At this moment, Stone Chief unleashed a deadly technique-Eagle Claw. With just one claw, he aimed to rip open Kayden’s throat, akin to an eagle hunting its prey.
However, just as he was about to strike Kayden’s throat, his attack was intercepted by a blade!
Kayden’s blade was so fast that it managed to react in the blink of an eye.
Not only that, but the blade’s sweep nearly cut into Stone Chief’s abdomen, forcing him to twist away and evade Kayden’s strike. They separated, but Stone Chief’s attack was both real and feigned. It was real because he sought Kayden’s life; feigned because, upon failing to achieve that, it became a probing tactic. Thus, it was both real and feigned!
“What quick reflexes!” Stone Chief remarked, his attention heightened, narrowing his eyes to focus solely on Kayden.
Kayden’s expression remained indifferent. He neither praised nor critiqued. To him, Stone Chief’s movements were like slow motion-hardly worth noting. If he had fully regained his strength, Stone Chief would already be a corpse!
“Arrogant!” Stone Chief said, taking off the beads from around his neck.
With one hand grasping the beads, he charged at Kayden again. This time, he opted for a blend of feigned and genuine attacks-sometimes attacking from the front, sometimes from the side, and occasionally circling to the back.
Kayden remained on defense, not seeking to counterattack, as he didn’t want to waste his energy. For him, any attack that didn’t guarantee a kill was unnecessary.
So he calmly defended against Stone Chief’s onslaught. After several probing attacks, Stone Chief decided to strike from the front, realizing he couldn’t find any weaknesses in his opponent-every attempt had been futile!
Reluctantly, Stone Chief shifted to a frontal assault, seeking a breakthrough. Thus, they began to grapple, one attacking and one defending!
Their speeds were too fast. The human eye couldn’t comprehend their actions.
The Fords watched, hearts pounding in fear. No one dared to speak or even breathe loudly. Their eyes darted, but they didn’t quite understand what they were witnessing!
Gerry stared intently at the two, worry etched on his brow. He hoped Stone Chief would win. That way, the Ford family would only lose one life in exchange for peace-not just now, but potentially for the next fifty or even a hundred years.
If that other guy won, the Ford family could very well be doomed! While Kayden seemed less terrifying than Stone Chief, his cold-bloodedness in action was a hundred times worse.
His words, his style, and his demeanor were too icy. He wasn’t an ordinary person. Hundreds of bodyguards outside had been killed in an instant! Even his son had died with a mere word! For Kayden, killing was as easy as breathing or eating. When he said he would destroy the Ford family, he meant every word.
Thus, Gerry was deeply worried that Stone Chief was no match for Kayden.
Finally, after about three minutes of intense combat, both Kayden and Stone Chief staggered back several feet. Kayden took a step back, stabilizing himself, while Stone Chief collapsed to the ground after retreating.
The shadow behind Stone Chief continued to roar like a wild beast.
Stone Chief buried his head in the ground, panting heavily as he incredulously asked, “Who… who are you?”
Raising his head slowly, he fixed his gaze on Kayden.
In those three minutes, he hadn’t managed to inflict a single injury on his opponent. Kayden was only getting faster while he grew slower. Stone Chief had no doubts about his abilities. It wasn’t his fault. It was Kayden’s!
He reassessed Kayden. This was no ordinary man. This was a young man with real skills. His martial prowess was at least on par with Stone Chief’s and seemed to surpass it significantly.
Kayden looked down at the kneeling Stone Chief and calmly said, “I am someone you will need to look up to for the rest of your life!”
Stone Chief’s pupils dilated in shock as he excitedly pointed at Kayden, shouting, “You think you can hurt me? We’re at most even. Don’t get ahead of yourself!”
Kayden chuckled coldly, “Even? Are you joking? Can you even move now?”
“Why not?” Stone Chief replied, pushing himself up from the ground. But as he shifted, a horrified scream erupted from the shadow behind him, which then shattered into fragments and vanished.
Stone Chief spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes wide in disbelief as he cried, “Impossible! How could this happen? My Shadow Realm! My Shadow Realm! How could someone your age break through it?”
For a lifetime martial artist, being overpowered by a young man was an unprecedented blow! It crushed his pride and authority!
Kayden looked at Stone Chief with disdain and said, “So what if I destroyed your Shadow Realm? With your abilities, do you think you have the right to boast about devouring people?”
His words were piercing.
Having shattered Stone Chief’s power and now trampled on his dignity, the blow was immense!
“No!” Stone Chief shook his head in despair, “Impossible! There can’t be a Grand-level warrior as young as you!”
After that defiant cry, Stone Chief transformed. His once jet-black hair and beard turned white in an instant, and his muscles withered away. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a youthful powerhouse into a frail old man. With his Shadow Realm destroyed, he reverted to his true form.
He had maintained his youth for fifty years solely because of the Shadow Realm. Without it, this was his actual appearance. Seeing such a pitiful Stone Chief, Kayden couldn’t help but laugh-such a character pretending to be impressive?
“The Grand level?” Kayden felt insulted and added, “Oh, and by the way, the only reason you managed to fight me for three minutes is that I’m currently at only thirty percent of my power. If I were at full strength, it would take just one move to kill you! To me, you’re nothing but trash, unworthy of even fighting me.”
Trash!
This was the greatest insult one could give to a powerful warrior!