Chapter 599: Two Kills

They were already standing incredibly close to each other.

With no suspense, the punch landed squarely on Blue Star's chest.

Bang!

Blue Star was immediately sent flying ten zhang, crashing like a wild boar beside Orange Star.

A bowl-sized bloody hole marred his chest. His vital organs had been cleanly pierced by a single punch.

He groaned twice, attempting to clutch his chest. But his strength failed him, and his hands remained motionless. Soon after, he drew his last breath.

He died on the spot!

Jiang Fan remarked indifferently, "Two of the Ten Demon Stars have been slain. A net gain."

Silence fell over the demon crowd!

Blue Star, ranked fifth and a cultivator at the sixth level of Core Formation, was actually… actually struck down by a human, using sheer physical power?

Not only did the faces of the Ten Stars turn ashen, but their composure also shattered. Even the demon powerhouses felt a surreal sense of disbelief. Were their juniors truly demons? From their perspective, Jiang Fan seemed more like a demon who dominated with pure physical might.

"How dare you!" the Demon Emperor stated impassively. A hint of coldness laced his voice. He had already ordered Jiang Fan to stop, yet Jiang Fan had still dealt a killing blow. This was a blatant disregard for his authority.

Jiang Fan merely cast a faint sideways glance at him. "Demon Emperor," he said, "this is a 'matter between juniors.' I'm not sure why a Demon Emperor like yourself needs to interfere. If you can't handle it, feel free to withdraw your Ten Stars and have your high-ranking officials execute me instead."

The Demon Emperor's eyes narrowed. He somewhat regretted bringing Jiang Fan back in the first place. As a captive, Jiang Fan had not only failed to boost morale as intended, but he had killed two of the Ten Stars. These were the Ten Stars, prodigies nurtured by the demon race with immense resources and effort. Each one was invaluable. Yet Jiang Fan had casually slain two of them, as if they were mere chickens. Even he felt a pang of heartache.

Jiang Fan completely ignored the Demon Emperor's gaze, turning instead to the remaining eight Stars. Under his sweeping gaze, the indignant desire to avenge their previous humiliation that the eight Stars had just moments ago vanished. Most of them averted Jiang Fan's eyes, afraid to meet his gaze directly. A few dared to be angry but not speak, their eyes filled with apprehension.

"What's wrong? Weren't you just clamoring to uphold the honor of the demon race?" Jiang Fan goaded. "After only two matches, is there no one left who dares to speak up? I suggest you stop calling yourselves the Ten Demon Stars. From now on, you'll be known as the Ten Demon Failures."

As expected, one of the Ten Stars, unable to bear the taunt, stepped forward. This demon prodigy, whose forehead bore a blue star and whose aura was noticeably more formidable than Blue Star's, stepped forward. But as he took just one step, a large hand stopped him.

It was a demon whose physique was remarkably similar to a human's. He appeared to be around twenty years old. Aside from a few scales on his arms, the rest of his body was indistinguishable from a human's. His skin was fair, and his eyes were calm and collected. The demon aura emanating from him was as profound as an abyss. He was qualitatively different from the other nine Stars.

"I'll take him," he said. "None of you are his match."

The fair-skinned youth held Green Star back and stepped forward. He walked directly towards Jiang Fan, stepping over the bodies of Orange Star and Blue Star. The purple light on his forehead glowed with a profound brilliance: "For a human, and still a youth, to have cultivated his physique to such a degree is truly astonishing. I must admit, there are still prodigies among humans."

Jiang Fan recognized the individual's extraordinary presence, looking at his forehead. "Purple Star?" he inquired.

Purple Star, with a gentle demeanor, cupped his fist in greeting. "I am Purple Star, leader of the Ten Stars, and I have come to test your abilities."

So, he was the leader of the Ten Stars. No wonder he possessed such an extraordinary demeanor. Not underestimating him, Jiang Fan activated his Hegemonic Tiger Body, saying, "If I kill another, I'll have made a significant profit. You'd best be careful."

Purple Star said calmly, "You've slain two of my brethren; is that not enough for you? Regardless, you will die today. I believe it would be best for you to die by my hand. That way, everyone can maintain some dignity."

Jiang Fan chuckled. "That depends entirely on your ability!"

"The Six Heavenly Thunder Sections: Cloud Shadow!"

The shackles made it difficult for him to execute his movement techniques. However, this didn't mean his movements would be slow. On the contrary, with his lightning divine ability, his attack speed was even greater!

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Fan had already flashed like lightning, appearing before Purple Star. A pair of power-infused fists fiercely struck his chest. Such uncanny speed made not only Purple Star, who faced it directly, but also the observing Ten Stars and demon powerhouses, feel their hearts leap. The Ten Stars were even more profoundly shaken. When Purple Star had claimed they were no match for Jiang Fan, they hadn't quite believed him. Now, they completely trusted his assessment. The demon powerhouses, too, felt their hearts rise to their throats, a cold sweat breaking out for Purple Star. This move was truly terrifying.

Only the Demon Emperor remained as composed as ever, without the slightest hint of concern.

Purple Star, initially startled, felt his pupils constrict slightly. But his body instinctively reacted. His qi and blood surged within him. It erupted from his body, coalescing into a nearly materialized giant elephant. Against Jiang Fan's lethal punch, Purple Star unleashed his own two fists.

Faintly, the sanguine, spectral elephant on his body also moved with the force of his punches.

Crack!

As their fists collided, Jiang Fan immediately felt an incredibly terrifying and peculiar force. Even his Hegemonic Tiger Body struggled to withstand it. Immediately afterward, the qi-and-blood elephant charged forward. An even heavier force slammed into him. Jiang Fan's expression shifted. His body roared as he pushed his Hegemonic Tiger Body to its absolute limit, just barely managing to fend off the attack.

Purple Star's expression changed, somewhat astonished. "You can actually withstand one of my attacks? Only the Four Prodigies possess such ability!" He had believed he never underestimated Jiang Fan. Only now did he realize that Jiang Fan was far stronger than he had anticipated. With a low growl, he delivered a powerful shock with both fists. Jiang Fan could no longer withstand the doubled brute force, violently shaken and staggering backward.

The demon powerhouses were greatly invigorated. "As expected of the leader of the Ten Stars, he hasn't disgraced our demon race!"

"Purple Star once contended with the Four Prodigies; he only missed out on being one of them due to certain circumstances. His true combat power is not much less than the weakest of the Four Prodigies."

The Ten Stars were even more exhilarated. "Hmph! I thought he was so formidable, but what's the outcome? Is this all he's got? Shackled and bound, yet he presumes to defeat us Ten Stars—how arrogant! Now it's time to finish him off and avenge Orange Star and Blue Star!"

And Purple Star did indeed intend to do so. Having repelled Jiang Fan with a single punch, he didn't hesitate. He decisively pushed off with his right leg, lunging at Jiang Fan like an arrow loosed from a bow. He aimed to deliver a fatal blow.

However, Jiang Fan's expression remained utterly calm. Without any visible movement, his body merely vibrated, and ten thousand streams of sword qi burst forth from him. Purple Star was caught off guard, and the sword qi pierced his body. Immediately, he was wracked with unbearable pain. Yet he gritted his teeth, determined to catch Jiang Fan and deliver a killing blow.

However, just as their eyes met, two streams of sword qi abruptly shot forth from Jiang Fan's, piercing Purple Star's eyes. Eyes are one of the most vulnerable parts of both humans and demons. There is almost no cultivation method or training regimen that can strengthen the eyes.

In an instant, Purple Star's eyes immediately gushed blood, and he was blinded on the spot!

A gasp escaped Purple Star's lips; his heart was seized with alarm. What kind of cultivation technique was this? It was one thing to be able to unleash sword qi from his entire body, but even from his eyes? But this was not the time to ponder such things. He was blind; how could he possibly fight Jiang Fan?

Thud!

Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Jiang Fan executed a Cloud Shadow flash, and his terrifying fist shattered the qi and blood coating his body. A punch imbued with killing intent struck directly at his head. Purple Star's heart plummeted. He instantly felt a chill run through his entire body.

He knew he was about to die!