Slaying Zhang Dahu

That night, stars like bright jewels studded the black curtain of the sky.

The entire city of Qingyang County seemed to have pressed pause. The lights of ten thousand homes had gone out; only the places of wine, moonlight, and peach blossoms still rang with laughter and revelry.

Three figures, nearly blending into the darkness, sped stealthily through the labyrinthine streets and alleys.

"Once we arrive, strike directly. Best if we can capture him alive; if not, kill him on the spot. Remember, this boy cannot be judged by common sense. His combat strength is extraordinarily terrifying. Do not let down your guard in the slightest."

"Gang Leader Zhang, leave it to my brother and me. A mere greenhorn—one hand is enough for me to seize him. When the time comes, just watch from the side."

One of the black-clad men spoke with some impatience.

They had only been running for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, yet Zhang Dahu had repeated those words who knew how many times already.

His ears were practically growing calluses from hearing it.

"Gang Leader Zhang, Xiong Er is right. How strong could a little brat possibly be? You are being far too cautious."

Xiong Da smiled, fully agreeing with his younger brother Xiong Er.

Zhang Dahu cast the two of them a sidelong glance and said nothing more.

In any case, tonight's affair was merely for the Sun Family to see. He did not care whether it succeeded or failed.

Ever since that night, when he met Ying Yi and accepted the task of taking down Ye Xiaofan, he had been restless and uneasy.

Especially after he had asked the One-Armed Saber Wielder for help and been refused.

Thus, he had spent a hefty sum in the Black Market to hire the notorious Xiong Family Brothers.

As for Ying Yi's claim that Ye Xiaofan's combat strength rivaled that of a Body Tempering Seventh Level demon, he did not believe a word of it.

Yet, cautious by nature, he had still made ample preparations.

Should anything unexpected happen, he could use the two brothers to make his escape.

Ye Household.

An oil lamp swayed stubbornly, illuminating the room.

A veil of blood-red gauze slowly vanished, revealing a young man whose face still carried a trace of youthful immaturity.

"I've broken through to Body Tempering Fifth Level. High-grade cultivation techniques truly cultivate faster. With the technique at perfection, I gain +10 cultivation for every thousand breaths. Breaking through to Body Tempering Sixth Level will only take five days."

"If I had a Top-grade cultivation technique, wouldn't I soar straight into the heavens? I need to make money as quickly as possible."

Ye Xiaofan slowly opened his eyes, a pleased smile appearing on his face.

"If I ran into that Body Tempering Seventh Level fox demon again now, I should be able to break its Qi and Blood Armor within three strikes."

Ye Xiaofan rose, circulated his qi and blood, and swung his fists a few times.

The fierce force of his fists sent visible ripples through the air, and sonic booms exploded like thunder.

"An ordinary Body Tempering Fifth Level cultivator only has the strength of two tigers. The force I can unleash now has reached one elephant and one tiger, one tiger stronger even than an ordinary Body Tempering Seventh Level cultivator."

Ye Xiaofan was in a good mood. Though it was already late at night, he still felt like rewarding himself.

He prepared to make a few dishes to go with wine and have a few drinks.

"Who is it?"

Nearly inaudible footsteps sounded in the courtyard.

Ye Xiaofan shouted angrily, grabbed the treasured sword leaning beside the bed, and rushed out through the window.

"Move!"

Zhang Dahu clearly had not expected Ye Xiaofan's senses to be so sharp. They had only just entered the courtyard when they were discovered. He immediately lowered his voice and shouted hoarsely.

The Xiong Family Brothers and Zhang Dahu instantly formed a triangle, trapping Ye Xiaofan, who had rushed outside, in the middle.

The Xiong Family Brothers did not waste words. They drew their long sabers, poured qi and blood into them, and chopped down at Ye Xiaofan's head.

From another direction, Zhang Dahu's fist wind howled as it smashed toward him.

However, his speed was clearly a beat slower than the Xiong Family Brothers'.

"Three Body Tempering Seventh Levels. Heh, before this, I really wouldn't have been confident."

Ye Xiaofan sneered. His gaze swept over them, and he immediately saw that Xiong Er was the weakest.

Wind God Steps, Treading the Wind!

Sword Drawing Technique, Layers Upon Layers of Sword Shadows!

Xiong Er's pupils contracted sharply. Six blood-red sword shadows filled his vision, and in that flash of lightning and spark of flint, he could not distinguish which one was real.

He only felt that every sword shadow was filled with terrifying power.

"Roar!"

Xiong Er roared. Every trace of contempt in his heart vanished, and Qi and Blood Armor instantly emerged. His saber momentum did not diminish as he hacked down viciously.

Ye Xiaofan pivoted his feet, twisted his waist, and flicked his wrist. The six sword shadows merged into one and lightly tapped the side of the saber blade. Then he stepped forward, the three-foot cold sword in his hand stabbing straight toward Xiong Er's throat.

"No!"

Xiong Er was terrified. It was as if he saw the great-grandmother he had never met waving kindly at him before his eyes.

Xiong Er was unwilling to accept this. He wanted to retract his saber, but it was already too late. He immediately raised one arm to block.

The Qi and Blood Armor was like a sheet of paper. The longsword pierced through his arm and sank deep into Xiong Er's throat, qi and blood erupting and instantly extinguishing his life.

"Second Brother!"

Xiong Da's eyes split wide with fury, instantly turning bloodshot. A terrifying saber gleam slashed toward Ye Xiaofan's back.

On the other side, Zhang Dahu was also stunned by the sight before him.

His heart and mind shook violently, and boundless fear arose within him.

They had only exchanged one blow, yet in a single encounter, Body Tempering Seventh Level Xiong Er had been slain by Ye Xiaofan.

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He was not much stronger than Xiong Er. Killing Xiong Er would have been basically impossible for him.

Now, Zhang Dahu was incomparably grateful that he had invited the Xiong Family Brothers to assist in the battle. They could shield him now.

Thus,

Zhang Dahu's body halted. With a flick of both hands, three steel needles, black as ink and thin as ox hairs, shot toward Ye Xiaofan with barely audible whistles through the air.

At the same time, he lightly tapped the ground, turned, and sprinted toward the courtyard exit.

He was afraid. He fled.

After breaking through to Body Tempering Fifth Level, Ye Xiaofan's five senses had become extraordinarily sharp.

Zhang Dahu's movements did not escape his ears.

He immediately drew back his sword and turned to block, his feet never stopping as he dodged to one side.

Qi and blood energy scattered like flames.

Xiong Da only felt a terrifying force surge through his saber. His tiger's mouth went numb, and he nearly lost his grip on the weapon.

His body involuntarily staggered back three steps.

In that flash of lightning and spark of flint, Ye Xiaofan had only just dodged away.

The three steel needles sank into Xiong Er's chest.

Xiong Er stared with unwilling eyes and crashed stiffly to the ground.

When Xiong Da saw Zhang Dahu fleeing, he instantly came to his senses. He glanced at his younger brother lying on the ground, dead with eyes still open, then very sensibly turned and ran.

"Stay!"

Ye Xiaofan moved as smoothly as flowing water. With a tap of his feet, he chased after Xiong Er like a light breeze.

"Split up and run!"

Zhang Dahu sensed someone behind him. He turned to look, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes as he immediately roared.

Xiong Da said nothing, merely following behind Zhang Dahu.

There was a supreme truth in the cultivation world: as long as you ran faster than the last person, the one who died would not be you.

And he was confident he could outrun Zhang Dahu.

Watching Xiong Da draw ever closer, with Ye Xiaofan behind Xiong Da closing in at high speed as effortlessly and freely as an exiled immortal.

Grass was a type of plant!

That was Zhang Dahu's state of mind at this moment.

A vicious glint flashed across Zhang Dahu's face. With a flick of his wrist, three steel needles, black as ink and thin as ox hairs, shot toward Xiong Da.

"I'll screw your second grandpa, Zhang Dahu!"

Xiong Da's eyes bulged wide. He immediately swung his saber to block, slowing down.

Ye Xiaofan raised an eyebrow. The black-clad man at the very front was actually Zhang Dahu, the Black Tiger Gang's leader.

This was the second time he had come to attack him.

Originally, Ye Xiaofan had intended to wait until he broke through to Body Tempering Sixth Level before destroying the Black Tiger Gang. Now, it seemed there was no need to wait.

Xiong Da had just knocked aside the incoming needles when he felt a chill in the center of his back. Looking down, he saw a section of sword tip protruding from his chest.

"You—"

Xiong Da turned his head with difficulty to glance at Ye Xiaofan, then fell from midair.

Ye Xiaofan did not slow down. Using Xiong Da's falling corpse as leverage beneath his feet, he pursued Zhang Dahu as though crossing the sky in flight.

At this moment, Zhang Dahu was drenched in cold sweat. He had pushed his movement technique to its limit.

Yet Ye Xiaofan's figure drew ever closer.

The next moment, Zhang Dahu directly fired six steel needles.

The corners of Ye Xiaofan's mouth lifted slightly. He merely tapped his feet, as though stepping on solid ground, and forcibly raised himself several feet into the air, evading the incoming needles as he continued closing in on Zhang Dahu without losing speed.

"Gang Leader Zhang."

A teasing laugh exploded by his ear like the whisper of the god of death.

Zhang Dahu shuddered from head to toe. When he turned to look, he was so frightened that his soul nearly flew from his body.

Ye Xiaofan was already less than ten feet away.

Sword Drawing Technique, Blood Must Be Seen When the Sword Leaves Its Sheath!

"Ah!"

An arm flew through the air. Zhang Dahu screamed and fell from the rooftop.

"Brother Ye, Master Ye, spare my life! This has nothing to do with me! The Sun Family made me do it! Spare me!"

Ignoring the intense pain in his arm, Zhang Dahu turned over, knelt on the ground, and repeatedly kowtowed in plea.

Yet his eyes, hidden in the shadows, were incomparably venomous. His tongue moved slightly, and a tiny steel needle appeared.

So long as Ye Xiaofan let his guard down even slightly, he could use the poisoned needle in his mouth to kill him in return.

Ye Xiaofan slowly approached without the slightest hesitation.

The sword emerged, and the head rolled!

"Sun Family!"

Ye Xiaofan glanced at Zhang Dahu's head, then slowly merged into the darkness and headed toward the Black Tiger Gang headquarters.