A Brawl Sparked by a Scream!

City God Temple, rear courtyard.

"Who exactly are you people? Why did you kidnap me?"

"My father is Qingcheng's richest man. If you're here for money, name your price."

Among the bound crowd, a young man in a brocade robe looked nervously at the black-clad men beside him.

As far as he was concerned, this group had kidnapped him for nothing more than money.

This was not the first time it had happened.

Next time, I'll definitely have Father hire me an even stronger martial guard.

"My family can pay too, to ransom me."

"And mine."

The other captives all spoke up at once.

"Too noisy!"

The mysterious man flicked his hand, and a cold glint shot from it.

Blood burst from the neck of the young man closest to him, and he slowly crumpled to the ground.

The blood gushing from his neck instantly dyed the ground red.

The remaining captives were left frozen by the sudden murder.

None of them dared make another sound.

"Hehe... only fresh blood like this." The mysterious man extended his crimson tongue and gently licked away the beads of blood hanging from his dagger, an intoxicated expression appearing on his face. "My darling likes it."

As he spoke.

His hands became a blur of afterimages. In the blink of an eye, he formed nine intricate hand seals in one fluid motion.

As the final seal fell, a brilliant light suddenly flared beside him, and a formation appeared out of thin air.

Immediately afterward, a one-armed Yang Kui slowly stepped out.

The mysterious man immediately ordered, "Eat him."

Yang Kui moved at the command, whirling around and pouncing straight at the young man's still-warm corpse.

Amid the chilling sounds of crunch, crunch.

The bound captives turned pale as paper and trembled all over. The clatter of rope and teeth was even clearer than the sound of gnawing.

In less than ten breaths, the young man's corpse had been devoured without even a scrap of bone left behind.

Meanwhile, Yang Kui's mutilated arm slowly healed at a visible rate, growing an entirely new limb.

"Ah—"

Suddenly, a girl's scream exploded beside everyone's ears in the rear courtyard like a thunderclap.

The mysterious man abruptly turned toward the rear courtyard entrance. Once he recognized the Heavenly Realm Division uniforms on Wei Qing and the others, he gave a mysterious smile. "The Heavenly Realm Division's nose truly lives up to its reputation. I didn't expect you to find this place so quickly."

"You're nothing but a rat that hides its head and shows its tail. You're not qualified to judge our Heavenly Realm Division." Wei Qing shot back coldly. "Will you surrender and let yourself be bound, or shall I break your fifth limb before you kneel and surrender?"

"Interesting!"

Before the mysterious man's words had faded, he was already in front of Wei Qing, his five fingers hooked like claws as they seized for Wei Qing's throat!

The next instant.

A fist shadow suddenly blasted out from beside Wei Qing!

Bang!!

Fist and claw collided, and True Essence exploded! Chen Feng and the mysterious man each staggered back three steps, while the blue bricks beneath their feet cracked inch by inch.

Killing intent surged in Chen Feng's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Cheng Hao of the Ghost Corpse Sect's Eagle Claw Hand. I've finally found you."

"Hehehe..." Cheng Hao chuckled sinisterly, his voice hoarse as sand scraping together. "I never expected to run into you here."

He slowly raised his hand, its knuckles an unnatural bluish-black. "Chen Feng, today is the perfect day to settle our old score as well!"

"Kill!"

"Die!"

Before their words had even landed, both men erupted into motion. Fist winds and claw shadows intertwined, killing intent spraying in all directions!

"Wushang, protect Miss Zhang!"

The moment the words left his mouth, without waiting for Jun Wushang's reply, Wei Qing shot out like lightning. He flashed before Yang Kui and brought his long saber hacking down!

Yang Kui raised an arm to block.

Clang—!!

Blinding sparks burst forth!

Wei Qing felt his tiger's mouth go slightly numb. His blade had struck as though it had hit century-old dark iron, unable to advance another fraction.

Alarm rose in his heart. What terrifying defense!

Blood-red light suddenly surfaced in Yang Kui's dead eyes. He raised his right arm and clamped his five fingers down toward Wei Qing's crown like iron pincers!

Wei Qing spun and retreated a step, then tapped off the ground and leaped upward.

Cold light flashed repeatedly in midair as four saber arcs, one after another, slashed at Yang Kui's vital points.

Amid flying sparks,

Yang Kui's chest cracked open with a crack, and two poisoned silver needles shot out violently with the sound of a mechanism.

"Wei Qing, be careful! Those are the Ghost Corpse Sect's Soul Severing Needles."

Shen Yan hurriedly warned him.

"Shen Zhenshou, you should worry about yourself instead." Yan Qingshan smiled sinisterly.

The instant Wei Qing leaped away, the two sides surged together like twin torrents and slammed into each other.

Amid flashing blades and dancing swords.

Yan Qingshan cut off her path, both palms glowing with an ominous blue-gray hue.

"Courting death!"

Shen Yan pressed at her waist. With a whoosh, cold light burst forth as the Black Gold Soft Sword left its sheath, turning into an arrow aimed at Yan Qingshan's eyes.

"Hehe, who will live and who will die is still uncertain, isn't it?"

A string of hoarse laughter rolled from Yan Qingshan's throat. Rather than retreat, he advanced.

His iron-blue right hand hooked its five fingers like claws and viciously clamped down on the incoming soft sword—

Clang—!

A piercing metallic crash rang out. The Black Gold Soft Sword was actually caught barehanded in his palm! Its blade trembled violently.

"Shen Zhenshou, this sword really is..."

Before he could finish speaking, a silver line flashed through the air, and the right arm holding the sword slowly slid off from the elbow...

Thud.

The severed arm hit the ground, its five fingers still clenched around the sword.

"Ah..."

The delayed pain swept through his body. Yan Qingshan staggered back two steps, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

He stared fixedly at Shen Yan's left hand—at some point, she had somehow gained a slender sword as thin as a silver hairpin, a drop of blood slowly hanging from its tip.

"Mother-Child Sword."

"Die!"

Shen Yan suddenly accelerated, turning into a silver afterimage as her sword point shot straight for Yan Qingshan's heart.

"Stop her!"

Yan Qingshan retreated rapidly while clutching the wound of his severed arm.

At his command, three black-clad dead warriors of the Yan Family sprang into action with weapons in hand, sealing off Shen Yan's route of attack.

For a moment, the four were locked in a chaotic melee.

Jun Wushang, Zhang Xue, Zhu Huan, and the others also acted, each taking on the remaining black-clad men.

Just as Wei Qing was considering Yang Kui's defensive weakness, the corner of his eye caught a red dot on Yang Kui's neck.

His saber trajectory shifted, stabbing fiercely toward that red dot.

Yang Kui rapidly retreated.

Unfortunately, he was still a step too late.

The instant the long saber pierced the red dot, Yang Kui seemed to have been struck by a body-freezing spell. His retreating body abruptly halted.

Wei Qing seized the opportunity and poured the True Essence within him into his saber.

Swish, swish...

Four flashes of cold light appeared, and Yang Kui's limbs were severed all at once.

At that very moment.

Cheng Hao, who was fighting Chen Feng fiercely, suddenly shuddered.

Then, a mouthful of blood burst uncontrollably from his mouth.

He whipped his head around, just in time to see the Yang Kui linked to his mind collapse weakly, its severed limbs scattered across the ground.

"Bastard!" Cheng Hao's eyes flew wide, blood vessels crawling across them as he roared, "I'll kill you!"