Chapter 77: Falling Moon Sinking Star

Yun Che had already set his stance, his face a mask of solemnity. In contrast, Xiao Luo City was a picture of calm and ease, its inhabitants smiling with a lack of tension… though in his heart, Xiao Luo had been smirking all along.

He would certainly make his move, but not without reason. This Yun Che had instilled in him a certain sense of crisis. Not the kind that suggested Yun Che could defeat him, mind you, but rather that Yun Che—despite being only at the Entry Xuan Realm—had managed to best even the formidable Luo Zhan Nang, whose fire-based Xuan skills had reached an almost unimaginable pinnacle. To possess such power at the Entry Xuan level was unheard of, even for someone of Xiao Luo’s stature as an outsider lord of the Xiao Clan.

Even at the Entry Xuan stage, Xiao Luo himself could never have achieved such a feat. It meant that, at the same level, he was, in all likelihood, no match for Yun Che.

For years in Xiao Luo City, he had been the undisputed number one, a title that even the younger generation acknowledged. Yet here stood this Yun Che, and an unfamiliar, uncomfortable feeling of inadequacy crept into his heart. Such a person should never have set foot in Xiao Luo City, let alone stood before him.

And Yun Che’s posture reeked of arrogance, his words unyielding and unrestrained. His previous scorn for the Seven Sects had left their top disciples in such a pitiable state that it was no surprise the Seven Sects now nursed grudges against him, likely to strike at him with underhanded tactics in the days to come. Friendship? Impossible.

If that were the case, then let it end here… For in all of Xiao Luo City, only I, Xiao Luo, deserved the title of “genius.”

This Yun Che, so strong, so bold, so… foolish! He had, in fact, already dug his own grave. With that, Xiao Luo’s last shred of restraint had vanished.

At that moment, Xiao Luo’s smile grew even more enigmatic. He casually extended his hand toward Yun Che. “Brother Yun, please proceed.”

Xiao Luo’s stance was clear: Yun Che was to strike first.

Yun Che did not hesitate. His foot stepped forward, a slight misstep, his right arm sweeping in a horizontal arc toward Xiao Luo’s chest—pure Xuan energy colliding without warning, a direct test of Xiao Luo’s Xuan force depth.

Testing Entry Xuan-level Xuan energy against Entry Xuan-level?

The disciples of the Seven Sects all bore cold, mocking smiles… Their Xuan force levels differed by nearly a full realm, and Yun Che’s attempt to sustain even a moment was laughably naive, relying solely on body technique and Xuan skills. Xiao Luo’s eyes flickered with contempt as he flipped his right hand behind him and casually flicked his left.

One hand, and only three-tenths of his strength.

“Boom.” The clash of their arms sent Xiao Luo standing still, unmoved, his body not even trembling. Yun Che, however, slid backward two or three steps, nearly stumbling, his right arm trembling. His eyes widened in shock. “Not unremarkable, the Xuan force of the Xiao Sect’s youngest lord!”

“Hehe.” Xiao Luo smiled coolly. “Yun Brother’s Xuan force is indeed thick and dense, no wonder he bested Luo Zhan Nang. Though… if I say I only used three-tenths of my strength just now… do you believe me?”

“Hahaha, the Xiao youngest lord truly has a sense of humor.” Yun Che chuckled, taking Xiao Luo’s words at face value, drawing another round of cold laughter from the Seven Sects’ disciples. He stepped back a fraction, raised his right hand, and frowned. “But the next move, Xiao youngest lord, you’ll need to be careful. If you meet it head-on, you might suffer serious injury.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Luo’s lips twitched violently. The disciples of the Seven Sects laughed again. Yun Che’s displayed strength had already shaken them, yet his overconfidence and ignorance were proving far more dangerous than his actual power.

“Thanks for the warning, Yun Brother. Proceed, then. I’ll respond in kind. Even if I take a grievous wound, there are witnesses here—anyone would know it wasn’t your fault.” Xiao Luo smiled, now beginning to regret his boldness. Confronting such an arrogant fool was an insult to his very identity! His recklessness, even with such talent, made him no true asset, and required no caution.

Yun Che drew a deep breath, his gaze turning grave. His right hand began to swirl with Xuan energy, the force coalescing rapidly, as if all his strength was being forcibly concentrated there. Since his battle with Xuan Yu, he had never unleashed any offensive Xuan technique—only the most basic Xuan force thrusts.

This time, too, it would be the same. Everyone was certain Yun Che had no offensive Xuan arts.

“Xiao youngest lord, meet my technique!”

Yun Che’s voice boomed low and steady as his fist crashed toward Xiao Luo’s chest. The blow, clearly infused with all his Xuan energy, radiated immense power, its force at least double that of a mere Entry Xuan-level strike.

Such power from an Entry Xuan cultivator was enough to draw gasps. But for Xiao Luo, it was nothing. Feeling the force as merely a slight, aggressive breeze, Xiao Luo’s eyes flashed with cold disdain. He unleashed his fist with seven-tenths of his strength. Three-tenths had sufficed to repel Yun Che; seven-tenths would shatter his entire arm’s bones, even rupture his organs under such Xuan force impact.

“Fool… die!”

A cold laugh echoed in Xiao Luo’s heart, his gaze darkening as he envisioned Yun Che’s body collapsing, his arm torn apart.

But in the instant their fists were about to collide, Yun Che’s eyes flickered with a sinister glint. A heavy, low chant resonated in his mind.

“First Form of the Demon God—Stellar Collapse!”

Deep in Yun Che’s body, at the first node of his Xuan veins, a dense, crimson light erupted, like a slumbering demon god suddenly opening his terrifying, furious eyes. Instantly, all his Xuan veins and his entire body surged with Xuan energy, the force swelling and expanding wildly in his right fist.

When the Demon God’s Xuan veins were activated, as Ruby had explained, each node unlocked a corresponding Demon God sutra and technique. These required no cultivation—once the node opened, they could be unleashed at will. With the first node activated, the name and method of the first Demon God technique—Stellar Collapse—flashed into Yun Che’s mind.

This was his final, hidden trump card, revealed after sensing Xiao Luo’s dark aura.

The seven nodes of the Demon God’s Xuan veins represented seven Demon God techniques. The first, “Stellar Collapse,” meant that when a Demon God unleashed it, they could extinguish the sun and moon. Yun Che couldn’t manifest such cosmic power, but the name alone spoke of its terrifying might.

“Boom!”

Their fists clashed, unleashing a thunderous boom like a celestial strike. A terrifying shockwave erupted from their point of contact, radiating outward with a cacophony of cracks. The marble floor of the main hall shattered in vast patches, and slabs of stone flew into the distance.

At the epicenter, a figure was launched skyward like a cannonball, slamming into the pillar near the doorway with a thunderous crash. The thick stone pillar trembled, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface, and dust rained from the ceiling.

The figure embedded himself halfway into the pillar, his body not even knocked back. Only after a moment did he slowly slide down, collapsing to the ground—bloodied, lifeless, his chest torn open, bones visible beneath. His left arm was splashed crimson in an instant.

This was not Yun Che. It was Xiao Luo.

The hall fell into dead silence. Every eye stared in horror, no one daring to speak. Then, in unison, Qin Youhu, Si Kong Han, and Tiě Zhàn Cāng all rose, their eyes wide with disbelief, as the leaders and elders of the Seven Sects stood, their gazes fixed on the scene as if denying reality.

“Ugh…”

Yun Che gasped, collapsing to his knees, his chest heaving. His right arm hung limp. Blood surged through his body, threatening to burst from his mouth, but he choked it back. His Xuan veins were drained, his Xuan force nearly gone. He could barely stay upright.

Slowly, he lifted his head, his lips curling into a sardonic smile.

If you hadn’t come to challenge me, you’d still be the proud Xiao youngest lord of the Xiao Clan, the unrivaled youth of Xiao Luo City. My arrogance was self-defense. But your arrogance… was true self-destruction.

【Hmm? What’s happening? Our red tickets have been so weak lately! Friends, don’t forget to build the habit of clicking the red ticket every day!!】