Chapter 51: Quarreling at the Head of the Bed, Making Up at the Foot

Despite being in the Seventh Realm, he was effortlessly defeated by someone a whole realm below him.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen stood tall and straight like a pine, holding a long saber. The chilling gleam on the blade had yet to fade.

His calm gaze rested on Gu Yu, as if he were looking at an insignificant ant.

With a fierce downward slash, Gu Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief as he met his death.

Xue Chan stood nearby, her previously ice-cold face entirely overtaken by shock.

Her eyes were wide open, her beautiful pupils filled with utter disbelief, and her lips trembled slightly. It took her a long time to squeeze out a few words: "Impossible... This is absolutely impossible!"

In her understanding, as a prodigy of the Yaoguang Holy Land, Gu Yu was an exceptional figure among his peers.

His cultivation level was considered top-tier within his age group, and dealing with a mere Fifth Realm cultivator like Lin Chen should have been as effortless as autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves.

Yet the reality before her delivered a harsh slap to her face. Not only did Lin Chen easily block Gu Yu’s attack, but he also turned the tables and killed him effortlessly.

"You... what kind of monster are you?" Xue Chan’s voice trembled slightly.

All of her previous arrogance was gone, replaced by a deep, lingering dread.

The corners of Lin Chen’s mouth curled up slightly into a faint, mocking smile. "That doesn't matter. What matters is that you shouldn't have come to provoke me."

With that, he slowly raised the long saber in his hand. The blood on the blade trickled down the edge, dripping onto the ground and blooming into dark red floral patterns of blood.

Xue Chan’s heart tightened, and she subconsciously took a step back.

She knew she had probably kicked a hard rock today.

However, her pride as a core disciple of the Yaoguang Holy Land made her unwilling to retreat just like that.

"Hmph, so what if your strength is extraordinary? Now that you’ve killed someone from the Yaoguang Holy Land, don't expect to get off easily!" Xue Chan forced a look of composure, attempting to threaten him with her words.

Lin Chen couldn't be bothered to waste any more breath on her. He stomped fiercely on the ground, sending dust flying into the air instantly.

His figure darted toward Xue Chan like a bolt of black lightning. He raised his long saber high, carrying an unstoppable momentum as he slashed down viciously.

Xue Chan was alarmed and had no time to think. She hurriedly raised her short dagger to block.

"Clang!!!"

With a deafening crash like a giant bell ringing, Xue Chan felt a overwhelming, mountain-shattering force travel up her arm, jarring her internal organs as if they had shifted out of place.

She retreated several steps continuously on the ground, leaving a deep footprint with every stride.

"How could it be... so powerful..." Xue Chan’s heart was filled with despair.

At that moment, she finally understood that the Lin Chen before her was simply someone she could not contend with.

However, Lin Chen did not stop there. He circled around Xue Chan, his saber attacks continuous and fierce like a storm, placing her in mortal danger with every single strike.

Under Lin Chen’s relentless assault, wounds gradually appeared on Xue Chan’s body.

Blood stained her clothes, making her originally stunning face look utterly disheveled and wretched.

"Ah, ah, ah!!!"

Xue Chan let out a shrill scream. Finally unable to endure another heavy blow, she flew backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.

She struggled to crawl back up, only to find that her body felt as though it had fallen apart, sending stabbing pains through her with every slight movement.

She gazed at Lin Chen, who was stepping closer and closer, and the fear in her eyes could no longer be masked.

"You... don't come over..." Xue Chan’s voice carried a hint of sobbing. All of her previous haughtiness was gone, leaving her looking completely like a pitiful creature waiting to be slaughtered.

Lin Chen walked up to Xue Chan and looked down at her from above, without a shred of pity in his eyes. "If you provoke me, you have to pay the price."

With that, he slowly raised his long saber and executed a clean, decisive slash.

Pfft!

With a dull sound, Xue Chan’s head rolled a few times on the ground before finally coming to a shaky halt.

Naturally, Lin Chen would not let the opportunity pass and looted all of her spoils of war.

What satisfied him the most was none other than Gu Yu’s long sword.

The entire weapon was wreathed in a silvery flowing light, and a lifelike Black Tortoise totem was clearly engraved on the sheath.

Just as Lin Chen was brimming with joy, Xie Mengmeng walked out, looking somewhat unsteady.

"Why do you look so battered? Did you get beaten up?" Lin Chen asked with a puzzled expression.

Xie Mengmeng shot him an annoyed glare. "Don't go prying into things you shouldn't ask about. Hurry up and walk. If another beast like that shows up, I won't be able to handle it."

Lin Chen scratched his head in bewilderment, naturally not daring to flap his lips any further.

The two had just left when a dozen figures in black arrived shortly after, stopping beside the corpses of Xue Chan and the others.

One of them said with deep shock, "Aren't these the two Seventh Realm disciples from the Yaoguang Holy Land?"

"As expected, they were being protected by an expert. The price for this job has to go up!" another black-clad figure remarked meaningfully.

"Indeed. What should we do about the situation of these two?" another black-clad figure asked.

"This matter cannot be made public, otherwise the Yaoguang Holy Land might suspect we killed them, and that would cause quite a bit of trouble," a masked man said.

"Grand Elder is right. So, should we continue pursuing them?" a black-clad figure respectfully asked.

The Grand Elder pondered for a moment and said, "Of course we must continue the pursuit. Otherwise, where would the Shadow Tower's reputation go? If we fail even to kill a Fifth Realm cultivator, who will ever dare to hire us in the future? However, send someone to tell that client that the price must be raised to fifty thousand merit coins, no negotiations."

"Understood!"

The black-clad man acknowledged the order and vanished into the woods.

At that moment, another black-clad figure asked, "Grand Elder, my disciple—he won't have gotten into trouble, will he?"

The Grand Elder replied with a gloomy expression, "It would be better if he did get into trouble. At a critical moment like this, he couldn't even control his lower half. Let's go, we'll wait for news at the Nanyang City branch."

Hearing this, even if the latter felt any dissatisfaction, he dared not voice any objections. Leaving aside the other's lofty status and immense power, what was said made sense—running wild with women at a time like this was sheer folly.

Back at a small inn outside the woods, Xie Mengmeng was arguing forcefully for the two of them to share a room: "For your own safety, we must stay in the same room."

"There's really no need. A man and a woman should not share close quarters. Innkeeper, give us two rooms." Lin Chen refused to yield in the slightest.

From his perspective, the most dangerous thing in the world would be sharing a room with her.

If he stayed alone, he could simply draw his sword and solve any enemies he encountered. But if he stayed with her, he wouldn't even dare to draw his sword.

"Young hero, as the saying goes, lovers' quarrels end at the bedside, and things have been quite unsafe around here lately. If you ask me, you two should just stay together! Otherwise, if she gets snatched away by bandits, it’ll be too late for regrets," the innkeeper said, puffing away on his long smoking pipe with a clicking sound.

"Exactly! Otherwise, if I get carried away by bandits, you won't even have a place to vent your strength when the time comes," Xie Mengmeng glared at him with a grievance-filled expression.