The surging Vital Blood within Wang Yuan's body was ignited in an instant, boiling furiously.
A far more violent sense of power than before erupted with a bang, flooding every inch of his body.
The muscles across his body bulged slightly, veins writhing beneath his skin like horned dragons.
Driven by that burning Vital Blood, Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone unleashed even more terrifying potential!
"Mountain Breaking Spear Technique—Cloud Break!"
Wang Yuan gave a low shout and stomped hard, shattering the bluestone bricks beneath his feet.
His figure shot forward like a ghost.
The Black Dragon Spear in his hand let out a shriek that seemed to tear through the air.
A pinpoint of cold light condensed at the spear tip and shot straight for Zhao Hu's throat.
Its speed and power surpassed before by far more than a single level!
"You little bastard, I was just about to come looking for you, and you delivered yourself to your death."
"Die! Black Tiger Saber Technique!"
Zhao Hu was shocked and enraged. Feeling the deadly threat, his ferocity was forced out as well.
He endured the scorching pain in his eyes as the Vital Blood of his Second Blood Change circulated at full force.
The broadsword in his hand gleamed with dark light, carrying a bleak and savage Killing Intent.
Like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, he neither dodged nor evaded, hacking fiercely toward Wang Yuan.
He was actually trying to meet attack with attack, relying on his superior cultivation to forcibly suppress Wang Yuan!
Clang!
Bang!
Spear shadows twisted like dragons, saber light pounced like tigers.
The two instantly became locked in battle.
Within the main hall, the clash of metal rang out as sparks scattered in every direction.
Their violent bursts of force spread outward, smashing and flinging away the surrounding tables, chairs, and candlesticks.
The longer Zhao Hu fought, the more alarmed and stifled he became.
He had originally believed that with his Second Blood Change cultivation and the Black Tiger Saber Technique he had honed for years, even if he had been caught off guard and ambushed—
As long as he steadied himself, he would surely be able to crush his opponent with his deep cultivation.
Yet reality gave him a vicious slap across the face.
Wang Yuan's strength was simply too terrifying!
Even with his Vital Blood running at full force and every ounce of his strength spent, every collision between saber and spear left his arms numb and aching, his tiger's mouth split open.
That Black Dragon Spear seemed to be no ordinary iron weapon.
It was like a true evil dragon, every bite incomparably heavy and enough to make his heart tremble.
But what tormented Zhao Hu even more was Wang Yuan's spear technique.
That Mountain Breaking Spear Technique appeared to have only three basic moves.
Yet bolstered by Wang Yuan's terrifying strength and the Blood Burning Technique, it became incomparably domineering and sharp.
"Cloud Break" was a thrust as swift as lightning.
"Mountain Collapse" was a sweeping strike with the strength to shake a thousand jun.
"Moon Lift" was a block that cleverly diverted force.
The three moves cycled endlessly, suppressing his refined Black Tiger Saber Technique until he was bound hand and foot.
Though he possessed Second Blood Change cultivation, he was comprehensively suppressed in strength, speed, and even the savagery of his moves.
He could only rely on his greater experience and a ruthless streak to hold on with difficulty.
Yet several bloody wounds had already been carved across his body by the spear wind, leaving him in a miserable state.
"How is this possible? He's only at the First Blood Change! Why?"
"Is talent really this unreasonable?"
Zhao Hu screamed madly in his heart, on the verge of collapse.
Meanwhile, Steward Huang, hiding beneath a table, saw through the gap that Zhao Hu was being pressed down by a youth, covered in blood. He was so frightened that his soul nearly fled his body.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Zhao Hu's eyes were crimson, and he looked like a crazed tiger.
He knew that if this continued, he would undoubtedly die.
"I have to stake everything on one blow!"
He suddenly spat out a mouthful of essence blood onto the blade. Its momentum immediately rose another thirty percent, carrying the grim aura of mutual destruction.
Ignoring the openings in his own defense, Zhao Hu poured all his strength into one slash at Wang Yuan's head.
This was a life-for-life style of fighting!
"Good!"
Facing Zhao Hu's desperate strike,
Wang Yuan's eyes were cold as iron. Not only did he not retreat,
He instead poured all the power in his body, together with the violent Vital Blood driven by the Blood Burning Technique,
And the surging brute strength of Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone, into the Black Dragon Spear.
One spear to decide victory or defeat!
One force to break ten thousand techniques.
Under the pressure of life and death,
A flash of inspiration struck him, and all his insights into the Mountain Breaking Spear Technique instantly merged together in his mind.
The intent of "Mountain Severing" had never been clearer.
It was not mere brute force, but a state of intent condensed to the utmost—nothing it could not shatter, nothing it could not break.
"Mountain Severing!"
Wang Yuan gave a low shout. The Black Dragon Spear in his hand seemed to come alive, no longer a simple straight thrust.
The instant it stabbed out, the spear shaft vibrated at high speed with a mysterious rhythm.
All its force and Vital Blood were compressed and condensed into a single point at the spear tip!
Splurt!
There was no earthshaking clash.
The Black Dragon Spear's tip struck with absolute precision at the weakest point in Zhao Hu's desperate slash.
That force, condensed to the very limit, erupted instantly!
Crack!
The refined steel saber in Zhao Hu's hand snapped in two.
The spear tip did not slow. Before Zhao Hu's terrified and despairing eyes, it easily tore through his body and pierced his chest.
"Urgh..."
Zhao Hu's body suddenly stiffened. He lowered his head to look at the bloody hole gushing from his chest.
Then he looked in disbelief at Wang Yuan, who stood before him with his spear withdrawn, his eyes filled with regret and unwillingness.
At last, the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed. His robust body crashed to the ground with a bang, devoid of breath.
Zhao Hu, leader of the Black Tiger Gang and a Second Blood Change martial artist, was dead!
Wang Yuan stood with his spear in hand, breathing lightly as he felt the rushing Vital Blood within him and the clearer, more complete understanding of spear technique in his mind.
A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
The Mountain Breaking Spear Technique had broken through to the realm of Minor Accomplishment in this battle!
Then Wang Yuan turned his cold gaze toward the heavy rosewood table.
Beneath it, Steward Huang had long since gone pale with terror, trembling all over.
When he saw Wang Yuan looking his way, his soul nearly scattered.
He scrambled out from under the table, not even bothering about the dust covering him.
Steward Huang dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing like a pounding pestle, his voice thick with tears:
"G-good sir! Hero, spare me! Spare my life!"
"I... I'm a steward of the Huang Family in the Inner City! You can't kill me."
"If you kill me, the Huang Family will never let you go."
"You'll be hunted by the Huang Family to the ends of the earth, and die without a burial ground!"
He first tried to use the Huang Family's name to frighten Wang Yuan.
But seeing that Wang Yuan's gaze remained icy, he hurriedly changed his tune and threw out bait:
"As... as long as you spare me, I'll pretend nothing happened today."
"All the Black Tiger Gang's savings, all the gold, silver, and treasures Zhao Hu collected—they'll all be yours! Every last bit."
"I guarantee it in the Huang Family's name. We absolutely won't pursue this matter. Please, spare my life!"
Though he begged and made promises aloud, inwardly he was crazily cursing and swearing:
"Little bastard! As long as you let me go today, once I return to the Huang Family, I'll report this to the master and gather experts to pull out your tendons, strip your skin, and hack you into ten thousand pieces."
"And your family too—none of them will escape. I'll make you understand the price of offending the Huang Family!"
Listening to Steward Huang's blustering threats and utterly insincere begging,
Wang Yuan smiled.
But that smile was so cold that it held not the slightest trace of warmth.
"After killing you..."
He spoke lightly, his voice calm yet carrying a chilling coldness.
"Wouldn't all these things still be mine?"
The pleading expression on Steward Huang's face instantly froze.
It was replaced by boundless horror and disbelief.
He had not expected his opponent to be so decisive.
He actually did not take the Huang Family's threat seriously in the slightest!
The Huang Family was one of the Three Great Families of Gaoye City, with hands and eyes reaching everywhere.
As a minor steward of the Huang Family, no one had ever dared offend him wherever he went.
"You... how dare you? The Huang Family won't—"
Splurt!
Before Steward Huang could finish his threat,
The Black Dragon Spear in Wang Yuan's hand had already become a bolt of black lightning, sweeping precisely across his neck.
Steward Huang's eyes widened as his head flew high into the air, terror and confusion still frozen across his face.
Even in death, he seemed unable to understand why this youth dared kill a member of the Huang Family so recklessly.
Was he not afraid of such a calamity crashing down upon him?
Then the headless body swayed before collapsing limply to the ground, blood dyeing the floor red.
Wang Yuan withdrew his spear, his expression utterly unmoved.
Let him go?
That would have been the true road to death!
Only the dead kept secrets.
As for the Huang Family's retaliation?
From the moment he learned that the Huang Family had tacitly allowed Zhao Hu to move against his family,
The two sides had already become enemies.
He did not waste another moment and swiftly began searching the bodies.
Zhao Hu first.
From the close-fitting clothes on his body, Wang Yuan found several specially made bearer silver notes.
Their denominations were not small. Together, they were likely worth nearly a thousand taels.
He then found two manuals. One was the Black Tiger Saber Technique.
The other was called the Turtle Breath Technique, seemingly a method for concealing one's aura.
Wang Yuan had no time to examine them closely. He put them all away to inspect once he was safe.
Next came Steward Huang.
Aside from a heavy money pouch containing quite a bit of silver,
The most important gain was a palm-sized cloud-patterned token, golden throughout and engraved with the character "Huang."
It felt warm and smooth in his hand, clearly made from extraordinary material.
This was likely the symbol of Huang Family status.
If melted into gold, it should sell for quite a lot of money.
But just as he finished putting the items away,
Faint commotion and hurried footsteps came from afar outside, mixed with shouts:
"What happened? What's going on inside?"
"Gang Leader? Steward Huang?"
"Quick! Go in and take a look!"
Clearly, the fighting here and the earlier loud crash had finally alerted the Black Tiger Gang members outside.
A large force from the Black Tiger Gang was rushing over.
Wang Yuan's gaze sharpened. He knew he could not remain here for long.
There was no way he could kill dozens of people in one go.
That would surely draw the authorities' attention.
He swiftly swept his gaze around, then lightly swung the Black Dragon Spear, knocking over every still-burning candlestick and oil lamp in the room.
"Whoosh!"
Flames instantly engulfed the curtains, tables and chairs, as well as the corpses and bloodstains on the floor.
Thick smoke began to rise!
Before the fire had fully spread and obscured the line of sight.
Wang Yuan moved, unleashing Chasing Wind Leg with all his strength as he silently shot out through the shattered rear window.
With a few leaps, he melted into the deep darkness outside and vanished without a trace.
Behind him, flames gradually rose within the Black Tiger Gang headquarters' main hall, while thick smoke billowed.
Mixed in were the panicked shouts of the gang members and cries to put out the fire, plunging everything into chaos.
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