Wind-Fire Tube

"Jin Tian actually meant to kill him?"

"Since he's wearing the Golden Silk Armor, he's practically invincible unless he runs into a Houtian Martial Artist."

"Heh, didn't you notice? He brought us out hunting this time and deliberately drove that Flower Fox toward these fields."

"I noticed, too. I just didn't expose him because he'd been seething with anger for a long time."

The few youths who also seemed to be direct descendants of the Jin Family continued chatting and laughing on horseback, apparently unconcerned by the two men's fierce fight right in front of them.

The air shrieked!

Jin Tian was already swinging his weapon, bringing two slashes down at Shi Mu.

The two sword images suddenly split apart to the left and right mid-flight, turning hazy and illusory. If a person wasn't paying close attention, it was almost impossible to see their true trajectories.

"Huh? Jin Tian's Shadow-Splitting Sword Technique has already reached minor mastery."

A youth beside them let out a soft "huh" at Jin Tian's move.

The others also looked a little surprised.

"Bang!"

Shi Mu made no attempt to dodge. With a blank expression, he moved his arm and punched toward the sword image on the left, hitting the real sword with unerring accuracy. With a whoosh, it shot straight up out of Jin Tian's hand, then plunged into the nearby field with a thud.

Jin Tian let out a scream as the impact sent him staggering back a step. The web between his thumb and forefinger split open, and blood poured out.

Just then, Shi Mu's figure blurred. He shot toward the youth like a bolt from a crossbow, raised his hand, and slapped him hard across both cheeks, front and back.

With Shi Mu's strength, even though he'd held back, the slaps sent Jin Tian spinning like a top. He landed on his backside with a thump.

The blue-robed youth's cheeks swelled up at once, and his eyes were filled with bewilderment. Evidently, he still hadn't figured out what had happened to him.

With another blur, Shi Mu returned to where he'd been standing. He folded his arms and coldly watched the youth on the ground.

The few Jin Family disciples who'd been laughing fell silent at once, their expressions turning uncertain.

"Impossible! How did he see through the Shadow-Splitting Sword Technique?"

"Maybe he just got lucky and guessed right!"

By now, though, Jin Tian had finally figured out what had happened. His eyes instantly flooded red, and he sprang to his feet. After a few quick strides, he yanked the sword from the ground, let out a wild cry, and charged at Shi Mu again, frantically swinging his sword.

This time, he wasn't using any sword technique at all. He was just flailing wildly like a madman.

Seeing this, Shi Mu gave a cold laugh and strode toward him empty-handed.

Shi Mu shifted aside and effortlessly evaded the incoming sword. His hand flashed out like lightning, snatching the weapon straight from Jin Tian's grasp.

Jin Tian was startled. The ferocious momentum he'd built up faded, and he instinctively retreated.

Shi Mu stood still and gripped the hilt and the front half of the blade with both hands. He pulled in opposite directions.

With a sharp crack,

the gleaming sword snapped in two on the spot.

Shi Mu flicked both wrists. With two sharp whistles, the broken blades shot out like streaks of white light.

Jin Tian felt a chill flash past both ears. The two short blades barely missed his cheeks and embedded themselves in the ground several paces behind him. One also left a thin cut on his cheek, and blood immediately trickled from it.

The Jin Family disciples watching nearby all looked terribly grim.

The blue-robed youth's face went deathly pale. But after absentmindedly touching the blood on his cheek and looking down at it, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"Do you dare kill me? You can only scare me with tricks like this. So why should I be afraid of you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Tian reached into his robes. When he pulled his hand out, he was holding a palm-sized metal tube, its surface shining gold. A small, black hole about the width of a thumb sat at its tip.

"Jin Tian, have you gone mad? You actually stole the Wind-Fire Tube from the manor!"

"You've done something like this? That violates the clan rules. Don't drag us into this!"

"If the family head finds out, a broken pair of legs will be the least of your worries!"

The moment they saw the tube, the Jin Family disciples were horrified. Some shouted at him while others tried to calmly talk him down, but all of them scrambled backward on their horses.

The tube in the blue-robed youth's hand seemed more terrifying than a wild beast or poisonous insect.

"Hmph. As long as I can vent this anger, I don't care if the clan locks me up for three or five years." Jin Tian's cheeks were swollen high, and blood was still streaming from them, but he spoke viciously.

As he spoke, he raised his arm and pointed the tube at the opposite side.

Shi Mu had no idea what this so-called Wind-Fire Tube was, but its name and the fear on the Jin Family disciples' faces made him wary. He had no intention of taking it head-on.

So the instant the blue-robed youth lifted the tube and aimed it at him, Shi Mu rolled sharply across the ground without a word, coming to a stop behind the horse he'd knocked down—the one that had been unable to get back up.

"Bastard, die!" Jin Tian screamed, nearly out of his mind, and pressed his thumb down on a raised spot at the back of the tube.

With a puff,

a black pellet shot from the tube at astonishing speed, hurtling straight toward Shi Mu.

"Ah!"

"He really fired it!"

"Get off your horses!"

The other Jin Family disciples were scared out of their wits. They leaped from their horses and dropped flat to the ground, pressing themselves close to the earth without daring to move.

"Go!"

Just then, Shi Mu roared. He grabbed the horse's two front legs and heaved with both arms. With a whoosh, he hurled the massive animal straight toward the black pellet.

At almost the same time, he stamped both feet down. The ground nearby collapsed several feet, forming a small pit.

A thunderous explosion shook the heavens and earth.

The black pellet struck the horse two zhang away and burst into a mass of flames. A vast cloud of fire, accompanied by a rolling wave of heat, swept in every direction, engulfing everything within a three-zhang radius. It lasted two full breaths before finally vanishing.

With a thud,

the horse's remains crashed to the ground. Nearly half its body was gone, and what remained was charred black, almost like charcoal.