"Boom!"
A thunderclap erupted from level ground, its rumble shaking hearts and souls.
The blade carved a perfect arc, a flicker of lightning mixed within its gleam as it effortlessly tore through the True Qi defense of the Golden Armor Silver Soldier Art.
This time, the True Qi was completely ripped apart, yet it left only a faint bloody mark across Wang Dingtian's throat.
Wang Dingtian had cultivated the Golden Armor Silver Soldier Art for years. His physique was naturally formidable as well. To kill him, he was still lacking a fraction of strength!
"System, upgrade Thunderous Strike." "Deducting 800 Experience Points. Thunderous Strike has been upgraded to Minor Accomplishment."
Feeling the stabbing pain at his neck, Wang Dingtian's expression finally fell apart.
Just who was this fellow? Why did every slash strike harder than the last?
If another slash came down, would he still be able to keep his head on his shoulders?
As though he wanted the answer too, Li Yan raised his saber again.
This time, the moment the blade rose, an incomparably violent aura descended upon Wang Dingtian.
This slash was truly even stronger!
"Wait, wait!" In that instant, Wang Dingtian finally panicked. He hurriedly tried to stop the strike. "Wan Sanhuo, I promise I won't trouble you again! There's plenty of gold, silver, and treasure here. You can have it all!"
"You've already killed two of my brothers. You haven't suffered any loss, have you..."
Before he could finish, Li Yan drew a deep breath and focused his mind with all his strength.
Thunderous Strike was too high-grade a Martial Art. Although he had raised its proficiency to Minor Accomplishment, he discovered that to unleash this saber art's true power, his current cultivation was still far too lacking.
If not for the Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art possessing far more True Qi than other Martial Arts, without the sixth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, he...
After taking a deep breath, thunder rumbled once more. This time, Waning Moon carried lightning radiance as it directly severed Wang Dingtian's head.
His head flew out. Wang Dingtian died with his eyes open, those wide eyes still filled with disbelief.
That expression seemed to question heaven and earth: Why? Why should he, at the Fifth Level of Meridian Opening, die at the hands of someone at the third level of the Qi Condensation Realm?
Li Yan could not be bothered to look at Wang Dingtian's manner of death. His gaze fell upon the glowing orbs that had dropped from the corpse.
This was his first time killing someone in the Meridian Opening Realm. He wondered what the rewards from a Meridian Opening Realm expert would be like.
Strength +55 Speed +37 Physique +82 Spirit +35 True Qi +36 Congratulations, you have obtained the Martial Art Golden Armor Silver Soldier Art. Congratulations, you have obtained the Martial Art Immeasurable Mountain Shaking Fist.
Good heavens, worthy indeed of being a Meridian Opening Realm expert. It really was an enormous haul!
Leaving aside how the basic attributes far surpassed those of ordinary Qi Condensation Realm cultivators, he had obtained two Martial Arts alone.
At this rate, in the future, who in the martial world could possess more Martial Arts than him?
However, dealing with Wang Dingtian was not the end of it!
Tonight, he had scattered every last bit of medicine he had. If he could not earn it back, he would suffer a huge loss.
His gaze swept over the surroundings. Brothers, Li Yan has wronged you, but your First Boss has wronged you more. Because he lost, you can only die.
With saber in hand, Li Yan walked toward the remaining bandits. A slaughter even more horrifying than the one at Dark Cloud Peak began.
When the sun rose, the mountain spring flowing down Feng Hui Mountain had turned completely crimson. The entire mountain reeked of blood, its stench so thick that it could only have appeared on a battlefield.
At the foot of the mountain, beside the blood-red stream, Li Yan was quietly regulating his breath.
After an entire day of slaughter, more than six hundred souls had joined those beneath Li Yan's blade. The gains in every attribute and in Experience Points were also the greatest he had ever received.
The medicine he had obtained from Li Fucai had now been completely used up. With more great battles possibly ahead, increasing his strength could not wait.
Just then, several sets of footsteps rapidly approached.
"My lord!"
Li Yan turned around and saw the five lowest-ranked men among the eighteen from Three Fiends Ridge approaching.
That day on Three Fiends Ridge, Li Yan had made them swallow medicine and deceived them into believing it was the Three Corpses Brain God Pill.
Since he had a prior record of poisoning people, they did not doubt this so-called Three Corpses Brain God Pill.
Though deeply unwilling, to avoid having corpse worms gnaw through their brains, they could only temporarily obey Li Yan's commands.
"How are things on your side?"
"Reporting to Mr. Wan, Elder Brother and the others have already infiltrated Dongjiang City. Dongjiang City is extremely chaotic right now, so they have not drawn anyone else's attention."
"Mm... you've worked hard. Corpses are strewn everywhere across Feng Hui Mountain now. I'll have to trouble you to make a trip and burn this mountain to the ground."
"We wouldn't dare!"
The men cupped their fists, then turned and left.
After they departed, Li Yan closed his eyes once more and summoned his system panel.
Name: Li Yan Realm: Third Level of Qi Condensation Realm Strength: 455 Speed: 387 Physique: 422 Spirit: 97 True Qi: 97 Martial Arts: Hundred Beasts Marrow Quenching Scripture, Fifth Level (123\/1600); Hundred Battles Saber, Return to Truth; Falling Star Spear Fragment, Unlearned (Complete\/1000); Golden Armor Silver Soldier Art, Unlearned (0\/500); Immeasurable Mountain Shaking Fist, Unlearned (0\/300); Tearing Wind Claws, Minor Accomplishment (347\/400); Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art, Third Level (555\/4000); Wind Chasing Wave Treading, Mastered (273\/800); Thunderous Strike, Minor Accomplishment (157\/2000) Secret Technique: Hundred Blades: Bloodbath, Initial Glimpse (171\/500) Remaining Experience Points: 15830
At present, Li Yan's foremost priority was to increase his combat strength.
With the boost to his physique attributes this time, breaking through his realm again naturally would not be a problem.
"System, upgrade the Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art!" "Ding! 3445 Experience Points consumed. Congratulations, the Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art has broken through to the fourth level." "Martial Art: Flower Cultivation and Leaf Nurturing Art, Fourth Level (0\/10000) 12385"
The instant the prompt sounded, surging True Qi rose from his dantian, flowing through the meridians of his body like growing vines before finally returning to the acupoints throughout his body.
Because of the massive slaughter earlier, supported by a vast number of attribute points, his physique was entirely capable of withstanding the impact of this breakthrough.
However, just as Li Yan prepared to continue breaking through, the abnormal Experience Points startled him.
Before the fourth level, every level required one thousand more Experience Points than the last. Yet when breaking through to the fifth level, it required more than twice as much as before.
This unusual Experience Point requirement planted a trace of doubt in Li Yan's heart, and he forcibly suppressed his original intention of breaking through on the spot.
Just then, a blaze illuminated the area. When Li Yan turned back, the flames had already begun to swallow Feng Hui Mountain. Clearly, those men among the eighteen brothers had made their move.
Ever since leaving the Abyssal Mine, the Fierce Wind Bandits of Feng Hui Mountain had remained entangled with him.
After pursuing and killing him all the way, the three bosses had each encountered him and fought him. In the end, all of them had died by his hand.
Although Wang Dingtian had died a stifled death and Li Yan's methods had not been honorable, so what? They had already become enemies locked in a fight to the death. Between life and death, no method was too much.
What a mighty band of Fierce Wind Bandits—yet they had been wiped out cleanly and decisively.
Once this great fire died out, and a few storms of wind and rain passed, the martial world would be no different aside from one more nameless mountain of dry bones.
In this martial world, Li Yan would walk to a hymn of blood and fire.