Counterattack

Time trickled by, and the sky gradually darkened.

Yang Heng knew his chance had come!

He glanced back and saw the two men, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, their speed noticeably slowing, looking utterly spent.

But he still didn't act rashly, fearing it was a trap to lure him in.

Yang Heng's guess was correct; it was indeed a trap set by the two.

As soon as Yang Heng turned to fight back, they would surge their Blood Essence, their bodies instantly reaching peak condition, and deliver a fatal blow.

But Yang Heng didn't take the bait, no matter how long they waited, infuriating the two men to no end.

They truly hadn't expected a normal person's stamina to be better than theirs, two martial artists. It was like seeing a ghost.

They still had some energy left and weren't willing to give up just yet, or their previous efforts would be in vain.

Moreover, this was the closest they had ever been to an Intermediate Martial Art, so they had to see it through.

Thus, they gritted their teeth and continued to pursue Yang Heng.

Even at this point, the two were still not giving up, looking as if they wouldn't rest until he was dead. Yang Heng was puzzled.

After all, he had no deep-seated hatred with them, nothing that would warrant such persistence.

If it wasn't for revenge, it must be for profit.

Li Kui must have offered them an irresistible price.

Thinking this, Yang Heng let out a cold laugh. He was actually afraid they would stop chasing.

If they came to capture or kill him again, he wouldn't be prepared, and his life would be in danger.

To prevent the two from losing their resolve, Yang Heng deliberately slowed down, keeping them at a steady pace, giving them hope.

As expected, when the two saw Yang Heng slowing down, their eyes lit up, and their faces showed joy.

Heaven must be pitying them; this brat was finally running out of stamina.

The two exchanged glances, seeing the excitement in each other's eyes, as well as a deep resentment towards Yang Heng.

"Damn brat, toying with us like this! Once we catch you, we'll have to torture you properly, break all your limbs, and make you crawl on the ground barking like a dog to vent our anger."

Liu Xin's eyes flickered with malice as he said fiercely.

"Yes, we must teach him a lesson. Ever since I started practicing martial arts, I've never been this angered by a normal person. He actually treated us like dogs on a leash, how detestable!" Zhang Meng's eyes were red, filled with rage.

With that, the two adjusted their states, mustered their strength, gripped their sharp long sabers, and strode towards Yang Heng.

Under the night sky, the sabers glinted with a blinding cold light, and a chilling aura permeated the air.

The night grew colder.

The usually chirping wilderness, at this moment, was eerily silent, all birds and beasts having fallen quiet.

A quarter of an hour passed quickly.

Yang Heng's stamina was well-preserved. It was only because he deliberately put on a show of being out of breath, sweating profusely, stumbling, and moving at less than half his original speed.

He also kept looking back, his eyes filled with panic.

Seeing Yang Heng in this state, the two rejoiced, knowing his stamina was almost depleted.

At this very moment, they too were at their limit, their sabers trembling precariously, their grips unsteady, their faces pale.

But they weren't worried about their own condition at all. Three years of martial arts practice meant they had trump cards.

Before the Blood Strengthening Realm, there was actually another realm: the Blood Brave Realm, which was where Liu and Zhang were currently at.

This realm existed between ordinary people and Martial Artists. Their physiques hadn't changed much, and there was no qualitative breakthrough, so they weren't recognized by the Martial Artist community. Privately, they were called Blood Brave Disciples.

Blood Brave Disciples were naturally no match for Martial Artists, but they had a significant advantage against ordinary people.

This realm was divided into two stages: sensing Blood Essence and accumulating Blood Essence.

Martial artists in the sensing Blood Essence stage were only slightly stronger than ordinary people and were very likely to lose their lives when facing fierce bandits.

Martial artists in the accumulating Blood Essence stage experienced a significant breakthrough in strength, with physical qualities far exceeding ordinary people, long-lasting stamina, and reaction speeds three to four times faster than ordinary people.

The most special aspect was that Martial Artists in this stage could burn their own Blood Essence to instantly boost their strength, with the duration depending on their Blood Essence capacity.

Igniting one's own Blood Essence, although it greatly increased one's power, had severe side effects.

Afterward, the body would be extremely weak, unable to practice martial arts for a year, and during this period, blood-replenishing items were required for recovery.

Of course, this was not absolute.

With top-grade blood-replenishing items, such as aged ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, and some blood-replenishing pills, the body could recover quickly.

This move was a killer move, a desperate trump card, usually only used when facing a life-threatening crisis.

Zhang Meng and Liu Xin were both disciples in the accumulating Blood Essence stage and could use this move.

This was also the confidence they had in pursuing Yang Heng despite their greatly reduced strength and exhaustion.

Compared to the value of an Intermediate Martial Art, they could afford this price.

Yang Heng was no fool.

Seeing that the two were clearly exhausted, unable to hold their sabers, and almost dropped them, yet still wanting to pursue him, Yang Heng knew they must have a trump card, a decisive trump card!

Otherwise, they wouldn't be so fearless.

The night grew deeper.

The few people ran through the desolate mountains and wild fields by moonlight. There were no lights around, and signs of human activity were rare.

Huff... huff...

The intense gasps echoed through the silent wilderness, sounding like drumsticks beating a hide drum.

Inhale... exhale...

Inhale... exhale...

They ran for an unknown amount of time.

Zhang Meng and Liu Xin were now completely spent, collapsing to the ground, panting heavily.

Their muscles ached, their limbs were weak, and their vision blurred.

The long sabers they never left their sides had also fallen to the ground.

Moments ago, they had mustered their last bit of strength, desperately chasing Yang Heng. They saw him getting closer and closer, his retreating figure clearly visible, seemingly within reach.

Gritting their teeth, they pushed themselves to keep up, oblivious to their rapidly depleting stamina.

After running for an unknown time and distance, Yang Heng felt a slight fatigue. The jerky he had eaten was gone, and he had used up a little more than half his stamina.

But he still had the strength to fight!

Seeing the two collapse to the ground, exhausted and weak, Yang Heng remained cautious.

He scanned his surroundings and noticed that the ground was covered in dirt and stones.

A slight smile touched his lips; he had an idea.

He picked up a fist-sized bluestone and threw it with all his might at the two men's heads.

The stone whistled through the air with impressive force, like a cannonball being fired.

To Yang Heng's surprise, the stone actually hit one of the men in the head.

Blood splattered instantly, and faint cracking sounds could be heard.

From a distance, the man who was hit had a bloody, mangled face and was motionless, appearing to be dead.

"Did he actually die?"

Yang Heng was suspicious.

Were martial artists' bodies this fragile?

Yang Heng didn't dare to be careless. He didn't approach to check if the man was truly dead. Instead, he retreated a few steps, maintaining a safe distance of about ten zhang, and continued to pick up stones, throwing them at the injured man's head.

He could lift three hundred jin with one hand. The stones he threw with all his might were not to be underestimated; they could even create small craters in the ground.

If one hit didn't kill him, several more certainly would!