Cruel Massacre

"Get lost!"

In her shock and anger, Lin Ningshuang immediately drew a precious sword and thrust it towards the Ghost Face Butcher. However, with a swing of the great axe in his hand, the Ghost Face Butcher directly cleaved the sword in two.

At this moment, Lin Ningshuang's face turned instantly pale, and she revealed an expression of utter despair.

She knew that if she fell into the hands of this ferocious Ghost Face Butcher, her fate would be unimaginably tragic!

"Heh heh heh, such a tender young thing. I wonder what it'll feel like to ravage her."

The Ghost Face Butcher let out a sinister laugh, his eyes filled with lust as they roamed over Lin Ningshuang's delicate body.

Then, he suddenly reached out!

Just as the calloused, blood-stained giant hand was about to touch the maiden's fair neck, at this critical moment!

Swish!

Suddenly, a figure in a green shirt appeared in the darkness like a phantom, instantly moving in front of Lin Ningshuang!

It was Lu Changsheng!

Facing the Ghost Face Butcher's terrifyingly powerful grab, Lu Changsheng's face remained expressionless. He calmly raised his right hand, fingers spread, and intercepted the incoming giant palm, arriving before it!

There was no earth-shattering surge of power, no dazzling display of spiritual energy. That slender hand, in front of the Ghost Face Butcher's fan-like giant palm, appeared so small and fragile.

However—

Crack!!!

A crisp, almost unnerving sound of flesh colliding rang out!

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The Ghost Face Butcher's grab, capable of crushing rock and imbued with terrifying power, was steadily, effortlessly... caught by that fair, slender hand at the wrist!

Like shackles cast from pure steel! Not budging an inch!

The Ghost Face Butcher's savage grin froze abruptly. Beneath his mask, his scarlet pupils instantly contracted to the size of needles!

He felt as if the hand gripping his wrist wasn't human, but an unmovable pillar of divine metal!

A surge of irresistible counter-force traveled up his arm, making his entire limb go slightly numb!

"Wh-What?!"

"He... he grabbed the Ghost Face Butcher's wrist?!"

"Am I seeing things?!"

Whether it was the guards fighting desperately, the bandits slashing wildly, even Uncle Fu, who had just regained a sliver of consciousness and was struggling to raise his head, or Lin Ningshuang herself, mere inches away and almost able to feel the foul, hot breath from the Ghost Face Butcher's mouth and nose...

Everyone was stunned by this unbelievable sight. Their gazes were like magnets, fixed on that figure in the green shirt!

The Ghost Face Butcher, enraged and shocked, forcefully tried to break free, but the hand holding his wrist was as unyielding as if it had taken root!

Lu Changsheng slowly raised his head, his calm gaze piercing through the ferocious ghost mask, landing on the other's bloodshot eyes, wide with terror. The right hand gripping the Ghost Face Butcher's wrist tightened its fingers slightly.

Crack!

Then, a bone-cracking sound that made one's scalp tingle clearly echoed!

"Ah—!!!"

The Ghost Face Butcher let out a shrill, distorted scream. The intense pain from his wrist almost made him faint. His body, which he prided himself on for its toughness, was as fragile as rotten wood under that seemingly casual grip!

Lu Changsheng's eyes were icy. Then, he forcefully swung the arm holding the Ghost Face Butcher's wrist downwards!

Boom!!!

Like slamming a tattered sack, the Ghost Face Butcher's massive frame, as imposing as a mountain, was slammed violently onto the hard, cold sand and stone ground with an irresistible, terrifying force, under the horrified gazes of everyone present!

Dust and debris exploded!

The ground instantly formed a clear, human-shaped crater!

"This..."

Seeing this, the entire scene fell into deathly silence!

Lin Ningshuang covered her slightly parted mouth with her hands, her eyes filled with unspeakable shock.

The wind itself seemed to have stopped flowing.

Only Lu Changsheng's indifferent voice echoed clearly through the stone forest:

"You touched her, did you ask me first?"

The Ghost Face Butcher lay in the crater, his mask shattered on one side, revealing half a face contorted by extreme pain and fear. Blood gushed from his mouth, and countless bones in his body were broken. He lay there like a pile of mud, only his body twitching in agony and his labored gasps for air.

"G-Great Chieftain!"

A few fierce bandits finally snapped out of their extreme shock, screaming hoarsely, their voices filled with terror.

They wanted to rush over, but Lu Changsheng's calm glance pinned them in place. They felt like ants stared down by an ancient ferocious beast, as if their blood had almost frozen!

"Roar—!!!"

At this moment, a roar mixed with overwhelming pain, endless humiliation, and violent killing intent, like that of a wounded, dying beast, exploded from the deep crater!

The Ghost Face Butcher's remaining single eye, peering through his shattered mask, locked onto Lu Changsheng with a gaze that had transformed from terror to a madness that sought to burn everything!

Ignoring the agony of his bones threatening to shatter, he slammed his one good arm onto the ground!

BOOM!

Shattered stones flew!

His burly body was wrenced from the pit, staggering to a stable stance. Blood soaked his tattered leather armor, his chest caved in on one side, rising and falling violently with each breath that hissed like a bellows.

"You little bastard… I'll have you… torn to shreds!!"

His voice was hoarse and distorted, filled with blood, as he roared, "Second brother! Third brother! What are you waiting for! Let's tear him apart together!!"

WHOOSH!

At that moment, a blood-red silhouette flashed through the night like a phantom, its speed so extreme it instantly appeared to the Ghost Face Butcher's left.

It was a tall, slender woman clad in dark red, form-fitting leather armor. Her face was eerily pale, her lips painted as if she had just drunk fresh blood, and her narrow, phoenix-like eyes gleamed with the cold luster of a viper.

She held a slender, pale blue, chillingly luminous chain in each hand—the second leader of the Demon Wind Bandits, the Blood Rakshasa!

"Hehehehe… such a handsome young man. A pity, you'll soon become my collection."

The Blood Rakshasa let out a chilling, coquettish laugh, her chains slithering like poisonous snakes, silently coiling towards Lu Changsheng's legs. The tips of the chains were sharp barbs!

BOOM!

Simultaneously, from atop a rock pillar on the other side, a short, plump figure like a ball descended like a weightless ghost.

He wore a pale mask with a perpetual, wide grin, his eye sockets two dark, empty holes. He toyed with three flying daggers, thin as cicada wings and glinting with an eerie green light—this was the third leader of the Demon Wind Bandits, the Laughing Yama!

"Hehehe, big brother, no need to rush. Let your little brother loosen this young master's muscles first!"

The Laughing Yama's voice was shrill and eerie, like the cry of a night owl. With a flick of his wrist, the three poisoned flying daggers transformed into three nearly imperceptible green streaks, silently tearing through the air as they shot towards Lu Changsheng's back, throat, and dantian in a triangular formation!

The angles were treacherous, the intent utterly vicious!

BOOM!

The Ghost Face Butcher suppressed his injuries, his remaining right hand unleashing its final ferocity. His massive fist, wreathed in a violent, earthy yellow spiritual energy, descended like a falling meteor, carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks, smashing fiercely towards Lu Changsheng's face!

The fist wind surged, making Lu Changsheng's blue robes flutter wildly!

The Blood Rakshasa's chains coiled to block his legs, the Laughing Yama's flying daggers launched a fatal sneak attack, and the Ghost Face Butcher's heavy fist crushed him head-on! These three attacks sealed off all of Lu Changsheng's escape routes, coordinating seamlessly to kill him in one blow!

"Young Master Lu!"

At that moment, Lin Ningshuang's heart leaped into her throat. The color drained from her pretty face as she cried out in alarm.

"Careful!"

Wu Yan, who had just managed to repel one of the bandit leaders, turned deathly pale at the sight.

The combined might of these three leaders far surpassed his imagination!

Even at his peak, he wouldn't have lasted three breaths!

Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom. While the power Lu Changsheng had displayed was terrifying, he was now facing three notorious, perfectly coordinated, and fully unleashed experts at the fifth level of the Divine Palace Realm—desperate criminals.

However, faced with this deadly situation that would have flustered even an ordinary expert at the sixth level of the Divine Palace Realm, Lu Changsheng remained calm.

He didn't even glance at the sinister, coiling chains, nor did he pay attention to the silently flying, fatal daggers. His gaze merely swept over the violent fist shadow of the Ghost Face Butcher that was rushing towards him.

Just as the Ghost Face Butcher's fist was less than three feet from his face!

Just as the Blood Rakshasa's chains were about to coil around his ankle!

Just as the Laughing Yama's daggers were almost touching the back of his clothes!

"Dragon Elephant Golden Body!"

ROAR!

Lu Changsheng clenched his fists, and a low, majestic roar, like the bellow of a dragon and the trumpeting of an elephant from the depths of primordial times, exploded from his chest!

HUM!

Brilliant, dazzling dark golden light erupted from every pore of Lu Changsheng's body. His skin, flesh, and bones were instantly dyed with a dark golden hue, heavy as divine metal and etched with ancient runes!

Beneath his skin, countless tiny dragon and elephant patterns seemed to writhe and roar!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The Blood Rakshasa's barbed chains, capable of piercing refined steel, slammed into Lu Changsheng's lower leg, only to unleash a piercing sound of metal striking metal!

The poisonous blue light of the chains madly corroded, but couldn't even penetrate the layer of dark golden skin by an inch!

The recoil from the chains sent a violent tremor through the Blood Rakshasa's arms, cracking her tiger's mouth. For the first time, an expression of disbelief and horror appeared on her alluring face!

PING! PING! PING!

The Laughing Yama's three flying daggers, lethal enough to seal a throat upon contact, accurately struck the positions of Lu Changsheng's back, throat, and dantian!

However, they hit as if striking ten-thousand-year-old profound iron!

The moment the thin, cicada-wing-like daggers touched the dark golden skin, their bodies were covered in a spiderweb of cracks. Then, with a mournful cry, they exploded into three puffs of green powder, scattering in the wind!

Not even a white mark was left!

"Impossible!!"

The smile beneath the Laughing Yama's mask instantly froze, and he let out a shrill, strange cry!

The Ghost Face Butcher, who had been attacking head-on, delivered a fierce punch that landed squarely on Lu Changsheng's chest.

Thump!!!

A muffled, heart-stopping thud!

The Ghost Face Butcher's fist, capable of shattering mountain rocks, landed solidly on Lu Changsheng's chest!

Furious earth-yellow spiritual energy exploded wildly, forming visible shockwaves!

However, Lu Changsheng remained standing completely still. The golden light covering his body hadn't even shown a hint of redness!

It was as if the terrifying blow, capable of splitting rock, was merely a tickle!

Hiss!

The Ghost Face Butcher's single eye widened to its limits, his pupils reflecting the opponent's still calm, unruffled gaze. Clearly visible within it was his own horribly distorted, terrified face!

"My turn."

Lu Changsheng's voice was calm.

He ignored the chains wrapped around his lower leg. He simply slowly raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread, and casually pressed towards the Ghost Face Butcher, who was now up close, his punch spent, old strength gone and new strength not yet born.

This press, though seemingly slow, seemed to contain an extremely terrifying power, sealing off all of the Ghost Face Butcher's escape routes!

The Ghost Face Butcher's soul was terrified. His remaining ferocity made him roar, trying to withdraw his fist to block, but his arm felt as if it were sinking into invisible mud, incredibly heavy!

Poof!

That dark golden palm, as if piercing through a thin piece of paper, ignored the hastily condensed protective spiritual energy of the Ghost Face Butcher and gently pressed onto his caved-in chest.

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

Only a teeth-grinding sound, a dense cracking of bones like popping beans, clearly emanated from within the Ghost Face Butcher!

"Urk..."

All of the Ghost Face Butcher's movements, roars, and expressions froze. He looked down, staring in disbelief at the hand pressed against his chest, then slowly looked up at Lu Changsheng's eyes, as calm as a deep pool.

The next moment.

Boom!!!

An unimaginable, terrifying power, like the trampling of an ancient beast, erupted from that palm!

The Ghost Face Butcher's massive body, as imposing as a mountain, was like a boulder thrown by a catapult. Accompanied by a series of bone-shattering cracks that made one's scalp tingle, he transformed into a blurry blood-and-flesh afterimage and was sent flying back fiercely, faster than he had arrived!

Rumble! Crack!

He consecutively broke three massive, wind-eroded rock pillars that required several people to embrace. The hard rock shattered like rotten wood, and he finally crashed into the fourth pillar, creating a huge indentation. The entire person was embedded within it like a broken rag doll!

Blood gushed out from his pores and shattered orifices like a fountain, dyeing the crimson rock walls an even more blinding dark red!

His body was twisted at a bizarre angle, his life force rapidly extinguishing like a candle in the wind!

The great leader of the Demon Wind Bandits, the Ghost Face Butcher—dead!

"Big brother!!"

The Blood Rakshasa and the Laughing Yama let out shrill, distorted screams, their voices filled with boundless terror and disbelief!

With just one palm!

A casual palm had crushed their immensely powerful big brother, who they saw as a demon god!

This wasn't a fight at all! It was a naked, one-sided crushing! It was an elephant trampling on ants!

"Escape!!"

The Blood Rakshasa reacted the fastest, screaming and abandoning the chains without hesitation. Her figure transformed into a blood-red silhouette, fleeing desperately into the depths of the stone forest!

The Laughing Yama was even more terrified, his fat body erupting with unprecedented speed. He fled madly in another direction like a rolling meatball, completely devoid of his former "Yama" ferocity!

"Hmph!"

A cold hum, like the pronouncement of death.

Lu Changsheng stood in place, not even pursuing. He simply lifted his right foot and casually stomped towards the direction the Blood Rakshasa was fleeing!

Thump!!!

The sandy ground beneath his feet, like a calm lake with a stone dropped into it, suddenly sank downwards!

A visible, terrifying shockwave imbued with the immense power of a dragon and elephant surged forth like a dark golden tide clinging to the ground, instantly tearing apart the earth, kicking up a sandstorm, and hurtling towards the Blood Rakshasa's retreating back at supersonic speed!

"No—!!!"

The Blood Rakshasa felt the all-destroying, terrifying aura behind her and let out a desperate shriek, desperately activating a secret technique, her body flashing with blood-red light!

However, it was useless!

Rumble!!!

The dark golden shockwave instantly engulfed her. The blood-red light shattered like foam, and with only time for a short, sharp scream, her strange, alluring figure completely disintegrated in the violent power, turning into a patch of tragically beautiful blood mist that mixed with the sand and dissipated in the wind!

At the same time, Lu Changsheng reached out and flicked his finger again!

Whoosh!

A golden ray, condensed to the extreme and almost imperceptible, like lightning piercing the void, arrived later but struck first, instantly catching up to the fleeing Laughing Yama!

Squelch!

The golden ray precisely pierced Laughing Yama's back and then emerged from his bulky chest!

Laughing Yama's mad dash abruptly froze, and the laughing mask on his face solidified. He looked down at the bowl-sized, completely penetrated blood hole in his chest, his eyes filled with bewilderment and an extreme longing for life.

He opened his mouth, as if to let out his signature "hee hee" sound, but only gurgling black blood mixed with shattered internal organs surged out.

"Ugh… hee…"

He let out a strange gasp, his corpulent body collapsing onto the cold sandy ground as if all its bones had been removed, kicking up a cloud of dust. The eyes beneath the mask had completely lost their luster.

All three leaders of the Demon Wind Bandits had fallen!