Chapter 32: Outbreak

Boom!

Without warning, the aura surrounding Su Xin surged at a terrifying speed.

Back when he was only at the peak of the True Martial Tenth Realm, he could instantly boost his cultivation to the peak of the Sea Transformation Realm by unleashing the God-Extinguishing Forbidden Technique. Now that he had already broken through to the early stage of the Sea Transformation Realm, unleashing the technique again caused his aura to climb step by step until it shattered the barrier, reaching the threshold of the Void Piercing Realm!

"What?"

The two men who had been surrounding Su Xin to execute their killing move, along with the sudden attacker, Mr. Chang, were stunned by this sight.

In just an instant, he had crossed from the early Sea Transformation Realm to the threshold of the Void Piercing Realm?

"Die!"

Su Xin’s gaze was sharp as lightning. As he swung his longsword, his internal bloodline power erupted completely. He pushed his bloodline power to its absolute limit!

*Hum~~~*

A hazy sword light flared into existence. Dreamlike and ethereal, it drifted across the void.

North Abyss Sword Technique, Phantom Volume, Second Form: Shadowplay!!

It was too fast!

With his cultivation elevated to the threshold of the Void Piercing Realm, and bolstered by his bloodline inheritance art and the eruption of his bloodline power, Su Xin’s current strength and speed were fully on par with the late Void Piercing Realm, or perhaps even near the peak. With this sword technique...

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Three heads flew into the air.

Including Mr. Chang, who had reached the late Void Piercing Realm and had attempted a sneak attack, died with an expression of terror and disbelief plastered on his face. He never could have imagined that he, a dignified late-stage Void Piercing expert, would be killed in a single strike by this young master of the Su family, who had clearly been only in the early Sea Transformation stage moments before.

*Whoosh!*

After cutting down these three Void Piercing experts, Su Xin did not pause for a second. He took to the air, dashing at full speed toward the largest battlefield not far away.

...

*Boom! Boom! Bang!*

Earth-shattering roars and the sounds of fierce combat erupted repeatedly across the battlefield.

A massive amount of violent, tyrannical energy surged through the area, creating shockwaves that swept in every direction. The surrounding buildings were reduced to dust under the impact, like paper in a storm. The power was immense and staggering.

Even from a distance, Su Xin could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from the battlefield. Had he not unleashed the God-Extinguishing Forbidden Technique, he would not have even been qualified to enter that fray; the mere shockwaves of the combat would have been enough to severely injure him upon approach.

But now, with his battle power skyrocketed, he had the capital to fight even against peak Void Piercing experts.

"Kill!"

Su Xin, alone with his sword, charged directly into the battlefield where everyone was at least at the late Void Piercing stage.

On that battlefield, a full twelve Void Piercing experts were furiously surrounding Su Baichen.

Su Baichen held his spear in one hand, radiating a terrifying aura. A unique, profound intent swirled around him. It was clear that Su Baichen had also mastered an "intent," and his comprehension was extremely high—far higher than Su Xin’s.

His spear technique was formidable and fearsome. Despite being only at the late Void Piercing stage—with power output at that standard level—he relied on his spear skills and his intent to fend off twelve experts, including two at the peak of the Void Piercing Realm, and yet, in the short term, he was only slightly at a disadvantage.

The twelve experts surrounding him were exerting all their strength.

In particular, the ten-man Yinglong Guard squad... As the elite guard of the Tianyan Empire, reachable only by the royal family, this squad coordinated with uncanny precision and utilized battle formations. Under normal circumstances, even two or three peak Void Piercing experts would be slaughtered by them. Yet, against Su Baichen alone, they found it far more difficult than fighting two or three peak Void Piercing experts.

"He truly deserves to be called the peerless genius who could hold his own against our master in his youth. Thankfully, he is only at the late Void Piercing stage. If his cultivation had reached the peak, the twelve of us might not have been able to kill him," the man named An Cang thought to himself in awe. Although he was a peak Void Piercing expert, the burden of the fight fell on the Yinglong Guard; he was merely assisting from the sidelines, occasionally launching a sneak attack.

"This Su Baichen, is he really this strong?" Pang Shaoqing, who was also assisting the Yinglong Guard, felt a tsunami of shock in his heart. He had always felt that Su Baichen’s strength was similar to his own, or at least not much higher. Today, he realized that "similar" was not the word—at the same late Void Piercing stage, Su Baichen could easily sweep aside ten of him.

"But if he is this strong, why was he so forbearing before? Why didn't he deal with Zhao Tianlei himself when he was acting so brazenly?" Pang Shaoqing felt puzzled, but suddenly, his expression shifted.

"Wait!"

"Something is wrong with Su Baichen’s state!"

It wasn't just him; Long Jiu, the captain of the Yinglong Guard, and An Cang had also noticed.

Even though Su Baichen hadn't suffered any substantial injuries during the fight, his expression showed subtle signs of agony, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing, as if he were enduring immense pain.

"Is this Su Baichen already suffering from a severe internal injury?" An Cang asked in astonishment.

"Severe injury?" Pang Shaoqing was also stunned. "If he's severely injured and can still fight us for so long, how strong would he be in his peak state?"

Just then, a figure radiating the aura of a Void Piercing expert streaked into the battlefield like a bolt of lightning.

*Whoosh!*

A cold sword light ignited. A massive sword shadow, carrying extraordinary power, slashed directly at the members of the Yinglong Guard squad who were surrounding Su Baichen.

"Look out!"

"The Su family still has another Void Piercing expert?"

The twelve experts surrounding Su Baichen changed their expressions, and the few Yinglong Guards caught in the shadow of the sword immediately shifted their positions to evade it.

"This person..."

Pang Shaoqing stared fixedly at the young figure who had charged into the battlefield. As the greatest threat to the Pang family—a presence that had kept him, the family head, awake at night—he recognized the figure instantly.

"Su Xin!!"

Pang Shaoqing’s eyes widened in horror.

"What?" An Cang was equally shocked. Su Xin was supposed to be only in the early Sea Transformation stage, right? But the one who had just descended from the sky and entered the battlefield—wasn't that the Void Piercing Realm?

"Did he use some sort of special secret technique to skyrocket his cultivation?" An Cang narrowed his eyes.

"He’s still alive?" The shock and rage in Pang Shaoqing’s heart reached its limit. "I sent several Void Piercing experts from my family to kill him, and I even had Mr. Chang attempt a sneak attack. Yet here he is, and my experts are nowhere to be found. Could it be... that he killed them all?"

Pang Shaoqing could not believe it. Nevertheless, he lunged forward to intercept Su Xin.

*Boom!*

Pang Shaoqing wore a pair of dark red gauntlets, and faint flames flickered upon them. As he closed in on Su Xin, he unleashed a ferocious punch, his spiritual energy erupting like a massive meteorite aimed at Su Xin’s head.

Su Xin responded with his sword.

The sword light was like fire—swift and violent!

Fist and sword collided head-on.

*Bang!*

With that single collision, the terrifying power contained in Su Xin’s sword erupted, crushingly overwhelming Pang Shaoqing’s strike.

"Pfft!"

Pang Shaoqing spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the ground below and creating a massive crater. He struggled to stand but could only glare at Su Xin with eyes full of terror.

"Useless trash!!"

"Pang Shaoqing, everyone in your Pang family, including you, is nothing but trash!" An Cang growled in anger.

Seeing Su Xin continuing to charge into the battlefield, An Cang immediately stepped in to block him. An Cang was, after all, a genuine peak Void Piercing expert who had also mastered an intent and possessed refined skills.

Although Su Xin had unleashed his forbidden technique and pushed his bloodline power to the limit, his power and speed were only approaching the threshold of the peak Void Piercing Realm, still falling slightly short of An Cang. However, Su Xin’s technique and his comprehension of intent were clearly superior.

Su Xin unleashed the Thunder-Fire Volume, his violent sword techniques swinging out with immense pressure. An Cang parried with his battle saber, but after only a few exchanges, he felt a chill in his heart.

"This kid, his raw power is clearly weaker than mine, but relying on the augmentation of his sword intent and his technique, the power he unleashes is actually stronger! And his sword technique... it’s terrifying."

Facing Su Xin’s relentless, violent strikes, An Cang felt his heart skip a beat. He realized instantly that in a one-on-one fight, he was truly no match for this Su Xin.

"Brother Long Jiu," An Cang called out immediately.

Long Jiu, who was leading the Yinglong Guard in a full-scale assault on Su Baichen, frowned upon hearing the call. He had noticed the situation and knew that An Cang could not hold on much longer. Although it was laughable that a dignified peak Void Piercing expert was being suppressed by a newcomer to the realm, he had no time to ponder it.

"Ninety-five, Ninety-six, Ninety-seven, you three, go kill that boy," Long Jiu ordered.

The Yinglong Guard was unique. Aside from the captain, the members had no names, only numbers.

Upon receiving the order, three Yinglong Guards broke away and charged at Su Xin. With their numbers reduced, the remaining seven changed their formation; although they could no longer kill Su Baichen on their own, they could still contain him while waiting for the others to finish off Su Xin.

Though the three guards were only in the late Void Piercing stage, their trio formation was more threatening than a single peak expert. Combined with An Cang’s support, Su Xin’s pressure increased dramatically.

As the battle continued, Su Xin’s expression grew increasingly grave.

"I don't have much time left..."

Su Xin had been calculating the time. The God-Extinguishing Forbidden Technique could not be maintained for long—only a few dozen breaths. That was its greatest drawback. From the moment he had erupted to kill the Pang family’s experts to his entry into the battlefield and his current struggle, most of that time had already elapsed.

"I have no choice but to bet everything!"

A madness never seen before surged in Su Xin’s eyes. Facing the combined assault of An Cang and the three guards, he stopped blocking or defending entirely.

He fought with reckless abandon!

With his sword in hand, he advanced and never retreated! His sword techniques became increasingly violent and unhinged.

"Is he crazy?"

"He's completely throwing his life away?"

An Cang was shocked and enraged. He realized that Su Xin was now fighting with a "do-or-die" mentality.

Suddenly, a sharp glint erupted in Su Xin’s eyes.

"Thunder-Fire Volume, Profound Secret Technique!"

"Starfire Burns the Heavens, One Sword—Dragon Extinction!"

*Boom!*

Sword intent erupted, as if to cleave the heavens and extinguish the earth!

"Oh, no!"

An Cang and the three guards changed color instantly. They could all sense the terrifying power contained in that strike. They scrambled to defend, but...

*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!*

Under the crushing weight of that supreme power, all four spat out blood and were sent flying backward.

Su Xin lunged forward once more.

"Phantom Volume, Second Form, Shadowplay!!"

*Hum~~*

A hazy sword shadow appeared. With lightning speed, it caught up to the two nearest Yinglong Guards. Those two were still in the midst of being knocked back and had not yet regained their footing; they could only watch helplessly as the sword light swept past them.

*Swish! Swish!*

Under the night sky, two corpses fell to the ground.

Having achieved this, Su Xin’s body suddenly trembled. An unprecedented sense of exhaustion and weakness flooded his entire being, and his hand, still gripping the sword, instantly lost all strength. His body began to fall from the air.

"Father, I have done all that I could!"

A bitter smile played on the corner of Su Xin’s lips.