Chapter 78: Crippled!
To say that Xiao Luocheng was digging his own grave and asking for death would not be wronging him at all.
If he had maintained sufficient calm and vigilance when engaging Yun Che, instead of being arrogant, mocking, and putting on a proud, casual air, then he would have immediately sensed the terror of Yun Che’s “Falling Moon and Sinking Star” technique and avoided it in time using his sect’s movement technique.
Even if he couldn’t dodge, if he had immediately shielded himself with all his profound force—given that his profound strength was nearly a full major realm above Yun Che’s—it was highly likely that Yun Che’s move would not have been enough to severely wound him. At the very least, he wouldn’t have been hurt as badly as he was now, so close to death.
After that, Yun Che, having emptied all his profound force, would have been completely spent, left to be slaughtered.
But there are not so many “ifs” in this world.
Xiao Luocheng was clever enough and deeply calculating—there was no denying that. Unfortunately, he was up against Yun Che. Yun Che had lived two lifetimes, experiencing countless battles, life-and-death situations, escapes, and schemes—far more than Xiao Luocheng could ever imagine. When it came to plotting and playing mind games, Xiao Luocheng stood out among his peers, but compared to Yun Che, he wasn’t even fit to carry his shoes.
From the very start, Yun Che had shown a blatant arrogance—an extreme self-confidence and self-importance that bordered on looking down on everyone. Even when facing the seven sects, he remained unreservedly arrogant, offending them almost completely. In anyone’s eyes, his arrogance was naturally born from his astonishing talent at such a young age, but at the same time, it inevitably left the impression that he was too arrogant, ignorant of boundaries, and unaware of how to lie low and protect himself. Yun Che’s five consecutive victories before this only deepened this impression five times over, confirming that although Yun Che was a genius, he was still too young, possessing the rash arrogance common to most young people, completely lacking in scheming or cunning.
Almost everyone thought so, naturally including Xiao Luocheng.
And after stepping forward, his impression of Yun Che, aside from arrogance and pride, gained an additional layer of ignorance and stupidity born from excessive pride. This further increased his contempt for Yun Che, to the point where he even regretted stepping forward to attack such a “fool.”
Thus, from the moment he began fighting Yun Che, he no longer had even a trace of caution or vigilance. Under Yun Che’s silent guidance, when faced with Yun Che’s second attack, he never even considered dodging or defending. Instead, he proudly met it head-on, using seventy percent of his strength, intending to cripple him.
When their fists connected and he realized something was wrong, it was already far too late.
“Young… Young Sect Master!”
After a deathly silence, a terrified shout rang out. The middle-aged man who had accompanied Xiao Luocheng rushed toward him, almost stumbling and crawling. The other members of the Xiao Sect’s outer sect hurriedly followed. When they reached Xiao Luocheng’s side and saw his injuries up close, the middle-aged man’s entire body trembled. He quickly reached out and grabbed Xiao Luocheng’s wrist. Instantly, his expression changed drastically. He suddenly turned to look at Yun Che, his face twisting with ferocity: “You little bastard, I’ll… I’ll kill you!”
A dense aura of malice and murderous intent radiated from the middle-aged man. With a furious roar, he charged at Yun Che, his right hand like a claw, aiming straight for his throat. The immense surge of profound force made the entire great hall tremble faintly.
And Yun Che was already utterly exhausted, lacking even the strength to stand… Even if he were at full power, he wouldn’t have been able to survive that attack from the middle-aged man.
“Stop right there!”
A loud shout rang out, and another figure shot up from the seating like an eagle, diving toward the middle-aged man. Still three zhang away, a torrent of profound force blasted over, forcing the middle-aged man back.
The figure landed from the air, standing in front of Yun Che. It was none other than the new head of the New Moon Mystic Palace—Qin Wuyou.
Looking at Qin Wuyou’s back as he shielded him, Yun Che smiled knowingly. He had known that after his performance today, Qin Wuyou would do everything in his power to protect him, no matter what.
As soon as Qin Wuyou made his move, the entire hall was stunned. That was absolutely the strength of the Earth Xuan Realm! No wonder he was from the Cangfeng Imperial City—his strength was truly extraordinary. The middle-aged man, having been knocked back, wore a grim expression and said angrily, “Palace Master Qin, what is the meaning of this? This little bastard has gravely wounded our young sect master. Blood debts must be paid in blood. Are you going to protect him?”
“Heh,” Qin Wuyou let out a faint laugh and countered, “As the head of the New Moon Mystic Palace, it is only natural for me to protect my disciple. I should be the one asking you—an elder, no less—suddenly attacking one of my disciples. What is the meaning of that?”
“What is the meaning?” The middle-aged man let out a bitter laugh. “This was supposed to be a friendly spar, and yet this little bastard has gravely wounded our young sect master… Right now, the young sect master’s left arm bones are shattered into twelve pieces; the entire arm is ruined. Nearly half of his tendons and meridians are severed. Even his profound vein has been cracked, his profound force scattered, leaving him almost crippled…”
With every word the middle-aged man spoke, the hearts of everyone in the hall pounded. When he reached the part about “profound force scattered, nearly crippled,” an uproar erupted throughout the hall. The faces of the Xiao Sect outer sect members turned deathly pale.
Left arm crippled… nearly half the tendons severed… profound vein cracked, profound force scattered…
These words told them that the young sect master of the Xiao Sect’s outer sect, the outstanding genius who carried the future hopes of the New Moon City outer sect, was now essentially a cripple!
The young man who, just a moment ago, was still proudly high-spirited and had been discussing the future of the Xiao Sect with his father, was now a cripple with shattered limbs, broken meridians, and a damaged profound vein!
Yun Che’s blow was utterly vicious!
Xiao Zaihe, the sect master of the Xiao Sect’s outer sect, was completely stunned. His face was ashen, his body trembling. When he finally snapped back to reality, he let out a roar of fury: “Boy, you’ve gone too far!”
With a thunderous explosion, his profound force erupted, and he lunged directly at Yun Che. But as soon as he moved, a force even more powerful than his pressed down on him, instantly suppressing his rage-born momentum to the ground.
“The two of them both signed the life-and-death contract before the fight. The whole hall bears witness. If you, Sect Master Xiao, want to break the rules and attack a junior, then I, Qin Wuyou, don’t mind leaving everyone from your Xiao Sect here today.”
Qin Wuyou’s voice was low, carrying a chilling weight. His profound aura pressed down like a mountain, suffocating everyone present—making it difficult even to breathe.
These words that “he didn’t mind leaving everyone from the Xiao Sect here today” were no mere threat! The solemn expression on Qin Wuyou’s face, along with the aura he released, proved that he was absolutely serious.
“You!” Xiao Zaihe’s face turned exceedingly ugly. As the Xiao Sect held sway in New Moon City, when had they ever been treated like this? He turned back to look at Xiao Luocheng’s miserable state, his entire body shaking. But he could no longer utter any harsh words… The “life-and-death contract” that the whole hall had witnessed now hung over his face and chest like a piece of filth. At the same time, the casual strike from Qin Wuyou that had extinguished his full-force attack proved that Qin Wuyou’s cultivation was at least a full major realm above his—that meant Earth Xuan Realm, Level 5 or above! He was far stronger than the previous Palace Master Zhou, and not even weaker than the sect master of the Xiao Sect’s outer sect!
With strength like that, even the Xiao Sect had to be wary. No wonder he could be so tough.
Since he was determined to shield Yun Che, with the people the Xiao Sect had brought today, there was simply no way to stop him.
“Fine, very well!” Xiao Zaihe’s lips trembled. “What happened today, and Palace Master Zhou’s words—I, Xiao Zaihe, will remember them well! Today’s favor, our Xiao Sect will repay a hundredfold on another day!”
“Let’s go!”
Carefully lifting the nearly lifeless Xiao Luocheng, the members of the Xiao Sect’s outer sect quickly departed. As they left, each of them carried a heavy aura of malice.
“If your Xiao Sect is willing to use a Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal, it is not impossible for Xiao Luocheng’s severed meridians and damaged profound vein to fully recover.” Qin Wuyou watched their retreating backs and said calmly.
Xiao Zaihe paused for a moment, then said in a dark voice, “That does not require Palace Master Qin’s reminder… Let’s go!”
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Ah—it seems I haven’t listed the thanks to the readers who tipped for quite a long time… Actually, it’s not that I’ve been lazy, it’s just that I’ve been lazy. But I have your names firmly remembered… You are all great people!!!