Xiàshān Bào's mouth crooked, and he said indignantly, "You brat, you're too arrogant. I originally wanted to spare your life, but now I've changed my mind!"
With that, Xiàshān Bào charged at Chen Xiao.
His hands curved into claws, enveloped in a surge of energy, aiming straight for Chen Xiao's vital points.
It was a killing blow from the start, showing that he truly wanted to leave no chance for Chen Xiao to live.
Chen Xiao frowned, also displeased.
How dare a mere Qi Realm martial artist act so presumptuously in front of him?
He stood his ground without dodging, letting Xiàshān Bào's claw strike his chest.
*Bang!*
A burst of energy erupted, and Chen Xiao was unharmed, not even budging.
Xiàshān Bào, however, was sent flying back with a *bang*, crashing hard onto the ground, spitting blood.
In an instant, Xiàshān Bào knew Chen Xiao's strength was immense.
But in front of so many people, he would never surrender or admit defeat.
With a quick flip like a carp, he sprang back up.
"Damn it, I'll fight you to the death!"
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Xiàshān Bào charged at Chen Xiao again.
Yet, his all-out attack couldn't break Chen Xiao's defense. How could he succeed this time?
One surge of courage, then a decline, then exhaustion!
Xiàshān Bào launched three fierce attacks against Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao remained unharmed, while Xiàshān Bào himself was panting, coughing up blood.
The onlookers were shocked. Xiàshān Bào, as the local boss of this area, was already considered very strong in their eyes.
Who would have thought that in front of this young man, he was as weak as a three-year-old child? Even weaker than a three-year-old child.
"Are you done?"
Chen Xiao asked indifferently, then calmly said, "Then it's my turn now."
As he spoke, Chen Xiao's body instantly vanished.
The next second, he appeared behind Xiàshān Bào like a ghost and struck down with a palm. Xiàshān Bào's body immediately went limp like a noodle and collapsed to the ground.
"I yield, I yield..."
In an instant, Xiàshān Bào was enveloped by the fear of death.
He slapped the ground in surrender.
In the face of death, pride was utterly worthless.
Chen Xiao nodded, not pressing his attack further.
"Very well, since you surrender, fulfill your promise. Should I do it, or will you do it yourself?"
Chen Xiao was referring to Xiàshān Bào's bet to cut off his own legs if he lost.
Xiàshān Bào cupped his hands and said, "Master, you are a master. My master is also a master. Could you give my master some face and spare me this time!"
"Your master is also a master?"
Chen Xiao asked indifferently, "Who is your master?"
"My master is known in the martial world as Ding Yi, the Seven-Character Electric Sword. Surely, Master, you have heard of him?"
Xiàshān Bào said with a hint of pride.
Chen Xiao shook his head, "Never heard of him."
Then he looked around, as if searching for something.
Xiàshān Bào was slightly taken aback, "My master is very famous. If you don't believe me, you can ask around... We are all people of the martial world, let's not fall out..."
Xiàshān Bào's words trailed off midway.
Because he noticed Chen Xiao was looking for a knife.
Finally, Chen Xiao took a watermelon knife from one of Xiàshān Bào's subordinates. The subordinate was so scared he didn't dare to make a sound.
Chen Xiao weighed it, feeling it was adequate, and returned to Xiàshān Bào.
"Master, give my master some fa... Ah!"
Xiàshān Bào pleaded desperately, but it couldn't stop the watermelon knife in Chen Xiao's hand.
*Crack—*
The knife fell, the leg broke, and blood sprayed across the ground.
After severing Xiàshān Bào's legs, Chen Xiao casually tossed the watermelon knife aside and said indifferently, "Tell your master that these legs were cut off by Chen Xiao of Jiangbei. If he's not satisfied, he can come find me for revenge anytime."
With that, Chen Xiao left, walking away with Gu Zhendong.
Xiàshān Bào was in so much pain he was almost unconscious. But in his dying moments, he suddenly remembered where he had heard the name Chen Xiao.
Wasn't that the new generation's supreme being of Jiangbei, Boss Chen!
...
The scene in the Ghost Market was just a minor interlude, which Chen Xiao didn't take to heart. Back at the hotel, he took out the seal of Tang Bohu and began to play with it.
The spiritual energy within this seal was quite abundant. The reason Chen Xiao was unwilling to sell it was that he wanted to use this spiritual artifact as the core to set up a formation at home.
The incident caused by Xuan Mingzi had served as a wake-up call for Chen Xiao.
As his strength continued to grow, his enemies also increased. If his enemies couldn't deal with him, their attention would inevitably shift to his family.
And Chen Xiao couldn't protect his family every moment. Therefore, he wanted to build a formation.
In his vision, this formation would be a grand array, integrating offensive, defensive, illusionary, and other formations.
This would require many spiritual artifacts, jade stones, and treasures.
And this seal of Tang Bohu was merely one part of it.
Just as Chen Xiao was contemplating how to construct the formation, he suddenly heard a *thump-thump-thump* sound from the adjacent room, followed by a man's pained cry.
Gu Zhendong was staying next door, and the person making the sounds was naturally him.
Chen Xiao rushed out and went to Gu Zhendong's room. He saw Gu Zhendong in great pain, banging his head against the wall repeatedly.
Chen Xiao took one look and knew that the Earth Fiend Spirit Python within Gu Zhendong had started acting up again.
Chen Xiao quickly ran over, grabbed Gu Zhendong's wrist, and channeled spiritual energy into him to suppress the rampant Earth Fiend Spirit Python that was causing trouble within him.
It took more than ten minutes before the Earth Fiend Spirit Python finally calmed down.
Gu Zhendong's face was pale, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat, as if he had been submerged in water.
"Thank you, Chen Xiao."
Gu Zhendong said, his breath very weak. It was clear he had been through a lot.
Chen Xiao frowned and asked, "Uncle Gu, has this Earth Fiend Spirit Python been acting up like this often recently?"
Gu Zhendong gave a wry smile, "It has indeed been a bit frequent, but I can only blame myself."
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback and asked, "Uncle Gu, what do you mean?"
Gu Zhendong explained, "That Earth Fiend Spirit Python survives by devouring the true qi in my body. The more true qi I have, the more it absorbs, and the more active it becomes. When it becomes active, I suffer."
Chen Xiao suddenly understood, thinking, "So that's how it is." He then said, "If that's the case, Uncle Gu, you should reduce your cultivation appropriately and not let it absorb too much true qi."
Gu Zhendong shook his head, "Time waits for no one, Chen Xiao. Tongtong is growing up day by day, and the people from the Liu Sect will find us sooner or later. The more strength I improve now, the more hope I will have of surviving in the future. I can endure this pain, but I cannot accept the pain of losing my daughter."
Hearing Gu Zhendong say this, Chen Xiao couldn't help but sigh with emotion. It seemed this was truly a dilemma.