"Not good!"
Wang Yuan cried out inwardly, knowing he had already been exposed.
He had no time to think about who these people were or what they were doing.
The intense sense of danger made him turn without hesitation, pushing the power of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone to its limit as he fled for his life toward the alley's exit.
"Chase!"
That hoarse voice came from behind him, followed by the sound of robes tearing through the air!
Wang Yuan did not dare look back. He drove his speed to the limit, weaving madly through the maze-like lanes.
The dense strange fragrance and icy Killing Intent behind him clung to him like maggots on bone, relentlessly pursuing him.
Wang Yuan pushed the endurance and speed granted by Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone to their utmost limits.
He did not dare take the main roads. He could only rely on his memory to dart through the narrow, complicated gaps between homes, trying to shake off his pursuer.
Yet the Black Robe was astonishingly fast as well, clinging to him like a ghost. The distance between them kept shrinking.
Heavy footsteps and the sound of robes slicing through the air rang like death warrants, growing ever clearer.
At last, at the end of a dead-end alley piled high with debris and nearly deserted, Wang Yuan found his path blocked.
He stopped abruptly, turned around, and pressed his back against the cold wall, panting heavily as his chest rose and fell.
The pursuing Black Robe strolled forward unhurriedly.
His broad cloak swayed faintly in the night wind, concealing his entire face.
Only that hoarse, mocking voice came from beneath the hood:
"Run, then. Why did you stop running?"
"This little rat's legs are quite nimble."
He tilted his head, seemingly admiring Wang Yuan's bedraggled state.
"Since you run so fast, I'll break your legs first and see how you run after that!"
Icy Killing Intent spread through the air as though it had substance.
Wang Yuan lowered his head, his eyes cast down. Sweat slid from his forehead and dripped into the dust at his feet.
He seemed to have given up resisting from exhaustion and fear. His voice trembled with despondency.
"I... I don't dare run anymore..."
"Hmph!"
The Black Robe sneered, his tone full of contempt and cruelty.
"A worm that has not even completed the First Blood Change dares spy on the grand plans of our Incense God Cult?"
"You truly do not know whether you are alive or dead!"
Before his words had faded, he moved like a viper emerging from the darkness.
A withered hand with jet-black nails shot out, clawing straight for Wang Yuan's throat.
It was so fast that it left an afterimage.
Yet at the instant he struck, Wang Yuan, who had kept his head lowered all this time, moved.
This was the very moment he had been waiting for—when his opponent looked down on him and let his guard slip!
Whoosh!
A handful of dazzling red chili powder, which he had long been gripping in his hand, was flung straight at the Black Robe's face.
The timing of this strike was exquisite down to the finest hair.
It came at the very instant when the Black Robe's mind had slackened slightly from his contempt.
"Ah! My eyes!!"
Caught completely off guard, the Black Robe had not expected the brat before him to be so vicious and ruthless.
But the scorching powder had already invaded his eyes.
His rushing body jerked to a halt. Both hands instinctively flew up to cover his face, his attack instantly collapsing and leaving him wide open.
Now!
A fierce glint flashed through Wang Yuan's eyes. The strand of Rock-Solid Qi and Blood within him began circulating madly at an unprecedented speed, and the potential of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone erupted in full.
He stomped down hard, leaving fine cracks in the Blue Stone slabs beneath his feet, and shot forward like a cannonball.
Panshi Fist!
Wang Yuan roared inwardly, clenching his right fist.
That punch, gathering all his qi and blood, strength, and will, flew without any flourish and smashed solidly into the Black Robe's chest, exposed by pain.
Bang!!
A dull impact sounded alongside the distinct crack of breaking bones.
Like a man struck by a charging wild bull, the Black Robe was flung backward. He crashed heavily into the alley wall before sliding down limply.
His cloak fell into disarray, revealing the pale, agonized face of a middle-aged man.
He spat out a great mouthful of blood with a "Wah," his eyes filled with disbelief.
He could never have imagined that this brat, whose aura was so weak, not only fought with such underhanded methods, but also possessed such terrifying strength!
That punch had nearly shattered every bone in his chest and injured his internal organs.
How could a brat who had not even achieved the First Blood Change possess such strength?
"You... you..."
He wanted to say something, but Wang Yuan gave him no chance.
The thought of that bizarre ritual just now, the incense stabbed into the corpses, and the other man's undisguised Killing Intent—
There was not a shred of pity in Wang Yuan's heart, only the resolve that either one of them would die.
He could not hold back. He could not give his opponent even the slightest chance to catch his breath and counterattack.
Strike while he was sick; take his life.
Wang Yuan pounced forward like a crazed tiger.
He unleashed the moves of Panshi Fist in the most primitive, most violent manner possible.
Fists, elbows, knees...
Every part of his body that could attack carried the immense force of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone and the heaviness of Rock-Solid Qi and Blood, raining down madly upon the Black Robe's vital areas—his head, neck, chest, abdomen, and more.
Bang! Bang!
Crack! Splat!
The sounds of splintering bones and mangled flesh rang without end.
"Stop hitting me..."
"I surrender..."
"What? You still have the strength to talk?"
Wang Yuan was instantly startled and hurriedly increased his strength.
At first, the Black Robe could still let out a few weak cries and curses.
But soon, his voice faded away, leaving only futile convulsions.
Wang Yuan hammered away tirelessly until the man beneath him had completely fallen silent.
Only when his entire head and upper body had been beaten into a bloody, unrecognizable mess—
Did he finally stop as though drained of all strength, bracing his hands on his knees and gulping down air. Warm blood had splattered all over his body.
Only Wang Yuan's heavy breathing and the dense stench of blood remained in the alley.
After several breaths, Wang Yuan slowly straightened and looked at the gruesome corpse on the ground.
There was no joy of victory on his face. Instead, a trace of astonishment and disbelief appeared.
"This... this guy... was that weak?"
He felt the qi and blood within him, though greatly depleted, still surging powerfully.
Then he looked at the corpse of this First Blood Change martial artist on the ground, his heart filled with absurdity.
In his original understanding, the First Blood Change was already the realm of experts he had to look up to.
Perhaps someone on the level of Zhao Hu, the Black Tiger Gang's leader.
But this Black Robe before him, apart from being faster, had reactions, resistance to blows, and adaptability in battle that were simply... too weak to withstand a single strike!
After Wang Yuan's sneak attack succeeded, he had been beaten to death alive with almost no ability to fight back?
"Could it be... not everyone who completed the First Blood Change is as strong as I imagined?"
"Or could it be... my Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone is even more formidable than I thought?"
Wang Yuan looked at his hands, still stained with sticky blood, his eyes full of uncertainty and shock.
He quickly forced down the distracting thoughts in his mind. He knew this was no place to linger.
He had to deal with the corpse as quickly as possible and leave immediately!
Suppressing the discomfort brought by the thick stench of blood, Wang Yuan crouched down and swiftly searched the mangled corpse of the Black Robe.
His movements were quick, alarm bells ringing wildly in his heart. He had to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.
The first thing he felt was something hard.
He pulled it from the man's robes. It was a thin booklet made of some unusual material, with two ancient-looking words written on its cover—"Chasing Wind Leg."
This was actually a leg technique martial art.
Wang Yuan had no time to inspect it closely and stuffed it directly into his chest.
Next, he found a heavy money pouch. When he opened it, he found neatly arranged silver ingots inside.
A rough glance showed there had to be no fewer than a hundred taels!
The people of the Incense God Cult were certainly rolling in money.
Wang Yuan accepted it without ceremony.
After finishing his looting, he immediately took out the small black porcelain bottle Senior Disciple Brother had given him—Bone Dissolving Water.
When he pulled out the stopper, a pungent acidic smell spread through the air.
He did not dare pour too much. Carefully, he dripped two or three drops onto the corpse's largest wound in its chest.
Sizzle!
A teeth-aching sound rang out, accompanied by a plume of white smoke.
Where the corpse touched the Bone Dissolving Water, its flesh immediately began dissolving and rotting at a visible speed, giving off an even fouler odor.
Yet just as the white smoke rose and the corpse began to dissolve—
Clap, clap, clap...
A burst of crisp applause suddenly came from the direction of the alley entrance.
Every hair on Wang Yuan's body stood on end. He jerked his head up and looked over.
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