Chapter 107.1: Who Can Withstand Dao Shi'er's Saber? (I)

Chen Lei let out a shrill scream as the saber light pierced him. The indignation, terror, and fury in his eyes seemed to freeze as he was split into two halves, which fell to the ground with two dull thuds.

The air turned cold and quiet.

The vast street was crowded with many long-famous martial artists, even well-known experts of the Hundred Cauldrons Stage. Yet now, all of them wore looks of shock, their spirits shaken to the bone.

He's dead. Broadswordsman Chen Lei was actually dead!

Broadswordsman Chen Lei was arrogant, domineering, and reckless, but he still couldn't kill Ning Donghe. Prior to all this, a few Divine Strength martial artists had fallen, but none had died so quickly, and certainly none were of Chen Lei's caliber.

After all, Chen Lei was a Hundred Cauldrons Stage expert of the Heavy Sword Sect! Yet he was killed with a single saber strike, and his corpse was split cleanly down the middle.

"How was that even possible? Broadswordsman Chen Lei was an expert even among those at the Hundred Cauldrons Stage. How did he die with a single saber strike? Could it be that Dao Shi'er is a supreme expert of the Thousand Cauldrons Stage?"

"No, not the Thousand Cauldrons Stage! In all of Zhanhai City, every Thousand Cauldrons Stage expert is well-known by name and holds dominion over a region. How could one of them make a move so casually? If I'm not mistaken, Dao Shi'er's strike just now contained Intent."

"Intent?"

Many knowledgeable martial artists understood the truth of the situation. Intent. Dao Shi'er had comprehended Intent! However, their information was anything but complete. When Dao Shi'er had fought against Lu Jianming of Xuanjian Manor at the Heavenly Maiden Sect, the two sides had clashed head-on, battling Intent against Intent.

However, the onlookers seemed to know nothing of it.

Lu Changsheng figured that the Heavenly Maiden Sect had to have deliberately sealed off the news. With the Heavenly Maiden Sect's methods, suppressing such information for a few days was hardly a problem.

"Too weak!" Lu Changsheng exclaimed as he shook his head.

Chen Lei seemed to have quite a reputation, but his true strength was not much better than the Thousand-Hand Daoist or Liu Tieta. At best, he was on par with them.

With Lu Changsheng's Third Divine Dragon Transformation, combined with Wave Intent and a surprise strike, it was only natural that he could kill his adversary in a single move.

The Heavy Sword Sect did not consist of Chen Lei alone. This time, they had come with a total of four Divine Strength martial artists. When Dao Shi'er killed Chen Lei with a single strike, however, the remaining three became hesitant to act.

They could wait for an opportunity to contend for the Alum Core Ore, but charging in when death was certain would be nothing but stupidity.

"So this is Dao Shi'er."

"The Heavy Sword Sect will remember this."

"Let's leave!"

The remaining three Heavy Sword Sect martial artists collected Chen Lei's two halves and vanished without a trace, withdrawing from the battlefield.

Lu Changsheng did not stop them. His descent from the mountain this time was solely to seize the Alum Core Ore, not to kill for killing's sake. As long as they did not block his path while he carried the Alum Core Ore to the Shangyuan Daoist Court, he would not hurt them.

"Dao Shi'er... I hadn't expected the Heavenly Maiden to find such a powerful expert."

Just then, a short elderly man carrying a wine gourd stepped forward.

The luxurious long robe he wore looked utterly ridiculous on him, completely ill-fitting. Coupled with his bright red, bulbous nose, everything about him looked oddly mismatched.

Yet the moment he appeared, the expressions of several nearby martial artists subtly changed, and a strange glint flashed through their eyes. Clearly, the elderly man was an expert.

The elderly man said, "Comprehending Intent is indeed extraordinary. However, aren't you underestimating us a bit too much by thinking that you can take the Alum Core Ore away just by killing Chen Lei?"

The elderly man was right. If these Divine Strength martial artists were to move together, Lu Changsheng would definitely be overwhelmed, even if he fought them with all his might.

At the same time, it was impossible for them to work together. These Divine Strength martial artists did not belong to the same faction. There was no way they would join forces. Even within the same faction, there were private agreements and hidden agendas. There was no way they'd work together for one goal.

During moments like this, only those with truly outstanding strength, the top-tier experts, could step forward. The red-nosed old drunk before Lu Changsheng was clearly no ordinary person.

"Who are you?" Lu Changsheng asked.

The elderly man pulled out the stopper on his wine gourd, took a long swig, andd then he grinned, saying, "Interesting. Most people in Zhanhai City know me... My name is Zhao Lun."

Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew of him, the man known as the Drunken Recluse, Zhao Lun. His strength made him famous throughout the jianghu long ago. He was a Hundred Cauldrons Stage expert some twenty years ago, and no one knew just how profound his cultivation had become since then.

However, Lu Changsheng couldn't care less about his identity. Since he had stepped forward to block the way, there was nothing more to say.

He drew his saber, and a streak of blood-colored saber light swept toward Zhao Lun, accompanied by the roar of raging waves.

A sharp glint flashed across Zhao Lun's eyes. He sprayed out the wine in his mouth, forming a curtain of liquid that collided violently with Lu Changsheng's blood-colored saber light in midair.

Boom!

A deafening roar rang in everyone's ears.

A flicker of surprise passed through Lu Changsheng's eyes. He had not expected Zhao Lun to truly live up to his reputation. Indeed, he was a true famed expert, not someone with a hollow title.

Zhao Lun had comprehended Intent as well. His Intent was upright and direct, tied to water yet unmistakably defensive in nature. It formed a steady, unyielding presence, one that stood in stark contrast to Lu Changsheng's own Wave Intent.

"This old man hasn't fought in a long time. I discarded my weapons long ago, but my fists and legs have not grown rusty," Zhao Lun said as he threw a punch.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, a blur of fists appeared in the void. They were so densely packed that it was impossible to distinguish illusion from reality. Each radiated a terrifying power. The barrage of fist shadows covered the sky and slammed toward Lu Changsheng with seemingly enough force to shake the void.

Of course, Lu Changsheng knew that was impossible. At most, it could shake his blood qi. Even so, Zhao Lun was indeed terrifying, no weaker than Lu Jianming back then. A top-tier expert who had long been famous and was not far from the Thousand Cauldrons Stage was not to be underestimated.

The people watching felt a shiver down their spine at the sight.

"Which of those punches are real, and which are fake?"

"So this is the strength of an old-generation top-tier Divine Strength Realm expert? How terrifying."

"Zhao Lun hasn't made a move in a long time, but the moment he does, it's earth-shaking."

"Dao Shi'er is a young martial artist with extraordinary talent, but he's still far from surpassing an old-generation expert like Zhao Lun."

"This is why you never underestimate the beasts of old. They've been inactive in the jianghu for years, but once they strike, they show no mercy at all."

While others were contemplating which punches were real or fake, Lu Changsheng saw through Zhao Lun's technique at a glance.

The countless fist shadows were not illusions. Every single one was real, and each carried the terrifying power of a Divine Strength martial artist. Survival would be nearly impossible if even one landed.

However, Lu Changsheng had never feared a contest of sheer endurance. More importantly, he had no intention of dragging this into a battle of attrition. If Wave Intent was not enough, then he would add another.

"Zhao Lun, you're old. You should retire and enjoy your later years, not fight and kill in the jianghu. You've cultivated for decades, yet you still cannot withstand even a single strike of my saber!"