Chapter Eighty-Nine: Unstoppable Advance

At that moment, the soldiers who had finished their training had also gathered in the distance, watching the battle unfold. None of them dared to come closer; they could only look on from afar.

After all, they were nothing more than ordinary soldiers. Their strength was meager, and under normal circumstances they were only at the body-tempering stage. If they rushed forward foolishly to watch the excitement and were caught in the aftermath, it would be a death sentence.

And yet they watched with rapt attention, especially after the young man displayed such overwhelming power. In their hearts, admiration quietly bloomed.

Xu Ke was their general, yes, but soldiers respected strength. If a man was powerful, they would naturally admire him.

At that moment, the young man had already taken care of three or four people with a single palm strike. Then lightning gathered upon his fist, and he drove a punch into Xu Ke’s greatsword. The sword immediately began to absorb the lightning, and little by little the black blade turned blue.

The young man paused for a moment, then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. He increased the lightning’s power once more. Soon the greatsword was completely wrapped in crackling bolts, and Xu Ke had no choice but to let go. After all, he was still gripping the weapon; if he did not release it, the lightning would strike him as well.

At the same time, the greatsword absorbed more and more of the lightning’s power. At last, it snapped in two, then turned black again as it fell to the ground. The broken sword had lost its ability to absorb energy; it had become nothing more than scrap iron.

“How is this possible? My greatsword actually broke! What kind of monster are you? My sword was forged from special materials; it’s incredibly tough!”

Xu Ke’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared at the young man in utter disbelief. He had used that greatsword for more than ten years, and it had remained unyielding all this time, yet one punch from this man had snapped it clean in two. It was terrifying.

“Heh. No matter what it is, anything that absorbs energy has its limit. Once that limit is reached, it will naturally break. That is the law of nature, and nothing can defy it. Since the thing you relied upon is gone, prepare to die.”

The young man let out a cold snort, dodged the other man’s attacks, then rushed straight toward Xu Ke. He struck him with a palm, and the armor on Xu Ke’s body shattered at once. The tremendous blast sent him flying, and he crashed to the ground unconscious.

The rest were no match for him either. In just a few exchanges, every last one of them was sprawled on the ground and unable to rise again.

“Heh. So the great clans all came after me, did they? I don’t know what the others are, but the Xue Clan and the Ma Clan are certainly involved. Since that is the case, I’ll begin with those two. If you dared to move against me, then you should have been ready to bear my wrath.”

With a cold smile, he stepped forward. A colossal lightning serpent appeared in the air, coiling around the fallen men and killing them outright.

Perhaps in their final moments they regretted accepting the task of killing him, especially the Xue Clan and the Ma Clan. But by then, regret was useless. The instant they had made a move against him, their lives no longer belonged to them.

After resolving everything, the young man returned to the storehouse. Tang Hao hurried forward to inspect his body, and only after confirming that he was uninjured did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Father, it’s all settled. Let’s head back. Have you finished inspecting the armor and weapons here?”

The young man smiled faintly. Tang Hao nodded, and the two of them walked out of the storehouse. Just as they emerged, they saw the captain they had met earlier at the camp gate, whose expression was somewhat awkward.

“My lord, I am truly sorry for what happened earlier. We were acting under General Xu Ke’s orders, which is why we made things difficult for you at the camp gate. After witnessing Lord Chu’s strength just now, I am thoroughly impressed. I apologize for everything I did earlier. I truly was in the wrong.”

After saying this, the captain bowed deeply, full of sincerity. The young man also smiled and nodded.

They were only low-ranking soldiers, after all. Whatever they did, they were simply following orders from above, so there was no need to hold them responsible. He could understand that much. The true culprits behind this affair were the Xue Clan, the Ma Clan, and the other great families.

“My lord, all the experts from those clans died in our camp today, and we cannot explain that to the Emperor. So I will go personally and tell His Majesty everything, word for word. There will not be a single lie.”

The captain also made his stance clear. Since Xu Ke was already dead, no one was left to command them. He himself wanted to act according to his own judgment, and he had long been disgusted by the schemes and maneuvering of those clans.

Only before he had been Xu Ke’s subordinate, and no matter what, he could only obey Xu Ke’s orders. This time, however, he would report everything truthfully to the Emperor.

“Then I thank you. We’ll take our leave first.”

After thanking him, the young man led his father back to the viscount’s residence. Tomorrow, the workers from Brightview City would probably arrive, and then construction could begin at once. He did not understand any of that, so he could only leave everything to Tang Hao.

And besides, he still had more important matters to attend to. Since the other side had already struck, if he continued to endure passively, that would not be his nature. He intended to take the initiative, and his first target was the Xue Clan.

During this period, the young prince had also been staying at the viscount’s residence, showing no intention of returning to Brightview City. Chu Han did not mind. The young prince had run himself ragged helping him before, and long ago Chu Han had already regarded him as one of his own.

Deep in the night, Chu Han quietly slipped out of the viscount’s residence and headed straight for the Xue Clan.

Tonight, he would wash the Xue Clan in blood. Though such an act was not in accord with the laws of the Great Chu, those laws could not restrain him. There was no doubt that he would visit the Xue Clan tonight.

By then, the Xue Clan had already received word that all the experts had died in the military camp, and even General Xu Ke was dead. Xue Ren sat in the very center with a cold expression, his mood in turmoil. Only now did he realize that the Xue Clan had provoked someone they could not afford to offend.

“Clan Lord, let us go to the viscount’s residence and apologize. Chu Han’s strength is not as simple as we imagined. Even if the clan lord were to strike personally, I’m not sure we could be certain of defeating him. If this goes on, the entire Xue Clan will be dragged down with us.”

The scholar-like man sighed. In truth, everyone understood this reasoning, but because of pride, none of them would say it aloud. Only he could voice it.

After he spoke, the hall fell silent. All of them tacitly acknowledged his words. Chu Han’s strength had shaken them to the core. At this moment, they were all thinking that if the Xue Clan had not stepped forward to deal with Chu Han over Xue Gui’s matter, things might never have come to this.

“Impossible. I, Xue Ren, have fought on the battlefield for many years to achieve my position today. I have never taken a single step back on the battlefield, and I certainly will not bow now. Even if it is Chu Han, he will not make me apologize. My cultivation is not something those trash can compare to. I will personally break that little brat’s legs.”

Xue Ren shook his head, grinding his teeth. He was a marquis and a great general of the Great Chu, a pillar of the realm. How could he retreat at a time like this? He had never backed down on the battlefield, and he was even less likely to do so now.

Everyone else could only sigh helplessly. They knew Xue Ren’s temper all too well, and that was exactly why they were worried. If they kept opposing Chu Han like this, sooner or later Chu Han would come directly to the Xue Clan to settle matters.

“Oh? I heard you say you would break my legs. I’m here. Let me see how you plan to do that.”