Kill

"Die, you old bastard!"

Fang Yuan let out a furious roar. The muscles in his back twisted, like a roc spreading its wings.

A tremendous force surged from his back to his arms, then from his arms to his elbows and wrists, all the way to his fingertips.

Crack, crack!

The joints throughout his body snapped and popped, like a series of levers. After passing through them all, how many times greater was his original strength?

"Eagle Claw Hand!"

Watching this scene, Lin Leyue was utterly shaken, unable to compose herself.

She had seen Yu Qiuleng, a renowned practitioner of Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt in the sect, make a move. But she had to admit that aside from his deeper cultivation, he was immediately outclassed by this youth in sheer presence and spirit.

Was this really Brother Fang from before?

Lin Leyue's beautiful eyes flickered. No one could tell what she was thinking.

"He actually... he's actually this..."

Xiao Qing's mouth gaped wide, and she had completely forgotten to act like a proper young lady.

At that moment, she could think of only one thing: If Fang Yuan had... had used his full strength back then, would I have survived?

In truth, she was overestimating Fang Yuan.

Back then, Fang Yuan's mastery of Eagle Claw Skill had been nowhere near as sharp as it was now. But with the system at his side, his progress in martial arts had been advancing by leaps and bounds.

Sayings like "After three days apart, look at them with new eyes" suited him to a T.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The wind from his claws howled, tearing at the air. Before his move even landed, the force rushing toward Song Zhong's face already stung like a blade.

"Good lad!"

Song Zhong sighed again and again. His face flushed red once more, and his hands danced through the air, forming a Sky Curtain. "Demonic Wind Hand!"

Bang!

Claw met palm, and a startling blast of air rang out.

Whoosh!

Amid flying dust, Fang Yuan's figure shot backward, then landed steadily on the ground, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Your Internal Breath... and your stamina—how can they be so formidable?"

Song Zhong stood rooted to the spot, his face full of bewilderment. Then he sneered. "Too bad... no matter how formidable you are, you can never make up the gap in rank... cough, cough..."

Halfway through his words, he spat out another mouthful of purplish-black blood.

"If you were a normal Sixth Gate expert, I'd naturally have fled at the first sign of you... but, you old dog, how much longer can your body hold out?"

Fang Yuan rolled the joints in his hands, making them crackle.

He had heard of the Return to Life Pill. It could heal injuries once and maintain a person at their peak, but that was all. Still, Elder Li's injuries later on, and the attacks from Lin Leyue and the others earlier, had not been for nothing.

"Y-You old dog?!"

Song Zhong froze. Even Lin Leyue's eyes widened.

"You... brat, you're dead!"

Song Zhong was so furious his seven orifices smoked. As a pampered hero of the Martial Dao Seventh Gate, when had he ever endured such humiliation?

Even when he had been expelled from the sect, it had been over a disagreement, with blood spilled within five paces.

But this brat dared to humiliate him to his face?

Even Lin Leyue could hardly believe it. She almost felt as if the world had turned upside down.

"Hahaha... old dog, it's not yet clear who'll live and who'll die!"

Fang Yuan laughed heartily and charged forward with a fierce assault, giving Song Zhong no chance to recover. "Take this—Eagle Claw Combo!"

Song Zhong was already at the end of his strength, but his foundation remained. If Fang Yuan gave him time to catch his breath and recover, not one person on their side would be a match for an Inner Breath martial artist.

So the one secret to victory was to keep hounding him without letup!

Fang Yuan had plenty of confidence in that.

After all, his Essence Yuan was nearly twice that of an ordinary person, which meant he had an exceptionally powerful capacity for recovery and endurance.

And the combined Internal Breath of Black Sand Palm and Eagle Claw Iron Cloth Shirt, both at the fifth layer, was enough to narrow the gap a little.

Hiss, hiss!

The wind from his claws cut through the air, tearing at the senses.

"Impossible! How can you recover so quickly?"

A trace of astonishment crossed Song Zhong's face. He suddenly gritted his teeth. "You think you can wear me down?"

His face had been flushed red as blood, but now Blood Beads truly seeped from his pores. "Blood Demon Disintegration, Burn the Soul and Consume the Spirit!"

This was his last-resort secret art. It could suppress his injuries and force out the last of his strength. He had already used it once to kill Elder Li. Using it again now put an even greater burden on him, until his body felt like a torn sack.

"Die! Demonic Wind Hand—Blood Palm!"

Song Zhong abruptly rushed forward. Blood seeped from the pores of his right hand, forming a scarlet palm print that collided with the Eagle Claw Hand from a distance.

Bang!

Amid another thunderous crash, Fang Yuan was sent flying backward. His expression changed, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood. "What a rush!"

His eyes burned with fervor. He launched himself forward again. "Again!"

"This brat... could he be a lunatic?!"

There was no denying it: this reckless, life-for-life fighting style made even Song Zhong afraid.

Whoosh, whoosh!

At that moment, the voices of people outside rang out one after another, accompanied by the sound of clothes cutting through the air. Clearly, experts were rushing toward them at full speed.

Song Zhong's expression shifted. He turned and fled at once, disappearing into the dense forest.

Given the situation, there was no way he could kill this pair of 'adulterers.' His only option was to lie low and wait for an opportunity.

In any case, there would certainly be another chance within seven days. The youth in front of him was especially troublesome; unless he recovered somewhat, he had little confidence he could take him down.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Seeing Song Zhong flee, Fang Yuan shouted. Ignoring the cries of alarm behind him, he immediately chased after him.

How could he let Song Zhong get away?

Even knowing the nature of the Return to Life Pill, this world was vast. Song Zhong might yet have some kind of fortuitous encounter and return to cause trouble. Unless he saw the man die with his own eyes, Fang Yuan would never be at ease.

And was there a better opportunity than this one?

Song Zhong's fighting strength had undoubtedly hit rock bottom. He hadn't even managed to take down Fang Yuan, a mere Fifth Gate martial artist, right away. This was the perfect moment to kill him.

If Fang Yuan let it slip, he might never get another chance.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Through the Mountain Forest, the two ran one after the other, covering an unknown distance.

This old ghost really has endless stamina. Could it be the pills?

Seeing that the distance between them was not closing but growing, Fang Yuan was speechless.

"Old dog, don't you want to know how your precious son died?"

He glanced around, rolled his eyes, and shouted.

"What?"

Sure enough, at the sound of those words, Song Zhong, who had been running at full speed, stopped as if struck by lightning. He slowly turned around, fixing Fang Yuan with sharp eyes. "What do you know? Speak!"

They were still some distance from the main group. Even if he delayed a little, he would have enough time to escape. Since this concerned the real killer, Song Zhong made up his mind at once.

"Who killed that little bastard... heh..."

Song Zhong had stopped, but Fang Yuan's steps did not slow. He caught up at once, shaped both hands into eagle claws, and struck downward. "Go ask your son. Won't that tell you everything?"

"Whelp!"

Song Zhong's expression turned cold. "You really think I can't kill you?!"

He raised both palms, their centers slightly sunken, carrying a force of terrifying power.

Bang!

Fist and claw met. Song Zhong's expression abruptly changed. "That's not right... you..."

He staggered backward again and again, staring at his hands. Several clear holes had appeared in his palms, and black blood was trickling out.

"You used poison... no, this is poison-based martial arts... Black Sand Palm... so it was you!"

His eyes turned blood-red, and he lunged forward. But halfway there, his strength gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

"I hate this! I hate this so much!"

Song Zhong howled. He stared at the black Qi spreading across his palm, then at Fang Yuan, his gaze so full of hatred it seemed he wanted to skin him alive and tear out his tendons.

If he had known that his son's killer was right in front of him, Song Zhong would never have been so cautious earlier. Even if it meant dying together, he would have dragged Fang Yuan down with him.

But now, he had fallen for a trick and no longer had the strength to fight back.

"You took the seven-day Return to Life Pill, then used secret arts over and over to force out your Essence Yuan. Your body was already ruined... Under my Black Sand Palm, there's no way you'll survive. This time next year will be your death anniversary!"

Fang Yuan's expression was cold. He took out another King of Hell's Post and swallowed it.

Song Zhong was worthy of being an expert of the Three Dangerous Gates. Just now, Fang Yuan had hidden the force of Black Sand Palm inside his Eagle Claw Hand. Though he had wounded Song Zhong, the man's Internal Breath had struck back, causing some of the Mutated Pearl-tailed Snake's poison to flow back into Fang Yuan. It had harmed them both.

But Fang Yuan had the King of Hell's Post, an excellent antidote, so he had nothing to fear.

Song Zhong wasn't so lucky.

"Old Master, please be on your way."

Fang Yuan stepped forward and looked at Song Zhong, who could no longer speak and was only making hoarse sounds. His expression was indifferent. "I can't help it... Song Yujie sent his men to make trouble for me again and again. Should I have just obediently listened and waited to die?"

"As for you, Old Master Song, you're a major threat to me too. I can't let you stay alive in this world for even one more day!"

Though the Return to Life Pill had wondrous effects, it was not without a cure. Some of the legendary spirit pills and divine elixirs could save Song Zhong's life.

Fang Yuan naturally didn't want any more trouble. Even though the odds of that happening were vanishingly small, he still wouldn't leave a hidden danger behind.

"Old Master, please be on your way. Remember, don't come after me in your next life!"

Fang Yuan nodded, then swung his right hand down.

Splurt!

Blood sprayed.

Outside the forest, hurried footsteps sounded one after another.

"There are footprints! Over there!"

"Song Zhong is right ahead! He can't get away!"

A group of martial artists closed in. At the front were Lin Leyue and two protectors of the Gui Ling Sect.

"Leyue, did your friend go after Song Zhong alone?"

One of the female protectors shook her head. "Sigh... what a foolish move. That old scoundrel is crafty and cunning, and he's powerful too. Could he have already fallen to his poison?"

"Fang Yuan... he wouldn't!"

Xiao Qing chattered beside her. Anyone who had seen Fang Yuan face off against Song Zhong would have far more confidence in him.

"Hmph... Song Zhong is an Inner Family Master. Do you even understand Internal Breath? Someone at the ordinary Internal Breath level would crumble at the first touch... Getting too greedy will only bring you death..."

The other protector snorted coldly. But when he saw Lin Leyue turn to look at him, he immediately fell silent.

"Eh? There's someone!"

The vanguard came to a halt and watched as a young man slowly emerged from the dense forest. Who else could it be but Fang Yuan?

"Brother Fang!"

Xiao Qing rushed over in delight. "Where's that old scoundrel Song Zhong?"

"Here!"

Fang Yuan raised his right hand. Song Zhong's ferocious head came into view, drawing a wave of astonished, uncertain looks.

"This old scoundrel has actually been killed?"

The two protectors stared blankly, both unable to believe it.