Chapter 21: In the past, I was too merciful!

"Awooo!"

Another bloody gash appeared on Zhao Long's face. Twisting in agony, he shrieked, "Father... save me!"

"Swish!"

Zhao Wuji was the first to lose his composure; he stood up, his face contorted with malice. How had Lin Chen, this piece of trash, managed to recover his cultivation? How was this even possible?

"Awooo!"

The Wind-Blade Swift Leopard scrambled to its feet, driven by its predatory instincts. Relying on its sense of smell, it lunged fiercely at Lin Chen once more.

"Still coming for more?"

Lin Chen sneered, his movements as swift as lightning. In an instant, he unleashed a flurry of punches. Each blow landed with surgical precision upon the beast's skull. Like a wild beast himself, Lin Chen hammered the massive creature, forcing it to retreat repeatedly.

Blinded and overwhelmed by the rain of rapid-fire strikes, the Wind-Blade Swift Leopard was unable to mount a defense. Everything was simply too fast!

As they neared the edge of the arena, a cold glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. Pivoting on his left foot, he channeled all his strength into his right leg and delivered a powerful back kick. The force sent the Wind-Blade Swift Leopard flying dozens of meters, rolling off the stage with a thunderous crash.

To defeat a massive magical beast with raw physical strength alone—and to actually win!

Not only was Zhao Long stunned, but the audience below was also struck dumb. Just how monstrous must one's physique be to achieve such a feat?

The Wind-Blade Swift Leopard coughed up blood and froth; it struggled on the ground a few times, but it never stood up again.

"Ugh!"

Zhao Long was hit by a wave of backlash and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. His face turned deathly pale, and his body began to convulse uncontrollably.

"It... it's dead!"

A daring spectator stepped forward to check the beast's vitals, only to turn pale with shock. Lin Chen had literally beaten a magical beast to death with his bare hands!

Nearby, Su Cheng took a sharp step back, his heart feeling as though it were being squeezed by a giant hand, leaving him unable to breathe. For the first time, he felt genuine, soul-deep terror toward another person.

"Seventh Prince, it's your turn."

Lin Chen turned, his icy gaze fixed on Su Cheng. In that moment, Su Cheng felt as if he were staring at an ancient, predatory beast baring its fangs at him.

The killing intent radiating from that gaze nearly caused Su Cheng to collapse to the ground.

"I... I..."

Su Cheng wanted to concede, but the thought of the vast crowd watching forced him to swallow the words. If he truly uttered the word "surrender," he would be bringing eternal shame upon the Royal Family!

"Swish!"

Lin Chen cared little for his hesitation and lunged forward in a few strides. He circulated the Imperial Technique, and his body began to glow with even greater intensity. Under his control, the Myriad Woods Body became increasingly fluid and formidable.

With his fighting spirit shattered, Su Cheng’s control over his Silver-Light Profound Elephant wavered. Within a few exchanges, he was broken by Lin Chen, who seized him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

The entire audience was left in a stupor. How much time had passed since Lin Chen stepped onto the stage? Both Zhao Long’s and Su Cheng’s beasts were either dead or crippled, and they themselves had been utterly defeated. Had they not felt the pain of pinching themselves, they would have assumed they were dreaming!

"Urgh!"

Su Cheng struggled desperately, his face turning purple. "If... if you dare to kill me, you... you will never make it out of the Imperial City alive today!"

This was nothing short of a direct threat. As for the rules of the life-and-death arena mentioned earlier, who could afford to care about such things anymore?

Lin Chen remained calm, his gaze sweeping toward the other side. Tuntun’s arm transformed into a sharp spike, aimed directly at the center of Zhao Long’s brow.

Zhao Wuji’s expression shifted, and he roared in fury, "Lin Chen, what do you think you're doing?"

A terrifying aura began to erupt from him, inch by inch. As the Lord of the Imperial City, Zhao Wuji possessed the strength of the seventh level of the Earth Spirit Realm. If he were determined to kill Lin Chen, Lin Chen would surely stand no chance!

"What? Have the words that came out of your own mouth turned into nothing but hot air?"

Lin Chen wore a mocking expression as he looked toward Zhao Wuji, as if goading him. Last time, the man had stood high above, stripping him of all his titles and honors! Ah, what a display of authority that had been!

"Grind."

Zhao Wuji clenched his fists until they creaked. "Lin Chen, I advise you to think of yourself, and think of your family! If you dare to commit such an impudent act within the Imperial City, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life!"

Zhao Long was his only son; he had to save him, no matter the cost.

On the other side, the old eunuch also gathered his energy, his eyes cold and sharp. "Lin Chen, I advise you to let go and climb down obediently. If you continue to persist in your folly, you will not be able to bear the consequences!"

"Consequences? What consequences?"

Lin Chen let out a loud laugh. "From the moment I stepped onto this life-and-death stage, I knew exactly what would happen. What did you think I returned for? In the past, it was my kindness that allowed you all to trample over me one by one. If I had been even a little more ruthless, you wouldn't have dared to kick me while I was down!"

"Lin Chen, how dare you!"

Seeing Lin Chen’s tone growing more intense, Zhao Wuji roared. If anything happened to his son, he would make Lin Chen pay with his life, even if he had to sacrifice his own reputation to do it!

"From this day forward, I, Lin Chen, will undergo a complete transformation, becoming a being that all living things will fear!"

Killing intent burst forth from Lin Chen’s eyes. He and Tuntun shared a single mind.

In the same breath that he crushed Su Cheng’s neck with his palm, Tuntun drove its arm into the center of Zhao Long’s brow.

In a single instant, both men were dead!

"You little beast, I'll slaughter you!"

Zhao Wuji’s eyes turned an unimaginable shade of crimson, and he charged like an arrow released from a bow, resembling a maddened, wild beast! He had watched his own son die at Lin Chen’s hands; the agony that tore at his heart was beyond description.

The old eunuch also roared, his figure moving like lightning! How could Lin Chen dare to kill in public on the arena floor? He had a death wish! How... how did he dare? Was he not afraid of his entire clan being wiped out for this?

"Boom! Boom!"

Just then, a figure appeared, faster than the others, and struck out two palms, forcing the old eunuch and Zhao Wuji back hundreds of meters!

Xu Kun had appeared on the stage at some point. Standing with his hands behind his back, he said with a soft, eerie tone, "The life-and-death battle was arranged by you, Zhao Wuji. Now that you’ve broken your word and are reneging on the outcome, it’s quite amusing, isn't it?"

Zhao Wuji and the old eunuch were trembling with rage.

"Elder Xu, do you truly intend to protect him?" the old eunuch demanded first.

"He is the ultimate victor," Xu Kun replied, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, he is the only one left. If I do not take him back to the Li-Fire Sect, how am I to report to the sect? Should I... bring you back instead?"

The old eunuch’s face darkened, his fists tightly clenched.

"Elder Xu, I hope the Li-Fire Sect will not interfere in this matter!" Zhao Wuji said, enunciating every word. "This kid was originally a cast-off from the Wind-Sword Sect. He was discarded like trash by Feng Bumie himself after his cultivation was destroyed for cheating. If the Li-Fire Sect accepts him as a treasure, would that not make you the laughingstock of the world?"

The old eunuch nodded repeatedly. "Indeed. People will only think that the Li-Fire Sect is so desperate that it accepts even the cast-offs of the Wind-Sword Sect—it truly damages your reputation!"