To live to fifty, you had to leave it to fate. Compared with Great Xia, the Nether Abyss Demon Court truly seemed like a Golden Land. It was just that Su Ye had no idea what the other provinces of Great Xia were like.
Su Ye pondered briefly, then continued, "From what you've said, the Nether Abyss Demon Court is going to attack Yunzhou, and your wife even knows they're sure to win."
How could she know that? And where did she get such confidence? Was the Great Xia court just for show?
"Th-this..." Zhang Yuanwai stammered for a long while, his expression bewildered. "She didn't say. She just seemed very certain that they'd take Yunzhou."
"What is the relationship between the Mountain Ghost and your wife?"
"The Mountain Ghost... My wife once vaguely mentioned that it had been fattened up and was to be offered to a lord of the Nether Abyss Demon Court. She said it would bring them quite a few benefits."
"What did she mean by that?" Su Ye asked.
Zhang Yuanwai wore a bitter expression. Though his family was well off, its fortune had grown to its current size entirely through his wife's management.
He usually let her have her way, never asking questions or daring to interfere. Letting her do as she pleased had long since become a habit.
Now, faced with Su Ye's questions, he could only answer vaguely. "Th-that, I'm not sure either."
Seeing this, Su Ye raised his hand and slapped him across the face. "Take me to your wife."
Zhang Yuanwai covered his swollen, fleshy cheek, looking somewhat dazed. But hearing the unquestionable tone in Su Ye's voice, he didn't dare argue in the slightest and hurriedly led the way.
Before long, in the Zhang family's rear courtyard, Zhang Yuanwai frantically searched for his wife and ran into a middle-aged man in his forties dressed like a steward.
"Old Tang, come here. Tell me where your madam went."
Steward Tang hurried over to Su Ye, then cupped his hands toward Zhang Yuanwai. "Master, Madam was just in her bedroom."
"How long ago was 'just'? When did she leave the bedroom? Did you see her?" Zhang Yuanwai grabbed the steward by the collar and demanded urgently.
"How would I know, you fat pig?"
"You..." Zhang Yuanwai flew into a rage at the insult and was just about to lash out when a sharp dagger plunged straight through his heart.
Tang Li casually tossed Zhang Yuanwai's corpse aside, then glanced at Su Ye with a mocking grin. "Kid, if you'd come a few days later, you might've gotten to keep your life."
"But tonight, I'm afraid you're doomed."
Tang Li had been the steward of Zhang Manor for several years. All that time, he had kept up a front; in secret, he was a leader of the Blood Lotus Cult. Zhang Yuanwai's wife was also a member of the cult, just like him. Zhang Yuanwai was nothing more than a puppet they displayed in public.
Su Ye was also taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Though he didn't know who the man before him was, he had sensed that intense killing intent long ago.
"Who are you?" Su Ye asked coldly.
As soon as he spoke, a woman in her thirties suddenly emerged from the bedroom, which had been empty moments before.
Her face was fierce as she said coldly, "Tang Li, enough talk. Deal with him first. Once midnight passes tomorrow, we'll be able to leave this place."
"This subordinate obeys."
Tang Li answered and darted forward in a series of swift steps, the dagger in his hand stabbing straight for Su Ye's heart.
Seeing this, Su Ye shifted slightly, holding the Ghost Head Saber horizontally before his chest.
Clang! Metal rang against metal. Su Ye swept out with a kick.
Faced with Su Ye's powerful side kick, Tang Li didn't dare be careless. He quickly crossed his arms and guarded his chest. Then a tremendous force surged through his arms.
Bang!
His body flew dozens of meters. Tang Li suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood, his gaze full of shock. "What astonishing body-tempering skills!"
The woman, who had been standing outside the door, had strolled out from the house at an unhurried pace, looking entirely composed.
If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it again next time.
But now her expression changed dramatically. Her hands formed seals without pause, and the floor inside the house split open at once, revealing a pitch-black pit three meters long and three meters wide.
Tang Li abruptly retreated and sneered. "Kid, you're dead."
As soon as he finished speaking, bursts of whistling sounds came from the bedroom behind the woman. Next, more than a dozen human-shaped shadows of varying heights came rushing toward Su Ye with howls.
Su Ye had noticed the woman's strange behavior long ago and had secretly prepared to deal with it. The instant the Mountain Ghosts appeared,
he planted the Ghost Head Saber into the ground. Ever since he'd fused with the Blood Fiend Sky-Severing Stele fragment, his physical strength had undergone a qualitative leap. Now was the time to test the results.
His fists flashed out rapidly, wrapped in the roar of explosive air. His punches were as fierce as thunderclaps.
The Mountain Ghosts flying at him one after another were like paper dolls. The moment they collided with his fists, they burst into clouds of blood mist. As time passed, a thick layer of blood had already spread across the ground.
Bang! ... Bang!
The sight made the woman's expression change drastically. As an outside steward of the Blood Lotus Cult, she'd been through many storms, even if she hadn't witnessed anything on a grand scale. But the slaughter before her was truly too gruesome.
Not a single corpse remained whole beneath this man's hands. The ground was strewn with chunks of flesh, and the surrounding buildings were plastered with blood and remains. It all tormented her senses.
The woman was named Chen Qing. Her face pale, she shouted, "Run! He's far too powerful. We can't handle him!"
The two turned and fled without the slightest hesitation. Su Ye merely glanced after them from the corner of his eye and paid them no mind. Secretly, he communed with his sea of consciousness, then continued the slaughter he'd left unfinished.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, the dozens of Mountain Ghosts that had charged out of the house were now evenly smeared across the stone slabs.
Slayed [Meridian Opening Mid Stage · Mountain Ghost], gained 75 Assistance Points Slayed [Late Body Tempering · Mountain Ghost], gained 38 Assistance Points
The twenty-one Mountain Ghosts had contributed nearly 1,200 Assistance Points to Su Ye. That was enough to improve Blood Fiend Heaven Intercepting Palm, with plenty left over. Paying no heed to the wreckage all around him,
he found a patch of ground where he could barely stand and slowly opened the panel.
His gaze quickly found the divine artifact column. Su Ye silently recited:
System, add points.
Consumed 1,000 Assistance Points. Blood Fiend Heaven Intercepting Palm reached beginner level.
The moment the words appeared, Su Ye felt the true qi in his body begin circulating of its own accord, beyond his control. Then his blood surged along with it.
It grew faster and faster. His blood vessels and organs seemed in danger of being unable to withstand it. Suddenly, the surging power began to change, tightening and condensing into a black-red hue.
"Blood Fiend State."
When Su Ye fused with the stele fragment, he had experienced this before. Feeling the surging power within him once more, he instinctively drew upon the Blood Fiend power.
The next moment, the black-red Blood Fiend power seemed to find an outlet and rushed toward the pressure points throughout both hands. The sudden change caused him no discomfort at all. A familiar feeling welled up within him. He thrust his palms skyward.
Beneath the night sky, a palm shadow dozens of meters wide appeared, colored black and red. After flying dozens of meters, it suddenly let out a tremendous roar.
The black-red ripples enveloped an area more than ten li across. The wind pressure alone destroyed large swathes of buildings across several li below.
Su Ye's breathing was heavy. With his current strength, he still couldn't unleash this palm technique to its full extent.
That one strike had been his limit. He estimated he could use the technique only twice in a day before collapsing from exhaustion. It had its limitations, but its power was truly terrifying.
He was only at the sixth layer of Meridian Opening and could unleash just half the palm technique, yet its destructive power already rivaled the Late Aperture Opening Stage.
The Blood Fiend power returned to normal. Su Ye got to his feet and headed straight north toward Chaiqiao Town, following the location Big Black had given him.
Outside a small courtyard in the north of town, Big Black wore a sinister grin. "Boss, those two bastards thought they could hide in plain sight."
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