In the span of two breaths, Shuidong Liu played along and collapsed.
‘Just the opportunity to see who this is and what they want!’
Silence filled the meditation chamber.
The strange scent lingered until midnight.
The door to the chamber opened.
A figure dressed in Night Clothes grabbed Shuidong Liu, hoisted him up, and carried him outside, finally dumping him on the main street.
Shuidong Liu squinted at the person’s retreating figure.
‘He’s a stranger.’
“Who is this person, and what do they want?”
He never got the chance to ask.
All he could do was head back to Luotian Pavilion.
But before he could enter, a figure emerged from the shadows, as if expecting him.
A fist smashed viciously toward Shuidong Liu.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Shuidong Liu spun around and threw a punch of his own.
The two fists collided.
The opponent’s arm bone snapped, and he was sent flying from the impact.
But then another figure appeared, throwing yet another punch.
Shuidong Liu’s brow furrowed.
Four people had appeared one after another, each retreating after a single punch, as if nothing had happened.
“Shuidong Liu, die!”
They were under the Xiao Family’s watch, but Celestial Fragrance City was vast.
‘And with only four hundred people split among the four squads, if we’re fast enough, the Xiao Family won’t have time to intervene!’
As this fifth person appeared, he unleashed a furious power, vowing to shatter Shuidong Liu’s entire arm.
‘The first few were just probing Shuidong Liu’s strength; their success wasn’t critical.
But I must kill him in a single strike.
That is my mission!’
BOOM!
Dust flew into the air.
Instead of his own fist being shattered, it was Shuidong Liu who had crushed his opponent’s.
Bone and blood splattered as a horrifying scream rang out.
The expressions of the four hidden men changed.
“This is impossible!”
“Die!”
Shuidong Liu’s gaze turned icy.
He closed the distance, grabbed the man’s arm, and viciously snapped it backward.
SNAP!
As the man cried out in agony, Shuidong Liu’s other hand seized his throat.
“Who sent you?”
“You think I won’t find out if you don’t tell me?”
“Gu Min, aren’t you coming out?!”
CLAP!
CLAP!
CLAP!
The sound of clapping echoed from down the long street.
Amidst soft footsteps, a figure slowly approached.
“They all say you harbor a secret, but in my view, if you had one, it would have been exposed years ago.”
“You’ve simply been hiding your true strength all this time, haven’t you!”
Gu Min smiled faintly.
He was clearly a man, yet he was dressed in a sheer, red dress and even wore a golden hairpin that swayed as he moved.
His burly frame was a stark contrast to the pink handkerchief he held in one hand and the delicate, poised gesture of the other.
“On the surface, you’re merely in the Body Refining Realm, but in reality, you must be in the Super Body Realm, or perhaps even the Extraordinary Realm.
Am I right?”
“You’ve hidden it very well, but I can understand.”
“In the matter of the Champion Marquis, you were just a child.
It was only natural to hide your abilities to survive.”
“So…” Gu Min smiled, a truly bizarre sight on his stubble-covered face.
“Give me the Linglong Pendant, and I will spare your life!”
“You should know, even if you possess the Champion Marquis’s ultimate techniques, you’re no match for someone who has clawed his way out of a mountain of corpses.
Besides, my men have this area surrounded!”
As Gu Min spoke, he stepped forward, and figures emerged from the shadows one by one.
Shuidong Liu’s brow furrowed at the sight.
‘They came prepared.’ But there were some things he had to get straight.
“Was the Hero Gang your people?”
“Yes!”
“And the ones who hunted me into Celestial Cloud Mountain, they were your people too?”
“That’s right!”
Gu Min smiled faintly and gave Shuidong Liu a wink he clearly thought was charming.
“You’re a smart man.
You should know that even though this is the Xiao Family’s fiefdom, they can’t possibly show up at the slightest rustle of grass.
So, tell me…”
“Tell you my ass!” Shuidong Liu’s eyes were like frost.
“You keep trying to kill me, again and again.
What the hell did I ever do to you?”
“A hulking bandit wearing women’s clothes…
What a goddamn freak!”
Shuidong Liu stomped the ground.
With a BOOM, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow, his fist flying.
“You want to kill me?
Then I’ll kill you first!”
‘How damn frustrating!’ Shuidong Liu thought.
He’d figured that becoming a Martial Artist meant he could finally act freely, especially in the Xiao Family’s own territory.
‘But instead…
assassins were showing up at his door, one after another!’
‘This was the last straw!’
For the first time in his life, Shuidong Liu truly wanted to kill someone.
But Gu Min only smiled with contempt.
“You alone…
how could you possibly be my opponent?”
Gu Min laughed as he watched the figure hurtling toward him like a cannonball.
He extended a hand, which glowed like jade in the moonlight.
“This move of mine is called ‘Lover’s Murder Under the Moon’!”
His hoarse voice cooed the words in a way that was utterly nauseating.
‘In that instant, Shuidong Liu understood.
The reason Gu Min was like this was because of some perverse Cultivation Technique he practiced!’
The hand, brimming with cold energy, formed a claw that tore through the air and slammed viciously into Shuidong Liu’s fist.
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath them.
Gu Min stood his ground, unmoving.
Shuidong Liu, however, was sent flying backward, his feet gouging deep, crack-filled footprints into the pavement with every step he took to stop himself.
Shuidong Liu felt as if his fist was freezing over as a sinister, cold energy seeped in through his pores.
In that same instant, Gu Min moved like a phantom, closing the distance and pressing against Shuidong Liu, stabbing a finger forward viciously.
Just as Shuidong Liu was about to strike back with an elbow, Gu Min’s other hand grabbed his sash and whipped it.
A Soft Sword flashed with cold light in the night sky.
“Moon Sword!”
The glare was blinding as sword light crisscrossed the air.
Shuidong Liu hastily retreated.
This was his first true encounter with someone using a high-level Cultivation Technique, and to his surprise, he felt a surge of excitement.
Recalling his power, a purple light flashed from the Purple Mansion between Shuidong Liu’s brows.
A memory fragment of a Sword Technique surfaced, and he formed a sword with his fingers.
“Huo Xiao!”
Shuidong Liu didn’t know what kind of Swordsmanship it was; he executed it purely on instinct.
In that instant, a vibrant energy surged forth as the sword light and the sword-finger collided.
Cold energy and vibrant energy clashed.
With a deafening roar, a wave of power erupted, blasting out in all directions.
Gu Min’s cold energy collapsed on contact.
Shuidong Liu’s sword-finger slammed hard against the flat of the blade.
CLANG!
Gu Min’s sword hand went numb with pain, and he nearly dropped the blade.
His eyes widened in shock.
Shuidong Liu was far more powerful than he had anticipated.
He unleashed the full power of his Super Body Realm, and the long sword recoiled, violently knocking Shuidong Liu’s fingers away.
“Huo Xiao!” Shuidong Liu stabbed out with his fingers once more.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
The men in the shadows could only stare, dumbfounded.
They couldn’t understand how Shuidong Liu was able to exchange so many blows with Gu Min.
“He’s actually fighting a sword…
with his fingers!”
“Master Gu is in the Super Body Realm!
How is Shuidong Liu doing this?”
Each onlooker felt their scalp tingle, yet not a single one dared to step forward.
“Die!”
Seeing that dozens of moves had passed, Gu Min grew furious.
‘He couldn’t even finish off a mere insect?’
He instantly sent the long sword shooting forward like a bolt of lightning, while his hands tore through the air like claws once more.
Shuidong Liu’s gaze went cold.
‘So we’re playing for keeps, are we?
Let’s see who’s more ruthless!’
Steeling his resolve, he charged straight toward the incoming Soft Sword.
SHLICK!
“Hahaha…
Die, Shuidong Liu!” Gu Min roared with laughter as he watched the Soft Sword run through Shuidong Liu’s chest.
Blood poured from Shuidong Liu’s chest, but his fingertips had also stabbed viciously into Gu Min’s clawed hand.
BANG!
Gu Min’s palm was pierced straight through.
The force traveled up his forearm, and his flesh and blood exploded outward.
“Aaargh…!”
Gu Min couldn’t believe it.
He had actually lost.
“You…
you were willing to ensure we both got injured…
you…”
“This isn’t mutual destruction.
This is…
killing you!”
Shuidong Liu pressed closer, ignoring his own wound, and clamped a hand around Gu Min’s neck.
“Speak…
Who are you working for?”
Seeing Gu Min captured, the faces of his men changed drastically.
“Master Gu lost!
It’s over!
He…
he wouldn’t actually dare kill Master Gu, would he?”
“Shuidong Liu is too strong!
He might be in the Extraordinary Realm!
Run!” one of them shouted, already turning to flee.
Hearing this, many others turned and fled as well.
After all, their own lives were what mattered most.
But then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the distance, like a mighty army charging toward them.
“Don’t let a single one escape…”
“Kill!”
Roars filled the night as the two sides instantly began a slaughter.
Shuidong Liu’s fingers dug deeper into Gu Min’s neck.
“Still not talking?
Are you looking to die?”
“I…”
SQUELCH…