Kill!

In the darkness, Xia Ping looked over to find that this unidentified object was actually a middle-aged man. The man was covered in blood, riddled with wounds, and his chest heaved erratically; he seemed to have suffered severe injuries, his breath as thin as a gossamer thread.

Yet, from the fierce and cruel glint in his eyes, it was clear that this middle-aged man was definitely not dead yet, and was still incredibly dangerous, much like a beast on the verge of death.

"Falling from forty or fifty stories high, and even taking a punch from me, yet he's still not dead? This man is definitely an expert!" Xia Ping's pupils constricted, and he subconsciously retreated several steps from the middle-aged man, maintaining a safe distance.

The middle-aged man stared fixedly at Xia Ping, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: "I didn't expect the Black Bear Company to have arranged an ambush at the back door as well. Truly impressive, leaving nothing to chance."

"But do they think that by sending a mere Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven like you, they can kill me? That is nothing but a pipe dream! Kid, although I have no grudge against you, since you've blocked my path, you must die!"

BOOM!

The moment the words left his mouth, he struck out suddenly with a palm.

Advanced martial art: Heart-Destroying Palm!

In an instant, Xia Ping could feel the terror of the middle-aged man's incoming palm. Its power was countless times more fearsome than Xiong Batian's—vicious, ruthless, and accompanied by a violent, crushing airflow. It felt as though every strand of energy was enough to tear his body into shreds.

There was even a terrifying, blood-red killing intent that struck directly at the soul, causing one to suffocate and feel their liver and gallbladder split in terror! An ordinary person would be unable to even move under this palm, struck dead instantly.

"Go to hell!"

Xia Ping roared. Facing such a life-or-death crisis, every nerve in his body tightened. His Five Forms Fist had reached the realm of perfection, and he could execute its techniques with effortless ease.

Dragon Fist: Golden Dragon Reveals Claws!

He transformed his palm into a claw, his five fingers like those of an eagle, and slashed out fiercely. Behind his body, the faint sound of a dragon's roar emerged, and dozens of nearly tangible energy strikes surged forward with immense, violent force.

This move was even more terrifying than the Tiger Fist; it was Xia Ping's strongest technique, gathering all his essence, energy, and spirit. It tore through everything, leaving over a dozen gashes in the ground as it sliced through the earth.

BANG! BANG! BANG!!!

The collision of fist and palm created two powerful forces clashing together. The impact was extreme, causing the energy to explode with a thunderous sound that sent shockwaves rolling outward.

With a slap, Xia Ping was forced back a dozen steps, feeling his blood and qi roiling.

The middle-aged man only retreated a single step, but his expression was one of shock: "How is this possible? Although my Heart-Destroying Palm is at less than ten percent of its power, it is not something a mere Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven should be able to withstand."

"So that's it. You have cultivated the Five Forms Fist to the realm of perfection. No wonder you can unleash such terrifying power, making the strength of the Five Forms Fist no less than an advanced martial art."

"Remarkable. To achieve this at such a young age is truly remarkable. You can be considered a genius, but you shouldn't have become a lackey for the Black Bear Company. Today, you must die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly pulled a silver object from his body.

"Damn it!"

Xia Ping instantly recognized it as a laser firearm. Once the trigger was pulled, that laser could instantly pierce through a meter of solid rock; there was no need to mention what it would do to an ordinary person—death would be certain.

A chill rose from the soles of his feet to his crown. If he really let the opponent pull out that laser firearm, he would be finished, with absolutely no hope of survival.

After all, how could a human possibly be faster than a laser?!

Snake Fist: Spirit Snake Drills a Hole!

In an instant, his nerves were stretched to their limit. In this moment of near-death, his soul entered an ethereal state, as if the entire world had slowed down.

His thoughts accelerated at least dozens of times faster than before, so fast that sparks seemed to flash in his mind. Xia Ping felt his current power to be unprecedentedly agile and strong!

Whoosh!

Xia Ping's body flickered, transforming into a spirit snake. His movement trajectory was winding and incredibly fast, like lightning, crossing several meters in an instant to close in on the middle-aged man.

"What?!"

The middle-aged man was incredulous, staring at Xia Ping in shock. How could this kid's speed be this fast? He was clearly a Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven; how could he close the distance in an instant without him even noticing?

Snake Fist: Venomous Snake Captures Rabbit!

Xia Ping's right hand transformed into a snake. His speed was incredibly fast, fierce, and ruthless. The trajectory was natural, like an antelope hanging its horns—leaving no traces to follow—and it struck toward the middle-aged man's chest in an instant.

With a bang, his right hand acted like a bullet, instantly piercing through the middle-aged man's chest. His heart was completely punctured and exploded, the flesh and blood inside bursting apart.

"Ugh... ugh..." The middle-aged man widened his eyes, looking at Xia Ping in disbelief. He seemed unable to comprehend that he had been killed by a mere Martial Apprentice Fourth Heaven, who had pierced his heart.

With a thud, his body slowly collapsed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Xia Ping circulated the qi within his body, activating the Pure Yang Indestructible Art. A scorching energy instantly spread throughout his surroundings, dispelling all the fatigue and negative emotions from his body, even burning them away entirely.

Despite this being his first time killing someone, he felt absolutely nothing, as if he were a robot—calm and composed. This was likely the influence of the Pure Yang Indestructible Art.

This top-tier cultivation technique had already seeped into his marrow; the moment he showed even a hint of negative emotion, the fire within his body would immediately ignite and burn those feelings away.

"Although I knew that Black Moon City was an extremely dangerous place, where the underworld runs rampant and death and slaughter are everywhere, I didn't expect to encounter a life-or-death battle the moment I arrived."

Xia Ping took a breath to ease the fatigue in his body. This life-or-death battle had consumed most of his energy; if there had been even a moment of negligence, he would likely be the one dead in this place.

He looked at the middle-aged man lying on the ground and couldn't help but feel surprised. The man's chest had over a dozen wounds deep enough to see bone, and who knew how many bones were broken; he had been suffering from near-fatal injuries.

Yet, even in that state, he still had the ability to kill him. One could only imagine how terrifying this man would have been in his prime. It was completely unimaginable.

"Wait, what are these things?" Xia Ping stepped forward and immediately noticed a black package on the middle-aged man's back. It was bulging, as if it contained something.

He took it off and found it quite heavy.

But before Xia Ping could even open it to take a look, a sharp shout came from the distance: "Hurry and chase! That guy definitely isn't dead yet. To dare betray our Black Bear Company—he must be captured and torn to pieces! Let the traitor know the methods of the Black Bear Company!"

"Damn it, this is a huge problem."

Xia Ping immediately knew he had invited massive trouble. Clearly, this middle-aged man had done something or stolen something that offended the Black Bear Company, leading to him being hunted by countless experts and ending up in a near-death state.

Now that he had killed this middle-aged man and taken the package from his body, if those Black Bear Company people found out, he wouldn't have a chance to live.

"Must escape!" Xia Ping made a prompt decision. Although he was an eighteen-year-old youth, after awakening his memories, his methods had become very seasoned and extremely decisive; he would never drag his feet.

He grabbed the package and fled into the depths of the alley.