This Isn't Metaphysical

Steward Liao wore a panicked expression, for he too knew this disaster was massive! He was merely a dependent scholar attached to the Zhang family.

Instantly, his voice trembled as he said, "A monster! This idiot must have been possessed by a monster! He was almost beaten to death by whips earlier, so there's no way he could be this strong!"

That's right, it could only be a monster!

The expressions of Han and Hu were tense. The fort had indeed been plagued by monsters recently, and now a pariah was cutting down everyone in all directions with bizarre extremism—it was definitely the work of a demon!

Among cultivators, there were divine arts and spells of Vajra invulnerability!

Looking over at Yan Nu again, the youth was crouching on the ground eating grass while they didn't dare step forward!

Eating grass? A monster! Definitely a demon! A goat spirit, or a wild bull fiend?

"Does this monster fear whips...?"

"Could it be that before it attained sentience, it was terrified of being whipped? And thus they have a mutual restraint?"

Instructor Han hurriedly discarded his long spear and drew a horsewhip!

The demon was invulnerable, so even though all his martial mastery lay in the long spear, he still had to 'conform to metaphysics' and switch to a whip to engage the enemy!

Instructor Hu followed suit, abandoning his saber to hold a whip.

"Charge together!" The two instructors leaped forward, jointly attacking Yan Nu.

Yet the two small whips were truly unhandy. Neither Han nor Hu knew whip techniques, so they could only boost their true qi, overpower him with brute force, and lash out randomly.

Just as well, Yan Nu didn't understand forms either. His arms spun like windmills, and his chains swung alternately.

For a time, the four whips and chains danced and strangled madly together, both sides fighting with chaotic moves!

Yet Yan Nu had fought for so long that he had already gained a fair amount of experience. Coupled with the heavy steel chains—thick and long—how could they compare to two horsewhips?

Furthermore, his exhaustion of true qi followed by instantaneous replenishment happened repeatedly, and through this constant cycle of destruction and rebirth, his true qi had grown immensely, not falling far behind the two instructors.

Added to this was his uninhibited cultivation, directly unleashing even his natal true qi with wild abandon, adopting an entirely suicidal fighting style.

To the point that the two experts joined forces in a pincer attack, yet Yan Nu grew fiercer the more he fought!

"Whips really work! They can break his defense!" Seeing several new wounds added to Yan Nu's body, the two felt a secret joy, but immediately afterward they were smashed by the chains and spat blood!

"Damn it, a whip from me causes a minor injury, but a strike from him is fatal!"

"Where's Old Ma? Why isn't he anywhere to be seen?"

"Don't know, probably with the Fort Master!"

"Let's go! Find the Fort Master. The Fort Master has a profound familial heritage and knows how to slay demons!"

Instructors Han and Hu had already conceived thoughts of retreat, using movement techniques to widen the distance, unaware that Yan Nu's true qi had bottomed out.

Seeing them withdraw, Yan Nu lowered his head and began searching for grass to eat again.

"Run fast..." Even the two great instructors had fled, leaving the remaining martial artists even more terrified.

Sensing that the situation was turning ugly and recalling how he used to treat Yan Nu, Steward Liao hurried to flee as well.

Before leaving, he caught sight of Uncle Hong not far away, still kneeling on the ground in a daze. With a twitch of his eyes, he immediately stepped forward and dragged him away. "You're coming with me!"

Holding Uncle Hong hostage, Steward Liao fled in a frantic rush toward the direction of the Fort Master's estate.

"Uncle Hong!" Seeing Uncle Hong taken hostage, Yan Nu immediately gave chase.

The other low-grade martial artists didn't dare try to stop him at all, scattering in all directions as they fled.

Yan Nu chased all the way to the martial arts training ground. Here, rows of training rooms flanked the path, and many more martial artists emerged whose internal strength was considerably deeper.

"Kill him! Quickly!" Steward Liao shouted as he ran.

The elite martial artists were stunned at the sight of Yan Nu: his entire body was covered in sores, his hair was matted with blood, and he was barefooted, dragging blood-stained chains behind him like a vengeful ghost demanding a life.

None of them knew what was going on, but they still charged into the fray.

"Kill!"

Wave after wave of martial artists rushed up one after another, running past Steward Liao to block the intersection and meet Yan Nu in battle.

Yet what greeted them were the steel chains whistling through the air.

Thud, thud, thud! Heavy impacts rang out in succession as the stone walls on both sides of the alley were battered into flying stone dust.

Charging and striking, Yan Nu plowed straight ahead like a juggernaut. With whipping chains, he cut through from one end to the other.

Bursting out of the alley, he encountered yet another group of martial artists. Realizing his true qi had bottomed out, he let out a loud shout, "Those who don't fear death, come and block me!"

The martial artists were chilled to the bone by his slaughter, as if facing an Asura.

"Run! Run fast!"

Their morale finally collapsed, and since the remaining martial artists could not hack through Yan Nu's defenses, they could only flee in panicked disarray.

Panting heavily with his true qi completely squandered, Yan Nu ignored the fleeing men. Finding a stack of sheep fodder by the roadside, he eagerly pounced on it and devoured a meal of grass, tucked a few more stalks into his waist, and then continued his pursuit of the steward.

Eating, drinking, and fighting along the way, Yan Nu chased all the way to an ornate building inside the fort, recognizing it as the Fort Master's estate.

Seeing Uncle Hong held hostage, Yan Nu closed in at high speed.

Watching Yan Nu cut his way all the way here, Steward Liao was utterly terrified. He crooked his fingers into a claw and clamped them around Uncle Hong's throat. "Stop! You... drop your weapon! Or I'll kill him!"

Yan Nu came to a halt, lifted both hands, and actually began searching for a way to unlock his shackles.

Steward Liao mentally cursed himself for being a fool; the chains were locked immovably onto Yan Nu's hands, so how could he drop them?

"Then... commit suicide!"

Yan Nu paused his actions. "Tell me, what is called suicide?"

"You don't even know what suicide is?!"

Staring right at him, Yan Nu said word by word, "You tell me, what on earth is suicide?"

"Suicide means using up all your true qi and blasting your own head!" Figuring that Yan Nu was simple-minded enough to actually try untying his shackles, Steward Liao thought this idiot was a one-track mind.

Knowing the man would go back on his word, Yan Nu still slowly raised his palm, but his eyes suddenly looked toward Uncle Hong. "Uncle Hong, he doesn't want us to live..."

Hearing this, Uncle Hong's hands trembled. "Don't!"

Boom! Yan Nu slammed a fierce palm against his own head, truly using his full strength.

The immense force caused the air to ripple with visible shockwaves, and Yan Nu's blood-stained long hair whipped and danced wildly.

Then, as his messy hair fell back down, he slowly lowered his hand and grabbed a mouthful of grass to eat.

Steward Liao stared in absolute disbelief; after taking a strike like that, the fellow was completely uninjured.

Seeing that Yan Nu merely looked as if he was waiting for him to release the hostage now that he had 'committed suicide', Steward Liao's mouth twitched. No wonder he had insisted on asking what suicide was... The fool, just like the other day, was deliberately probing for loopholes, treating him purely like a dead man!

"You, you... putting on a show for me! I told you to die! Go and die!"

The moment those words fell, Uncle Hong threw a punch straight into the steward's face, roaring, "Fuck your mother!"

As it turned out, Yan Nu wasn't waiting for the steward—he was waiting for Uncle Hong.

That punch poured out all of Uncle Hong's accumulated rage and true qi, smashing Steward Liao's teeth to fly out and sending him tumbling backward onto the ground.

"Damn it! You won't let us live, so why don't you go die?!"

Uncle Hong could finally endure no more. Since the other side wouldn't grant them a single thread of life, wouldn't he just beat the bastard to death?

In terms of martial prowess, Steward Liao belonged to the third tier, yet he had never experienced real combat. On top of that, he was arrogant and haughty, never dreaming that Uncle Hong would dare fight back. His attention had been completely captured by Yan Nu's 'suicide', and he was beaten stupid on the spot.

Bathed in blood, Yan Nu dragged his chains over. "Grandpa only wanted to stay alive, but there are always people who won't grant him a way to live."

"Don't! Don't come over!" Steward Liao's mouth was full of blood from the beating. Terrified out of his wits, he pissed himself in panic and helplessness, half-suspecting he was having a nightmare!

Until he was enveloped by Yan Nu's shadow, he shoved Uncle Hong away and punched back with braced courage. This strike carried vast internal energy and considerable skill!

Yet Yan Nu didn't stop his stride. Facing the fist head-on, he swung his arm in a wide arc and hurled the chain forward.

Seeing Yan Nu approach with such unstoppable momentum and the terrifying chains, Steward Liao panicked, instinctively pulling back his punch as he turned tail to run.

Yet he didn't completely dodge in time; the heavy chain viciously shattered his leg.

"Ahhhhh!" Steward Liao let out a shriek like a slaughtered pig.

Looking down at him, Yan Nu raised the chain high. "Noble one, please go die."

"Don't kill me!" Tears and snot streamed down Steward Liao's face.

Collapsed on the ground, he gazed up at the bruised and battered pariah, feeling as though he were looking at a life-claiming fiend. All the bold bravado of 'the rise and fall of the world rests in the hands of the noble clans' had utterly vanished from him.

"I... I am..."

Thud! Yan Nu brought a chain crashing down. Whatever he used to be, he was just a puddle of mush now.

Looking at the blood-stained Asura before him, Uncle Hong found it very difficult to reconcile him with the Yan Nu'er who grinned foolishly all day long.

"You... are you Yan Nu'er? Or are you a demon?"

Yan Nu cracked a grin, revealing an ugly smile. "Uncle Hong, leave this place with me. I want to find Grandpa."

"Elder Jiang is dead!" Uncle Hong said in a daze.

Yet a determined brilliance bloomed in Yan Nu's gaze as he said, "I still don't believe it! Grandpa said that when there is peace in the world, he will come back!"

Uncle Hong shook his head in terrified whispers. "Outside are everywhere wandering armies and bandits, demons and Hu barbarians. I'm not going... I'm not going..."

Silent, Yan Nu looked deeply troubled.

Uncle Hong trembled again. "Yan Nu'er, you have abilities. Quickly leave Tea Mountain Fort! Don't wait for them to gather their forces. Go quickly, go!"

With that, Uncle Hong backed away repeatedly, scurrying off to hide in the distance, not daring to stay here a moment longer.

Let down, Yan Nu lowered his head, then resolutely strode toward the fort's exit.

Yet before he could even leave, the sound of urgent hoofbeats suddenly echoed by his ear.

He whirled around sharply, whipping his chain outward. A lancer on horseback charged over, the spearhead dancing with the agility of a python. First it deflected the chain, and then, losing none of its momentum and carrying the full force of a flying charge, it thrust straight into Yan Nu's chest and abdomen.

"Plop!"

The steel spear carried a swirling spiral of energy, piercing deep into Yan Nu's body with an impact that lifted him straight off his feet.

The cavalry charge was swift as a gale, dragging Yan Nu's lower body along the ground for several zhang before finally pinning him against the base of the luxury building's wall.

"Fort Master!"

Two figures flashed down into the courtyard—none other than Han and Hu. They bowed respectfully toward the mounted lancer.

Then they hurriedly offered a warning: "Be careful of his Vajra invulnerability!"

"Oh?" The lancer was none other than Tea Mountain Fort Master Zhang Xu, his gloomy eyes scrutinizing Yan Nu.

Vajra invulnerability? Nonsense, the spearhead was deeply embedded, practically bursting out from Yan Nu's back!

Besides, Yan Nu was covered in wounds, countless bloody gashes crossing his skin in a grisly web—how did he look anything like someone with Vajra invulnerability?

Instructors Han and Hu were also stunned, but immediately burst into joy. "As expected of the Fort Master! With demon-slaying methods, you've impaled him at once!"

Pulling the spearhead out—so violently that it even dragged out a portion of Yan Nu's intestines—Zhang Xu turned his head and bellowed, "What on earth happened here?!"

The two men hurriedly recounted everything that had taken place. Zhang Xu's face turned dark and sullen, and he pulled out a talisman paper, though nothing happened.

"What kind of monster is he?! Not a shred of demonic aura! A mere pariah using crude techniques slaughtered the two of you like this? Clearly, this is an extraordinary talent! Where is that fellow surnamed Liao?!"

Instructors Han and Hu looked toward the puddle of mush at the entrance of the Fort Master's estate.

Annoyed, Zhang Xu snapped, "I've only been gone for a single night, and you idiots made such a mess of things!"

Yet even as they spoke, they failed to notice that Yan Nu's protruding intestines were quietly retracting back inside.

So painful! Didn't steel objects fail to harm me? Why could his spear do it?

Yan Nu didn't understand, but his endurance was exceptionally strong. He actually forced himself to stand back up despite the excruciating pain, circulating his profound art to heal his wounds at the same time.

Pain was pain, but his internal organs obediently resettled themselves, continuing to function even in their damaged state.

"Hm?" Noticing the movement behind him, Zhang Xu was greatly astonished. Could someone stand up after suffering that kind of injury?

Turning back to see that Yan Nu's exposed intestines had already vanished, he was even more shocked.

"What a stubborn spine. He actually stuffed his own guts back in?"

Zhang Xu shook his head slightly. Since matters had already progressed to this point, there was no reason to spare such a stubborn bone.

"Swish!" Zhang Xu instantly raised his spear and thrust forward like lightning!

"Clang!" Yan Nu grabbed his chain to block. Under the impact, the shockwaves of compressed air rippled outward, and his body slammed backward, collapsing a wall.

"Such deep internal strength!" Zhang Xu's body also leaned back as his steed reared up, letting out a long neigh.

Instructors Han and Hu were even more astounded. They had only been apart for half a day, yet Yan Nu's internal strength had grown somewhat stronger once again.

"Yet he only knows how to use brute force!" Zhang Xu muttered indifferently, riding forward and switching to a horizontal sweep!

The blade of the spear precisely sliced toward Yan Nu's neck. This strike carried enough force and weight to send his head flying!

Yet things turned out contrary to expectations; Yan Nu was merely sent flying sideways. He immediately dropped to a half-kneel, swept his arms in a wide circle, and brought them down in a heavy smash. The two chains whistled through the air, roaring with destructive power!

"What?!"

Zhang Xu hadn't expected that his defense wouldn't break, and that Yan Nu would counterattack so suddenly, catching him off guard.

Hastily raising his true qi in a rush, he blocked horizontally with his spear, only to be knocked straight off his horse.

"Fort Master!" Instructors Han and Hu cried out in alarm.

He had been able to pierce right through him with a single spear earlier—could that simply have been due to catching him unawares?

"It's that divine art, Vajra invulnerability! Fort Master, use a horsewhip! Use a horsewhip!" Holding up their whips, Han and Hu anxiously offered advice.

With loud clangs, Zhang Xu deflected two waves of chains, bewildered. "Why use a horsewhip?"

The two instructors hurried to explain the theory that whips restrained mutated cattle and sheep, at which Zhang Xu scolded, "Bullshit! That isn't metaphysical at all!"

He thrust his spear forward, plunging back into battle against Yan Nu.

"Fort Master, I'll help you!" Holding their respective whips, Han and Hu eagerly joined the fray.

Yan Nu wasn't truly a fool; knowing that the spiral internal energy could injure him, he focused his attention on using his handcuffs to parry the piercing thrusts, even if it meant taking a few whips head-on as a result.

To the point that the few times Zhang Xu managed to land a blow, they were merely sweeping strikes that proved completely ineffective.

"I refuse to believe you have no blind spot!" Squatting down upon finding an opening, Zhang Xu flicked his long spear in an upward lift, slicing diagonally into Yan Nu's crotch.

Yet not only was Yan Nu unhurt, he strode forward in a large step, straddling the spear shaft as he closed the distance and heavily swung his chains.

"Crack!" Unable to retrieve his spear in time, Zhang Xu had no choice but to abandon the weapon and leap back in retreat.

Looking back at Instructors Han and Hu, their whip-shadows were dense and grim, actually lacerating Yan Nu's skin and flesh and repeatedly scoring successes.

"Could it be... that I don't understand metaphysics?"

p.s: Sorry,