Chapter 1669 - Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights

Silence.

A deathly silence enveloped the scene.

No one had expected the battle to erupt so abruptly, nor to end with such brutal finality.

Chen Fan had smashed the Limitless Star Palace’s Wei Tianxiang into meat paste with a single palm strike, leaving him without the slightest chance to resist. He was too strong!

All of a sudden, the nearby crowd’s gazes toward Chen Fan changed, especially Qing Chan's. Her eyes turned into stars. Even she had not imagined that Chen Fan would kill him so easily.

While the crowd was still in shock, chaos erupted from the mountain path. A group of knights charged up the mountain path, riding their steeds with a terrifying momentum, like a towering wave.

“Out of the way!”

Each knight rode a dragon horse. Though not pure-blooded, these mounts bore dragon scales and radiated a faint draconic glow. As they galloped, they looked like living dragons tearing across the land, their presence exuding overwhelming might.

Wherever the group passed, a large swathe of people fell. Many people couldn’t dodge in time and were knocked flying. Others were torn apart on impact. Some were crushed directly beneath iron hooves, reduced to bloody paste before they could even scream.

These were not weak cultivators. They were Half-step Immortal Kings, or even Immortal King realm powerhouses. Their physiques were so strong that horses could gallop on their arms. Ordinary horses could never have budged them. Yet these dragon horses trampled them to death with ease. Each mount possessed Immortal King-level strength.

Angry shouts rang out.

“Who are they? How arrogant of them!”

Yet, no one dared step forward. The knights were steeped in killing intent, their ferocity palpable. One glance was enough to know they were forged in blood.

The crowd cursed under their breath, but fear kept everyone rooted in place.

In mere moments, the dozen knights reached the mountaintop plaza. Though few in number, their presence dominated everything, like an emperor descending upon his domain.

“

Hiss, hiss

.”

The sound of the crowd sucking in breaths of cold air filled the space. Only then did many realize that every one of these knights stood in the top-level Immortal King realm, and their commander was even stronger, a Quasi-Emperor realm powerhouse.

Just a dozen or so of them could dominate the entire scene and strike fear into the crowd.

“Who exactly are these people? How could they be so terrifying?”

Many people sucked in cold air. Despair crept into countless eyes.

Earlier, there had still been hope. With only Chen Fan and a few others, some believed they might still compete. But now?

Who could compete against them for a spot?

Perhaps even Chen Fan, who smashed Wei Tianxiang into meat paste with a single palm strike, might not be enough.

If these knights took action, wouldn’t all the spots fall into their hands? Then what was the point of competing at all?

The crowd murmured in discussion, but the knights remained unfazed. They were cold and expressionless, scanning their surroundings. Wherever their gazes fell, death seemed to follow.

Ice cold.

Deathly silence.

The faint odor of blood lingered in the air.

Someone recognized the symbols on the knights, revealing their identities.

“Look at their armor. That symbol... It’s the Apex Mystic Sect!”

“This is... the Apex Mystic Sect’s Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights...”

“How could it be them?

Hiss hiss

, I’ve heard of them before, but shouldn’t they all be guarding the Apex Mystic Sect’s Demon Realm Passageway battlefield and hunting demons? They’re never deployed for trivial matters. I thought they wouldn’t appear at the Immortals Assembly at all!”

Their iron-blooded, murderous aura couldn’t be cultivated in ordinary environments. Only in battlefields full of carnage could such an astonishing, murderous aura be cultivated.

“It’s said the Apex Mystic Sect selected a thousand elite disciples to form a knight legion and threw them into the Demon Realm Passageway battlefield. After centuries of slaughter, only thirteen survived. Those survivors became the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights. However, they rarely leave the Demon Realm Passageway battlefield. Why are they here? Did the Immortals Assembly really draw them out?”

“And why the tenth realm? With their status, they could dominate the earlier realms effortlessly. Are they here to seize our spots? In their eyes, the spots of our realm must be a juicy piece of meat. The Limitless Star Palace, Illusory Moon Sect, and even the Apex Mystic Sect are here. What are we supposed to do!”

Many people wailed in despair.

However, the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights completely ignored the crowd’s wails. Their sharp gazes swept across until the leader’s imposing pressure fell on Chen Fan.

Immediately afterward, the twelve other pressures also descended on Chen Fan. Their overpowering Immortal King pressure forced everyone back.

Chen Fan’s heart shook slightly.

They’re indeed here for me!

Upon learning that they were the Apex Mystic Sect’s Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights, Chen Fan had quickly realized these people’s intentions.

Chen Fan had killed, captured, and crippled ten Half-step Immortal Kings from their sect in the Phantom Law Heaven, publicly humiliating the sect. How could they not seek revenge?

“You are Chen Fan?”

An iron-blooded shout condensed into a sonic arrow and shot straight toward him. Before it could come within thirty feet, an invisible force crushed it into nothingness.

“Hahaha, it really is you! How lucky. We were just saying that we’d tear you apart if you dared to show up. I didn’t expect to really run into you here. Accept your death obediently. You dared to kill our Apex Mystic Sect’s people. Your head no longer belongs to you,” said the commander coldly.

“Chen Fan actually dared to kill the Apex Mystic Sect’s disciples! Tsk tsk, what audacity!”

“I know, right? The Apex Mystic Sect is an immortal holy land of the Imperial Supremacy Heavenly Domain, countless times stronger than the Limitless Star Palace or the Illusory Moon Sect, and he still dared to kill their people. What audacity, what audacity!”

The crowd erupted into turmoil as it became clear that the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights had come specifically for Chen Fan.

“Go, kill him!” said the commander, his voice carrying the weight of an imperial decree. Immediately, the knights charged forward with a rumble. Although there were only thirteen of them, their momentum felt like they were an army of thousands charging on the battlefield, sending the entire mountain range trembling violently.

The people blocking their path frantically got out of their way, fearing that they would be trampled to death on the spot if they were careless and lost their lives for nothing.

However, in the midst of the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights’ charge, a terrifying streak of sword light descended from the sky and crashed down violently, slicing the void in two and splitting the earth.

The streak of sword light landed before the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights, nearly annihilating the unit.

The face of the commander turned ashen. They had nearly been wiped out in an instant. No matter how hardened they were, terror surged through their hearts.

A lazy voice echoed through the void.

“Ah... what a shame. I thought I could wipe you all out.”

Immediately afterward, a lazy figure appeared in the crowd’s sight. He was a middle-aged man with a shaggy beard, dressed in ragged clothes, looking every bit like a drunken vagrant.

In any other place, he would have been dismissed as a roadside beggar. Here, no one dared underestimate him. After all, that single strike could’ve wiped out the Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights.

The Thirteen Iron-Blooded Knights were all top-level Immortal Kings, and their commander was a Quasi-Emperor. Yet they had nearly been erased in one blow. The man before them was undoubtedly an Immortal Emperor-level existence.

“What a mess. There are so many people here. Are we all supposed to squeeze into the tenth realm?” the slovenly man muttered with a crooked smile, as though nursing a hangover. He swept a glance across the crowd, appearing very ordinary. If it weren’t for that strike earlier, no one would have thought of him as an Immortal Emperor behemoth.

“Who are you?” asked the commander of the Iron-Blooded Knights with a cold face.

“Who am I? I’m here to thin the herd. The tenth realm doesn’t need this many people.” The slovenly man chuckled and said, “Too bad. If you all had died just now, things would’ve been much simpler.”

“To be clear,” he continued calmly, “my mission is to eliminate at least half of you.”

The crowd immediately erupted into chaos.

“Who are you? Are you crazy? You want to drive us out? Do you know who we are? You think we’re like that trash!” roared one of the knights furiously.

The slovenly man’s tone hardened. “Here, I make the rules. Whoever I let stay, stays. Whoever I tell to leave, leaves. Do I need to repeat myself?”

The knight was about to retort, but his commander stopped him and said, “Apologies. I failed to teach my men properly.”

“You’re a sensible one.” The slovenly man said indifferently, “Now, I’ll tell you this. The first stage of the trial is about to start.”

Suddenly, someone saw countless streaks of light falling from the sky.

“Look, what is that?”

The crowd’s attention was instantly drawn to it.

“Don’t blame me for not warning you. These are your numbered tokens to take part in the second stage. There are only five thousand of them. Anyone who fails to grab one is eliminated.” The slovenly man said, “And if a token touches the ground, it disappears immediately. Move slowly, and you’re out.”

The crowd went berserk.

“What kind of a joke is this? How can this stage be decided with such a sloppy method?”

“Damn it, you should’ve said that earlier. Grab them!”

Some were dazed, while some had already sprung into motion.

Large hands filled the sky, grabbing at the numbered tokens.

“Don’t you guys think that this game is exciting? The only objective of this stage is that we don’t accept those with bad luck.” The slovenly man smirked.