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With a bang, another explosion tore through the air, as Hu Wanyuan''s headless body burst apart, transforming into a cloud of blood that scattered in all directions, along with pieces of bone.
Gu Chen stood his ground, his ck hair reaching down to his back, his clothes fluttering in the wind, not a single drop of blood had sshed onto him, his robes spotless.
As the crowd looked upon Gu Chen''s tall and majestic silhouette, which seemed both godlike and demonic, they were left speechless for a long time.
The word ''astonishment'' was no longer sufficient to describe what they felt about Gu Chen at that moment.
To be able to single-handedly defeat a martial artist at the Gangqi Stage with the strength of the Vajra Stage, looking back over the past hundred or two hundred years in the Nine Provinces, no one had ever achieved such a feat.
One could say that Gu Chen''s battle achievements were myth-like to all the martial artists present, something only legendary figures of lore could possibly match.
Tang Xiao, Xu Shu, and others hadplex expressions as they witnessed this scene. They knew they had no grounds for grievance in their defeat; if Gu Chen could kill a martial artist at the Gangqi Stage, let alone them.
Because, even if they were to join forces, they would still not be a match for Hu Wanyuan.
Xu Shu felt the most relieved in his heart. Although Gu Chen had killed Feng Zhi, fortunately, he had been rational and had not provoked Gu Chen too much with his words.
Otherwise, he would probably be lying there like Mo Zilin, as a motionless corpse.
No, to be more urate, he wouldn''t even leave behind a corpse, Xu Shu thought as he nced surreptitiously at Gu Chen not far away.
No one amongst the crowd had anticipated that things would escte to this point.
Even the martial artists at the Gang Qi Stage present no longer dared to see Gu Chen as a junior.
Previously, they had given Gu Chen special attention because he was the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department; it was not Gu Chen they respected, but the Jing Tian Department behind him.
But now, things were different. Gu Chen had the power to y Hu Wanyuan, which meant he also had the power to kill them.
For this reason, they regarded Gu Chen as an equal, no longer daring to harbor the slightest hostility or contempt in their eyes.
Gu Chen remained where he stood, the surging energy that had been emanating from within him slowly receding back into his body.
Suddenly, the high temperature in the air began to decline, and it would not take long for things to return to normal.
The battle with Hu Wanyuan had given Gu Chen a very clear understanding of his own strength; after perfecting his Golden Bell Shield to its limit, he truly possessed the power to fight and even y a martial artist at the Gangqi Stage.
In other words, had he not brought his Superior Martial Skill, the Golden Bell Shield, to perfection, Gu Chen indeed would not have been able to y Hu Wanyuan, regardless of the extraordinary stoutness of his breath.
After all, in a martial confrontation, one does not solely rely on cultivation level, unless one''s cultivation surpasses boundaries and is able topletely dominate.
But obviously, even with his enhanced abilities, Gu Chen could not bridge an entire realm and simply overpower a martial artist at the Gangqi Stage with his breath alone.
The battle with Hu Wanyuan could be said to be Gu Chen going all out, nearly exhausting every technique in his arsenal to sessfully vanquish him.
What Gu Chen did not know at that moment was that with so many martial artists present witnessing his one-on-one battle with a Gangqi Stage martial artist, it wouldn''t be long before the news spread like a whirlwind across the world.
Following the confrontation in Xu''an County, Gu Chen''s fame in the martial world would skyrocket once more, even more so than after the previous battle.
After all, only those from the Jing Tian Department and the demon sect knew of the Xu''an County battle, and certainly, those from the demon sect would not extol Gu Chen''s prowess, so not many in the martial world believed in Gu Chen''s achievements.
But today, with so many martial artists and different forces having witnessed Gu Chen''s strength in two major battles, when word got out, no one in the martial world would have any doubts about Gu Chen''s abilities.
Gu Chen was to be the number one figure of the Vajra Stage in the Nine Provinces!
If among all the Vajra Stage martial artists in the Nine Provinces, anyone was thought to have the greatest chance of reaching the rarely-seen extreme limit of the Vajra Stage, the Vajra Indestructible, everyone agreed it could only be Lord Gu from the Jing Tian Department.
This was no longer merely a case of a martial arts rising star; he was clearly a zing sun ready to rise to the vault of heaven and shine upon the world!
Despite harboring hostility towards both the Jing Tian Department and Gu Chen, everyone present could not help but look at Gu Chen with respect and fear at this moment.
The martial world has always been thus, always valuing strength above all, where might is the ultimatew.
"Lord Gu."
At that moment, the middle-aged beauty from the Yao tform Sect approached, her gazeplex as she looked at Gu Chen and bowed to him.
From her tone and attitude alone, it was evident that there had been many subtle changes since her first meeting with Gu Chen.
"Senior." Seeing the middle-aged beauty approaching, Gu Chen also sped his hands together in greeting.
The middle-aged beauty from the Yao tform Sect smiled and said, "Lord Gu, there''s no need for such politeness. To call me ''Senior'' is enough; my name is Huang Wei. If Lord Gu is willing, he can just call me by my name."
This was the acknowledgment and respect that came with power, but it would be somewhat inappropriate to address her by name, given that she was much older than Gu Chen.
Therefore, Gu Chen said, "Elder Huang, with the Yao tform event concluded, I should be the first one, right?"
Hearing this, Huang Wei gave a wry smile and replied, "Of course."
With the power that Gu Chen had just disyed, who else but he could take first ce in the Yao tform event?
"Then, the second and third ce in this Yao tform event..." Huang Wei''s gaze shifted, turning to Tang Xiao and the others.
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Tang Xiao, Xu Shu, and the others, upon seeing this, fell silent for a moment. They no longer had the face topete for second or third ce, nor did they have the mood.
After witnessing Gu Chen''s strength, they felt the Jade Spirit Ice Liquid was no longer so important. No matter what, they wouldn''t be able to catch up to Gu Chen.
Huang Wei saw that no one was speaking and felt a sense of helplessness. She knew that these talents had lost their fighting spirit after seeing Gu Chen''s strength.
Then, Huang Wei turned to Gu Chen and said, "In that case, Lord Gu, the Jade Spirit Ice Liquid for this Yao tform Sect''s grand event will all be yours."
"Oh?"
Gu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly at this and nced at Tang Xiao and the others. He didn''t say much; such heavenly and earthly treasures were naturally better in abundance.
It didn''t matter if he could not use them all up. If there were any left over, it would be good to have them for his close ones.
Seeing that Gu Chen agreed, Huang Wei breathed a sigh of relief and said to the rest of the sect martial artists, "If there are no objections, then the allocation of this year''s Jade Spirit Ice Liquid is settled. This grand event of the Yao tform Sect hase to an end. Thank you all for gracing us with your presence."
With that, Huang Wei gave a salute to everyone.
The martial artists, upon hearing this, also came out of the shock of Gu Chen ying Hu Wanyuan and btedly returned the gesture to Huang Wei.
As for objections? Who would dare to have any?
Even now, the image of Gu Chen unleashing his full power for thest time, like a demon god, was still lingering in many people''s minds, unable to be dispelled.
Soon, under the guidance of the disciples from the Yao tform Sect, the martial artists from various sects and powers left one after another. As they passed by Gu Chen, many bowed their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
These people bowing their heads were naturally the ones who had previously harbored hostility toward Gu Chen.
Gu Chen paid them no mind; he didn''t consider these people important. Anyone who dared to jump out at him was someone he was willing to kill.
Suddenly, Gu Chen frowned slightly; he realized that as his strength increased, his killing intent grew heavier as well.
When he first came to this world and skirmished with others, although he did not show it, he still felt somewhat ufortable inside.
But now, after countless battles, Gu Chen had grown ustomed to such a life. He even felt that human life was not so important anymore.
Gu Chen himself didn''t know whether this change in mentality was good or bad.
However, Gu Chen knew that in such a world full of crises and sinister gazes, a cold heart and decisive killing were necessary for someone like him, the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department.
But Gu Chen also understood himself; he would definitely not ept bing a cold-blooded, unemotional killing machine that would exterminate a lineage at the slightest provocation.
To this day, Gu Chen could say that although his hands were stained with blood, those he killed deserved to die, and each had their path to death.
For example, people like Mo Zilin, Hu Wanyuan, and even Yang Mingyue, killing them wasn''t a burden on Gu Chen''s conscience.
Do not offend others if they do not offend me; this was Gu Chen''s principle. Now, anyone who dared to challenge him, Gu Chen wouldn''t mind cutting them down.
Soon, Gu Chen put this matter behind him and no longer thought about it.
At that moment, Huang Wei said to Gu Chen, "Lord Gu, please follow me; I will take you to retrieve the Jade Spirit Ice Liquid."
Gu Chen nodded and responded, "Elder Huang, thank you for the trouble."
The venue for the Yao tform Sect''s grand event was just a small area at the entrance of the Yao tform Sect. The mountain upied by the Yao tform Sect was vast. Following Huang Wei, Gu Chen had the chance to appreciate the scenery of the Yao tform Sect along the way.
It had to be said, the rumors were indeed true; the Yao tform Sect consisted entirely of women. Gu Chen had not seen a single man during his walk.
As if she knew what was on Gu Chen''s mind, Huang Wei chuckled and said, "The martial techniques of our Yao tform Sect lean towards yin properties, making them suitable only for women. If a man were to practice our techniques, they would be more and more feminine until..."
Huang Wei didn''t finish her sentence, but Gu Chen immediately understood that if men practiced women''s martial techniques, the oue didn''t need to be stated: they would either go mad from inner demons or... end up with self-muttion.
Immediately after, Huang Wei changed the subject and began conversing with Gu Chen.
As they continued to talk, Huang Wei also realized that Gu Chen was quite easy to get along with in normal times.
Huang Wei had just met Gu Chen and, having heard some rumors about him in the martial world, she had thought that Gu Chen would be a young man who never smiled and was full of arrogance.
However, aftermunicating more deeply, she found that Gu Chen was gentle and was not as aggressive as he was during the fight; his way of speaking and acting waspletely different from hisbat style.
Although Huang Wei was older, she still possessed charm and was attractive. Looking at the handsome, tall, and slender Gu Chen, a flicker of a peculiar light passed through her eyes.
If she were twenty or thirty years younger, Huang Wei might have actually pursued Gu Chen. After all, with his strong abilities, high talent, and affiliation with the Jing Tian Department of Da Xia, both his individual qualities and background were outstanding.
The Yao tform Sect didn''t object to its disciples marrying outside, but because of the sect''s strength, the female disciples, despite their gentle personalities, also had high standards. Winning the heart of a Yao tform Sect disciple wasn''t easy.
But for someone as remarkable as Gu Chen, he was clearly the perfect choice for the women of the Yao tform Sect.
If a woman from the Yao tform Sect were to marry Gu Chen, it would symbolize an alliance through marriage with the Jing Tian Department. And given time, Gu Chen was sure to be a Commander or even a Guardian of the Jing Tian Department.
In that case, the Yao tform Sect would benefit greatly, and even the current difficulties would be insignificant andrgely resolved.
At this moment, Huang Wei''s eyes shifted and, smiling, she looked at Gu Chen and asked, "What does Lord Gu think of Zi Qing?"