"Kill!"
Zhaang Ye roared, his Thick-Backed Saber tracing a faint gleam of light through the air. As if chopping wood, he sliced a Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Second Layer in two, separating head from body.
Wiping the blood from his face, Zhaang Ye let out a soft sigh of relief.
In order to break through as quickly as possible, Zhaang Ye had just attacked four small squads in quick succession, killing a total of fifteen Martial Artists of the Second Heaven. Even for someone as powerful as Zhaang Ye, killing so many people in such a short time had left him with numerous injuries. The most severe was a long, bone-deep gash on his arm, cut by a weapon. The slightest movement sent excruciating pain through him.
The continuous, desperate battles had left Zhaang Ye covered in wounds and racked with pain, but his gains were also significant. From his opponents' bodies, he had found another nine Body Tempering Pills, three Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals, and over ten Golden Tickets, estimated to be worth more than ten thousand taels of gold.
Now that he had defeated his opponent, Zhaang Ye didn't dare to linger. He quickly searched the body, pocketed the two Golden Tickets and one Body Tempering Pill he found, and immediately left.
This time, he hadn't gone far before he stopped. A youth in white had appeared before him. He was tall and slender, with a Long Sword hanging at his waist, and he cut a rather distinguished figure.
Zhaang Ye sized up the youth and noticed that the aura he exuded was far stronger than his own. His pupils constricted slightly as he said, "Martial Arts Third Layer?"
The white-clothed youth puffed out his chest like a proud rooster and said arrogantly, "That's right."
Hearing the white-clothed youth's confirmation, Zhaang Ye couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. 'This person is about my age, probably twelve or thirteen, but his Cultivation is a full layer higher than mine! Even my exceptionally talented older brother would be no match for him!'
Seeing Zhaang Ye's shocked expression, the white-clothed youth puffed his chest out even further. A hint of ridicule appeared in his eyes as he sneered, "What? Are you scared?"
"Scared?" Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile. Although he only had the Cultivation of the Martial Arts Second Layer, Cultivation didn't equate to combat strength. All the people he had just killed were at the same level as him. After successively defeating his opponents, Zhaang Ye had gained a certain confidence in his own power. Even facing someone at the Martial Arts Third Tier, he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of fear.
Not wasting any more words, Zhaang Ye let out a low shout. His Thick-Backed Saber flashed as he slashed out.
This slash from Zhaang Ye was a probing attack, looking deceptively simple. But simple did not mean weak. On the contrary, Zhaang Ye's slash followed a straight line—the shortest distance between two points. The extremely short distance, combined with Zhaang Ye's incredible speed, unleashed the Sword Force. The white-clothed youth saw the Thick-Backed Saber rapidly magnify before his eyes, growing larger and larger. The fierce wind from the blade messed up his hair and made him catch his breath.
A flash of surprise passed through the white-clothed youth's eyes. He hadn't expected that someone with only the strength of the Martial Arts Second Layer like Zhaang Ye could so easily unleash such a fierce and powerful slash.
Although a little surprised, the white-clothed youth didn't take it to heart. 'The Martial Arts Ninth Layer, each layer is a different heaven. The difference between the Second Layer and the Third Layer is enormous. With my Martial Arts Third Layer strength, no matter how formidable my opponent is, I'm confident I can take him down with ease.'
With a flick of his hand, the white-clothed youth's palm straightened, forming a Palm Blade, and he chopped out.
With this chop, his True Qi surged forth before his palm even arrived. This was the unique ability of the Martial Arts Third Layer—True Qi Detachment!
Normally, a flesh-and-blood palm could never clash with a blade's edge. But after reaching the Martial Arts Third Layer, one's True Qi could be freely projected from the body. When the white-clothed youth formed his Palm Blade and chopped out, a layer of True Qi naturally coated his hand. With the protection of this True Qi layer, he could use his bare palm to clash with weapons.
The palm and saber collided with a thunderous clash of Qi Force. Zhaang Ye felt an irresistible wave of True Qi travel up his Thick-Backed Saber, knocking him back three steps before he could regain his footing.
'I never thought a Martial Artist of the Martial Arts Third Layer would be this powerful! This is trouble!' Shaking his slightly numb arm, Zhaang Ye cursed inwardly.
Seeing Zhaang Ye's somewhat disheveled state, the white-clothed youth actually started to take him a little more seriously. In that head-on clash just now, he had used sixty percent of his strength, thinking he could send Zhaang Ye flying back several yards with one blow. But now it seemed that although this Zhaang Ye only had the strength of the Mid-stage Second Layer, his true combat power was extremely formidable, even stronger than a Martial Artist at the Peak of the Second Layer.
Even though he knew Zhaang Ye's combat power was quite high, the white-clothed youth still didn't care much. He revealed a mocking expression and said, "Heh heh, how did that Palm Blade taste? You killed fifteen of our men. Later, I'll chop you into fifteen pieces to avenge the deaths of my family's disciples."
Zhaang Ye said flatly, "If you want to fight, then fight. You talk too much!" As he spoke, he took a half-step forward, unleashed his Sword Force, and once again took the initiative to attack.
'Even the strongest people have weaknesses.' Zhaang Ye realized that although this youth was powerful, he had a very obvious flaw: he was arrogant, conceited, and looked down on his opponents. 'When he blocked my slash just now, he clearly had a weapon but didn't draw it. That was obviously due to his pride and disdain!'
This pride and disdain were undoubtedly good news for Zhaang Ye. In an instant, he immediately mobilized all the True Qi in his body, and his Thick-Backed Saber instantly executed the "Gentle Wind Slash."
SWISH SWISH SWISH—
Zhaang Ye unleashed three slashes in one breath.
CLANG CLANG CLANG—
The white-clothed youth was truly impressive. He raised his hand, and his palm, flowing with a green light, flew through the air, actually managing to block all three of Zhaang Ye's slashes. He exclaimed in surprise, "That's a Mid-Level Martial Skill! You can actually use a Mid-Level Martial Skill?"
Zhaang Ye sneered. After the three slashes, he silently unleashed another three.
Seeing the saber light crisscrossing the air, the white-clothed youth's expression changed instantly. He shouted, "Impossible! Mid-Level Combat Skills consume a huge amount of True Qi! You only have the strength of the Martial Arts Second Layer, how can you unleash six strikes of a Mid-Level Combat Skill in one go?"
The white-clothed youth found Zhaang Ye's performance unbelievable, but the Thick-Backed Saber was already slashing toward him. He had no choice but to brace himself and deal with it with all his might.
CLANG CLANG CLANG— After barely managing to block Zhaang Ye's six slashes, the white-clothed youth felt his entire arm go numb from Zhaang Ye's fierce Sword Force. The True Qi covering his palm was almost shattered by those terrifying three slashes.
Now, the white-clothed youth deeply regretted his earlier arrogance in not drawing his Long Sword to face the enemy.
A palm was just a palm. Even if it was covered in True Qi, it couldn't compare to a real weapon. Against a weak enemy, a bare palm might suffice, but against a freakishly powerful opponent like Zhaang Ye, continuing to block with only his palm was a catastrophic miscalculation!
Just as the white-clothed youth was about to dodge to the side, draw his Long Sword, and kill Zhaang Ye in one fell swoop, he saw that Zhaang Ye's Sword Force didn't pause at all. Amidst the flashing saber light, another three slashes came forth!
The white-clothed youth was greatly shocked, and an unprecedented sense of crisis rose in his heart. He had blocked six of Zhaang Ye's slashes bare-handed, which had consumed a huge amount of his True Power. His hands and Meridians had both suffered some internal injuries.
At this moment, facing Zhaang Ye's next three slashes, if he continued to block bare-handed, he was afraid both his hands would be chopped off! Horrified, the white-clothed youth no longer dared to block head-on. Instead, he executed a wondrous Body Technique—the Wave Riding Step—suddenly dodging within a hair's breadth. His Body Technique was truly miraculous to the extreme. Within such a tiny space, he managed to perform all sorts of evasive maneuvers, narrowly dodging Zhaang Ye's three slashes from an impossible position!
Seeing the white-clothed youth use a Body Technique to dodge, not daring to block his Saber Technique head-on, Zhaang Ye felt not alarm but joy. His "Gentle Wind Slash" was an offensive Saber Technique. Its first characteristic was speed, and its second was that, like a gentle breeze, it could penetrate any opening. The white-clothed youth's complete switch to a defensive posture gave him the perfect opportunity to press his advantage.
Taking a long deep breath, Zhaang Ye gathered one hundred and twenty percent of his True Power. His Thick-Backed Saber, like a gentle breeze, slashed out once more!
This was the tenth strike of the Gentle Wind Slash that Zhaang Ye had executed!
This slash contained all the Cultivation of Zhaang Ye's life. The moment the blade moved, it instantly compressed the white-clothed youth's room to evade down to nothing. All of the youth's escape routes were sealed by the Sword Force. There was nowhere to dodge!
The white-clothed youth felt the aura of death rush toward him. His eyes widened in terror, his face a mask of fear. He forcefully suppressed the dread in his heart, waved both his palms, and tried with all his might to block Zhaang Ye's terrifying slash.
Blocking a blade bare-handed relied on the layer of True Qi covering the palms. But the True Qi on the white-clothed youth's hands had already been worn away by Zhaang Ye's previous nine slashes. He could no longer cope with this lightning-fast strike. As the gentle wind passed, both of his hands were severed at the wrists. But Zhaang Ye's Sword Force was not yet spent. The Thick-Backed Saber continued forward like a breeze, swept across the youth's waist, and sliced him in two.
"You..." the white-clothed youth pointed at Zhaang Ye and said with great effort, "The Saber Technique you just used... that was a Mid-Level Martial Skill, wasn't it? To think you possessed a Mid-Level Martial Skill and could even unleash ten consecutive strikes! But... if I had used my sword from the beginning, the one dying in this battle might not have been me. I regret it so much..."
Zhaang Ye said flatly, "From the moment a battle begins, it's either you die or I live. There are no 'ifs'. You can die in peace now."
The white-clothed youth stared at Zhaang Ye, spat out several mouthfuls of blood, and cried out, "To think I would die at the hands of someone at the Martial Arts Second Layer! I can't accept this! I can't accept it..." After crying out a few times, his head lolled to the side, and he died.