In the world of martial arts, I can invest in countless realms.

Chapter 60 Rain Falls

"Excellent swordsmanship, but the swordsman is a bit lacking."

Faced with the swordplay that was as swift and fierce as a storm, Shen Che neither dodged nor fled.

The ultimate realm of innate talent, half-step grandmaster – this is the strength He Kongming has displayed.

This level of skill is already quite good in the martial arts world, but it's still a bit lacking compared to him.

The social circles of Baicaogu, including the powerful families and sects they've recruited in a short time, aren't exactly top-tier.

He stood there, letting the opponent's sword energy envelop him.

The next moment, under the impact of the sword light, an invisible force seemed to sweep everything away, just like the clear sound of rain hitting banana leaves.

Faced with such a terrifying attack, Shen Che simply stretched out one hand and waved it down lightly, as if it were just a casual gesture.

The surging sword energy and the unstoppable momentum it had gathered were easily shattered.

The remaining force continued to bombard He Kongming, slamming him hard onto the ground.

Under this immense force, the ground trembled violently, sending up clouds of dust.

With just one slap, that terrifying figure who seemed to dominate the entire valley was instantly knocked down.

His face, a bloody mess, was filled with astonishment. The slap had left his head buzzing, causing He Kongming to twitch.

He was slapped down by a young man?

The intense pain all over his body, mixed with the burning sensation on his face, kept He Kongming from recovering for quite some time.

He struggled instinctively to stand up again, but after a while, his reason returned, and he immediately chose to give up.

They could slap him into this state, and they could slap him away with another. The difference between them is like heaven and earth, like mud and clouds.

He could tell that the other person hadn't used their full strength at all; it was just a casual wave of their hand.

He lowered his head and desperately pretended to be on the verge of death, hoping not to be noticed by the other party.

"This..." This scene stunned everyone on the spot, and those who were about to make a move immediately stopped in their tracks.

Regardless of Master He's character, his strength is definitely top-notch among them. If even such a master couldn't withstand a single slap, then it's even less likely that they could.

Going up means getting killed, and waiting on the spot means being devoured by the Crimson Cicada inside your body. Either way, you're going to be killed, so you might as well die standing up; at least you can save some face.

Thanks to He Kongming for highlighting their virtues; otherwise, they wouldn't seem so noble. At least they didn't lay a hand on anyone; they died standing up.

Ignoring He Kongming, who was barely alive, Shen Che walked directly towards Bai Xiyu.

The cicadas along the way kept circling around him, but never dared to get even a step closer.

At this moment, Bai Xiyu's originally fair and heroic face showed a hint of panic, the first time she had shown such an expression.

She tried desperately to control the red cicadas surrounding Shen Che, but all she received in return was fear and panic.

Let alone controlling these red cicadas to rush up and suck the essence of flesh and blood, even just keeping them from running away was a huge effort on her part.

"What are you all standing there for? Kill him now! Go!"

No one made a move; some even sat cross-legged on the ground, closed their eyes, and waited to die.

This scene immediately made Bai Xiyu give up her illusions. With that good-for-nothing He Kongming as a precedent, no one else could possibly make a move; doing so would only be sending them to their doom.

Everything was under control until this unexpected turn of events occurred.

It was only then that she was shocked to realize that she had no more cards to play and that the only one she could play was herself.

Seeing Shen Che approach, Bai Xiyu sped up at all costs, and boundless power rapidly gathered in her body like a whale drinking water.

One after another, the red cicadas fell to the ground. These were the red cicadas that had absorbed the power of those martial arts masters, and now they had exhausted everything.

At an incredible speed, like a whale swallowing a hundred rivers or a cow drinking from a pond, a violent aura rose from the ground.

She was well aware of the principle that haste makes waste, and that pursuing speed too much would inevitably lead to extreme instability in her power. But she couldn't care less about that now.

As time went by, her aura seemed to have surpassed the innate threshold, which gave her a little confidence.

But just then, that terrifying figure was already in front of her.

The few remaining red cicadas surrounding her scattered and fled, even greatly impacting her control.

As Shen Che approached, even though she tried desperately to control him, Chi Chan would scatter in fear, making way for him.

The red curtain, which she had initially considered almost perfect, proved utterly useless.

Before Bai Xiyu could even try to get close to him or use threats or inducements, she was met with another slap from Shen Che.

This was the first time she had faced the boy who had spent several days with her, and the first time she had felt the suffocatingly violent aura emanating from him.

It was as if her mere presence alone was enough to keep her from moving an inch.

No, it wasn't the first time. Back at the bottom of the pit, that fleeting, terrifying aura emanated from this excessively young boy before me.

I should have thought of it sooner, but I just hadn't dared to confirm it.

This slap was powerful and heavy, like a mountain pressing down from the sky, seemingly beyond human resistance.

Even with all the power she temporarily absorbed, and her formidable strength that gave her the illusion of being invincible, she paled in comparison to this slap.

That was the skill that Shi Lichou, who possessed unparalleled talent for external martial arts, had acquired through more than forty years of arduous training, sacrificing his own strength in the process.

The power of a fully mastered Armor-Shattering Technique is such that it's no exaggeration to say that a wave of the hand carries the weight of ten thousand pounds.

Bai Xiyu mustered all her strength to resist, but all her power was shattered by a single slap.

The moment the slap landed on her, she felt her proud inner strength being crushed and scattered, and her body was involuntarily thrown away.

His bones were shattered, his internal organs were damaged, and his breathing was like a broken bellows, with each breath mixed with blood and fragments of internal organs.

"Zhao'er, Zhao'er!"

Seeing her daughter in such a state, Old Madam Lu rushed over and hugged her tightly, tears streaming down her face.

I hurriedly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, but the more I wiped, the more blood flowed out, and I couldn't wipe it all away.

"Zhao'er, how are you!"

"Your father died early, and the future of Baicao Valley rests on your shoulders. Your mother shouldn't have put so much pressure on you since you were little, and she shouldn't have forced you to be ambitious every day."

"It's your mother who has wronged you, it's your mother who has harmed you, I'm the one who should be judged!"

"Mother!" Bai Xiyu received a rare moment of warmth as she was held in her mother's arms.

"Mother, it hurts!"

"Zhao'er, I have medicine here. It will stop hurting once you take it!" With trembling hands, Bai Xiyu held the baby in her arms, and Old Madam Lu took out a porcelain bottle from her bosom.

In a panic, he poured one pill from the porcelain bottle and gave it to Bai Xiyu. As for the rest, he tilted his head back and swallowed it all with a forceful effort.

Before long, both Madam Lu and Bai Xiyu's faces began to turn black, their lips turned purple, and their bodies began to convulse involuntarily.

"Mother!" After swallowing the medicine, Bai Xiyu felt as if the pain had really subsided. She tried to open her eyes, but found that she didn't even have the strength to do so, and felt her whole body getting colder and colder.

"Zhao'er!"

Holding Bai Xiyu's gradually cooling body, Old Madam Lu hummed a lullaby she used to use to lull her daughter to sleep when she was a child, but the sound grew softer and softer until it was no longer audible.

As Bai Xiyu died, the countless red cicadas that flew in the sky fell to the ground like a red rain, just like an unusually eye-catching red funeral.