Chapter 122: Next, Next, Next!
Pfft~
A column of blood shot skyward behind the severed head.
Thud!
The fallen head struck the ground and rolled three times.
Herlian Xuezhen’s headless body swayed before collapsing.
“Clang!”
After collecting the card, Su Jingxing knelt beside Herlian Xuezhen’s corpse, gripping his treasured weapon and using the blade to support himself as he regulated his breathing.
He had put tremendous force into that slash. Now that he had stopped, a wave of exhaustion swept over him, accompanied by intense heat throughout his body and steam rising from his head.
The sight flashed before Shi Jinnian’s eyes. His gaze brightened at once, and he waved his hand.
“Yu Qixin, Luo Lixi—get in there immediately!”
“Understood.”
The several Shi Family guest retainers who had been called out quickly rushed from the waiting area toward the arena.
Whoosh!
A figure descended from the sky and blocked their path.
Li Linzhou remained expressionless as he spoke calmly. “It is not yet time for you to enter.”
During the martial contests, five minutes had to pass between matches.
But at that moment, Su Jingxing wished more than anything for them to enter as quickly as possible.
The ten-minute limit of his Golden Body Card had not yet expired.
So—
“It’s fine. Let them come up.”
Supporting himself with his blade, Su Jingxing called toward Li Linzhou, “Better yet, let them all come at once!”
All at once?
The spectators, who had yet to recover from the shock of Herlian Xuezhen’s death, were stunned.
Yu Qixin, Luo Lixi, and the others, however, were delighted.
“Commander Li, you see—”
“The combat has its rules.” Li Linzhou’s expression remained impassive. “Only one fighter may enter each match. Who will go first?”
Fine.
Yu Qixin and the others pursed their lips, secretly regretting the decision.
If they attacked together, there was an excellent chance they could hack Su Jingxing to death.
“I’ll go first.”
Yu Qixin took a deep breath and walked toward the arena.
As a guest retainer of the Shi Family, he had no choice but to bite the bullet, no matter what lay ahead.
“Next match: the Shi Family’s Yu Qixin versus the Lin Family’s Stone Slayer.”
Li Linzhou announced the beginning of the new bout.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Harsh whistles split the air.
The instant Yu Qixin entered the arena, both his hands danced through the air, firing rows of fine poisoned needles.
Swish!
Whoosh!
Ignoring the needles, Su Jingxing activated Eight-Step Ascending Dragon. With his treasured weapon in hand, he rushed before Yu Qixin and brought the blade down.
“No…”
Pfft!
Blood sprayed as the head went flying.
“Next!”
After collecting the card, Su Jingxing turned toward Luo Lixi and the others waiting at the entrance to the arena.
“Next match: the Shi Family’s Luo Lixi versus the Lin Family’s Stone Slayer.”
Li Linzhou’s voice rang out.
Whoosh!
Huff! Huff! Huff!
The moment Luo Lixi entered the arena, the long sword in his hand stirred fierce gales, carrying waves of searing heat as they surged toward Su Jingxing.
Swish!
Su Jingxing continued to ignore the attack. Activating Eight-Step Ascending Dragon, he flickered forward and appeared before Luo Lixi, bringing his blade down.
Pfft!
Once again, blood blossomed through the air, and a head went flying.
“Next!”
Su Jingxing collected the card, braced himself with his blade, and shouted quickly.
“Next match: the Shi Family’s Wu Weiqing versus the Lin Family’s Stone Slayer.”
Swish!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Wu Weiqing possessed a graceful figure. The moment she entered the arena, she released her true energy, sending a long whip swirling through the air in a frenzied assault on Su Jingxing.
Whoom!
Su Jingxing still ignored it and activated Eight-Step Ascending Dragon, charging forward with explosive speed.
The treasured weapon in his hand blazed with light as he slashed straight at her.
Boom!
The air exploded. Sensing the danger, Wu Weiqing dodged in time.
But—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Blinding blade light flashed once more.
This time, three slashes erupted in succession, their sword energy engulfing Wu Weiqing.
She did not even have the chance to scream before her body was separated from her head.
“Next!”
…
“Next match: the Shi Family’s Yuan Xinhui versus the Lin Family’s Stone Slayer.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Pfft!
“Next!”
…
“Next match: the Shi Family’s Ni Qiong versus the Lin Family’s Stone Slayer.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Pfft!
“Next!”
…
“Next match: the Shi Family’s Zhuo Benjin versus the Lin Family’s Stone Slayer.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Pfft!
“Next!”
…
“Next match: the Shi Family’s Lian Dongwen versus the Lin Family’s Stone Slayer.”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Pfft!
“Next!”
…
…
They entered the arena and died. They entered the arena and died. They entered the arena and died.
For a time, in the enormous arena, the only sounds were Li Linzhou’s announcements and Su Jingxing’s shouts less than twenty seconds later.
Every time Su Jingxing called out, another Shi Family guest retainer died in the arena.
The spacious platform soon became piled with corpses, blood flowing across its surface.
“Next!”
“Next!”
“…”
Su Jingxing’s voice gradually weakened, and his body began to sway.
The spectators had gone from shock, to stupefaction, to bewilderment, and finally to numbness.
In the arena, which held more than a hundred thousand people, everyone fell silent except for Su Jingxing’s calls and Li Linzhou’s voice.
They watched numbly as one Shi Family guest retainer or family disciple after another entered the arena, only to be killed by one slash—or three.
The slaughter was no different from butchering pigs—no, butchering chickens. It sent shivers from head to toe through everyone present, leaving them speechless with terror and shock.
Until—
Clang!
With a crisp ring, Su Jingxing’s strength was finally exhausted. The treasured weapon slipped from his hand and struck the ground. He did not call out again.
His hair, face, and clothes were drenched in sweat. Drop after drop slid down with a steady patter, falling into the pool of blood and sending ripples across its surface.
The enormous arena sank into absolute silence.
How many had there been?
How many Shi Family members had been cut down in total?
The spectators, their scalps prickling, stared fixedly at the enormous screen suspended above the center of the arena.
A line of figures was displayed across it:
Matches. Lin Family deaths. Shi Family deaths.
At that moment, the numbers read—
69, 0, 69.
Sixty-nine!
By himself, Su Jingxing had won sixty-nine consecutive matches and slain sixty-nine members of the Shi Family.
Among them were two fourth-grade fighters, eleven fifth-grade fighters, and twenty-seven sixth-grade fighters.
All the rest had been seventh-grade.
Faced with those figures, everyone was once again stunned beyond words.
Those watching outside through television and the internet felt their throats go dry and their hands and feet grow numb.
Without pause, he had slaughtered sixty-seven fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade martial artists in succession.
This… this damn monster was still human?
“Rumble~~~”
The silent arena finally erupted the instant Su Jingxing staggered down from the platform.
“Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! What the hell!”
“He’s insane! Insane! I’m going insane! What kind of person is this Lin Family guest retainer?”
“He isn’t human! That guy isn’t human! He killed sixty-nine people in one breath using only a small amount of true energy. He absolutely isn’t human!”
“When did the physical strength of a fourth-grade fighter become this outrageous?”
“If he hadn’t finally stopped, I would have suspected he was going to slaughter his way through the entire arena!”
“Ahhh! He’s incredible! Absolutely incredible!”
“…”
Screams, shouts, and cheers intertwined into a roaring wave that surged and echoed throughout the arena.
The ordinary spectators shouted in delirious celebration, but the Li Family, Zhou Family, Wang Family, and Qi Family, along with the Martial Suppression Bureau, the Security Squad, and the City Guard Office, remained silent.
The Shi Family, meanwhile, was as quiet as the grave.
“Patriarch, should we take advantage of his exhaustion and finish him off?”