Chapter 137: The Celestial Empire Assembly

He wanted to scream in agony, but not a single sound could escape his throat. The excruciating pain caused him to writhe uncontrollably on the ground.

"Still this hand?"

Lin Fan asked with a faint, indifferent tone. He slowly raised his foot, then brought it down with a thunderous force, stomping onto Xie Haichao's other wrist. A sickening crack echoed as the wrist shattered and twisted.

"Still this arm?"

Lin Fan lifted his foot again and brought it down ferociously. *Snap.* Xie Haichao's forearm bone snapped in two.

"Hiss—!"

Xie Haichao was drenched in cold sweat, his face pale as a sheet. His entire body convulsed, but apart from the sound of him gasping for air, he was incapable of making any sound, let alone screaming.

*Crack! Crack!*

Lin Fan's eyes were icy. With every step, he systematically pulverized Xie Haichao's bones—from his left wrist, forearm, and upper arm, to his right wrist, forearm, and upper arm. Many of the female students watching had already closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight of such cruelty.

The male students also gasped, their hands and feet turning cold as they stared fixedly at Lin Fan. This was too ruthless; it was no longer just a failed challenge, but pure, unadulterated torture.

Before long, Xie Haichao’s calf, knee, and thigh bones had all been mercilessly crushed by Lin Fan. Xie Haichao had drifted in and out of consciousness several times, only to be jolted back to awareness by the searing pain.

Was Lin Fan being cruel?

Lin Fan felt he was being quite reasonable. He was simply the type of person who would return kindness tenfold, but if someone slapped him once, he would break all four of their limbs in return.

Xie Haichao had not only defeated Ou Hu but had also shattered all the bones in his body. Naturally, Lin Fan had to repay the debt, and with even greater ferocity. He did not fear the academy's punishment; he had already achieved everything he came for.

He had come to the academy for two goals. One was to organize his cultivation techniques, which was already complete. The other was to use the academy as a stepping stone to enter the military, which would make it easier to harvest negative emotion points. Even without the academy, his current cultivation level would allow him to rise through the ranks of the military quickly.

"Stop!"

Just as Lin Fan moved his foot from the ribs to Xie Haichao’s sternum, a loud shout suddenly rang out. A large group of people was rushing toward the scene from the distance.

By now, five or six hundred people had gathered outside the main hall of the Haichao Society, all having rushed over upon hearing that Lin Fan had accepted the challenge. However, as soon as they arrived, they were met with the sight of Lin Fan torturing Xie Haichao, and they all fell silent. Their cultivation levels were mostly inferior to Xie Haichao's, and seeing him helpless under Lin Fan's boot, none of them dared to intervene.

Hearing the shout, the onlookers turned to look at the approaching group and gasped.

"It's the people from the Beidou Society!"

"That's the leader of the Beidou Society, Tian Fei, along with the two vice-leaders, Qing Shuang and Bai Hao!"

"I heard Xie Haichao was on good terms with Tian Fei and was planning to merge the Haichao Society into the Beidou Society. Is it true?"

The corner of Lin Fan's mouth hooked upward. He stomped down hard on the foot pinning Xie Haichao, and with a *crack*, Xie Haichao’s sternum shattered.

"You dare—?"

Seeing this, a murderous glint flashed in Tian Fei's eyes. With a roar, he pushed off the ground and lunged at Lin Fan, followed by the two vice-leaders and over a dozen other members.

Tian Fei was a master at the Dazhui Realm, the two vice-leaders were at the Hegu Realm, and the dozen or so followers were all at the Neiguan Realm, matching Xie Haichao’s cultivation level.

There were over thirty organizations among the current freshmen, with the top ten known as the "Super Organizations," all backed by masters at the Tongmai Realm. They were the Baiyi Alliance, the Tianbei Society, the Wuya Society, the Mingwang Society, the Feixue Society, the Tianchong Society, the Tianwen Society, the Qinglong Society, the Yaoyue Society, and the Huangcheng Society.

These ten Super Organizations were led by Tongmai Realm experts. Below these were organizations established by peak Qimai Realm practitioners, such as Xie Haichao's Haichao Society and Tian Fei's Beidou Society. Of course, there were also many peak Qimai and Tongmai Realm experts who had not formed any organizations at all.

"Cripple him!" Tian Fei roared as he led the charge. Violent true energy surged from his body, and his subordinates followed suit with all their might.

"You want to cripple me? Are you capable of that?" Lin Fan countered. His figure vanished instantly, meeting Tian Fei head-on.

With a thunderous punch, he struck Tian Fei in the lower abdomen. Before Tian Fei could even react, he doubled over in mid-air. Lin Fan brought his knee up, slamming it viciously into Tian Fei’s chin. With a loud *bang*, Tian Fei was sent flying backward.

Immediately after, Lin Fan waved his palm, sending the two vice-leaders of the Beidou Society spiraling away.

"Get lost!" Lin Fan shouted, his true energy exploding outward. The remaining dozen experts from the Beidou Society had not even begun their assault when they were struck by Lin Fan’s aura. They vomited blood, falling from the air like scattered petals.

"Damn, this Lin Fan is too strong! It's one thing to easily defeat Xie Haichao, but Tian Fei is a Dazhui Realm master! And the people he brought—not to mention the two vice-leaders, even the dozen other followers aren't weaker than Xie Haichao. How could he defeat them all so easily?"

"It's true, he's terrifying. Tian Fei didn't even have a chance to launch his attack!"

"Do you think Lin Fan is a Tongmai Realm master? Only a Tongmai Realm master could treat peak Qimai Realm practitioners like this—dispatching them in two or three moves without any effort. Whether you're at the Neiguan Realm or the Dazhui Realm, one move is enough!"

"Impossible. His cultivation speed couldn't be that fast. He was only at the early stage of the Yinqi Realm when he enrolled. He’s already at the Tongmai Realm? You think Tongmai Realm masters are cabbages found on the side of the road?"

"Then how do you explain his strength?"

"..."

Ignoring the gasps of the crowd, Lin Fan stood outside the Haichao Society’s main hall. With a flick of his palm, he drew the prone Xie Haichao toward him. Holding Xie Haichao by the throat, he looked around and said in a deep voice, "I have decided to kill Xie Haichao today, and no one can stop me!"

This time, Lin Fan was truly enraged. If he hadn't had the Life Essence Pill, Ou Hu’s potential for the rest of his life would have been stunted. A single misstep could lead to a lifetime of falling behind others. He had come to regard Xiao Beihan and Ou Hu as his own younger brothers; now that someone had harmed them, he would naturally see justice served for them.

Those who kill must be prepared to be killed themselves!

"Stop spouting nonsense. Do you know who our forces belong to?"

Tian Fei, severely injured and unable to rise from the ground, yet not unconscious, retorted, "If you dare to kill him, the Tianchao Society will not let you off. Let me tell you, whether it's my Beidou Society, Xie Haichao's Haichao Society, or the Super Organizations like the Mingwang Society and the Tianchong Society, we all belong to the Tianchao Society."

Blood spilled from the corner of Tian Fei's mouth. Lin Fan was too formidable, incapacitating him in a single blow. He realized that Lin Fan definitely possessed the strength of the Tongmai Realm, so he had no choice but to bring up the Tianchao Society. If he had only mentioned the Mingwang or Tianchong societies, he feared it wouldn't deter Lin Fan, as the leaders of those two organizations were also only at the Tongmai Realm—Lin Fan would have no reason to fear them.

The Tianchao Society was the organization of the Twelfth Prince, a mid-stage Tongmai Realm practitioner. The society boasted hundreds of third-year students at the Tongmai Realm and over a thousand veteran second-year students. Among the first-years, there were two Super Organizations, and five or six smaller ones like theirs had already pledged allegiance to the Twelfth Prince.

"Damn, their organizations actually belong to the Tianchao Society?"

"It looks like no matter how bold Lin Fan is, he'll have to let Xie Haichao and Tian Fei go!"

"Yeah, exactly! Going against the Twelfth Prince for the sake of a grudge isn't a wise choice. Besides, he's already beaten them up so badly, that should be enough."

"Also, this is the academy. I doubt Lin Fan would dare to actually kill someone. If he violates the academy rules, being expelled would be the least of his worries!"

Everyone was in shock, especially the students who had just entered their second year. In the entire Tianshu Academy, you might not know who your instructor is, and you might even refuse to attend class. But you must know that the Dean is Qi Daolin, because he is the strongest person in the Ice and Snow Kingdom!

And you must know about the four major factions of the academy: the Tianchao Society, the Jiuhuang Pavilion, the Shenmo Alliance, and the Wudao Association!

The Dean goes without saying; if you enter Tianshu Academy and don't know the Dean, you truly have a death wish. But the four major factions are even more terrifying, because while you might not get to see the Dean, the four factions are inextricably linked to your life the moment you enter the academy. They encompass nearly half of the students in Tianshu Academy and hold immense power within the school.