Chen Nan's actions clearly disregarded the presence of the Jin army. The young general flew into a rage, quickly retreating several steps before shouting, "Everyone, charge! Capture him! We cannot let this villain escape!"
Two thousand soldiers surrounded Chen Nan, but not a single one dared to charge forward. The young general was furious that one man could intimidate thousands, but he couldn't command his soldiers to fight.
Long Wu was utterly stunned, unable to believe that the Chen Nan before her was the same carefree, frivolous scoundrel she knew. Chen Nan had actually attacked her with a knife right before her eyes; the cruelty of his actions felt so foreign to her…
From the moment Chen Nan reversed the Xuan Gong, a murderous impulse surged in his heart. However, he was unusually clear-headed, fully aware of the situation before him, and knew the consequences of his actions.
Good and evil are separated by a single thought. When a person closes the door of goodness in their heart, the door of evil silently opens wide. At this moment, an ominous feeling welled up in Chen Nan's heart. His family's secret technique was so strange and bewitching. After the technique was reversed, it made him so bloodthirsty. Was it man controlling the technique, or the technique controlling man?
He finally understood why his father, who had already reached the initial stage of the Immortal Martial Realm, dared not reverse the profound skill. The profound skill could actually control a person's emotions, causing the darkest side of a person's heart to erupt so vividly. The profound skill was almost demonic! The profound skill was almost devilish! An ominous feeling spread through his heart. He didn't know what would happen to him from this day forward!
The current situation left Chen Nan no time to think. He had to leave as soon as possible, otherwise, once the military sent in real experts, leaving would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Although his profound skill had reversed today and he hadn't reached the level of a fourth-tier super expert, it was still far superior to his usual level. To leave this place, he had no choice but to rely on his formidable power to fight his way out and break through the encirclement.
Chen Nan held his long sword to the sky, his body shrouded in demonic energy, his robes and hair a blood-red mass. He stood proudly like a demon god, and roared, "Everyone here has witnessed what happened today. I, Chen, have been forced into this killing spree. They deserve to die! I don't care about their identities or their status. Even if they manage to escape today, I will take their heads one day. Now that it's over, I will leave. To protect my life and family, if anyone tries to stop me, I will show no mercy!"
After saying that, Chen Nan tore his outer robe into long strips and used them to tightly bind Xiao Chenxi to his chest. He dared not put Chenxi on his back, fearing that if he did not take good care of her and something went wrong, he would regret it too late.
At this moment, although the two thousand soldiers surrounding him all held swords and faced him, none dared to step forward rashly. Just then, someone among the cultivators watching from afar exclaimed, "I recognize him! He is Chen Nan, the extraordinary warrior who protects the Chu Kingdom. I was fortunate enough to see him when he was escorted out of the Chu capital city, shooting down the dragon with his bow."
This statement caused a great stir, and not only did the crowd of onlookers become agitated, but the two thousand soldiers surrounding Chen Nan were also astonished.
On that day, Chen Nan fought a fierce battle against the dragon knights in the Chu Kingdom's palace, shooting down a celestial dragon with his bow. His fame spread far and wide, and cultivators from all countries knew that Chu had an outstanding young master named Chen Nan. Because Chu had suppressed news of his rebellion against Chu with Hou Yi's bow and his battle in the Chu capital, few outsiders knew that he had long since betrayed Chu and was no longer Chu's guardian hero.
The young man who had fought so fiercely against the scoundrels of Jin was actually the guardian hero of Chu, the legendary figure who had shot down the dragon—this was truly unexpected for everyone. Among them, Kevin, Long Wu, Guan Hao, and others from Shenfeng Academy were the most surprised; they could not believe that the "scoundrel" was actually the famous Chen Nan.
The young general in the arena was also stunned. This blood-stained thug had such a powerful background, which put him in a difficult position. The Chu Kingdom was one of the three superpowers of the Eastern Continent, its national strength many times greater than that of a small country like Jin. For their national hero to cause such a disturbance in Jin was a serious matter; he could no longer simply label Chen Nan as a murderous monster.
At this time, more and more cultivators gathered to watch, including young masters from the four major academies, senior figures from the capital of Jin, and cultivators from other countries who happened to be there. Everyone was discussing it.
Without a doubt, Chen Nan's actions today—slaughtering Fei Long, killing the scoundrel, and fighting against the Jin army—will surely spread to all countries, and Chen Nan's name will once again become the focus of people's conversations.
Two thousand soldiers were still locked in a stalemate with Chen Nan, and the young general was at a loss for what to do. Just as Chen Nan was about to fight his way out, chaos erupted outside the square. Dust billowed and sand filled the air as five hundred cavalrymen, wielding spears, charged toward them.
The onlookers hurriedly parted to make way, and five hundred cavalrymen surged in, charging into the square. At the head of the charge, atop a tall horse, sat a middle-aged general in his forties, his face filled with grief. He roared, "Where is the murderer who killed my son? Today I will tear him to pieces!"
Upon seeing the general clad in golden armor, Long Wu knew things were escalating; the father of one of the deceased had arrived. She was neither a princess nor a royal, and her presence would be futile; she could only observe from the sidelines.
Kevin, Guan Hao, and the others were very worried about Chen Nan. Although they hadn't spent much time with this companion, they had already developed some feelings for him.
The young general breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the middle-aged general arrive; he could finally get rid of this hot potato. He stepped forward, bowed to the middle-aged general, and quietly explained the situation to him.
The middle-aged general cried out in grief and indignation, "I don't care about the State of Chu, I don't care about his legendary protectors! Since he killed my son, today I will tear him apart!"
The young general hurriedly stepped forward and whispered to him, explaining the potential conflicts of interest between the two countries. Finally, the middle-aged general waved his hand and said, "All men, take off your armor." These five hundred cavalrymen were clearly well-trained; upon hearing the order, they did not hesitate at all and quickly removed their armor.
Led by the middle-aged general, five hundred unarmored cavalry replaced two thousand infantrymen, surrounding Chen Nan and each holding a spear.
"I am no general now, just a father seeking revenge for my son. They are no soldiers, just retainers and soldiers in my household. You are no longer a national hero in my eyes, just a murderous madman. I will now lead the people of my household to avenge my son. You murderer, prepare to die!" After the middle-aged general finished speaking, he ordered his men to charge towards Chen Nan.
"Wait!" Chen Nan shouted. "Don't you want to understand why I killed your son?"
"Hmph, I don't want to. All I want now is to kill you, at any cost!" The general's face was contorted with rage.
"Hey, hearing your words, I have no more scruples. I will show no mercy when I strike later. Truly, like father, like son! Come on, I, Chen, am going to go on a killing spree today!" Chen Nan was like a demon god possessed, his long hair moved without wind, his eyes shot out two beams of black light, and the demonic energy swirling around his body seemed to be materializing, forming a protective demonic armor around him.
"Go! Kill him!" the general roared.
The five hundred cavalrymen were well-trained and did not charge in disarray upon hearing the order. Twenty warhorses charged out first from the east, their riders wielding long spears, towards Chen Nan. When those twenty unarmored cavalrymen were less than ten zhang away from Chen Nan, another twenty spear-wielding cavalrymen charged out from the north.
Chen Nan understood their formation: twenty men in each group, attacking from four directions in rotation, trapping him in an endless barrage of bayonets. He laughed cruelly, "Today I'll be a demon to the very end! Kill!"
The twenty riders from the east had already charged close, and Chen Nan, surprisingly, charged forward with his sword, unleashing a black blade of light nearly two zhang long. The four men and four riders coming towards him were cleaved into eight pieces by the materialized blade of light, blood raining down and body parts flying everywhere.
The power of that single strike stunned everyone present, causing their hearts to pound violently, whether they were soldiers or cultivators watching from the sidelines.
At this moment, the cavalry charging from the north had already reached Chen Nan's eyes. This time, after cutting down four riders, he flew forward and slashed twice at the departing cavalry, causing eight more riders to fall to the ground.
The plaza was littered with mangled corpses, blood staining the ground crimson, and a mist of blood constantly rising. Add to that the enormous carcass of a flying dragon in the corner, and the place resembled a scene of carnage.
Chen Nan stood motionless in the middle of the field, holding his sword, waiting for the next cavalry charge.
The Demon King! An absolutely bloodthirsty Demon King!
At this moment, everyone had the same illusion: the young man standing motionless in the square seemed to be the incarnation of a demon king. The demonic flames swirling around him seemed to transform into phantom demons all around him, and countless demons worshipped him.
An illusion? A hallucination? In the square filled with the aura of death, in the slaughterhouse where every inch of space was filled with blood mist, no one could tell whether it was real or not!
Wave after wave of cavalry charged relentlessly at Chen Nan, but they could hardly harm him in the slightest. If this continued, perhaps they could wait until Chen Nan was exhausted before killing him. But the cost would be too high; countless people would die in that manner.
The square was piled high with corpses and flowed with blood. Chen Nan had already killed nearly a hundred people, and the square had become a living hell. However, Chen Nan was also feeling extremely exhausted. Just as he was looking for an opportunity to break through, a masked man in black robes suddenly rushed into the square, slashing down several riders and getting close to him.
Chen Nan was startled and shouted, "Stop! Who are you?" In this critical moment, he dared not trust anyone.
Outside the arena, chaos erupted as numerous cultivators discussed the incident, none of them expecting anyone to break into the iron cavalry's encirclement.
"It's me. Don't make a sound. I'm here to save you," the newcomer hissed.
Chen Nan was incredibly surprised. He recognized the voice as that of the elderly man surnamed Yang he had encountered at the Immortal Martial Academy. Yang Lin was a teacher in the Eastern Martial Arts Department of the Divine Wind Academy. He usually wore purple clothes, while Dongfang Fenghuang's grandfather usually wore blue clothes, and the students of the Divine Wind Academy jokingly called them the "So-Sexy Duo".
Before heading to the Ancient Immortal Heritage Site, Chen Nan had promised the old man that he would return before the warm-up match began, but he ultimately stood him up. Now, in this extremely dangerous situation, Yang Lin's sudden appearance beside him deeply moved him.
Yang Lin whispered, "Experts from the Immortal Martial Academy are already on their way. We must leave here as soon as possible. I'll help you fight your way out of Kaiyuan City. After you break through, Kevin and Guan Hao will meet you outside the city. I'll cover your retreat!"
Chen Nan stared at the masked old man before him, speechless. He wasn't a student of Shenfeng Academy, and he hadn't represented the academy in any of the recent warm-up tournaments for top athletes. Yet this old man had stepped forward to save him in this critical moment. While moved, he was also somewhat bewildered. Having witnessed too much of the ugliness of human nature, he couldn't help but harbor some doubts.
Why did you save me?
The old man scolded in a low voice, "You still have time to overthink things?! Don't overthink it, I mean you no harm. After escaping Kaiyuan City, you and Kevin and the others should return to the City of Sin as soon as possible. Shenfeng Academy will protect you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Nan was clearly taken aback. The old man actually said that Shenfeng Academy would protect him, which was quite puzzling.
The old man said in the lowest voice, "Shinpu Academy is conducting a major research project and will need your help in the future. We will never allow anyone to harm you. What I'm saying may seem a bit frank and self-serving, but it's all the truth. Please believe me that Shinpu Academy has no ill intentions towards you whatsoever."
Yang Lin's frank revelation of the hidden truth greatly increased Chen Nan's goodwill towards him. He said solemnly, "Alright, if I approve of the research at Shenfeng Academy in the future, I will definitely do my best to help."
At this moment, under the command of the middle-aged general, the cavalry continued to charge in wave after wave, leaving countless corpses on the square.
Just then, a long howl came from afar, and a voice as loud as thunder roared through the air: "Which madman is running rampant in my Jin Kingdom? Daring to confront the Imperial Army in the capital? Does he think my Jin Kingdom has no one to stand up for it?!"
Many cavalrymen were nearly thrown off their horses by the shock, and many infantrymen were forced to support each other. Even the cultivators watching the battle felt a surge of energy.
Yang Lin shouted, "This is bad! This is an old monster from the Immortal Martial Academy, about to enter the fifth level of cultivation. The noble young master you killed today was his disciple. I didn't expect him to be the first expert from the Immortal Martial Academy to arrive. Come with me quickly!"
Yang Lin pulled Chen Nan forward quickly. The old man seemed to sense the seriousness and urgency of the situation. He no longer held back and each palm strike shattered several riders.
The two desperately tried to break out of the encirclement. By this time, Chen Nan was bloodthirsty and didn't know how many people he had killed. His blade had been chipped and dulled.
"Everyone, get out of my way! I want to see who dares to be so arrogant!" A tall, white-haired old man, several dozen feet above the cavalry, flew into the arena.
The old man glanced coldly at Yang Lin a few times, then stared intently at Chen Nan. A tremendous, invisible pressure surged toward Chen Nan, and an immense, terrifying fluctuation rippled through the entire square!
"So you're that young man who shot down the dragon with a bow? Hmph, not bad, you've come to my Jin Kingdom to show off again." Then his voice turned sharp, "Do you underestimate the Jin Kingdom's talent?!"
Chen Nan remained neither humble nor arrogant, saying, "Everyone present has witnessed what I did today. Those few scoundrels deserved to die! As for killing those soldiers, I did it only to protect myself."
Upon hearing the phrase "those few scoundrels deserved to die," the old man's forehead veins throbbed. He roared, "Stop trying to deny it! You've killed so many people in my Jin capital today. I will not let you leave alive. I hold no official position in Jin, but I'm killing you, you madman, in my personal capacity. Remember my name, Tao Ran, and don't be a fool!" It was clear that Tao Ran was very wary of Chen Nan's status as a guardian of the Chu state.
Chen Nan was fully aware of the situation and knew that the old man intended to kill him and would not let him go no matter what. However, he wouldn't let go of any opportunity to create a chance for his own escape. He lowered his voice and sneered, "Don't try to act tough with me because of my age. Are you really confused, or are you just incredibly naive? I am a legendary protector of the Chu Kingdom. If I were to be besieged and killed by shameless scoundrels in the capital of Jin, what do you think the consequences would be? Although I am not a person of great importance in Chu, for the sake of the country's reputation, Chu will absolutely not let this go unpunished. Jin can just wait to be attacked!"
Tao Ran's expression changed repeatedly, and finally he sneered in a low voice, "Don't try to scare me. Chu Kingdom will launch a war for you alone? Hmph, I'll kill you today and see what happens!"
Chen Nan knew that his deceptive intimidation had failed, and he hurriedly prepared for battle.
Tao Ran put on a righteous and awe-inspiring look and shouted, "If I don't kill you, you villain, today, it would be against all reason! Today, I will act on behalf of Heaven!" A powerful force surged from his body, and he raised his palm to strike Chen Nan.
A tremendous force swept across the entire square, its immense power surging like a raging sea. This was definitely not a force that Chen Nan could withstand. Yang Lin, standing beside him, hurriedly raised his palms to meet the attack in Chen Nan's place, while Chen Nan also raised his sword and slashed out with all his might.
However, this power, which was close to the fifth rank, was something the two of them could not withstand. The immense force, like the rolling Yangtze River, surged forward, breaking through their palm strikes and blade energy.
Yang Lin might be able to barely withstand it, but Chen Nan absolutely could not take this blow. Yang Lin hurriedly pulled him back quickly, but during the retreat, Chen Nan broke free from Yang Lin's grip and quickly turned around. He couldn't let the light on his chest face that powerful force; otherwise, the slightest mistake would be a lifelong regret.
However, this delay allowed Tao Ran's immense palm strike to arrive, and Chen Nan was slammed hard into the back by a tremendous force. He coughed up blood and tumbled through the air, flying seven or eight zhang before crashing to the ground, gushing mouthfuls of blood.
Chen Nan felt as if his internal organs had shattered. He coughed up blood continuously. He didn't know how badly he was injured, or even if he could survive. But he felt very fortunate. If he hadn't turned around in time, Xiao Chenxi would probably not have survived.
"Brother..." At this moment, Xiao Chenxi in his arms opened her eyes. Her face was full of tears, and she frantically stretched out her small hands to cover his mouth, but blood still gushed out from her small hands.
Chenxi seemed to realize something, and hugged Chennan's neck tightly, crying out, "Brother... don't leave me... you said you would take care of me for the rest of your life... sob sob..."
The little girl's heartbreaking cries evoked a wave of sorrow among the spectators, who felt immense sympathy for Chen Nan and his companion.
Yang Lin looked at Chen Nan with worry. No one knew the power of that palm strike better than him. It was a full-force attack from an old monster nearing the fifth-tier realm; an ordinary expert would have been reduced to dust long ago. He didn't know how serious Chen Nan's injuries were, or whether he could even survive!
After coughing up five or six mouthfuls of blood, Chen Nan was finally able to speak. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and forced a smile, saying, "Chenxi, be good, don't cry! Brother is alright. Brother once swore that he would watch you grow up happily and then watch you get married happily. Before that, brother will never leave Chenxi, never abandon Chenxi..." As he said this, he almost spat out another mouthful of blood, but he forcibly suppressed it.
Chenxi cried, "Brother, don't lie to me, brother, never leave me..."
Chen Nan forced a smile and said, "Brother will never leave you, Chenxi, don't be afraid! It's my fault. I just brought you away from the mountains, and you've already suffered so much. I've shown you so much ugliness in the world. But suffering a little when you're young isn't a bad thing. It will be a valuable asset for your growth. Don't cry, Chenxi, don't be afraid. Brother will always be by your side, always protecting you... cough..." He coughed violently again and spat out three more mouthfuls of blood.