You want my life? You're not worthy!

Facing Wang Tie's murderous roar, Qin Jue acted as if he hadn't heard a thing.

His movements remained neither fast nor slow, his hands steady as a rock, his gaze focused intently on the stone hollow.

"Ding."

With a crisp sound, the last drop of Stone Marrow fell into the bottle.

Only then did Qin Jue unhurriedly cork the bottle, even reaching out a finger to carefully wipe away a trace of residual liquid at the rim before bringing it to his mouth. The entire process flowed like water, without a hint of tension or haste.

The scene fell into dead silence.

Zhao Li, watching from behind, swallowed hard, stunned and wide-eyed.

He'd seen arrogant people before, but never someone this arrogant!

That was Wang Tie! Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer, a ruthless character with who-knew-how-many lives on his hands! Was this kid deaf, or had he truly grown tired of living, to dare ignore him like this?!

"Good! Good! Very good!"

Wang Tie laughed in fury, his laughter rolling like thunder, shaking loose gravel from the surrounding rocks and making the very air tremble!

He'd been ignored.

Wang Tie had run rampant in these parts for years. Even those clan disciples gave him some face when they saw him. When had he ever been humiliated by some wet-behind-the-ears brat? This disregard was worse than killing him—a sheer, utter disgrace!

"I'm talking to you, you little beast! Got donkey hair stuffed in your ears or what?!"

Wang Tie bellowed, his bones cracking and popping as his blood qi surged violently. The imposing aura of Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer exploded outward!

The rock beneath his feet split apart with a bang, turning to dust! His whole body launched from the spot like a cannonball, the Wolf Fang Club in his hand tearing through the air with a foul, stinking wind, crashing down from above!

"Turn into meat paste for me!"

This strike was heavy and unstoppable! Before the club even landed, the terrifying wind pressure had already blasted the dust from the ground in all directions, pressing Qin Jue's blue robe flat against his back.

As the vicious Wolf Fang Club closed to within less than three feet of Qin Jue's head, Zhao Li's eyes went wide, and he sucked in a cold breath, as if he could already see Qin Jue's brains splattering, his flesh and blood a mangled mess—

In that instant, Qin Jue finally moved.

But he still didn't turn around.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Jue quickly corked the jade bottle, flicked his wrist, and tucked it into his robe. Almost at the same time, he reversed his grip on the sword hilt and, sheath and all, stabbed backward with sudden force!

"Wuum—"

The sword sheath vibrated violently, letting out a clear cry!

Tide Rising Sword Technique—Tide Rising Stance!

This was originally a move for frontal parrying, yet he casually adapted it, using it in reverse. The sheath struck after the club but arrived first, like a pliant stream of water, precisely tapping the weakest point of the Wolf Fang Club's force, gently deflecting along its savage momentum!

A clever angle!

"Smooth!"

Qin Jue twisted his wrist, his body light as a feather, sliding several feet with the wind, narrowly dodging the club's edge!

"Thump!"

A heavy, dull crash as the Wolf Fang Club slammed into the ground. A sharp crack followed—the hard rock floor was smashed into a large pit, with gravel flying in all directions like hidden weapons!

"Your force is scattered, your intent too obvious."

A calm voice rang out through the swirling dust.

Qin Jue's form flickered, and he appeared three zhang away. He casually brushed the dust off his sleeves, his gaze calm as he looked at Wang Tie, like watching a clown.

"Jade Bone Realm, strength over a thousand jin." Qin Jue glanced at the vicious Wolf Fang Club in Wang Tie's hand and gave a light laugh. "Pity, it's just brute force—full of openings!"

"Little beast! You'll pay for your arrogance!"

Wang Tie, having missed his strike, howled in rage. He yanked the Wolf Fang Club out, sending a spray of gravel flying, then gripped it with both hands, his muscles bulging as his bones crackled.

"I'll smash every bone in your body, inch by inch! Make you wish you were dead but can't die!"

"Wuum—wuum—"

The bones in Wang Tie's body trembled wildly!

This thunderous bone-rattle eerily resonated with the swing frequency of the Wolf Fang Club in his hands.

"Black Sha Cudgel Technique, first form—Sweep a Thousand Armies!"

As the club swung, the air erupted with a piercing shriek!

The massive Wolf Fang Club carved a black arc through the air, sealing off all of Qin Jue's escape routes. Where it passed, the gravel on the ground burst into powder!

"Fast!"

Qin Jue's gaze sharpened.

This Wang Tie might look crude, but he had a heavy mind! This wide-area sweep left Qin Jue no room to dodge—only to retreat or take it head-on!

"Since I can't dodge it... I'll break it!"

Qin Jue's expression hardened. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his wrist snapping with sudden force.

In an instant, the Cold Iron Sword let out a ringing cry, vibrating at an extremely rapid frequency.

Cicada Wing—Flap Wings!

This sword strike was pushed to its absolute limit, piercing toward the point where force converged on the Wolf Fang Club's shaft at an extremely tricky angle, a mere instant before the club's momentum reached its peak.

"Boom!"

The clash of metal exploded, sparks flying in all directions!

But at that moment, Qin Jue's pupils abruptly contracted. A sinister, insidious force, ignoring the sword's vibration, drilled through the hilt and into his body!

"Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer... Bone Penetrating Force?!"

Qin Jue let out a muffled groan. His entire right arm, struck by this force, had nearly lost all sensation.

"Heh heh, you little bastard, die for me!"

Wang Tie let out a vicious laugh, giving Qin Jue no chance to catch his breath. He intended to seize the moment when Qin Jue's blood and qi were in turmoil to finish him off in one blow!

Leveraging the recoil force, Wang Tie's body surged forward instead of back. He raised the Wolf Fang Club high above his head, his blood qi driven to its peak!

"Second form, Collapse Mountain Fall!"

With a fierce roar, Wang Tie's face was filled with murderous intent!

This strike, he poured all his strength into it, vowing to smash Qin Jue into a pulp of flesh on the spot!

Before the Wolf Fang Club even descended, the violent gale of force crushed the ground, inch by inch, cracking it open as fissures spread outward!

Qin Jue was completely locked down by the killing intent!

No room to dodge! No path to retreat!

The threat of death descended in an instant!

"Die! Let him die!"

Zhao Li, watching from afar, felt a surge of ecstasy in his heart, as if he could already see Qin Jue's bones snapping and his body turning into a mess of bloody meat under the club's blow!

But at this critical moment!

On Qin Jue's pale face, there was not a trace of despair. Instead, a wild, desperate resolve surfaced—the look of a man fighting with his back to the wall! He had always possessed an unyielding martial heart!

"You want my life? You're not worthy!"

Qin Jue grinned, revealing a row of teeth stained with blood, looking like a mad demon!

Retreat? Retreat meant death!

If so, then fight! Stake life against life!

Qin Jue forcibly suppressed his surging blood and qi, ignoring the shattering pain in his right arm, and poured all his strength, all his will, into this single sword strike!

Even if it meant completely crippling this arm, he would still unleash this heaven-shaking sword!

In his eyes, there was only the Wolf Fang Club crashing down from above, and Wang Tie's ferocious, laughing face.

"BREAK FOR ME!!!"

Crack!

A brittle sound of unbearable strain rang out as the bones in his right arm split open!

Yet the price paid was a power that could destroy heaven and earth!

In that instant, the sword light exploded!

Tens of millions of sword threads, thin as cicada wings, burst into existence out of thin air, weaving together into a white storm that tore through the air, as if it would grind everything in the world to dust!

The sword threads trembled, emitting a piercing hum, carrying a tragic, unstoppable momentum as they collided head-on with the descending Wolf Fang Club!

Cicada Wing Second Form—Thousand Threads!