Fierce Battle

Xu Yang felt pleased after receiving his tip and quickly ran back to the county town. He first stopped at a sesame cake stall to buy two flatbreads to tuck into his shirt, then hurried to Yuelai Inn to thank the waiter, Xiao Wang, before dodging Jia the Third and his gang to return to the dilapidated temple where he lived.

The ruined temple where Xu Yang stayed was not far outside the county town, and it was quite close to Xiao Liu Township, where he had gone earlier that day. By the time he returned to the temple, the sky had already turned dark. He sat straight down on his sleeping mat, pulled out a sesame cake from his shirt, and began to eat it in large bites.

After finishing, Xu Yang drank some water and collapsed limply onto the mat. He had been running around all day to earn that money, and he was exhausted. Just as he was resting, a chaotic sound of footsteps echoed at the entrance of the temple. Xu Yang immediately scrambled up from his mat and hid in a concealed spot.

He had barely hidden himself when five or six burly men walked through the entrance. The leader was a hulking figure, but his eyes were extremely sharp, marking him as a shrewd individual. The group searched the temple for a while, found nothing, and gathered together again. One of the men shouted, "Boss, that brat hasn't returned yet! What should we do?"

"Impossible. That kid definitely came back. Xiao Liu saw him leave the county town with his own eyes; he must be hiding somewhere. Keep looking! I have to dig him out today. Anyone who dares to ignore my rules, Jia the Third, must be taught a lesson," the leader roared in anger.

Hiding in the shadows, Xu Yang felt a sense of dread. The leader was indeed Jia the Third. It seemed his trip to Yuelai Inn had been discovered; he was in for some real trouble today!

The others followed their boss's orders and spread out again. This time, they searched very carefully, getting closer and closer to Xu Yang's hiding spot. Seeing this, sweat poured down Xu Yang's forehead. On the verge of being discovered, he quickly calmed himself and began to think of a way to escape.

Just then, a loud bang echoed at the temple entrance, drawing the attention of Jia the Third and his men. Startled, Xu Yang quickly looked toward the door.

An old man lay at the temple entrance, appearing to be unconscious, and his condition looked dire. Jia the Third and his men exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. After a moment, Jia the Third signaled for his men to check on him, and two of the burly men walked over to investigate.

After a while, the two men returned and said to Jia the Third, "Boss, it's an old man who has somehow suffered severe injuries and is now unconscious. What should we do?"

Jia the Third thought for a moment and said, "Drag him into the temple, search him to see if he has anything valuable, and then..." He raised his hand and made a slicing motion across his throat.

The surrounding men chuckled, their expressions showing they understood. The two men then dragged the old man into the temple. Just as they crouched down to search him, the old man's tightly closed eyes snapped open. At the same time, his hands struck out like poisonous snakes, piercing the chests of the two men with a soft 'thud'.

The eyes of the two men widened in shock, and they spat out a mouthful of blood before falling silent forever. The old man then quickly withdrew his hands and flicked them, sending a cloud of black powder toward Jia the Third and his men.

Jia the Third and his group were caught off guard and scrambled backward. However, it was too late; they had already been touched by the powder. They immediately felt their bodies go numb and were unable to move. Before long, they collapsed to the ground, their faces turning pitch black, dead as could be.

Watching from the side, Xu Yang saw everything clearly and was so terrified he almost screamed. Fortunately, he reacted in time and covered his mouth. He subconsciously slowed his breathing, terrified of being discovered by the old man.

Having killed Jia the Third and his men with a single thunderous strike, the old man finally let out a sigh of relief. But as soon as he relaxed, he felt his chest wound beginning to flare up again. His expression shifted slightly, and he quickly sat cross-legged to regulate his internal energy and tend to his injuries.

After a while, the old man suppressed his injuries, stood up, and began to walk toward the temple exit. Suddenly, he stopped. He looked around, leaped up to the Buddha statue enshrined in the temple, and struck the base, smashing a large hole into it.

He then pulled a small package from his shirt, stuffed it inside, and after camouflaging the spot, he quickly left the ruined temple.

Seeing the old man leave, Xu Yang felt a surge of joy. Just as he was about to get up and leave, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stopped his movements, remaining where he was. Sure enough, a moment later, the old man's figure suddenly reappeared in the temple; he had returned.

The old man scanned the temple once more, and finding nothing amiss, he nodded in satisfaction and left again. Xu Yang cursed silently, thinking that if it weren't for his innate, sharp sense of danger, he would have truly fallen into the old man's hands.

After such an ordeal, Xu Yang didn't dare to come out. He decided to stay hunkered down; at least it was safer here, and he wouldn't be caught off guard if danger struck again.

Xu Yang's intuition proved to be spot on. More than an hour after the old man left, a slender figure quickly flew into the temple. Xu Yang, who had been dozing off, was instantly jolted awake.

He looked up and was stunned; it was an acquaintance. This person was his customer from earlier, the young master Li who had tipped him. However, he didn't look very well right now; his face was gloomy, and it was clear he was in an extremely foul mood.

Li Yuan entered the temple, scanned the surroundings, quickly stepped forward to check on the bodies of Jia the Third and his men, and then circled the temple once more. Finding nothing, he left the place with a dark expression.

Seeing Li Yuan leave, Xu Yang breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close; he had almost been discovered. It seemed he couldn't stay here any longer; he had to leave immediately, or his life would be in danger! Besides, people had died here, and the county magistrate would surely send men to investigate. He didn't want to be a scapegoat.

Thinking of this, Xu Yang felt an urgent need to escape. However, he thought it over and decided to wait until dawn. Who knew if those two were still nearby? If he were unlucky enough to run into them, wouldn't he lose his life instantly?

Time passed slowly, and soon it was dawn—the darkest moment of the day. The temple was pitch black. Just as Xu Yang was about to drift into a deep sleep in his hiding spot, he felt as if there was another person in the temple.

This scared him half to death, and he almost screamed. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to cover his mouth, avoiding exposure. Xu Yang steadied his nerves and looked up, but unfortunately, the temple was pitch black, and he couldn't see a thing.

Just as he was feeling anxious and unsure of what to do, a flash of fire suddenly appeared in the temple, followed by a loud bang and a burst of laughter. Xu Yang quickly looked toward the center of the room.

Two people were standing in the temple: Li Yuan and the old man. Li Yuan looked incredibly disheveled, with a smear of blood on the corner of his mouth. The old man chuckled and said, "Junior brother, you are still as impatient as ever. The gift I prepared for you isn't bad, is it?"

Li Yuan's expression was gloomy as he replied, "As expected of my senior brother, I am impressed." His expression shifted, and he continued, "However, senior brother still underestimates me. I am determined to get that item!"

At this point, Li Yuan's face turned bright red, and he looked extremely agitated. He quickly leaped forward to attack the old man. The old man's expression changed drastically; he threw the torch in his hand onto a nearby shelf and, while parrying Li Yuan's attacks, shouted, "You're crazy! You're actually using a forbidden technique? Even if you win, you won't be much better off."

"Haha! Don't you worry about that, senior brother. I advise you to just hand it over! Perhaps I will spare your life," Li Yuan shouted while fighting.

"In your dreams! Unless I die, you will never get it!" the old man said. "Then go to hell!" Li Yuan roared with a ferocious expression.

The two fought for a while. Li Yuan unleashed the Heavenly Demon Great Art again. Although he had been ambushed by the old man earlier, he had used a forbidden technique to overdraw his life force, so he was fine for the short term. Conversely, the old man's situation was dire; the injuries he had sustained earlier had only been forcibly suppressed, and now, under the intensity of the fight, they flared up again.

With a miserable cry, the old man was kicked away by Li Yuan, his body slamming hard against the wall with such force that cracks appeared in the masonry.

Thud. The old man's body fell heavily to the ground and went silent. To Xu Yang, he was clearly dead. Li Yuan evidently thought so too; he had great confidence in his Heavenly Demon Great Art and had never seen anyone survive a direct hit from it.

Even so, Li Yuan didn't dare to be careless. He approached the old man cautiously, ready to attack at the slightest sign of movement. He reached the old man's side without encountering any resistance, crouched down, and reached out to check the old man's pulse. His expression relaxed, and he let out a slow breath.

Who would have thought that just as Li Yuan relaxed, the old man would suddenly open his eyes and strike toward Li Yuan's chest. Li Yuan's expression changed instantly, and he quickly raised his hands to block his chest, barely managing to deflect the blow.

Li Yuan's expression eased for a moment, but before he could counterattack, the old man opened his mouth and spat out a streak of black light, which shot straight toward Li Yuan's face.