Every face among them was ashen, filled with despair and terror as they stared at Dugu Bachen. If his earlier strike that injured Bai Tianyu and the others had left them with a sliver of desperate hope, then the clean severing of Bai Yunlan's hand had utterly crushed that last, fragile remnant…
Bai Yunlan, the most powerful figure in the entire Bai Family now, a first-rate master who had reached the Martial Saint realm thirty years ago, had his hand taken before a single exchange had even begun…
What realm was this? What strength was this? Was this even power that a human could possess? Especially considering that Bai Yunlan had just been gripping the youth, his hands locked onto the boy’s vital points, able to kill him with just the slightest pressure—yet in this brief moment, his hand was severed, and the youth rescued. Such skill was surely beyond human capability…
A deep, profound despair settled in everyone’s hearts. Many even silently cursed Bai Yunlan beneath their breath: if you had just released that boy earlier, none of this would have happened. Now, not only have you lost an arm, but you’ve dragged us all down with you…
They vividly recalled the words spoken by that gaunt man just moments ago…
I’ll give you one chance: release my disciple, then apologize to him, and I will spare you and everyone present…
But now? Would he still let them off? Facing such a terrifying entity, the crowd lacked not only the will to resist but even the courage to flee…
In that moment, they were like condemned sinners awaiting the divine sentence…
Of course, more people were inwardly hurling curses at Bai Ziyun; if it weren't for this fellow and the trouble he’d courted, how could they have fallen into this crisis…
The great hall fell utterly silent; all eyes were fixed on the man standing resolute at the doorway, or perhaps on the blade itself…
Bai Yunlan stared, dumbfounded, at his own severed wrist, watching the blood spurt wildly. His face shifted from green to pale. He would never have believed that without any sensation, his wrist could be taken like that. He had reached the Martial Saint realm thirty years ago; though he hadn't advanced further to achieve the Martial God position over these decades, he was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of Martial Saints, arguably the most powerful existence in the world today. Even the War God of the Tianyuan Empire, Xuanyuan Xiaozhan, might not necessarily be his match. Yet now, he had his hand cut off without even a flicker of reaction. What did this mean?
Had the opponent already stepped into the Martial God realm? No, even if he were a Martial God, he couldn't have rescued Ye Jingyu and severed his wrist so easily…
Could he have reached…?
No, impossible. Even those old monsters from hundreds of years ago couldn't ascend to that level. He was the youth's master; how old could this youth be? He certainly couldn't be a relic from centuries past—absolutely impossible…
Bai Yunlan truly could not accept the reality, his entire being frozen in shock…
He didn't even notice the calls from his own sons…
Bai Tianyu, the three Martial Saints, Bai Ziyun, along with the other sons, including Bai Jingfei, also watched this unfold with deathly pale faces. They simply could not believe that Bai Yunlan, who was like a god in their eyes, could have an arm so easily severed by the opponent…
Silence still reigned in the hall; one could almost hear a pin drop…
“Master, you must see justice done for me…” At this moment, a crisp, young voice shattered the quiet…
Even having understood that the man before him was a genius from three centuries ago, Ye Jingyu felt not an ounce of fear…
“Rest assured. Since I have made my move, there is no reason to stop,” Dugu Bachen stated coldly…
“Senior, please don't…” Only then did Bai Yunlan snap back to his senses, realizing this was an entity he absolutely could not afford to provoke, letting out a sharp cry…
But it was too late. The instant Dugu Bachen’s words fell, two intense streams of blade energy materialized out of thin air, instantly stretching dozens of feet long, cleaving directly toward the Bai Family disciples on either side…
Facing this terrifying blade energy, whether Grandmasters or ordinary Masters, they were all like ants, incapable of offering the slightest resistance…
The blade energy seemed to slice through the air as it passed over their bodies. Several jets of blood shot out simultaneously. Every single one of the more than a hundred people present was bisected at the waist. Blood drenched the hall, and vividly colored internal organs sprayed out, filling the entire chamber with a thick, metallic stench…
And the sharp blade energy was controlled perfectly; in the blink of an eye, every Bai Family disciple standing on both sides was slaughtered. The cuts were as smooth as polished mirrors; not a single person was spared. After the execution, the blade energy vanished instantly without a trace, leaving no mark in the hall…
This was the true technique of a peerless swordsman—no wasted effort…
Even now, Dugu Bachen had not moved from his spot, and the Heavenly Venerate blade resting at his feet remained motionless…
At his level of attainment, slaying required merely a thought; there was no need for a physical blade, because his entire person was a blade—an unstoppable one…
Blade Intent, Blade Concept, Blade Qi—these had long since coalesced into one…
Beside Bai Yunlan, his only seven surviving sons and the remaining Bai Jingfei were speechless. Watching their own men be cut down, they possessed no ability to intervene. The mighty Bai Family, the one even the Tianyuan Empire’s royal house held in awe, the family admired by countless warriors, a family capable of founding a nation—before this man, they were like three-year-olds, offering no resistance whatsoever…
Even Bai Yunlan, long accustomed to the worship of the masses, had no idea what to do now…
Confronted by such terrifying blade energy, he finally understood: in this opponent’s hands, he was less significant than Ye Jingyu had been in his own. He wasn't even worth comparing to an ant…
Ye Jingyu watched the entire scene, equally stunned. He had never imagined a martial artist could be so powerful. There were so many Grandmasters present—all capable of killing him—yet they did nothing, or rather, they were cut in half before they could do anything. How could one person be so powerful?
“The ultimate realm for a swordsman is not the fastest, nor the most accurate, nor the most hateful, because in this world, there is no 'ultimate'; there is only a faster blade, a more accurate blade, a fiercer blade…” Dugu Bachen stated calmly, yet at this moment, he was offering Ye Jingyu a lesson…