C18 The Enemies Met

The Xuan Tian Sword in Jee Yun's grasp quivered as if it sensed something imminent. His thunderous roar had just sent disciples of the Red Rebel below the Martial Arts Grandmaster level reeling, blood spewing from their mouths as they staggered backward. Such power was beyond even that of a Martial Arts Saint.

"How could Six Fans Gate ever hope to annihilate my Red Rebel?"

"The very thought is ludicrous!"

Blood Childe was taken aback by Jee Yun's formidable prowess, yet it did nothing to dampen his fervor for stirring the crowd.

"Take down these two!"

"They stand isolated, without any backup!"

"Eliminate Xiao Yu, and Six Fans Gate will crumble without a successor!"

While rallying the Red Rebel disciples, Blood Childe leapt into the fray himself. His long blade, aimed directly at Jee Yun's face, betrayed his disbelief that a Martial Arts Saint could emerge so effortlessly. Nor could he fathom that his meticulously honed Blood Robe Scripture would falter without a fight. This scripture was the Red Rebel's guarded secret, and Blood Childe had just mastered it, ready to emerge from seclusion and shake Irongate to its core. With the eyes of numerous warriors upon him, retreat was not an option.

Yet...

"Clang!"

The shrill clangor assaulted everyone's ears. Jee Yun faced Blood Childe's strike head-on, without a hint of evasion. Dismounting the Dragon Horse with ease, he simply extended two fingers and clamped down on the edge of Blood Childe's blade.

"No, this can't be!" Blood Childe's eyes bulged in disbelief at the unfolding scene.

His prowess was formidable, a match for few among Martial Grandmasters, and he was certain of his victory over Blood Asura. Blood Childe even boasted that not even his own master, the Peak Martial Saint Xue Tiandao, could casually parry his blood blade with mere fingertips.

Yet reality spoke louder than boasts.

"Hehe!"

"Compared to Xue Tiandao, you still have a long way to go," Jee Yun's voice echoed, his bamboo hat concealing his visage, yet to the Red Rebel, it was as chilling as the voice of a demon.

"Snap! Snap!" The finely forged iron longsword was effortlessly snapped in two by Jee Yun's fingers.

This spectacle left Blood Childe dumbfounded and caused Xiao Yu, who was frozen in place, to experience a surge of heart palpitations.

From the moment Jee Yun confessed to slaying Blood Asura, Young Master Yu had been reeling, his mind a whirlpool of confusion as if filled with sludge.

His distress only deepened when Jee Yun proclaimed that Six Fans Gate sought to annihilate the Red Rebel, nearly causing Xiao Yu to faint.

The prospect of igniting a bloodbath between the two mighty factions was a terrifying one.

Should Six Fans Gate fall, he would bear the mark of an unforgivable traitor.

Yet, after navigating a labyrinth of events, Xiao Yu was beginning to see the lay of the land.

As he watched Jee Yun's display of formidable power, a seed of incredulous speculation took root in Xiao Yu's mind.

"Could it be that this elder intends to take on the entire Red Rebel single-handedly?"

His gaze shifted between the disarrayed martial artists retreating in chaos and the Blood Childe, who seemed utterly defenseless, and his heart swelled with excitement.

It was a revelation that could shake the heavens.

Not even his own mentor, a Martial Saint of many years, possessed such audacity and daring.

To venture alone into a sect and challenge the Red Rebel was unthinkable.

Yet, Xiao Yu was oblivious to Jee Yun's true identity.

Had he known that Jee Yun was none other than the Venom God, his audacious actions would hardly be a surprise.

Naturally, Jee Yun had his reasons for secrecy.

He had even borrowed the guise of Six Fans Gate to mask his actions, ensuring that the downfall of the Red Rebel would be attributed to a clash between sects rather than drawing attention to himself.

What's more, with the activation of the Star Platform imminent, Jee Yun had to take precautions.

Should the world learn of the Venom God's survival, what would happen if Yun Xiuchen, the envoy of the Star Domain, was still out there?

After a decade of honing his swordsmanship, Jee Yun felt his prowess was on par with a Quasi-Star Refiner. Yet Yun Xiuchen was a bona fide Star Refiner, and not merely a first-rank one at that.

"How dare you!"

"Reveal yourself! Who dares to draw blades within the Red Rebel!" The once silent peak's grand hall erupted with a thunderous rebuke following Jee Yun's commotion.

Jee Yun had thrown the Red Rebel into turmoil. With just his fingers, he snapped Blood Childe's long saber in two, and without drawing his sword, he single-handedly slew dozens of the sect's disciples.

For a time, the Red Rebel stronghold became akin to purgatory, with the clamor of battle resounding ceaselessly.

Every disciple was called to action.

Such upheaval inevitably caught the attention of Xue Tiandao in the main hall atop the mountain.

Xue Tiandao, ever so arrogant, had been awaiting Blood Asura's return and report.

Days had passed, and by his calculations, Blood Asura should have already killed Jee Yun and made his way back to Irongate.

Yet, there was no word.

Doubt began to gnaw at Xue Tiandao's mind.

Amidst his growing suspicion, disorder erupted within the sect.

Xue Tiandao tensed, his Blood Life Heavenly Blade thrumming with True Qi, unleashing a blade intent so piercing it seemed to cleave the clouds and capture souls.

"This is the prowess of a Peak Martial Saint!"

"Xue Tiandao seeks to challenge the heavens!"

"No wonder he was bold enough to claim a Starry Decree!"

"Who in the mortal realm could possibly rival such power?"

The warriors who had retreated to the base of Blood Robe Mountain halted in their tracks, overwhelmed by the deadly blade intent.

As time ticked on, they began to notice something amiss.

The anticipated onslaught by the Six Fans Gate had not materialized.

Instead, it was Jee Yun alone, ensnared within the Red Rebel, cutting a swath through his enemies.

Young Master Yu, who had initially been tasked with holding Jee Yun's horse, was now merely a spectator, focusing solely on evading the fray.

"What's happening?"

"Where are the forces from the Six Fans Gate?"

"Exactly!"

"Is the Six Fans Gate really planning to topple the Red Rebel with just one man?" Someone blurted out a guess that nearly hit the mark, only to find it too preposterous to believe and quickly retracted it.

"Xue Tiandao, you've finally decided to grace us with your presence!"

"Today, by the invitation of the Six Fans Gate Master, I've come to annihilate your Red Rebel. If you have any last words, now's the time to speak!"

Surrounded by Red Rebel disciples, Jee Yun remained untouchable, his clothes ungrazed, as each assailant fell to his devastating palm strikes.

Blood Childe, who had previously been defiant, was now firmly in Jee Yun's grip, his neck clenched tightly in his hand.

"Hmm?"

"Are you with the Six Fans Gate? I don't recall ever seeing you before!" Xue Tiandao swooped down like a large bird, leaping from the peak and alighting atop a palace midway down the mountain.

From his elevated position, he peered down at Jee Yun with a mix of suspicion and doubt, clearly questioning Jee Yun's true identity.

Xue Tiandao was on edge. There had been no word from Blood Asura for far too long.

The cries of battle from his sect had led him to believe that the Venom God was upon them.

Yet, now facing Jee Yun, recognition eluded him.

A decade ago, Jee Yun was but a youth.

Today, he had undergone a transformation, his once prominent edge now subdued.

His once fearsome Profound Heaven Sword lay concealed within a rusted scabbard, indistinguishable from any other.

Jee Yun himself, donning a white bamboo hat, exuded a serene composure.

Xue Tiandao began to question his own assumptions. Jee Yun was supposed to be nothing more than a broken man.

The figure before him could very well be a concealed master from the Six Fans Gate.

"Hehe, I've been in deep seclusion within the Six Fans Gate for many years. It's no surprise you haven't come across me," Jee Yun said with a chuckle.

"But let me tell you, Xue Tiandao, your scheme to gather warriors from Irongate to confront the Six Fans Gate has failed. And today, your reckoning has arrived."