Thinking of Wiping Out the Sect!

The Big Ring Blade hummed as it sliced through the rain, hacking down toward his head.

The gale force of the strike whipped against his face, carrying the momentum to cleave him in two.

He Song dropped his hand crossbow and, without drawing a weapon, raised his bare hands to parry.

Clang!

The blade struck He Song's forearm, sending sparks flying into the air.

Zhao An caught a glimpse of a metallic sheen beneath the man's black robes.

There were thick metal bracers on his arms, and his hands were covered in a layer of protective gear.

His palms slapped against the flat of the blade, producing the same metallic ringing sound.

Zhao An was knocked back two steps by the man's palm strike.

"Palm technique?" It was his first time seeing a martial artist utilize hand-to-hand combat.

Under the influence of Internal Breath, flesh and blood could actually withstand blades, swords, axes, and halberds without injury; it was truly extraordinary.

That was right—the man was, like Zhao An, a Martial Master who had cultivated Internal Breath.

Zhao An had sensed this the moment they clashed, and the man's level of Internal Breath was not weak!

Otherwise, he would never have been able to catch that strike.

Planting his feet, Zhao An exerted force once more, lunging forward to close the distance as he unleashed the Fierce Tiger Blade Art.

He Song showed no fear, pressing forward in kind with his palms flying, likewise executing a graded martial art.

The two fought in the rain, and it was only then that Li Gou'er and Zhao Chunzi heard the commotion, their faces pale with shock.

They did not know where this man in black had come from, but any observant person could see that he was currently locked in a lethal struggle with Zhao An!

Zhao Chunzi panicked, grabbing a broom leaning against the wall and charging at the man in black with a loud roar.

He was promptly kicked back by He Song, clutching his abdomen and unable to even cry out in pain.

"You fool, the man is fighting Zhao Ge to a standstill—what do you think you're doing charging in!" Li Gou'er helped Zhao Chunzi up, sighing helplessly.

His own heart was filled with anxiety; if anything happened to Zhao Ge, they would be doomed.

However, he was not like Zhao Chunzi; he knew that rushing in like that was useless and would not help Zhao An at all.

Suddenly, he spotted the hand crossbow on the ground and the bolt embedded in the doorpost.

"This thing can kill!"

Li Gou'er took three steps in two, grabbing the crossbow bolt, but before he could even figure out how to use it, a cry of pain rang out from the courtyard through the curtain of rain.

Looking over, he saw the man in black stumbling, his expression filled with panic.

Zhao An, on the other hand, grew more courageous with every exchange, his blade unstoppable!

Seizing the opening when the man's guard was down, Zhao An stepped with the tiger's gait and moved his blade like a dragon, nearly disemboweling his opponent.

Blood seeped out, only to be washed away by the heavy rain.

He Song felt a burning pain in his chest and abdomen, but he had no time to check the wound, for Zhao An's blade was already upon him again.

He could sense that Zhao An's Internal Breath was on par with his own, but the man's blade technique was so exquisite that after a few rounds, he felt he could no longer contend with him.

"Damn it!"

He was furious that Xu Donglai had set him up, and now that he was wounded, he felt the urge to retreat.

After all, it was only thirty taels of silver; it wasn't worth risking his life.

He pulled a small cloth bag from his robes and flung it at the relentless Zhao An, releasing a massive cloud of lime powder that blocked the path of the blade.

One had to admit, someone who came to kill like this was certainly well-prepared.

Between the crossbow and the lime, he had thought of everything.

Seeing this, Zhao An had no intention of letting him go.

He circulated his energy, gathering a hundred wisps of Internal Breath into his palm.

He spun his blade in a flourish and hurled it with a violent flick, the silver light piercing through the curtain of lime.

He Song had just turned to flee when the silver light buried itself into his spine.

He Song's face turned ashen as he looked down at his own chest, where the tip of the blade had emerged, the blood mixing with the rain in a jarring display.

Soon, his strength faded, and he collapsed to the ground.

The Fierce Tiger Blade Art contained this very technique of throwing the blade, though one had to reach the third realm of the art to master it and integrate it into their repertoire.

This thrown blade was one of his killing moves!

Zhao An walked over, examined the man's features, and looked at the bright red name hovering above his head, but no memories related to this person surfaced in his mind.

He was certain he did not know him.

"Zhao Ge, who is he!" Li Gou'er ran over, clutching the hand crossbow and aiming the bolt—which he had finally managed to load—at the man in black, who had little life left in him.

Zhao An shook his head and asked in a deep voice, "Why did you want to kill me?"

He Song said nothing; his gaze had already begun to lose focus.

Knowing that he could not escape death today, saying anything more would be of no use.

"You son of a bitch, I'm asking you a question! Who sent you to kill my big brother!" Li Gou'er kicked the man in black twice in frustration and shouted angrily.

He Song glanced at Li Gou'er. In the past, he could have slapped such a piece of trash to death with a single strike, but now, he could only close his eyes and wait for death.

Zhao An actually already had a guess, and at this moment, his mind shifted as he suddenly spoke.

"He Song, you really are obedient. Xu Donglai wanted you dead, so you obediently delivered yourself to my doorstep to be killed."

"Are you not... angry?"

As soon as these words were spoken, He Song's previously closed eyes suddenly snapped open, and even his dim gaze regained a bit of spirit as he stared fixedly at the approaching Zhao An.

Even though he no longer had the strength to speak, this reaction confirmed Zhao An's suspicions.

"So it really was that Python Gang leader who sent you..."

"You old bastard, are you really... that eager to die!" A fierce expression crossed Zhao An's face as he bared his teeth.

He Song finally breathed his last, his eyes wide open, dying with a grievance.

The final expression on his face was one of both shock and confusion.

This guy seemed to have only been trying to bait him into talking at the end, but how did he know his name so clearly?

[Evil deeds abound, sinful soul collected!]

He Song's soul body was taken by Zhao An and tossed directly into the Soul Pool.

It was as if he had been thrown into a vat of boiling oil; even after death, his soul would suffer endless torment until everything was washed away, turning him into yet another of Zhao An's Soul Slaves.

And this would be the first Martial Master Soul Slave that Zhao An had ever obtained!

"Brother Zhao, it really was the Python Gang leader who ordered this!" Li Gou'er gritted his teeth and said.

"It's almost certainly him." Zhao An looked up at the sky.

The rain was pouring down, growing heavier and heavier, as if it intended to drown the entire city.

Zhao An did not return to the house; he simply picked up the bamboo hat that He Song had dropped with a calm expression and placed it on his own head.

"Dispose of this corpse."

Having said that, Zhao An picked up his blade and walked out of the courtyard.

Seeing this, Li Gou'er knew exactly what Zhao An was about to do, and his heart tightened as he hurriedly chased after him.

"Brother Zhao, please don't be impulsive! You are all alone, and that Xu Donglai has strength in numbers. Going there so rashly is too dangerous!"

He was truly afraid that Zhao An had been blinded by rage and would do something unwise.

However, when he met Zhao An's eyes, he found that the other man's gaze was icy cold, showing no signs of being consumed by anger, but rather appearing quite rational.

Zhao An knew very well what he was about to do.

He was simply going to wipe out their entire clan!