Facing Death

Chapter 20: Facing Death

Chu Xiaotian was no bloodthirsty man, but he was no pedant either. In this world where strength reigned supreme, might made right. Since they had already intended to kill him, he had no intention of letting them off easy. Under his control, the corpse poison within him flowed along his fingernails, piercing Cheng Yuhu's palm and invading his body directly.

In large quantities, corpse poison could strip a person of their sanity and turn them into a zombie. If the victim could not devour the life force and blood of living beings to suppress the toxin, it would erode them until their body and soul were utterly extinguished in a short time. In smaller quantities, however, the poison acted as a corrosive agent. Though Chu Xiaotian's strength was not high, the corpse poison he carried was lethal to those of the same cultivation level. Unless one possessed spiritual energy capable of suppressing the toxin, it would slowly corrode all the flesh and blood within the body, eventually reducing a living person to a pile of withered bones with their flesh dissolved away.

Either outcome demonstrated the terrifying nature of the corpse poison. The facts proved this entirely: where there had only been a fingernail-sized purple wound on Cheng Yuhu's palms, in the few short breaths it took for Chu Xiaotian to dodge the other two tigers, half of his palms had turned a bruised, purplish-black. The small wound in the center of his palm now gaped like a wide mouth, with threads of pus slowly oozing out. A soul-piercing, agonizing pain radiated from the wound throughout Cheng Yuhu's entire body, making him tremble uncontrollably, nearly causing him to roll on the ground in agony.

With both palms crippled, Cheng Yuhu was no better than an ordinary man. Chu Xiaotian had no intention of letting him go; dodging the attacks of the other two, he lunged toward him once more. Unable to resist, Cheng Yuhu could only retreat while enduring the heart-wrenching pain, calling out to his two older brothers for help.

"You bastard, pay with your life!" The other two of the Greenwood Three Tigers roared in unison, launching full-force attacks at Chu Xiaotian. Cheng Dahu no longer used his palms; he drew a giant sword from his back and slashed downward, while Cheng Erhu swung a pitch-black iron rod that whistled through the air, sweeping toward Chu Xiaotian's feet.

A cold sneer hung on the corner of Chu Xiaotian's mouth. He ignored their attacks entirely; these three brutes were stronger than him, but there was no doubt that their speed could not compare to his. Before their strikes could land, he was already standing before Cheng Yuhu.

He flashed a toothy grin at him, ignoring the terror in Cheng Yuhu's eyes, and smashed his fist into Cheng Yuhu's face without hesitation.

With a miserable shriek, Cheng Yuhu's face was smashed into a pulp by Chu Xiaotian's punch. His nose collapsed entirely, and his eyes shimmered with horror. He could never have imagined that this savage-looking guy would be so ruthless, and more importantly, that his strength was far greater than they had anticipated.

Chu Xiaotian didn't care what the man was thinking. He didn't stop for a second; as Cheng Yuhu's body recoiled from the impact, he kicked him in the back with enough force to nearly snap the big man in two. However, Cheng Yuhu's eighth-stage Body Tempering strength was no lie; the kick didn't kill him, but after such a heavy blow and being infected with the corpse poison, he was not far from death.

"Bastard, we will fight you to the death!" Seeing Cheng Yuhu collapsed on the ground, neither dead nor alive, his two older brothers' eyes turned blood-red. Driven to madness, the giant sword and the massive iron rod transformed into two black nets, shrouding Chu Xiaotian's entire body.

The terror of two eighth-stage Body Tempering experts in a berserk state went without saying. Their weapons sent stones flying and shockwaves rippling through the street, forcing all the bystanders to scatter, terrified of being caught in the crossfire of these two madmen.

Chu Xiaotian's expression turned grave. He darted about, relying on his agile body to evade the attacks of the two crazed men. Dealing with two eighth-stage cultivators was simply impossible with his current strength. The previous victory over Cheng Yuhu had been largely due to the man's carelessness, allowing the corpse poison to take hold and strip him of his combat ability. Had they fought head-on from the start, it was highly likely that Chu Xiaotian would be the one lying on the ground.

Everything happened too quickly. From the moment Cheng Yuhu played dirty to his current state on the ground, only a few breaths had passed. It was only now that Xia Xue realized what had happened. She cried out, trying to get Chu Xiaotian and the two brothers to stop. But they were blinded by bloodlust, intent only on avenging their brother, and paid no heed to her words. Their weapons continued to rain down on Chu Xiaotian's vital points.

Chu Xiaotian dodged left and right, evading their frantic strikes. He knew all too well that if he were grazed by these two blood-crazed men, he would be stripped of a layer of skin, if not killed outright.

Unable to stop the three of them, Xia Xue could only pace back and forth in anxiety, terrified that Chu Xiaotian would be harmed by these two lunatics. She wanted to help, but against two eighth-stage experts, she had no chance of winning. Fortunately, Chu Xiaotian was agile, and it wasn't easy for the two big men to land a hit, which eased her mind slightly.

However, there were two of them, and as the saying went, two fists were no match for four hands. Previously, they had been in a blind rage, attacking without strategy. After failing to land a hit on Chu Xiaotian for so long, they calmed down. They stopped chasing him blindly and instead spread out, forming a pincer movement to slowly corner him.

Chu Xiaotian's combat experience could not compare to these two eighth-stage fighters. He hadn't noticed their intent until he was backed into a corner with nowhere left to run.

"Kid, you dare hurt my brother? Go to hell!" Cheng Erhu, holding the iron rod, grinned hideously as he swung it toward Chu Xiaotian's head with a whistling shriek. Cheng Dahu, wielding the giant sword, also sneered as he swept his blade horizontally, aiming to cut Chu Xiaotian in half at the waist.

Chu Xiaotian's face changed drastically. Caught in their pincer attack, he had no room to retreat, and even dodging had become impossible. If either attack landed, he would surely die. At this critical moment, he ignored everything else, tilted his body, and lunged forward instead of retreating.

It was a suicidal move that made Xia Xue scream in horror. But before the sound had even faded, a sight that brought her relief appeared: Chu Xiaotian's body had dropped low before the giant sword could reach him. The blade failed to cut him in half, only slicing off a patch of his scalp. As for the black iron rod aimed at his head, it smashed into the wall behind him, punching a massive hole through it.

The sword had missed, but almost as soon as Chu Xiaotian hit the ground, it swung back around, slashing toward him. The iron rod also descended like a pillar from the heavens. Sword and rod formed a cross, sealing off every path of retreat.

Chu Xiaotian had nowhere to hide. His face turned ashen, his heart filled with bitter regret. He had finally reached this place and met a beauty as exquisite as Xia Xue, only to die here today, leaving everything he had worked for in vain.

"Ah... stop! You cannot kill him, or I won't be polite!" Xia Xue shrieked. Her figure flashed as she lunged toward Chu Xiaotian. Her long sword rang as it cleared its scabbard, casting a cold light as it enveloped the two men. In the moment Chu Xiaotian faced death, she had forgotten all about the eighth-stage strength of Cheng Dahu and his brother.

Yet, she knew all too well that even if she ignored the gap in their strength, there was no way she could reach Chu Xiaotian in time to save him.

Just as Chu Xiaotian and Xia Xue fell into despair, a figure suddenly appeared before Chu Xiaotian. A long blade in their hand flicked upward, knocking the weapons of Cheng Dahu and Cheng Erhu high into the air.