The figure fleeing in panic ahead, whose dark silver-patterned black robe was soaked in blood, had its left arm hanging limply at its side, clearly indicating that it had been seriously injured.
It was Yin Huang.
Following behind him was a middle-aged man dressed in the attire of the Azure Profound Sect Deacon, wielding a long sword whose sharp light forced Yin Huang into perilous situations with each swing.
" Yin Huang!"
Yin Wugou let out a fierce shout, and the terrifying aura of his Second Grade cultivation suddenly erupted.
His figure transformed into a streak of black light, rushing straight towards the Azure Profound Sect Deacon.
However--
Just as he was about to get close.
The Azure Profound Sect Deacon suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He glanced at Yin Wugou, a faint smile curving his lips.
The next instant, the longsword in his hand suddenly accelerated.
The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, tracing a chilling arc through the night.
"No--!"
Yin Wugou roared and pushed her speed to the limit.
But it was too late.
The blade flashed across Yin Huang's neck.
Blood spurted out.
Yin Huang's forward momentum abruptly halted, his head flying high into the air. The headless corpse continued its momentum for two more steps before crashing to the ground.
" Yin Huang!"
Yin Wugou rushed forward, only managing to catch the head as it fell to the ground.
On that young face, terror and despair were frozen; his eyes were wide open, and he could not close them in death.
Yin Wugou trembled all over, her hands holding the head shaking violently.
He raised his head and looked at the Azure Profound Sect Deacon who had retreated more than ten feet away. In his sharp eyes, there was only a crazy killing intent left.
"You--!"
His voice was hoarse and low, like that of a wounded beast.
"Court death!"
He set down Yin Huang's head, then leaped up and charged straight at the Deacon.
He struck out with his palm.
This palm strike was delivered with full force, without any reservation.
The pitch-black palm print was several feet in diameter, solid as if it were a physical object, and slammed down with a terrifying force capable of shattering mountains and shaking peaks.
The deacon 'Deacon expression changed slightly, but he did not panic.
He retreated swiftly, and at the same time—
"Swish swish--"
Three figures shot out from different directions almost simultaneously.
One of them met the dark palm print head-on and struck out with his own palm.
"Boom--!"
With a dull thud, both the black and blue palm prints vanished simultaneously.
The shockwave spread outwards, breaking and uprooting the surrounding trees.
Yin Wugou's forward momentum was abruptly halted. He staggered back several steps and looked up.
Three figures had surrounded him.
Directly in front of him stood a man with his hands behind his back, his face thin and his gaze calm; it was Zhou Jin.
On either side stood an elderly man dressed in the robes of the Azure Profound Sect Elder.
A man, thin and stern-faced, exuding a chilling aura, held a long sword in his hand.
The man was burly, with thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, his fists clenched, and a faint golden light emanating from them.
All three were clearly Elder, Upper Third Grade martial artists.
Yin Wugou's face instantly turned extremely ugly.
His gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Zhou Jin's face.
" Zhou Jin!"
His voice was low, filled with barely suppressed anger and horror.
"You dare to ambush me? Aren't you afraid of starting a war between our two sects?"
" Yin Wugou."
Zhou Jin stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"As Elder of the Nether Pavilion with Second Grade and personally intercepted and killed Fang Han True Disciple disciple of my Azure Profound Sect."
"This matter should be settled today."
Yin Wugou's pupils contracted slightly.
Now, how could he not understand that Yin Huang's plea for help was bait?
He was the true target of the Azure Profound Sect.
"Good, very good!"
Yin Wugou laughed in extreme anger; her laughter was hoarse and low, carrying a hint of madness.
"You really went to great lengths to kill me!"
"You should have expected this day to come, since you intercepted and killed True Disciple of my Azure Profound Sect."
Zhou Jin's voice remained flat, devoid of any emotion.
Yin Wugou remained silent.
He knew that there was no possibility of a peaceful resolution today.
The three who attacked him were all Elder, with Zhou Jin being an equal in strength to him.
This battle is likely to end badly.
But he had no other choice.
"If you want to kill me, then come on!"
Yin Wugou let out a sharp shout, and his aura suddenly exploded.
The terrifying pressure of Second Grade cultivator was like a tangible mountain, crushing outwards.
He made the first move, heading straight for Zhou Jin.
He raised his right palm, and his pitch-black Internal Qi gathered wildly as he struck out with it.
This palm strike was delivered with full force, without any reservation.
Wherever the palm print passed, the air emitted a piercing tearing sound, and the ground was plowed with a deep trench.
Zhou Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, and instead of retreating, he advanced.
He met the attack with a palm strike of his own.
"Boom--!"
The two palms collided, and a deafening explosion erupted.
The shockwave spread outwards like a tsunami, snapping trees and sending rocks flying wherever it passed.
Yin Wugou was knocked back several steps, and before she could regain her footing, attacks came from both sides.
The slender Elder on the left wielded his longsword, which transformed into a sharp, cold light, aiming straight for Yin Wugou's ribs.
The Elder on the right unleashed both fists simultaneously, creating two golden fist imprints with the force to Mountain-Splitting Stone-Cracking, which slammed towards Yin Wugou's back.
Yin Wugou's expression changed drastically.
He twisted his body with all his might to avoid the fatal sword strike, and at the same time, he swung his palm to meet the two golden fist imprints.
"Bang--!"
As the palm print collided with the fist print, Yin Wugou, felt an immense force surge through him, and his entire arm instantly went numb.
He staggered backward, and before he could regain his footing, Zhou Jin's attack arrived.
This palm strike was faster and more ruthless than the previous one.
Yin Wugou was unable to dodge in time and had no choice but to hastily take the hit.
"Bang!"
Their palms clashed, Yin Wugou let out a muffled groan as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
His body was thrown backward by the shock, crashing heavily into an ancient tree that was as thick as a person's embrace.
"Snap--!"
The ancient tree snapped in two with a snap, sending wood chips flying everywhere.
Yin Wugou fell to the ground, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.
He struggled to get up, only to see the three figures closing in again.
Zhou Jin stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on him, calm as still water.
The other two Elder guarded two sides, blocking all his escape routes.
Yin Wugou's heart sank to the bottom.
He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing his churning blood, and slowly stood up.
His gaze swept over the three people, his sharp eyes filled with determination.
"If you want to kill me, then we'll die together!"
He let out a sharp shout, and his aura surged once more.
He used a secret technique for this attack.
He sacrificed his life essence to achieve a rapid increase in cultivation in a short period of time, in exchange for a final chance to fight back.
His figure transformed into a streak of black light, rushing straight towards the thin Elder.
The speed was far greater than before.
The Elder's expression changed slightly, and he wielded his longsword rapidly, creating a network of interwoven Sword Qi.
However, Yin Wugou disregarded everything and forced her way through the net of Sword Qi.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle--!"
The Sword Qi left streaks of blood on his body, but he did not stop.
He struck out with his palm.
The Elder couldn't dodge in time and had no choice but to parry with his sword.
"Clang--!"
The longsword snapped in two, but the force of the palm print lingered, slamming into his chest.
"Puff!"
The Elder coughed up blood and flew backward.
Having landed a successful blow, Yin Wugou didn't pause for a moment and turned to break through in that direction.
However--
Zhou Jin's figure appeared in front of him like a ghost.
"Trying to leave?"
Zhou Jin spoke calmly and struck out with his palm.
This palm strike, seemingly slow, was actually as fast as lightning.
Yin Wugou had no time to change her move and had no choice but to take the attack head-on.
"Bang!"
As their palms met, Yin Wugou felt an overwhelming force surge through her, and her entire arm instantly throbbed with pain.
He looked down and saw that his right arm was twisted at an odd angle—the bone was broken.
The pain was excruciating, but he gritted his teeth and struck out with his left palm again.
Zhou Jin stepped aside and struck him in the chest with his palm.
"Puff--!"
Yin Wugou coughed up blood and flew backward.
This time, he couldn't stand up again.
He lay in a pool of blood, trembling and gasping for breath.
Zhou Jin walked up to him and looked down at him.
Those eyes remained calm as still water.
" Yin Wugou."
He spoke slowly.
"You intercepted and killed True Disciple of my Azure Profound Sect. Today you are executed, and your death is well-deserved."
Yin Wugou raised her head and looked at Zhou Jin. A strange smile suddenly appeared on her blood-stained face.
That smile contained anger, resentment, and a hint of inexplicable madness.
" Zhou Jin..."
He spoke in a hoarse voice, his words broken and intermittent.
"Our Nether Pavilion... will never let this go..."
His voice abruptly stopped before he could finish speaking.
The sharp light in those eyes quickly dimmed.
Zhou Jin glanced down at the already cold corpse, then slowly looked away.
The night wind carried a heavy, pungent smell of blood.
In the sparse woodland, two corpses lay quietly in pools of blood, not far apart.
One is Yin Huang.
One is Yin Wugou.
The uncle and nephew, both enemies of Fang Han, died on the same night in the same place.