Chapter 83: The Azure Dragon Chasing the Sun

"Kill!" Chu Jie let out a long, thunderous cry, his aura rising steadily. His sleeves billowed as he frantically channeled his spirit energy, the Samsara Scroll whirling violently within him.

In an instant, the mouth of Wind and Fire Gorge was plunged into chaos.

Chu Jie faced off against Huang Zhengde and more than twenty of his subordinates, bearing immense pressure. The remaining thirty men encircled Wu Long, Duan Kun, and their six companions.

"Boss, don't worry about us—kill him!" Wu Long shouted from the other side.

At that moment, he and the six behind him had formed a protective barrier, their combined auras merging into one. It was enough to withstand the assault of thirty men for now, though they would not last indefinitely. With Duan Kun assisting, however, they were confident in holding out.

Chu Jie faced the greatest pressure, fighting alone against more than twenty foes. In the rubble-strewn zone earlier, he and Duan Kun had slain a similar number of Spirit Convergence cultivators, but that group had been without true experts. Compared to the ones led by Huang Zhengde, there was no comparison.

Huang Zhengde himself did not strike immediately, instead allowing his subordinates to attack first while he lingered on the sidelines, waiting for the opportune moment to assail Chu Jie.

This was also his first confrontation with the infamous, legendary fiend. Huang Zhengde’s heart was far from certain, and he dared not act rashly; against such a foe, a single misstep could mean instant death.

The first to lunge forward were three Spirit Convergence cultivators at the second stage. These men were visibly frightened, yet somehow found themselves at the vanguard, forced to grit their teeth and press on.

Two arcs of sword light slashed toward Chu Jie, but before they could draw close, a blazing sun appeared in their vision.

The twin sword lights were shattered in the center, breaking apart inch by inch. As the blazing sun danced, the two Spirit Convergence experts were sent flying, blood spraying through the air.

A wave of murderous intent emanated from Chu Jie, chilling all those struck by it to their very core.

"No wonder he's called a supreme fiend," Huang Zhengde muttered, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead. He transformed into a streak of light and charged at Chu Jie.

Huang Zhengde, at the seventh stage of Spirit Convergence, was overwhelmingly powerful. Even as Chu Jie harnessed all his spiritual energy, he felt a sliver of genuine threat.

Within him, the Samsara Scroll spun with frenzied speed, channeling torrents of spirit energy. The Nine Suns Sky-Shattering Claw was poised to strike.

The two Spirit Convergence fighters who’d fallen to the ground were already dead—Chu Jie had destroyed them in an instant.

The other Spirit Convergence experts hesitated. Should they charge or not?

Chu Jie's swift slaughter of those two had frightened them deeply. Now they wanted to see if Huang Zhengde could overcome Chu Jie; relying solely on themselves, they could not possibly shake him.

Mist began to rise from Huang Zhengde, forming a bank of clouds around his body. It was even denser than when he’d attacked Wu Long earlier. Within the fog, a black shadow flickered.

"Azure Dragon Chasing the Sun Fist!"

Huang Zhengde appeared before Chu Jie. This was the moment he had dreamed of countless times—facing the legendary fiend head-on, wielding his supreme technique to slay the monster, earning renown in Blood Butcher City, and drawing the gaze of the powerful...

Everything rested on this battle.

Chu Jie's eyes brimmed with disdain, as if he saw through Huang Zhengde's ambitions. The Nine Suns Sky-Shattering Claw, which he’d been holding in reserve, shot forth.

As Huang Zhengde unleashed his fist, the illusory form of a dragon manifested, jaws wide, eager to devour all before it.

Chu Jie's golden dragon claw descended, aimed straight at Huang Zhengde’s skull.

Huang Zhengde, under immense pressure, recalled his fist to defend his head. The azure dragon veered upward, colliding with Chu Jie’s golden claw.

"Boom!"

The clash of spiritual power exploded in midair, the force so intense that everyone’s attention was drawn to the spectacle.

Wu Long’s eyes shone with excitement, his heart shouting silently: “As expected from the boss—so fierce! Truly worthy of the title supreme fiend. One day, I’ll be just like him!”

Duan Kun felt his heart tremble at the sight of Chu Jie’s Nine Suns Sky-Shattering Claw. The power of that move was staggering; he didn’t know if he himself could withstand it. Even as these thoughts flashed through his mind, his feet moved ceaselessly, kicking Spirit Convergence experts away one by one. The opponents wielded precious weapons, and Duan Kun was biding his time, looking for the moment to deploy his own lethal spindle-shaped treasure.

The Spirit Convergence cultivators attacking Duan Kun’s group also glanced at Chu Jie, a sense of futility creeping in. Who exactly was this man they were supposed to kill?

Huang Zhengde’s subordinates, who had been helping him attack Chu Jie, now looked as pale as death. Chu Jie seemed even more formidable than Huang Zhengde—their hope of victory had dwindled to almost nothing.

"Kill!" one of the subordinates shouted. "Help the captain kill the fiend, or we’re all finished!"

This man understood that charging in alone, even with numbers, might not be enough to defeat Chu Jie. But with Huang Zhengde present, their contributions could tip the scales. If they played their part well, perhaps they could bring Chu Jie down.

The corner of Chu Jie’s mouth curled as he glanced at those charging toward him. The pressure was indeed immense, and these men were despicably taking advantage of his situation—they deserved to die.

Every one of Huang Zhengde’s men here had entered Chu Jie’s list of those doomed to fall.

A surge of even greater killing intent erupted from Chu Jie. The Nine Suns Sky-Shattering Claw crashed mercilessly down upon the dragon’s head.

The azure dragon, which had soared skyward, was instantly cleaved in half. The golden claw’s power, however, was nearly spent; as it fell further, its force waned.

Chu Jie bit through the blue elixir hidden under his tongue, rapidly restoring his spirit energy.

At that moment, several Spirit Convergence experts attacked from the side. Behind Chu Jie, nine blazing suns shot forth, each striking a different foe.

A chorus of screams rang out—nine men were injured to varying degrees. One unfortunate Spirit Convergence cultivator was struck full in the face by a sun, his entire skull caving in.

Meanwhile, across the battlefield, a scream was heard—Duan Kun had slain an opponent with his spindle-shaped treasure.

Huang Zhengde’s forces were dwindling, being cut down one by one by Chu Jie and his allies.

Huang Zhengde was indeed strong—one of the rare true powerhouses Chu Jie had ever faced. The Azure Dragon Chasing the Sun Fist was only slightly weaker than the golden dragon claw. The nine blazing suns Chu Jie unleashed had scattered those preparing to attack him.

Yet, the surviving opponents did not falter; by now, there was no turning back. It was a matter of kill or be killed.

A few more bloodstains appeared on Chu Jie’s robes, but he paid them no heed. Ordinarily, his body would have remained unsullied, but in the heat of battle, it was inevitable.

As several more enemies charged, streams of light flowed from Chu Jie’s fist like a waterfall, enveloping them. Only as the light neared did they realize what it was—the Universe Treasure Wheel. But it was too late. Already gravely wounded by Chu Jie, they had no strength to resist.

In an instant, the spinning Universe Treasure Wheel sliced through them at the waist.

"The Universe Treasure Wheel! So it’s fallen into your hands, and Chu Jie died by your hand after all," Huang Zhengde said coldly.

Chu Jie was momentarily stunned; he was Chu Jie. Did this man think he had slain himself?

In truth, Chu Jie was now far more powerful than when he first entered the Spirit Convergence realm. The intelligence held by these people was woefully outdated—they still believed Chu Jie to be a newcomer, and thought this infamous fiend had killed Chu Jie and seized the Universe Treasure Wheel.

The Universe Treasure Wheel was a superior-grade treasure. Even Huang Zhengde coveted it. The rumor went that whoever slew the supreme fiend would claim such a weapon; now, Huang Zhengde’s desire to destroy Chu Jie was even greater.

But having revealed the Universe Treasure Wheel, Chu Jie was now determined to eliminate Huang Zhengde.

They clashed again, but this time neither unleashed their most powerful attack. Though Huang Zhengde continued to use the Azure Dragon Chasing the Sun Fist, its force was not as great as before—clearly, he could not use his strongest technique constantly.

Chu Jie, on the other hand, kept attacking with the Great Sun Heavenly Flame Fist. Suns roamed ceaselessly through the mists around Huang Zhengde.

Bang, bang, bang!

As they traded blows, their fists collided again and again. Chu Jie wanted to unleash the Universe Treasure Wheel, but the opportunity never arose—if he acted rashly, his opponent might evade.

Moreover, his spirit energy was only at half capacity. Though the blue elixir replenished his reserves, recovery still took time, and he had to conserve what he had left.

Wrapped in spirit energy, Huang Zhengde’s arm was like a dragon’s limb—tremendously powerful. The two were evenly matched.

But only Chu Jie knew the truth: he was merely at the fifth stage of Spirit Convergence. So long as he found the right moment, he could kill Huang Zhengde.

Huang Zhengde sneered, "Your days of rampaging through the Abyss of Gods and Demons are over. You’ve killed too many—you’ll pay for your blood-debts with blood!"

With that, the Azure Dragon Chasing the Sun Fist thundered forth once more, its might as overwhelming as at the very start. The azure dragon again opened its jaws wide.

Chu Jie responded with the Great Sun Heavenly Flame Fist, but this time, the solitary sun was swallowed whole by Huang Zhengde’s dragon.

For the first time, the Azure Dragon Chasing the Sun had devoured a sun. The dragon’s roar was more deafening than ever, and the fist crashed into Chu Jie’s chest.

Chu Jie was sent flying.

"Boss!" Wu Long shouted in panic.

"Chu Jie!" Duan Kun froze in disbelief. Chu Jie had been so powerful—he could not believe this man could inflict such a grievous blow.

Yet Chu Jie, preternaturally calm, adjusted his body midair, landing firmly on his feet. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and unleashed the Nine Suns Sky-Shattering Claw.

A shadow of a golden dragon claw appeared above Huang Zhengde’s head. At that moment, even if Huang Zhengde wanted to defend against it, it was too late.

The golden dragon claw descended upon him. In desperation, Huang Zhengde launched the Azure Dragon Chasing the Sun Fist once more, but this time, its power was a mere shadow of its former self.