Chapter 288 - You Can’t Withstand Even A Single Slash

The Moon Bloodline’s defense arena was split into two.

Muye Xiao stood with his clothes billowing in the wind, hands clasped behind him, casting a mocking look at Chen Fan. “Wang Dongfan, you ran away when I challenged you ten days ago. Are you planning to flee once more?"

“Run away? Hehe, That's quite likely.”

“Muye Xiao is an elite disciple of the Divine Light Sect on the cusp of advancing to the fifth level. He would be a core disciple then. His future is limitlessly bright.”

"I heard that Nangong Wan'er also tried to recruit Muye Xiao, but he outright rejected her... modest offer."

“......”

The onlookers were talking and laughing, looking like they were watching a show.

After this event, the Moon Bloodline would never be able to return to its former glory.

Chen Fan faced Muye Xiao with a cool detachment, choosing silence over words.

“Wang Dongfan, I'm willing to offer you a chance to survive. After all, this is a real fight. The slightest carelessness can put your life at risk, and you'd have only yourself to blame if you die.

“You don’t want to be the shortest-lived ranker in history, do you?”

Muye Xiao blabbered on, “Kneel, kowtow to me, and admit defeat. I can spare your life. Otherwise, it’d be nothing but wishful thinking to want to come out in one piece. What do you think?”

“You talk too much,” Chen Fan said plainly, laughing on the inside.

“I have the strength to back it up. You probably think you are on the same level as me now that you are on the Earth Leaderboard, but let me be clear: we are not.”

Muye Xiao wore his arrogance openly, a dangerous aura emanating from him. “Let me set the record straight. Yes, I also have a ten-match win streak. And yes, I conceded after ten moves. However, it wasn’t because I was outmatched but because I saw no point in continuing. I could've easily pushed that to eleven or even twelve victories.

“I’m sure you know how difficult it is to win ten rounds consecutively at the arena, not to mention eleven or even twelve. You're simply no match for me; I've never considered you one.

“I’ll count to three. Ignore this warning at your own risk, as I don’t mind turning you into a corpse. I'm more than willing to use the blood of a ranker to make my name shine even brighter in the Imperial City."

He did not wait for Chen Fan to reply and immediately started counting down.

“One!”

“Two!”

“Three!”

As soon as he finished, Chen Fan finally said, “One slash!”

“What?” Muye Xiao was perplexed, failing to understand Chen Fan's meaning or intention. His expression fell as he said, “What are you talking about?

“I’ll repeat it. To defeat you, I only need one slash!”

Chen Fan straightened his posture, looking tall and mighty and giving off an imposing air. “Muye Xiao, you know why I surrendered quickly in the arena? Because I’ve never thought anything of you. In my eyes, you’re nothing but an ant.”

“Brat, you’re too arrogant!”

Muye Xiao became thoroughly enraged at Chen Fan’s contemptuous words. The flames of anger burned inside him.

Suddenly, he shouted, “Holy Light Combat Art, Sky Destruction!”

Rumble!

Muye Xiao seemed to channel the might of gods or demons, his presence overwhelming like a towering mountain or a vast sea. Every wisp of his aura could oppress beasts and subdue demons. Upon closer inspection, his cultivation far surpassed ordinary martial artists at the peak of the fourth level.

His attack, charged with fury, seemed capable of shifting the skies and obscuring the sun and the moon with its ferocity.

“What a powerful aura. As expected of an elite genius of the Divine Light Sect and a ranker.”

“Wang Dongfan has really stirred the hornet's nest by provoking Muye Xiao. Death seems to be the only outcome."

“You’re right. Putting him in the same league as Muye Xiao is like comparing the earth to the heavens.”

“......”

The surrounding Nangong Clan’s juniors sensed Muye Xiao’s powerful aura and narrowed their eyes.

Though they hailed from a prestigious lineage with high status and pride, the Divine Light Sect stood on a higher pedestal than the Nangong Clan. Naturally, they treated Muye Xiao as equals and admired his great strength.

However, just as Muye Xiao’s aura peaked and he was about to launch his attack, Chen Fan made his move.

In an instant, Chen Fan became a blur, disappearing from view. From where he vanished, a sword light burst forth, majestic and luminous.

Unlike Muye Xiao's overwhelming aura, Chen Fan's was pure and righteous. His attack was as straight and true as a sword, embodying a clear conscience.

The onlooking crowd did not sense any fierceness or sharpness from this streak of sword light. All they felt was integrity, passion, grandeur, and magnificence, reminiscent of a deity or the immutable laws of nature.

Invisible yet undeniably present, this was the essence of the slash unleashed by Chen Fan.

Under this sword, all schemes and murderous aura were dismantled and disappeared.

It was akin to a refreshing spring breeze blowing across heaven and earth, melting the winter snow and injecting life into all matter.

The moment the sword light manifested, it shone brilliantly, akin to the fleeting beauty of fireworks or a meteor across the sky—ephemeral yet unforgettable, leaving a lasting impression of awe.

And then, as quickly as it appeared, the sword light was gone.

Bang!

After the sword light faded, the powerful aura that Muye Xiao had amassed shattered instantly. He flew back, and there was a long bloody gash on his chest, dripping with blood. He had been nearly disemboweled.

Meanwhile, all his primeval force had been slashed apart. He looked like a mess, with nearly half of his hair cut off, leaving him partially bald. The once handsome figure was now a subject of ridicule.

The surroundings fell silent in an instant.

The crowd was in utter disbelief, their eyes wide with shock, struggling to understand how Chen Fan had so decisively defeated the mighty Muye Xiao with a single slash.

In the Star Bloodline’s defense arena, Nangong Fengyun's smug expression was now frozen in astonishment.

In the Sun Bloodline’s arena, Nangong Qingshuang and Qin Jian were like a golden couple, a perfect pair, standing at the frontmost. Their indifferent expressions had also transformed into shock.

Meanwhile, on the Moon Bloodline’s side, the looks of despair had turned into shock.

Whoa!

Soon, the martial arts arena burst into a commotion.

“How is that possible? Muye Xiao was nearly disemboweled in a single slash. Heavens, I’m not seeing things, am I? That’s Muye Xiao we’re talking about!”

“What sword technique was that earlier? Why do I feel like it’s not a sword technique?”

“That guy... was he pretending to be weak?”

“If Wang Dongfan can defeat even Muye Xiao, then during this Bloodlines Martial Meet, perhaps the Moon Bloodline...”

In that instant, speculation and intrigue lit up many faces.

The crowd had looked at Chen Fan with contemptuous gazes, but many people’s expressions had changed after this slash. At the very least, their gazes no longer showed any contempt.

Had they been on the receiving end of that slash, survival would have been... less than likely.