Chapter 2249
Chapter 2249
"Sword Saint? King of Fighters? You two are still alive? We thought you two were killed by Chen Jiuzhou!" the martial artists exclaimed in surprise when they saw Sword Saint and the others.
The look of shock was soon replaced by joy as they thought hope had arrived.
"We're so glad to see that you're still alive, Sword Saint!"
"We didn't have anyone to lead us in this battle against Chen Jiuzhou, so we weren't quite sure what to do!"
"Now that you're back, we'll all take orders from you!"
"Let us band together to stop Chen Jiuzhou and his Dragon Gate Project!"
Everyone was praising Sword Saint and King of Fighters as they waited for the two to lead them in battle.
However, Sword Saint simply responded by raising his sword and stabbing at them.
Swoosh!
All they saw was a flash of white light as the sword cut through the air.
About a second later, blood sprayed everywhere as ten martial artists died on the spot.
Everyone at the scene was stunned by what they had just seen.
They were all staring at the former Hall Master of War God Castle, who loved the people with his life, in shock and disbelief.
"W-What are you doing, Sword Saint?"
The crowd could not believe their eyes.
For the first time ever, they felt as though they didn't know Sword Saint anymore.
"Hall Master Chen is not someone you people can afford to offend! That stab was just to teach you all a lesson! We are here on Hall Master Chen's orders to crush your little resistance movement. Now, I suggest you all stop right here and leave. Those whose names are on that list, head over to Dragon Gate and prepare for your training! If you do not comply with these orders, then we will have no choice but to use force!" Sword Saint shouted with a terrifyingly authoritative tone in his voice.
Naturally, those words shocked every single one of the martial artists at the scene.
They could not bring themselves to believe that Sword Saint had just said that.
"King of Fighters, what happened to Sword Saint? Have you all submitted yourselves to Chen Jiuzhou?" they asked in confusion.
King of Fighters had an icy-cold look on his face as he replied, "Hall Master Chen is the head of China's martial arts world. It only makes sense for everyone in China to submit to him. Those who defy him shall die!"
King of Fighters' voice was exploding with authority and commanded absolute obedience.
The martial artists, who had their hopes up a few moments ago, all sank into despair after hearing that.
Someone in the crowd protested, "W-Why have you all turned out like this? Have you two forgotten who it was who injured War God? Do you two not remember who it was who forced you two into Dragon Gate? Why have you all become Chen Jiuzhou's lapdogs?"
They could not accept that a supreme grandmaster, who used to be a pillar of China and their protector, would end up killing the people he once protected.
They could not accept that a supreme grandmaster, who used to be a pillar of China and their protector, would end up killing the people he once protected.
Of course, Sword Saint and King of Fighters didn't care what they had to say.
All that remained in their icy-cold gazes was the preparedness to kill.
Whatever patience Sword Saint had left was gone when he saw no one backing off.
He gave the command and led the other Supreme fighters as he charged forward and began massacring the protesters.
It wasn't until Sword Saint started swinging his blade at them that the martial artists realized he had changed.
Terrified and anguished screams filled the area as bloodied corpses were scattered across Mount Yan.
After that massacre, no one else in China dared stand up to Chen Jiuzhou anymore.
Sword Saint and the other Supreme fighters went all over China to hunt down the martial artists whose names were on the list.
The ones who resisted had their legs broken and were dragged over to Mount Yan before being tossed into Dragon Gate.
Chen Jiuzhou practically had all of China's martial arts world at his fingertips.
As no one knew if they would end up being thrown into Dragon Gate next, everybody lived in fear of Chen Jiuzhou and his subordinates.
More and more martial artists were thrown into Dragon Gate as Chen Jiuzhou moved on to the fifth and sixth batches.
While they did handpick the elite and talented martial artists to participate in the Dragon Gate training, they ended up throwing even the novice martial artists into Dragon Gate.
As if that wasn't bad enough, they did not care about consent and would forcefully take all chosen ones away.
That led to an increase in the death rate as more martial artists failed to make it back alive.
It wasn't just China that did such a horrible thing. The martial arts worlds in other countries were also doing something similar.
It was common for mankind to crave the light when plunged into darkness.
Having spent so much time living in fear, the people started to miss Chu Tianfan, whom they had gotten rid of in the past.
If only Ye Fan was still here! If only he didn't die! He was able to defeat Chu Sect all by himself back then, so he must be able to go against Chen Jiuzhou and destroy Dragon Gate! After all, he survived being hunted down globally by Chu Sect and had always managed to emerge victorious without the help of War God Castle! Surely, Ye Fan and his Dragon God Hall would be able to resolve this Dragon Gate crisis as well!
Meanwhile, Li Er had gone into hiding in a small town near the border of Jiangdong.
Despite his best efforts at remaining hidden, the people managed to find him anyway.
"The people of the country are at stake here, Mr. Li! Please continue Mr. Chu's legacy and save the martial arts world of China!"
"That's right, Mr. Li! You can't keep hiding like this! At this rate, the martial arts world of China will be completely done for!"
A few old men dressed in suits were begging Li Er for help with earnest looks on their faces.
Li Er, on the other hand, had an emotionless expression as he sat there with his back facing them. His gaze was fixated on the fishing rod in his hands and the pond in front of him.
"I, Li Er, am but a normal man. It's a miracle that I even survived this long. You guys are all powerful martial artists, so why would you travel all this way just to ask an ordinary man like myself for help? Don't you guys find that a little funny? If you guys aren't able to resolve the crisis, then what can I possibly do to make a difference? Please leave."
Not wanting to waste any of his time with them, Li Er simply told them to leave.
"We know you're not a martial artist, Mr. Li, but you have served the Unrivalled for so many years now. Surely, he must have left you with some trump cards we can use?"
"That's right, Mr. Li! Please try your best to recall if Mr. Chu left you with anything before he died! Mr. Chu was a true hero who deserved his title of the Unrivalled! He was able to escape even when hunted down by the top four of the Empyrean Ranking! That shows just how capable he is! A man with such great achievements must've left behind lots of useful trump cards that can resolve such crises, right?"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. Please don't keep such things hidden any longer, Mr. Li! We need to defeat Chen Jiuzhou in order to save the martial arts world of China and avenge Mr. Chu!" Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
"Exactly!"
"If you are willing to hand those trump cards over, the martial arts world of Tellmoore shall forever remember your contribution!"
"The martial arts world of Xijiang shall be forever indebted to you, Mr. Li!"
"Same goes for the martial arts world of Durbaine!"
The representatives of the martial arts worlds from various states all requested for Li Er to hand over any trump cards Ye Fan had left behind.
Li Er broke into a smile.
He shook his head and said coldly, "The Unrivalled? A true hero? Great achievements? Wow... That all sounds so pleasant to the ears. It's a shame that Mr. Chu is no longer around to hear you guys say all that. If only he were still alive... That way, he'd be able to see how pretentious and selfish you guys are."