Slaying

"Master!"

Seeing the familiar face of the newcomer, Ran Min's tiger-like eyes brimmed with tears, and his heart surged with boundless excitement.

Then, beneath everyone's astonished gazes, his mighty body dropped to its knees like golden mountains collapsing and jade pillars toppling.

"Master! Your disciple has failed in filial duty. All these years, I was unable to remain by your side and serve you, nor did I fulfill the vow I made back then to slaughter every last barbarian. Now, not only have I allowed A Kakin to reach the gates, I have even troubled you into coming here personally. My sins are so grave that even ten thousand deaths could never atone for them!"

Upon the city wall, Ran Min cried out in anguish. Thinking of how he had spent all these years resisting the barbarians without often paying his master a visit, and how he had still failed to drive them completely from Yan, shame flooded his heart and hot tears streamed without end.

"Hehe, foolish child, you have already done very well. If our positions were exchanged, even your master might not have done better than you."

Seeing Ran Min in such a state, Gu Han smiled faintly from his aged face and consoled him, his tone filled with satisfaction.

"But, Master, I failed to defeat A Kakin. Now I have even allowed him to break through into the Legendary Realm, and he is attacking my city. I..."

Hearing Gu Han's comfort, Ran Min was deeply moved. His voice choked, and for a moment, he could not even speak.

Perhaps before outsiders, he was still the godlike commander, invincible in every battle and unmatched beneath heaven—the "Martial Mourning Heavenly King." But before his master, he had always been that uneasy twelve-year-old boy who declared that he would become number one beneath heaven.

He had been then, he was now, and he would be in the future!

"Haha! Foolish disciple, since your master has come here today, I naturally will not allow your city to fall. Since you believe A Kakin has broken through to the Legendary Realm and cannot be matched by force, then your master shall enter the enemy ranks and slay him. The barbarian army will collapse on its own.

Let this be a gift from your master, in celebration of our reunion after so many years!"

Gu Han smiled calmly at this. Then, from atop the city wall over a dozen zhang high, he leaped down. Like a shooting star, he streaked across the void before crashing heavily onto the ground in an instant, smashing out a pit several meters across!

"Master, no! Open the city gates! Quickly, open the gates and let my master in!"

Seeing Gu Han descend alone to face the barbarians' army of thousands upon thousands, Ran Min's eyes nearly split from rage as he shouted urgently.

Though his master had once been powerful, he was now advanced in years. Whether he could defeat A Kakin in single combat was already unknown, let alone when A Kakin had tens or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers supporting him. This was simply no different from courting death!

Ran Min was frantic, but A Kakin and the other barbarians were equally astonished when they saw someone suddenly leap down from the distant city wall.

"Who is this old thing? How does he have such courage? He actually dares to face my army alone, treating my myriad troops as though they were nothing. Is he looking for death?"

A Kakin revealed a look of shock and asked the barbarian general beside him.

How powerful were the five senses of a Legendary Realm expert? Though Gu Han stood over a thousand meters away, he seemed as close as if he were right before A Kakin's eyes. Naturally, A Kakin saw him clearly.

"My King, I have not seen this man before either. However, since he possesses such courage and can leap down from a wall dozens of zhang high without the slightest injury, he is surely no ordinary man. I ask that Your Majesty proceed with caution."

Upon hearing A Kakin's question, the barbarian general answered respectfully.

"Haha! Slin Da, you underestimate this king too much. I am a peerless expert of the dignified Legendary Realm. How could I possibly be injured by some random person who appeared out of nowhere?

In my view, even if this man has some skill, he is nothing more than an ant on the ground before me. I can destroy him with the turn of a hand!"

A Kakin sneered and waved his hand. A five-chi-long divine bow, reddish-brown from end to end, appeared in his grasp from atop his horse.

"Go!"

Looking at Gu Han in the distance, A Kakin nocked an arrow and drew the bowstring with force. The next instant, a fiery-red pure steel arrow carrying his formidable Inner Qi shot toward Gu Han like a cannonball.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Sonic booms rang out one after another. The sharp arrow tore through the air, raising waves of force as it flew toward the powerful enemy in the distance with incomparable might.

"Heh!"

Seeing the terrifying arrow coming at him, contempt flashed through Gu Han's eyes. He gave a cold laugh and turned his palm over. Terrifying Half Spiritual Power erupted instantly, plunging the world several chi around him into darkness, as if he had seized the sun, moon, and stars, or captured endless sunlight.

At the same time, it seized the rapidly approaching arrow in an iron grip!

"Screech, screech, screech, screech..."

The fiery-red pure steel arrow ground fiercely against Gu Han's hand, scattering sparks in all directions.

In his hand, this violent arrow—which could batter down cities and destroy walls, comparable to a small cannon shell from the first world—was now like a trapped beast in a cage. No matter how it struggled or raged, it could not break free!

"What?!"

"How is this possible?!"

"This is impossible!"

Gu Han's move not only filled A Kakin, Sijada, and the other barbarians in the distance with terror, but also left Ran Min and the many generals atop Xiongyuan City utterly dumbfounded. They even forgot to issue the order to open the gates.

The barbarians had always excelled at archery, and A Kakin stood at their pinnacle. He had long been known as the number one divine archer beneath heaven. Since breaking through to the Legendary Realm yesterday, his archery had become unmatched beneath heaven.

With one arrow, he was confident he could injure not only ordinary experts at the great completion or peak of the Internal Qi Realm, but even Internal Qi Realm experts like himself.

Yet this man had faced his arrow without suffering the slightest wound? What kind of monster was this?

A Kakin was terrified, but his mind did not stop working. He rapidly considered a solution, then soon shouted loudly.

"Pass down the order! The entire army is to obey my command and charge forward to kill! Today, we swear to slay this thief without fail! Any who disobey will be executed!"

A Kakin waved his longsword as he issued orders, yet he himself retreated again and again. From that arrow just now, he could see that although he had attained the Legendary Realm, he was no match at all for that mysterious old man who had appeared from nowhere. Charging forward would only be seeking death. Only by hiding at the rear and launching a sneak attack might he have a sliver of a chance to kill him!

A Kakin rode his blood-red steed as he retreated repeatedly. Beneath him, the treasured horse's four hooves stamped in succession, seeming to send flames surging upward. In a single breath, it covered dozens of meters, as though it had transformed into a bolt of lightning. Its speed was inconceivable.

But though it was fast, Gu Han was faster!

In the distance, after catching that arrow, Gu Han soared into the air, walking through empty space like an immortal from legend.

One Reed Crossing River—one of Bodhidharma's three supreme martial techniques.

Step, step, step...

Gu Han employed his Lightness Skill. At times, he glided through the void like an immortal; at others, his feet stepped upon soldiers' heads as though treading reeds, borrowing their force. With every step, Half Spiritual Power erupted instantly, killing all soldiers within nearly a zhang.

Until he arrived several dozen meters from A Kakin!

"Die!"

Upon seeing A Kakin, Gu Han's aged body suddenly accelerated, weaving like a phantom across the heads of countless barbarian soldiers.

At last, toward A Kakin,

he pointed with one finger!

Boom!

At the instant Gu Han's finger descended, powerful Half Spiritual Power erupted, terrifying as a stone shattering the heavens.

In that instant, a flawless emerald-green finger, perfect as a work of art, appeared above A Kakin's head. Like heavenly punishment, it descended toward his skull.

"Ah!"

Seeing this terrifying strike descending, A Kakin was horrified beyond measure. He shouted and raised both palms high, releasing boundless Inner Qi that formed two palm prints as large as millstones, attempting to block the terrifying attack.

Pop!

A sound rang through the void. Under the pressure of that emerald-green finger, the two enormous Inner Qi palm prints were effortlessly pierced like tofu before dissolving into endless streams of air.

A Kakin and the blood-sweating treasured horse beneath him were instantly smashed to pieces under the overwhelming force of that emerald-green finger, their bones ground to dust and not a whole corpse left behind!