Chapter 137: Slaying the Elder
At this moment, a deathly silence descended upon the land. The terrifying, heaven-shaking aura of Li Jiansan had rippled for thousands of miles, drawing the attention of numerous disciples. Everyone present stared in horror, as if they were witnessing a demon.
Though the elder he had just slain might have seemed of little consequence, no one knew what connections he might have had in the shadows. Li Jiansan had acted without hesitation, showing a reckless disregard for his own life! Even without a background, the man was still an elder of the Azure Dragon Academy. By striking him down, was Li Jiansan not openly challenging the very dignity of the institution? A mere freshman, acting with such arrogance and brutality—if the Academy were to find out, Li Jiansan would surely face certain death.
Beyond the shock of his audacity, the crowd was stunned by Li Jiansan's strength. That elder had to have been at least at the third or fourth level of the Foundation Establishment stage to hold his position. Yet, a dignified elder of that level had been cut down by Li Jiansan as if he were nothing. To what terrifying extent had his power grown?
Elder Mo looked at the cold corpse of Elder Zhang, nearly vomiting blood in his fury. He had never imagined that Li Jiansan would actually dare to kill him. Now that an elder was dead, the matter had escalated beyond control. Any dreams of currying favor or reaching the peak of his career were gone; he would be lucky to escape punishment himself.
"You scoundrel! To dare kill an Academy elder—do you have no respect for the institution?" Elder Mo bellowed in righteous indignation. "Your depravity knows no bounds! Even if the Academy could tolerate you, I cannot stand by. Today, I shall act on behalf of heaven and strike you down, you wretch!"
Elder Mo knew he had to kill Li Jiansan first and then shift all the blame onto him; after all, the dead could not speak.
Watching Elder Mo’s display of self-righteousness, Li Jiansan said indifferently, "If you want to fight, just say so. Spare me the hypocritical facade. But if you wish to kill me, you had better weigh your own worth first."
"Die!"
Elder Mo’s aura surged violently, like an erupting volcano. His overwhelming pressure soared into the heavens, causing the very earth to tremble.
Foundation Establishment, sixth level!
Elder Mo’s strength was considered superior among those in his stage, and his cultivation level far surpassed Li Jiansan's. Furthermore, at over thirty years of age, his combat experience and temperament were seasoned. To the onlookers, the gap between the two was insurmountable. They were not even on the same level. Li Jiansan stood no chance.
"You have murdered an elder and shown total contempt for your superiors. Heaven will not forgive you! Kneel!" Elder Mo glared at Li Jiansan, hoping to crush his spirit with sheer pressure.
*Heh,* Li Jiansan thought. *Do you even know who I am? As a supreme villain of destiny, how could I ever kneel? Even the protagonists wouldn't dare be this arrogant—and you think you can?*
"Superiors?" Li Jiansan looked at Elder Mo coldly, a sharp, frigid killing intent radiating from his body. "Trash like you deserve to be called 'superiors'? In my eyes, you are nothing!"
The killing intent intensified as Li Jiansan commanded, "Scram!"
Elder Mo was stunned. He had never expected a lowly freshman to be this arrogant, daring to speak such insolent words even under his constant suppression. Enraged beyond measure, Elder Mo roared, "You bastard! You don't know when to repent even at death’s door. A miscreant like you is unfit for the Azure Dragon Academy! I shall purge you from our ranks today!"
Elder Mo stomped his foot, shattering the surrounding rocks and causing the ground to crack like a spiderweb. A thunderous roar echoed through the void.
"Thundercloud Slash!"
Drawing a black-ink longsword, Elder Mo unleashed a cyan sword aura that looked like a strike from atop a storm cloud, as if it would tear the dark sky asunder. The aura crackled with terrifying lightning, booming through the air as it tore toward Li Jiansan.
*Whoosh!*
The fierce sword energy whistled past, leaving afterimages in the air as it struck toward Li Jiansan like a bolt of lightning. Facing the sky-filling radiance of the blade, Li Jiansan remained grim and unmoved. With a slight shift, he easily evaded the attack.
"Damnable brat!" Elder Mo was livid, though a chill began to creep into his heart. The boy’s speed was unnatural—he had dodged an attack that even someone at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment would struggle to avoid. His desire to kill grew even stronger; such a genius would surely be a calamity if allowed to grow.
"Hah!"
Elder Mo shouted, unleashing another thunderous sword aura, dense with murderous intent, as he slashed down at Li Jiansan. Thunder rumbled, and dark clouds pressed down, turning the sky dim and filling the air with a suffocating pressure.
*Boom!*
The moment the sword energy met Li Jiansan, it whipped up a terrifying storm, reducing the surrounding trees and rocks to debris. The void itself trembled.
"Li Jiansan, you think a little strength allows you to run rampant in the Azure Dragon Academy? First, killing disciples on the day of enrollment, then provoking Elder Liu Yan, and now this—daring to murder an elder! Do you truly think you can continue to act with such lawlessness?" Elder Mo screamed. "A wretch like you is not fit to live! Today, I shall use absolute power to execute you on the spot!"
On Li Jiansan’s side, the moment the sword aura touched his Supreme Remnant Sword, it was like an egg hitting a rock, shattering instantly into nothingness. However, the fierce wind generated by the strike caught the edge of his sleeve.
*Rip.*
A small tear appeared on his cuff.
"You have damaged my garment. For this crime, you must die!"
Li Jiansan’s voice was frigid, laden with boundless killing intent. His true essence erupted like roaring magma. He now resembled a demon god descending from hell, his voice shaking the entire world.
"How is this possible?" Elder Mo’s face turned ghastly. He could not accept the cruel reality—Li Jiansan stood unscathed after taking his strike. That was a Profound-tier martial technique! Even someone at the seventh level of the Martial Spirit stage would have been severely wounded.
"Go to the underworld and ponder your failure there."
Li Jiansan gripped his golden broadsword and swung. A brilliant, heaven-splitting light erupted. Elder Mo panicked and raised his sword to block, but Li Jiansan’s blade was far sharper, possessing an unstoppable, piercing edge. It tore through Elder Mo’s energy as easily as splitting wood. The residual power of the strike spread for miles like a falling thunderbolt.
"No!"
Elder Mo felt a chill run through his marrow, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. He felt a terrifying power in the strike. How could a mere teenager possess such a means? He could not comprehend it.
*Crack!*
The terrifying sword energy tore through Elder Mo’s body, obliterating half of him in an instant.
"Ah..." Elder Mo let out a desperate, mournful scream.
Li Jiansan’s cold gaze fell upon him, causing the elder’s legs to tremble and his back to run cold. A newly enrolled disciple, only at the Martial Spirit stage, had pushed an Academy elder to this point. Everyone watching stared in utter disbelief.
"Speak. Who sent you to kill me?" Li Jiansan demanded.
Elder Mo froze, his heart trembling. How did the boy know? He rolled his eyes, feigning ignorance. "No one sent me! A miscreant like you deserves to be struck down by everyone!" Even knowing his end was near, he dared not betray Liu Yan. Liu Yan was ruthless; if he knew Elder Mo had sold him out, his family would suffer.
Li Jiansan chuckled lightly. "Heh, I know it was that old bastard Liu Yan even if you don't tell me."
"You... how did you know?" Elder Mo’s eyes widened in horror.
"Now, go to hell."
Li Jiansan did not wait for an answer. A chilling, brilliant sword light surged forth, and with a final, mournful cry, Elder Mo vanished into the sea of blade radiance.