Speaking, the Ninth Grand Duke’s gaze was sinister, and the qi in his hands began to flow like substance.
Twenty-four years ago, he had also fought with the Mad Monk... As for the result, he was beaten badly.
If it weren't for Gan Dao of the Ba Tian Sect arriving in time to save his life, he would have died under the Mad Monk's wild punches twenty-four years ago.
And it was Gan Dao himself who later sealed the Mad Monk, with the Ninth Grand Duke having no significant involvement.
If any connection were to be made, it would be that the Ninth Grand Duke, acting as a 'punching bag', had consumed some of the Mad Monk's stamina.
Of course, this consumption was negligible for the Mad Monk.
Fortunately, there were no witnesses to that great battle, so afterward, the Ninth Grand Duke proclaimed that he and Master Gan Dao had jointly sealed the Mad Monk, and everyone believed it to be true.
In reality, this great defeat had always been regarded by the Ninth Grand Duke as a profound humiliation, even becoming his inner demon.
For twenty-four years, his cultivation had barely progressed, held back by that crushing defeat.
Therefore, he knew that if he were to make any further breakthroughs in martial arts, he had to defeat the Mad Monk once.
He felt that now was the best opportunity.
In his opinion, over the past twenty-four years, the Mad Monk had been listening to scriptures at Fahua Temple, neglecting his practice, and was now so emaciated that his appearance was unrecognizable. His power must have greatly diminished.
This was why he believed it was his chance.
However, after hearing his words, the Mad Monk sneered, "What's different? In these twenty-four years, your power hasn't improved at all!"
The Mad Monk was mad, but he wasn't foolish.
The Ninth Grand Duke’s expression stiffened. He hadn't expected the Mad Monk to see through this.
"Hmph, so what if it hasn't improved? It's enough to kill you!"
With a furious roar, the Ninth Grand Duke struck out with his palm towards the Mad Monk.
"Heh heh, kill me?"
"Go to hell!"
It had to be said that the Mad Monk's behavior had absolutely nothing to do with being a monk; profanity spilled from his lips!
As he cursed, his hands were not idle. Grabbing the Ninth Grand Duke's qi-infused palm as if holding a child's hand...
With a sharp twist, *crack*...
The Ninth Grand Duke's fingernails, finger bones, and wrist bones shattered inch by inch!
"Ah..."
The Ninth Grand Duke cried out in pain, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, "You mad monk, I will never rest until you are dead!"
"Never rest until I'm dead, your ass!"
The Mad Monk cursed, swinging his other fist and smashing it into the Ninth Grand Duke's face.
*Bang*—
With one punch, the Ninth Grand Duke's face was a mess of red, flesh, and blood!
The group of Jin Yi Wei guards were stunned. They knew that Sect Master Ninth Grand Duke had true qi attached to his body, making him impervious to ordinary attacks.
Yet, this Mad Monk, with what appeared to be an ordinary punch, had cracked the Ninth Grand Duke's face. It was truly… unbelievable!
After much thought, this was the only phrase they could come up with.
However, this was not the end; it could even be said to be just the beginning.
"Fuck you, you eunuch bastard! I hate your kind of neither-man-nor-woman monsters the most. Die!"
The Mad Monk rained punches down on the Ninth Grand Duke's face, as if venting, cursing as he struck, thoroughly enjoying himself!
"Holy Monk, spare me!"
*Bang!*
"Holy Monk, don't hit anymore..."
*Bang!*
"I beg you, stop hitting..."
*Bang!*
"No, please..."
*Bang!*
"..."
*Bang!*
At first, the Ninth Grand Duke could still beg for mercy, but as the Mad Monk's fists fell like raindrops, the Ninth Grand Duke's breath grew weaker, and his pleas became softer.
Until finally, the Ninth Grand Duke was on his last breath, no longer having the strength to beg.
He could only exhale, with no more air to inhale.
The Mad Monk finally stopped. He looked at the Ninth Grand Duke with disappointment, spat on his bloody, unrecognizable face.
"Fuck you, you useless dog! You can't take a beating at all. I haven't even had my fill, and you're already done for!"
The Ninth Grand Duke was not quite dead yet, and the Mad Monk clearly had no intention of letting him go so easily.
He grabbed the Ninth Grand Duke by the neck with one hand and his head with the other, and with a strong pull, the Ninth Grand Duke's head was completely ripped off.
Seeing this, everyone was dumbfounded. The entire hall was filled with a foul stench, as some had wet themselves in fear, defecating and urinating.
Others vomited uncontrollably, spewing out their bile.
The Mad Monk held the Ninth Grand Duke's head, shaking it and laughing maniacally.
"Hahahaha, exhilarating, truly exhilarating!"
"I'm back, hahaha, so damn exhilarating!"
"I'm going to kill you all!"
The Mad Monk flung the Ninth Grand Duke's head against the wall, and it shattered.
However, the Mad Monk's killing spree had only just begun.
After killing the Ninth Grand Duke, he set his sights on the Jin Yi Wei guards.
Facing such fierce and perverted eyes, these martial artists, who were at least at the Martial Spirit level, didn't even have the slightest thought of resistance.
They fled as fast as their legs could carry them!
However, the Mad Monk's eyes were red with bloodlust, and he wouldn't let them escape.
He leaped forward, shattering one Jin Yi Wei guard's head with a punch, and kicked another, splitting his body in half. Intestines and organs spilled out, the heart still thumping.
A tiger entering a flock of sheep was nothing compared to this.
These dozen or so Jin Yi Wei guards were no match for the Mad Monk. In just over ten seconds, they all met their end at his hands.
"This is insane, he's truly a mad monk. Old Li, what do we do?"
Zhao Yuanjie asked, swallowing hard.
Li Tianxiang ignored him.
"Old Li?"
Zhao Yuanjie called out again.
Li Tianxiang still didn't respond, sitting there blankly, his eyes fixed on the Mad Monk's slaughter.
"Old Li?"
Zheng Tianpeng nudged Li Tianxiang's body and found him stiff.
His heart sank. He reached out and checked Li Tianxiang's breathing.
Then, Zheng Tianpeng gave a wry smile, "Stop calling him. Old Li died of fright."
Wang Xuedao and Zhao Yuanjie were speechless.
Their greatest thought at that moment was to envy Song Kaijiang immensely.
"It seems we are all going to die here today,"
Zhao Yuanjie said helplessly, the three old men's hearts had turned to ice.
The clansmen of the four great families were also in disarray, but only internally.
Facing a beast like the Mad Monk, they dared not make any move.
And now, after the Mad Monk had slaughtered all the Jin Yi Wei guards, his killing intent had not diminished in the slightest; instead, it had become even more intense.
It was as if killing so many people had not sated even a sliver of his bloodlust.
Li Ziqing trembled slightly as she looked at Chen Xiao, her voice a mere whisper, "Husband..."
Chen Xiao could see her fear. To comfort her, Chen Xiao gently took her hand and said softly, "Don't worry, with your husband here, this guy won't hurt you."
Hearing this, Li Ziqing felt relieved.
Then, Chen Xiao suddenly asked, "Do you want to avenge your parents with your own hands?"
The Mad Monk's next target was everyone present. If Chen Xiao didn't stop him, he would kill them all.
Li Ziqing shook her head, "Forget it. My revenge is already complete. It doesn't matter to me who killed them."
Li Ziqing didn't care if she personally killed the people who had caused her parents' deaths; she only cared that they were dead.
Hearing this, Chen Xiao nodded and let it be.
And the Mad Monk seemed to be able to distinguish who was easy to provoke and who was not.
He passed by Chen Xiao and Li Ziqing several times, his gaze never wavering, as if they didn't exist.
He moved back and forth between Chen Xiao and Li Ziqing, busy reaping the lives of everyone present.
From south to north, then north to south, then south to north again, repeating this process until everyone present was killed.
Killing was a pleasure for him, a game, and he would add more fun to this game himself.
Until only three people remained: the Mad Monk, Chen Xiao, and Li Ziqing.
The Mad Monk stood before Chen Xiao, grinned, but did not attack.
"You don't seem to fear me at all."
The Mad Monk said.
"You don't seem foolish at all."
Chen Xiao replied.
"Of course. I'm just mad. Madmen aren't necessarily fools, and fools aren't necessarily mad,"
The Mad Monk uttered what seemed like a profound statement.
"You are very dangerous. You are the only one here who makes me uneasy. People like you are rare in the world."
The Mad Monk said this to Chen Xiao, and then he glanced at Li Ziqing, "She is too."
Li Ziqing was slightly taken aback. What did this Mad Monk mean? She was also rare in the world?
But Li Ziqing didn't voice these questions, as she deeply feared the Mad Monk.
Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. Could it be that this Mad Monk could see something?
"You are quite interesting, and also rarely seen in the world."
Chen Xiao had never met anyone else who found pleasure in killing like the Mad Monk, nor had he even heard of such a person.
"I'm leaving."
The Mad Monk turned his back and waved at Chen Xiao, "Farewell."
"You don't want to kill me?"
Chen Xiao suddenly asked.
"I do."
The Mad Monk replied truthfully, "Killing is my instinct and my pleasure. Besides my master, I want to kill everyone."
"Especially since you resemble my master, that makes it even more reason to kill."
"Then why aren't you attacking me?"
Chen Xiao asked.
"I don't have absolute certainty of killing you."
Monks do not lie. The Mad Monk, after all, was a monk, and was quite frank.
"Heh heh..."
Chen Xiao smiled, "I don't believe you can resist."
The Mad Monk's steps faltered, his back stiffened, as if he were hesitating, struggling, making a decision.
Li Ziqing's heart clenched. Although she trusted Chen Xiao and had great faith in him, the Mad Monk still made her wary.
Only when the Mad Monk's back relaxed and he continued to walk forward did Li Ziqing finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However, before she could fully catch her breath, the Mad Monk suddenly turned around and pounced on Chen Xiao like a fierce tiger emerging from the mountains.
"You guessed right, I can't resist!"
The Mad Monk's face contorted into a sinister grin, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"You also guessed right."
Chen Xiao kicked out, and the Mad Monk was instantly sent flying like a falling leaf, crashing heavily onto the ground, creating a large pit.
"I am very dangerous."
Chen Xiao said indifferently.
This Mad Monk had some skill, but it was not enough to pose a threat to him.
The Mad Monk lay in the pit, unable to get up for a long time.
Even with his bronze skin and iron bones, he couldn't withstand Chen Xiao's kick.
"You, who exactly are you?"
The Mad Monk asked through gritted teeth.
He had already estimated Chen Xiao's strength to be very high, but after actually fighting, he realized he had still underestimated Chen Xiao's power.
Moreover, Chen Xiao's strength was different from the cultivator who had sealed him before; it was an extreme, overbearing strength that made him dare not resist.
Most importantly, this was a very familiar strength!
"You wouldn't recognize me even if I told you."
Chen Xiao said calmly, "Tell me about yourself, who exactly are you? Or rather, who is your master, and why did you mistake me for your master?"
The Mad Monk remained silent for a moment, then said, "I am a madman, a madman who fears nothing, a madman who kills for a living. He who kills, shall be killed by others... so I've long known that one day I would die at someone else's hands. So don't think that just because you're stronger than me, you have the right to demand answers."
Chen Xiao was about to say that if he didn't answer, he had plenty of ways to make him answer.
However, before he could speak, the Mad Monk said first, "But I find you congenial, so I've decided to tell you."
Chen Xiao: "..."
The Mad Monk wasted a lot of words just to tell Chen Xiao that he wasn't saying this because he feared Chen Xiao.
"I come from the Immortal Hidden Realm."
The Mad Monk's first sentence was something Chen Xiao hadn't expected.
Chen Xiao had thought the Mad Monk came from some ancient martial arts sect, like the Iron Fist Sect, because the techniques he displayed were all grand and forceful, relying on brute strength and his robust physique.
He hadn't expected this guy to be from the Immortal Hidden Realm.
"Master created me."
The Mad Monk's second sentence shocked Chen Xiao even more than the first.
"Your master created you, what does that mean?"
Chen Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Are you some kind of puppet? Or are you a robot?"
The Mad Monk shook his head, "I am not a puppet, nor am I a robot. I have self-awareness. Although I look like a human, I was not born of humans. Strictly speaking, I am not human. Master created me."
Hearing this, Chen Xiao's heart fluttered.
"How did your master create you?"
Chen Xiao suddenly thought of what Wu Xiang had said earlier, that he was not human.
Could he be like this Mad Monk?
Chen Xiao's mind began to wander.
The Mad Monk shook his head, "I don't remember clearly. I only remember that Master created me. I was born from chaos, stirred the yin and yang, split the heavens and earth, and then came to this world."
"Are you Pangu or something?"
Chen Xiao quipped, "Speak like a human!"
"That's the fact. If you want me to elaborate, I can't."
The Mad Monk suddenly asked in a low voice, "Do you remember?"
"Remember what?"
Chen Xiao was baffled.
"Do you remember how you were born?"
"..."
Of course I don't remember, Chen Xiao shouted inwardly.
Then he thought that it was perhaps too much to ask this fellow to recall how he was created.
"Never mind, tell me, who exactly is your master?"
Chen Xiao shifted to the next question.
"My master he..."
The Mad Monk scratched his head, "I only remember that everyone called him Master Si Hai."
Master Si Hai???
Chen Xiao was completely stunned, his head buzzing.
"Is your master's surname Chen?"