Chapter 119: A Fight to the Death

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: A Fight to the Death

The crowd at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena parted, forming a path. A figure was approaching at a steady, unhurried pace.

A young disciple in his early twenties slowly walked out. He had handsome features and a fair complexion. He wore a fine, moon-white brocade robe, and a Cyan Jade Pendant of excellent quality hung from his waist.

He didn’t look like a battle-hardened Martial Artist who lived on the edge, but more like the young master of some wealthy family.

He walked with his hands behind his back, his calm gaze fixed on Chen Yue on the Life and Death Platform. There was even a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.

Cheng Jun, who had been lying on the ground with his eyes closed, awaiting death, suddenly trembled the moment he heard that voice.

He struggled to lift his head, using his last ounce of strength to look at the newcomer. A brilliant light suddenly erupted in his eyes, which had been dim and filled with despair.

Hoarse gasps escaped Cheng Jun’s throat as blood trickled down his cheeks. He wanted to shout but could only manage muffled syllables, yet his ecstatic expression said it all.

’Senior Brother Zhao is here! He’s here to save me!’

Chen Yue glanced down at the struggling Cheng Jun at his feet, then slowly raised his head, his gaze falling upon the young man walking toward him.

Chen Yue’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He simply asked calmly, "And you are?"

"Hmph! A Dan Peak disciple who doesn’t even know Senior Brother Zhao Zongzhen? How ridiculous!"

A disciple standing nearby in the crowd sneered, his tone filled with unconcealed ridicule and contempt.

Hearing this, Chen Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Zhao Zongzhen? The Senior Brother Zhao from the Mutual Aid Association?’

Chen Yue slowly turned his head, his gaze landing on the disciple who had spoken.

The disciple had been looking at Chen Yue with a mocking expression, but when his gaze met Chen Yue’s cold, emotionless eyes, the smile on his face gradually stiffened.

Chen Yue looked at the disciple, his voice not loud, yet it carried clearly across the entire Martial Arts Arena.

"I’m a petty person."

The disciple’s face instantly turned pale. He subconsciously glanced at Jiang Linkuo lying motionless in a pool of blood in the distance, then at the shattered bones and cracks on the Life and Death Platform. He swallowed hard, forcing back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

The disciple forced a cold snort, turned his head away, and didn’t dare to meet Chen Yue’s gaze again.

Seeing this, Zhao Zongzhen chuckled softly. His laughter sounded gentle and friendly.

"Junior Brother Chen, don’t be so angry. Junior Brother Sun was just being a bit blunt. He meant no harm, so why stoop to his level?"

At these words, Chen Yue’s gaze returned to Zhao Zongzhen, and a smile also appeared on his face.

"Senior Brother Zhao, you talk about being forgiving, then say he was just being blunt with no ill intent. You get to play the good guy, making it seem like I’ve been the one forcing their hand all day, is that it?"

The smile on Zhao Zongzhen’s face froze. He hadn’t expected Chen Yue to dare speak to him so disrespectfully.

"How dare you speak like that!"

A disciple behind Zhao Zongzhen suddenly stepped forward, pointed at Chen Yue, and shouted harshly.

"Senior Brother Zhao was kindly trying to persuade you! You’re a newcomer who hasn’t even been in the outer sect for a month, and you’re already here killing people—a Law Enforcement Hall disciple, no less! I think you must be a spy from another Sect!"

"That’s right!"

Another person chimed in, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Ten days, to be precise. Killing someone on the Life and Death Platform as soon as he joins the Sect... If he’s not a spy, who would do such a thing? What normal person would act like this?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of many surrounding disciples became complicated.

Although everyone knew this was just baseless name-calling, in this situation, such an accusation was undoubtedly extremely malicious.

If he were truly branded a spy, what awaited Chen Yue would be far worse than the Life and Death Platform. It would be interrogation and even torture by the Law Enforcement Hall.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

A clear female voice suddenly rang out, filled with obvious displeasure and anger.

"You have no evidence, yet you’re just throwing around accusations? Are you from the Law Enforcement Hall? Or does what you say represent the will of the Sect?"

The crowd followed the voice and saw Liu Wenying standing at the forefront, hands on her hips, glaring indignantly at Zhao Zongzhen’s group.

Although her Cultivation was only at the peak of the Bone Forging Realm, she showed no fear at this moment.

Zhao Zongzhen and his companions looked over. When they saw the cold, aloof figure next to Liu Wenying, the rebuttals on the tips of their tongues were forcefully swallowed.

Meng Yu Jin stood there without a word. She didn’t even glance at them, merely watching Chen Yue on the Life and Death Platform.

But her very presence was an intangible deterrent.

They could bully Chen Yue, an outer sect disciple with no background or backing, but they couldn’t bully Liu Wenying.

Meng Yu Jin was an expert at the peak of the Refining Organ Realm, rumored to be attempting a breakthrough to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm.

Never mind ordinary Inner Sect Disciples like them; even some Stewards from Dan Peak were polite and respectful in Meng Yu Jin’s presence.

Although Zhao Zongzhen was arrogant, he wasn’t stupid enough to act presumptuously in front of Meng Yu Jin.

Just as Zhao Zongzhen was hesitating about whether to step forward and pay his respects to Meng Yu Jin, Chen Yue’s voice once again came down from the Life and Death Platform.

"What’s the use of saying anything else!"

Zhao Zongzhen snapped his head up. He saw Chen Yue looking at Xu Wen Pavilion and Xue Zijin behind him—the ones who had just accused him of being a spy.

"Come on up. The one who’s right will remain standing, and the one who’s wrong will end up on the ground!"

Chen Yue’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear, hammering into everyone’s heart like a nail.

Hearing this, Xu Wen Pavilion and Xue Zijin were first stunned, then a violent rage surged up from the depths of their hearts.

Their Cultivation levels were both at the Peak of Marrow Refining Realm, a significant step above Jiang Linkuo, who was now lying dead on the ground.

With their strength, they were fully qualified to enter the Law Enforcement Hall; it was only because their ambitions lay elsewhere that they hadn’t participated in the selection.

And now, a Bone Forging Realm outer sect disciple was pointing at them in front of hundreds of people, telling them to come up on stage to die?

This was an outrageous humiliation!

Xu Wen Pavilion’s face flushed crimson. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles CRACKED.

Xue Zijin’s expression was grim, his eyes revealing a naked killing intent, as if he might charge up onto the platform at any moment and tear Chen Yue to shreds.

But they didn’t move. They saw Zhao Zongzhen slightly raise his hand in a gesture to stop them.

The smile on Zhao Zongzhen’s face had completely vanished. He stared at Chen Yue on the platform, his gaze growing deep and icy, as if he were truly seeing this person for the first time.

He spoke slowly, his voice devoid of its earlier warmth, now carrying a suppressed chill. "Junior Brother Chen, are you sure you want to do this?"

Chen Yue looked at Zhao Zongzhen and let out a soft laugh. ’So now I’m the unreasonable one? All I wanted was to cultivate and practice Alchemy in peace!’

Chen Yue turned his head to look at Cheng Jun. He raised his left hand, making a grasping motion with his fingers, and an invisible Qi Force landed directly on Cheng Jun.

Under the pull of this Qi Force, Cheng Jun slowly floated into the air.

Cheng Jun’s limbs hung limply. Blood dripped from his fingertips, making soft pattering sounds as it hit the stone ground.

Cheng Jun lifted his head. He saw Zhao Zongzhen below the Martial Arts Arena, and he also saw the face that was now inches from his own.

The flame of hope that had just ignited in Cheng Jun’s eyes was now completely drowned by boundless terror.

He could clearly sense the bone-chilling killing intent emanating from Chen Yue. Even with Zhao Zongzhen’s intervention, even with several Inner Sect Disciples from the Mutual Aid Association standing below the platform, Chen Yue still had no intention of letting him go.

Chen Yue looked at Cheng Jun, his voice as calm as if stating a trivial fact.

"You kicked down my courtyard gate. That last punch was to pay you back for that. This next punch is for interest. If you can block it, we’ll call it even."

Hearing this, Cheng Jun’s eyes widened involuntarily. He used his last ounce of strength to writhe, desperate, hoarse gasps escaping his throat as he stared wildly at Zhao Zongzhen below.

He was begging for help, but Zhao Zongzhen just stood there, his face ashen, not saying a word.

Chen Yue calmly watched Cheng Jun’s desperate struggle. Then, he slowly clenched his right fist and threw a punch.

The punch wasn’t fast. It could even be called slow—so slow that Cheng Jun could clearly see its trajectory, so slow that everyone below the platform could see every detail of the strike.

But Cheng Jun couldn’t dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the fist grew larger and larger in his vision, closer and closer, until...

THUD!

A dull thud echoed as Chen Yue’s fist landed squarely on Cheng Jun’s chest. The Power penetrated his body, instantly shattering his already exhausted heart.

Cheng Jun’s body stiffened violently. His eyes, filled with terror and despair, stared fixedly at Chen Yue in his final moment, as if to burn that face into the depths of his soul.

Then, his gaze rapidly lost focus, all light draining from them.

Cheng Jun’s body flew backward in an arc, crashing heavily onto the stone ground several yards away. It rolled twice and then lay completely still.

The entire Martial Arts Arena once again fell into a dead silence.

Below the arena, countless gazes focused on Chen Yue, while some subconsciously glanced toward Zhao Zongzhen nearby.

The faces of many disciples were filled with shock.

They were shocked not only that Chen Yue had still killed Cheng Jun without hesitation after Zhao Zongzhen had spoken, but also at his absolute ruthlessness that left no room for compromise.

Zhao Zongzhen was an Inner Sect Disciple of Dan Peak who could concoct the Nourishing Spirit Pill. He had close ties with many disciples in the Refining Organ Realm within the Inner Sect and held considerable influence on Dan Peak and throughout the entire Panshi Sect Inner Sect.

At the same time, Zhao Zongzhen was one of the key figures in the Mutual Aid Association.

One could say that Zhao Zongzhen was one of the Mutual Aid Association’s primary leaders on Dan Peak.

They never imagined that Chen Yue would show Zhao Zongzhen absolutely no face, killing the person he was protecting with a single punch in front of so many people.

In truth, killing Jiang Linkuo didn’t necessarily mean Chen Yue was in a life-or-death struggle with the Mutual Aid Association.