Rebirth Vajra Mantra, White Lotus Dao Soldier!

Silence.

Dead silence.

A deathly silence.

The entire tavern hall was utterly silent. Even the Blood Wolf Gang members lying on the ground and groaning seemed to have forgotten their pain at that moment, their eyes wide as they stared at the unbelievable scene before them.

Blood trickled down the snow-white blade, splashing onto the ground and blooming into crimson flowers.

At the staircase to the second floor stood a tall, thin figure with a face as dark as water. Clad in white cloth and hemp robes, he was none other than the Rebirth Cult's Incense Master—Wu Yan!

As for the towering figure that had just lunged at Chen Yan, who else could it have been but the guard, A Jia?

At this moment, Wu Yan's usual warm smile was gone, replaced by a pair of narrow, sinister eyes. His gaze was dark to the extreme as he looked at Chen Yan and spoke in an icy voice:

"Layman Chen, I told you to stop. Did you not hear me?"

Chen Yan raised his head, revealing a refined face. Meeting Wu Yan's gloomy, man-eating gaze, he bared his teeth in a grin.

"And who the hell are you to say that?"

"Impudence!!!"

A Jia, the hulking man beside him, flew into a rage. With a roar, every step of his massive body seemed to make the entire floor tremble.

"Die!"

A flash of killing intent passed through his eyes. His massive iron fist, as large as a sandbag, smashed heavily toward Chen Yan's face with tremendous force, even tearing out a shrill whistle through the air.

"I've been sick of the sight of you for a long time too!"

A savage gleam flickered in Chen Yan's eyes as he shouted lowly. His blood qi surged, flooding his limbs and bones in an instant. At that moment, the blood qi around Chen Yan boiled hot, his sinews and bones ringing in unison as an aura seemingly condensed into substance spread from his body.

At the pinnacle. Blood Fiend Saber Technique!

Sweeping Slash!

Whoosh!

The snow-white blade rubbed against the air with a piercing shriek. Empowered by immense force, the Fish Dragon Saber burst forth with an unstoppable sharpness.

The descending slash collided viciously with A Jia's enormous fist, which gleamed with a metallic luster.

Clang!!!

A deafening clash of metal exploded. Blade and fist met, scattering sparks in every direction!

Centered on the two combatants, a violent wave of air swept wildly outward. All the surrounding tables, chairs, shattered stones, and even the Blood Wolf Gang members sprawled on the ground were hurled high into the air and blasted away.

Crack—

The white cloth and hemp robes on A Jia's body were shattered by the saber wind, revealing a powerful upper body of bulging muscles, as though cast from refined iron.

Most eye-catching of all were the talismans covered in strange patterns plastered across A Jia's body!

Scarlet, blood-red talismanic patterns twisted together into an eerie spell. With every breath A Jia took, they throbbed as though alive.

The Rebirth Cult's Vajra Mantra!

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes, recalling what Old Daoist Liu had once mentioned when Chen Yan had asked him about the Rebirth Cult—the cult's secret art.

A strange, unknown evil curse. Those branded with it possessed bodies impervious to blades and spears and strength beyond measure. Apart from a few limited weak points—the eyes, ears, groin, and the like—they were practically perfect killing machines without a single flaw.

Such people had a particular name in the outside world—White Lotus Dao Soldiers!

The Rebirth Cult used the white lotus as its emblem, and its followers branded with the Vajra Mantra were thus called White Lotus Dao Soldiers.

Of course, White Lotus Dao Soldiers were not without flaws.

Their greatest weakness was their extremely low numbers. The threshold for branding the Vajra Mantra seemed exceptionally high, and the success rate was also extremely low. Even within the Rebirth Cult, White Lotus Dao Soldiers were very few in number.

Another was that White Lotus Dao Soldiers had exceedingly short lifespans. In exchange for a body impervious to blades and spears, a power comparable to divine abilities, they paid with their own lifespan—or rather, their life force.

Few White Lotus Dao Soldiers lived past thirty. Most would explode and die after only three to five years.

Even so, it could not conceal the formidable reputation of White Lotus Dao Soldiers in the Martial Dynasty's cultivation world. Those who feared them like tigers were as numerous as fish crossing a river.

Clearly, the hulking A Jia before him was a White Lotus Dao Soldier.

On the second-floor staircase, Wu Yan looked down upon the battlefield below. This time, he did not stop A Jia from attacking. His narrow, sinister eyes stared coldly at the youth below, as though he too wished to teach him a lesson.

"Third Blood Qi Realm? Grandmaster Saber Technique?"

A Jia grinned, opening his blood basin of a mouth. He lightly wiped away the white mark on the knuckles of his fist, his savage eyes fixed on the youth before him.

"No wonder the Incense Master thinks so highly of you. You're a martial arts genius."

"However..."

Yet A Jia's tone suddenly shifted, as though ten thousand rays of cold light shot from his eyes.

"What I love killing most are martial arts geniuses!"

Before the word "geniuses" had even finished falling, a low roar exploded from A Jia's throat. Blood surged rapidly through his veins, forcing fist-sized lumps of flesh to bulge from his chest. At a glance, it looked as though countless rats were scurrying beneath his skin.

"Die!"

With a furious roar, he threw another punch. This time, his already thick arm swelled as though inflated, becoming as thick as a water barrel.

Under the eruption of that monstrous strength, the fierce wind from his fist tore through the air, even producing a piercing sonic boom.

The sharp gale made Chen Yan's cheeks sting.

A White Lotus Dao Soldier—this was the most powerful enemy Chen Yan had faced since crossing over. He had to give it everything he had. There was no room for the slightest carelessness, or death would be the result.

Yet Chen Yan felt not the slightest fear. Instead, endless battle intent surged within him!

His blood qi roared like ten thousand galloping horses. Chen Yan's face flushed red, his entire body burning hot as his blood qi churned.

"Good!"

Chen Yan roared lowly. Blood qi blazing like fire enveloped his body as the Fish Dragon Saber in his hand charged forward without hesitation.

Hiss!

The snow-white blade became a cold streak, carving a beautiful arc through the air like a crescent moon.

Clang—

The sharp, piercing clash of metal was deafening. At that instant, everyone present felt as though they had gone deaf, unable to hear anything at all.

Then they felt a violent tornado raging and churning. Amid screams, Blood Wolf Gang members were hurled more than ten meters into the air before crashing heavily down, their wails filling the area.

The entire tavern collapsed with a thunderous crash, turning into a field of ruins.

The sudden tremendous noise drew the people of Shanxi Town from the surrounding brothels and pleasure houses onto the streets. Seeing the Blood Wolf Gang's branch reduced to a chaotic pile of rubble, every one of them stood dumbstruck and tongue-tied.

How many years had it been?

The Blood Wolf Gang branch that had dominated Shanxi Town for more than a decade...

Had actually been wiped out?

At the center of the ruins, two figures faced each other.

Fist and blade remained locked together, neither giving way.

Looking at the youth's cold eyes from inches away, A Jia grinned, a vicious smile appearing on his face.

"You've got some skill."

"But if you want to beat me..."

"You're still far from it!"

A savage gleam flashed. The next moment—

A Jia's chest suddenly swelled. His savage eyes bulged, and the veins on his neck rose one by one like twisting little snakes. With an enraged roar, he shouted:

"Die!"

In an instant, Chen Yan felt an incomparably powerful force surge from the Fish Dragon Saber like a tsunami. It jolted his arm numb, and he nearly lost his grip on the saber's hilt.

Chen Yan's expression changed at once.

This was...

True Force!

Not only was A Jia a White Lotus Dao Soldier, he was also a Martial Master of the True Force Realm!

And not one who had only just entered the True Force Realm, but a powerful True Energy Martial Master who had cultivated deeply in the realm for many years!

Boom!

Under that immense force, Chen Yan was sent flying backward. He smashed heavily into the ruins, kicking up countless fragments of dust and rubble that rained down from the sky.

A True Energy Martial Master transformed into a White Lotus Dao Soldier was truly terrifying to such an extent.