Chapter 1143 - Hunting the Azure Nether Crocodile (1)

Those below watched with mixed expressions. The First Sword Manor rejoiced, eager to see Liu Wuxie die.

In contrast, the Half-Moon Nunnery and the Renowned Sword Manor looked deeply worried. None of them had witnessed Liu Wuxie slay a Heaven Profound Realm expert firsthand.

The massive palm struck, but Liu Wuxie raised his hand at the last moment and blocked it.

A thunderous boom echoed as he repelled Bei Ming’s strike with a force twice as strong, shattering the palm and sending the shockwave back at its caster.

Horror flashed in Bei Ming's eyes. He raised his hand to defend, but the energy overwhelmed him.

With a violent rumble, Liu Wuxie hurled Bei Ming back, making him cough up blood, his face pale and drained.

Just by merely raising his hand, Liu Wuxie had gravely wounded the City Lord. This feat stunned even the Renowned Sword Manor.

They had believed he could defeat Heaven Profound experts, but never imagined it would be so effortless.

They had anticipated a ferocious battle but clearly underestimated Liu Wuxie's combat strength.

The shockwave made Yin Xue stagger and nearly collapse. The First Sword Manor’s disciples stood frozen, mouths agape.

Even the other sects froze in place. No one could believe it—an Earth Profound cultivator had wounded a Heaven Profound expert with ease.

"That must be fake! The City Lord's just toying with him!" someone shouted in denial.

However, no one echoed him.

Bei Ming looked at Liu Wuxie with fear.

"Do you want to die by my hand or take your own life?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly.

Neither choice was acceptable to Bei Ming. He had ruled the Northern City for years, living in luxury. Death was unthinkable.

"Liu Wuxie, this is all a misunderstanding! I'll give you all my treasures if you let me go," Bei Ming pleaded, his demeanor changing entirely.

The tyrant's pride had crumbled. Now he begged like a broken man.

Liu Wuxie shook his head. "Die."

He spoke no more. Frost Dao Art surged forth, freezing Bei Ming completely.

"Senior Yang, prepare to break through to the Heaven Profound Realm!" Liu Wuxie called out. He needed Yang Ni's help to hunt the Azure Nether Crocodile, knowing that he couldn't accomplish it alone.

Yang Ni stood frozen. When the laws of the Heaven Profound Realm poured into her body, she instantly understood Liu Wuxie's intention.

Liu Wuxie had extracted the laws from Bei Ming and infused them into Yang Ni.

They weren’t sufficient for his own breakthrough, so he passed them to her instead.

If she ascended to the Heaven Profound Realm, she could govern Northern City as its city lord, placing the city firmly in Liu Wuxie's hands.

He had already refined and diluted the laws, making them easier for her to absorb.

Within minutes, she released a powerful Heaven Profound Realm aura from her body.

The disciples of the Half-Moon Nunnery felt like they were dreaming. They knew Liu Wuxie had saved them when he slew Bei Ming.

Their ancestor's breakthrough brought even more joy. They grinned like children.

Among them, Yang Ni had the highest cultivation and the best chance to advance.

The First Sword Manor stood silent. Everyone froze in place, weighed down by fear.

"Young Master Liu, please don't kill us! They coerced us into helping the First Sword Manor! We didn't kill anyone!" begged the other sects, dropping to their knees.

Bei Ming and the First Sword Manor had forced them to pursue the Renowned Sword Manor.

In the blink of an eye, a row of cultivators knelt on the ice glacier, begging for mercy.

"Prove your innocence if you want to live," Liu Wuxie said coldly. To him, they were like utterly insignificant ants.

The allied sects exchanged glances. A vicious glint flickered in their eyes.

"Kill them all!" they shouted and charged at the First Sword Manor.

No one stopped them. If they wanted mercy, they had to earn it.

The First Sword Manor had lost all morale. They had no will left to resist. The attacking sects killed many before they could even react.

Yin Xue watched helplessly as his allies fell. He glared with hatred, which swiftly turned to despair.

He lifted the Supreme Harmony Sword and slit his own throat. The First Sword Manor collapsed entirely.

"Young Master Liu, did we do well?" several elders asked, their faces full of flattery.

"Leave," Liu Wuxie replied flatly. Killing them would only stain his hands.

They kowtowed gratefully and scrambled away.

The battle was over. The Renowned Sword Manor remained, waiting for Yang Ni's breakthrough to stabilize.

An hour later, she stabilized her cultivation at the first-level Heaven Profound Realm.

"Young Master Liu, I cannot thank you enough," Yang Ni said, bowing.

Without him, she would have never achieved a breakthrough, not even in another thousand years.

"Senior, you're too kind," Liu Wuxie said with a nod. They descended and greeted each other warmly.

"Young Master Liu, where are the two senior sisters?" The disciples of the Half-Moon Nunnery crowded around him with bright eyes.

"They're in seclusion and couldn’t come," he answered with a polite smile. He couldn't reject their enthusiasm.

"Step back! Young Master Liu has important matters to handle!" Master Yi commanded.

The nuns quickly retreated, playfully sticking out their tongues—especially Little Lan, who had clung to him before.

"Greetings, Young Master Liu," Master Yi said respectfully, giving a deep bow.

If not for him, Yang Ni would've died at Bei Ming's hands.

"Master Yi, you're too polite," Liu Wuxie replied. The two weren't strangers, and excessive formality wasn't needed.

Soon after, members of the Renowned Sword Manor came forward to greet him.

"Young Master Liu, well done!" Ji Qiu said, patting Liu Wuxie on the shoulder. They treated each other like brothers.

"Greetings, Brother Ji, sister-in-law," Liu Wuxie said, cupping his fists.

After a while, Yang Ni approached again.

"Young Master Liu, you didn't come here just for Bei Ming, did you?" she asked. She sensed he carried a deeper goal.

"To be honest, I came for two things: settling my score with Bei Ming and killing the Azure Nether Crocodile," he replied.

"You want to kill the Azure Nether Crocodile?" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

The ancient and terrifying Azure Nether Crocodile lurked beneath the glacier. Few dared face it unless it surfaced.

"That's right," Liu Wuxie nodded. He needed to slay it to reach the ninth-level Earth Profound Realm.

The astral tower and abyss had appeared. Nine stars had nearly aligned. He only needed the sun and moon to rise.

That was why he raced against time to break through.

The Astral Domain was perilous. As Elder Madman said, though strong in the True Martial Continent, they were weak there.

That was why the Spirit Jade Pavilion's master opposed the opening of the Astral Domain. He would be nothing beyond this world.

"Do you have a plan?" Yang Ni asked. She was ready to support him. Their lives now belonged to Liu Wuxie.

"I do. I'll lure it out using a divine beast’s aura. Then we’ll kill it together," Liu Wuxie said.

Though ancient, the Azure Nether Crocodile was sensitive to divine beast bloodlines. If it could refine one, it could evolve and leave the continent.

"Alright," Yang Ni agreed without hesitation.

Word of it spread quickly. The news shocked many cultivators. They thought Liu Wuxie had gone mad.

Everyone in Northern City knew of the colossal beast under the glacier, but few cultivators even recognized its name. For most, it was the first time they heard the name of the Azure Nether Crocodile.

Even Yang Ni had only read about it in ancient texts. She had never seen it herself.

Fearing the battle might destroy the glacier, many cultivators chose to retreat. The upcoming fight threatened to engulf even the Half-Moon Nunnery.

"Fiery, come out," Liu Wuxie called. He intended to use Fiery’s divine aura to draw the beast forth.