Massacre

"Master, Chang'an Alley in the Outer City has fallen!"

"Master, Dongguang Street in the Inner City has fallen too!"

"Master, someone smashed up our casino!"

"Fourth Young Master is gravely wounded!"

In just a moment, one piece of terrible news after another came pouring in.

"Endure it! If we go out now, we'll walk straight into the magistrate's killing trap. That's exactly what they want. We'll be doomed!" Huang He pressed a hand to his daughter Huang Rongyue's shoulder and spoke in a low voice.

Huang Rongyue was frantic. "But, Father, if we don't strike first, the Huang Family is doomed anyway. Why not risk everything?"

She was at least halfway to the Blood-Exchange Realm, and the strongest fighter in the Huang Family.

She gave her shoulder a shrug and easily shook off Huang He's iron-clamp grip.

She was about to leap into the air and rush to the battlefield.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed past the corner of her eye at astonishing speed, leaving even her stunned.

"What incredible movement skills!" she cried out inwardly.

But what happened next was even harder for her to believe.

Lu Li raced along, leaping over rooftops and darting through the darkness like a ghost.

In an instant, he reached the battlefield.

The first thing he saw was a bald giant holding a cleaver, hacking down a member of the Huang Family. Blood splashed across his face.

He let out a savage laugh, looking like a demon.

"Kill! Kill every Huang Family bastard and avenge our master!" the giant shrieked. He swung his cleaver and charged through the crowd as if no one stood in his way, unstoppable.

The Huang Family members who tried to stop him fell like chives beneath his blade.

Before long, only a handful of Huang Family members remained, surrounded by a mass of Wang Family fighters with no way out.

"Wang Qiang, your skills have improved lately. You've snatched up all the credit for yourself!"

"Yeah, save some for us to drink, will you?"

At their words, the bald giant rested his blood-soaked cleaver on his shoulder and roared with laughter, thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Sure. I'll save you a share."

With that, he raised his cleaver and pointed it at the Huang Family members. "Kill them, then we'll move on to the next street."

The moment the words left his mouth, his body suddenly went rigid. Alarm bells rang in his mind, and the hair on his arms stood on end.

"Not good!" Sensing danger, he hurriedly held his cleaver across his chest.

By the firelight, he saw a figure dart out of the darkness, seeming to merge with it. The figure moved in utter silence, as elusive as a ghost.

It was Lu Li, who had just arrived!

He clenched one fist and slammed it toward Wang Qiang.

His fist struck the cleaver head-on, bending it.

The overwhelming force hit Wang Qiang like a tidal wave. His arm went numb and trembled, and he nearly lost his grip on the cleaver.

Seeing that his first punch hadn't finished the job, Lu Li gathered his strength again. His blood roared, his muscles knotted, and his flesh tightened. The great tendons in his body drew taut like a stretched bowstring, while his spine awakened like a coiling dragon, arched like a fully drawn bow.

As Lu Li threw his punch with all his strength, the bowstring snapped taut. His spine seemed to transform into a dragon soaring into the sky, roaring toward the heavens.

With a thunderous crash, Lu Li stamped his foot against the ground. His immense strength cracked the earth.

With the speed behind it, the force of Lu Li's punch was far more than six thousand catties. It might even have doubled that.

Wang Qiang felt a gale roar toward him, kicking up flying sand and stones until they filled the air.

The wind stung his face, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

Clang!

Lu Li's fist slammed into the cleaver again.

This time, he struck with all his strength. The cleaver snapped with a crack, but his punch kept going.

His fist smashed through Wang Qiang's chest, shattering flesh and bone. It burst out the other side, slick with blood and bits of viscera.

Wang Qiang's eyes widened. He let out a scream, then his head drooped and he fell silent.

He had been gloating only a moment earlier. Now he was dead.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Everyone there, from the Wang Family to the Huang Family, stood dumbstruck, their mouths hanging open.

Lu Li grabbed Wang Qiang by the ear and casually flung him aside.

Wang Qiang's corpse flew into the Wang Family fighters, smashing through them and opening a gap for the Huang Family members.

The Huang Family members came to their senses, hurried through the opening, and glanced back at Lu Li.

Seeing the Blood-Colored Mask on his face, they immediately understood. "Thank you for your righteous intervention, Senior Blood Ghost!"

With that, they fled in a panic.

The Wang Family fighters didn't dare give chase. Each one stared at Lu Li's hideous Blood Mask as if facing a formidable enemy.

Some were so terrified they wet themselves.

A strong reek of urine and feces blew over with the wind, making Lu Li's brow furrow.

"Senior Blood Ghost, this is a feud between the Wang and Huang Families. Surely it's inappropriate for you to interfere," one of the Wang Family members said in a trembling voice.

Lu Li ignored him, his cold gaze sweeping over all the Wang Family fighters. They were just a bunch of nobodies, and he immediately lost interest.

"Where is Wang Yu?" Lu Li asked coldly.

He wasn't particularly tall, but his thunderous methods had shaken everyone present to the core.

The moment he spoke, his hoarse, icy voice plunged them all into an abyss of frozen terror.

The Wang Family members looked at one another, too frightened to make a sound.

No one answered.

"At least you have some backbone. I'll make it quick."

Lu Li gave a savage grin, clenched both fists, and surged with killing intent. He stepped forward like a wolf charging into a flock of sheep, slaughtering the Wang Family members as blood and flesh flew and screams filled the air.

Before long, not one member of the Wang Family was left alive.

"What a pity these nobodies aren't on the bounty list. Together, they'd have made a tidy sum," Lu Li said with a regretful shake of his head.

Then he hurried toward the other fires.

But in the eyes of those who saw him shake his head, it meant something else.

"He's still not done killing? He truly lives up to the name Blood Ghost."

Lu Li's ruthless attacks and savage methods made Huang He's scalp prickle. His heart still raced with lingering fear.

Fortunately, Blood Ghost wasn't targeting the Huang Family.

Otherwise, even if the Wang Family were added to the mix, Blood Ghost alone would be more than enough to give the Huang Family a world of trouble!

"So he's Blood Ghost? Just as the rumors say: a merciless killer, bloodthirsty to the core." Huang Rongyue murmured, shock flickering in her beautiful eyes.

"Especially those movement skills. He's truly mastered them to the extreme. He comes and goes like lightning, his movements unpredictable. It's almost impossible to guard against him!"

"Father, why would Blood Ghost help our Huang Family?"

Huang He shook his head. "I don't know. He did kill Wang Ju, so perhaps he had a past feud with the Wang Family."

Huang He sighed and continued, "But the Wang Family has pinned Wang Ju's death on us. And now, after what Blood Ghost has done, I'm afraid we'll never clear our names."

Huang Rongyue, however, seemed thoughtful. Her beautiful eyes followed the direction Lu Li had gone, and an idea was taking shape in her mind.

She was about to set off when Huang He stopped her. "Don't rush. Let's see what Blood Ghost is after first."

"We still don't know whether he's friend or foe!"

This time, Huang He held Huang Rongyue back with all his strength.

Afraid she might hurt him if she struggled too hard, Huang Rongyue held back.

Lu Li had no idea that the young lady had noticed him. He had only one thing on his mind: the bounties. He moved from one district to another, searching for members of the Wang Family with prices on their heads.