Chapter 77: A Conspiracy Revealed, Effortless Suppression

“Enough talk!”

Lu Jin let out a thunderous roar. The lightning sword in his hand thrust out instantly! Lightning raged across the blade. This time, everyone could see that Lu Jin was truly unleashing a lethal move.

Unfortunately, in the next second, when Liu Ruyan’s black longsword struck, the lightning sword held its ground for only a few breaths before finally shattering into pieces. Lu Jin’s body was sent flying back, crashing onto the Life-and-Death Stage!

At that instant, the entire audience fell silent.

The scene was far too sudden. Many had held immense confidence in Lu Jin, yet seeing Liu Ruyan defeat him with a single strike and then charge forward with her sword pointed directly at him caused their hearts to crumble completely.

“How can this be?”

“Senior Brother Lu Jin was defeated too quickly! Is this truly his real combat strength?”

“He has internal injuries! What a tragedy. In this life-and-death duel, he is likely to perish at the hands of the Saintess!”

“Heaven is jealous of genius!”

The murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“Heh. Lu Jin, you should have died three years ago. All this struggling you have done has been meaningless.”

The black sword in Liu Ruyan’s hand radiated a wave of murderous intent, hovering over Lu Jin’s head. Lu Jin sat on the ground with an exceptionally calm expression. Even facing this lethal threat, he seemed not to care at all.

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out!

“Stop!”

From within the crowd, Long Xiwei could no longer restrain herself. In her desperation, she ignored all consequences and flickered onto the Life-and-Death Stage, shielding Lu Jin with her body.

“You cannot kill him!”

Liu Ruyan’s eyes shifted. “Heh. I did not expect there to be a little bitch accompanying you? Since that is the case, I will fulfill the wishes of both of you!”

Long Xiwei’s 3rd-grade Jindan strength was too weak in Liu Ruyan’s eyes. Seeing her standing in front of Lu Jin, Liu Ruyan gave a sinister laugh. The black sword in her hand vibrated: she looked ready to slaughter them both where they stood.

“Do not worry, this Saintess will not let you die so easily!”

As she spoke, the black sword slashed directly toward Long Xiwei’s face!

“Stop!”

Right then, Chu Tianxiong let out a great shout and flew onto the stage as well! Immediately after, Valley Master Yun Chaomu of Carefree Valley, Master Fenglang of the Great Wind Hall, and Lord Feng Mengdao of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion all charged up!

They could not stand by and watch Lu Jin be killed; they could not watch Long Xiwei be humiliated.

The atmosphere on the scene tightened instantly.

Liu Ruyan saw the crowd protecting Lu Jin, and her fury erupted. She suddenly released a rolling aura and roared:

“Peak Master Pang! Why do you wait? To arms!”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

As Liu Ruyan’s roar fell, figures began to streak toward the stage from all corners of the plaza. Peak Masters, elders, and disciples landed one after another, standing beside Liu Ruyan to form a unified front.

“Wait! Heavens! What is the Saintess doing? Does she intend to defy even the Sect Master?”

“That is Peak Master Pang Ming of Demon-Slaughtering Peak! It looks like they have been plotting this for a long time!”

“There are at least thirty people! Are all thirty of them really going to disobey the Sect Master?”

“What is happening to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect lately? Several Peak Masters vanished mysteriously, and now Peak Master Pang Ming is leading a rebellion! What is the meaning of this?”

The disciples cried out in alarm. On the Life-and-Death Stage, Chu Tianxiong showed not a hint of nervousness as he watched Pang Ming and his group rush up. Instead, he and Lu Jin exchanged a knowing smile. Chu Tianxiong folded his arms across his chest and spoke clearly:

“What? Does Peak Master Pang intend to rebel against this Seat?”

Pang Ming gave a cold laugh. “Heh. Chu Tianxiong, you are currently strong in appearance but hollow within. Why continue with this posturing before this Peak Master? Speak. What happened to Peak Master Wan Helai, Peak Master Qi, and Peak Master Ji? Today, you must give the entire Ten Thousand Swords Sect an explanation!”

The crowd was stunned. It seemed several major, hidden events had occurred: the mystery was about to be unraveled.

“You mean those people? Like you, they were all people who deserved to die. Of course, I am not just talking about you; not a single one of the elders or disciples who followed you up here today will be spared.”

Chu Tianxiong sneered, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

“With just you?”

Pang Ming laughed coldly. “Since you were the one who killed them, then today, this Peak Master shall destroy you to avenge them! Everyone, hear my order! Strike at once! Slay Chu Tianxiong and give our sect an explanation!”

“Furthermore, kill Lu Jin as well! Anyone who blocks us, regardless of their sect or faction, show no mercy!”

The battle on the Life-and-Death Stage was on the verge of breaking out. Right then, Chu Tianxiong let out a thunderous roar:

“Surround them! Do not let a single one escape!”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

As his voice fell, a group of disciples surged out from the crowd. They were clearly prepared; their movements were swift, and in the blink of an eye, they had surrounded the stage so tightly that not even water could leak through.

These people were all members of the Holy Tabernacle! Wang Min was among them.

“Wait.”

Seeing this group, Pang Ming’s expression shifted instantly. He seemed to have a premonition of what was coming.

At that moment, the Holy Tabernacle disciples launched their attack! They were numerous and completely overwhelmed the disciples who had followed Pang Ming. As they charged, Chu Tianxiong did not remain idle. His aura erupted like rolling thunder, pressing down so hard that the rebels could not even lift their heads!

Pang Ming’s face was filled with shock. He clearly felt the aura erupting from Chu Tianxiong: it was not the Jindan Realm, but the Purple Mansion Realm!

“Dammit! You were not poisoned! You were faking it!”

Pang Ming gritted his teeth, but he did not sit still and wait for death. As an 8th-grade Jindan expert, his methods were powerful. Unfortunately, the moment he tried to resist, he was instantly crushed by Chu Tianxiong. He wasn’t even given the chance to use his techniques.

With a muffled boom, he looked down. He saw a Three-Spined Sword condensed from Chu Tianxiong’s spiritual Qi piercing through his chest.

“Peak Master Pang!”

In that moment, Liu Ruyan’s face changed drastically.

Under Chu Tianxiong’s suppression, the other elders and disciples were captured by the Holy Tabernacle members almost instantly. Only Liu Ruyan remained standing where she was.

However, she was not spared because Chu Tianxiong’s aura could not suppress her. Rather, he had specifically left her for Lu Jin.

“Lu Jin, this Seat must thank you for this!”

Chu Tianxiong looked at how easily Pang Ming and the others had been caught and smiled at Lu Jin. He then looked at the shocked experts of the three great factions and laughed. “Everyone, there is no need for concern. Especially you, Miss Long. This kid, Lu Jin, was just acting. Otherwise, how could we have flushed out these treacherous rats?”

Hearing this, Long Xiwei and the others had complex expressions. They clearly had not expected to be swept into someone else’s elaborate scheme in their moment of urgency.

“Lu Jin, are you alright?” Long Xiwei looked at Lu Jin and asked with a frown.

“Of course, I am fine. This woman’s combat strength is mediocre. Even if I stood still and let her hack at me, she couldn’t break my skin.”

Lu Jin finished speaking and then gently pinched Long Xiwei’s cheek. “Go back down with the Sect Master and the others. Next, it is my turn to trample over her.”

Long Xiwei nodded and obediently followed Chu Tianxiong and her Master, Yun Chaomu, back to the seating area. Lu Jin’s gaze then turned toward Liu Ruyan, who was still dazed on the spot.

“Fine. The cleaning house part is over. Liu Ruyan, your time to die has arrived!”

At this moment, Liu Ruyan’s gaze was incredibly complex. She had completely failed to anticipate that things would turn out this way. Chu Tianxiong and Lu Jin had both been feigning weakness just to draw out the Blood Messengers! And the reason Chu Tianxiong had not captured her immediately was so Lu Jin could deal with her himself!

She felt a deep sense of defeat and even a thick wave of humiliation.

“Hmph. Lu Jin, do you really think this is enough to kill me? Even if the Sect Master interferes, you cannot do anything to me!”

As Liu Ruyan spoke, a talisman in her hand began to flicker. The two women who had been sitting quietly by her seat suddenly had a flash of light in their dull eyes. Sharp glints erupted from their pupils. The two figures shot out like cannonballs, landing heavily on the Life-and-Death Stage!

When they landed, the hardened surface of the stage was instantly shattered into a dense web of cracks!