Body Tempering Counter-Kill Houtian Realm? Go Kill a Second-Order Demonic Beast!

Ye Wudao watched the Four Blade Sect Master's footwork and opening stance, and he understood instantly: it was the Life-Taking Four Blades.

"Silk-Entangling Blade!"

He dared not hesitate and immediately employed the Silk-Entangling Blade.

Although his Silk-Entangling Blade had only reached the minor accomplishment stage, it was a Houtian Realm martial technique, inherently superior in grade to the Life-Taking Four Blades.

If he chose to clash head-on with the Four Blade Sect Master using the Life-Taking Four Blades, it would certainly be inappropriate.

Although the Four Blade Sect Master was elderly and female, she was, after all, a martial artist who had entered the Houtian Realm, and she could steadily suppress him in terms of raw strength.

Therefore, choosing the Silk-Entangling Blade to counter her was the best option.

The Life-Taking Four Blades focused on breaking through weaknesses with four consecutive strikes, never giving the opponent a chance to catch their breath.

The Silk-Entangling Blade, however, focused primarily on entanglement, allowing it to restrain the Life-Taking Four Blades in terms of swordplay.

Qin Tianlong had told him that in actual combat, one must avoid the enemy's strengths and attack their weaknesses.

When there was a gap in cultivation realms, one had to rely on martial technique suppression to bridge that gap.

"Clang!"

However, when their blades collided, Ye Wudao realized he had still underestimated the Four Blade Sect Master.

The powerful recoil made the webbing between his thumb and forefinger go numb. Even though he had managed to entangle her blade, his subsequent movements were already becoming unstable.

Furthermore, because the Silk-Entangling Blade was a Tang Saber Technique, his heavy blade could not unleash one hundred percent of the technique's power, and he could not stop himself from taking a step back.

The Four Blade Sect Master was also somewhat surprised; she could feel that Ye Wudao's strength was significantly weaker than her own.

Yet, Ye Wudao had managed to use a force-deflecting method to clash head-on with her without falling into a disadvantage.

Without time to think, instinct drove her to swing her blade again, aiming straight for Ye Wudao's throat.

Ye Wudao narrowed his eyes, switched his blade from his right hand to his left, and swung upward with a backhand strike, attempting to deflect the Four Blade Sect Master's blade.

It had some effect, but the Four Blade Sect Master's strength was too great. The force of the collision traveled through the blades into his body, forcing him to retreat another half-step.

It was precisely this half-step retreat that the Four Blade Sect Master seized upon, as the third strike of the Life-Taking Four Blades thrust fiercely toward his chest.

"Thousand Catty Drop!"

Ye Wudao knew he could not avoid this strike, so he immediately executed the Thousand Catty Drop, sinking his center of gravity.

While using the Thousand Catty Drop, he held his heavy blade horizontally in front of him.

"Clang!"

The Four Blade Sect Master's strike slammed into the body of his heavy blade, sending sparks flying.

At the same time, the force-generating technique of the Thousand Catty Drop firmly anchored his feet to the ground.

His body leaned backward, and utilizing the power of the Thousand Catty Drop, he forcefully straightened his waist.

The Four Blade Sect Master, who had been charging forward, was sent flying by this sudden rebounding force.

Ye Wudao's eyes lit up; he knew this was his only chance.

He instantly activated the Light Smoke Step, and he shot toward the Four Blade Sect Master like an arrow released from a bowstring.

But the Four Blade Sect Master was no pushover. The moment she was sent flying, she performed a flip in mid-air, attempting to stabilize her stance.

However, when she landed, she did not see Ye Wudao's figure.

The next second, the sound of wind whistling behind her set off alarm bells in her heart.

Without any hesitation, she swung her blade backhand.

However, the strike hit nothing but air.

"Oh no!"

By the time she reacted, she only saw a figure flash past her, leaving behind an afterimage.

Immediately after, a sharp pain in her neck surged, and a sense of powerlessness instantly swept through her entire body.

"Lost... Lost Trace Steps!"

She clutched her neck as warm blood flowed through her fingers.

She looked at Ye Wudao in front of her with lingering resentment as her body slowly tipped backward.

She could not understand how someone in the Body Forging Realm could have mastered so many martial techniques.

She also never expected that she, a Houtian Realm expert, would actually die at the hands of a greenhorn in the Body Forging Realm.

"Hoo..."

Ye Wudao let out a long breath as he watched the Four Blade Sect Master fall.

If he hadn't reacted in time just now and used the Lost Trace Steps to circle from behind her to her front, he likely would have been struck by that counter-thrust.

He glanced around, met the astonished gazes of the onlookers, and saw his grandmaster Qin Tianlong standing not far away, so he quickly lowered his head and left.

After he departed, the surrounding martial artists instantly erupted into a clamor.

"Damn! Am I seeing things? This kid actually killed the Four Blade Sect leader!"

"Is there something wrong with your eyes? Weren't the three who died before also people?"

"This kid should only be in the Body Forging Realm, right? The Four Blade Sect leader is at the Houtian Realm! How did he manage that?"

"I did a rough count; this kid has mastered at least five martial arts: Silk-Entangling Blade, Light Smoke Step, Thousand Catty Drop, Lost Trace Steps, and Life-Taking Four Blades. He won entirely through martial arts suppression."

"Exactly, and his mastery of these arts isn't low either. His combat awareness is quite remarkable; he can observe shifts in the battle situation in an instant and use the corresponding technique to gain the upper hand."

"That Thousand Catty Drop just now left me stunned. When his strength wasn't a match for the Four Blade Sect leader, he actually used that method to send him flying!"

"What kind of background does this kid have? With so many martial arts, it's impossible for one master to have taught him all of them. Could he be a student from the Martial Arts Academy?"

"That's impossible! Students from the Martial Arts Academy come to the Rift World with teachers to protect them. I don't see any guardians around this kid."

"Stop calling him 'kid' every other sentence. Here by the river, out of all of you, who dares to claim they are his match?"

"A genius of this level could rub those softies from the Martial Arts Academy into the dirt. He probably isn't a student there; he's likely a disciple of some major family."

"You guys don't know, but last time the Martial Arts Academy students came for a trial, two of the girls were actually scared to tears!"

As Ye Wudao left, the surrounding chatter gradually thinned out.

Small talk aside, hunting demonic beasts was the real business!

At this moment, Qin Tianlong, standing by the rocky beach, watched Ye Wudao walk toward him, his eyes filled with shock.

He seemed to have underestimated Ye Wudao!

That backhanded strike from the Four Blade Sect leader just now had made his heart jump into his throat.

He had been ready to intervene, but when he saw Ye Wudao use the Lost Trace Steps to circle from behind the leader to his front, he knew Ye Wudao was going to win.

"What a little monster!"

Qin Tianlong muttered softly, shaking his head helplessly.

A Body Forging master killing an entry-level Houtian warrior—if this got out, it would probably drop a few jaws.

A Body Forging master killing a peak Body Forging warrior was possible.

But for a Body Forging practitioner to kill a Houtian one was a cross-realm battle.

He had thought it would be impressive enough for Ye Wudao to trade a few blows with the leader, but who could have imagined he would end up killing him?

Ye Wudao walked up to Qin Tianlong and said softly, "Grandmaster, let's leave quickly!"

Qin Tianlong smiled and asked, "Why leave?"

Ye Wudao glanced at the four corpses lying on the ground in the distance and said, "I killed people. Won't the guards at the outpost come to arrest me in a moment?"

Qin Tianlong laughed, "Haha! Then why didn't you think of that when you were killing them?"

Ye Wudao awkwardly scratched the back of his head and replied, "At the time, I was only thinking about how to get away; I didn't think that far ahead!"

Qin Tianlong patted Ye Wudao on the shoulder and shook his head, "Don't worry. In the Rift World, life and death are left to fate."

"This isn't Blue Star; there aren't so many restrictions."

"As long as you aren't going on a killing spree, no one will bother you."

Having said that, he looked toward the river and whispered, "Look at those people. Does anyone care that you killed someone?"

"Killing for treasure, revenge, conflicts—these things are perfectly normal in the Rift World."

"Besides, the Four Blade Sect people were the ones who tried to kill you first. This counts as self-defense, so don't be so afraid!"

He paused, glanced toward the top of the gentle slope, and said, "However, we do need to leave!"

Ye Wudao was stunned and asked, "Didn't you just say it was fine? Why do we still have to go?"

Qin Tianlong looked at Ye Wudao and said, "Do you think that, with your combat power, it's still suitable for you to stay here killing first-tier demonic beasts?"

"You can already kill an entry-level Houtian warrior; first-tier beasts no longer pose any threat to you."

"If you want to temper your combat strength, you must constantly challenge stronger existences. Only then can you fully unleash your potential."

"So, I plan to take you to the canyon to hunt second-tier demonic beasts!"

Ye Wudao pursed his lips and whispered, "Grandmaster, are we going to hunt second-tier beasts right now?"

Qin Tianlong smiled, "What? Are you afraid?"

Ye Wudao shook his head, "I'm not afraid, it's just that I only received my Black Iron Medal yesterday, and I registered as a commoner."

"If I go to the canyon to hunt beasts now, will it arouse the suspicion of the Demon Slayer Guard?"

"I don't want them to drag me off to be dissected!"

Qin Tianlong was taken aback, then laughed, "You're quite meticulous!"

"Don't worry, many people in the Demon Slayer Guard report fake realms."

"The Demon Slayer Guard doesn't care what your realm is, as long as you can kill demonic beasts!"

Ye Wudao nodded and followed in Qin Tianlong's footsteps toward the gentle slope.