# Chapter 2001: A Fine Sword Called Liancheng
Just moments ago, there had been successive roars, screams, trails of blood... but outside the battlefield, there was only a terrifying silence.
Regardless of gender, regardless of strength... their eyeballs were pierced as if by steel needles, bulging to the point of nearly exploding. Countless jaws were agape to the point of dislocation, unable to close for a long time.
Helian Lingzhu was completely dazed. Ku Xian's turbid eyes stared straight ahead for a long time. Helian Linglang was as dumbfounded as a wooden chicken, as if seeing ghosts and gods.
Yun Che... Divine Sovereign Realm, Level 10 Peak.
And the ten Xuan practitioners of the Ten Thousand Ren Sect included one Third-rank Divine Lord, three Second-rank Divine Lords, five First-rank Divine Lords, and one Divine Sovereign!
Before Yun Che, not a single one lasted even one exchange.
And the club... ah, no, the young sect master of the Pan Xuan Sect, Zhai Liancheng, was the only Fourth-rank Divine Lord among Linyuan Realm's Xuan practitioners under ten Jiazi, and the undisputed number one of the younger generation.
And he was...
Ximen Boyun had already risen from his seat. His eyes, once filled with majesty, were now full of shock and bewilderment... He didn't even know when he had stood up.
High in the sky, Hua Caili's lips were wide open, the stars in her beautiful eyes forgetting to twinkle.
"He... he... he..."
Although her experience was shallow, her upbringing meant her understanding of the Xuan Path far exceeded ordinary people. Yet at this moment, it was utterly shattered.
After a long while, Hua Qingying's voice came slowly: "He is indeed at the Divine Sovereign Realm, not concealing his cultivation. The lightning he uses is also definitely not ordinary thunder."
"...Divine Sovereign Realm, yet he can... defeat a Divine Lord in one blow..." Hua Caili murmured.
There was indeed a great gap between lower-rank Divine Lords and upper-rank Divine Lords. But to achieve such a one-strike defeat, one would at least need to be at the Eighth-rank Divine Lord Realm.
And he was only a Divine Sovereign!?
"..." This time, Hua Qingying could not give her a response.
But that gaze, deeply imbued with boundless sword intent, belonging uniquely to a Sword Immortal, was also for the first time fixed upon a man so unfamiliar, and still only a Divine Sovereign.
At this moment, Yun Che was looking down at Zhai Liancheng in his hand, not stingy with praise:
"Fine sword, truly a fine sword. So useful, how could it go nameless?"
"Let's call it... the Liancheng Sword."
Zhai Liancheng was indeed a fine bastard, daring to speak insults against Emperor Yun.
Mo Cangying's arm still hung in the air. When one's mind was filled with such overwhelming shock, who would remember the existence of an arm?
After the silence, the Qilin Divine Realm erupted with perhaps the most chaotic uproar in its history.
"Th-this-this-this... what... what just happened..." Tongues were tied everywhere.
"He... a Divine Sovereign... nine Divine Lords... all defeated in one blow... sigh..."
"I'm fucking dreaming, right!?"
"What's going on? Can someone tell me what happened? This man... this man..."
...
...
The roaring in his ears finally woke Zhai Kexie from his short-circuited stupor. He suddenly lunged forward, eyes splitting with rage, and let out a furious roar: "Yun Che, you brat! Release Liancheng!!"
His profound energy exploded together with his voice. The powerful Half-step Divine Destruction Realm aura instantly stirred up a terrifying gale across the entire battlefield.
That was his sect's young master, his most proud son, and yet he was...
What a supreme humiliation this was!
Zhai Kexie's roar instantly suppressed all other sounds.
Yun Che turned furiously, raising the Liancheng Sword in his hand to point directly at Zhai Kexie: "Sect Master Zhai! How dare you! With the Abyss Knight present, you dare to interfere and disrupt the battlefield! Do you have no regard for the dignity of the Pure Land!"
Yun Che's voice was even more deafening than Zhai Kexie's. A huge, incredibly stinking hat was "clanged" onto Zhai Kexie's head along with this righteous roar.
Especially the chilling words "dignity of the Pure Land" splashed like ice water onto Zhai Kexie's face, causing his released profound energy to suddenly solidify.
On the other side, Wan Wei, who had been busy rescuing Wan Zhongyue and Wan Zhongshan and hadn't had time to react immediately, also abruptly restrained his about-to-explode anger and aura.
"You... you!" Zhai Kexie pointed at Yun Che, his whole body trembling, his face flushed red with surging blood.
Only the last shred of rationality barely held him back from the impulse to kill Yun Che on the spot.
"What about me?" Yun Che shook the sword in his hand. His hair, harder than steel needles under the Heavenly Dao Calamity Thunder, even generated a faint, pale red sword aura, pointing straight at Zhai Kexie's nostrils: "Have I violated any battlefield rules?"
"You... you!!!" Zhai Kexie's eyeballs bulged, nearly bursting.
He had been pointed at by swords, blades, spears, and halberds many times in his life, but he never dreamed that one day he would be pointed at by his own son.
What absurdity, what utter humiliation!
Before today, Zhai Liancheng was the number one of the younger generation in Linyuan Realm. Everyone who mentioned him praised him with awe.
But after today, whenever Zhai Liancheng was mentioned, who wouldn't call him... a fine sword that routed the ten Xuan practitioners of the Ten Thousand Ren Sect in three breaths!
For a thousand years to come, Linyuan Realm would probably never see a bigger joke than this.
"Sect Master Zhai," Ximen Boyong spoke up: "Please remain calm. This is the Qilin Divine Gathering. Do not act rashly."
*Calm my ass! Try it with your own son!*
Every pore on Zhai Kexie's body trembled. Every tooth in his mouth was bitten to the point of bleeding. He stared fixedly at Yun Che, using all his rationality to force out words: "To kill is to behead, but you... with such vicious intent... such excessive humiliation..."
"Killing would violate the battlefield rules." Yun Che said unhurriedly: "But humiliating does not."
"The battlefield rules were personally read aloud by you, Sect Master Zhai. Everyone present heard them clearly." Yun Che's face turned stern, once again righteous: "The rules you yourself read, yet you so blatantly bend them for personal gain! It seems your Pan Xuan Sect has lorded over Linyuan Realm for so long that you've long forgotten the grace of Emperor Yuan and the dignity of the Pure Land!"
"You!!" A mouthful of old blood surged to Zhai Kexie's throat, nearly spraying out.
"Sect Master Zhai." Ximen Boyun spoke up: "Stand down!"
Zhai Kexie's chest heaved violently. He took several deep breaths before barely retracting his profound energy: "It was my momentary recklessness. I beg the Knight's forgiveness."
Ximen Boyun lowered his gaze and said flatly: "The battle continues."
But Yun Che suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed directly on Ximen Boyun: "Continue? Sect Master Zhai disrupted the battlefield, a serious violation of the battlefield rules—should he not be punished? Is it merely the word 'stand down'?"
The atmosphere of the Qilin Divine Realm suddenly froze.
Helian Lingzhu, Ku Xian, Mo Cangying and the others all showed expressions of fright.
Because Yun Che's words were clearly... a challenge and accusation against the Abyss Knight.
Ximen Boyun's brow sank slightly as he spoke coldly: "Sect Master Zhai was indeed impulsive, but there was a reason for it, and he stopped in time without causing any substantial interference."
"No substantial interference?"
As his words fell, Yun Che secretly released a trace of profound energy, causing a stream of blood to gush from the corner of his mouth with a "puff."
At the same time, he wiped his mouth with his finger, leaving a streak of bright, glaring blood.
"Sect Master Zhai's power dominates Linyuan Realm—he is a mighty Half-step Divine Destruction Xuan practitioner. And I am merely a small Divine Sovereign. The profound energy he released is hardly something a small Divine Sovereign like me can bear!"
Zhai Kexie wished he could spray a mouthful of dog shit onto Yun Che's face right then... Fuck your "small Divine Sovereign"!
"Just now, Sect Master Zhai's Half-step Divine Destruction power has already inflicted significant internal injuries on me! If it weren't for my body and will being tough enough... for another person, they would likely have been shaken to pieces on the spot!"
Yun Che's tone gradually took on grief and anger: "Such a heavy injury, and you call it 'no substantial interference'?"
Ximen Boyun's brow sank another degree: "Yun Che, do not... go... too... far!"
Those few words already contained hidden anger, causing everyone's hearts to seize up.
Boom!!
With a heavy sound, Yun Che slammed the sword in his hand to the ground, planting Zhai Liancheng's entire head into the earth beneath his feet.
"~!@#$%^..." Zhai Kexie's profound energy nearly went out of control again.
"I ask the Abyss Knight," Yun Che stared unflinchingly into Ximen Boyun's imposing gaze, his voice even lower than the latter's: "In this battle, has Yun Che violated any rules in any way?"
"...No." Ximen Boyun frowned as he spoke, but his heart sank heavily... Under the soul pressure of a Demigod, this person showed not even a hint of fear!?
This person who called himself "Yun Che"—who on earth was he...?
Yun Che's tone rose another notch: "Then is it not a fact that Pan Xuan Sect Master Zhai Kexie, to protect his son, used Half-step Divine Destruction power to interfere with the battlefield, injuring me, and seriously violating the battlefield rules?"
"..." Ximen Boyun could not deny it.
"Heh!" Yun Che let out a cold, bitter, and sarcastic laugh, devoid of any fear: "The whole world knows that to become an Abyss Knight of the Pure Land, one must not only possess a Demigod's body but also pass the trials of soul and will."
"A noble soul and an unyielding will are the most basic principles of an Abyss Knight! The four words 'Abyss Knight' are a title bestowed by Emperor Yuan, representing the dignity of the Pure Land and the face of Emperor Yuan!"
"Just now, before the battle began, you declared with full conviction: Under the eyes of the Abyss Knight, no sin, filth, or injustice shall be tolerated."
"But!" He glared angrily: "Under your very eyes, Zhai Kexie openly disrupted the battlefield, defied the rules, and severely injured a participating Xuan practitioner—yet you merely said 'stand down,' without any punishment!"
"And I, a victim under your watch, point out your injustice and seek the most basic fairness—yet I become the one you accuse of 'going too far'!?"
"Is this the 'nobility' you claim as an Abyss Knight!? Is this the dignity of the Pure Land you represent!?"
Ximen Boyun suddenly stood up, his robes billowing, clearly enraged.
He stared at Yun Che, but remained silent for a long time... And the countless eyes fixed on him at that moment became like sharp thorns.
"His mouth... is formidable."
Hua Caili murmured in surprise, and the name "Yun Che" unconsciously etched itself into her soul and mind.
"...Indeed." Hua Qingying unexpectedly gave a response.
Boom!!
After the fury, a burst of profound energy exploded from Ximen Boyun's body.
It was the aura of a Demigod, the pressure of a Demigod.
In an instant, it was as if the very sky of the Qilin Divine Realm had pressed down, and countless Xuan practitioners were suffocating.
Just as everyone thought Ximen Boyun had lost control of his rage and was about to strike at Yun Che, he instead flung out his palm.
Smack!!
A slap, as heavy as a thunderclap or a sky-shattering crash, struck across ten miles and landed fiercely on Zhai Kexie's face.
Though Half-step Divine Destruction was powerful, it could not withstand the might of a Demigod. In the ear-splitting sound of the slap, Zhai Kexie was sent flying from the high air to the ground, cratering the earth before bouncing up again, trailing several wild streams of blood as he tumbled dozens of miles away.
Wan Wei shuddered, privately grateful that he hadn't been impulsive just now.
"Sect Master Zhai!" Ximen Boyun's face was full of anger, his hands trembling slightly: "You maliciously disrupted the Qilin Divine Gathering—this is your punishment! If you offend again... I will directly disqualify your Pan Xuan Sect from entering the Qilin Divine Realm."
That last sentence made the stunned Pan Xuan Sect members nearly fall to their knees in fright.
"Sect Master, stay calm, stay calm!"
Zhai Kexie had just climbed to his feet when the transmissions from various Pan Xuan Sect elders begging him to calm down entered his ears... Blood spurted from his seven orifices again, his vision went black, and he collapsed back to the ground.
"Yun Che, are you satisfied now?" Ximen Boyun's voice sounded calm and flat, but anyone could hear the gritted teeth within.
"Satisfied, satisfied!" Yun Che showed a smile and nodded slightly: "This is what an Abyss Knight should look like."
Boom!
The armrest of Ximen Boyun's seat was crushed to powder by his hand.
"Sect Master... Sect Master!"
Zhai Kexie was helped up. He raised his head, spitting out broken teeth as he growled: "Are you all dead... Save Liancheng!!"
The nine Pan Xuan Sect disciples on the battlefield had been in a state of shock and fear the whole time. The frantic, angry, and humiliated transmissions from their sect master forced them to steel themselves and rush toward Yun Che.
Unlike the Ten Thousand Ren Sect disciples, who had been caught completely off guard, they dared not show any negligence. Nine auras of Divine Lords exploded without reservation in an instant, causing the entire Qilin Divine Realm to tremble faintly.
Yun Che grabbed the Liancheng Sword stuck in the ground, and the surging sword might repelled Mo Cangying, who was about to strike from behind, directly dozens of feet away.
He stepped on the Phantom Lightning Extreme, closing in like a thunderbolt, and heavily struck forward with a "Falling Moon Celestial Wolf" wrapped in Heavenly Tribulation Thunderlight.
Boom!!
Another planet seemed to explode inside Zhai Liancheng's head...
A massive shadow of the Celestial Wolf roared across the battlefield. The unleashed sword might sent all nine Divine Lords tumbling simultaneously, and their protective Pan Rock profound energy completely collapsed within just two breaths.
With a flicker of his figure, Yun Che was already in the midst of the nine Pan Xuan Sect Divine Lords. He struck the ground with an "Annihilation of Heaven and Earth."
Boom!!!
Half the battlefield was lifted by the majestic sword might, sending the nine Pan Xuan Sect disciples—their protective profound energy shattered—flying chaotically through the air.
And it thoroughly shook the already bulging, nearly bursting eyes around the battlefield.
Standing at the center of the disaster, Yun Che turned back unhurriedly, his sword sweeping with the power of a storm, and gently flicked.
Zhai Liancheng instantly spun out at high speed. The storm power carried by the spin quickly raised a massive tornado a hundred miles wide.
It swept the nine flying figures into it, then viciously flung them out... all the way beyond the battlefield, hundreds of miles away.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh...
The sound of the flying sword cutting through the air was extremely clear. Having fulfilled its mission, the Liancheng Sword spun precisely back toward Yun Che.
But Yun Che didn't catch it with his hand. Instead, he stomped out, planting his foot directly on the sword body. With a "boom," he stamped Zhai Liancheng heavily into the ground.
He looked down at Zhai Liancheng's eyes, which had lost almost all color, and said with full admiration: "Young Master Zhai is truly noble-minded. For the sake of a small promise, not only did you clean up the Ten Thousand Ren Sect, but you even struck your own people, and so ruthlessly at that."
"How can I possibly accept such courtesy?"