In an instant, Cage, standing at the center of the duel, seemed like a man-shaped, bloodthirsty beast!

A roar! It sounded like a leopard's furious bellow echoing from the depths of the mountains! Cage stiffened his neck, tilting his head upward, his grip on his saber tightening suddenly. He braced his arms slightly to the sides, lifted his right leg, slammed his right foot down onto the ground, cracking the floorboards beneath him, and lunged forward! At the moment of impact, the wrist holding the battle saber flicked slightly, and the blade’s force whistled past, rushing toward his opponent!

He moved like a hunting leopard charging head-on, one hand—like a hidden claw—kept close to his waist, ready to strike or poised for immediate attack, while the battle saber in the other hand cleaved down in a fierce horizontal slash, aimed directly at Qian Jing’s neck.

Bloodline War Body, Leopard Combat Technique, Rock Cleaving Nine Strikes~!

Cage unleashed the explosion of his Bloodline War Body; it wasn't just his appearance that changed, but even his physical functions were transformed. His breathing, which naturally flowed like a dance, became the roar of a leopard.

The strength of a Bloodline Warrior is never gained for nothing.

Qian Jing stepped forward silently, bending his legs, his body slightly crouched. The power of the Five Demon Subjugation Arts churned rapidly within him. The muscles in his back bulged and strained against his clothes with loud popping sounds. His hands gripped the great saber, bringing it down along Cage's centerline, perfectly intercepting the battle saber in Cage’s hand.

The Armor Piercing technique from the Seven Styles of Bloody Battle met the Mountain Splitting technique of the Rock Cleaving Nine Strikes.

Cage’s saber force didn't commit fully; a small reserve of power remained. As Qian Jing’s great saber chopped down, Cage’s wrist suddenly exerted force, channeling momentum through his wrist, elbow, and shoulder in rapid succession, the joints popping audibly.

Leveraging the surge of fighting energy released along the line connecting these three joints, Cage's battle saber instantly accelerated with fiercer and greater force—enough to split a warhorse in two—as it collided with Qian Jing’s great saber.

Clang! The piercing shriek of metal striking metal rang out, and Cage's arm joints cracked again in a continuous volley of sound.

The floor within a three-meter radius of them shuddered violently, kicking up dust that swirled around their calves.

"So fierce? Is he also Five Demon Subjugation? How is that possible?” Cage was startled. One of the key advantages of the Bloodline War Body was its enhancement of the physique! This wasn't merely a change in appearance or just a surge of fighting energy stimulated by bloodline power; more crucially, it fortified the body! Both the generation of force and the capacity to withstand it were greatly improved.

When the two blades met, Cage not only failed to repel Qian Jing using his fighting energy burst, but the counter-force and power from the impact jarred his arm joints to crackling sounds. The web of his thumb and forefinger felt as if it were being torn apart, and even his feet, rooted to the earth, felt unstable.

"Get back!"

Qian Jing let out a cold shout. Without even elevating his Five Demon Subjugation Arts to the Sixth Level, he unified his waist and body, rapidly accelerating the rotation of the Five Demon Subjugation Arts, slamming the great saber downward with immense force! A tide-like power surged down the saber, forcing Cage to retreat five steps, his legs unable to hold firm. With every step, power channeled through his legs and vitality surged through his torso, pushing him back step after step. The floorboards where he retreated exploded into fragments.

Qian Jing pressed down with the great saber, forcing Cage into a rapid retreat. The two sabers locked in a struggle, emitting a grating, ear-piercing friction sound, like two wild beasts snarling and tearing at each other with low growls.

"Is that all you’ve got?” Qian Jing forced Cage back continuously, experiencing for the first time the benefit of the rotational speed in fighting energy. Even with both at the Five Demon Subjugation level, the power unleashed by the rotational force allowed him to virtually overpower his opponent in this brute-force clash.

Retreat, retreat, retreat, retreat, retreat!

Cage fell back again and again, shock mixing with burning rage. His Five Demon Subjugation powered by the Thunder Leopard Bloodline War Body was actually being pushed back repeatedly by an ordinary Demon Subjugation Warrior! Despite the Thunder Leopard bloodline not being renowned for sheer power, its advantage over a regular Demon Subjugation Warrior should still have been evident.

"This is a Bloodline Warrior?”

The great saber held Cage's battle saber locked down. Qian Jing stepped forward relentlessly, his pace steady and unwavering, giving Cage no opportunity to withdraw his blade.

In the blink of an eye, Cage had retreated over a dozen steps. The courtyard wall was rapidly approaching his back. Once his back truly hit the wall, the scales of victory would tip decisively in Qian Jing's favor.

Cage glared at Qian Jing, blood spattering from the corners of his eyes. His dignified Thunder Leopard Bloodline War Body was being suppressed by an ordinary Demon Subjugation Warrior! And this opponent even had enough reserve energy to speak during combat?

Glancing back at the rapidly approaching wall, Cage’s fury swelled uncontrollably. He never imagined being forced to use his bloodline special skill by a mere common Demon Subjugation Warrior!

In a life-or-death moment, Cage discarded the honor of the Bloodline Warrior. As he retreated, his ankles rotated sharply. His body seemed to glide along the ground. He stomped down heavily with one foot, shattering a flagstone, then swung his shoulders and magically slid sideways, narrowly evading the crushing downward strike of the great saber. Like a gust of wind, he appeared at Qian Jing's flank.

Thunder Leopard bloodline power, Thunder Leopard Speed! Cage’s entire body boiled, the fighting energy within his meridians surging as if being flayed. His movement speed was nearly double what it had been before! His battle saber slashed ruthlessly toward Qian Jing’s head!

"Die!" Cage roared, releasing the pain wracking his body and the fury of being suppressed by Qian Jing. Thunder Leopard Speed was a bloodline combat technique beyond the imagination of ordinary Demon Subjugation Warriors! As the blade descended, he could almost smell the blood spraying from Qian Jing’s severed neck.

"Perhaps not!"

Qian Jing’s steps didn't falter. All the muscles in his body twitched strangely in coordination with his fighting energy. His words still hung in the air, but he had already transformed into an afterimage. Cage’s saber was swift as the wind, but Qian Jing was faster than the wind; the blade only sliced through the phantom.

"So fast!"

"So fast!"

Fabredis and Sabonis both shot up from their seats, gripping the armrests in shock, staring fixedly at Qian Jing’s momentary high speed. How could this speed be achieved by someone at the Five Demon Subjugation level?

【Myriad Shadows】! Qian Jing’s body vanished like smoke, reappearing behind Cage. The great saber smashed down mercilessly toward the crown of Cage’s head, and a cold voice immediately entered Cage’s ear: "Is that all you have?"

Cage raised his saber with both hands, twisting his body, bringing the weapon over his head, and dropping into a low horse stance to intercept the downward blow! The clang of metal meeting metal reverberated. Two dull thuds sounded as Cage’s hand-webs were ruptured, fresh blood spurting from the torn flesh. His hands, shoulders, and even legs instantly bore immense pressure. A series of bone dislocations and cracks erupted continuously from within his body. Under the powerful impact, the floorboards beneath his feet cracked dozens of times, sending shattered stone fragments flying upwards.

Bang! Cage dropped to one knee. A searing fire raged in his chest, blood surging violently within him. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of scalding blood, thin trickles of crimson seeping simultaneously from his nose and ears.

Klang! The point where the great saber pressed down on Cage’s battle saber quickly showed a visible, hairline crack. In an instant, with a crisp metallic sound, half of the saber flew away. The great saber continued its path toward Cage’s throat without the slightest pause.

"Qian Jing!"

"Hold your blade!"

Fabredis and Sabonis shouted simultaneously. Qian Jing’s great saber stopped just shy of Cage’s neck, the sharp edge slicing a tiny patch of skin, letting a fresh drop of crimson ooze down the blade onto the ground before him.

The courtyard fell silent, the only sounds being Cage's heavy gasps, the sound of the blood dripping from his neck, and the cold sweat from his brow hitting the ground.

Intense pain gnawed at every inch of his body. At least several joints were dislocated from the impact. His hand-webs were completely shredded. The fighting energy that had flooded his body acted like rogue arsonists, extinguishing the flames of the energy that had just been overwhelmed, only to cause chaos elsewhere inside him.

The physical pain was nothing compared to the mental devastation.

Cage’s spirit completely shattered. His vaunted Bloodline War Body, whether in terms of fighting energy impact or brute strength, was actually inferior to that of an ordinary Demon Subjugation Warrior? The Thunder Leopard Speed that instilled fear in countless Demon Subjugation Warriors failed to keep up with his opponent’s pace! His heavily purchased specialized weapon was severed by his opponent's great saber during the fight..."

Past......"Rise......" Cage’s pride and confidence of the last two years were instantly shattered. His entire world seemed to spin and flip upside down rapidly.

Everyone brought by Keller turned ashen-faced. The Bloodline Warrior, Cage, had been defeated! If the City Lord and the City Guardian hadn't intervened to stop the fight, Cage would have lost his head.

"That weapon of yours is substandard goods," Qian Jing continued, keeping his blade at Cage’s neck, speaking casually. "Did you think my earlier pressure was just to pin you down? You were wrong; I was aiming to destroy your saber! The same impact force applied to the flaw in your weapon results in this outcome."

Cage couldn't hear Qian Jing’s words. Two years of glory were lost in an instant, retreating into his own mental world, staring blankly at the broken saber on the ground.

"Qian Jing!" Keller, sitting on the ground, finally reacted. "Try moving Cage an inch, and see what happens! Do you know who his master is?"

Qian Jing frowned slightly. Why was the master being brought up again? When the disciple loses a fight, do they resort to threatening with the master?

"Qian Jing," Fabredis gently waved his hand. "Forget it. Cage’s master is Jinzetianlu of Hanli Prefecture...*"

"The Hanli Heavenly King?" Qian Jing raised his eyebrows, realizing Cage hailed from a rather peculiar region.

The Zhence Imperial Dynasty was originally composed of eight prefectures and thirty-five provinces. One of these provinces was Hanli Province. However, because this province was situated on the eastern frontier of the empire, it lagged far behind in terms of economy, culture, and even military strength, leading its people to develop a deeply inferiority complex and an overly sensitive nature toward everything. Whenever a recognized figure emerged from this province in any field, they would immediately be elevated to the heavens.

The Zhence Imperial Dynasty was established by military might, placing the utmost importance on the combat prowess of its warriors. While powerful warriors emerged in other prefectures, this had always been the source of Hanli Province's insecurity. Only with the appearance of Jinzetianlu did the people of Hanli Province finally feel pride, vehemently demanding that Hanli Province be recognized as the Ninth Prefecture of the Zhence Dynasty: Hanli Prefecture!

Jinzetianlu was hailed by the people of Hanli Prefecture as the Hanli Heavenly King, and among the nine warriors he personally instructed, several had already made names for themselves on the Human-Demon battlefield.

The original Huangtu Prefecture, which included Hanli, did not appreciate these peculiar provinces causing disturbances within its domain. They simply reported the matter to the Imperial Court and eventually received the Emperor’s approval.

This incident had long been circulated as a joke among the eight prefectures, but only the people of Hanli Prefecture spoke of it with intense pride. Whenever they encountered people from other provinces, they held their heads exceptionally high, adopting an air of looking down on the others, believing people from other prefectures were all spineless cowards.

"Forget it, Qian Jing. You have won," Fabredis sighed. "You have secured the Luo family's property, and the Kai family will pay you a large sum of betting money besides. Why provoke Jinzetianlu? He and his disciples are notoriously protective. Do not kill him."

Sabonis echoed Fabredis's sentiment, yet the shock in his heart refused to subside. This Qian Jing, who was not a Bloodline Warrior, had already reached the Five Demon Subjugation level before the age of nineteen? A true monster! With a bit of luck, he might even have a chance to challenge the Nine Demon Subjugation level within the next decade! It was fortunate that they hadn't truly become enemies.

"Jinzetianlu?" Qian Jing frowned. "The Hanli Heavenly King?"

"Very well, Mr. Fabresdyes, since you have requested it, I will heed your advice and refrain from killing him." Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Qian Jing glanced toward the memorial hall draped with white silk. He clenched his five fingers into a fist, the force of the grip so strong it seemed to crush the air. With a decisive motion, he punched Cage’s neck. The immense power instantly triggered a nerve-wracking symphony of cracking bones. "I killed him with my hand."

Qian Jing spoke each word slowly, his hand pressing down on Cage's corpse, whose neck had shattered. He surveyed everyone present, raised his arm, pointed toward the massive coffin in the memorial area, and shouted coldly: "My friend! He is lying right there! He is lying right there watching me!"

"Who provoked him? What was his offense? Because he inherited a large estate? Is that his crime? Does he deserve to die? Everyone here knows the truth behind his death!"

Qian Jing’s gaze was like a sharp blade, forcing Sabonis to look away, avoiding direct contact. Under the piercing pressure of Qian Jing's stare, Keller’s group all lowered their heads or looked in other directions, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Very well, everyone understands!" Qian Jing’s chest heaved violently. "I, Qian Jing, am not the law. I cannot manage all the matters similar to Fatty’s. But Fatty was my friend, and his troubles are part of my life! If no one intervenes, if the law won't even lend a hand? Fine! I will handle it myself! To take someone's life and then dare to challenge for inheritance in a duel? Regardless of whether you, Cage, participated in Fatty’s death before, you certainly participated this time. Since you participated, you should have been prepared for the possible consequences!"

"Hehe..." He is watching me..." Qian Jing’s voice held a note of sorrow and grief, as if speaking to himself, nodding gently. "He is watching me. He is lying right there watching me."

In the courtyard, the expressions of the onlookers varied. Sabonis remained silent and expressionless. Fabredis's initial dissatisfaction gradually transformed into admiration—a true man should possess such responsibility!

The Kai family members were ashen-faced as they were at the beginning. Gu Yuejiaying’s delicate white hands lightly clapped together in applause; a man should possess some mettle.

At that moment, Luo Qingqing’s sorrowful weeping filled the courtyard. She collapsed onto her knees, covering her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.