Poison-Tipped Arrow

With killing intent set, the breakthrough came in an instant!

The newborn power surging through Lin Feng's body was like raging tides. It not only shattered the barrier of his cultivation but temporarily suppressed the piercing pain beneath his ribs.

He braced one hand against the ground and sprang up. The hem of his bloodstained Flying Fish Robe cut a resolute arc through the air.

His previously feeble aura suddenly surged, and an even fiercer, more domineering presence swept outward!

Hao Tianhu, who had been about to step forward and finish Lin Feng, abruptly halted. The mocking smile on his face instantly froze, turning to shock and suspicion.

"You?!" He could clearly sense that Lin Feng's inner force had risen to the late stage of Ninth-Rank Martial Artist in the blink of an eye!

What unsettled him even more was this.

The clawed hands his opponent raised were curved in a manner that carried an indescribable ancient savagery. The faint golden gleam swirling around Lin Feng's fingertips made even Hao Tianhu, an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, feel a faint prickling pain in his skin!

"Playing tricks! So what if you break through at death's door? Die for me!"

Though startled, Hao Tianhu did not panic. His Eighth Rank cultivation gave him absolute confidence.

With an angry roar, he drove the Evil Tiger Heart-Plucking Palm to its peak. His whole body truly became like a furious tiger as he pounced again with the force to tear everything apart!

This time, his palm wind was even fiercer, with bloody inner force faintly bursting through his palm. He had clearly gotten serious, determined to kill with a single blow!

Facing this savage palm strike, powerful enough to split steles and shatter stone, Lin Feng's eyes remained icy, though a trace of disdain had appeared within them.

Eight Desolations Sky-Rending Claw—what it tore apart was not merely metal and stone, but a martial artist's courage and techniques as well!

He neither dodged nor evaded, thrusting his right claw straight into the bloody palm wind!

There was no earthshaking display, only an ultimate sharpness and rupture!

Screech—!

It was like a hot knife slicing into butter!

The bloody palm force, enough to shatter a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist's arm bones, was forcibly "torn" apart and annihilated the instant it touched the faint golden claw light!

Hao Tianhu felt an irresistible tearing force erupt from his palm. The inner force he had gathered was effortlessly broken apart as though it were paper-mâché!

His face changed drastically. It was already too late to switch techniques!

Crack!

A grating sound of bones breaking rang out!

Lin Feng's fingers hooked like claws around Hao Tianhu's wrist, then twisted and yanked viciously!

Blood sprayed as Hao Tianhu let out a shrill scream. The bones in his entire right wrist had been crushed, leaving the hand dangling limply!

"My hand!" Hao Tianhu's face twisted in agony, his eyes filled with incredulous terror.

How was this possible?

His palm force, his Eighth Rank cultivation, had been broken by this bizarre claw technique in a single exchange?!

Lin Feng pressed his advantage without mercy. His body followed like a shadow, and his left claw came after it, aimed straight at Hao Tianhu's vital chest!

The claw wind was razor-sharp, as if it truly meant to rip open the heavens!

Hao Tianhu was scared out of his wits. Enduring the pain of his shattered wrist, he gathered all the inner force of his life into his left arm and desperately blocked!

Pfft!

The claws sank three inches into flesh!

Though they did not directly pluck out his heart, that terrifying tearing force had already penetrated his body!

Hao Tianhu suffered a crushing blow. He spat blood wildly and flew backward like a torn sack, crashing heavily onto the stone steps before the main hall and leaving spiderweb cracks across them!

He struggled to rise, only to vomit several more mouthfuls of blood. His aura instantly declined to its lowest point. His internal organs had clearly been severely damaged, and he no longer had the strength to fight.

The Imperial Brocade Guards, who had originally been cowed by Hao Tianhu's aura, now looked at Lin Feng with shock and reverence.

Hao Tianhu lay on the stone steps, watching Lin Feng approach step by step. Not a trace of arrogance remained on his face, only horror and fear.

"You... what martial art is this?! Eagle Claw Skill could never possess such power!"

Lin Feng looked down at him from above, his voice devoid of even a trace of warmth. "A dying man need not ask so much."

At those words, all color drained from Hao Tianhu's face. Yet he somehow forced out a twisted, mocking smile and coughed up blood as he spoke.

"Cough... haha... Lin Feng, so what if you won? Do you dare kill me?

The Wang Family... the Wang Family will never let you go! Even Zhou Gang cannot protect you! Kill me today, and tomorrow will be your death day!"

Lin Feng crouched down, his cold gaze meeting Hao Tianhu's eyes, which were full of fear despite his attempt to act tough. "The Wang Family's dog is quite loyal.

But your master is probably too late to save you."

It was as though Hao Tianhu's sore spot had been struck—or perhaps he knew death was certain. Instead, a savage streak was provoked in him, and he rasped out.

"Pah! Lin Feng, don't dream of prying even half a word from me! The Wang Family showed me kindness. Even if I die, even if I am sliced into a thousand pieces, I will never betray the Wang Family!

Give up on that thought! If you have the guts, give me a quick death! I'll wait for you below!"

His words were fervent, and he put on the appearance of someone who faced death without fear, loyal and righteous to the end, trying to recover a shred of dignity with this final display of "backbone."

He even hoped to frighten Lin Feng into granting him a quick death.

At this, the cold curve of Lin Feng's lips rose again. Yet there was not the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes, only killing intent chilling enough to freeze the blood.

"Oh? Sliced into a thousand pieces? I never expected Gang Leader Hao to have such refined tastes.

Fine. Since you have requested it yourself, I shall grant your wish. I'll let you taste the flavor of death by a thousand cuts and see whether your bones are truly as hard as your mouth."

As he spoke, he pressed two fingers together like a blade. Inner force circulated around his fingertips as he slowly reached toward the skin of Hao Tianhu's chest. The movement was slow and deliberate, and the psychological pressure it brought was far greater than a swift strike.

The shadow of death and the imagined agony of ultimate suffering instantly crushed Hao Tianhu's feigned toughness.

Seeing Lin Feng's fingers about to touch his skin, Hao Tianhu suddenly shuddered. All the savagery and "loyalty" on his face instantly crumbled, turning into the most primal terror and pleading!

"No! Don't! Banner Chief Lin! Grandfather Lin! Spare me! Spare my life!"

Tears and snot streamed down Hao Tianhu's face as he struggled to kowtow despite his grievous wounds.

"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! I'll tell you all about the Wang Family! I only beg you to show mercy and spare this dog life of mine! I don't want to die! I don't want to be sliced into a thousand pieces!"

This sudden change of face happened so quickly that it left everyone dumbfounded.

Lin Feng withdrew his fingers and coldly watched him grovel like a mangy dog wagging its tail for pity. "Talk."

Hao Tianhu felt as though he had been granted amnesty. He greedily sucked in several breaths and hurriedly said,

"It was the Wang Family... the Wang Family's eldest young master, Wang Teng!

He ordered our Fierce Tiger Gang to secretly clean up those merchants who refused to submit to the Wang Family. He was also the one who told us to find a chance to get rid of you.

Because you investigated cases too seriously and obstructed the Wang Family's affairs... For this ambush, he also sent word that Zhou Gang would order the troops withdrawn, giving me a chance to..."

He spoke extremely quickly, afraid that Lin Feng would change his mind if he spoke too slowly.

However, just as he was about to reveal more crucial information, such as Wang Zhenting's specific plans or other secrets of the Wang Family—

Whoosh!

An incomparably sharp whistle tore through the air!

A black streak, faster than the eye could follow, shot out from the shadows of a distant rooftop!

Pfft!

Blood burst forth!

An entirely black, strangely shaped arrow precisely pierced through Hao Tianhu's throat!

The tremendous force even snapped his head backward, pinning him firmly to the stone steps!

Hao Tianhu's eyes bulged wide, filled with extreme terror and unwillingness. A leaking gurgle came from his throat as blood poured out like a spring.

Even more terrifyingly, the deadly poison coating the arrowhead took effect instantly. The skin around his wound turned blackish-purple at a visible rate, and his life force ebbed away like a receding tide. He clearly would not survive.

Everything had happened in the span of a spark!

Lin Feng abruptly looked up, his gaze shooting like two sharp swords toward the rooftop shadows where the arrow had come from. Yet there was no one there, only the faint sound of night wind passing over the tiles.

The scene was silent as death.

Every Imperial Brocade Guard clenched the hilt of his blade and nervously scanned the surroundings.

Lin Feng looked at Hao Tianhu, his throat pierced and poison about to claim his life. His face was so grim it seemed capable of dripping water.