Fist Shatters the Bandit Chiefs

On a moonless, windy night, it was the perfect time to kill.

A party of ten moved through the darkness like ghosts. Wang Yue stayed close behind the seven Wang Clan branch members. He knew that professional matters should be left to professionals. These seven handled the clan's dirty work year-round, and their skills in stealth and tracking far surpassed his and Xu Li's.

Along the way, aside from the rustling of wind through the trees, there was not a single other sound.

Wang Yue spread out his senses as far as possible, vigilantly watching for movement around them. Suddenly, a flame flashed through a gap in the forest ahead. More lights followed in succession, illuminating a cluster of crude wooden huts—the bandits' camp.

"Yawn."

A yawn drifted over from the distance. Though it came from far away, those hidden among the bushes accurately pinpointed its direction.

The Wang Clan branch member leading them raised a hand in signal. Jiang Peiling immediately stepped out from the group, her footsteps as light as a wandering ghost, yet she moved quickly.

Wang Yue caught sight of her taut, fair neck. Though her movements were practiced, he could tell that she was inevitably nervous.

Very soon, a faint crack sounded—the sound of bone breaking. It was so soft that the wind nearly drowned it out, and it did not alert anyone in the camp.

Jiang Peiling scouted ahead. Once she confirmed that the outer sentries had been eliminated, she waved for everyone to follow.

The group gradually crept deeper into the camp. Along the way, they dealt with two more scattered sentries before finally reaching three residences that were slightly better than the other wooden huts. They were clearly the bandit chiefs' quarters.

Wang Yue let out a heavy breath. They had made it this far without being discovered; the mission was already half complete.

Following the earlier arrangement, Wang Yue and Xu Li followed behind Jiang Peiling and approached the shadows beside the hut on the right. Once everyone was in position, Jiang Peiling gave a slight nod. Wang Yue flashed forward, silently appeared before the door, and slowly pushed it open.

"Creak."

The wooden door turned with barely any sound. There was no movement inside. Wang Yue stepped in quickly without even looking back to see whether Xu Li and Jiang Peiling had followed. He knew that at this moment, there could be no hesitation whatsoever.

On the bed, a middle-aged man slept soundly with a disheveled woman in his arms. A cold gleam flashed through Wang Yue's eyes as all six streams of Qi and Blood within him surged into his right arm without reserve. The arm wearing the Black Cloud Fist shot out like a cannon-fired spear, driving straight at the man's skull.

His fist split the air with a low whistling sound, finally waking the man. But the last thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Wang Yue's iron fist gleaming with cold light.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, blood sprayed everywhere. The man's skull was smashed inward with the imprint of a fist. His body twitched twice before going still. Just as the woman beside him was about to scream, Wang Yue turned and burst from the room. Ignoring her, he lunged straight toward the largest wooden hut in the middle.

Bang!

Wang Yue smashed straight through the door. Inside, a naked man stared at him in stunned disbelief. Just as he tried to rise and fight back, Wang Yue had already closed in and thrown a punch directly at his face.

Bang!

In his haste, the man erupted with Blood Qi and raised a hand to block Wang Yue's fist. Instead, a tremendous force knocked Wang Yue back two steps.

So strong! Wang Yue was horrified. This man could knock him back barehanded. He was clearly stronger than Wang Yue.

Seeing that Wang Yue advanced rather than retreating, the man immediately pounced toward the weapon rack on the left. Wang Yue's veins bulged across his face. He activated the Blood Dragon Secret Method to accelerate the circulation of his Blood Qi, then used the Harmonious Flow Fist to entangle his opponent as he shouted, "Xu Li! Take his weapon!"

Only then did Xu Li react. He hurried toward the weapon rack and grabbed a long saber.

But as he watched the two men fight like a hurricane within the room, he froze in place. The hands gripping the saber would not stop trembling. He had never seen such a savage battle before.

Entangled by Wang Yue, the man could not reach his weapon. He could only roar and clash head-on with Wang Yue. The repeated bang bang of Blood Qi colliding echoed through the room as fists and palms met.

Just then, with a boom, a corpse was hurled into the room. It was one of the accompanying Wang Clan branch members. His chest was a mangled blur of flesh and blood, and he was clearly dead.

"Xu Li! Go help them!" Wang Yue roared. His Minor Accomplishment Harmonious Flow Fist erupted at full force, his fists speeding up as every strike targeted the man's vital points.

Jiang Peiling seized the chance to rush in through the doorway. The spikes on her gauntlets flashed with cold light as they stabbed toward the man's back.

Attacked from both front and rear, the man's arm was soon torn open by the spikes, leaving bloody holes. Yet he remained fiercely brave. He punched Jiang Peiling back, then turned and continued trading blows with Wang Yue.

"If my saber were with me, killing two brats like you would be as easy as turning over my hand!" the man roared bitterly. But as blood continued to pour from his wounds, his strength gradually failed, and his movements slowed.

Wang Yue keenly caught the opening. This was a fist technique derived from the illusory evolution of the Harmonious Flow Fist Martial Soul. He suddenly closed in, pouring all six streams of Qi and Blood into his right arm before smashing a fist into the man's chest.

Pfft!

The man spat out a mouthful of blood, yet still refused to admit defeat. He stirred all the Blood Qi in his body and sent Wang Yue flying with one punch. Wang Yue smashed through the wooden hut and crashed onto the grass outside.

But just as the man was about to pursue him, Jiang Peiling attacked from behind. The spikes on her gauntlets pierced into his back. The man used every last bit of strength to blast Jiang Peiling away.

Then he staggered around, gave Wang Yue one resentful glare, and collapsed with a thunderous crash, utterly dead.

Enduring the searing pain, Wang Yue forced himself to stand. He spat out several mouthfuls of blood in succession, clutched his chest, and staggered back into the hut. Seeing Jiang Peiling holding her abdomen and coughing blood, he quickly stepped forward to support her. Then he walked to the man's corpse, crushed his neck beneath one foot, seized the head, and strode out of the hut shouting, "The bandit chief is dead! Kneel, and you will not be killed!"

Elsewhere, another bandit in the Blood Condensation Realm was fighting Xu Li and the remaining Wang Clan branch members. Hearing the shout, he looked up and saw the head in Wang Yue's hand. His eyes split wide with fury. "Big Brother! I'll kill you!"

He charged at Wang Yue like a madman. Wang Yue's face twisted savagely. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he stirred his Blood Qi once more. "Kill me? First see whether you have what it takes!"

By then, Xu Li's face had gone deathly pale from fright, and a vicious bloody gash had been cut across his body. Of the seven Wang Clan branch members, only three remained, and every one of them was wounded.

Seeing this, Wang Yue pushed his footwork to the limit and met the bandit chief like a bolt of lightning. The Black Cloud Fist collided with the opponent's long saber, producing a piercing clang.

The three Wang Clan branch members watched in utter shock. A martial artist they could not even withstand was being firmly suppressed by Wang Yue!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After several consecutive collisions, Wang Yue's tremendous strength numbed the bandit chief's arm, and the long saber nearly flew from his grip.

Wang Yue let out an enraged laugh. "Before your big brother died, he begged me to spare your life. Beg me, and perhaps I'll spare your dog life."

Veins bulged across the man's forehead, his face flushing red as he roared, "Die, beast, die!"

Wang Yue blocked a saber strike with Black Cloud. Though the man's strength had increased, his saber technique had fallen into disorder.

A sharp gleam flashed in Wang Yue's eyes as he seized the opportunity. One punch smashed into the man's face. Brains mixed with blood exploded from the other side, and the bandit chief fell stiffly to the ground.

"All bandit chiefs have been executed! Kneel, and you will not be killed!" Wang Yue roared again, his voice carrying across the entire camp.

The refugee lackeys in the camp instantly descended into chaos.

A lackey leader stared in disbelief at the corpses on the ground and the head in Wang Yue's hand. Then he turned and ran down the mountain. The other lackeys who had been kneeling also fled in panic.

Wang Yue did not stop them. Their target was the bandit chiefs and the stolen supplies; there was no need to slaughter them all.

In less than two incense sticks' worth of time, only scattered corpses remained in the camp. When the wind blew, the stench of blood spread through the air, making people retch.

Wang Yue first had the three Wang Clan branch members inventory the stolen supplies. Then he walked over to Xu Li. Seeing that he was still trembling, Wang Yue took out a clean strip of cloth from his robe and tossed it over. "Wrap your wound first. Don't lose too much blood."

Xu Li caught the cloth, but his fingers were still somewhat stiff. Helpless, Wang Yue could only crouch down and help him bandage the wound. Though it was deep, it had not struck anything vital. It merely looked frightening.

Jiang Peiling had also recovered somewhat. Leaning against a wooden hut, she watched Wang Yue tend to the wound, her voice carrying mixed emotions. "You... if not for Brother Wang, we would have suffered a terrible disaster this time."

After bandaging his wound, Xu Li came up behind Wang Yue with a pale face and said shamefully, "Sorry, Brother Wang. I didn't help much."

Wang Yue's face darkened at those words. If that man had obtained the large saber at the beginning, they would probably all be lying here now. Still, Xu Li had managed to take that saber, so it counted as a contribution.

And those accompanying branch members had boasted so extravagantly that seven of them working together could kill someone in the Blood Condensation Realm. At the thought, Wang Yue felt a burst of stifling anger in his chest.

If Jiang Peiling had not been fairly reliable, that man might have beaten him to death alive!

Wang Yue secretly made up his mind to advance in martial cultivation. If he did not strike, so be it—but once he did, it would be a thunderous suppression and kill.

Wang Yue never wanted to experience that uncertain gate of hell again.