pjbooks Chapter 57 A single sword strike paralyzes the evil cultivator!
Chapter 57 A single sword strike paralyzes the evil cultivator!
The hall of the Shen family's birthday banquet was a mess, with overturned tables and chairs lying crookedly, and broken glass and spilled wine scattered all over the floor.
The celebratory birthday song had long since stopped, leaving only the suppressed breathing of the guests, and even the air still carried the burnt smell of thunder.
The man with the lightning seal clutched his sunken chest, breathing heavily.
He stared intently at Lu Jingchen in the center of the arena, his eyes revealing not only unconcealed fear but also a hint of sinister resentment.
The man with the lightning seal took a deep breath and forced out the words through gritted teeth.
"Good...good skills. I admit, I was outmatched just now."
He suddenly grinned maliciously, his gaze sweeping over the pale-faced Shen Tuohai, his tone full of threat.
"However, our Yu family has a history of over a century and a profound heritage."
"Mere martial arts techniques are utterly incapable of stopping our true magical powers!"
"Shen Tuohai, the score from eighteen years ago isn't over! You just wait!"
The man with the lightning seal gave a wink to his limp junior brother beside him, and the two turned to flee in a sorry state.
Just then, a cold voice rang out, light and airy, yet carrying an undeniable pressure.
Lu Jingchen spoke up: "Wait."
The two men froze instantly, trembling all over, and dared not take another step forward.
Lu Jingchen sat on the overturned edge of the table, casually toying with a perfectly intact wine glass.
He glanced at the two of them, his tone calm, yet carrying a chilling undertone.
"Whatever irreconcilable feud you have with the Shen family is none of my business."
"But if you dare to court death in front of me again, or harm the people I'm protecting."
"I wouldn't mind uprooting your entire Yu family as a side effect."
Upon hearing this, the junior brother instantly flew into a rage, disregarding his injuries.
He laughed in anger, pointing a finger at Lu Jingchen with a face full of disdain.
"What arrogance! You're just a mere warrior, nothing more than a mortal!"
"How dare you boast so arrogantly that you can shake the magical powers of the Yu family?"
"They're incredibly arrogant and courting death!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingchen's lips curled into a contemptuous smile.
"It seems you really think I'm completely useless."
He slowly stood up, and his aura suddenly changed.
The original calm and gentle aura vanished instantly, replaced by a vast and powerful pressure.
It was as if a celestial being from the heavens had descended to earth, making everyone present feel suffocated.
Lu Jingchen spoke calmly, yet every word he uttered was like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.
"Since you're so interested, then I'll show you."
"What truly constitutes... magical supernatural powers?"
He casually clenched his fist towards the void.
He uttered a low shout, just two words, yet they carried immense force.
"Sword, come!"
Buzz—!
A clear and melodious sword cry instantly resounded throughout the banquet hall.
It seemed to pierce through time and space, carrying an incomparably sharp sword intent that made everyone's eardrums ache.
In a scene brimming with special effects, an ancient sword, its entire body gleaming with a cold light, appeared out of thin air in Lu Jingchen's hand.
The sword is engraved with the ancient characters "Wangshu," its blade gleaming coldly, its sword energy surging.
An extremely sharp sword intent erupted instantly, as if it would tear the entire space apart.
The crystal chandelier in the banquet hall shattered instantly, and glass shards fell in a shower, but they couldn't even get close to Lu Jingchen.
The man with the lightning seal and his junior brother's pupils contracted sharply, and their faces turned ashen.
It felt as if all the blood in my body had frozen at that moment.
The junior brother was trembling like a leaf, his voice filled with extreme terror.
"What... what kind of sword intent is this?!"
"Impossible! This is definitely not martial arts from the mortal realm!"
The two felt as if they were enveloped by a terrifying aura of death.
His legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground with a thud.
Cold sweat poured down my back like rain, instantly soaking my clothes and making it impossible for me to stand up.
Lu Jingchen held the Wangshu Sword in his hand with the tip slightly lowered, looking down at the two people who were paralyzed on the ground.
His tone was completely calm, yet it carried a chilling sense of oppression.
"If you're looking for death, then come at me again."
"Don't blame me for being ruthless."
The man with the lightning seal trembled all over, but still tried to maintain the facade and utter a harsh threat.
"You... Fine! I will take all your words back to the Yu family verbatim!"
"You just wait! The Yu family will never let you get away with this!"
After uttering those harsh words, he scrambled to his feet and pulled his junior brother up from the ground.
Neither of them dared to look back, and they fled the banquet hall in a disheveled state, not even daring to pick up the longsword that had fallen to the ground.
Like two stray dogs, they vanished in the blink of an eye.
The entire banquet hall was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop.
All the guests stood frozen in place, looking at Lu Jingchen as if he were a god.
Awe, shock, disbelief—all these emotions intertwined, and I didn't even dare to breathe.
Xu Yunfeng, who was huddled in the corner, collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.
He finally realized what an incredibly powerful figure he had been mocking.
At that moment, he was filled with deep regret.
With a casual wave of his hand, Lu Jingchen sent the Wangshu Sword into the void as it transformed into a streak of light.
The chilling killing intent and overwhelming pressure emanating from him vanished without a trace in an instant.
It was as if the immortal venerable who had just dominated the entire scene with a single sword strike was not him at all.
He turned to look at Xia Wanxing, who looked utterly shaken, and spoke in a voice so gentle it was almost sweet.
"Don't worry, Wanxing, everything will be alright."
"After this battle, they shouldn't dare to cause you any more trouble for a while."
Xia Wanxing finally came to her senses, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She turned around abruptly and rushed to Shen Tuohai, her voice trembling with sobs and disbelief.
"Dad... what exactly happened?"
"Why did they arrest me? Why did they bring up the eighteen-year agreement? And what's this ghost marriage all about?"
Shen Tuohai looked at his daughter's red eyes, his face dejected, and let out a long sigh.
It was as if, in that instant, he had aged a full ten years.
Shen Tuohai's voice was full of regret, and he lowered his head deeply.
"It's all because of what happened back then... When Dad was young, he lost money in business and ended up with a mountain of high-interest loans."
"We're desperate, and we can barely support you and your daughter."
"Just then, the Yu family came looking for us."
"They said that as long as I betroth you to their deceased young master, it would be a ghost marriage."
"It could offset all my debts and even give me start-up capital so I can make a comeback."
Xia Wanxing was struck dumb, staggering back two steps, her face filled with shock and disbelief.
"A ghost marriage?! Dad, how... how could you do such a thing?"
"You actually traded my entire life for your business?"
Shen Tuohai closed his eyes in pain, his voice filled with self-blame.
"They said they would keep their promise on your eighteenth birthday."
"I was completely out of my mind at the time, and I agreed in a moment of confusion."
"That's why our Shen family is living like this now... It's all my fault, Ranran! It's all my fault!"
Xia Wanxing trembled all over, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
His body swayed precariously, as if he were about to collapse at any moment.
She never imagined that her carefree eighteen years of life would be exchanged for a ghost marriage.
Just then, a warm, large hand gently supported her swaying shoulder.
Lu Jingchen stood beside her, his gaze firm, his tone carrying an unquestionable certainty.
"Don't worry. Now that I've encountered this situation and have the ability to deal with it, I won't turn a blind eye."
"As long as I'm here, no one can force you to do anything you don't want to do."
Xia Wanxing looked up at Lu Jingchen with teary eyes and choked out her words.
"Mr. Lu..."
Lu Jingchen gently patted her shoulder, his tone soft.
"Alright, we shouldn't linger here. We'll talk about the rest later."
He turned to look at Lu Qingyuan, who was standing obediently to the side and hadn't caused any trouble throughout.
A doting smile appeared on his face as he reached out his hand to her.
"Qingyuan, let's go."
Lu Qingyuan quickly ran over and took her brother's hand.
With a proud smile, she knew that her brother was the most amazing person in the world.
Lu Jingchen held his sister's hand as the guests gazed at him with a mixture of awe and fervor.
He walked out of the banquet hall with a calm and confident stride.