Chapter Twenty: Duan Kun

Only then did Chu Jie notice, upon closer inspection, that the boy’s face was filled with shock; his large eyes were strikingly bright, yet his body seemed frail to the extreme, his skin nearly translucent with pallor. Chu Jie patted the boy’s shoulder gently. “Don’t worry, I’m just staying here for the night. I’ll leave at dawn.”

The boy’s gaze was wary, a hint of fear still lingering as he shrank back, arms wrapped tightly around his knees, staring at Chu Jie with nervous intensity.

Chu Jie also shifted backward, letting his whole body relax as his spiritual sense swept out in all directions. The Luo family’s soldiers had already gone far, which finally set his mind at ease.

It seemed the Luo family had started searching everywhere for him. Not only had he stolen their treasure, but he’d also ravaged their precious spiritual herbs and destroyed their entire herb district. The Luo family now wished for nothing more than his death.

A cold glint flashed in Chu Jie’s eyes. The Luo family? What of them? Whoever comes after me, I, Chu Jie, will cut them down!

The night passed without further incident. At first light, Chu Jie opened his eyes to find the boy watching him, bloodshot eyes wide with exhaustion. Chu Jie felt a trace of guilt; the boy had clearly been too afraid to sleep, dreading that Chu Jie might kill him in his sleep.

With the sun just beginning to rise, Chu Jie examined the boy again. His lips were red, his teeth white, yet his body seemed ever more fragile, curled into a small corner, his face full of panic—a sight that was almost amusing.

“Thank you, brother. I’ll be on my way now,” Chu Jie said with a smile, crawling out of the tent.

Bang!

A large foot suddenly crashed through the tent flap, swinging straight at Chu Jie!

Chu Jie’s hand shot forward, his fist striking out!

Crack! The large foot was broken with a single blow. Stepping outside, Chu Jie saw that a crowd had gathered around the small tent. At first, he thought they were Luo family soldiers, but after a closer look, he dismissed that idea.

The men surrounding the tent were all rough-looking, dressed in tattered clothes—street thugs, just like those from the Jiulong District.

Seeing Chu Jie’s ferocity—breaking one of their men’s legs with a single blow—the small-time leader among them frowned. “Who are you?”

The boy from the tent called out, “Wang Ye, this is my brother. I won’t give you my tent!”

The leader, Wang Ye, cocked his head and sneered, “Kid, don’t cause trouble. Lord Ba is building a new camp here and needs to collect some tents. If you keep this up, Lord Ba will be very angry!”

Chu Jie turned his head. “Who is this Lord Ba?”

The boy shrank back a little. “Lord Ba is the boss around here.”

Chu Jie quickly understood—this Lord Ba was likely a local overlord, much like Qi Tianba. Although it had nothing to do with him, the pitiful look on the boy’s face moved Chu Jie to intervene.

“Go fetch your Lord Ba,” Chu Jie said.

“Who do you think you are? You think you’re worthy of seeing our Lord Ba?” one of the thugs jeered, pointing at Chu Jie.

Chu Jie’s eyes narrowed, a cold light flashing out. Being at the Spirit Convergence level, even a mere surge of his spiritual pressure made the thug’s face change instantly, his body weighed down as if crushed under a heavy load.

Wang Ye yanked the thug back and snarled, “Lord Ba won’t let you off for this!” With that, he led his men away.

As the gang retreated, Chu Jie turned back to the boy. “What’s your name? Why does Lord Ba want your tent?”

The boy, who had seemed so flustered before, calmed slightly at Chu Jie’s indifference. “My name is Xu Meng. There were originally seven bosses in the Lingyun District. After Lord Ba arrived, there were eight, but he didn’t have his own territory, so he wants to seize this area and take away our tents.”

Chu Jie nodded. In the outer city of Blackdark City, tents themselves were cheap. It was the location that truly mattered.

Here, robbery and murder were commonplace; a peaceful spot was more valuable than gold. Over the past days, Chu Jie had learned that the outskirts of Bloodslaughter City were divided into nine major districts, with scattered smaller ones throughout.

Every six months, each district was allowed to send five people into the first layer of the outer city—excluding those selected by the three great families of the outer city. Thus, these five slots per district became the prize for which all the local bosses vied.

Chu Jie stood, glancing back at the towering walls of the outer city. There was, indeed, something alluring within.

“Is it you?” a deep voice called from not far away.

Chu Jie turned, his sword-like brows arching in surprise. Lord Ba was not some middle-aged man, but a young man about his own age.

This youth had fiery red cropped hair and wore a fitted martial tunic. His eyes gleamed with killing intent.

Chu Jie was briefly startled—Lord Ba was also at the Spirit Convergence level!

Lord Ba eyed him warily as well. Such cultivators were rare in the outer districts of Bloodslaughter City. If discovered, they could enter the first layer of the outer city directly, and all those at this level in the outer districts were known to Lord Ba. Narrowing his eyes, Lord Ba spoke, “Brother, what do you mean by this?”

Chu Jie released his spiritual energy, his aura flaring. “You want to tear down my brother’s tent and drive him away. What do you think I mean?”

Boom!

Tension soared around them. Lord Ba’s lips curled into a savage smile. “Let’s see if you can defend it!”

With that, he charged like a sweeping gale, dirt flying up where he stepped, leg flashing with spiritual light as he kicked at Chu Jie. Lines of energy crisscrossed his leg, and as he struck, countless afterimages enveloped Chu Jie’s head.

Chu Jie’s fist blazed with light as he punched forward.

A searing brilliance erupted from his fist, and at the peak of pressure, the fist’s radiance burst forth!

Great Sun Heavenly Flame Fist!

Two beams of light collided with overwhelming force.

Boom!!

The two men leapt apart. Lord Ba licked his lips. “Not bad. You’re strong.”

He stamped the ground, soaring up, his fists raining down on Chu Jie like meteors.

Battle lust blazed in Chu Jie’s eyes. He drew a deep breath and unleashed his own barrage of punches.

Their energies clashed like raging rivers, splashing out in all directions, the sound echoing like heavenly thunder.

Chu Jie stepped forward, his aura surging. With the Nine Tribulations Body, he cared little for these attacks. His fist flashed with cold light and he let out a low growl, smashing a punch forward.

Bang!

It was as if a sun exploded from Chu Jie’s fist, dazzling Lord Ba’s eyes. Lord Ba felt a gale howling at him, his heart lurching in alarm as he poured all his spiritual power into a giant shield before his chest.

Boom! Lord Ba was knocked back several steps, his spiritual shield cracking wide.

Lord Ba licked his lips again and bellowed, his aura shifting violently, like a slumbering lion awakened. His power, which had been at the second layer of Spirit Convergence, now soared to the third!

Even his hair bristled with energy, his eyes burning with battle spirit. “Excellent! Again!”

He stamped the ground and lunged at Chu Jie like an enraged dragon.

Chu Jie’s heart skipped—Lord Ba was even faster than before!

Bang!

In the blink of an eye, Lord Ba’s fist was before Chu Jie, who instantly countered with a punch of his own.

Crack!

The ground beneath Chu Jie’s feet split open, fissures radiating outward. With a low roar, the reincarnation scroll within him spun furiously. He jumped, knee smashing toward Lord Ba’s chest.

Lord Ba twisted nimbly, dodging the blow.

Bang! Chu Jie’s feet punched a crater into the earth as he retreated.

Five or six meters back, Chu Jie’s eyes shone with fierce fighting spirit. Although Lord Ba’s body wasn’t as formidable as the Nine Tribulations Body, he possessed another powerful physique. For the first time, Chu Jie felt he’d met a worthy opponent!

He stomped again, gathering all his energy into his fist until it blazed with light. Streams of spiritual power surged from his energy sea, condensing in his fist until the world itself seemed to freeze.

Chu Jie closed his eyes, moving in slow motion, as if he carried a mountain in his hand.

Lord Ba felt as if a bolt of lightning was about to strike his body.

At the moment the fist landed, Chu Jie’s eyes snapped open, a brilliant light flashing forth.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sleeves of Lord Ba’s shirt split open, and he flew like a severed kite.

Crash! He landed hard, carving a long scar into the ground.

Coughing blood, Lord Ba managed a faint smile. “What kind of body are you? How can you be this tough?”

Chu Jie replied casually, “Just a brute’s physique.”

Lord Ba’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m born with the Tyrant Body, but it’s not as strong as yours. Interested in working with me?”

At that moment, Chu Jie had no clear plan for his next steps. Hearing Lord Ba’s offer, he nodded. “What do you have in mind?”

Lord Ba’s eyes blazed with excitement. “To unify the entire outer district of Blackdark City!”

Chu Jie hesitated a moment, glancing at the towering outer city wall, his heart stirring with ambition. “Why not?”

He, Chu Jie, would enter the outer city—he would bring ruin upon the Luo family!