Chapter 15

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Chapter 15: Shattered

Crack!

The sound of shattering echoed in everyone’s ears.

They watched in shock as shards flew from beneath Zhang Yang’s fist—razor-sharp fragments scattering in all directions, shooting past Yun Dongji and striking five or six Flying Cloud Guards behind him.

The Cold Jade Spirit Blade had been utterly destroyed by Zhang Yang’s punch.

"Ah!"

Yun Dongji staggered back, his arms trembling violently. A sickening crack signaled his joints dislocating, and his palms split open, blood gushing from the wounds as he let out a pained cry.

What terrified him even more was the realization that, despite obliterating the Cold Jade Spirit Blade, Zhang Yang’s fist showed no sign of slowing down. The power behind it remained undiminished.

His arms had been forced upwards by the impact, leaving his chest completely exposed.

The next moment, that unstoppable fist crashed into his chest.

Bang!

Yun Dongji was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, thrown into the air by the sheer force of the impact.

Blood sprayed from his seven orifices as his robes were torn apart, revealing a form-fitting silver armor beneath—a spiritual weapon-level defensive armor—its surface gleaming brilliantly.

Yet, it was useless.

Crack!

The spiritual armor exploded as well, its sharp fragments slicing across Yun Dongji’s chest, leaving deep wounds. The sheer force of the strike rattled his internal organs, and he lost consciousness mid-air.

The entire exchange had taken only an instant.

Both sides were left dumbfounded.

That had been a spiritual weapon!

In the Vast Forest, spiritual weapons were considered paramount, capable of completely suppressing anyone at the Returning to Origin Realm. Against such a weapon, one could only hope to counter it with another spiritual weapon.

Yet Zhang Yang had destroyed two powerful spiritual weapons with a single punch.

Yun Liuhuo lunged forward, catching the unconscious Yun Dongji before turning and fleeing into the woods.

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!" he shouted in terror.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Some of his men followed him in retreat, but more than twenty Flying Cloud Guards charged toward Zhang Yang, roaring as they launched their attack.

Yet, they were no match.

One by one, they fell.

By the time the battle was over, Yun Liuhuo and his remaining forces had already escaped.

The Night Stalker, Ironback Blue Bull, and Golden Ape King gave chase but ultimately failed to catch up.

Meanwhile, Xue Feishuang quickly attended to Zhang Yang’s wounds.

She gently placed a healing pill in his mouth and carefully bandaged his injuries. Her delicate touch and concerned gaze gradually soothed Zhang Yang’s bloodlust.

"Junior Brother, why is your killing intent so overwhelming?" Xue Feishuang asked softly.

Zhang Yang scratched his head, looking confused. "I don’t know. When I see my own blood, I feel an immense sense of shame… and then I just lose control. The urge to kill becomes overwhelming."

"You need to learn to control it," Xue Feishuang advised.

Zhang Yang nodded. "Alright, I’ll listen to Sister."

Xue Feishuang smiled. "As long as you don’t mind me nagging. By the way, what about your movement technique?"

"It’s something I understood from the Saint’s Footprints. Come, Sister, I’ll show you."

He grabbed Xue Feishuang’s hand and started walking forward.

She felt his grip tighten around her hand but made no move to pull away.

After walking more than ten meters, Zhang Yang suddenly stopped, looking around in confusion.

He had gotten lost.

Xue Feishuang chuckled softly. For all his incredible abilities, her junior brother had a terrible sense of direction.

As he looked left and right, growing more puzzled, Zhang Yang finally gave up and closed his eyes.

"Golden Ape King, lead the way!"

With the Golden Ape King guiding them, they soon arrived at a secluded area where the mountains and trees seemed to merge.

Beyond the narrow path, they entered a spacious clearing.

Stopping in front of a set of ancient footprints, Zhang Yang pointed. "It’s this one."

Xue Feishuang sat down beside him to observe.

Her talent for comprehension was remarkable—if it weren’t, she wouldn’t have qualified for the title battle at such a young age. Now, she stood on the verge of victory, on track to becoming the youngest Martial Arts Lord in the history of the Great Xia Empire.

Yet, as she studied the Saint’s Footprints, she found herself frowning in confusion.

Zhang Yang, noticing her struggle, took the initiative to explain his understanding.

To him, many of the concepts seemed simple.

To Xue Feishuang, however, they were puzzling.

Before long, she was bombarding him with one question after another.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Yun Liuhuo sat beside the unconscious Yun Dongji, his expression dark with rage.

He hadn’t expected this title battle to turn out like this.

The Night Stalker he had been hunting was actually on Xue Feishuang’s side.

But what was even harder for Yun Liuhuo to accept was the monster she had found.

How could it be so powerful?

It had shattered two spiritual weapons with a single punch. Even the weakest spiritual weapons shouldn’t break so easily, let alone high-quality ones.

For the first time, Yun Liuhuo felt helpless. Thinking about Zhang Yang, he didn’t even dare to entertain thoughts of revenge—he felt only despair.

"We need to take down that monster first," Yun Liuhuo said stubbornly, his eyes flickering with calculation.

He recalled something Zhang Yang had mentioned when he was planning to ambush Xue Feishuang—he had vaguely heard him say something about consuming over a hundred Blood Spirit Flowers.

He had eaten them all and vomited? And there were still many left?

A cold smile spread across Yun Liuhuo’s face.

"Someone, spread the word that there’s a man named Zhang Yang who consumed over a hundred Blood Spirit Flowers and still has more than three hundred—no, make that over a thousand."

A Flying Cloud Guard immediately obeyed his order.

Yun Liuhuo smirked.

"There are plenty of treasure seekers in the Vast Forest. The allure of Blood Spirit Flowers is too strong. No matter how powerful he is, how many people can he fight off?"

He planned to use greed to turn others against Zhang Yang.

Not long after, another Flying Cloud Guard returned.

"General, we just received news that Xiao Hu from the Underworld King Squad was likely killed by Zhang Yang. Squad leader Chu Yuming is leading a team to hunt him down."

Yun Liuhuo’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

Just a day ago, the Yun family had informed him about the Underworld King Squad.

The squad was formed under the leadership of the seventh prince of the Great Xia Empire, with two Holy Sons from Ziyang Sacred Land and Golden Cauldron Sacred Land serving as vice-captains.

The Underworld King Squad had a total of 35,926 members, each granted the authority to recruit others and form their own teams. Some chose to operate independently, while others formed alliances.

Chu Yuming and Xiao Hu had created their own team, with Xiao Hu serving as vice-captain, meaning he was an official member of the squad.

"When the Underworld King Squad was first formed, some recruits died during selection, but I’ve never heard of a registered member being killed before. Xiao Hu might be the first," Yun Liuhuo sneered.

"Zhang Yang will definitely be made an example of. The squad operates with absolute authority—anyone who dares to resist them faces the extermination of their entire family, let alone someone who actually killed one of their own. Hahaha, this is perfect!"

His grin widened as he gave new orders.

"Contact Chu Yuming immediately. Also, inform the Crazy Heroes Squad—they’re also part of the Underworld King Squad, and their captain, Wang Xiong, is currently in the Vast Forest. Tell them we have information on the killer."

Meanwhile, Xue Feishuang had spent a long time trying to comprehend the Saint’s Footprints, but eventually, she gave up.

The more she tried to understand, the more tangled her thoughts became. Every insight led to even more questions, leaving her mind in chaos.

At that moment, she sighed in admiration.

How did Zhang Yang grasp so much martial arts knowledge?

Opening her eyes, she found Zhang Yang fast asleep, his head resting on her smooth thigh, drooling as he slept peacefully.

She felt a mix of annoyance and amusement.

Did he not realize that during closed-door training, people usually kept their distance?

And yet, he actually fell asleep.

With a soft smile, she gently patted his hair, gazing at his handsome face.

A warmth spread through her heart.