"Run!"
Cao Jin trembled, utterly terrified. He didn’t dare to face a Half-Spirit Weapon; before its sharp edge, his body was no different than paper mâché.
PSHH!
He had only just turned when he felt a cold sensation on his neck. A spray of blood filled his vision as it tumbled, and he saw a familiar headless body gushing blood like a fountain.
’My head’s been cut off.’
He barely had time for that thought before his consciousness faded into darkness.
"Xu Yang, spare me! It’s me, Yun Heng!"
In the blink of an eye, four of the five accomplices had been cut down. The last one, Yun Heng, was horrified, begging for mercy as he ran for his life.
He could already sense Xu Yang closing in on him like a clap of thunder, faster than he could run. A powerful aura surged behind him like a tidal wave.
"I know!"
The cold, emotionless voice rang out, followed by a sharp Blade Qi sweeping toward him.
BOOM!
The Blade Qi tore through the air with a roar. Before it even reached him, Yun Heng felt a terrifying sensation, as if his body was about to be ripped apart. Forgetting his escape, he leaped high into the air to dodge the terrifying Blade Qi from the Half-Spirit Weapon.
But that brief delay was all Xu Yang needed to catch up.
Before he even landed, the Half-Spirit Weapon, Red Blood, had already transformed into a curtain of blade light that enveloped him. The bone-chilling killing intent made him feel as if he’d been plunged into an ice cellar.
"No..."
Yun Heng let out a despairing roar. The edge of a Half-Spirit Weapon was simply unstoppable. Without Weapons of the same caliber, facing a Half-Spirit Weapon was like being a lamb to the slaughter. Even an expert at Marrow Cleansing Great Success would have to be extremely cautious when facing someone at Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement wielding a Half-Spirit Weapon, never daring to make physical contact.
PSHH!
He tried his best to shift his body sideways, but his arm was still caught by the blade’s light. It was severed on the spot, spinning through the air before it hit the ground.
"Ah..."
The pain made Yun Heng’s vision go black. His body swayed, and his eyes were filled with terror as he looked at Xu Yang.
’Wasn’t he punished by Elder Huoyun and sent to guard Moon Lake? Why was he also given a Half-Spirit Weapon for protection?’
SWOOSH!
The sound of something cutting through the air rang out. Yun Heng hadn’t even regained his footing or recovered from the pain of his severed arm when the blood-red blade light shadowed him, striking again.
He tried to duck, but he was a step too late.
He only felt a cold, sharp pain in his neck before his body went rigid. Hot blood surged from his throat, splattering all over his face.
Terrified, Yun Heng tried to cover the wound with his remaining hand, but it was no use.
With its major tendons and bones severed, his neck let out a CRACK and lolled to the side at a ninety-degree angle. His body collapsed along with it.
"Luo Xin, you bastard! You’ve doomed us all."
Liu Qing, not yet dead, cursed Luo Xin, who had collapsed beside him.
If that bastard Luo Xin hadn’t goaded him, telling him that Xu Yang had left Li Fire Peak, he never would have come to Moon Lake. He thought this was a chance for survival, but it turned out to be a dead end. Elder Huoyun had given Xu Yang a Half-Spirit Weapon for protection long ago.
And it wasn’t just any Half-Spirit Weapon. It was a top-grade one, terrifyingly powerful—enough to kill even a Martial Artist at Marrow Cleansing Great Success.
TAP... TAP...
A handsome man approached, carrying a blood-red Treasure Saber. He looked like a god of slaughter.
"Junior Brother Xu, spare me!" Luo Xin pleaded.
The mask on his face had long since fallen off, revealing a pale, terrified expression.
"Xu Yang, spare me! I didn’t want to come! It was Luo Xin who incited me—he called all of us here! Let me live, and from now on, all the resources of my Liu Family are yours to use. All the contribution points I earn will be yours too."
To save his own skin, Liu Qing sold out Luo Xin without a second thought, even offering terms.
Xu Yang’s expression was blank. "Even if I spare you, will you live?"
The already tyrannical and sharp Golden Gang Qi reached a whole new level of power when channeled through the Half-Spirit Weapon, Red Blood.
Liu Qing and Luo Xin’s injuries didn’t look severe, but their life force was nearly gone. Even if he didn’t kill them, they wouldn’t live much longer. Not even Spirit Medicine could save them now.
"Let me see you off. I’ll help put you out of your misery."
"Don’t!" The two of them were scared out of their wits.
Xu Yang gave a gentle smile, stepped forward, and thrust hard with Red Blood.
PSHH!
The tip of the blade burst out from Liu Qing’s back, spraying blood, yet the blade itself remained unstained.
Liu Qing’s eyes went wide. The terror in them slowly faded as his trembling body stilled and collapsed to the ground.
Luo Xin, who was beside him, was scared half to death. He trembled like a leaf, pissed himself in fear, and scrambled desperately along the ground.
"Don’t be afraid. It’ll just be for a moment."
Xu Yang strode over and pinned Luo Xin to the ground with his blade. Luo Xin’s limbs convulsed for a moment, and after a few breaths, he went still.
Sheathing his blade, he rummaged through the five corpses. He found nothing but silver banknotes.
It was a decent haul, however. The silver banknotes from the five men added up to nearly three thousand taels of silver.
"Get over here and deal with these bodies."
Chen Yong and the others were already dumbfounded, still in a state of shock.
They thought they were doomed today, that they’d all be wiped out by this gang of killers. Who would have thought that the worn-out, patina-covered blade in Xu Yang’s hand was actually a Half-Spirit Weapon?
They watched as Xu Yang charged among the five Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement experts, cutting them down with abandon. In just a few exchanges, all five experts were slain.
"So that’s how he managed to injure the Cyan-Scaled Eagle that day. It was because of this Half-Spirit Weapon," Zhou Jiang said, swallowing hard.
He could only blame his own ignorance. ’I’ve only ever heard of things like Half-Spirit Weapons,’ he thought, ’but I’ve never actually seen one.’
Unfortunately, Xu Yang didn’t know what Zhou Jiang was thinking. The reason he could so easily slay Liu Qing, Luo Xin, and the others wasn’t just because he had the Half-Spirit Weapon, Red Blood. If it were anyone else, even if they were given Red Blood, they couldn’t have defeated the five of them so easily.