Whoosh—
Black mist surged around the Murderous Fiend, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Su Ye.
Thud—
Pain exploded in Su Ye's abdomen. The Murderous Fiend seemed to enjoy toying with his prey. Instead of killing Su Ye with his knife, he used his fist first.
But that carelessness gave Su Ye his chance.
As the punch struck his abdomen, Su Ye grabbed the Murderous Fiend's wrist with one hand. A long blade suddenly appeared in his other.
That was why Su Ye hadn't drawn a weapon during their standoff.
He had been waiting for a chance to catch him off guard.
And it worked.
The blade swept across the Murderous Fiend's body, leaving a long gash in his abdomen.
Startled by the blade's sudden appearance, the Murderous Fiend instinctively hurled Su Ye away.
"You... You have Storage Equipment?"
Even ordinary Patrol Bureau inspectors weren't necessarily issued such things, yet Su Ye was only a high school student.
"So you really are a genius."
"Too bad I couldn't kill you with that slash."
Su Ye coughed up a mouthful of blood and slowly stood.
That slash had clearly cut through the Murderous Fiend's skin.
But when Su Ye tried to drive the blade deeper, he felt a powerful resistance that stopped it cold.
Was that because of his transcendent body?
"Kill me? You still think you can kill me?! Pretty boy, you clearly have no idea what separates a Transcendent Martial Artist from an ordinary person. I'll show you!"
Ignoring the wound in his abdomen, the Murderous Fiend charged Su Ye again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sounds of fists striking flesh rang out without pause.
In moments, Su Ye had taken countless punches.
So strong!
Martial Artists who had reached the transcendent realm were so strong and fast!
Thump—
Su Ye hit the ground like a rag doll, his presence fading.
The Murderous Fiend was breathing a little harder too.
"Pretty boy, you're impressive. You even managed to fight back just now. But it's pointless."
"Now let me draw out your soul. I'll free you from your pain, and we can enjoy eternity together."
The Murderous Fiend walked slowly up to Su Ye and raised his knife, ready to plunge it into him.
And at that moment...
Su Ye, whose presence had been fading, suddenly erupted with an even more powerful aura.
[Burning 100 Slaughter Value, Cultivation Level +1]
His Cultivation Level rose.
Ninth Level of Kaiyuan.
Without warning, Su Ye's Cultivation Level broke through, and at the same instant, his condition returned to its peak.
But that wasn't all.
Vampire, Night State!
Limit Break!
Power twenty-seven times that of a Martial Artist at the same level of Kaiyuan erupted in an instant.
The long blade that had failed to penetrate the Murderous Fiend's abdomen now drove straight into his chest.
Into his heart.
Squelch—
Blood sprayed. The Murderous Fiend stared down at the wound in his chest in disbelief.
"You... How could you... I'll kill you!"
Intense Killing Intent blazed in the Murderous Fiend's eyes.
He had been killed by an Ordinary Martial Artist!
He, a Transcendent Martial Artist, had been killed by someone who had yet to reach the transcendent realm!
He refused to accept it!
Knife in hand, the Murderous Fiend lunged, determined to take Su Ye down with him.
But...
The moment his blade pierced the Murderous Fiend's heart, Su Ye had turned and run.
With speed twenty-seven times that of a Martial Artist at the same level of Kaiyuan, Su Ye was beyond the Murderous Fiend's reach.
At last...
The Murderous Fiend collapsed to the ground with a thud and stopped breathing.
But Su Ye did not approach.
He simply waited.
Ten seconds later...
The Murderous Fiend raised his head and cast Su Ye one last resentful look. Then... he went still again.
[Slaughter Value +88]
Only when he heard the system's voice did Su Ye finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He was finally dead.
Even with a blade through his heart, the man had chased him for ages, then played dead in hopes of striking one last time.
Good thing Su Ye had been cautious.
Good thing he had the system.
Su Ye let out a breath.
But...
He wasn't finished.
His T-shirt was already torn. Su Ye ripped off a piece and used the cloth to pick up the Murderous Fiend's knife.
Then...
He walked over to Zheng Feng.
"Su Ye! Su Ye, are you here to save me?!"
"Su Ye, Su Ye... Ugh..."
Zheng Feng had lit up at the sight of Su Ye. Su Ye had actually killed the Murderous Fiend.
He was saved at last!
But...
A sharp pain struck Zheng Feng's chest in the midst of his excitement.
A knife had already pierced it.
"Wh... why?"
"The moment you leaked my information, you were as good as dead."
Squelch—
Su Ye pulled the knife free.
[Slaughter Value +5]
Zheng Feng died with his eyes wide open.
Su Ye returned to the Murderous Fiend and placed the knife back in his hand.
In a way, he had the Murderous Fiend to thank for destroying the surveillance equipment in the area. Otherwise, Su Ye would have had a hard time doing this.
His ears twitched. Hurried footsteps were approaching from the distance.
Su Ye moved to one side.
He lay down on the ground.
Closed his eyes.
Pretended to faint.
Then...
He actually passed out.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Patrol Bureau officers finally arrived.
Liao Tingting had come with them.
At the sight of the carnage...
Everyone drew a sharp breath.
Zheng Feng lay with his limbs twisted, his eyes still open in death.
The Murderous Fiend had a long blade lodged in his chest and a knife clenched in his hand. His eyes were wide, his face contorted.
And off to one side lay Su Ye, with no sign of whether he was alive or dead.
"Su Ye!"
Liao Tingting rushed to Su Ye and checked for breath.
"He's alive! Su Ye's alive! Help him, quick!"
In the darkness, a pair of furious eyes watched Su Ye lying unconscious on the ground, then slowly retreated into the deeper night.
A faint murmur faded into the darkness.
"A Lang, I'll avenge you."
"Su Ye..."
When Su Ye woke again, he found himself at the Patrol Bureau.
His wounds had been treated, and he had been changed into clean clothes.
"You're awake?"
Zhang Baichuan hurried over.
"Thank goodness you're all right."
If the genius he had just recruited for the Patrol Bureau had died so soon, Zhang Baichuan would have been devastated.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel... pretty good."
After reaching the Ninth Level of Kaiyuan, Su Ye felt he had much better control over his body.
And...
He could vaguely make out a door, a massive door bound in thick iron chains.
The sight filled him with an urge to smash it apart.
"What's that door?"
"Door?"
Zhang Baichuan froze, then quickly understood.
"You've reached the Ninth Level of Kaiyuan? You sensed the transcendent barrier right after breaking through? That's you, all right... That door is the barrier between ordinary humans and Transcendent Martial Artists. Break through it, and you'll enter the transcendent realm."
"But there's no need to rush. Right now, you should train your Martial Skills and strengthen your body. That will let you break free of more chains."
"After all, there's a world of difference between slipping into the transcendent realm through a crack in the door and pushing it all the way open before walking through."
Su Ye sensed the door within him once more and nodded.
Break free of every chain?
I'll do it.
After offering Su Ye a few more pointers on cultivation, Zhang Baichuan got to the point.
"Tell me what happened last night."
Before you continue