Shen Xiuhan stood tall, looking down at Bai Fufeng who was within arm's reach, his eyes cold and chilling.
“Do you know now?”
Staring at this face, Bai Fufeng felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks.
Boundless horror engulfed him like a bursting tide. He trembled violently all over, muttering incoherently from his throat, “It’s... it’s you... Shen Xiuhan!!”
“Indeed, it is me.”
Shen Xiuhan’s tone was as flat as water, without a single ripple, but the killing intent in his eyes had already condensed into something tangible.
“The hatred of my father’s murder is irreconcilable.
Tonight, I have specially come to borrow the heads of you two brothers.
Have a safe journey to the Yellow Springs!”
As soon as his voice fell, his left hand shot out. His five fingers, like eagle claws forged of iron, locked tightly around Bai Fufeng’s neck.
“Wait...”
Bai Fufeng’s eyes were filled with panic. His leaking lips trembled violently as he squeezed out a broken plea, “Spare... I beg you...”
Crack!
Shen Xiuhan did not waste a single word.
His fingers clenched brutally.
A series of tooth-grating cracks of shattering neck bones rang out crisply.
Bai Fufeng’s eye sockets split open as his eyeballs bulged outward. His windpipe was crushed completely, leaving him able to make only a leaking, pathetic “urgh-urgh” sound.
This once-unrivaled Third Young Master of the Bai family convulsed violently. Suspended in midair, his hands and feet flailed helplessly like a drowning man, looking both comical and desperate.
Shen Xiuhan exerted force in his single arm, lifting him high into the air.
His right fist slowly clenched, and a trace of bone-chilling 『Mystic Ice Force』 condensed into frost upon his knuckles.
Boom!
His iron fist punched out without any fancy tricks, like a heavy artillery shell leaving its barrel, creating a loud sonic boom!
The tyrannical fist force tore right through Bai Fufeng’s chest.
His ribs shattered all at once, his heart burst, and a basin-sized bloody hole was blasted through his chest. Even his internal organs were instantly ground into flying ash and icy debris by the extremely frigid force!
Thud.
Shen Xiuhan loosened his fingers, tossing him aside like a discarded sack.
On the ground, Bai Fufeng’s blood-red eyes grew unfocused, losing their last trace of life.
Without pausing for a second, Shen Xiuhan turned around to look at Bai Xiuan.
The man’s chest was caved in, his face was purplish-black, and a stream of black blood hung from the corner of his mouth. He had already breathed his last.
Yet Shen Xiuhan showed no mercy. He raised his boot and stomped on Bai Xiuan’s throat several times with an expressionless face.
Crack! Crack!
He did not stop until the neck was stomped into a pulp, completely extinguishing any remaining spark of life, before finally drawing back his aura.
“Whew...”
Shen Xiuhan exhaled, flicking the blood droplets off his sword.
Looking around the dark streets and alleys, he pursed his lips and cursed inwardly, Damn you, Zuo Muxian. I went out of my way to inform you before I took action, yet now that everyone is dead, you still haven’t shown your face. Are you hiding in some corner watching the show?
Clap! Clap! Clap...
Right at that moment, a sudden, crisp sound of clapping hands echoed through the quiet night without warning!
The sound came from the high wall directly above his right.
He really came after all.
Shen Xiuhan’s heart eased. Lowering his longsword, he raised his head and grumbled testily, “You bastard, watching me fight two people all by myself—”
However, halfway through his complaint, the expression on his face froze.
On top of the ten-foot-tall blue brick wall, a middle-aged man was sitting casually, leaning back.
He wore a luxurious brocade robe, and his black hair fell over his shoulders like a dark waterfall.
His facial features were sharply defined, and a faint, knowing smile played on his lips.
With his hands folded, he looked down at Shen Xiuhan, scrutinizing him like a hawk sizing up its prey!
In an instant!
Cold sweat drenched Shen Xiuhan’s back, soaking his clothes. Two words flashed in his mind:
Duan Xiao!
...
Deep in the night, a light drizzle finally began to fall.
At the entrance of the Inner City, atop a pavilion with upturned eaves.
Zuo Muxian was crouching on his tiptoes on the slippery roof tiles, looking toward the Bai Mansion with great interest, clicking his tongue in admiration from time to time.
“Splendid!”
“Truly splendid!”
“To think that this tiny Changyun County would produce so many formidable hidden talents tonight.”
“Besides the little cat, there are actually three or four other ruthless characters hiding in the dark!”
Squinting his eyes, his gaze pierced through the heavy darkness, taking in the distant battlefield clearly.
“The kid leading the charge has quite an impressive aura. He's only at the late-stage Anjin Rank, yet he can actually rely on his deep, powerful foundation to utterly thrash an old fellow at the Great Perfection of the Anjin Rank...”
“That ordinary-looking kid has pretty good swordplay. Fighting two Anjin Rank experts alone, yet he can still do it with ease... Oh, that strike was beautiful! Looks like the style of the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion, doesn't it?”
“Whoa! That kid in animal skins is in for a rough time, getting targeted by a Huajin Rank expert... Hiss, how brutal. Sent flying so far by a single palm strike, he must have broken a few ribs...”
Zuo Muxian stroked his chin, shaking his head with some regret.
“What a pity. The little cat wanted me to block the one surnamed Duan for him, so I can't look after you... Huh? He's actually wearing a high-grade inner armor? Quite a wealthy background. He should be able to hold out a bit longer. Best of luck to you.”
Having watched enough of the show from the rooftop, Zuo Muxian finally stood up slowly.
He stretched his arms, loosened up his joints, and let out a long sigh, as if still wanting more.
“It’s about time. Time to get to work.”
Before his voice could fade...
Zuo Muxian leaped down, his toes lightly tapping the top of a wall to propel himself forward. Transforming into a blur, he covered dozens of paces in a single leap, rushing straight toward the South City.
A moment later, Zuo Muxian appeared in the South City.
The streets and alleys in this area were narrow, flanked by sheer, high walls. Only a sliver of moonlight shone from above, making it so dark that the road beneath his feet was barely visible.
Moving like a ghost, Zuo Muxian was just about to pass through an alley...
When suddenly, he froze!
As if hit by a freezing spell, he dropped straight out of midair.
Thud.
Zuo Muxian’s feet touched the ground, his pupils contracting slightly as he stared unblinkingly at the middle of the alley.
There, a slender silhouette stood with his back turned to him.
The moonlight leaked from above, casting a silver-white halo over the figure.
What made one's blood run cold was...
The cloud-patterned brocade boots on the figure's feet were actually suspended an inch above the ground.
There was no explosive movement of outward-venting true qi, nor any turbulent air currents from leveraging the void.
The entire person seemed to have completely shed the weight of the world, floating silently in the night like a weightless ghost.
This scene transcended the common logic of the martial path.
Yet to Zuo Muxian, it was not unfamiliar.
Because...
His master.
The Sect Master of the Star-Plucking Sect... could do this very same thing!
“Gangjin Rank...”
The relaxed look on Zuo Muxian’s face vanished instantly. The hairs on his spine stood on end, and his body tensed and straightened inch by inch.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, his voice heavy with solemnity, “May I ask, Senior... why do you block my path?”
In the dead silence, the hovering figure finally made a move.
With his hands folded inside his wide sleeves, he turned around unhurriedly.
Aided by the moonlight, Zuo Muxian clearly saw the person's true face.
A pale face, long eyebrows, graying temples, and a smooth, clean-shaven jaw. His aura seemed slightly feminine.
The corner of the man’s mouth curved up, wearing a faint smile. His eyes swept up and down Zuo Muxian casually as he spoke:
“You, run along...”
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