Chapter 173: Chapter 162: Leaving Jibei City

Silence!

Everyone was stunned!

To shatter a twenty-meter-wide granite martial arts arena into smithereens with a single strike... what... what kind of power was this?

"It looks like he didn’t even use True Qi for that strike... To have such destructive force without True Qi, that sword... just how heavy must it be?"

City Lord Liu Jifei was the first to realize the crux of the matter. He trembled all over, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Others might not have known how sturdy the martial arts arena was, but as its owner, how could he not!

Even a Qi Sect Powerhouse might not be able to leave a mark on the stage with a full-powered strike, yet with one swing from the boy... the entire platform had shattered!

What terrifying strength!

Ten thousand pounds? A hundred thousand pounds? It had to be at least a million pounds of force!

"You lost. This stuff is all mine now!"

Having shattered the dueling platform and kicked Liu Yuan off it in a single move, Nie Yun smiled faintly, slung the Profound Jade Sword back onto his back, and sauntered down.

"That sword of yours... could I take a look at it?"

Seeing the stones beneath the young man’s feet turn to powder with every step, a stunned Liu Jifei hurried to greet him and asked cautiously.

"You want to see my sword? Sure!"

Nie Yun knew that the power of his last strike was too great to hide from a battle-hardened powerhouse like Liu Jifei. With a faint smile, he casually tossed the Profound Jade Sword over.

’My strength speaks for itself,’ he thought. ’I’m not afraid of him trying to steal it.’

THUD!

Liu Jifei reached out to catch it, thinking he had braced himself with plenty of strength, but he had still underestimated the Profound Jade Sword. The immense weight sent him staggering, and the longsword plunged heavily into the ground with a SHIING, burying itself more than two feet deep.

A casual toss, and it sank more than two feet into the ground. The sword’s weight had clearly reached a terrifying level.

"This..."

He reached down and gave the embedded longsword a hard pull. Without using True Qi, he strained with all his might but couldn’t even budge it. Liu Jifei’s expression finally changed.

"Just how heavy is this sword?"

’I’m a Peak Powerhouse of Qi Sect, after all,’ Liu Jifei thought. ’Even though I haven’t specifically trained my physical body, my muscles have been nourished by True Qi for years. They’re not weak. I can easily lift things weighing several thousand pounds, yet all that strength can’t even lift this one sword? Just how heavy is it?’

"Oh, thirteen thousand, four hundred and twenty-four pounds," Nie Yun answered directly, not bothering to hide it.

"What... Thirteen thousand, four hundred and twenty-four pounds?"

Liu Jifei staggered. ’My god, is that even a sword anymore?’

’Don’t tell me you were fighting Liu Yuan while carrying a sword that heavy?’

’Are you even human?’

Though Liu Jifei was proud, he knew that even he would lack the strength to carry this sword on his back. Forget fighting—just walking would be difficult!

Yet this young man’s speed wasn’t hindered in the slightest while carrying it. ’This... his strength must be comparable to my own!’

With this thought in mind, his estimation of the young man rose yet again.

Of course, his calculations, based on the weight of the Profound Jade Sword, only accounted for Nie Yun’s physical combat strength. He had no way of gauging the power of his True Qi!

Throughout the entire fight, Nie Yun hadn’t used a single shred of True Qi.

’It seems I’ll have to maintain a good relationship with the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps from now on. I absolutely cannot afford to start any conflicts...’

Liu Jifei silently warned himself.

’The leader of the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps, Tie Yan, has the strength of the Peak of Qi Sect Realm. His daughter, Tie Lan, possesses a Demon Pet at the Peak of Qi Sect level. And now, there’s a young man who also has the strength of a Peak of Qi Sect expert... Truly worthy of being a major Mercenary Corps from the Imperial Capital. They’re extraordinary!’

At this thought, any lingering greed Liu Jifei had for the treasures instantly faded. He shot Liu Chengze a look, and Liu Chengze brought over the entire pile of items from the table.

"You won this duel. We honor our bets and admit defeat. All of these things are yours!"

"Then I thank you!" This was precisely why Nie Yun had intentionally let the others place bets, so he didn’t refuse. With a sweep of his palm, all the items were stored away in his Dantian.

’Although these things aren’t of much use to me personally, many of the Elixirs and Medicinal Materials can be of great benefit in raising my mother’s and sister’s Cultivation! Of course I wouldn’t refuse.’

"A Storage Dantian?"

Seeing the young man’s casual action, Liu Jifei was once again shaken to the core!

He hadn’t paid much mind when Nie Yun had taken out his sword from his Storage Dantian earlier, but now, seeing him make everything vanish with a mere sweep of his hand, he couldn’t help but be shocked all over again.

"Since the trading meet is over, we won’t linger. Farewell!"

Slinging the Profound Jade Sword onto his back again, Nie Yun gave a faint smile and took his leave with Tie Lan.

He had found what he was looking for and obtained what he came for, so there was no need to stay any longer!

"Uncle, don’t let them leave...!"

Seeing Nie Yun and the others about to leave, Liu Yuan struggled to his feet and let out a furious roar.

He had planned to teach this young man a lesson in the duel, but not only had he failed, he had been kicked off the stage, breaking seven or eight of his ribs. On top of that, he had lost so many valuable items. How could he possibly swallow this humiliation!

"Shut up!" Liu Jifei snorted coldly, not expecting his nephew to be so clueless. — "Uncle, if we kill them, we can get the Ultimate Venerable Talisman and the Royal Family’s Low-Grade Divine Weapon...!"

Liu Yuan bellowed, his face twisted with malice, completely disregarding what anyone else thought.

"Chengze, take Liu Yuan back and discipline him properly!"

Having survived on the battlefield and served as the City Lord for many years, Liu Jifei was naturally able to see things clearly. Seeing his nephew’s utter lack of composure in saying such a thing, his face immediately darkened.

’He wants me to kill these two? Let’s not even discuss whether I *could* kill them—even if I could, I wouldn’t dare! A young man this powerful at his age... who knows what greater force might be backing him?’

Ignoring the conflict breaking out in the City Lord’s Mansion, Nie Yun shook his head and walked out with Tie Lan, soon returning to the Mercenary Corps’ branch headquarters.

"Tie Lan, I’ve accomplished my goal for this Pill Assembly. I’ll be taking my leave now."

Before they had even entered the branch’s courtyard, Nie Yun announced his departure.

"You’re not staying for a few more days...?"

The girl hadn’t expected him to leave so abruptly, and the light in her eyes immediately dimmed.

"Haha, no. I still have things to do, so I can’t stay!"

’She has a Peak of Qi Sect Demon Pet now, so her safety won’t be an issue,’ Nie Yun thought. ’My business in Jibei City is also finished, so there’s no reason to remain. The plan now is to kill King Ning as soon as possible and return to the family!’

’It’s been almost two months since I left the family. It’s about time I went back to check on things!’

"Alright then..." The girl knew she couldn’t make him stay. She shook her head, pushing aside her gloomy feelings. A thousand words condensed into one: "Take care..."

"Mhm. See you in Divine Wind City!"

With a faint smile, Nie Yun gave a call, and his three Demon Pets darted out from the Mercenary Corps’ branch. The man and his three beasts headed straight for the city gates.

The slanting rays of the evening sun shone down upon the man and his three beasts, stretching their tall, slender shadows longer and longer until they vanished from sight.