Chen Chao gripped the broken saber and swung it down heavily. A snow-white saber light arrived first, followed by a majestic surge of saber qi that came crashing down. Seizing the opportunity, Lin Shan pressed backward, kicking the pike with the tip of his foot. The pike-head cut a groove into the ground before lining itself horizontally in front of him. Lin Shan held the pike with both hands, blocking it in front of him.
As the broken saber descended, a shower of sparks scattered.
But at the same time, Lin Shan could see with his naked eye that a cut was instantly being sliced onto the pike's shaft made of stainless steel by the broken saber.
Lin Shan was somewhat shocked. The pike in his hand was crafted by the blacksmiths of the Ministry of Works. Although it was not some divine weapon, it was still considered good. How could it be nicked after a single saber strike?
Realization hit him, but at this moment, Chen Chao had used the blade edge to swipe across the pike's shaft. With countless metal shavings falling, the broken saber finally landed on the pike's tip.
Chen Chao held the saber with one hand, while the other clenched into a fist. He exerted a slight force, and all his muscles tensed up at that moment. This was him gathering strength, indicating that Chen Chao's punch following this would be rather terrifying. Lin Shan also sensed the continuously gathering qi in front of his chest, feeling the threat of death. Subconsciously, he wanted to retreat.
Once this thought emerged, his entire momentum would suddenly decline. It was similar to a person's state of mind: normally, no matter what happened, they could withstand it because of their mental strength. However, when faced with adversity and that mental strength dissipated, it meant that person could no longer hold on.
In the world of martial artists, it was the same.
Unlike cultivators, martial artists lacked dazzling magic spells. They relied only on their tempered bodies and unyielding will. Therefore, in combat, martial artists charged forward with an indomitable spirit, prepared to face death in battle. Hence, a martial artist would not take the initiative to retreat unless absolutely necessary.
But, before determining the outcome against Chen Chao, Lin Shan had already chosen to retreat, indicating that the aura within him had dissipated, sealing his defeat.
However, wanting to retreat often meant one could not.
The fist, accumulated with endless qi, struck the pike. Lin Shan's hands instantly felt an immense force transmit over, causing both hands to tremble, and the pike almost slipped out of his hands.
His body flew backward uncontrollably, carving two long grooves into the ground.
This Deputy Commander of the Left Guard was flooded with countless questions in his mind at this moment. Why, even though they were both in the Bitter Sea Realm and Chen Chao had only recently entered the Bitter Sea Realm, was the disparity between them so great?
However, he had no time to dwell on these thoughts. Chen Chao almost instantly reappeared in front of him, unleashing a powerful strike with his saber.
Lin Shan instinctively raised both hands, the pike once again horizontal in front of him. However, in the subsequent moments, he witnessed an infuriating scene: the young man before him delivered a saber strike. But the broken saber was sheathed at some unknown point, and at this moment, he was delivering a strike with the sheathed broken saber directly onto the pike's shaft!
It was a blatant humiliation!
Lin Shan's expression turned ugly, filled with anger.
Yet, as the young man struck again with the saber sheath, Lin Shan actually could not stand up anymore. He was forced down onto one knee by the attack, assuming an extremely humiliating posture in front of Chen Chao.
Kneeling before Chen Chao with one knee, Lin Shan's face displayed an unusual shade of red.
Chen Chao looked at the kneeling Lin Shan, a smile appearing on his face. "Deputy Commander Lin, this commander can't afford such a grand gesture from you."
It was truly an incredibly ironic scene.
"HAH!"
Lin Shan let out a loud roar, attempting to stand up once again, but the saber sheath firmly held him down. Regardless of how much force he exerted throughout his body, he could not stand, not even for a moment.
Despite also being in the Bitter Sea Realm, other than right in the beginning, this so-called senior did not have any ability to resist at all now.
Chen Chao stared at this deputy commander who had served in the Left Guard for over twenty years, a calm and collected expression on his face. "People like you always think that being older and cultivating for a longer time guarantees victory. A brat who's still wet behind your ears, how are you qualified to fight with me? Actually, I can understand having such thoughts, but what I can't understand is, after I presented the documents of the Warden's Office, why didn't you understand the situation and back down?"
"Why? Was the price offered by someone too high? Have you ever considered if you have the ability to stomach these things?"
Listening to a youth barely in his teens uttering these words of reason, Lin Shan grew even angrier. He had lived for so many years, why would he need a youth to look down on him like this?
However, just as he gathered his qi for a final struggle, Chen Chao withdrew the saber sheath, causing his pressure to instantly dissipate. But before he could react, Chen Chao gripped the saber sheath again and struck down ruthlessly. This time, he decisively shattered the already damaged pike. Then, using the saber sheath, he instantly crushed Lin Shan's shoulder bone.
Lin Shan, who was just about to rise, had to kneel down again. A stream of blood gushed from his lips. The saber sheath pressed on his shoulder. It was as heavy as Mt. Tai, impossible to resist.
Similarly in the Bitter Sea Realm, Lin Shan was completely and utterly defeated at this moment.
Moreover, this great battle did not last too long. In less than an hour, Lin Shan suffered a crushing defeat, and the young man opposite him was very relaxed from start to finish, showing no signs of fighting with his life on the line.
Chen Chao smiled as he looked at him and said, "Do you still not understand at this point? We're both in the Bitter Sea Realm, why does your body seem as fragile as paper?"
Lin Shan glared at Chen Chao. Indeed, he did not quite comprehend why. Similarly in the Bitter Sea Realm, there was such a vast difference between him and the young man before him.
Chen Chao stood in front of Lin Shan, perhaps speaking to himself or unintentionally murmuring, "Have you suffered as much bitterness as I have?"
Every time he tempered his body, Chen Chao would practically persist until his body could no longer endure, and the frequency of body tempering was countless times more than an ordinary martial artist. It was precisely because of these repeated body tempering sessions that today's results were achieved.
Soon, Chen Chao snapped back to reality, staring at Lin Shan and saying, "Where's the official seal?"
At this point, Lin Shan no longer had the strength to continue the fight. He could not stand, but he still remained silent.
Chen Chao sighed and seemed somewhat unwilling as he asked, "Then tell me, who promised you something?"
Lin Shan continued to stay silent.
Chen Chao said, "A while back, when I first met the Lord Warden Commander, he solemnly assured me that in the entire Great Liang Dynasty, only the Northern Frontier and the warden faction had no spies. Looking at it now, doesn't it seem ridiculous?"
Chen Chao had known that Lin Shan was a ghost long before he returned to the Divine Capital. Otherwise, he would not have gone straight to the Left Guard's office upon returning to the Divine Capital instead of going elsewhere.
A trace of pain flashed across Lin Shan's eyes. At this moment, all that remained in his eyes was remorse.
In his earlier years, he was also a hot-blooded man, especially after joining the warden faction. He firmly believed that he would not betray the Great Liang Dynasty throughout his life. However, as the years passed and everything changed, staying true to one's initial aspirations despite the changing circumstances would truly be remarkable.
Lin Shan mumbled absentmindedly, "I've diligently performed my duties in the Left Guard for so many years, and I've never let anyone down. Yet, why am I still not qualified to be the commander? What achievements do you have..."
His gaze became increasingly confused. Even at this point, he could not understand why, after Song Lian stepped down as the commander, he did not get the position of commander.
Chen Chao did not answer this question. In the world, not everything is logical, not everything goes as one wishes.
Chen Chao probably knew that this would be the result. No one in the world would feel that they did something wrong, there would always be countless reasons to shift the blame onto others.
"Something like being a spy, once done, all of them deserve to die."
The sheath of the saber slid down.
Lin Shan's heart turned ashen.
……
……
The wind and snow continued.
Snowflakes kept falling, and as the snow grew heavier, the entire courtyard of the Left Guard's office began to accumulate snow.
The officials of the Left Guard watched the tightly shut front door and remained silent. There were sounds coming from inside before, but at this moment, everything was quiet, eerily silent.
No one knew what had happened inside. Many speculated whether that Commander had been subdued. Or was he directly killed by that Deputy Commander?
If so, how would things develop...
Many thoughts crossed people's minds, but they abruptly came to a halt.
Because the front door had been slowly pulled open.
A slender figure dressed in a black official robe appeared in everyone's line of sight.
Just like when he arrived, the young man without any bloodstains on his body casually held the official seal of the Left Guard. The official seal which was about the size of a chicken egg, now dangled from Chen Chao's fingertips, swinging casually.
Seeing the official seal, many people's faces turned somewhat unsightly.
More people craned their necks to look inside, where there was only a heap of snow in the courtyard.
"May I ask, Lord Commander, where is the Deputy Commander?"
Seeing that heap of snow, many people thought about the fate of the Deputy Commander, but they found it hard to believe.
Someone bit the bullet and spoke up. Even though the official seal was already in Chen Chao's hands now, and the outcome seemed almost certain, they still wanted a confirmation.
Chen Chao said indifferently, "Dead."
The simple word directly shattered the hearts of many.
The Deputy Commander of the Left Guard in the Divine Capital was dead, killed by the Commander himself. Such news would be hard for anyone to believe, and it was possible that the events of tonight would turn the Left Guard into a laughingstock not only in the Divine Capital but throughout the entire world.
Thinking about this, many people's expressions turned ugly. As officials of the Left Guard, they had always been incomparably proud. If such a thing happened, how would they still dare to say they were Left Guard officials?
That honor they once felt was gone at this moment.
A commotion erupted. Even Weng Quan looked at Chen Chao with disbelief.
Many of the Left Guard's officials could not believe that Chen Chao could defeat Lin Shan. However, Weng Quan could not believe that Chen Chao would be so decisive, killing a deputy commander just like that.
Someone spoke up, "Lord Commander, he was the Deputy Commander, he served in the Left Guard for over twenty years. How could he be disposed of so casually?"
The snow fell silently, but countless people were speaking. The Left Guard's office was in a clamor.
That person who spoke was precisely Yu Hua.
He was currently looking at Chen Chao with a furious look.
Previously, it was he who spoke up. Now, he stepped forward again with eyes blazing with anger. Lin Shan's death seemed to have dealt him a tremendous blow, causing him to throw caution to the wind.
Chen Chao ignored him and turned to Weng Quan, saying calmly, "Confiscate his waist token. From today onwards, he is no longer a member of the Left Guard."
Before getting the official seal, Chen Chao had already told Yu Hua this. At that time, Yu Hua also said they could talk about it after Chen Chao obtained the official seal.
However, who could have expected that Chen Chao would really obtain the official seal in no time flat, and was indeed going to expel him from the Left Guard?
Yu Hua's expression changed slightly, but before he could speak, someone else spoke up, "Lord Commander, Saber Envoy has served the Left Guard for many years, contributing countless merits. Is this the way to treat him?"
"If Lord Commander acts like this, aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of our brothers?"
The person stared intently at Chen Chao.
"This commander has the document from the Warden's Office. The Great Liang's laws clearly state it. The Deputy Commander has even turned his back on the Great Liang Dynasty, so this commander could only kill him."
"Why? Do you all also think the Great Liang's laws are just empty words?"
This sentence from Chen Chao was a killing blow to the heart. No one would dare to admit that no matter what.
Serving as an official of the Great Liang Dynasty, if one did not even recognize the Great Liang's laws, then there would be no reason for anything.
Sure enough, after Chen Chao said this sentence, there was a brief silence.
No one dared to refute this sentence.
But soon, someone spoke up, "Saber Envoy just wants justice. How can Lord Commander be so hasty in stripping Saber Envoy of his official post in the Left Guard?"
Chen Chao responded calmly, "This commander is acting in accordance with the laws of Great Liang. What do you want?"
The person said coldly, "Lord Commander shouldn't act this way."
Chen Chao asked, "If this commander insists on doing so?"
Without hesitation, the person said, "Then, from today onwards, this lowly official will no longer serve the Left Guard too!"
Each word was resolute and decisive.
An almost poignant atmosphere spread out here.
Chen Chao shrugged indifferently and said, "Then hand over your waist token."
Chen Chao's reaction surprised that person. He looked at Chen Chao, unable to understand why Chen Chao would do this.
"Who else wants to leave the Left Guard today too?"
Chen Chao scanned the surroundings, gliding over the faces of those Left Guard officials little by little.
In the end, several more people stepped forward.
Those people looked at Chen Chao, the emotions in their eyes clear: Even if you obtain the official seal today, it won't prevent mass defection. The entire Left Guard will never be under your control.
Everyone was waiting for Chen Chao's decision, wanting to know how this Commander would choose in the end.
As they expected, if Chen Chao made a wrong decision, even if he obtained the official seal today, the entire Left Guard might truly not be under his control.
"Is that it? Who else refuses to accept this?"
Chen Chao looked at Weng Quan and said, "Take their waist tokens."
After saying this, Chen Chao looked at them and said, "I know you guys are very disgruntled and have a lot to say, but I have only one thing to say."
Chen Chao smiled and said casually, "If you're disgruntled, hold it in."
