Chapter 22

“Senior brother!”

Seeing this, the man in green clothes let out a cry of alarm and bent down to check on the fat man, only to find that the fat man’s chest had collapsed, and his heart shattered—beyond saving even by gods!

Enraged, the man in green stared at Su Changkong and roared, “What have you done? You’ve killed my senior brother!”

The fat man had approached Su Changkong to offer a toast, only to be killed by a punch from Su Changkong!

“Your actions…were excessive!” Yan Fei glared at Su Changkong with veins throbbing on his forehead and bloodshot eyes, his voice filled with gritted teeth.

Under his mask, Su Changkong’s face was one of indifference, “I came in to ask for a drink and you try to kill me. He hit me with one punch; I returned one punch. That’s all there is to it!”

The moment they met, the fat man attempted to sneak attack Su Changkong under the pretense of offering a toast. Had it not been for Su Changkong’s strength exceeding their expectations, he would have been dead already. Su Changkong would not let him off!

Even if these three promised not to target Black Iron Manor again, Su Changkong couldn’t be sure if they would keep their word. The most foolproof method was to kill them all!

Once he decided to make a move, he had to eradicate them completely!

“Damn it! Kill him!” Yan Fei bellowed, his hair and beard flying. He had appeased Su Changkong with kind words and fear, but the latter had made it clear he had no intention of reconciling. Having killed his disciple, there was nothing left but a battle to the death, it was either you or me.

“I’ll kill you, you bastard!”

The man in green could no longer contain himself. His face twisted in ferocity, his figure blurring into a shadow as he lunged at Su Changkong, his curved sword drawn from his waist like a crescent moon, chopping towards Su Changkong’s neck.

The man in green’s blade technique and movements were both quite exceptional, previously he had subdued Mo Tie and others in the blink of an eye.

“So slow…”

But to Su Changkong, who had unlocked his body’s potential and stepped into the Divine Strength Realm, the movements of the man in green were as slow as if watching a slow-motion replay, incredibly sluggish!

Iron Cutting Blade Technique. Horizontal Chop!

“Clang!”

Su Changkong’s palm was already on the handle of his sword at his waist. As the blade scraped against the scabbard with a grating sound, a piercingly cold flicker of the sword light tore through the air, chopping horizontally outwards.

Extreme speed combined with extreme power equates to extreme lethality!

“Clang!”

Su Changkong’s sword struck the weak point of the curved sword’s force, and the clear sound of metal clashing, along with the sound of breaking “crack,” burst forth. The man in green’s curved sword broke in half.

“Pfft!”

The large Iron-Cutting Sword, which could be held with both hands, cut through the man in green’s curved sword and swept on with unabated force. The man in green’s head was flung into the air, his eyes still showing a trace of surprise and unwillingness as blood spurted from his severed neck.

In front of Su Changkong, the blade technique and movements the man in green prided himself on appeared so weak, without any flourish, crushed by absolute force, killed with one blow!

Whoosh!

While Su Changkong was killing the man in green, his gaze became focused, and a nearly silent sound of splitting air arose. A sharp blade sliced through the air aiming to strike from the side.

It was Yan Fei!

As Su Changkong finished off the man in green, Yan Fei made his move in an instant. His first move was a killing technique, aimed at taking Su Changkong’s life!

Su Changkong’s perception was sharp. He swung the broad Iron-Cutting Sword to block the incoming long sword.

“Clang!”

The two swords collided, sending sparks flying!

“Flying Swallow Blade Technique. Swallow Returns to Nest!”

Yan Fei’s body paused only briefly before his face contorted hideously, deploying the blade technique he had honed for decades. His long sword dragged several afterimages, with a faint white glow glimmering on the blade, weaving into a net of swords, cunningly aimed at cutting Su Changkong’s entire body.

Su Changkong did not dare to be careless. Yan Fei’s strength far exceeded his two disciples by more than a notch, and Su Changkong swung his sword in defense!

“Clang clang clang!”

A series of clashing metal sounds exploded like drumbeats, the dispersing force snuffing out the candles in the great hall, and only the flames in the fire pit continued to burn. The light inside the hall grew dim.

“Hmm? I can’t cut through his sword! It’s True Qi!”

Mo Tie defended against Yan Fei’s slashing long sword, trying to gather enough strength to break Yan Fei’s blade, but it wasn’t so easy. Yan Fei’s sword blade had a faint glow flowing over it, that was True Qi!

Yan Fei was still some distance from the Divine Strength Realm, but his level of Inner Strength was quite formidable.

In fact, Yan Fei, due to his advanced age, had started to decline in physical function and found it difficult to step into the Divine Strength Realm. However, Yan Fei made up for his weaknesses by cultivating Inner Strength, and together with his skilled Flying Swallow Blade Technique, he might not be without the strength to fight against a Divine Strength Realm expert!

“This man’s Blade Technique is simple and crude, but lacks variation! I mustn’t give him the chance to catch his breath!”

Yan Fei also realized that Su Changkong’s Blade Technique was straightforward, which gave Yan Fei a glimmer of hope for victory. Su Changkong’s strength and speed surpassed his, but Yan Fei’s advantage lay in his exquisite Blade Technique—he had to overwhelm Su Changkong in one fell swoop and slay him!

“Clang, clang, clang!”

In an instant, Mo Tie and Yan Fei exchanged more than ten blows, causing Mo Tie’s blood to begin boiling.

Prior competitors were ordinary thieves and bandits; facing a master like Yan Fei enabled him to use this opportunity as a whetstone for his skills!

The two were relentless, engaging in fierce combat within the decrepit temple.

Mo Tie’s advantages were his speed and strength, reacting faster, and Yan Fei’s advantages lay in his seasoned experience and his exquisite and swift Blade Technique!

“Shhh, shhh, shhh!”

The scattered force of their strikes sent wood chips flying from a column supporting the temple’s ceiling, leaving deep gashes in the wood.

The standoff continued, but after thirty or forty moves, Yan Fei’s complexion slightly changed, “No… I can’t take him down, my physical and Inner Strength are both nearly spent!”

With his physique already inferior to Su Changkong’s, not to mention his age, compared to the younger, stronger Su Changkong who had reached the Divine Strength Realm, the longer the fight dragged on, the bigger Yan Fei’s disadvantage became.

“I, Yan Fei, will remember today’s events!”

Yan Fei collided with Su Changkong once again, but instead of advancing, he retreated, his figure flashing towards the temple gate, letting out a long howl.

Having lost two disciples to Mo Tie, Yan Fei was extremely angered, but he didn’t lose his reason. Continuing the fight would result in more losses than wins, so it was wiser to leave. Although he knew not the identity of this man, he was most likely related to Black Iron Manor—there would be plenty of opportunities for revenge in the future!

Su Changkong had just finished warming up, his blood starting to boil, when he saw Yan Fei trying to flee without fighting. How could he let him go?

“Crack!”

Inside Su Changkong’s Dantian, the Turtle Breathing True Qi circulated, gathering in his limbs. His arm and leg muscles bulged, filled with a sense of power. His strength and speed increased significantly!

“Leaving your disciples behind like this? I’ll send the three of you to reunite! Die!”

Su Changkong’s Tiger Play from the Five Animal Frolics came naturally. He pushed off with his legs like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey, leaving half an inch deep footprints on the ground. He let out a roar from his throat as his body lunged forward, catching up with the fleeing Yan Fei in the blink of an eye and splitting down with his sword.

And this sword strike, unlike the ones before, was with both hands holding the sword!

“Ssst!”

The sword strike, like a hammer falling, brought a whirlwind of oppressive force that twisted Yan Fei’s aged face slightly, horrifying him to the utmost.

The previous Su Changkong had not used his full strength at all. Not only had he reached the Divine Strength Realm, but his cultivation in terms of Inner Strength also wasn’t shallow. This explosive strike was unstoppable!

“Block it!”

Yan Fei clenched his teeth, pouring True Qi into his sword and raising it to block, hoping to withstand Su Changkong’s strike. His plan was to use his superior footwork to rebound and flee from the spot!

“Crack!”

However, the weighty Iron-Cutting Sword carried an incomparable massive force, cutting through anything in its path. At the moment of impact, Yan Fei’s long sword snapped. The momentum of the sword blade continued to press down relentlessly!

“No…”

Yan Fei managed only a fearful cry of alarm before feeling a pain in his head. The Iron-Cutting Sword sliced down, splitting Yan Fei’s body like a log cleaved by an ax, his torso severing in two and falling sideways.

Blood mingled with innards dyed the snow-covered ground at the temple entrance a complete mess.

All once again fell silent, save for the low moaning of the wind and snow. In this desolate forest temple, a great battle had come to an end!