Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 174 Golden Blade Slaying a Fierce Tiger (Part 2)
Time seemed to slow down infinitely at this moment.

All eyes were fixed on the slender figure charging towards the golden tiger.

Compared to this sword-wielding tiger, which was tens of feet long and possessed an overwhelming aura, Chen Ye's figure appeared so small and insignificant.

It's like an ant trying to shake a tree, or a moth trying to stop a tsunami.

Tragic, yet laughable.

Almost everyone had already foreseen the outcome in the next second: this arrogant madman, along with the broken knife in his hand, would be torn to shreds by this invincible tiger, leaving not even a trace behind.

However, just as the golden tiger's gaping maw was about to devour Chen Ye...

Chen Ye's knife moved.

There was no earth-shattering power, nor dazzling sword light.

He simply touched the tiger's forehead lightly.

The movement was as gentle as a lover's caress, as freehand as a casual stroke on a painting.

But it is this seemingly insignificant point.

A crisp, clear sound, like metal striking stone or pearls falling onto a jade plate, resounded clearly in everyone's ears.

Then, an incredible scene happened.

The ferocious and incomparably powerful golden tiger stiffened abruptly the moment Chen Ye's blade touched its brow, as if it had been frozen in mid-air!
"Click..."

A faint yet incredibly clear cracking sound rang out from between the tiger's eyebrows.

Then a pitch-black crack suddenly appeared, centered on the tip of Chen Ye's knife!
Immediately afterwards, the crack seemed to come alive, spreading wildly across the tiger's entire body!

Click! Click! Click!

A series of cracking sounds rang out one after another, like popping beans.

In the short span of a breath, the majestic golden tiger's entire body was covered with spiderweb-like black cracks!
"Bang——!!!"

With a deafening roar, the once invincible sword-wielding tiger exploded, transforming into countless golden specks that scattered and vanished without a trace.

quiet!
The entire central square was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop.

After a brief silence came an unbelievable gasp, like a volcanic eruption.

Even Yun Heqing and Xue Shan, who were far away, had expressions of utter disbelief.

"Holy crap... this... this actually works?" Yun Heqing was completely dumbfounded.

Xue Shan was so excited that he trembled all over. He looked at the figure who stood calmly with a knife in his hand, his eyes filled with fanatical worship.

god!
This is simply divine swordsmanship!
Of all the people present, the one most shocked was the phantom of Jian Jingchuan in mid-air.

"No...impossible!"

His face, which had always maintained an air of authority and indifference, finally changed color completely, his expression filled with horror and disbelief!

"How could my Fierce Tiger Sword Intent be so easily broken?!"

It should be noted that although this sword strike was only unleashed by one of his clones, the true essence of swordsmanship contained within it was the culmination of his hundreds of years of arduous cultivation, and it was his most prized skill!
He was confident that, apart from a handful of old monsters of the same level, absolutely no one could withstand him head-on!
But now it was broken by a kid who had just broken through to the Inner Realm in a way that he couldn't understand at all!

This had a devastating impact on his Dao heart!

However, Chen Ye didn't give him any time to continue being shocked and thinking.

After shattering the sword-qi tiger, he didn't pause at all. He stomped his foot and his figure transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for the illusory figure in mid-air that was beginning to become unstable!

While you are sick, I will kill you!
This is Chen Ye's consistent code of conduct!

"not good!"

Warning bells rang in Jian Jingchuan's mind, and without thinking, he tried to back away.

But Chen Ye was faster than him!

"You want to run now? It's too late!"

Chen Ye's cold voice rang in his ears.

The next second, a flash of light suddenly appeared in his horrified eyes!

The sword flashed away.

Jian Jingchuan's illusory figure suddenly froze.

He looked down at his chest.

There was nothing there, but he could clearly feel that the spiritual link between his clone and his main body had been severed!
An irresistible force of destruction is raging wildly within his phantom!
"you……"

He looked up at Chen Ye in disbelief, his mouth slightly open as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he couldn't utter a single word, and then, like a sand sculpture weathered by the elements, he shattered inch by inch and completely dissipated into the air.

As Jian Jingchuan's illusory image shattered and dissipated, the golden light shield that enveloped Elder Jian and Jian Wuchen also vanished instantly, like a phantom that had lost its support.

The last straw has been extinguished.

"Do not--!!!"

A shrill roar filled with endless despair and resentment erupted from Jian Wuchen's throat.

Without the suppression of the golden light, the domineering destructive power within his body completely exploded!

A series of chilling, dense cracking sounds, like firecrackers, erupted from his body.

His already broken body could no longer maintain its shape.

First the limbs, then the torso, and finally the head...

Under the horrified gazes of everyone, the once glorious young master of Tianjian Manor, hailed as the number one genius in Qingzhou for a century, was completely disintegrated, like a porcelain doll smashed to pieces by a naughty child!

Flesh, bones, internal organs... were reduced to indistinguishable fragments, which then rapidly weathered under the corrosive influence of that eerie, deathly gray aura, eventually turning into a nauseating pool of grayish-black powder.

A gust of wind blew by, and the powder flew up and completely dissipated between heaven and earth.

No bones left!

Seeing this, everyone fell silent.

Because no one expected that the young master of Tianjian Manor would die like this!

And in such a tragic and utter way, he died in front of everyone.

The disciples of Tianjian Manor were all ashen-faced, because they could not imagine the fury their master would unleash upon learning this news after he had truly broken through his seclusion!
At that time, not only will Chen Ye die, but the disciples who failed to protect him will also likely face death!
In stark contrast to their despair was Elder Jian on the other side.

The moment he saw Jian Wuchen turn to ashes, there was no sadness in his cloudy old eyes, but rather a hint of... relief.
Yes, thankfully.

I'm so glad it wasn't me who died.

But the next second, that sense of relief was replaced by boundless fear.

Because he could clearly feel that the destructive power within him had completely lost its suppression and was frantically destroying his life force at a speed ten times faster than before!

His right arm had completely lost sensation, and the cracks on it were so deep that the bone was visible, as if it might detach from his body at any moment.

Moreover, this terrifying crack has already begun to spread to his chest!
"No...I don't want to die! I can't die!"

A strong will to survive made Elder Jian's mind race.

There's no way we can win in a fight. Even the manor lord's clone was slain by this monster with a single strike. What difference is there between going up there in my half-crippled state and suicide?
So... what should we do?
In Elder Jian's opinion, the reason why Chen Ye's swordsmanship was so strange was not because of the swordsmanship itself, but because his sword was imbued with some kind of extremely vicious curse!
If only... if only he could break the spell, I would be saved!
The moment this thought surfaced, it was like wildly growing weeds, instantly taking over his entire mind.

Dignity? Face? The identity of an elder of Tianjian Manor?

In the face of death, these things are worthless!
He'd do anything as long as he could survive!

Having figured this out, Elder Jian no longer hesitated.

To the astonishment of tens of thousands of people in the audience.

The once arrogant and domineering elder of Tianjian Manor, a Core Formation Realm expert who had cultivated for over a hundred years, suddenly knelt straight down in front of Chen Ye!
The entire movement was fluid and smooth, without the slightest hesitation or embarrassment.

"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist Chen Ye, spare my life!"

Elder Jian kowtowed to Chen Ye repeatedly, crying and wailing with tears streaming down his face. He looked as miserable as could be.

"It was my ignorance that I failed to recognize your greatness! It was my audacity that offended you, fellow Daoist! I deserve to die! I beg you, fellow Daoist, to spare my life and lift the curse from my body, considering how hard I have worked to cultivate!"

"If you, fellow Daoist, are willing to spare my life, I am willing to be your slave, serve you like an ox or a horse, and serve you for the rest of my life!"

A commotion erupted both on and off the stage, especially among the disciples of Tianjian Manor, who were utterly shocked. Elder Jian had long been in charge of the Enforcement Hall and was known for his cold-blooded ruthlessness, inspiring awe and fear in all the disciples of Tianjian Manor. Many had never even seen Elder Jian smile.

Unexpectedly, this very person would kneel down in public without hesitation just to save his life, which is absolutely mind-blowing.

Meanwhile, the representatives of various factions on the viewing platform were secretly excited, feeling that their trip today had been worthwhile.

Not only did they witness the rise of an unparalleled genius, but they also saw the reputation of Tianjian Manor, built up over hundreds of years, shattered by the hands of its own elders!
Facing Elder Jian, who was kneeling on the ground pleading desperately, Chen Ye's face showed only a cold indifference.

He knew Elder Jian all too well.

When in a high position, holding the life and death of others in their hands, they appear indifferent, like gods untouched by worldly affairs. But once it comes to themselves, they immediately revert to their true nature, becoming selfish, hypocritical, and cowardly mortals.

Don't be fooled by his current willingness to kneel down and act like a dog for you just to survive.

Once he recovers, he will not hesitate to stab you in the back, and he will use methods ten times more cruel than before, making you wish you were dead.

Chen Ye had no interest in saying a single word to this kind of person.

Besides, where would he possibly know any way to break a curse?
What he cuts off is calamity, the most fundamental collapse of things.

Once it's ignited, it's irreversible.

Therefore, Elder Jian's fate was sealed from the moment he was struck by his blade.

There is no doubt that he will die.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Ye turned and left.

The reason is simple: although he had just killed one of Jian Jingchuan's clones, no one could say for sure whether that old guy would be enraged and forcefully break through the barrier regardless of everything.

That was a true late-stage Core Formation Realm cultivator. Even if he forcibly came out of seclusion and suffered damage to his cultivation, he was still someone that I, a cultivator who had just entered the Inner Realm, could not possibly contend with.

Therefore, it is not suitable to stay here for a long time.

Having achieved my goal of revenge, and with the slightest regret in my heart now resolved, it's time to leave.

As Chen Ye leaped up and flew towards the outside of the city, wherever he went, whether it was disciples of Tianjian Manor, people from Qingzhou Prefecture, or people from other sects, they all immediately made way for him.

The scene didn't look like an encirclement or annihilation; it looked more like a farewell.

And so, under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of complex gazes, Chen Ye leisurely flew out of the central square, out of Qingzhou City, which had been plunged into chaos because of him.

After leaving Qingzhou City, Chen Ye did not linger at all. His figure transformed into a wisp of green smoke and sped towards the endless, vast mountains to the south.

After advancing to the Inner Realm, the true essence within his body was constantly replenished, so Chen Ye traveled through the mountains and forests at a near-uninterrupted high speed.

The ground beneath my feet rushed past me, and the wind whistled past my ears.

In less than half a day, he had already traveled hundreds of miles into the Southern Wilderness Mountains.

When that familiar air, mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees and the scent of the wilderness, entered his nostrils, Chen Ye's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.

Arrived.

This is already the territory of that old demon Yuanlan.

Even if that old guy Jian Jingchuan really breaks through his cultivation barrier and chases after us regardless of everything, he'll have to think twice once he gets here.

Stopping beside a secluded mountain stream, Chen Ye leaned back on a smooth, polished bluestone and let out a long sigh of relief.

Although the entire process, from taking action to leaving, seemed smooth and effortless, in reality, every step was meticulously calculated, which was extremely mentally taxing.

As I relaxed, a wave of fatigue washed over me.

Chen Ye stopped rushing on his way and instead closed his eyes to check his condition.

His cultivation at the Inner Realm was now completely stable. In his dantian, the true essence condensed from the power of the Milky Way flowed slowly like a vast galaxy, filled with immense power.

Then, Chen Ye had a sudden thought and opened the long-unused career panel.

Name: Chen Ye

[Cultivation Realm: Inner Landscape]

[Profession: Hundred Tribulations Blade Master Lv4 (All things have tribulations, all laws have flaws. Your blade can now perceive and detonate deeper levels of tribulation; a single strike is irreversible.)]

[Talent: Zed's Eye]

[Techniques: Star River Qi Refining Technique Lv8, Golden Toad Qi Absorption Technique Lv5]

[Martial Arts: Needle Blade Technique lv10 (Max Level)]

……

The job level has been upgraded from lv3 to lv4.

The Needle Blade Technique has finally reached level 10!
Chen Ye could feel that as his profession and skills improved, he became more adept at using Zed, and the power of Zed had increased by more than one level.

Previously, the robbery he detonated with a knife was more like a brutal act of destruction.

Now, however, his strikes can precisely hit the critical points, triggering a chain reaction of destruction, making it even more bizarre and harder to defend against.

Just like the strike he delivered to Jian Jingchuan, he not only severed the sword qi tiger, but also the spiritual link between Jian Jingchuan's clone and his main body, erasing it from the root.

But that's not the main point. The key thing is that the ship on the other shore in the sea of ​​consciousness has started to move and has begun to flicker with a faint light.

The Ark to the Other Shore has been activated. Shall we return?

However, Chen Ye only hesitated for a moment before turning off the notification, because now was not the time to leave. Not to mention that his profession had not yet reached the top level, he had not yet fulfilled his promise to Yuan Lan.

Chen Ye didn't want to be the one to break his promise, and besides, there might be even more unexpected surprises after helping Yuan Lan transform into a dragon and ascend to heaven.

Thinking of this, Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief and then continued flying deeper into the Southern Wilderness Mountains.

Just as Chen Ye was fleeing at full speed.

Qingzhou City, Central Square.

The place is still a mess.

No one has dared to collect the scattered remains of Jian Wuchen.

Elder Jian lay on the ground like a dead dog, his eyes lifeless, making hoarse noises. More and more cracks appeared on his body, and it was clear that he wouldn't live much longer.

The disciples of Tianjian Manor stood there listlessly, as if all their energy had been drained away.

Their faith was shattered today by that man in the most cruel and direct way.

After the initial shock and fear, the rogue cultivators in the square finally came to their senses and erupted into a tremendous discussion.

"My God! What did I just see today? Heavenly Sword Manor... was just taken down like that?"

"This Chen Ye is too fierce! He's practically a god of death!"

"That's more than just fierce! Did you all see that last strike? He even slashed down the Sword Master's clone! Is he even human?"

"I heard his name five years ago, but I never imagined he would become so terrifying five years later!"

"Quickly! Spread this message! Something big is about to happen in Qingzhou!"

Countless people discussed it excitedly, their faces showing the thrill of witnessing history.

The elders from other sects and the officials from Qingzhou Prefecture, after a brief silence, began to act swiftly.

"Quickly! Send a message back to the sect immediately, reporting everything that happened today to the sect leader without missing a single word!"

"Investigate! Investigate! Find out everything about Chen Ye, his ancestors for eighteen generations! I want to know everything about him!"

Orders were quickly relayed.

These big shots who usually wield great power in Qingzhou all had excited glints in their eyes at this moment.

The Heavenly Sword Manor, a great tree that has stood for hundreds of years, is now teetering on the brink of collapse. Although it has not yet fallen, it has suffered severe damage, which naturally excites the sects that have been oppressed for so long.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the square, Yun Heqing had already made a hasty escape.

The moment Chen Ye shattered the sword-light tiger, he realized that he could no longer stay in this place.

Immortals fight, mortals suffer.

He didn't want to get involved in this huge storm.

He ran while muttering to himself, still shaken.

"I'll never have anything to do with that Chen guy again, he's too damn scary..."

(End of this chapter)