I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 237 Slaying a First-Rank Official

Beside the surging Danjiang River, Xie Jianqiu hid in a large tree, intently watching the movements on the river, his gaze deep and focused.

He had several injuries, his clothes were stained with blood, and he looked quite disheveled.

The injuries were clearly from the battle just now.

Originally, with his strength, dealing with a few second- and third-rank individuals wouldn't have been difficult. However, he had been imprisoned for too long, which damaged his vitality. He was also chased all the way, which made him even more injured. His strength was less than 20% of what it used to be, which is why he was taken advantage of by those second-rank individuals.

Xie Jianqiu had once followed the leader of the Star Moon Sect and witnessed him secretly arrive at this place, jump into the water, and disappear.

He suspected at the time that there might be a secret passage inside the Star Moon Cave leading directly to this place. However, he had dived into the water and searched for a long time, but he still couldn't find the entrance.

Therefore, when he discovered that Jiang Yingxue, who was imprisoned in the cage, and that the woman had been rescued and were heading deeper into the cave, he guessed that she was likely to leave through the secret passage.

So he decisively turned back, left Xingyue Cave, and came here to wait for his prey.

"Damn it, they even took that woman with them."

Xie Jianqiu looked anxious, with a hint of fear in his eyes. If he didn't kill her while she was still relatively weak, he would never have peace again.

He clutched something tightly in his hand; its cool touch brought him a sense of security.

Fortunately, with this item, that woman couldn't cause any trouble.

Just then, a man and a woman surfaced on the river. It was that slippery kid from the Six Doors and the Jiang family's girl who possessed the "Azure Phoenix Body".

Xie Jianqiu was overjoyed, but he didn't rush out. The prey had already appeared, and there was no way it could escape. He continued to wait patiently.

But after waiting for a while, the woman still hadn't appeared, and he couldn't help but become more and more impatient.

At this moment, the kid from the Six Doors seemed to have made a discovery and went to find the seriously injured second-rank member of the Six Doors.

He had already spotted the severely injured old man; the old man was badly wounded and wouldn't live much longer. He didn't even bother to do anything, lest the woman find out.

To everyone's surprise, the old man's first words were, "Run—faster—!"

When did this old devil discover me?

Xie Jianqiu was furious, knowing that this kid was extremely slippery and might escape again, so he immediately locked onto his aura. He was ready to capture the kid and then interrogate him about the woman's whereabouts.

Thinking of this, he stopped hiding and came out from his hiding place. In a few leaps, he was already in front of the boy.

While still in mid-air, the young man made a strange gesture: he covered the dying old man's eyes with one hand and pressed the other against his chest, releasing a burst of energy that shattered the old man's heart meridian. "Senior, rest assured, I will take good care of your granddaughter."

Xie Jianqiu was somewhat baffled. What did this kid take him for? Did he think he would torture that old man? It was truly absurd.

He asked leisurely, "Kid, you're not going to run away?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he sensed something was wrong; the boy's aura suddenly surged.

This is--

He actually broke through to the second rank at this time?

Xie Jianqiu was horrified. This young man looked so young, yet he was about to break through to the second rank? How could that be?

Could this child be a once-in-a-century genius?

He stared intently, then suddenly noticed something and exclaimed, "It's a disguise technique!"

In the blink of an eye, Chen Ming had successfully broken through to the second rank.

The second and third ranks are different. The most important thing is the transformation of "divine will". It relies on daily accumulation. The breakthrough is almost instantaneous. The surge of Qi can also be completed in a short period of time.

Therefore, Xie Jianqiu did not intervene, because he could not stop it.

Moreover, he has absolute confidence in his own abilities.

He said in a deep voice, "Boy, what sect or school are you from? Tell me, and perhaps we have some past connection. If so, I might spare your life!"

Chen Ming gripped the hilt of the "Broken Army Sword" and said, "Gu Xianyu from the Gu family of the capital. If you are willing to let us leave, I swear that I will never reveal anything about the secret realm."

"The Gu family of Beijing?"

A hint of apprehension flashed in Xie Jianqiu's eyes. That was a top noble family with a Celestial Realm expert in charge. Although the Gu family's ancestor was nearing the end of his life, as long as he existed, his deterrent power would not diminish in the slightest.

"I do have some connection with one of your elders. I can let you go, but not her. There's no room for discussion on this."

He pointed to Jiang Yingxue's hiding place not far away.

The girl possesses the "Phoenix Body," and if he were to replenish his health with her essence, his injuries could be restored by 80%, or even more.

It's a pity that the girl was unwilling to be his dual cultivation partner; otherwise, he could have reached the peak of the first rank in just a few months.

However, his injuries were quite severe at the moment, and even if this move was somewhat short-sighted, he couldn't worry about that now. He needed to recover first.

In a few more moments, Du Rusong should emerge from the secret realm, where his true mortal enemy lies!

There is no time to delay!

Thinking of this, Xie Jianqiu said, "As long as you make an oath, you can leave, young man of the Gu family."

"Brother Gu—"

Jiang Yingxue emerged from her hiding place, looking at Chen Ming with tears welling in her eyes and her lips trembling. "You...you must leave...I told you, I would never hold you back...Go..."

Chen Ming glanced at her and saw that her face was pale. She was clearly terrified, but she was holding back her tears and pretending to be brave as she spoke these words.

"Ugh."

He suddenly sighed, feeling the surging internal energy within him finally stop, and his overall condition reached an unprecedented peak. "I was willing to let you go, why did you have to seek death?"

What I just said was just a delaying tactic to get to the best possible state.

If Xie Jianqiu agrees, then everyone will be happy. If possible, he also doesn't really want to fight to the death with a weakened Rank 1 warrior.

But if this old man insists on courting death, then he has no one to blame but himself.

"Ah!"

Xie Jianqiu laughed in anger, realizing he had been underestimated by this kid. "Very well, kid, today I'll show you the difference between a first-grade and a second-grade!"

His figure flashed and disappeared.

The next instant, the person appeared in front of Chen Ming and threw a punch.

In order to conserve his vital energy, he decided to finish the battle quickly.

Don't be fooled by his previous attacks using sword energy; in reality, the most powerful attack method of a first-grade expert is close-quarters combat.

One punch, and even a second-rank official would die on the spot.

"what?"

The punch landed in mid-air.

That kid was able to break free from his aura lock in an instant, as if he had vanished into thin air.

"How is this possible?" Xie Jianqiu was greatly shocked. A first-grade divine sense is naturally far superior to a second-grade one. Moreover, this kid has just broken through to the second grade. How strong can his divine sense be?

Could this kid have some kind of treasure on him?
In a flash, he sensed the other person's presence again. "You can't escape!"

Xie Jianqiu charged forward again.

……

"Wow--"

Not far away, Jiang Yingxue could no longer hold back after hearing Chen Ming's words. Her legs went weak, she collapsed to the ground, and burst into tears.

She was terrified. She was afraid that Chen Ming would really abandon her and leave her to die, afraid that she would fall into the hands of that lecherous old man, afraid...

She didn't know where she got the courage to say those words.

"Chen Ming... Waaah... You didn't let me down this time... I, Jiang Yingxue... will never let you down in this lifetime!"

At that moment, Jiang Yingxue made a vow in her heart. Then she wiped away her tears forcefully, took out the sword that Chen Ming had asked her to keep, and drew it.

The sword was only half a piece, but it was enough.

She held the sword to her neck, and before the blade even touched her skin, she felt a sharp pain.

Ouch, that hurts.

"Don't be afraid, Jiang Yingxue. Be brave. Brother Chen was willing to risk his life against a first-grade expert for your sake. What else do you have to be afraid of?"

She fought back her tears and encouraged herself, "On the road to the underworld, I'll have Brother Chen as my companion."

"Be decisive when you strike, make that powerful cut... We absolutely cannot fall into that old thief's hands and be humiliated!"

As she thought about it, she looked up, her eyes wide, searching for the two people fighting.

But I can't see anything.

She could sense two terrifying presences ahead, but could only vaguely make out their shadows; she couldn't make out who they were.

This level of combat was beyond her comprehension.

No, we have to find a way to help him!
Jiang Yingxue made a decision in her heart.

……

"Damn it!"

Xie Jianqiu became increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed; the kid's speed was in no way inferior to his own.

No, it's even above him.

If it weren't for his divine sense far surpassing that of his opponent, he probably wouldn't even know where that kid was and would have been forced to passively take the beating.

However, the current situation is not much better.

He couldn't hit his opponent and could only waste his energy.

Xie Jianqiu thought fiercely, "Let's see who can outlast whom!"

He believed that the young man's movement technique must have consumed far more energy than his own. Once the opponent's vital energy was depleted, he could easily take his life!

"Old thief, release Brother Chen now, or I'll die right here."

Suddenly, the girl's voice came from the side.

Xie Jianqiu scanned the area with his divine sense and saw that she held a short sword to her neck. He was slightly startled.

"I counted to three, three, two..."

snort!
He snorted coldly, appearing beside Jiang Yingxue in the next second. He reached out and clamped the broken sword between his fingers, sneering inwardly, "A mere sixth-rank official dares to threaten me—"

not good!

Just then, he felt a sudden tightness in his chest, and a huge sense of crisis surged into his heart.

With a whoosh!
Xie Jianqiu felt a chill on his two fingers as the broken sword moved on its own and severed them.

A peerless divine weapon?

He was horrified as he saw the broken sword flying towards his chest, and he immediately dodged it. But at that moment, he felt a chill down his back. A piece of the sword tip emerged from his chest.

"what--"

He let out an extremely shrill scream, and the next second, a flash of sword light appeared, and his head rolled off his neck, with a large amount of blood gushing out of his body.

This top-tier expert died a truly ignominious death.

He never imagined that the broken sword in the girl's hand was actually a peerless divine weapon, which she actively tried to catch. It should be known that peerless divine weapons are specifically designed to break through protective qi.

Moreover, this divine weapon already had an owner. While dodging the divine weapon, he neglected Chen Ming, who was standing nearby, which led to his tragic death on the spot.

You have defeated a level 97 enemy and gained 200 million experience points.

When Chen Ming saw the notification, he could hardly believe that he had actually killed such a powerful first-grade expert.

"Brother Chen!"

At this moment, Jiang Yingxue threw herself into his arms, hugged him tightly with all her might, and burst into tears.

This time, Chen Ming did not push her away.

To be honest, she deserves at least 30% credit for killing this fiend. If she hadn't pretended to commit suicide, and Xie Jianqiu hadn't been worried about her death and actively tried to grab the "Mingfeng Sword," he definitely wouldn't have been able to kill this first-rank expert so easily.

Even though it was broken, the "Phoenix Cry Sword" still retained a trace of its spirit, and its level nine "Weapon Control Technique" was enough to make it perform some simple attacks.

At this moment, Chen Ming noticed that Xie Jianqiu was tightly gripping something in his other hand, and with a swift movement, he snatched it away.

It was a jade plaque, cool to the touch, and I had no idea what it was.

However, Xie Jianqiu valued it so much that he held onto it during the great battle, so it must be something very important.

"Brother Gu, you have excellent skills."

Just then, a faint voice came from the side. Chen Ming turned around abruptly and saw Nie Hongyi standing there, looking at him with a strange gaze. "I knew I hadn't misjudged you. You are even more outstanding than I imagined. Breaking through in the heat of battle, killing a first-rank cultivator while only a second-rank cultivator!"

Chen Ming shielded Jiang Yingxue behind him, concealed the jade token in his hand, and said calmly, "Miss Nie has a clever strategy, sitting back and watching the tigers fight. You guessed long ago that this old thief would be hiding here, didn't you?"

Nie Hongyi remained silent for a few moments before saying, "To be honest, when I was young, my master placed a powerful restriction on my body, and this old thief used that restriction to deal with me. Therefore, I had to be on guard, and I hope Brother Gu will forgive me."

"I see. No wonder Miss Nie is like this."

A fake smile appeared on Chen Ming's face.

PS: Second update, please vote with monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)