Chapter 150: The Power of the Gu King

The entire scene fell into a dead silence.

Everyone widened their eyes, looking in disbelief first at Su Ye, and then at the massive greatsword in his hand.

Wasn't this just too fierce?

"A single stroke? Just one stroke? Our Elder Dink has lost?"

"How is this possible? Could he be concealing his cultivation realm? Or is there something bizarre about that greatsword in his hands? It must be that!"

Among the ranks of the city guards, everyone had originally been brimming with confidence and fighting spirit, especially since they were all clad in armor! Moreover, judging strictly by their cultivation levels, they considered themselves far superior to these itinerant martial artists from the outside.

Especially this Su Ye!

Having previously heard various rumors about Su Ye's capabilities, they knew he must harbor secrets. They had also heard that the six thunder veins brought by the old hag Luo Gui were actually excavated from Su Ye himself.

They had already plotted their strategy: Thunder City held countless treasures, but Su Ye was undoubtedly the key to unlocking them all. They planned to seize Su Ye by surprise, after which everything else would fall smoothly into place.

Yet, reality bore no resemblance to their expectations!

How could a single sword strike from Su Ye have defeated their Elder Dink?

"Elder, Elder..." Amidst the crowd, quite a few martial artists had already rushed forward to check on Dink's injuries.

At that moment, a muffled peel of thunder suddenly rumbled across the sky, but no "Wrath Blade of the Insect King" descended, which indicated that Dink had not been killed.

Sure enough, supported by several martial artists, Dink managed to stagger to his feet.

The moment he opened his mouth, however, a large mouthful of blood spewed out, and he was completely unable to stand steadily. The crowd hurriedly laid him flat on the ground while several insect-masters stepped forward to treat him.

For a moment, the scene descended into a flurry of chaos.

On Su Ye's side, many were immensely astonished, never expecting Su Ye to unleash such formidable explosive power. Having witnessed his various powerful techniques back in Yangcheng, however, they were not entirely dumbfounded. Instead, they let out collective sighs of relief, which quickly turned into cheerful cheers.

"Awesome! Brother Su Ye, mighty and awe-inspiring!"

Even Steel Reinforcement, who usually spoke very little, could not help praising, "Hahaha, who would have thought that little brother Su Ye's cultivation would advance at such a blistering pace? It truly commands my admiration! He is even more ferocious than the special training troops I encountered back in the day!"

Jiang Liuying had initially been quite pleased, but upon seeing so many people exaggerating Su Ye's prowess, she let out a cold snort, pouted her lips, and muttered, "What's there to praise? Jumping down there looking so flashy, just wait until someone shoots you down with an arrow. Humph."

Su Ye paid no heed to these remarks. Instead, he raised his voice and shouted sternly toward Ding Zhi on the other side:

"What a pity, I didn't get to let you all witness the true power of the Insect King's Whetstone. Well? Who else is coming up to throw their lives away?"

This remark seemed to strike a raw nerve in Ding Zhi, whose expression twisted into something rather peculiar. Clenching his fists, he shouted harshly, "Su Ye, our Elder Dink was merely challenging you and therefore did not even unleash half of his true strength, yet you dealt such a ruthless blow. You are utterly devoid of human decency! Do you really think we will let this matter rest?"

He waved a hand at the numerous martial artists behind him and bellowed angrily, "That was undoubtedly his full-strength strike just now! He can't possibly have much true qi left! Look at him standing still—he is definitely injured! To deal with a villain who has no regard for honor, we need not adhere to honor either! He only has one greatsword; all of you charge together, evade his blade, and take him down! The reward will be multiplied tenfold!"

Whether those martial artists possessed absolute loyalty or were simply incited by these words, over a dozen of them suddenly leaped forward. Each of them was clad in armor and brandished sharp weapons; without wasting any extra words, they charged directly at Su Ye.

***

Up on the ramparts, Jiang Ziyang and the others watched the enemy swarm Su Ye and immediately shouted in a booming voice, "Despicable and shameless! Men, go down and lend Su Ye a hand, drive them back! Remember, beware of the Insect King's Whetstone."

"Understood!" ten Jiang family martial artists responded in unison, clutching divine weapons as they leaped directly down from the city walls.

Adorned in identical attire and having cultivated the same martial arts techniques within the Jiang family, their simultaneous descent appeared impeccably synchronized, inadvertently exuding an overwhelming murderous intent.

"Don't kill anyone!"

Su Ye shouted at the top of his lungs. Naturally, he wasn't arrogant enough to refuse help, but they were still within the active window of the "Insect King's Whetstone." Taking a life at this moment would inevitably trigger the descent of the Insect King's wrath from the skies.

With a heave of the massive greatsword in his hands, a loud hum echoed through the air. The blade remained sheathed in its scabbard, concealing its full length, yet this glittering, oversized sword—roughly the size of half a door—looked mighty, domineering, and quite terrifying.

The charging city guards felt their hearts skip a beat, thinking: If that gigantic sword were to land a blow squarely on one's head, not even ashes would remain!

"Charge! Capture him!" The leading elder possessed a fair amount of backbone; once the battle had begun, he felt no hesitation whatsoever.

*Swish!*

The radiance erupting from the elder's sword surged violently. Vaulting into the air, he stripped off his armor with a single hand and hurled it directly at Su Ye like a projectile weapon.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

Su Ye swung the greatsword in his grip, sweeping fiercely to swat the three pieces of armor flying away. Instantly, the charging elder was reflected in his pupils.

"Oh? Also at the ninth level of the Qi Gathering Realm?"

Su Ye's heart tightened slightly, marveling that this concealed elder possessed such formidable cultivation. Daring not to slacken, he unleashed his true qi and slashed directly at the oncoming elder.

*Boom!!*

At the epicenter of the collision, a wave of light blasted outward, scattering across a radius exceeding a hundred meters. Struck by the immense force of the greatsword, the elder executed a violent flip mid-air.

Unlike Dink, who stood grounded with nowhere to evade, he had maneuvering space.

"What formidable strength!"

The elder roared, his physique fluttering like a feather as he swayed gently in mid-air, floating a couple of times to dissipate that tremendous momentum.

Having neutralized the force without a hint of complacency, the elder's sharp, glowing sword thrust forward anew, aiming directly for Su Ye's eyes. Simultaneously, four other martial artists converged on Su Ye from various angles.

The remaining city guards had already clashed with the Jiang family martial artists who had leaped down from the ramparts.

In an instant, a chaotic little battlefield formed all around them.

"Sever this little bastard's hands to avenge the elder!" another martial artist yelled fiercely, brandishing a blade aimed straight at Su Ye's wrists. Moreover, they had clearly prepared in advance; each martial artist immediately channeled their true qi, forming a massive barrier of Qi that pressed down oppressively on Su Ye, forcing him into a defensive posture.

"You scumbags think you can manage this?"

Su Ye bellowed in rage as a tempest of thunder and fire erupted from his body. Even the greatsword in his hands began to burn fiercely, and amidst his roar, he spun the giant blade violently.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

The surrounding martial artists were blasted away.

***

"Ah—"

Right at that moment, a deafening rumble shook the sky. Heavenly thunder began to gather, slowly taking the shape of a brilliant white blade of wrath.

"The Wrath of the Insect King!"

Everyone's heart skipped a beat. This signified that someone had just been killed.

Su Ye swept his gaze across the battlefield, unsure whether the kill came from his own sword strike moments ago or from the Jiang family martial artists nearby. At this point, however, it no longer mattered; if that Wrath Blade of the Insect King came crashing down, lives would undoubtedly be lost!

The surviving martial artists hastily scrambled away.

Su Ye shouted at the top of his lungs, "Who made the kill? Get behind me, all of you!"

Several martial artists, uncertain whether they were the ones who had dealt the fatal blow, dashed directly behind Su Ye, knowing he was the only one who could shield them now.

*Boom!!*

Before his voice had even faded, the Wrath Blade of the Insect King plummeted from the sky.

"Slash!"

Su Ye vaulted into the air, meeting the wrath head-on, colliding fiercely with the descending blade.

*Bang!*

Su Ye's body shuddered, numbness coursing through his entire frame while his head buzzed deafeningly, sending him crashing down from the sky. The Jiang family martial artists crouching on the ground were also caught in the shockwave, crying out in pain as they tumbled across the earth.

Even so, the blade of the Insect King's wrath was successfully shattered.

"Hahaha! Haha... So this is the Insect King's Whetstone... Haha! Thank you for unraveling the Insect King's power!" a hoarse voice suddenly echoed from the distance.

Before anyone could pinpoint the speaker's location, they watched as the shattered remnants of the "Wrath Blade of the Insect King" in the sky dissolved into streaks of multicolored radiance, as if forcibly absorbed by some unseen entity.

*Hum, hum—*

Instantly, a new blade of wrath, forged purely from streams of dazzling qi, began to take shape...