Martial Arts Killing, Nine Sons Seizing the Heir

"Times have changed!"

"No matter how much of a Viscera Refinement Martial Warrior you are, or how much like a fierce tiger you fight, one shot will bring you down."

Li Xijun blew on the muzzle of his smokeless Electromagnetic Handgun and tucked it into his chest.

At the same time, Little Zhao, the young man with the slicked-back hair and white shirt, who had heard the commotion Deng Gao had caused earlier, abandoned his post of watching and guarding and hurried over.

"Big brother... Big brother?!"

Little Zhao, arriving at the alley entrance, was first confused. But upon seeing Deng Gao's corpse lying on the bluestone ground, his pupils contracted. Without hesitation, he turned and fled outwards.

"Hmph, trying to escape?"

A mechanical electronic voice, distorted by the Nano Protective Suit, echoed in the darkness.

The young man in the white shirt felt as if he heard the whisper of a vengeful spirit from the deepest hell, forcing himself to wring out the last bit of potential from his body, his speed surging as he burst towards the street outside the alley.

But then, he suddenly felt a darkness descend from above, as if he were enveloped by some massive shadow.

The moment he subconsciously looked up, He saw the person clad in black armor lunging from the air like a great bird.

His arms were raised like drooping wings, so light they carried no momentum of martial arts techniques.

Not to mention comparing it to the fierce and imposing Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist, even the punches thrown by ordinary martial artists fighting were more powerful than this.

It wasn't until the next moment that the palm, like a falling cloud, drifted past. By the time Li Xijun landed safely, The young man in the white shirt was already clutching his throat, which had been cut by a blade, and had fallen to the ground. After emitting a "gurgling" sound, he slowly lost consciousness.

[Your mastery of True Martial Thirty-Six Forms has increased from 25% proficient to 29% proficient.]

"Mm, that strike just now really let me grasp a bit of its essence."

Li Xijun looked at the information appearing in his vision, nodding in satisfaction, and also gained some insight:

"As expected, martial arts are meant for killing!"

"My usual diligent practice, sparring, and even practicing with human-shaped posts, still fell short compared to this act of killing."

Li Xijun looked back at the two corpses on the ground. He didn't feel the nausea of protagonist-like killing described in novels.

Instead, he felt as if a shackle had been broken, and there was an unspeakable sense of exhilaration in his heart. Looking at the night sky above the alley, he felt it had become more vast and distant.

The next moment, Li Xijun quickly walked towards the bodies of the two fallen men. While performing the essential "loot" after a kill, he carried their corpses and flashed away to a secluded spot in Jinmen's water network.

"Anyone who kills often knows that killing is easy, but disposing of the bodies is the difficult part."

"Fortunately, I brought a small box of high-efficiency fuel from the main world. It's fast, effective, and can even burn bones to ash."

With that, Li Xijun set the two corpses ablaze.

Indeed, in just a short while, only a scorched circle remained on the ground. Even the ashes of the burnt bones were scattered by the gentle breeze by the river.

"Very good, the next step is to kill the mastermind behind this."

Li Xijun tossed the porcelain bottle in his hand, further confirming Su Qiuzhen's intentions.

According to the records of the Eternal Life Taoist Temple he had read, this porcelain bottle was a semi-magical artifact, capable of temporarily containing the Divine Souls of cultivators from the Aperture Opening Realm and Spirit Solidification Realm after their death.

A Spirit-Refining Cultivator who practiced the Eternal Life Savior Mother Vacuum Contemplation could use this mental visualization technique to erase the will within a cultivator's Divine Soul, and then devour it to become nourishment for strengthening their own Divine Soul.

The cultivation speed would be much faster than diligently practicing the visualization technique every day.

"Sigh, I thought they just wanted money, but it turns out they want both money and life, and in the end, they won't even spare my Divine Soul."

"The cultivators in Jinmen are just too impolite!"

Li Xijun sighed faintly, gripping the Electromagnetic Handgun in his chest.

That night, Wangjiang Restaurant

The riverside restaurant was quite prosperous, five stories high, with flying eaves and bracket sets. The vermilion lacquered pillars were intricately carved, and large red lanterns hung from the eaves. The candlelight within shone brightly, illuminating the entire restaurant, which was bustling with activity.

As usual, Su Qiuzhen was gathering with many of his fellow disciples from the Tendons and Bones Realm.

After several rounds of drinks, these young and strong men in the Skin and Flesh Realm and Tendons and Bones Realm inevitably began discussing recent court affairs.

"Did you hear? Mr. Li Boyan resigned from his position in the Grand Secretariat. Before he left, he was summoned by His Majesty and allowed to take the Ninth Princess with him."

"Whoa, so does that mean the struggle for succession among the nine princes will become a struggle among eight?"

"What nine princes vying for succession? That's just something storytellers make up. The Second Prince and the First Prince are full siblings, as are the Fourth Prince and the Third Prince, the Sixth Prince and the Fifth Prince, and the Eighth Prince and the Seventh Prince. The Ninth Princess is naturally disabled. Originally, there were only four factions in court."

"I see. No wonder His Majesty let Mr. Boyan take the Ninth Princess. If she's disabled, does she not have the physique and magical abilities of the royal Dragon-Blooded?"

"Who knows? We're just Tendons and Bones Realm martial artists, we don't even have the status of Martial Graduates. Let's just think about where to make a living after leaving the martial arts school."

As they spoke, many martial arts school disciples in the private room looked up at the young master of the merchant guild sitting at the head seat.

The reason they were fawning over him these days was partly because they genuinely hoped to get lucky and be sponsored by him for Viscera Refinement, but mostly because they found Young Master Su to be generous and sought a future with him.

With so many eyes upon him, Su Qiuzhen maintained his gentle smile. After taking a sip of wine, he spoke unhurriedly:

"Currently, the maritime trade between the Eastern and Western continents is booming. Coincidentally, my Su family has connections in maritime trade. The risks are a bit high, but the profits are substantial. As they say, fortune favors the bold. I wonder if any of my senior brothers are interested?"

His words made many people's eyes light up.

Everyone knew by now that the profits from trade between the two continents were frighteningly high.

Although maritime trade was indeed dangerous, how could one afford Viscera Refinement without taking risks?

In an instant, many people eagerly stepped forward to toast him, and Su Qiuzhen once again became the center of attention, surrounded by admirers.

The lively banquet continued until deep into the night.

After bidding farewell to his fellow disciples from the martial arts school with clasped hands, he walked through several alleyways and entered a long, dark street.

Su Qiuzhen slowly exhaled a long breath, and the flushed, wine-induced look on his face instantly vanished.

With so many witnesses, Li Xijun's disappearance shouldn't be traced back to me.

I wonder how Deng Gao's task is progressing.

That was the Divine Soul of an Aperture Opening Realm cultivator, and a rogue cultivator with no background. Such an opportunity is rare and invaluable to me.

If Deng Gao messes this up, or has any second thoughts and delays my affairs at the Taoist temple, I'll simply use him as an offering. A Viscera Refinement Realm martial artist can barely be considered acceptable when refined into an iron corpse.

If I'm lucky then, I might even be rewarded with the "Eternal Life Savior Mother Vacuum Sutra." Only then will I have hope for the Fetal Breath stage and become a truly significant figure!

With these thoughts, he unconsciously reached out and touched the "Twenty-Four Rank White Lotus Salvation Chart" he kept close to his body.