In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 527 A Close Call

No martial artist can resist the temptation to advance further in their martial arts journey.

This is not only about the power one possesses, but also about lifespan!

A martial artist of the lowest rank, if free from illness and disaster, can live to be at least one hundred years old.

A mid-level third-grade martial artist can live to at least 120 years old.

As for the top three ranks of martial artists...

A third-rank martial artist can live for 140 years, a second-rank martial artist for 180 years, and a first-rank martial artist can live for over 200 years!

Compared to ordinary people in this era who generally only live to their forties or fifties, martial artists can be considered a truly long-lived group.

Of course, because martial artists often need to fight with others, the probability of them dying suddenly is also greater.

But no matter what, it is an undeniable fact that martial artists have a long lifespan, and it is also one of the driving forces for martial artists in Kyushu to pursue higher realms!

Therefore, upon suddenly hearing that the Xia family's Overlord Spear could be cultivated to a level above the first grade, a greedy glint flashed deep in the eyes of Butcher Zhu and the others.

A first-rank martial artist can live for over two hundred years; what about those above the first rank?

Is it possible to live for 250 or even 300 years?

wrong!

Li Qingsong seemed to suddenly realize something and blurted out, "A first-rank martial artist can live for more than two hundred years. If Emperor Xia is above the first rank, wouldn't that mean he is very likely still alive?"

"That is indeed the case in theory."

Qianli'er nodded first, then said, "A first-grade martial artist can indeed live for two hundred years, but that is only under the condition of no illness or disaster! In fact, there are very few first-grade martial artists who can actually live to be over two hundred years old."

"Why?"

Butcher Zhu asked the question instinctively.

Qianli'er didn't keep them in suspense and answered directly: "Because martial artists need to fight. Neither higher-level martial arts nor the resources needed for cultivation can be obtained out of thin air. They need to compete with others!"

Therefore, most martial artists often suffer from hidden injuries, and soldiers like Emperor Taizu of Xia are even more so!

Although Emperor Taizu of Xia was strong, he was not born invincible.

At the beginning of the rebellion, Emperor Taizu of Xia also experienced countless defeats. Although he was lucky enough to survive each time and make a comeback, the hidden injuries left on his body would not disappear. Instead, they were hidden in Emperor Taizu's body, and even highly skilled doctors could hardly detect and remove them!

Moreover, Emperor Taizu of Xia was being chased around by the imperial army at the time, and had no opportunity to properly treat his hidden injuries.

These hidden injuries... after lying dormant within Xia Taizu's body for decades, finally erupted completely! This eruption rendered Xia Taizu's condition incurable, even with his cultivation level above the first rank!

In the tenth year of Jianwu, which was the tenth year since the founding of the Xia Kingdom, Emperor Taizu of Xia fell ill and never recovered. Less than three months later, he passed away in the deep palace!

At the time of his death, Emperor Taizu of Xia was only 59 years old!

At this point, a hint of melancholy appeared on Qianli'er's face. That Xia Taizu was truly a hero of his generation. Not only did he end the chaos at the end of the Zhou Dynasty, but his talent and strength also amazed an entire era. He was the only martial artist Qianli'er knew who had surpassed the first-grade realm.

However... even such a strong person could not escape birth, aging, sickness and death.

Xia Taizu, who had surpassed the first-grade realm and could have lived to be over two hundred or even three hundred years old, only lived to be 59, which is truly lamentable.

Zhu the Butcher and the others suddenly realized why Xia Taizu, who was clearly a martial artist of the first rank or above, died so young. It turned out that it was because of the outbreak of his hidden injuries.

Of course, this did not diminish their greed for the Overlord Spear. The Overlord Spear was a martial art that directly pointed to the first-grade realm and above. If they had the chance to obtain the Overlord Spear, they would absolutely not give it up.

but……

The Overlord Spear is a closely guarded secret of the Xia family. The group was not yet mentally prepared to be enemies with the Xia family, so they could only suppress their greed and observe how the situation developed.

Xia Yuanying gave Qianli'er a deep look before turning his attention back to Chen Dao.

Chen Dao is his biggest enemy right now, and only by killing Chen Dao can the Wangfu be saved from danger.

"kill!"

Xia Yuanying roared, took a step forward with his spear in hand. The spear was like a dragon, and when he thrust it out, Chen Dao felt as if Mount Tai was pressing down on him.

"Is this the Overlord Spear?"

Chen Dao took a deep breath. This Overlord Spear was unlike any other martial art he had ever seen. Each strike seemed to carry an overbearing intent, making people involuntarily feel a sense of submission or defeat.

However, Chen Dao did not choose to retreat. Instead, he stepped forward and swung the Evil-Slaying Sword in his hand with all his might!

"clang!"

As the gun and sword clashed, an invisible shockwave erupted, and Chen Daoqing involuntarily took three steps back.

The Azure King merely took a step back.

Clearly, in a contest of strength, Chen Dao is still slightly inferior!

However, Chen Dao showed no fear on his face and continued to swing his sword!

"Shhhhh!"

Chen Dao was not skilled in swordsmanship, but with the support of his own fourth-grade internal strength, he could wield the Evil-Slaying Sword fast and fiercely!

"Clang clang clang!"

Xia Yuanying was not to be outdone, wielding his long spear with impenetrable skill, constantly shattering the sword light that Chen Dao swung.

For a time, the two sides fought fiercely and were evenly matched.

Although Xia Yuanying was stronger, Chen Dao was clearly of a higher level, more agile, and possessed a deeper understanding of internal strength. Therefore…

The battle between the two can be described as evenly matched, and it is probably difficult to determine a winner in a short time.

"Thousand-Mile Ear, who do you think will win?"

Watching Chen Dao and Xia Yuanying go back and forth, Butcher Zhu squinted and asked.

"If this situation continues, the young man will surely win."

Qianli'er gave his answer: although Xia Yuanying and Chen Dao were evenly matched at the moment, Chen Dao was ultimately at a higher level and had a deeper internal strength. If it were a prolonged battle, Chen Dao would almost certainly win.

not to mention……

Qianlier glanced at the battlefield where Xia Yan and Xiao Yuan were fighting. Xia Yan was already covered in sweat.

He couldn't do anything to Xiaoyuan. Xiaoyuan's extreme speed made it impossible for Xia Yan to escape. He could only do his best to open his five senses and guard against Xiaoyuan's possible attacks at any time.

However, prolonged defense will inevitably lead to defeat. Simply maintaining a defensive posture will only allow Xia Yan to hold out for a little longer; it will not allow him to defeat Xiao Yuan.

On the contrary, he had more and more wounds. The blood flowing from the wounds and the burning pain made Xia Yan weaker and weaker, his movements slower and slower, and it became more and more difficult for him to resist Xiao Yuan's attacks.

It's not hard to foresee that Xia Yan's defeat is only a matter of time.

Once Xia Yan is defeated, Xia Yuanying will have no chance of winning.

That beast that could defeat Xia Yan was not something anyone else in the Qingwang Mansion could handle.