The sight of formidable Ancient Martial Artists like Cao Qiguo and Zhou Xuan—both S+ Rank powerhouses at the Early Stage Peak of the Innate Realm—truly unleashing their full power was undeniably soul-shaking, enough to leave any spectator with a dry mouth. The astonishing strength they had just displayed, particularly the shockwaves from their previous clashes, was enough to send a chill down the spine and etch a profound sense of awe into one's heart.

But that wasn't the most shocking part. The most astonishing and terrifying revelation was that the Star Chopping Blade in Zhou Xuan's hand had, at this very moment, actually cracked.

In that instant, the shock everyone felt must have been akin to what people experienced during the attack on the Pentagon in America years ago. It felt as if their very hearts were being squeezed.

WHOOSH!

Just as an eerie silence fell over the main battlefield, a sudden roar, brimming with incandescent rage and frantic killing intent, tore through the air. "You little bastard, I'm going to rip you to pieces!" Instantly, the crowd saw an elder on the high platform near the main stage leap to his feet. His eyes were bloodshot and his hair and beard bristled, his entire presence coalescing into a terrifying, murderous aura.

This person was none other than the true master of the Star Chopping Blade: the current Fourth Elder of the Celestial Group, an ss+ Peak Powerhouse! He was also the master of Zhou Xuan, who now stood dumbstruck on the stage.

Originally, he had lent his beloved blade to his disciple to increase his chances of victory. He could never have imagined that Cao Qiguo would be so formidable as to actually crack his Star Chopping Blade. Even the various ss-rank enemies he had slain over the years had never managed such a feat. Yet now, this infuriating and deeply unsettling scene was unfolding before his eyes, achieved by a mere S+ Rank fighter. How could he possibly accept it?

After all, that blade was his claim to fame, the foundation of his power! For him, the fracturing of the Star Chopping Blade was an astronomical loss. The mere thought of it sent him into a thunderous rage.

BOOM!

Unable to contain his murderous intent, the Fourth Elder of the Celestial Group made his move. His figure shot forward as his True Qi surged, and like a ferocious beast that had chosen its prey, he burst from the high platform. A terrifying force followed in his wake, blasting straight toward Cao Qiguo on the main stage and causing the color to drain from the faces of many onlookers.

Was this fury born of shame? Or was he just a sore loser?

BANG!

However, just as the Fourth Elder was about to reach the main stage, ready to strike down the weakened Cao Qiguo, another dark figure appeared. An equally powerful surge of True Qi swept down, intercepting the Elder's attack mid-air.

The one who had intervened was none other than an Elder from the Central Guard Bureau, who also held an ss+ Rank!

He first shot Cao Qiguo a reassuring glance before slowly turning his eyes toward the Celestial Group's Fourth Elder. "Do you really think we're just decorations?" he said coldly. "So this is how the Celestial Group acts? Unable to accept a loss?"

"Lau Shan, get out of my way!" the Fourth Elder snarled, his expression still ferocious. He glared at the man blocking him and gritted his teeth. "You know full well what the Star Chopping Blade means to me! Now this brat has cracked it... If I don't kill him with my own two hands today, I'll never vent the rage in my heart! Move aside! I have no time to waste on you!"

Clearly, his hatred for Cao Qiguo had reached its peak. Having lost some of his reason, he actually intended to kill him right here and now. At this, the expressions of everyone present changed, including the high-ranking officials of the Four Departments of Capital City watching from the platform. After all, if Cao Qiguo was really killed here today, what would that imply? The Central Guard Bureau and the Celestial Group would likely be pushed into open conflict.

"Fourth Elder, what are you doing? Get back here!" Kou Bin shouted from the platform.

But the Fourth Elder, lost to his fury, turned a deaf ear to the command. His aura pulsed as his expression grew even more savage. He fixed his gaze on the man before him and said coldly, "Lau Shan, if the Central Guard Bureau hands that kid over to me, I promise I will owe you a favor. How about it?"

In his mind, his status was paramount. He was the esteemed Fourth Elder of the Celestial Group, a genuine Peak Mid Innate Ancient Martial Artist with an ss+ Rank! Now that he had offered a favor of this magnitude, surely that was enough? Was the status and favor of a great figure like himself not enough for the Central Guard Bureau to give him face and abandon a 'mere' S+ Rank junior? It seemed that rage truly did make one lose all reason; the man's thinking had become unhinged.

Naturally, the Central Guard Bureau Elder known as Lau Shan met these foolish words with a scornful laugh. Deciding that further words were pointless, he raised his palm, his gaze sharpening. A surge of True Qi, far more terrifying than anything seen in the duel between Cao Qiguo and Zhou Xuan, erupted from him.

"Good! Good! Good! Lau Shan, you will regret this!" Seeing Lau Shan's 'answer', the Fourth Elder's aged face twisted into a demonic snarl. His eyes, filled with a glacial light, shot a venomous threat.

His murderous gaze then shot past Lau Shan, locking onto Cao Qiguo as if to kill him with sheer killing intent alone. However, Cao Qiguo, standing behind Elder Lau Shan, acted as if he felt nothing.

He then shifted his own icy gaze to Zhou Xuan. With a flick of his wrist, he swirled the high-tech, high-strength aluminum alloy Black Blade and said coldly, "Our battle isn't over yet, is it? Let's continue. We still need to determine a winner and a loser."

"You..." Zhou Xuan's face turned impossibly ugly, a hint of panic in his eyes. He had been at a disadvantage even when wielding the Star Chopping Blade at his peak combat power. The blade itself had been cracked. Under these circumstances, how could he possibly find the courage to continue? He couldn't accept such a reality! To be defeated so soundly in front of everyone was an unbearable humiliation, a complete loss of face. If word of this got out, how could he, Zhou Xuan, ever show his face in the Forty-Nine City again?

"Winner and loser!?"

Suddenly, a grim, cold voice exploded next to everyone's ears. The crowd saw the Fourth Elder of the Celestial Group staring daggers at Cao Qiguo, his face dark. "You little bastard," he said menacingly, "did you think I would let you go?"

He paused, his tone becoming even more frigid. "Settle victory and defeat? After what you did, this match need not continue!"

WHOA!

In that instant, a tumultuous uproar surrounded the main stage. The young elites from the Four Departments of Capital City stared at him in disbelief, a trace of contempt flickering in their eyes. They weren't fools. They could all see that the Fourth Elder was simply afraid his disciple would lose if the fight continued, so he was trying to forcibly end the match. By doing so, he would ensure Cao Qiguo's victory would be rendered illegitimate. It was a despicably shameless tactic.

Faced with such a vile act, the elders and members of the Central Guard Bureau wore extremely ugly expressions. As for our Chen Fei, Young Master Chen... he simply acted without a word.

BOOM!

A piercing crack of displaced air suddenly assaulted everyone's ears, causing their expressions to change in alarm. The Fourth Elder of the Celestial Group seemed to sense it too, his face shifting slightly.

BANG!

But his reaction was too slow. In the instant he sensed something was wrong, the air above him exploded. A streak of flame appeared, radiating astonishing heat and energy as it rained down like a miniature fiery meteor.

The flame appeared and descended with such blinding speed that even the ss+ Rank Fourth Elder couldn't evade it. In the next breath, the cascade of miniature fiery meteors scorched the air and slammed into him before his horrified eyes.

BOOM!

A thunderous roar, accompanied by flames bursting and scattering like fireworks, stunned everyone present. In that moment, pupils contracted, spines went cold, and jaws hung open. What in the world was happening?

In the next moment, the blast of light reversed course, surging into the sky like a tidal wave before falling back to earth in a small-scale rain of fire.

"This..."

Elder Lau Shan of the Central Guard Bureau, being the closest, was the first to react. His face paled dramatically, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, dripping to the ground. Though he was unharmed, he couldn't stop himself from stumbling back several steps, bumping into Cao Qiguo behind him, who was equally stunned and unaware.

If a Peak Mid Innate Ancient Martial Artist, a dignified ss+ Rank Elder of the Central Guard Bureau, was this terrified, the reaction of the others was even more pronounced. All eyes, trembling with absolute horror, were locked on the area. As the dense rain of fire rapidly dissipated, they could finally see what lay within...

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