Xu Nian looked at the crowd of onlookers and a resigned smile appeared on his face.
He hadn't expected Mo Lang Team to be so blatant; at the very least, they should have waited for him to get a short distance from the city gate before ambushing him. Instead, they had blocked his path right under the walls of the county city.
It seemed they were counting on the Ding Family's influence in the county city, which emboldened them to act so recklessly.
Moreover, with the Prefectural Governor currently away from the city, Ding Hao and the others were even more unbridled.
"You've finally arrived. Do you know how many days we've been watching you? To wait for you, my men have been on stakeout day and night outside the Governor Mansion, and I thought you might cower inside for a lifetime," Ding Hao stepped forward and said with a face full of mockery.
Xu Nian chuckled lightly and looked at Ding Hao, "Young Master Ding has really gone through a lot. Are you looking to invite me for tea? If that's the case, why go to such great lengths? You could have simply sent someone to the Governor Mansion to summon me, sparing your men the trouble. I do feel quite bad about it."
"Tea?" Sun Zhan, who stood among the crowd, burst into loud laughter, "I told you this kid is an idiot. He actually thinks we're inviting him for tea."
Ding Hao and the others all laughed out loud, their gazes toward Xu Nian becoming more scornful.
The onlookers also shook their heads and looked at Xu Nian with pity in their eyes.
"Is Xu Nian really stupid or just faking it? Knowing that Ding Hao and his group were lying in wait for him, he still dared to walk into the trap? And now he's saying such things? Could his cultivation have really damaged his brain?" Some of the members from the Battle Hall who had rushed over began to discuss among themselves.
"I think it's very likely. When he chose that three-star mission earlier, I thought he was seeking death. Now, he's actually come here to court his own death. It's quite possible his brain is really ruined and he no longer wishes to live."
Those Battle Mansion members all nodded in agreement, feeling that Xu Nian's cultivation must have damaged his brain; otherwise why would he willingly come here to face death?
As for the idea that Xu Nian might be able to fight against the four people of Mo Lang Team, they didn't even consider it.
"Young master, should we help him?" Atop the city wall, a middle-aged man dressed in Battle Armor stood beside Chen Wudi, looking down at the scene below with a commanding view.
"No need. If Xu Nian is in danger, we will intervene then. Since he hasn't asked for our help, he must be confident in his ability to handle the situation on his own," Chen Wudi waved his hand.
The middle-aged man in Battle Armor nodded, but he didn't share the same opinion.
A three-star Battle Sect, facing off against Mo Lang Team—how much of a chance did he really have?
"Xu Nian, don't think you can fool anyone by playing dumb. That day, you and Chen Wudi plotted against me at Tianhua Restaurant, causing me to lose face. I can't do anything to Chen Wudi, but today, you must die," Ding Hao huffed coldly, a murderous gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Must die? Young Master Ding, it seems our grievances haven't reached the point of life and death, have they? Aren't you being a bit too extreme?" Xu Nian's lips curled into a cold smirk, and his eyes steadily grew colder.
"Ha ha, too extreme? Are you telling me a joke? You dared to covet Chen Yao, causing me to lose face; you used deceit to take five million Gold Coins from me. Any one of these reasons is enough for me to kill you a thousand times over. Do you still think I'm being excessive? When Ding Hao wants to kill someone, do I need a reason?" Ding Hao laughed heartily, his eyes full of arrogance.
The surrounding crowd all shrank their necks, not a single person daring to show any dissatisfaction.
The Ding Family's power was too great for them to provoke.
With Ding Hao being the second son of the Ding Family, within the city, no one dared to offend him.
As long as they were not from the Governor Mansion, even if Ding Hao actually killed someone, no one could do anything about it.
"What a saying, 'want to kill, no need for a reason.' I had intended to give you a chance, but it seems you have become unbearably arrogant," Xu Nian snorted with laughter, his gaze turning thoroughly glacial.
"Brother Ding Hao, why waste words on him? Just let me finish him off," Lv Cheng said with a cold huff.
"Fine, but make sure you leave him alive. I want him to live a life worse than death," Ding Hao said with a cold smile, his face contorted with a ferocious delight.
"Rest assured, the last strike will be reserved for the brother," Lv Cheng said with a cold smile.
After speaking, he turned his head toward Xu Nian, his gaze turning playful.
He had long found Xu Nian displeasing.
He joined the Battle Mansion last year and became a Two-Star Member in just five months.
He had been touted as a once-in-a-century genius in the Battle Mansion.
But ever since Xu Nian appeared, all his glory had been overshadowed, which he found hard to swallow.
So before coming here, he had already agreed with Ding Hao and Lin Rock.
This battle, he would strike first, he wanted to prove to everyone that he, Lv Cheng, was the true genius.
The crowd around also showed curious expressions, as Lv Cheng had indeed made a name for himself in the Battle Mansion over the past year.
If he continued to grow, his future would surely be boundless.
And this Xu Nian was hailed as the Battle Mansion's most promising genius, with these two clashing, it was really hard to say who would win and who would lose.
However, most people still favored Lv Cheng, after all, two months ago, Xu Nian was still a Nine-star Warrior, while at that time, Lv Cheng had already become a Six-star Battle Sect.
"You are not my opponent, go back, I don't want to kill you."
However, it was at this moment that Xu Nian looked at Lv Cheng and spoke indifferently.
The surrounding crowd was also surprised, was Xu Nian bluffing?
Anger surged on Lv Cheng's face as well.
At the very least, his Cultivation was far higher than Xu Nian's, and even if Xu Nian's combat power exceeded his level, he was only at the level of a Six-star Battle Sect ten days ago.
But now, he had reached the Peak of the Six-star Battle Sect and might breakthrough at any moment.
Xu Nian dared to look down on him .
"Arrogant, don't think because you managed a fluke victory over Brother Ding Hao, you can defeat me, today I will let you see what real strength is," Lv Cheng shouted loudly, and a powerful aura erupted from him.
The imposing manner of the Six-star Battle Sect roared into being, the fierce aura swept through the surroundings.
Everyone was startled, this Lv Cheng's aura as a Six-star Battle Sect was much stronger than that of an ordinary Six-star Battle Sect, and not too far from a Seven-star Battle Sect.
"Die!" Lv Cheng shouted loudly, directly slashing his blade towards Xu Nian.
Sword Light emerged, piercingly cold, striking fear into hearts.
Yet Xu Nian simply shook his head, his eyes instantly turned sharp, and a Xuan Iron Sword appeared in his hand.
Sword Radiance flashed, and blood splattered.
Lv Cheng's body passed directly by Xu Nian, freezing in place on the spot.
"How... How is this possible?" Lv Cheng's eyes widened in shock.
A minute crack at the center of his brow expanded, and ultimately, his entire body split in two and fell to the ground, breathless.
The surrounding crowd was dumbstruck.
A single sword stroke!
Lv Cheng at the peak of the Six-star Battle Sect was cleaved in half?
How could this be possible?
The several Battle Mansion members who had followed from the Battle Hall were also shocked.
Atop the city tower, the middle-aged man clad in Battle Armor was equally amazed, and even Chen Wudi beside him flashed a hint of astonishment in his eyes.
That sword stroke had been too fast, too fast for them to see how Xu Nian even struck.
Ding Hao and others also widened their eyes, filled with shock, unable to believe what they were witnessing.
Xu Nian stood holding the sword, without even giving a glance at Lv Cheng's corpse.
There was no special technique to this sword stroke, just sheer speed and sharpness.
In that instant, Xu Nian had lifted the thrice-enhanced gravity constraint.
With a full-force sword stroke, if he still couldn't kill Lv Cheng, his Cultivation would have indeed been for naught.