Dominating Martial King-Chapter 54 - 51 Life and Death Arena

54: Chapter 51: Life and Death Arena

54 -51: Life and Death Arena

“Zuo Ya?”

Long Heng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared fixedly at the brocade-clad youth below the stage, then dispassionately smiled, “I didn’t expect the official to come to the Ancient Market too.

Yet this is a private matter with my Long Family; surely you wouldn’t deny me even this small amount of face, would you?”

“Deny you!

How could I?”

The lips of the brocade-clad youth curled upwards as he laughed audaciously, “However, we can’t break the rules of the South Street Temple Market; otherwise, who would dare to come here to challenge the arena and have fun?

Young Master Long, you agree, don’t you?”

Long Heng did not express any agreement or disagreement.

He took a step forward and suddenly lunged toward Chu Xisheng, aiming an abrupt palm strike at his face.

He couldn’t be bothered to tangle with this son of the Governor’s family.

Killing the lad would result in nothing more than a few curses from Zuo Ya, a matter of no consequence.

However, in that instant, a slender figure clad in red with red hair appeared before Chu Xisheng like a ghost.

Her short sword perfectly blocked Long Heng’s right palm.

Clearly outmatched, she was forced back three steps after receiving the blow, and her entire arm became encased in a thin layer of ice.

A chill even spread behind her, causing Chu Xisheng to shiver.

Long Heng’s face turned exceedingly cold, “Sixth Rank below?”

Since when had this son of the Governor’s family garnered the service of such a master?

Zuo Ya’s face darkened like iron, tinged with a shade of blue, “Fire a sound arrow, summon the troops!”

His cold gaze fixed on Long Heng, “Everyone says you’re arrogant, Long Heng, truly without bounds.

You might look down on me, Zuo Qingyun, but you cannot ignore the rules of South Street Temple Market that have stood for hundreds of years.”

Chu Xisheng knew that the so-called sound arrows were also called ‘signal arrows’.

They were ordinary arrows with a small bamboo whistle attached to the shaft.

When a sound arrow was shot, it would emit a sharp whistle that could be heard for miles.

Indeed, as a long arrow soared into the sky, making a sharp noise through the Cloud Sky, the entire South Street Temple Market erupted into chaos.

In just 15 minutes, six or seven hundred men dressed in red robes and armed with blades flooded from every direction, encircling the arena so tightly that not even water could seep through.

Long Heng looked around, his face unchanged, his eyes full of irony.

With a flick of his sleeve, an ice-blue longsword at his side shot fiercely out of its scabbard and plunged into the ground.

Simultaneously, a strong Cold Power emanated from the blade, filling the entire arena, “State your terms.

How do you wish to hand him over?

His life, I am determined to have.

Otherwise, I, Long, wouldn’t mind a bloodbath on Temple Street.”

Chu Xisheng found his shoes frozen into the layer of ice on the ground.

Zuo Ya let out a dismissive cold laugh, his eyes brimming with even colder intent, “Who are you trying to scare?

If you dare to use force in the temple market today, I want to see if you, a so-called big shot from across the river, can make it back alive to the West Bank.”

He then turned his head, looking toward Chu Xisheng, “Hey!

Little brother, would you mind fighting a few matches in the Life and Death Arena?

I, Zuo, guarantee you won’t be at a disadvantage.”

Chu Xisheng’s brows rose slightly as he responded with a clear and unambiguous salute, “I, Chu, do not mind at all, thanks for your protection, official!”

He saw the situation today, and with Lu Luanti’s cultivation, it might not be enough to keep things under control.

That Zuo Ya was willing to stand up for him was an unexpected delight.

There was no reason for Chu Xisheng to decline the man’s favor.

Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want Chu Yunyun to have to reveal her identity by stepping in.

“What a man!”

Zuo Ya laughed heartily, then turned his gaze back to Long Heng, “To kill someone in our South Street Temple Market, you must fight in the Life and Death Arena!

This little brother’s cultivation is only Ninth Rank below, but since he’s standing on the Ninth Rank arena, we’ll treat it as ‘Ninth Rank above.’

However, since he’s clearly unwell and lacking strength, we’ll set a time limit of one hour.

During that time, anyone under your command with a cultivation not exceeding Ninth Rank may challenge the arena.

If you can take his life in the Life and Death Arena, I’ll have no objections.

But if you fail, then let’s call off everything.

All grievances with him must end there, and your Long Family shall not trouble him again.

How about that?

Eldest Young Master Long, the line is drawn; do you dare to accept?”

Upon hearing these words, Long Sheng turned his head and glanced at Chu Xisheng before giving a sly smirk, “Then let’s proceed according to the official’s words!”

He flicked his sleeves, and a burst of True Yuan pulled up both longswords on the stage.

Then he stepped off the arena and looked toward the subordinates and his younger brother, Long Sheng, who were coming his way.

“You go up later,” Long Heng, with his hands clasped behind his back, instructed his younger brother, Long Sheng sternly, “Your Martial Arts Primordial Skill has reached the top of the Ninth Rank, and your sword skill has made great progress.

Killing him shouldn’t be hard.”

However, Long Sheng’s face paled, and he shook his head vigorously.

He still had a vivid memory of Chu Xisheng’s sword strike.

Long Sheng had come today to watch how Chu Xisheng would die, not to become a spectacle himself in the Life and Death Arena.

And he had heard the rumor that Chu Xisheng was now the Inner Chief of the Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall, who had also clinched first place in a practical skills examination half a month ago.

Even though the rumor was absurd, and Chu Xisheng’s first place was achieved through trickery.

If Chu Xisheng did not possess some skill, would such an absurd rumor have spread?

“Coward!”

Disappointment filled Long Heng’s eyes, and he snorted, turning to a sturdy man in heavy armor, “Heng Shiwu, rumors say this lad’s sword skill is incredibly fast, and his movement isn’t bad either.

You take off your armor later and switch to a Magic Refining Light Steel Blade.

Kill him, and I’ll give you a Eighth Rank below Primordial Skill Secret Medicine.”

Heng Shiwu heard the words and didn’t hesitate to strip off his heavy armor, striding onto the arena.

The surrounding crowd couldn’t help but reveal expressions of surprise.

A secret medicine for cultivation below Eighth Rank, even the cheapest kind, was worth as much as 600 taels of Demon Silver.

But this was something they could only envy.

Heng Shiwu was the chief of the ‘Heng’s Eighteen Riders’ under Long Heng, the strongest of the eighteen, with impressive movement technique and sword skill.

Just then, a middle-aged man in red suddenly bellowed from a distance, “Someone is challenging the Life and Death Arena!

Old rules, ascend the Sword Mountain!”

“Roar!”

In an instant, more than two hundred men in red robes roared in unison, their voices shaking the Cloud Heaven.

They inserted more than two hundred long swords around the edge of the arena, instantly sparking a flickering sea of cold light.

After that, only the person who prevailed could walk alive from the arena.

※※※※

Long Heng remained unconcerned about what was happening on the arena.

He knew the combat strength of Heng Shiwu ranked him among the top ten in Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall.

The moment this man stepped onto the stage, Chu Xisheng was close to death.

He walked straight to a nearby restaurant and sat down by a window on the third floor.

The view here was open and commanding, giving him a perfect overview of the arena below.

The restaurant’s shopkeeper very consciously served him tea and snacks.

Meanwhile, Zuo Ya, known as Zuo Qingyun, shaking his folding fan, came over and sat down opposite, “I’m quite curious, how did that young brother offend your Eldest Young Master Long?

To be so relentless over a mere Ninth Grade?”

“He rescued Tie Xiaosheng of the Iron Banner Gang from my hands.”

Long Heng lifted his tea cup, smiling nonchalantly at the astonished Zuo Qingyun, “Thank you, Brother Zuo, for finally granting me a little face.”

Zuo Qingyun squinted his eyes, then the corner of his lips lifted slightly, “Don’t be so sure of yourself, that young brother doesn’t seem like an ordinary person.”

Long Heng gave a wry laugh and lowered his head to sip his tea.

“Ordinary or not, we’ll see soon enough—”

At that moment, another loud shout came from the north side of the arena, “Attention, the drums will sound three times!

You two can only make a move after the third drumbeat!”

Chu Xisheng on the stage was pressing his hand against the saber’s hilt, his expression indifferent as he stared at the robust young man opposite him.

The two of them had already signed the life and death agreement, and Chu Xisheng knew this man’s name was Heng Shiwu.

The man’s face was expressionless, his entire being as cold and hard as a boulder.

One could only glimpse his true feelings from the tightly coiled muscles of his right arm, hinting that he was not as calm as he appeared.

When the first drumbeat sounded, both inside and outside of the arena were very quiet, with only some people making noise as they gathered at the pavilion to place bets.

At this moment, Chu Xisheng swallowed a Divine Power Pill.

He had not used the Divine Power Pill during the Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall’s competition, feeling that using it to bully his peers was dishonorable.

But today was about life or death, with no room for mercy.

At the second drumbeat, the muscles in both of their arms swelled simultaneously, and their breathing became incredibly heavy.

And as the third drumbeat rang out, Chu Xisheng’s pupils widened.

“Clang!”

A black arc of light, swift as lightning, emerged from its sheath, sweeping over the area half a zhang in front of him.

And in an instant, Heng Shiwu’s head flew off his body, blood splattering in all directions.

Atop the restaurant, Long Heng’s teacup paused in his hand, his face slightly cold as he turned his gaze to the young man at the center of the arena.

Below the stage, Chu Yunyun’s lips curved in a small smile, her mind at ease.

That guy, he had improved again—