The opponent’s aura was unmistakably that of Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, yet his monstrous strength was as vast as the ocean and as ferocious as a clap of thunder, somehow even more overpowering than his own, a cultivator at Marrow Cleansing Great Success.
He felt his arms tremble and his hands go numb, while the blood churned violently in his chest.
That simple block threatened to send the Half-Spirit Weapon flying from his grasp. Their strength wasn’t on the same level at all.
He staggered back involuntarily, leaving a trail of footprints two to three inches deep, his internal organs feeling as if they had been displaced.
Just then, Xie Chengyou, another cultivator at Marrow Cleansing Great Success, bore down on Xu Yang. His Gang Qi surged like a tidal wave, and his muscles and bones hummed in unison.
A crimson Fist Gang, like a blazing flame, shot forward with suffocating pressure, aiming for the soft flesh of Xu Yang’s armpit.
He knew Xu Yang must have practiced a superior Body Refining Technique; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to possess the Divine Power needed to force back Li Haoran.
But no matter the technique or how hard one trained, the armpit was always a relatively weak point and the easiest to exploit.
This strike condensed all of his Gang Qi. It was his strongest punch, wielding the power to shatter mountains and break peaks.
Xu Yang’s gaze was icy and his expression unchanged; he had, of course, been prepared for Xie Chengyou’s attack.
A roar emanated from his frame as his tendons pulled taut like bowstrings. His arm retracted and then snapped out like a great spear, striking squarely against Xie Chengyou’s incoming fist.
BANG!
The two fists met with a muffled thud, like iron striking iron. Golden Gang Qi clashed with crimson Gang Qi, and the unleashed Force spiraled outwards, peeling up layers of the ground and kicking up a pillar of dust.
Bright King Unmoving Body! Immovable as a mountain!
Like an unshakeable, eternal mountain, Xu Yang stood as straight as a spear, not moving an inch. Only his hair danced in the gale, his robes whipping about him.
Xie Chengyou’s expression changed drastically. It felt as if he had just punched a mountain. A terrifying rebound force surged back through his arm, threatening to shatter his very bones.
Worse, a current of Gang Qi as sharp as a blade shattered his own defenses with the ease of crushing dry weeds. It blasted into his body, and in an instant, his meridians were shredded by the terrifying energy. His flesh tore, and a dense web of cracks spread across his fist and up his arm, seeping blood. The vast power felt as if it would simply vibrate him to death.
"Aaaargh..."
The intense pain contorted his features, and he couldn’t help but let out a piercing shriek.
Xie Chengyou’s vision blackened. He lost control of his Gang Qi and his body, stumbling backward uncontrollably.
Xu Yang’s gaze was frigid. His other hand, gripping Red Blood, swung without a moment’s hesitation.
Red Blood became a horizontal streak of red light, so fast the naked eye could barely follow it. An instant later, it met Xie Chengyou’s neck.
SCHLICK!
The sickening sound of a sharp blade grating against bone echoed. As a top-tier Half-Spirit Weapon, Red Blood sliced through Xie Chengyou’s neck with almost no resistance. His head, its face still twisted in a mask of pain, flew high into the air, tumbling over and over before landing on the ground with a wet thud.
He died without ever realizing what had happened, his last moments of consciousness still lost in the searing pain from the punch.
The headless corpse stood rigid for a moment as blood erupted from its neck like a fountain, showering the surroundings in a gory rain.
"Second Brother...!"
Li Haoran, having just managed to suppress his roiling blood and energy, witnessed the horrific scene. His eyes went bloodshot, and a roar of anguish ripped from his throat.
The Wushan Four Fiends had run rampant through the Yunling Mountain Range for years, robbing and killing countless people. Even several Inner Sect Disciples from the Purple Sun Sect had fallen to them. They had never imagined a day like this would come.
A boy they had previously disdained had cut down three of them in an instant, leaving them utterly powerless to resist.
Li Haoran’s heart was now a whirlwind of grief, regret, and a bone-chilling terror that made his body tremble uncontrollably.
He, who others called a vicious fiend, was now terrified by such ruthless and decisive methods. The man before him was the true monster.
"Don’t you enjoy killing people? I thought you’d appreciate a scene like this. You could have just killed them and left, but you had to try and kill me, too."
Xu Yang kicked the blood-gushing headless corpse aside and strode toward the terrified Li Haoran.
"How can you be this strong?" Li Haoran’s voice trembled.
’He’s only fifth on the Ten Heroes List, yet he slaughters Marrow Cleansing Great Success cultivators like chickens and dogs. If all the Purple Sun Sect disciples are this talented, how could we have ever dared to act so brazenly in their territory?’
"Nothing is impossible!"
Xu Yang’s voice seemed to emanate from the depths of Ice Hell, making Li Haoran’s scalp tingle and sending a cold shiver down his spine.
Knowing he was no match for Xu Yang, Li Haoran didn’t hesitate for a second. With an explosion of Gang Qi from the soles of his feet, he transformed into a streak of red light and fled.
"Why run? Your three brothers are waiting for you down below."
But he had barely launched himself into the air when Xu Yang’s voice sounded right beside his ear. The razor-sharp aura felt like needles pressing into his back.
"Aaaargh...!"
Li Haoran swung his Half-Spirit Weapon like a madman, hoping to force Xu Yang back. A flurry of blade flashes swept out in all directions.
SCHLICK!
Red Blood precisely dodged every flash of the blade. A hand, still gripping its weapon, flew high into the air, and the storm of blade light instantly vanished.
Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture. Where the heart wills, the blade follows.
"AHH!"
A blood-curdling scream echoed as Li Haoran clutched the stump of his wrist, his eyes wide with terror as he stared at Xu Yang.
Xu Yang’s expression was ice-cold. Red Blood shot forward like a scarlet thread, its tip piercing the air and creating visible ripples as it whistled.
On the brink of life and death, Li Haoran ignored the pain from his severed hand and desperately tried to sidestep, hoping to evade the blade aimed straight for his heart.
But before he could even move, the lightning-fast blade had already run him through the chest, its tip emerging from his back.
His formidable aura deflated like a punctured balloon, rapidly fading away.
Li Haoran’s face turned ashen, and the light faded from his eyes.
Xu Yang expressionlessly withdrew his blade and stepped back. Blood sprayed from the wound as Li Haoran collapsed, his limbs twitching a few times before falling still.
Glancing toward the mine entrance and making sure no one was watching, he grabbed the corpses of Li Haoran and Xie Chengyou, rushed to Moon Lake, and hurled them in.
The bodies of Martial Artists at the Marrow Cleansing Great Success realm were tough, their bones harder than iron, so they sank straight to the bottom of the lake.
He did the same with the bodies of Li Haoning and Xie Chenglin, tossing them into Moon Lake as well. Then he returned to the mining camp, hid the Half-Spirit Weapons belonging to Li Haoran and the Marrow Cleansing Great Success expert from the Song Family, and finally entered the mine to find Zhou Jiang and the others.
"The Wushan Four Fiends have left. The mining camp is safe. You can all come out," Xu Yang said.
Zhou Jiang asked with concern, "Brother Xu, did the Wushan Four Fiends injure you?"
Xu Yang shook his head. "I was worrying for nothing. They left after killing Song Wenxuan and his group. They didn’t attack me."
Zhou Jiang and the others sighed in relief. ’If he wasn’t attacked, that means the Profound Iron wasn’t stolen.’ Now, they would have to see how Xu Yang handled the deaths of Song Wenxuan and the others.
The group followed Xu Yang back out of the mine. Looking at the carnage and the corpses of Liu Xunjiang and his men, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.
’If Xu Yang hadn’t taken charge, we’d probably be lying among the dead right now.’
"Brother Xu, just tell us how to handle this. We’ll follow your lead."
Zhou Jiang took the lead, cupping his fist in a salute, and the others followed his example.
None of the people who could pass the Dragon Ascension trials to enter the Purple Sun Sect were fools.
’If no one investigates what happened today, then it will just be a case of Liu Xunjiang bringing about his own demise by looking for trouble.’
’But if someone does investigate and they’re charged with cowardice in the face of the enemy, the Sect could execute them on the spot.’
’Whether an investigation happens will depend on whether Xu Yang can handle the pressure. Therefore, if they want to live, they have to follow Xu Yang’s plan.’
"We’ll report everything exactly as it happened," Xu Yang said. "Liu Xunjiang was a meddler who brought his death upon himself. Our decision not to provoke the Wushan Four Fiends for the sake of the mining camp was a wise one. If the Sect doles out any punishment, it will fall on me first. For now, go and gather the bodies."
’Other than the fact that he’d killed the Wushan Four Fiends, he didn’t intend to hide anything. He would give a truthful report to the Purple Sun Sect.’
’He had already absolved himself of all responsibility, so he wasn’t afraid of a Sect investigation. Concealing the truth would be foolish, as Liu Xunjiang’s death was impossible to hide.’
’When Liu Qingyuan inevitably investigates, it’s unlikely that all these people could withstand the pressure from an Elder. The truth would come out easily, which would only lead to more trouble.’
’As long as he could clear things with the Sect, he would just have to deal with Liu Qingyuan carefully. He hadn’t been obligated to save Liu Xunjiang, and with everything that had happened before, making an enemy of Liu Qingyuan was now inevitable.’
"Yes!"
Zhou Jiang and the others were stunned for a moment before realizing that the truth couldn’t possibly be hidden. Telling it straight was the wisest course of action.
’In any case, Xu Yang was fifth on the Ten Heroes List and Elder Huoyun’s disciple. With him taking the lead, if the Sect didn’t punish him, they naturally wouldn’t punish the rest of them either.’
’And if even Xu Yang was punished, they could only resign themselves to their fate. Whatever happened, it was better than ending up dead right here.’