At the rear courtyard of the City God Temple.
"What kind of people are you? Why have you kidnapped us?"
"My father is the richest man in Qingcheng. If you're after money, name your price."
Among the bound captives, a young man in brocade robes nervously glanced at the black-clad men beside him.
In his eyes, these people had kidnapped him for nothing more than money.
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
Next time, I'll make Father replace my martial artist bodyguard with someone stronger.
"My family can pay too. Ransom me."
"Mine too."
The other captives spoke up in unison.
"Shut up!"
The mysterious man waved his hand, and a streak of cold light shot from his palm.
The nearest young man's neck erupted in a spray of blood, and he slowly crumpled to the ground.
The blood gushing from his neck instantly dyed the ground red.
The other captives were so terrified by the sudden murder that they all froze on the spot.
Not one of them dared make another sound.
"Heh heh... Only fresh blood." The mysterious man extended his crimson tongue and gently licked away the bead of blood hanging from his dagger. A look of intoxication spread across his face. "That's what my darling likes."
With that,
his hands blurred into afterimages. In the blink of an eye, he completed nine intricate hand seals in one fluid motion.
As the final seal fell, a dazzling light suddenly flared beside him, and a formation materialized out of thin air.
Immediately afterward, a one-armed Yang Kui slowly stepped out.
The mysterious man promptly ordered, "Eat him."
Yang Kui obeyed. His body abruptly twisted, and he lunged straight at the still-warm corpse of the young man.
Amid the hair-raising sounds of "crack, crack,"
the bound captives' faces turned as pale as paper. Their entire bodies trembled violently, and the clatter of ropes against teeth rang out even more clearly than the sounds of chewing.
In less than ten breaths, the young man's corpse had been devoured so completely that not even bone fragments remained.
Meanwhile, Yang Kui's severed arm slowly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing an entirely new arm.
"Ah—"
Suddenly, a young woman's scream exploded through the rear courtyard like a thunderclap, ringing in everyone's ears.
The mysterious man whipped around and looked toward the rear courtyard entrance. When he saw the uniforms of the Heavenly Realm Division on Wei Qing and the others, he smiled mysteriously. "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 hiding its head and showing its tail. You have no right to judge the Heavenly Realm Division." Wei Qing coldly retorted, "Will you surrender on your own, or should I break your fifth limb and make you kneel?"
"Interesting!"
Before the mysterious man's voice had even faded, his figure had already appeared in front of Wei Qing. His five fingers curved like hooks as they clawed toward Wei Qing's throat!
The next instant,
a fist shadow suddenly blasted out from beside Wei Qing!
"Bang!!"
Fist and claw collided, true essence exploding! Chen Feng and the mysterious man were each forced back three steps, while the green bricks beneath their feet shattered inch by inch.
Killing intent surged in Chen Feng's eyes. He said in a deep voice, "The Ghost Corpse Sect's 'Eagle Claw Hand,' Cheng Hao. I've finally found you."
"Ke ke ke..." Cheng Hao laughed sinisterly, his voice hoarse and rasping like sandpaper. "I never expected to run into you here."
He slowly raised his hand. His knuckles were an unnatural blue-black. "Chen Feng, we'll settle the score from last time today!"
"Kill!"
"Come and die!"
Before the words had even left their mouths, the two men simultaneously shot forward. Fist winds and claw shadows interwove as killing intent erupted in all directions!
"Jun Wushang, protect Miss Zhang!"
As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Jun Wushang to respond, Wei Qing shot out like a bolt of lightning and appeared before Yang Kui in an instant, his long saber cleaving straight down!
Yang Kui raised his arm to block.
"Clang—!!"
Dazzling sparks flew!
Wei Qing felt a faint numbness in his web. His blade seemed to have struck a century-old piece of dark iron and could not advance another inch.
His heart jolted. What terrifying defenses!
Yang Kui's dead, silent pupils suddenly flushed blood-red. He abruptly raised his right arm, and his five fingers clamped down toward Wei Qing's crown like iron pincers!
Wei Qing spun and retreated a step, then pushed off the ground with his toes and leaped into the air.
Cold light flashed repeatedly overhead. Four saber rays struck the vital points around Yang Kui's body one after another.
Amid the shower of sparks,
a crack split open across Yang Kui's chest with a "crack," and two poisoned silver needles shot out with the sound of a mechanism.
"Wei Qing, watch out! Those are the Ghost Corpse Sect's Soul-Shattering Needles!"
Shen Yan hurriedly warned him.
"Commander Shen, you'd better worry about yourself." Yan Qingshan gave a sinister smile.
The instant Wei Qing leaped away, the people on both sides surged forward like two torrents and slammed violently into each other.
Amid the flashing blades and swords,
Yan Qingshan intercepted her path, both palms taking on an ominous blue-gray hue.
"You're courting death!"
Shen Yan pressed a point at her waist. With a sharp "shing," a streak of cold light burst forth as the Black Gold Soft Sword left its sheath, transforming into a sharp arrow that stabbed toward Yan Qingshan's eyes.
"Heh heh, we'll see who ends up dead and who survives."
A string of hoarse, icy laughter rolled from Yan Qingshan's throat as he advanced instead of retreating.
His right hand had turned iron-blue. His five fingers curled like hooks and suddenly clamped down on the incoming soft sword—
"Clang—!"
The ear-piercing ring of metal colliding exploded through the air. The Black Gold Soft Sword was actually seized in his palm by force! The blade trembled violently.
"Commander Shen, this sword really is—"
Before he could finish, a silver line swept through the air. His right arm, still gripping the sword, slowly slid from the elbow and fell away...
"Plop."
The severed arm slammed onto the ground, its five fingers still holding the sword.
"Ah..."
The belated pain swept through his entire body. Yan Qingshan staggered back two steps, cold sweat instantly soaking through his back.
He stared fixedly at Shen Yan's left hand. At some unknown point, she had acquired a slender sword as fine as a silver hairpin, and a bead of blood slowly hung from its tip.
"Mother-Child Sword."
"Die!"
Shen Yan suddenly accelerated. Her figure transformed into a silver afterimage, the sword tip aimed straight at Yan Qingshan's heart.
"Stop her!"
Clutching the wound on his severed arm, Yan Qingshan retreated frantically.
At his command, the three black-clad death warriors of the Yan Family shot forward with weapons in hand, sealing off Shen Yan's path of attack.
For a moment, the four of them became locked in a melee.
Jun Wushang, Zhang Xue, Zhu Huan, and the others also sprang into action, each engaging another black-clad fighter.
Just as Wei Qing was considering Yang Kui's defensive weakness, the corner of his eye caught sight of a red dot on Yang Kui's neck.
He changed the angle of his blade and suddenly thrust toward the red dot.
Yang Kui's figure retreated explosively.
Unfortunately, he was still too late.
The instant the long saber pierced the red dot, Yang Kui's retreating body abruptly stopped as if bound by an immobilization spell.
Wei Qing seized the opportunity and infused his true essence into the long saber.
"Swish, swish..."
Four streaks of cold light flashed, and all four of Yang Kui's limbs were severed.
At that very moment,
Cheng Hao, who was locked in fierce battle with Chen Feng, suddenly shuddered.
Immediately afterward, a mouthful of blood uncontrollably sprayed from his lips.
He whipped his head around and happened to witness Yang Kui's body—connected to him by their minds—powerlessly collapsing, its severed limbs scattered across the ground.
"Bastard!" Cheng Hao's eyes widened in fury, blood vessels crawling across them. He roared, "I'll kill you!"
Before you continue