Clearing Out

"My apologies everyone, I got a bit carried away and couldn't hold back. Looks like one less head to give you all."

Ling Yun flicked the blood droplets from his arm and turned to face Xu Hu and the others, his eyes flashing with an unusual red glow.

Those he stared at felt a chill grip their hearts, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

"Old Bloodrot! Didn't you say that brat was only relying on that Spirit Artifact?"

"What's going on?!"

Xu Hu's face twitched, wishing he could split the guy in two with a single strike.

Old Bloodrot didn't answer, as his own expression was equally grim, completely baffled as to where his assessment had gone wrong.

At this moment, faint bloody wisps began to appear in Ling Yun's eyes. It was clear that the continuous slaughter had ignited his primal ferocity, and a burning sensation pulsed within his heart.

But he rather liked this feeling!

A look of enjoyment spread across Ling Yun's face. With a flash, he appeared before Tie Shi in the next instant.

The surrounding individuals were startled but dared not intervene, wisely retreating backward.

Tie Shi, facing Ling Yun directly, felt his burly frame tremble and instinctively took a step back.

However, he quickly regained his composure, a surge of anger rising within him. As the master of the Copper Skin Martial Hall, he had always been the one others feared. When had he ever been in such a sorry state?

"Brat! I'll kill you!"

Tie Shi's face grew increasingly enraged. His muscle-bound physique began to shimmer with a metallic sheen, a testament to his Vajra Body being pushed to its absolute limit.

He carried no weapon, for his body was the strongest weapon.

He slammed his fists into his chest like a berserk gorilla and charged directly at Ling Yun.

Ling Yun watched this display with an unchanged, cold expression.

The Vajra Body indeed offered formidable defense, but rigidity invited breakage. Once subjected to damage exceeding its limit, it would become utterly useless!

Swish!

The moment Tie Shi lunged, Ling Yun's wrist flicked, and a blade of light slashed upward, cleaving through his entire body.

Tie Shi's body instantly froze. A line of blood slowly appeared from the point of impact.

The next moment, a torrent of blood erupted from the wound!

"Aaaargh!!"

Intense pain washed over him, and Tie Shi let out a miserable howl.

However, Ling Yun's gaze held no trace of pity. He merely looked at the still-thrashing Tie Shi with a hint of surprise, as he hadn't held back with that strike.

"Interesting. If you can survive this blow, I might just spare your life today."

As he spoke, terrifying Blood Essence surged forth. The Thousand Machines in Ling Yun's hand began to emanate specks of bloody light.

Soon, the entire blade was engulfed, appearing from afar like a long, blood-red saber forged from pure blood.

The blood-red saber exuded a terrifying pressure, but Tie Shi, consumed by pain, had completely lost his reason. Far from showing fear, he roared and charged forward.

The two figures crossed paths.

Accompanied by a streak of bloody light soaring into the sky, Tie Shi's tower-like figure suddenly froze in place. A bloodstain appeared, starting from his brow.

As a gust of wind blew, his entire body slid apart to the sides, his internal organs scattering across the ground.

Ling Yun ignored the gruesome scene behind him, contentedly gazing at the blood-red saber in his hand.

Combining the Blood Blade Manifestation ability with the Thousand Machines had been a spur-of-the-moment idea. However, judging by the current results, it seemed to be quite effective.

Not only was the Blood Essence consumed significantly less, but the power had not diminished. At least, breaking through the defense of a martial artist specializing in external hardening was as simple as slicing through paper.

At this moment, Old Bloodrot, watching from a distance, finally realized something upon seeing the blood-red saber in Ling Yun's hand. He cried out in terror.

"Blood Blade Manifestation! Bloodforging Realm!"

"What!" Xu Hu and the others were stunned at first. Then, their gazes fixed on the blood-red saber, and they felt as if struck by a heavy hammer. The words "Bloodforging Realm" repeated endlessly in their minds!

For them, no, for all Spirit Conduit Realm martial artists in Cloud City, the greatest dream was to one day successfully step into the Bloodforging Realm.

Yet, most people couldn't even touch the threshold of this realm, even with a lifetime of effort.

But here was this young man, at such a tender age, already standing at the pinnacle of their aspirations. This filled them with bitterness, and an indescribable fear.

"Run!"

Xu Hu and the others completely lost the will to resist. Without hesitation, they unleashed their movement techniques and scattered in all directions.

"Heh heh, don't rush off. I'm just getting started."

Seeing this, Ling Yun let out a cold laugh and vanished from his spot once more. In the next instant, he appeared before Old Bloodrot.

The others, a flicker of joy in their hearts, ran even faster.

"Damn it, why me!" Facing the whistling blood-red saber, Old Bloodrot cursed inwardly.

The gruesome fate of Tie Shi was still vivid in his mind. He didn't dare to resist and, disregarding his pride, rolled on the ground.

The blade's edge grazed his cheek, and the sharp blade energy made his skin prickle as if being pricked by needles.

"Kid, you're only relying on the advantage of your weapon. If you've got the guts, put it down!" Old Bloodrot scrambled to his feet, staring at the massive crack gouged into the ground. The corner of his eye twitched involuntarily.

He had only said it casually, not expecting it to work, but to his surprise, Ling Yun actually put away Thousand Machines as he said.

So he's still too young and can't handle a little provocation! Old Bloodrot rejoiced inwardly. Immediately, a Fish Gut Dagger slipped from his sleeve, the Low-Grade Spirit Tool he had bought at a high price back then.

With a flick of his wrist, the dagger streaked like a black light, biting towards Ling Yun's chest like a venomous snake.

However, Ling Yun's eyes held a trace of mockery. Without even looking at the dagger closing in on his chest, he directly slapped towards Old Bloodrot's forehead.

Before the attack even landed, the sharp palm wind caused Old Bloodrot's expression to change drastically. With no time to think, he shifted his sword's trajectory, thrusting it directly into Ling Yun's palm.

"Clang!"

It was as if he had struck the hardest profound iron in existence. Old Bloodrot's face flushed red, feeling an irresistible, violent force spread from the tip of his sword through his entire body. His arm went numb, and the sword was immediately flung from his grasp, spinning away into the distance.

But he didn't have time to lament it. Using that force, he propelled himself backward at high speed, disappearing from the scene in the blink of an eye.

That's right, this was his true escape route!

Ling Yun watched the direction Old Bloodrot had fled, his eyes narrowing slightly, his expression unreadable.

A drop of crimson blood appeared on his palm, but before it could fall, he casually wiped it away.

The next moment, his figure had already vanished from his original spot.

Not far away, sounds of shouting and explosions began to erupt, but they quickly subsided into silence.

A short while later, Ling Yun reappeared, casually tossing a blood-soaked old man's head onto the ground.

The head rolled twice, landing face up. Although its features were somewhat distorted, one could still vaguely recognize it as Old Bloodrot, who had just fled!