Slaughter

The two of them walked up the damp stone steps, returning to the abandoned warehouse in the South City.

"Brother Qin, I feel like someone's following us," Tang Xiaoman stretched casually, his voice kept low.

"No matter. Let's take the back roads and draw them out."

Qin Jue's gaze was steady, his footsteps even.

Tang Xiaoman grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. "Just what I wanted. I've been itching to fight this whole way."

The two exchanged a knowing glance and walked out of the abandoned warehouse side-by-side. Pedestrians were scarce on the streets now, a perfect opportunity to make their move. They avoided the main road, turning into a narrow alley leading deeper into the South City.

Qin Jue stopped, turned to face the empty alley entrance behind them, and said, "Since you're here, stop hiding. You've been following us all this way, aren't you tired?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several dark figures suddenly darted out from the shadows.

There were five in total, instantly blocking Qin Jue and Tang Xiaoman's escape routes.

The leader was a tall, lean man holding a thick-backed Ghost Head Saber, its blade still bearing traces of rust and blood.

"Well done, kid. You've got sharp senses." The scarred man didn't panic at being discovered; instead, he sized up Qin Jue and the other man with interest. "Since you knew we were following, you still dared to lead us into this dead-end alley. It seems you're quite confident in your skills."

His gaze greedily swept over the bulging package on Qin Jue's chest, and he licked his dry lips.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My surname is Zhao. My friends in the underworld respectfully call me Zhao Yanwang. My brothers and I have been making a living outside Wuming Workshop for quite some time."

Zhao Yanwang slung the Ghost Head Saber over his shoulder, his tone casual. "You two look new here. This must be your first time in a place like this, right? Wuming Workshop is a deep pond, and there are things you can't handle. I'm a kind-hearted man. If you leave your packages and Gold Notes behind, I can make an exception and let you live."

One of the black-clad men behind him chuckled sinisterly. "Boss, why waste words on these two rookies? Let's just kill them. Look at that kid, soft skin and tender flesh. He must be full of good stuff."

Qin Jue's expression was calm; he showed no fear despite being outnumbered. His gaze swept over the four black-clad men, finally landing on Zhao Yanwang.

Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer. The remaining four are Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer. Qin Jue silently assessed their strength. With this level of power, they're just a disorganized mob.

He looked at Zhao Yanwang and said calmly, "It seems you're repeat offenders. Robbery and murder, you do it so skillfully. You must have quite a few lives on your hands."

"Naturally," Zhao Yanwang grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth. "Not too many, not too few. Including you two, that makes one hundred and five. You can't survive in this world without being ruthless. If you have any complaints, blame yourselves for flashing your wealth and parading around."

Tang Xiaoman couldn't stand it anymore, rolling his eyes. "I say, you talk too much. If you want to fight, hurry up. I'm in a hurry to get back for dinner. Why don't you take a look in the mirror and see what kind of person you are? Zhao Yanwang? I think Zhao Turtlehead is more like it."

Zhao Yanwang's smile froze, his eyes flashing with fierce light. "You don't know what's good for you! Since you're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish! Brothers, attack! Leave that blabbermouth alive for me; I want to cut out his tongue to go with my wine!"

"Kill!"

The four black-clad men had been itching for a fight. At Zhao Yanwang's command, they roared in unison, brandishing their weapons and charging at Qin Jue and the other man.

At that very instant, a silver light flashed in the depths of Qin Jue's pupils!

Myriad Forms Style - Mind Mirror, activate!

The world seemed to slow down. The sound of the wind, the roars, the whistling of weapons through the air – everything became slow and clear.

In Qin Jue's vision, the movements of the four black-clad men were slowed down countless times. The sinister grins on their faces, every twitch of their muscles, became incredibly clear, revealing countless openings.

Too slow.

They were far too slow.

Startling Swan Flash - Floating Light!

Qin Jue exerted force with his feet, his body turning into a blurry afterimage, as if he had vanished from his spot.

The black-clad man charging at the front only saw a blur. Before he could react, he saw a cold sword light rapidly expanding in his pupils.

"Clang—"

A clear, resonant sword cry suddenly rang out, like the vibration of a Cicada Wing, piercing the eardrums.

That was the sound produced by the Cold Iron Sword vibrating at high speed!

Cicada Wing - Thousand Forms!

The bandit's sinister grin hadn't even faded when he felt a chill on his throat. A line of blood spurted out—

A one-hit kill!

But Qin Jue's body didn't pause at all. Using the force of the rebound, he moved like a phantom to the right.

The black-clad man on the right was raising his saber to strike when he suddenly felt a chill under his arm.

Qin Jue's figure swept past his side, the Cold Iron Sword trailing a spray of blood.

"When did..." The black-clad man's eyes widened. He looked down at the blood gushing from his chest, his face filled with disbelief, and his body went limp, collapsing to the ground.

The remaining two black-clad men were completely panicked.

In just one exchange, in the blink of an eye, two of their companions had fallen in a pool of blood. They hadn't even touched the opponent's clothes!

"Tough opponent! Form up!" one of them shouted in terror.

"Too late," Qin Jue's icy voice sounded from behind them.

He spun around, his long sword moving like a horn of a leaping antelope, drawing an arc.

The sword light split, dividing into two, then four, as if blooming into thousands of fine threads in the air.

The two black-clad men saw nothing but dense sword shadows, unable to distinguish reality from illusion, and could only desperately swing their weapons to block.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The weapons in the hands of the two black-clothed men were instantly cut with countless cracks, like tofu, the moment they touched the sword threads, and then shattered into iron filings.

The sword light pierced through their bodies.

The two stood stiffly in place, a thin red line appearing on their necks simultaneously.

"Pfft—"

Blood spurted out like a fountain. The two men's eyes widened, they clutched their necks and fell to the ground, twitching a few times before falling silent.

A dead silence.

From the moment Qin Jue made his move to the death of the four, it had been less than three breaths.

The four robbers who had been so aggressive moments ago were now four cold corpses.

Zhao Yanwang maintained his charging posture, but the Ghost Head Saber in his hand was frozen in mid-air. His originally ferocious face was now filled with fear and shock. He looked at Qin Jue as if he were looking at a monster crawling out of hell.

"You... who exactly are you?" Zhao Yanwang's voice trembled. The fluid killing technique, the swordplay that was so fast it was extreme, was not something a young man should possess. Even those old assassins who lived by the sword were no match for this!

"Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer... How could this be Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer!" Zhao Yanwang roared madly in his heart.

Qin Jue flicked the blood off his sword, his expression still calm.

He looked up at Zhao Yanwang and said lightly, "Your subordinates have all set off on their journey. Don't keep them waiting too long."

"Run!"

Zhao Yanwang had only this one thought in his mind. He was decisive. Seeing that the situation was bad, without any hesitation, he turned and sprinted towards the alley entrance.

What about face, what about wealth, it was all bullshit in the face of his life!

"Trying to run? Did you ask this young master?"

Tang Xiaoman, who had been watching from the sidelines, let out a strange laugh and darted out agilely.

Mountain Stomping Leg!

Tang Xiaoman's speed was extremely fast. With a few leaps, he intercepted Zhao Yanwang's path. He drew out his right leg, accompanied by a whistling wind, and aimed directly at Zhao Yanwang's face.

"Get lost!"

Zhao Yanwang roared, sweeping his Ghost Head Saber horizontally, trying to force Tang Xiaoman back.

Tang Xiaoman didn't meet the attack head-on. He twisted his waist in mid-air, his body folding strangely, narrowly dodging the blade. Then, he pushed off the wall with his left foot, lunging back. His right foot heavily kicked Zhao Yanwang's shoulder.

"Bang!"

Zhao Yanwang stumbled from the kick, his body unstable.

"Damn loach!" Zhao Yanwang cursed in his heart. Normally, he could have killed a kid at Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer like this with a few slashes, but now he only had the thought of escaping, and his strength was not even at seventy percent.

In this moment of delay, a killing intent had already locked onto him.

Qin Jue had arrived.

"Since you're here, stay."

Qin Jue's voice was cold and merciless. The Cold Iron Sword in his hand hummed with that heart-stopping sound again, its tip pointing directly at Zhao Yanwang's back.

Zhao Yanwang turned abruptly, his eyes bloodshot, "You want to kill me? I'll fight you to the death!"

He stopped running. Instead, he gripped the saber with both hands, channeling all his Qi and Blood into the Ghost Head Saber, and slashed fiercely at Qin Jue.

Mountain Splitting Slash!

This saber strike was powerful and heavy, carrying all the strength of a Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer martial artist. The air itself let out a cracking sound.

Facing this desperate attack, Qin Jue advanced instead of retreating.

The moment before colliding with the blade, his footwork shifted slightly, and his body veered to the left.

Missed by a hair's breadth, dodging the blade.

This was the terrifying aspect of the Myriad Forms Style · Mind Mirror. In the face of absolute calmness and perception, any attack trajectory was exposed.

Immediately after, Qin Jue flicked his wrist.

Cicada Wing · Thousand Layers!

The sword blade slid along the body of the Ghost Head Saber, and the high-frequency vibration instantly transferred.

"Crack—"

Zhao Yanwang felt a violent tremor in his tiger's mouth. His Ghost Head Saber, which had been with him for many years, could not withstand this vibrational force and shattered in the middle!

The broken blade spun and flew out, embedding itself deeply into the nearby wall.

"My saber..." Zhao Yanwang's pupils contracted.

Before he could react, Qin Jue's sword was already there.

A cold light flashed. The sword tip pierced his heart and then emerged from his back.

Qin Jue shook his wrist, and his strength erupted, instantly crushing his heart.

Zhao Yanwang's body stiffened violently, and the life in his eyes rapidly dissipated. He opened his mouth, seeming to want to say something, but in the end, only a few meaningless "ho ho" sounds came out before he slumped to the ground.

Tang Xiaoman walked forward and kicked Zhao Yanwang's corpse. After confirming he was dead, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Phew... that was close. This guy was pretty terrifying when he fought desperately." Tang Xiaoman patted his chest and turned to look at Qin Jue, his eyes full of admiration. "Brother Qin, that sword strike just now... tsk tsk, truly amazing. Less than three breaths, and you killed four Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer cultivators. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."

Although he had seen Qin Jue fight before, every time he watched, he felt a new sense of shock. This decisive killing aura, this perfect control over the rhythm of battle, was as if he was born for combat.

Qin Jue sheathed his sword, his face a little pale. Continuously using Myriad Forms Style and Cicada Wing · Thousand Layers had taken a considerable toll on his stamina and spirit, especially since he hadn't fully recovered yet.

"Enough with the nonsense, let's get to looting the bodies," Qin Jue said, calming his breathing. "Since these guys were repeat offenders, they should have some valuables on them."

"You got it, I'm good at this." Tang Xiaoman's spirits immediately lifted at the mention of looting. He skillfully began searching the bodies.

A moment later, the two finished their search and quickly disappeared into the night.

On a rooftop several hundred feet outside the alley, a dark figure stood in the shadows, blending into the night.

It was the black-clothed guard who had been following them.

He took out a sound transmission talisman from his bosom, and reported in a low voice, "Young Master, the target has dealt with five robbers. The battle unfolded exactly as you predicted, clean and swift."

A moment later, the Purple Robe Young Master's voice came from the talisman, tinged with a smile. "Very good. It seems his performance at the Hundred Battles Martial Training Ground was no fluke; this kid truly has skill. I've already confirmed his identity—an Outer Court Disciple of Qingcang Academy, named Qin Jue, a discarded member of a collateral branch."

"Should I continue tracking him?"

"No need." The Purple Robe Young Master's voice held a hint of amusement. "When he returns to the academy, I will naturally go find him. The Outer Prefecture Grand Competition is fast approaching; I want to see how far he can go."

"Yes."

The black-clothed guard responded in a low voice, his figure flashed, and he disappeared into the night.