Night's Killing Intent

Night's Killing Intent

Night.

Darkness cloaked the old, dilapidated Old Town District. The murky air was still thick with dampness and rot, but to most of the lower-class residents, this was already considered a decent place to settle down.

Yet from within one of the unremarkable residential buildings came a series of dull explosions. At their loudest, the residents upstairs and downstairs could even feel the ground and walls trembling.

Some people were dissatisfied.

But no one dared come over to complain.

Anyone capable of making such a commotion could no longer be considered an ordinary person. They had to be cultivators who had evolved.

Most of the people living here were ordinary folk. They did not dare offend a cultivator.

Li Yi was so absorbed in practicing his punches that he failed to notice how much noise he was making and how it was affecting the neighbors.

At that moment, sweat poured from him like rain. His gaze was as bright as a torch. Bare-chested, with every muscle sharply defined, he resembled a fierce beast in its prime. With every movement of his hands, Punch Force burst forth, shattering the air and sending dust pattering down from the ceiling.

After these past few days of tempering himself day and night,

Li Yi had gained a deeper understanding of Fist Technique. Through training, he could now unleash Punch Force from every part of his body.

His legs, knees, elbows, and shoulders. He could even drive force through his fingertips, making the air explode with a flick of his finger and sending power three inches deep.

However, he had never received systematic instruction, nor did he have a Master to continue guiding him. He could only rely on his own exploration and comprehension. As a result, his punches had no pattern at all. He merely followed the direction in which his body exerted force and unleashed Punch Force.

Such unstructured Fist Technique was extremely dangerous.

Every move was a killing blow, making it very easy to lose control and take someone's life.

But Li Yi was a novice and did not understand this. He only wanted to unleash the most powerful punch possible, and nothing more.

"I'll rest for a while and eat something to replenish my strength."

Suddenly,

Li Yi exhaled. He lowered his Punch Stance, wiped the sweat from his body, then picked up the Golden Nutrient Solution on the table and gulped down two large mouthfuls.

After finishing it, he immediately sat down, closed his eyes, and focused on recovering.

With the aid of the Golden Nutrient Solution, his stamina recovered rapidly and his nutrition was fully replenished. The injuries he had suffered in the Danger Zone had also healed completely, leaving no hidden problems behind. Not only that, his muscles had grown fuller, and his body had become even stronger.

After resting for only twenty minutes, Li Yi was once again brimming with energy and strength.

This was the formidable recovery ability of a cultivator.

"I've more or less figured out my force-release techniques. Now I need to link them together and form a unique series of moves. What happened last time when I fought that Biao can't happen again." Li Yi thought to himself.

It was easy for him to unleash Punch Force once, but launching blow after blow required his body to adapt and adjust.

Otherwise, if one punch failed to kill his opponent and the second punch could not follow, he might well find himself in danger.

However, just as Li Yi was preparing to continue honing his Fist Technique,

suddenly,

his phone rang.

Li Yi glanced at it and discovered that it was Lu Jue calling. Without thinking, he immediately answered. "Hello, Lu Jue?"

Lu Jue spoke in a low, grave voice from the other end. "Li Yi, don't speak yet. Listen to me. Just now, a very close friend of mine suddenly contacted me. He said he'd received a private assignment. Someone is coming to kill you tonight, and they'll be here soon."

"Li Yi, I don't know whether you've offended someone, but you're in grave danger tonight. If you believe me, run now. It'd be best if you left this city. I can't help you much; I can only warn you. That's all. I'm hanging up."

Lu Jue's voice was urgent. He hung up as soon as he finished speaking.

Receiving such news without warning, Li Yi could not help freezing.

Someone wanted to kill him?

How could that be?

He had been cultivating alone at home, keeping to himself. He had not offended anyone.

Could it be Yang Yilong?

No.

Impossible. Yang Yilong had obtained the Fist Technique and was probably still studying it. Until he had fully mastered it, he had no reason to kill Li Yi.

Wait.

Suddenly,

something occurred to Li Yi.

"Could it be Old Crow and his group? If they learned that I hunted down a Biao, they might suspect that I have a rare treasure on me. A rare treasure would be enough to make those people take the risk of openly killing someone in the Old Town District."

The moment he realized this, Li Yi's heart began pounding violently.

Were his previous worries about to become reality?

Leave!

That was the first thought that flashed through Li Yi's mind.

But soon, his gaze fell on his parents, who were still lying unconscious inside the Medical Pods in the bedroom, and he halted.

If he left, what would happen to his parents? Who would care for them?

What if he simply walked away and the other side took his parents hostage?

"No. I can't leave."

Li Yi's eyes glimmered in the dim living room. Then a wave of killing intent surged into his heart. "Old Crow is a cultivator, and so am I. They want my life, but now I want theirs too."

"If they dare come tonight, I'll make sure they don't leave."

At that moment, he clenched his fists and made up his mind.

However, right then,

Li Yi's ears twitched. He heard faint footsteps in the corridor outside, as though someone were coming upstairs.

Normally, he would not have cared. The building housed more than just him, and hearing footsteps going up and down was perfectly ordinary.

But these footsteps were far too soft, far quieter than an ordinary person's movements. Without listening carefully, he would not have noticed them at all.

This meant that whoever was coming upstairs was deliberately slowing their steps.

And that was not all.

Li Yi suddenly looked toward the window as well. Outside, he heard the sound of something climbing.

"Have they come so soon?" He took a deep breath, then picked up the bottle of golden Nutrient Solution from the table and drained it in one gulp.

Practicing punches consumed a great deal of stamina. Li Yi needed to eat his fill first.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

Then,

the doorbell rang.

An unfamiliar male voice came from outside. "Is this Li Yi's home? Mr. Li's home? You have a delivery here. Please sign for it."

Delivering packages this late at night?

Even an excuse had to make sense.

Li Yi was already standing beside the door. He did not move, not even daring to breathe.

A cultivator who was not in the Spirit Medium Realm could not sense him through the door.

"They're not trying to use the delivery as an excuse to launch a surprise attack. They want to confirm whether I'm home before deciding whether to act. And judging by this, whether I respond or not, they'll enter my home to investigate. There also seem to be cultivators climbing up the wall outside." Li Yi's mind was exceptionally clear as he thought to himself.

"So I'm surrounded?"

"In that case, I'll strike first."

Li Yi's gaze flickered as he lowered his head slightly and looked at his hands.

His hands began trembling for no apparent reason.

Had his body already realized that he was going to kill someone today?

Was it excitement or fear?

Ding-dong, ding-dong!

The doorbell continued ringing, growing increasingly urgent.

"Li Yi, is Mr. Li home?"

At that moment, outside the door, a cultivator who had entered the Spirit Medium Realm held a knife in one hand and pressed the doorbell with the other. He stood in the dim corridor, his eyes faintly gleaming with vicious intent.

Beside him stood two other Spirit Medium Realm accomplices.

Their eyes glimmered as well, fixed intently on the door.

As long as Li Yi dared open it, the two of them would immediately use Gaze Strike to plunge him into brief dizziness, then coordinate their attack and complete the mission in an instant.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong~!"

The doorbell rang once more.

The cultivator knocking frowned. "Could the information be wrong? Is that Li Yi not home?"

However, at that very moment,

"Boom!"

The old entrance door suddenly boomed. A hole exploded open, and a fist shot through it, lunging straight at the cultivator standing outside.

"Hm?"

The cultivator holding the weapon reacted instinctively. His pupils abruptly contracted, and he subconsciously retreated a step.

But he was too slow.

The fist drove several inches farther and slammed directly into his face.

Terrifying Punch Force erupted.

As the sound of breaking bones echoed, the fist sank deeply into the cultivator's face, as though it had nearly pierced straight through his entire head.

Blood began pouring out, and his body spasmed unnaturally.

The cultivator lost consciousness instantly and collapsed stiffly to the floor, never moving again.

The other two cultivators outside the door were stunned by the sudden scene.

"Li Yi, you really are home." A low growl suddenly came from a corner inside the room.

The figure behind the door seemed drawn by the voice. He immediately withdrew his fist and swiftly retreated.

The sound of shattering glass rang out.

Several figures actually smashed through the window and entered.

The leader was none other than Old Crow, who had crossed paths with Li Yi a month earlier.