Chapter 19

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Chapter 19: A Path of Slaughter

Killing Pavilion Master Li was nothing to Zhang Yang. He simply kicked the corpse aside and grabbed the golden rope still wrapped around his left wrist.

Crack!

With a fierce yank, the rope shattered.

These so-called ropes weren’t physical restraints but rather a secret technique that borrowed power from the earth. Once broken, they simply ceased to exist.

Now completely unshackled, Zhang Yang stood amidst the chaos—ignoring the sword impaled in his chest, the arrow embedded in his abdomen, and the arrow lodged in his left thigh.

His eyes locked onto Yun Dongji.

Like a relentless demon, he charged forward.

Yun Dongji, having barely regained his footing after being thrown aside, suddenly found himself face-to-face with a completely unrestrained Zhang Yang.

Everything had changed in an instant.

Instinctively, he raised his sword to defend, too terrified to attack or flee.

“Die!”

Zhang Yang roared as he swung his fist.

Crack!

The sword shattered.

Crack!

Yun Dongji’s chest caved in, his ribs snapping, his internal organs crushed.

He screamed as he was sent flying—dead before he even hit the ground.

To Zhang Yang, killing Yun Dongji was so effortless that he didn’t even bother to check if he was truly dead. Without hesitation, he turned to Bai Teng.

This deputy commander of the Seventh Prince’s Golden Guards possessed exceptional strength. Even while restricted to Level Six of the Returning to Origin Realm, his power far surpassed ordinary warriors.

But he was facing a monster.

Boom!

With one punch, Zhang Yang crushed his chest.

Bai Teng barely had time to lift his sword before Zhang Yang’s fist slammed into him.

The deputy commander didn’t even have time to scream.

Dead.

Zhang Yang turned sharply—his instincts flaring.

Chu Yuming was attempting a sneak attack from behind.

Crack!

The spiritual weapon gauntlet exploded on impact, and with it, Chu Yuming’s entire right arm was obliterated. He screamed in agony as he was sent hurtling sideways.

When he hit the ground, the excruciating pain jolted him back to reality.

He felt like slapping himself.

Pavilion Master Li was dead.

Yun Dongji was dead.

Bai Teng was dead.

Yet, he had still rushed in foolishly, failing to grasp the true terror of this monster.

Now, he had lost an arm—even with the protection of the powerful Cold Jade Spirit Blade.

He had no courage left to fight. He turned and ran.

Zhang Yang didn’t chase him. To him, the closer someone was to the Seventh Prince, the more deserving they were of death.

There was still one Golden Guard left.

He reached for the sword impaled in his chest—the one that belonged to Pavilion Master Li.

Whoosh!

Zhang Yang didn’t know any refined martial arts techniques. His power came from divine strength alone.

It was the enhancement of the Five Divine Powers.

With his sharp eyesight, he locked onto the Golden Guard and hurled the sword.

“Watch out!”

Yun Liuhuo, who was battling the Night Stalker, suddenly abandoned the fight and swung his long knife at the bloodstained sword.

Swish!

The blade came down.

But it missed.

The sword appeared slow, but it was far too fast. Yun Liuhuo barely had time to intercept it.

His knife grazed the sword’s tail as it fell.

Horrified, Yun Liuhuo shouted, “Don’t try to block it—dodge…!”

But before he could finish, the Golden Guard boldly thrust his spear forward, aiming for the sword’s tip.

Clang!

His strength was indeed formidable—he managed to strike the sword’s tip. However, the sword’s force was too overwhelming. The impact forced the spear upward, sending the sword hurtling straight into the Golden Guard’s throat.

The blade pierced cleanly through to the hilt, pinning him to the ground.

At that moment, Yun Liuhuo was overcome with fear.

Chu Yuming had already escaped.

Only he, Wang Xiong of the Crazy Heroes Squad, and a handful of others remained—none of them capable of standing against Zhang Yang.

“Retreat!”

Yun Liuhuo’s voice trembled as he stepped back.

The others hesitated for a brief moment—then turned and fled after him.

Zhang Yang wanted to chase them down, but the thought of Xue Feishuang being taken by Gu Qianshan gnawed at his mind.

Gu Qianshan was a renowned alchemist.

Without hesitation, Zhang Yang activated One Step of Mountains and Rivers and took off at full speed in the direction Gu Qianshan had fled.

In the blink of an eye, he surged forward over a thousand meters.

Just then, a tree emerged from the grass.

It was the Spirit Lantern Treasure Tree—the one Xue Feishuang had previously set free.

Its branches and leaves all pointed left.

“Thank you.”

Zhang Yang didn’t question it. He trusted his instinct and veered left, chasing after Gu Qianshan.

As he raced forward, a small clearing came into view—a sparse patch of trees ahead.

The scene before him made his blood boil.

Xue Feishuang lay lifeless on the ground.

Gu Qianshan stood over her, his foot pressed against her head, a sword held against her neck.

“Let go of my sister!” Zhang Yang’s fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked. The veins in his forehead bulged as his already bloodied and injured body radiated an even more ferocious aura.

Gu Qianshan sneered. “If you make a move, I’ll cut off her head.”

Zhang Yang gritted his teeth, forcing himself to suppress his violent killing intent.

He couldn’t let his sister’s body be desecrated—even in death.

“Hahaha! I told you, I’m going to refine you,” Gu Qianshan laughed maniacally, waving his hand.

Boom!

A massive pill furnace descended from the sky, trapping Zhang Yang inside.

Gu Qianshan tossed aside the sword—Xue Feishuang’s blade—and leaped onto the furnace, pounding on its surface, preparing to refine him immediately.

What he didn’t know, however, was that Zhang Yang possessed extraordinary hearing.

He could almost see the sounds around him.

The moment Gu Qianshan moved away from Xue Feishuang, Zhang Yang struck.

All Five Divine Powers unleashed!

In his frenzy, Zhang Yang ignored the cost of energy.

His hatred for Gu Qianshan burned too deep.

Crack!

The furnace was no ordinary artifact.

Gu Qianshan, having witnessed Zhang Yang’s brutal rampage, knew of his strength.

But he never imagined that his furnace would be so easily destroyed.

With one punch—

The furnace exploded.

Gu Qianshan, who had just rushed forward, was blown away by the furnace’s explosion, screaming in pain.

Zhang Yang darted forward and embraced Xue Feishuang.

Boom!

Gu Qianshan recovered quickly. The moment he landed and saw the scene before him, he casually threw out another furnace to trap them.

“I told you I would refine you, and I will!” Gu Qianshan shouted viciously.

Zhang Yang held Xue Feishuang with one arm and struck the furnace with the other.

Bang!

The furnace shook violently but didn’t crack.

Gu Qianshan laughed. “This is one of the nine great pill furnaces stolen from the Ouyang family—an ancient clan of alchemists with over a thousand years of history. It’s practically an immeasurable artifact! You think you can break it? Keep dreaming! Refine!”

Zhang Yang ignored him and continued swinging his fists.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After three consecutive punches, a tiny crack appeared on the inner wall of the furnace.

A shadow emerged from the crack.

Zhang Yang pretended not to notice and kept striking.

He was still in a frenzy, completely numb to the pain from his injuries.

The figure that emerged was an old man, his form so light and wispy that he seemed like he could be blown away by the wind.

It was a soul spirit.

The soul spirit spoke. “She is not dead.”

“What did you say?” Zhang Yang’s head snapped up.

“I said she is not dead,” the soul spirit repeated.

Zhang Yang’s gaze sharpened.

The soul spirit sighed lightly. “I am Chi Zhenyi.”

“Never heard of you,” Zhang Yang replied bluntly.

Chi Zhenyi nearly cursed in frustration.

But Zhang Yang’s mind had already begun to clear at the words “she is not dead.”

He quickly realized that this Chi Zhenyi must be extraordinary. Why else would he use his name as if it meant something?

Now calm, his sharp senses returned.

“There’s a heartbeat!”

Zhang Yang’s eyes widened in disbelief.

His chest swelled with excitement, and he quickly bent down to check.

Indeed—he could feel an extremely faint heartbeat.

Chi Zhenyi looked at Zhang Yang in surprise. How could he hear that?

Overjoyed to know Xue Feishuang was still alive, Zhang Yang hurriedly pulled out Blood Spirit Flowers and retrieved a healing pill from Xue Feishuang’s storage bag to feed her.

“She is as weak as a flickering candle in the wind,” Chi Zhenyi warned. “Your methods are too forceful. If you feed her like that, you’ll kill her instead.”

“Then what should I do?” Zhang Yang asked urgently.

Chi Zhenyi’s voice remained calm. “I have some knowledge of pill refining. Based on my judgment, this Skyfire Pill Furnace has been used by many master alchemists to create countless miraculous healing pills. Over time, the inner walls have accumulated an immeasurable essence. If we can extract some of it, it could save her. Then, with a single drop of life-infusing water, she might be revived.”

Zhang Yang’s heart surged with hope. “How do we extract it?”

“I can do it, but I need to control the Skyfire Pill Furnace,” Chi Zhenyi explained. “In a moment, I will use my power to misalign the furnace lid just enough. You must seize the opportunity to break out and stop Gu Qianshan from activating the furnace.”

“Understood!”

Zhang Yang nodded firmly.

Chi Zhenyi’s soul spirit returned to the crack. A moment later, strands of fire spread from the fissure toward the edge of the furnace lid.

“Go!”

Chi Zhenyi’s voice rang out.

Zhang Yang held Xue Feishuang tightly and threw a punch.

Bang!

The furnace lid blasted into the air.

Zhang Yang charged out after it.

Outside, Gu Qianshan—fully focused on controlling the Skyfire Pill Furnace—suddenly turned pale.

Stumbling backward, his expression darkened.

He had only recently obtained the Skyfire Pill Furnace and was still unable to fully control it. That moment of instability gave Zhang Yang the perfect opportunity.

Zhang Yang gently placed Xue Feishuang on the ground, caught the falling lid, and slammed it back onto the furnace.

Then, he turned toward Gu Qianshan, his eyes cold and merciless.

His voice was like ice.

“You wanted to refine and kill me?”

“You planned to behead my sister?”

Gu Qianshan lifted his chin defiantly.

“So what if I did?”

Zhang Yang charged at him.

“I’ll kill you!”