Chapter Sixty: Challenging the Enemy

The figure who stepped forward was none other than Yi Tian.

Both sides, who had been on the verge of clashing, were taken aback, and the tense, battle-ready atmosphere instantly dissolved.

The chief and elders of the Yi tribe had long since developed a plan. They intended to send out their tribe’s elite warriors to battle the eight great clans, with the aim of inflicting as much damage as possible. If defeat became inevitable, they would immediately retreat into the underground passage beneath the ancestral temple and seal the way with the Dragon-Sealing Stone.

This was a last resort.

Yi Tian’s appearance left the heads and elders of the eight great clans somewhat stunned. At such a critical moment, they could not understand why a young man had stepped forward to stop the imminent outbreak of violence. Moreover, who was this brash youth, and where did he find the courage to act so boldly?

Yi Tian had no other choice. If they abandoned the land their people had inhabited for generations, it would be extremely difficult to establish a new home elsewhere. At the same time, they would have to evade the pursuit of the powerful factions from Black Dragon City, plunging the tribe into unrest and peril—a future Yi Tian could not accept.

He glanced at the elders and clan heads of the eight great families standing several dozen yards away and said, “If you want the treasure, you may have it—if any among you can defeat me.”

The warriors of the eight great families looked at each other in disbelief. This youth was outrageously arrogant, challenging all eight clans at once. What could possibly give him such confidence?

The elders of the eight great clans were stirred by Yi Tian’s challenge; many of them itched to come forward and put this impudent boy in his place. Since Yi Tian had issued a formal challenge, the clans couldn’t simply ignore him or order a full assault. After all, they had their pride to consider. If they couldn’t even answer the challenge of a single young man, they would become the laughingstock of Black Dragon City, losing all honor.

“I’ll do it!”

Unable to restrain himself any longer, a burly man stepped forward.

He was a late eighth-rank warrior from the Liu family, immensely muscular, wielding a broadsword that gleamed with a chilling light. There was a murderous glint in his eyes, and his presence radiated killing intent—clearly, many had already perished beneath his blade. He was a notorious brute.

“The Liu family’s Demon has entered the fray,” many present immediately recognized him. He was one of the most notorious warriors of his generation in the Liu family—ferocious in battle, ruthless in his methods, infamous throughout Black Dragon City, his reputation rivaling the leading experts of any great faction.

“This kid is dead for sure.”

“This will be entertaining. I can’t wait to see how the Demon tortures him.”

“He’s so young—at most, he’s fifth or sixth rank, even if he’s a genius. Even if he’s an elite, against the Demon, who can even challenge ninth-rank warriors, he’ll be crushed instantly.”

The warriors and guards of the eight great clans burst into discussion upon seeing the Demon step forward.

“Boy, how would you like to die? Allow me, the Demon, to grant your wish!” The Demon bared his teeth in a chilling grin, staring at Yi Tian with malicious delight, already plotting how to brutalize him to demoralize the Yi tribe’s warriors. Before all the elders, clan heads, and a hundred thousand warriors of the eight clans, this would be his moment to shine, boosting his fame across Black Dragon City.

Yi Tian glanced at the Demon and replied, “If you wish to die, come at me now.”

“Die!” The Demon was enraged.

He suddenly unleashed a blade technique; countless arcs of sword light tore through the air toward Yi Tian. He could already envision the youth’s body being shredded by this single strike, and the thought filled him with exhilaration.

“Slash!”

Yi Tian brought his sword down from above, unleashing a peerless wave of sword energy. An aura of chilling heat and death enveloped the arena.

“Not good!” The ninth-rank experts among the eight great clans turned pale the instant Yi Tian struck.

The Liu family’s chief elder’s eyes narrowed. Yi Tian’s attack was already on par with a ninth-rank expert, perhaps even surpassing it. He wanted to intervene, but it was too late.

With a thunderous crash, Yi Tian’s devastating sword energy shattered the blade lights and struck the Demon’s broadsword directly. The remaining force hurled the Demon into the air.

Blood spurted.

The Demon was flung aside, his body charred and gravely wounded—on the verge of death.

The Liu family’s chief elder rushed to his side, assessing his injuries, his expression growing somber. The wounds were severe; without intervention, death was imminent. Without delay, he produced a jade bottle, pouring out a snow-white pill whose delicate fragrance quickly permeated the air.

“A Snow Ginseng Pill!” the other elders murmured in surprise.

This was a precious, life-saving, lower-grade pill—each worth hundreds of lower-grade spirit stones, an extravagant expense.

After swallowing the pill, color quickly returned to the Demon’s face, and his breath steadied—his life was saved.

The Yi tribe’s chief, the grand elder, and other senior members had no objection to Yi Tian’s actions. They remained vigilant, ready to retreat underground at any sign of trouble.

Yi Tian’s single sword strike had crushed the infamous Demon, leaving the elite warriors of the eight great clans in shock. The young man before them was surely no older than his late teens or early twenties, just barely an adult, yet he had defeated a late eighth-rank warrior. Had he already reached the ninth rank?

This suspicion left the heads and chief elders of the eight great clans deeply shaken. So young, yet already at ninth rank—this youth could well become a true master in the future.

The realization sent a wave of murderous intent through the ranks of the eight great clans. To have provoked a future pillar of strength, they knew the only way to avert disaster was to destroy him immediately. If he were allowed to grow, Yi Tian would surely become the ruler of Black Dragon City’s lands, to their doom.

Their intent to kill became palpable.

The clan elders exchanged glances, understanding each other’s resolve.

“Let me test you myself!” said an elder from the Chen family, a late ninth-rank expert, stepping forward.

Golden true energy blazed from his body as he launched an attack at Yi Tian. His palms, shining like cast gold, tore the air with each strike.

“Very well!”

Yi Tian’s Golden Scale Sword blazed with radiance, sword energy whirling as he engaged his foe.

Each arc of Yi Tian’s blazing sword energy could cleave through gold and jade, each strike aimed mercilessly at his opponent. Yet the elder’s golden-shrouded palms met every assault head-on, the clashes ringing out like metal striking metal.

“The Chen family’s Vajra Technique is truly extraordinary!”

“No wonder he’s called the Vajra Hand, famed throughout Black Dragon City. To clash barehanded with a spirit weapon and remain unscathed!”

“Of course. Elder Chen San’s Vajra Hand is unparalleled. He has mastered it to perfection—if a ninth-rank opponent took a direct blow, their bones would shatter and their organs be pulverized.”

Yi Tian and Elder Chen San exchanged blows for dozens of rounds, locked in a fierce and evenly matched melee. To the onlookers, the two seemed equal in strength.

But only Elder Chen San knew the truth.

Though his Vajra true energy, condensed upon his palms, was as hard as tempered steel and able to withstand spirit weapons, Yi Tian’s blazing sword energy was so fierce that even his Vajra Hands felt a burning pain—an unbearable sensation.

More astonishing still was how rapidly his Vajra true energy was being depleted—testament to the overwhelming force of Yi Tian’s attacks. This level of power was on par with those who had lingered at the ninth-rank pinnacle for decades.

“What a terrifying opponent!” Elder Chen San was inwardly shocked. His adversary’s strength was immense, surpassing his own. Yi Tian’s true energy was ceaseless and ferocious—every exchange left Elder Chen San feeling scorched by the blazing energy and forced him to divert some of his strength just to withstand it.