Chapter 67: A Blow to the Face

"Hurry up and kill them!"
Suddenly, someone shouted loudly amidst the silent crowd.
The ill-timed voice pierced everyone's ears like a sharp thorn. Members of the four major sects were surprised that, even at this moment, someone dared to resist. Yet, rather than anger, they found themselves intrigued.
The truly enraged were others.
"Who is the bastard shouting? If you want to charge, you charge!" The martial artists at the front were completely furious. "You hide in the back enjoying the show, and expect us to risk our lives up front?"
These wandering martial artists were all shrewd; none would foolishly sacrifice their own lives for others.
The voice continued shouting.
The crowd gradually dispersed, yet its owner seemed oblivious, still raising his voice.
"Hurry up and kill, the spirit fruit is right before your eyes—seize the chance!"
"Let’s rush together, don’t be cowed by these paper tigers!"
"Huh? Where did everyone go?"
The young man lifted his head and found the vast open space around him suddenly deserted—he was alone.
Not far away, the elite disciples of the four major sects watched him, malicious grins on their faces.
One elder from Iron Sword Sect, sword in hand, stepped forward with a cold sneer. "Weren’t you the loudest? Come and kill then. I’m right here, waiting."
The young man tightened the sack slung over his shoulder, smiled apologetically, and turned to leave.
How could the Iron Sword Sect elder let him off? To swagger and then flee—where would that leave the sects’ reputation?
The crowd of wandering martial artists watched with gleeful anticipation, cold smirks on their faces.
Serves you right for stirring up trouble—now you’ll suffer.
"If anyone else causes trouble, let them end up like this one!" barked the Iron Sword Sect elder.
Everyone heard the sharp ring as a sword was drawn.
Yet, to everyone’s astonishment, the elder held only the sword’s hilt.
Where was the blade?
No one had seen it.
At the moment the Iron Sword Sect elder drew his sword, the sack-clad youth suddenly extended his right forefinger and flicked lightly.
The finely forged steel sword snapped instantly; so, though the elder drew the hilt, the blade slid back into the scabbard.

The Iron Sword Sect elder stared dumbfounded at the hilt in his hand, his face pale as paper.
No one laughed now; not only was laughter impossible, even breathing seemed to halt.
The sack-clad youth stepped forward, abruptly seized the elder’s throat, and before everyone’s incredulous gaze, stuffed him whole into the sack upon his back.
"Enough—let’s end the game here," the youth murmured softly, his smile fading.
......
Ning Xiu walked along the passageway, heading forward.
Soon, he saw light. Looking ahead, he found a stone wall smashed open, a gaping hole as if struck by some tremendous force.
He walked to the opening; the mountain winds howled in his face.
Ning Xiu looked down—beneath him lay a bottomless abyss.
Gripping the rocky wall, he leaned out. Just then, something fell from above, striking directly at Ning Xiu.
In that critical instant, Ning Xiu’s right hand shot out, catching the object.
"What in the world?!"
He stared at the crimson fruit in his hand, utterly bewildered—it was the Scarlet Immortal Fruit.
......
Let us turn the timeline back a little.
On the hillside, Wei Junkun and the others who had been confronting each other watched the sudden chaos below; their faces changed dramatically.
"The Universe Pouch—it’s the Jia clan!"
Wei Junkun, Gongsun Duan, and the others abandoned the Scarlet Immortal Fruit, rushing down the mountain.
At that moment, a shadow flashed from the crowd, streaking towards the fruit atop the hillside at incredible speed. It was the one-armed swordsman; with Wei Junkun and the other experts gone, no one could stop him.
"Damn!"
Wei Junkun and the others paled; even if they turned to intercept, it was too late—and they dared not.
The one-armed swordsman smiled, grasping the Scarlet Immortal Fruit.
"Such boldness… It seems our Jia clan has been absent too long."
Below the slope, the sack-clad youth wore a faint smile. He bent, picked up a rubble stone, and tossed it casually.
The stone streaked like a meteor, slicing through the air and striking the swordsman’s arm with uncanny precision.

Boom!
The arm exploded, dissolving into a mist of blood.
The Scarlet Immortal Fruit dropped, rolled to the cliff’s edge, and fell.
So theatrical, so unexpected.
The prize that others risked their lives for had landed in Ning Xiu’s hands.
"We did not know your lordship had come—our offenses deserve death."
Led by Gongsun Duan, the high-ranking members of the four major sects approached the sack-clad youth, bowing low.
He looked at them, lips curling into a slight smile. "No need for such talk—if not for my intervention, were you not about to slaughter each other for a single fruit? That would truly warrant death."
"We dare not."
"Perhaps you’ve forgotten why the Jia clan supports you. With all of you gathered here, what if something strange happens in this vast Lingnan county?"
"Return immediately, and bring me reports of all recent anomalies in every region. Prepare for a thorough purge. Those rats won’t know whose territory this is until they taste pain," the youth said coldly.
"And the Scarlet Immortal Fruit…"
An elder from Qing Shuang Sect started to speak, but Gongsun Duan promptly stopped him.
"As you command."
Only the highest leaders of the four sects truly knew—there were no four great sects in Lingnan, nor four grandmasters.
There was only the Jia clan.
The Jia clan had been absent so long that most had forgotten them.
Jia Sizhen was the outstanding talent of the current Jia clan generation. His appearance was meant to intimidate those who coveted their power.
Jia Sizhen walked to the cliff’s edge, looking down, lips curling with amusement as if he’d spotted something interesting.
He smiled, turned away, and left.
Inside the cave, Ning Xiu gazed at the Scarlet Immortal Fruit in his hand, feeling happiness arrive too suddenly.
He had no idea what transpired on the mountain—he could only surmise that the cave entrance above was precisely where the fruit had been.
The fruit’s fall was likely a chaotic accident in the battle above.
If he ventured up now, he’d surely be dragged into a fierce struggle—Ning Xiu would never be so foolish.