the eight elders simultaneously leapt onto the execution platform. The Bai family’s martial techniques emphasized coordination; eight together could rival a single Third Palace cultivator.

Having witnessed what happened before, these eight were even more cautious. Without any wasted words, they struck at Xia Jiuxuan with deadly intent.

A metallic clang rang out. Xia Jiuxuan raised his spear, spinning it in midair. In an instant, countless spear shadows whirled around him.

“Annihilation Style!”

Thanks to his advancement in cultivation, Xia Jiuxuan’s capacity to wield advanced martial techniques had improved. He slightly refined the moves of the Profound Dragon Spear, intensifying its force by another measure.

With a thunderous crash, the entire execution platform trembled. Spears of shadow shot out in unpredictable, deadly patterns toward the eight elders.

Clang after clang resounded. The eight elders, who had intended to kill Xia Jiuxuan with a preemptive strike, found themselves forced into defense before they could even attack.

They clashed repeatedly with the incoming spear shadows and intent, each impact sending pain through their organs and numbness through their limbs.

“What a terrifying spear intent—never have I heard of such a thing!”

“Could this wretch have inherited some ancient legacy? He’s too fearsome.”

“To defeat him will not be easy for us.”

As the rounds wore on, the eight elders grew increasingly alarmed. Several exchanges had passed, and not one of them had yet even touched his weapon.

“Give me your life.”

Xia Jiuxuan’s brow lifted, a murderous aura surging forth. Unbeknownst to all, he had already ascended to the Ninth Innate Realm; his strength had grown yet again.

In a flash, he darted among the eight elders, weaving through them at a speed too great for anyone below the Palace realm to follow. With each pass, he exchanged at least ten blows with them.

The battle’s intensity kept mounting. The execution platform split apart, nearly collapsing under the force. Dust billowed, filling the air. In less than a hundred breaths, the platform was completely shrouded in dust.

The next moment, all sound vanished, and silence returned. Blood seeped from the cracks in the platform, pooling into a stream.

Witnessing this, the heads of the four great families all frowned deeply. If that stream were the boy’s blood, how could it be so plentiful? There was only one explanation…

They were not mistaken. The bodies of the eight elders emerged as the dust settled, mangled beyond recognition. Not a single corpse was intact.

And Xia Jiuxuan still stood there, spear in hand, his demeanor indifferent. Eight Second Palace elders, all slain within a hundred breaths.

There were no words to describe the feelings of those from the four great families. Not only had their vengeance failed, but the Bai family head had lost eight elders, driving him to spit blood in fury. Eight elders gone, plus the Third Palace elder slain earlier by Xia Kongming—the Bai family’s strength was slashed by sixty percent!

From this day forward, the Bai family would likely become a second-rate clan in Longxue City. Losing his son and now so many elders, how could the Bai family head not be driven to rage and despair?

“I’ll kill you, you bastard!”

With eyes blazing, the Bai family head could no longer restrain himself and prepared to fight Xia Jiuxuan personally.

Yet Xia Jiuxuan paid him no mind, focusing instead on the Slaughter Field.

“A few Palace-realm elders turned into puppets—truly extraordinary.”

He immediately fed a thousand black crystals into the killing puppets formed from the Bai family elders. Power from the higher realms poured continuously into Xia Jiuxuan’s body. He sensed another breakthrough coming—he was on the verge of entering the Palace Realm.

Usually, crossing into a new realm would mean confronting a bottleneck.

But that was the case only for lesser cultivators who had never set foot in higher realms. Xia Jiuxuan, however, understood the world’s Dao and every stage of cultivation. To expect him to face a bottleneck—one would have to wait until he became a god!

“Withdraw, Bai family head! Reckless action will only lead you to a pointless death.”

The enraged Bai family head was personally restrained by Lord Liang, the city master.

“City Lord Liang, if I do not avenge this, what face will I have left in Longxue City?” the Bai family head spat, teeth clenched.

“You want vengeance? First ask yourself if you have the strength,” Liang replied coldly.

“You… you look down on me so much?” the Bai family head snapped, feeling humiliated, but not daring to show anger toward the city lord.

Liang gave only a cold sneer, unwilling to waste further words.

“City Guard, hear my order! Arrest the criminal Xia Jiuxuan at once.”

“Yes, City Lord!”

At the front of the ranks, two City Guards gripped their cold iron spears and stepped forward.

The City Guard had deployed two of their own! The spectators, who had retreated far from the fray, could not help but feel a thrill.

The two battles they had seen today would be enough to shake them for a lifetime. And next? Could the young master of the Xia family even stand against the City Guard?

Their hearts were filled not only with shock, but with anticipation.

…

Not far away, at the top of a tower.

“Sister, he’s too strong.”

It was Ayao, the beautiful maiden from the imperial capital, who spoke. Beside her, Liu Weiyu fell into a long silence.

What a staggering scene. In just a few days, he had reached the Ninth Innate Realm! And with that cultivation, slain eight Second Palace masters! Surrounded by experts from the whole city, he still prevailed.

It could be said that Xia Jiuxuan alone was holding back an entire city.

Liu Weiyu could not even begin to describe her feelings. One thing was certain—she was deeply dejected.

From the very day they’d met, she and Ayao had believed Xia Jiuxuan doomed, again and again. And yet, every time, he had effortlessly slaughtered his foes.

How could a youth branded a good-for-nothing for sixteen years defy the heavens in this way?

“The City Guard is taking the field—this time he’s finished!”

Liu Weiyu nearly shouted.