Chapter 9
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Chapter 9: Kill
Xue Feishuang arrived with fifty Snow Guards after receiving the news.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Yuluan said.
Xue Feishuang turned to Zhang Yang.
“At first, I heard faint voices from inside,” Zhang Yang explained. “But then, it went silent. When I pressed my ear against the rock wall and channeled my energy into my hearing, I could faintly detect weak breathing and a heartbeat. There are two people inside.”
Yuluan stared at Zhang Yang in shock. This monster!
Even she, at the Touching Heaven realm, had heard nothing despite focusing entirely—yet Zhang Yang could detect a heartbeat! And he could even tell there were two of them!
“If there are two people, could it be them?” Xue Feishuang felt a surge of excitement.
She knew that Zhao Yu of the Blood Fox and Shiqing of the Silver Fox were the most cunning. They could easily create a diversion, leading the other thieves away while hiding here, causing her to completely lose the chance to complete the title battle.
Moreover, as Yun Dongji had said earlier, these two were nearly impossible to find.
If they were truly hiding here, then without Zhang Yang’s abilities, they would have remained undiscovered.
“Step back!”
Xue Feishuang commanded.
Zhang Yang and Yuluan moved back.
Xue Feishuang drew her sword and struck.
Swish!
A brilliant sword light slashed against the rock wall.
Crack!
With a loud explosion, the rock wall burst open, sending debris flying and revealing a spacious cave inside, where two astonished men stood.
“Zhao Yu of the Blood Fox!”
“Shiqing of the Silver Fox!”
Yuluan cried out in excitement upon recognizing them.
The two men seemed to snap out of a daze and shot forward like lightning.
“Stop them!”
Xue Feishuang moved like a shadow, her sword illuminating the air in a cascade of light as she attacked the two men.
In front, Zhao Yu of the Blood Fox, his blood-red eyes gleaming with malice, roared as he drew his crimson sword, fully prepared to counter.
Behind him, Shiqing of the Silver Fox, his silver hair gleaming, suddenly veered to the side, attempting to escape—only to run straight into Zhang Yang, who had rushed forward.
Zhang Yang and Yuluan had attacked at the same time, but while Yuluan activated her martial arts technique, Zhang Yang’s long legs carried him forward like the wind.
“Be careful! Shiqing is at Returning to Origin realm Level Three!” Yuluan warned urgently.
Among the Blood Fox thieves, the strongest was Zhao Yu, a master at the Ascending to Heaven realm.
His eight powerful generals had already been dispatched, each heading in a different direction.
Shiqing of the Silver Fox was not a warrior but a strategist. Even so, his martial arts were not weak.
“Those who stand in my way will die!”
Shiqing screeched, his ten fingers clawing toward Zhang Yang’s face.
Zhang Yang remained calm, his heart as still as water—perhaps even calmer than usual. The more he fought, the more he entered this state.
In his eyes, Shiqing of the Silver Fox was riddled with flaws. He could gauge his opponent’s strength in an instant.
He struck.
Ant King Power!
He had been wondering why this power was stronger than the Diamond Dragon Strength—now, he would verify it.
Boom!
His heavy fist smashed into Shiqing’s outstretched hands.
Blood splattered instantly as Shiqing’s arms exploded. He let out a piercing scream, blood pouring from his seven orifices. The sound of shattering bones echoed as he was sent flying sideways—straight into Zhao Yu of the Blood Fox, who was locked in combat with Xue Feishuang.
The sudden impact caught Zhao Yu off guard. He had already been using all his strength to withstand Xue Feishuang’s relentless attacks and had paid no attention to anything else. This unexpected collision broke his concentration, causing a gap in his defenses.
Xue Feishuang seized the opportunity.
Her sword flashed dangerously—severing one of his arms.
Zhao Yu screamed in agony and turned to flee.
Yuluan, who had been watching Zhang Yang’s attack on Shiqing, realized she was too far to reach Zhao Yu in time. Without hesitation, she gripped her sword tightly, preparing to throw it for a kill.
In the split second she took to make her move, everything had already changed.
She locked onto Zhao Yu.
Knowing she could not catch up to him, she threw her sword with all her strength.
As a master of the Touching Heaven realm, her attacking power was formidable.
Swish!
The sword flew toward Zhao Yu’s back.
Zhao Yu, heavily injured and missing an arm, had already lost speed and strength. Even so, he managed to turn at the last moment, sweeping his own sword in a desperate attempt to block.
Clang!
Yuluan’s sword was knocked aside.
But a spear followed closely behind—Zhang Yang had seized a long spear from a Snow Guard and thrown it, following Yuluan’s example.
The difference was that he knew his strength alone was insufficient, so he unleashed all four of his powers.
Diamond Dragon Strength!
Giant Elephant Power!
Demon Elephant Power!
Ant King Power!
With the support of these four formidable forces, the spear tore through the air with a thunderous roar. The sheer power left Yuluan stunned.
“This power is comparable to the Touching Heaven realm,” she thought in disbelief.
At that moment, Zhao Yu’s true strength became evident—despite enduring Yuluan’s full-power sword strike, he still had the time, speed, and strength to counter the incoming spear.
However, the impact caused him to stagger, preventing his escape.
As he knocked the spear away, a white shadow flickered past, and a streak of sword light filled his vision.
Swish!
Xue Feishuang dashed past him.
A thin line of blood appeared across Zhao Yu’s neck.
Yuluan rushed forward. Before he collapsed, she pointed at Zhang Yang and said, “He’s the one who found your hiding place. He’s only at the Dust Washing realm—quite humiliating to die like this, isn’t it?”
Zhao Yu’s eyes widened in shock before he fell lifelessly to the ground.
Zhang Yang mumbled, “I’m at the first level of the Returning to Origin realm, not the Dust Washing realm. Deceiving the dead isn’t right—we should be honest.”
Yuluan was speechless.
Xue Feishuang looked at him in shock. “You broke through again?” she asked.
Zhang Yang nodded.
Yuluan’s mouth twitched. After a long pause, she muttered, “Monster.”
Having eliminated the two thieves necessary for the title battle and successfully capturing the Night Stalker, Xue Feishuang felt invigorated. However, she remained clear-headed—she knew the battle was far from over.
To win the title battle, they had to bring the bodies back to Silver Moon City. Whoever arrived first would be the ultimate victor.
“The Yun family has already broken the rules—they’ll stop at nothing to win. Once they learn of our situation, they’ll use every means to prevent us from reaching Silver Moon City,” Xue Feishuang said.
Yuluan asked, “What are your orders, General?”
Xue Feishuang responded, “First, clean up everything here and restore the area to its original state—make it seem like nothing happened.”
“Second, split the Snow Guards into eight teams and send them in different directions to create the illusion that we are still searching for Zhao Yu and Shiqing.”
“Third, Yuluan, take the two bodies and secretly accompany one of the teams. Find an opportunity to slip away and head toward Silver Moon City.”
“Fourth, I will work with my junior brother to draw attention using the Night Stalker, keeping the focus on the three of us while you escape safely.”
Yuluan frowned. “The Yun family doesn’t follow the rules. They’ll definitely send large numbers of experts, possibly even those stronger than the Ascending to Heaven realm. Isn’t that too dangerous for you?”
Xue Feishuang smiled. “That’s why we’re heading to… the Vast Forest.”
Yuluan’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, she sprang into action.
Zhang Yang, however, looked confused.
Xue Feishuang explained, “The Vast Forest is sealed. Even a sage can only exert the strength of the Returning to Origin realm there. No matter how many of them come, their strength will be limited. We’ll have the advantage.”
She then fixed her gaze on Zhang Yang, her tone carrying a hint of anticipation. “Besides, the wood energy there is dense. With that, my junior brother can easily break through to the second level of the Returning to Origin realm. After seeing the strength of your last attack, I’m actually looking forward to it. You might even help me counterattack them.”
Zhang Yang blinked. “Am I really that strong? Even if everyone’s power is restricted to the Returning to Origin realm, most of them should be at the sixth level or even at full circle. Can I actually defeat them?”
Xue Feishuang stated plainly, “The power of your last full-force strike was roughly equivalent to the second level of the Touching Heaven realm.”
Internally, however, she was deeply shocked—such a gap in realms was supposed to be insurmountable.
Zhang Yang muttered to himself, “Am I… too outstanding?”
Xue Feishuang: “……”
