Chapter 22: Slaying a Grandmaster with One Sword!

The voice wasn't loud, but it was as cold and sharp as a knife. Izawa Lei's clothes billowed without wind, and the ground beneath his feet cracked open, stirring up dust. He stood with his hands behind his back, his aura dominating the entire arena. Swish Swish! Everyone's eyes were fixed on Ben Xiao, all with a spectator's attitude. "The martial arts grandmaster behind the Lei family has finally made a move. Ben Xiao is undoubtedly doomed!" "Truly a martial arts grandmaster, such an oppressive aura! Just watching him makes us feel like submitting in awe. Ben Xiao's life ends here." Ryder Su, Diego Su, and Ndubisi Chen all smiled. Roger Lei, full of self-confidence, stared coldly at Ben Xiao, arrogantly saying, "Ben Xiao, this is the Lei family's ultimate reliance. What can you possibly use to counter my family?!" "Being able to meet a martial arts grandmaster before dying is your eight lifetimes' fortune. Why don't you commit seppuku as an apology?!" Izawa Lei charged forward, shouting, "With the martial arts grandmaster here, why don't you commit seppuku?!" Ryder Su laughed proudly, "Ben Xiao, you previously said I would regret not befriending you for life. What a joke. With the martial arts grandmaster here, why don't you commit seppuku?" Mockery filled the hall; everyone looked at Ben Xiao with scorn. After a moment, Ben Xiao coldly looked at Izawa Lei, "Me, commit seppuku? Are you worthy?" "Izawa Lei, I'll give you a choice—cripple your cultivation and crawl under me. Then, perhaps, I might grant you a swift end." "I have presided over Jiang Bei for twenty years, and no one has dared to disrespect me. You are the first," Izawa Lei said, not in anger, but with a pitying demeanor. "Young man, you are still too ignorant. Very well, today I will let you witness what a martial arts grandmaster truly is." In an instant— Izawa Lei stomped on the ground. Boom! In the hall, eight grand chairs lined up on both sides simultaneously exploded into dust. He punched out. Boom! A sonic boom tore through the air, and a punch swept across. Releasing internal strength outwards! This punch pierced a thick golden phoebe column. And it continues towards Ben Xiao! This punch might terrify everyone. 'This is the power of a martial arts grandmaster? Is this even human?' 'How can Ben Xiao survive against such terror?' Hector rushed in front of Ben Xiao, punching out, "Dare to touch my lord? Die!" To train one's fist by facing challenges head-on. Boom! Their fists collided with a thunderous impact. Shattering the marble floor. Hector staggered back three steps, his arm marked with a fiery red palm print. Still, he had blocked the grandmaster's strike. "Oh? To block a strike from a grandmaster. Impressive, but you're no grandmaster. Even the strongest physical skills are just flesh before a grandmaster," Izawa Lei frowned slightly. "Ben Xiao, your reliance is merely this guard. Today, I, Izawa Lei, will break this reliance." Swoosh! With a swift step, Izawa Lei appeared in front of Hector, punching down with mountainous force. Releasing internal energy and exerting it outwardly, with a formidable force like Mount Tai pressing down. Grandmasters could project their internal energy to kill from afar. But the further it traveled, the weaker it became. Close-range bursts were the strongest. This attack was more than twice as powerful as the previous one. Boom! Hector was immediately forced to kneel, sliding back several steps, blood spilling from his mouth. Wherever he passed, a trail of red marks was left on the ground. A chilling sight! Satisfied, Izawa Lei sneered, "Ben Xiao, your greatest reliance is now heavily injured. What will you counter me with?" Swoosh! With a kick, he sent a knife sliding to Ben Xiao's feet, "Commit seppuku." Swoosh Swoosh! Everyone around stared mockingly at Ben Xiao. Izawa Lei arrogantly added, "Ben Xiao, you have no more reliance. Won’t you commit seppuku?" Ben Xiao didn't answer but walked to Hector, placing his right hand on his shoulder. Buzz! A powerful force flowed into Hector. Everyone clearly saw that Hector's injuries were healing at a visible rate to the naked eye. In just a few breaths, Hector was completely healed and stood up. "Lord, let me fight again for you." "No need. Your meridians were sealed by my madness earlier. You shouldn't fight anymore." "But..." "No matter. I'll handle it myself." Turning around, Ben Xiao swept his gaze across everyone and smiled devilishly. "Who told you that Hector is my greatest reliance? My greatest reliance is myself." "Izawa Lei, I spared your son before, and you called me foolish? No, I have absolute power to suppress the Lei family. What if I spared him? I can kill him whenever I wish!" "A martial arts grandmaster, impressive, isn't it?" "How do you know who I, Ben Xiao, truly am?" With that, Ben Xiao stepped lightly on the ground. Boom! The moment his foot touched, the ground within a three-meter radius exploded! His clothes billowed without wind. A storm, centered on Ben Xiao, raged in all directions. Shattering windows and cracking the ground. Two pine and cypress trees, ten meters away, were uprooted completely. With a dominating momentum, it overwhelms all directions. Everyone was shocked as if seeing a demon. "Internal energy projection, a martial arts grandmaster!" "He has reached the realm of a grandmaster!" "How could he reach this realm at just twenty years old?!" Izawa Lei's eyes bulged, "A twenty-year-old grandmaster! Ben Xiao, is this your reliance?" Swoosh! Ben Xiao bent down, picking up the knife, twirling it in his hand, "Using your knife to kill you is fitting." "Izawa Lei, you are just a vicious dog from Donghai. How dare you run rampant in Xia Country? Do you think this is the Xia Country of forty years ago?" "Today, I will teach you a lesson—Xia Country's soil is sacred and inviolable! Violators die!" With that, he gripped the knife handle and slashed forward. Boom! A transparent blade light, three meters high, swept out like a crescent moon towards Izawa Lei. "What? Such immense internal energy? It has even taken form?!" Izawa Lei gasped, unable to dodge. He drew his sword and slashed out. His blade light was strong, but paled in comparison to the crescent moon, looking feeble and ugly. Like a firefly compared to the bright moon. The difference was clear. Crack! His blade light was crushed. And his sword snapped in two. "No!!!" With a scream, the crescent moonlight pierced Izawa Lei's body! Continuing its path. It struck the hall's rear wall twenty meters away. Boom! The wall cracked five meters high! On the ground, there was even a huge straight crack left in front! Splat! Spurting blood, Izawa Lei slowly knelt down. Silence fell! Dead silence! Swoosh swoosh swoosh! Everyone's eyes turned to Ben Xiao. Like seeing a divine being! Clang! The knife flew from Ben Xiao's hand, embedding itself in the ground before Izawa Lei. Half of the blade sank into the marble floor, still vibrating. Like a harsh and piercing sound! "Izawa Lei, one slash from me is all it takes. This is my reliance, Ben Xiao's!" "Use this knife and end yourself." Izawa Lei, clutching the huge crack across his chest, watched blood gush out, his eyes filled with terror, "Ben Xiao, I concede! For the sake of my master, please spare my life. I promise, I'll leave Xia Country immediately and never set foot in it again." Ben Xiao frowned, "Your master?" As Izawa Lei spat blood, he said, "My master is the swordmaster who overwhelmed Zhonghai's heroes, Liam Ye!" Upon hearing this name, the whole audience was shocked! Ben Xiao felt the name vaguely familiar and was momentarily stunned. Seeing Ben Xiao silent, Izawa Lei thought he was intimidated by Liam Ye's fame and felt a surge of pride, "My master, Liam Ye, was the most formidable figure in Zhonghai for nearly half a century. He broke through to a martial arts grandmaster at thirty, a peerless prodigy. Later, he was naturalized by Donghai and joined its nationality. Twenty years ago, Liam Ye led three thousand warriors from Donghai to forcefully land at Zhonghai's East Port. He challenged all the martial arts masters along the way." "In just three days, he defeated all of Zhonghai's heroes. He finally visited the number one family of Zhonghai, the Li family, and overwhelmingly defeated the head martial arts master Vladimir Li. He established the Mighty Dojo at the pinnacle of Zhonghai's martial arts, receiving tributes from all major families. Had it not been for the intervention of the master from Wutai Mountain at the Western Jiang border, Zhonghai would have been under the Mighty Dojo's rule by now." "Although my master was gravely injured by the master of Wutai Mountain, who also sustained severe injuries, they agreed that my master would not enter Zhonghai for twenty years. Now, as the twenty-year period is about to end, my master is preparing to return and reign over Zhonghai. For the past twenty years, I've been hiding my identity in the Lei family to pave the way for my master's return. Spare me, and my master might spare your life!" Izawa Lei became more excited as he spoke, seemingly gaining the upper hand by the end. Sweat broke out on the faces of Ryder Su and Ndubisi Chen, both from Zhonghai, turning pale and bloodless. Others might not know what the name Liam Ye meant. But these two old men from Zhonghai knew very well. It was a name that almost brought the entire Zhonghai to its knees. Back then, the major families of Zhonghai had been reduced to desperate straits due to Liam Ye's arrival. Liam Ye, a god-like figure! Slap! A loud slap resounded striking on Izawa Lei's face. As Ben Xiao suddenly appeared in front of Izawa Lei, "Are you deaf? I said, the land of Xia Country is sacred and inviolable; my compatriots of Xia, not to be bullied!" After speaking, Ben Xiao pulled out the knife from the ground, holding it to Izawa Lei's neck, "Unwilling to commit seppuku? Then, I shall do it!" "No, no! You can't kill me. My master is Liam Ye. If you kill me, my master will surely dismember your body into a thousand pieces!" Ben Xiao's expression was cold, "Xia Country cannot be bullied!!!" With those words, he raised the knife. Swoosh! Izawa Lei's head was severed. Blood spurted from the neck. Izawa Lei's head rolled on the ground, finally coming to a stop at Roger Lei's feet. Roger Lei was trembling with fear. Ben Xiao coldly said, "Roger Lei, you thought you could compete with me because of Izawa Lei? So what about a martial arts grandmaster? I cut him down with one sword!" Thump! Izawa Lei finally dropped his arrogance, kneeling before Ben Xiao, "Ben Xiao, my Lei family has lost!" Thump, thump! The terrified Young Master Lei and Iris Chen also knelt down. "Master Xiao, we're sorry!" The once high and mighty number one family of Jiang Bei, now kneeling, begging for mercy. The young man in green, holding a long sword. Stood towering over Jiang Bei. After a long while, Ben Xiao spoke again, "Izawa Lei, where is my second aunt?" Roger Lei's face twisted, resisting the urge to speak. "Not talking? Very well!" Ben Xiao walked over to Young Master Lei, placing the knife on his neck, "I said, even if I return your son, I can still kill him." With that, he slashed. Young Master Lei's head was severed. Then, Hector placed the bodies of Young Master Lei and Izawa Lei in two coffins. The entire process was eerily silent. Everyone was chilled, no one daring to utter a sound. Ben Xiao then held the knife to Iris Chen's neck, his demeanor icy, "I'll ask again, where is my second aunt?" Roger Lei, on the brink of mental collapse, still remained silent. Holding on to his last shred of rationality, he resisted speaking. "My second aunt was captured by you, suffering untold humiliations, living a fate worse than death. Her life or death remains unknown. Your Lei family even participated in the extermination of the Xiao family in Zhonghai. You all deserve death!" Ben Xiao coldly declared and slashed again, killing Iris Chen! Seeing Roger Lei still silent, Ben Xiao became increasingly aware of the complexity behind the past events. Roger Lei would rather watch his wife and children be killed than speak. Not because he didn't want to, but out of fear, and dread. What could make Roger Lei, with a grandmaster in his family, so fearful? Ben Xiao sighed deeply, "The Xiao family of Zhonghai was annihilated without cause. Today, the Lei family does not exist anymore. Hector, go capture them. Since we brought nine coffins, we shall return with them full." "Yes!" Hector ordered, and nine black-clad men sprang into action... Eight of the nine coffins were filled. Ben Xiao placed the knife on Roger Lei's neck, "Roger Lei, the last coffin is for you. Whether you live or die, you decide." Swoosh! Facing death, Roger Lei finally mustered a strong will to live, raising his head, "If I tell you, will you let me live?" Ben Xiao, "Yes." Roger Lei gritted his teeth, "Fine, I'll tell you." ----------