Eagle Claw Skill!
Eagle Strikes Nine Heavens!
Like a furious gale, Zhang Cang flashed through the crowd. In his wake, several Martial Arts Academy Disciples screamed and collapsed in every direction.
Claw marks deep enough to reveal bone had been torn into their bodies, and upon closer inspection, a faint black Qi lingered around the wounds.
Poison!
To coat one's Claw Skill in poison without harming oneself required cultivating a Cultivation Technique to an extremely profound Realm. There were only a few such experts in all of Yue City.
"A bunch of trash, and you think you can stop me?"
With a cold snort and a disdainful look, Zhang Cang leaped up, preparing to leave.
"Is that so?" A cold voice sounded as Zhu Ju's figure landed steadily from above.
"What about me?"
"Zhu Ju!" Zhang Cang's expression changed drastically when he saw who it was.
"Young Master Zhu, it was the Wuh Family's idea to move against you back then. I was always against it…"
"Enough nonsense!" Zhu Ju strode forward in a flash.
"Take my fist!"
'Yann Family's Iron Wire Fist!'
'A straight punch!'
It was a simple straight punch, yet in his hands, it could work wonders. The Fist Force enveloped the area in all directions.
Zhang Cang's breath hitched. He had no time to dodge.
"AHH!"
Amidst his roar, instead of retreating, he advanced. His fingers curled inward, and his ten fingertips, glowing with black Qi, struck out fiercely.
'Eagle Claw Iron Shirt!'
"BANG!"
Fist and claw collided. A figure, unable to withstand the force, was sent flying back.
'Hmm?'
Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow and charged forward again, his hands shifting from the Iron Wire Fist to the Mixed Element Iron Hand.
'Peak of Blood Coagulation? He's almost at the Body Tempering Realm!'
'Zhang Cang's strength is much higher than the reports suggested. His Eagle Claw Iron Shirt is also quite impressive. He was defeated but not injured in our direct clash, and he's even trying to use the momentum to escape.'
Unfortunately…
He had run into Zhu Ju!
'Iron Painting and Silver Hooks!'
The moves and power-generation techniques of the Mixed Element Iron Hand were far superior to the Yann Family's Iron Wire Fist. The moment the Palm Technique began, despair filled Zhang Cang's face.
Palm Force that sealed off all directions assaulted him relentlessly. He barely managed to withstand three moves before his central defense was completely broken.
"BANG!"
A figure crashed through a wall, smashing into the chaotic crowd. He rolled a few times on the ground before his breathing stopped completely.
Peak of Blood Coagulation,
Dead!
"Zhang Cang!"
"It's Shopkeeper Zhang!"
"..."
Seeing the corpse on the ground, the members of the Nursing Home inside Baixiu Workshop who were still struggling to resist fell into disarray.
"WHOOSH..."
Zhu Ju's figure followed close behind, leaping into the workshop. He grabbed a heavy eight-person table and swept it around. Empowered by his terrifying strength, any from the Nursing Home who were grazed were injured, and any who were struck died instantly. In the blink of an eye, their defensive line collapsed.
Baixiu Workshop was just one of the Seven Workshops of Flower Street. The strongest among the Nursing Home were only at the Blood Coagulation Realm. With two Body Tempering Martial Artists, Zhu Ju and Shenn Hu, taking action, it didn't take long for the workshop to fall.
"All patrons, squat down and don't look for trouble," Yann Jingfu shouted loudly, seeing the situation was clear.
"On orders from Lord Fang, we are seizing Flower Street! Those who dare to resist will be killed without mercy! Surrender obediently and await your judgment."
"Men and women, separate! The people from the Government Office will be here shortly."
...
「Ghost Market.」
This was the deepest part of Flower Street. It was dark, damp, and filled with a strange, rotting-corpse smell. It was a gathering place for beggars with broken legs, dying vagrants, and washed-up courtesans who could no longer take clients.
Even people from Flower Street itself were unwilling to come here.
At the same time, all sorts of shady businesses operated here: contract killings, fencing stolen goods, human trafficking, and more.
"TAP..."
Zhu Ju walked with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across both sides of the street. All the shops were closed, and it was pitch black all around.
'Makes sense.'
'They're raiding the Seven Workshops of Flower Street outside. It's inevitable that it might spill over here. Of course they'd close up early to avoid trouble.'
Strolling up to a shop, he knocked on the door.
"Anyone home?"
"Who is it? Are you sick in the head? Don't you see what's happening outside? We're not doing business today!"
"I'm looking for Shopkeeper Wang."
"..." The shop was silent for a moment, then another, more cautious voice spoke up:
"Who are you? What do you want with me?"
"Heh..." Zhu Ju smiled faintly.
"Shopkeeper Wang, great people certainly have short memories."
"BOOM!"
He pressed a single palm against the wooden door. Violent Strength erupted, and the door shattered. Several figures were sent stumbling backward.
Zhu Ju strode in and looked at one of the men inside.
"And where might Shopkeeper Wang be going?"
It was Shopkeeper Wang, dressed in black, with bags slung over his shoulders, looking as if he was about to move far away.
"Who are you?"
Shopkeeper Wang took a step back.
"What do you want?"
"It seems you really have forgotten." Zhu Ju shook his head.
"Do you still remember the Jade Three-Color Carved Guanyin Bodhisattva Statue from last year?"
'The Jade Three-Color Carved Guanyin Bodhisattva Statue? How could he possibly forget!'
'Back then, he'd spent one hundred taels of Gold to buy it, and then tried to hire someone to intercept and kill the seller, but failed.'
'Has he come looking for me?'
Shopkeeper Wang subconsciously glanced back. The young man standing behind him frowned slightly and waved his hand.
"Kill him!"
"SHING!"
Three cold glints of light appeared in the darkness, their angles vicious and their approach ruthless, clearly aiming to kill.
Zhu Ju took a step back and made a light grabbing motion with one hand.
"CRACK!"
He gripped the three Longswords tightly in his palm. The sharp blades were clamped as if by an iron hoop, unable to move. This scene made the faces of everyone in the room change drastically.
"BANG!"
"CRASH..."
Palm Force erupted. The blades instantly shattered into countless pieces, flying forward like a chaotic volley of arrows.
"THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!"
Several figures fell to the ground in unison.
Shopkeeper Wang was also unfortunate enough to have a blade fragment slice across his throat. Even in death, his eyes were filled with bewilderment, as if he couldn't believe he had died just like that.
"You must be this shop's backer, the Young Master of the Hex Family, right?"
Zhu Ju stepped forward and rummaged through the bags on Shopkeeper Wang's body. He was surprised to find the Jade Three-Color Carved Guanyin Bodhisattva Statue again.
And it was completely undamaged.
After all this, the item had found its way back into his hands.
"D-don't kill me." Young Master Hex's face was deathly pale.
"My uncle is the Prefect of Longbei, and my second grand-uncle is a high-ranking official in the Court. If you kill me, you won't be able to escape."
"How foolish." Zhu Ju shook his head, picked up a broken blade fragment from the ground, and flicked it with his finger. The fragment pierced the man's brow.
"Now that I know you have such a deep background, how could I possibly let you leave?"
"Although…"
"You would have died even if I didn't know!"
"Hm?"
Just as he finished putting the item away, he seemed to sense something. His brows twitched, and his figure flashed into a dark corner. Immediately after, two figures—one old, one young—dashed out from the back courtyard.
'These two… they're so familiar!'
He had clearly never seen them before, but Zhu Ju felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity from them.
"Young Master."
Rushing out of the shop, the old man glanced back, his face contorting into a vicious expression.
"You go first. I'll hold back the one named Fu."
"Elder Ghost." The young man didn't hesitate, nodding heavily.
"Be careful!"
"Haha..." The old man laughed heartily.
"Don't worry, Young Master. In terms of strength, this old man is nothing among the Grandmaster Gui Cangs, but when it comes to the art of escaping, if I claim to be second, no one in the world would dare claim to be first!"
"WHOOSH..." A gale rose from behind them, and a slightly hoarse female voice carried from a distance:
"Elder Ghost, Dugu Ming, you have committed every evil imaginable! Your crimes are monstrous! You won't escape today!"
Immediately after.
"BOOM!"
An invisible force field descended from the sky like a giant hammer smashing into the earth. The muddy ground abruptly sank, and the old and young man were instantly trapped within it.
"AHH!"
"Fu Huanlian, I'll fight you to the death!"
The old man roared at the sky, tapped his feet on the ground, and shot upwards like a soaring hawk.
Fast!
Incredibly fast!
Even with Zhu Ju's vision, he could only see a residual afterimage. The two above had already begun to fight.
'Flower Fist Fu Huanlian!'
Zhu Ju's eyes flickered.
'Elder Ghost?'
'He must be the dark figure who broke into the martial arts hall masters' meeting that night. An Elder of the Red Blood Sect, a Grandmaster Gui Cang.'
'And this young man must be the Black-Clothed Man who appeared first that day. At the time, even Shenn Hu and Lu Chu together were no match for him.'
'He's so young? He looks like he's not even twenty!'
While Fu Huanlian was held up by Elder Ghost, Dugu Ming turned and fled.
"Don't you run!"
Three figures in full armor brandished their Weapons and blocked his path.
These three clearly only had the Cultivation of the Blood Strengthening Realm, but because they were fully armored, they were not afraid of ordinary blades. Coupled with their expertise in fighting as a team, they actually managed to hold Dugu Ming in place for a moment.
"Get out of my way!"
After several attempts were intercepted, Dugu Ming's eyes turned vicious.
"Die!"
'Red Blood Divine Claw!'
A blood-red claw light flashed abruptly. The three figures on the field froze and slowly collapsed to the ground.
One move!
Three men, dead in an instant!
This scene made Zhu Ju's eyes narrow, his expression turning grim.
He could also kill three men, but definitely not so cleanly and efficiently.
"SHIING!"
Another figure shot out of the darkness. A slender, tall figure charged out with an air of desperation.
She let out an angry cry:
"Dugu Ming, give me back my sister's life!"
"CLANG..."
Dugu Ming dodged, then flicked his fingers out. His fingertips collided with the incoming blade, producing the sound of metal on metal.
Her first strike having missed, the woman attacked with her sword again.
She made no attempt to defend herself; every sword strike aimed at her opponent's vitals. In an instant, the sword shadows merged into one.
"Crazy bitch!"
Dugu Ming dodged rapidly, cursing angrily.
"You and your sister had ill intentions, lurking by my side for who knows what reason, and you dare blame me for being ruthless?"
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have given this woman a second thought and could have dispatched her in a few moves.
But now…
She was fighting with the desperation of someone aiming for mutual destruction. With pursuers close behind, he was momentarily unable to shake her.
"Fine!"
"Since you think I'm ruthless, I'll be ruthless one more time and send you down to join your sister!"
'Red Blood Divine Gang!'
Spurred by some Secret Technique, the Qi Blood in his body rushed out, forming a layer of blood-red light visible to the naked eye.
"CLANG..."
The sharp sword stabbed into the bloody light but couldn't advance an inch.
Dugu Ming seized the opportunity to pounce, grabbing the sword and tearing it apart as if it were a noodle.
The violent Strength sent the woman flying, her Tendon and Bone going limp as she collapsed to the ground.
"Die!"
"WHOOSH..."
Just as he was about to press his advantage and take the woman's life, a sense of alarm rose in Dugu Ming's heart. He abruptly twisted his body and slapped his palms behind him.
"BANG!"
With a muffled thud, two figures recoiled.
"Tie Heng!"
"It's me." Lord Fang's personal guard stood in the center of the field, holding a long saber. He shouted coldly, "Dugu Ming, the Seven Workshops of Flower Street are crawling with our men. You can't escape today. Surrender!"
"Heh..." Dugu Ming sneered.
"Idiot!"
"SWOOSH!"
His figure flashed as he lunged forward. The Red Blood Divine Claw drew bloody streaks in the night, his attacks swift and fierce.
Tie Heng's expression remained unchanged. The long saber in his hand slashed out, creating arcs of saber light, meeting the attack head-on without giving an inch.
This unassuming Chief Constable, who often stood guard by Lord Fang's side, was actually a master at the level of Great Success in Body Tempering, his strength a notch above even Shenn Hu's.
"Broken Jade Saber!"
"So, a master from the Imperial Palace."
Dugu Ming's eyes narrowed. Hearing the increasingly urgent footsteps approaching from all sides, his expression turned vicious.
"Get lost!"
The sky full of claw shadows suddenly converged.
Tie Heng's eye twitched. He let out a great shout, pushing his Broken Jade Saber Technique to its absolute limit as well.
"BOOM!"
Powerful Qi roared.
Tie Heng grunted and stumbled back repeatedly, yet a smile appeared on his face.
For in the darkness, a figure had appeared silently behind Dugu Ming and was striking with his palm.
Mixed Element Iron Hand!