C20 He Was in the Limelight

Xue Tiandao was beside himself with rage.

Despite his relentless onslaught, he couldn't defeat Jee Yun. How could he contain his fury?

Today, the Red Rebel had been besieged, incurring grave losses—a tremendous blow to their reputation.

To make matters worse, his sole heir, the Blood Childe, had been slain.

If he failed to capture Jee Yun, he might as well dash his head against the Red Rebel's stone monument in despair.

The more Xue Tiandao dwelled on it, the more his rage boiled over, fueling his increasingly vicious attacks.

Meanwhile, Jee Yun remained composed.

Amidst the battle, he honed his basic fist techniques, discovering that the might of his punches grew with his physical strength.

Decisively, he allocated all six remaining skill points to the Three Yangs Body Refining technique.

Instantly, Jee Yun's mastery of the technique reached an unparalleled level of excellence.

Three Yangs Body Refining, Three Yangs Opening the Tai—what did this entail?

It was an unstoppable force.

In a mere moment, he could withstand a direct confrontation with Xue Tiandao's Blood Life Heavenly Blade.

The sounds of their clashing weapons, like the ringing of iron, echoed far and wide across Blood Robe Mountain.

Onlookers from afar were left in awe.

As time went on, the crowd of spectators swelled.

More martial artists arriving for the Red Rebel's banquet joined the ranks of watchers.

These newcomers were unaware of the seismic shift that had befallen the Red Rebel.

Initially, seeing a throng of martial masters lingering miles from the Red Rebel's gates, they were utterly perplexed.

But as acquaintances exchanged information, shock took hold.

"Brother Qian!"

"Weren't we all headed to the Red Rebel's banquet? How come you're emerging from there?"

"And who is engaged in that fierce battle atop Blood Robe Mountain?"

Later arrivals scratched their heads in bewilderment.

"Ah, better not to speak of it!"

"It's utterly preposterous!"

"They say the Six Fans Gate aimed to annihilate the Red Rebel, and they dispatched this enigmatic master to do it!"

"At first, none of us believed it, but there he was, locked in combat with Xue Tiandao!"

"Absolutely, this individual is incredibly powerful. He took on the entire Red Rebel by himself and even killed Blood Childe!"

"You know, I'm starting to think Xue Tiandao was all talk. He had the nerve to claim he'd secure a Starry Decree, and now it looks like any top-notch fighter from the Six Fans Gate could go toe-to-toe with Xue Tiandao's Blood Life Heavenly Blade using nothing but their bare hands!"

"It's looking like the Red Rebel's downfall is all but certain!" These were the words of martial artists who had all acknowledged Jee Yun's formidable strength.

Yet, there were dissenting voices.

"No way!"

"Someone caught Xue Tiandao's blade with their bare hands?"

"That's a legendary saber! I bet they were using some kind of artifact like the Heavenly Silkworm Gloves!"

"Otherwise, how could mere flesh and blood stand up to a blade?"

Countless warriors gathered at the base of Red Robe Mountain, discussing fervently, yet they kept their distance, retreating dozens of miles away, not daring to get closer, merely watching from afar.

It's a pity, for this day was meant to be a grand celebration for the Red Rebel.

But now, it seems to have turned into a gathering for the many martial artists of Irongate to bear witness to the Red Rebel's collapse.

"Young Master Yu!"

"Is that elder truly one of the Six Fans Gate's finest?"

"This elder first slew Blood Asura, then Blood Childe, and now Xue Tiandao is next?" Some Martial Grandmasters, watching the palace complex crumble like a blood python, were already weighing the situation.

They could tell that despite Xue Tiandao's unmatched saber skills, he was unable to clinch victory in the prolonged battle.

This realization led many skilled cultivators to regard Jee Yun with newfound respect.

From the outset of the conflict to the present, both parties had nearly reduced the entire Red Rebel to rubble.

In a shocking turn, many Red Rebel disciples even perished by Xue Tiandao's own hand.

This gave the more astute martial artists plenty to ponder.

Witnessing Xiao Yu, who had previously led Jee Yun's horse, the warriors now gravitated toward him, clearly seeking to ingratiate themselves.

"Ah, that elder!"

"He is indeed one of the Six Fans Gate's esteemed experts!"

After many years of seclusion, he emerged to the shocking news that the Red Rebel faction aimed to dominate Irongate and confront our Six Fans Gate. Naturally, he was determined to eliminate Xue Tiandao!

Xiao Yu's face tensed as he found himself unexpectedly encircled. He had feared igniting a feud between the two powerful sects and becoming a pariah. He was ready to sever ties with Jee Yun.

But as the tide swiftly turned, Xiao Yu quickly seized the opportunity to flaunt his association with a powerful ally.

Deep down, Xiao Yu had his own agenda. Should Jee Yun succeed in defeating Xue Tiandao and toppling the Red Rebel, who would stand to gain the most in Irongate? None other than the Six Fans Gate. This boon, freely handed to him by Jee Yun, was too good to pass up.

Moreover, Jee Yun's use of the Six Fans Gate's identity suggested a desire to remain incognito. Xiao Yu realized it was better to embrace this chance rather than reject it and risk alienating potential allies.

With this realization, Xiao Yu was a mix of trepidation and elation.

"Ah!"

"How could I have been so blind? I never saw that the Six Fans Gate was the true bastion of masters in Irongate!"

"Indeed!"

"Blood Childe may be a prodigy, but what good is that?"

"A prodigy cut down in his prime is hardly worth mentioning!"

"A master is a master!"

"The Six Fans Gate boasts two experts beyond the Martial Saint level—they are undoubtedly the premier sect. Moving forward, we hope for your guidance, Young Master Yu!"

Hearing Xiao Yu acknowledge Jee Yun as one of their own, a throng of Martial Masters and Grandmasters flocked to him, eager to ingratiate themselves with the young upstart. What a display of prestige!

Even with his status as the young master of the Six Fans Gate, his influence was previously limited to intimidating lesser cultivators. True Grandmasters would merely coexist without interference.

But to have them vying for his favor like they were today was something Xiao Yu had never dared to dream of.

"This old geezer, this venerable elder, may have wounded me with his sword sheath and even had me leading his horse, but he's also given me, Xiao Yu, a chance to shine!"

"He's truly my lucky star!" Xiao Yu's heart swelled with delight, blissfully unaware that the 'old monster' he revered was in fact just a young man.

Meanwhile, atop the mountain of the Red Rebel, Xue Tiandao's mood was the polar opposite of Xiao Yu's.

Xiao Yu was overjoyed.

He was seething.

In his duel with Jee Yun, Xue Tiandao hadn't struggled too much, yet he felt immensely frustrated.

He had come to realize that the white-robed figure possessed a seemingly endless supply of Genuine Qi.

Even after three hundred rounds of combat, there was no sign of weakness.

What's more, it appeared that his opponent was deliberately leading him to lay waste to everything on the Red Rebel's mountain.

This was an attempt to utterly uproot the foundation of the Red Rebel.

"You coward, show some guts and stop running!"

"Who are you, skulking in the shadows, daring to use the Six Fans Gate as a pretext to oppose my Red Rebel Gate!" After a brief surge of rage, Xue Tiandao had an epiphany.

He was not without intellect.

As the battle with Jee Yun wore on, he began to piece things together.

The head of the Six Fans Gate was a longtime foe. Though they had never engaged in a battle to the death, they had sparred on numerous occasions.

Xue Tiandao was familiar with nearly all the techniques and martial skills of the Six Fans Gate.

Yet, in his exchanges with Jee Yun, he had not once seen him employ any of those techniques. Rather, the more he observed, the more Jee Yun seemed to mirror someone else in his mind.