Facing Death

Chapter 20: Facing Death

Chu Xiaotian wasn't a bloodthirsty man, but neither was he a stickler for needless principles. In a world where strength reigned supreme, the biggest fist made the rules. Since they had already tried to kill him, he had no intention of going easy on them. Under his control, the Corpse Poison in his body traveled along his fingernails, pierced Cheng Yuhu's palm, and invaded his body.

In large quantities, Corpse Poison could rob a person of their senses and turn them into a zombie. If they couldn't devour the blood and vital energy of living beings to suppress it, it would also ravage them until they were utterly destroyed within a short time. In smaller quantities, its effect was simply to corrode. Chu Xiaotian might not be very strong, but the Corpse Poison inside him was lethal to anyone at the same level. Unless they possessed spiritual energy capable of countering it, the poison would slowly eat away all the flesh within their bodies until, in the end, a living person was reduced to a withered skeleton, their flesh dissolved away.

Either outcome showed just how terrifying Corpse Poison was. And the truth proved it. Until just moments ago, Cheng Yuhu's palms had borne only a purple wound about the size of a fingernail. Yet in the few breaths Chu Xiaotian had spent dodging the other two tigers' attacks, half of each palm had already turned a livid blue-purple. The tiny wounds gaped like open mouths, slowly oozing pus. A pain that reached deep into his soul spread from them through Cheng Yuhu's whole body, making him tremble uncontrollably. He was just about ready to roll around on the ground.

With both palms ruined, Cheng Yuhu was little better than an ordinary man. Chu Xiaotian had no intention of letting him go, either. He dodged the other two men's attacks and charged straight at him again. Unable to fight back, Cheng Yuhu could only retreat, enduring the piercing pain as he cried out for his two elder brothers to save him.

"Bastard! You're dead!" The other two members of the Greenwood Three Tigers shouted in unison and attacked Chu Xiaotian with all their strength. Cheng Dahu stopped fighting with his bare hands and drew a greatsword from his back, bringing it down in a slash. Cheng Erhu swung a pitch-black iron rod at Chu Xiaotian's legs, the weapon whistling through the air.

A cold smile played on Chu Xiaotian's lips. He paid no heed to their attacks. The three burly men were stronger than he was, but there was no doubt their speed couldn't compare to his. Before their attacks could even reach him, he was already in front of Cheng Yuhu.

He grinned at Cheng Yuhu, ignoring the horror in his eyes, and drove his fist straight into his face without breaking stride.

With a scream, Cheng Yuhu took the punch full in the face. His nose caved in, and terror flashed in his eyes. He had never imagined that Chu Xiaotian, who looked like a savage, could be so ruthless. More importantly, he was far stronger than they had expected.

Chu Xiaotian didn't care what was going through the man's mind. He didn't slow down for an instant. As Cheng Yuhu's body pitched backward from the blow, Chu Xiaotian kicked him in the back. The force was so tremendous that it nearly split the big man in two. Still, Cheng Yuhu's strength at the eighth level of Body Refining was no sham. The kick didn't kill him, but after taking such a heavy blow and being infected with Chu Xiaotian's Corpse Poison, he was not far from death.

"Bastard! We'll never rest until you're dead!" Seeing Cheng Yuhu lying motionless on the ground, his fate uncertain, his two elder brothers' eyes instantly turned bloodshot. They went completely berserk, and their greatsword and enormous iron rod became two black nets, sweeping down over Chu Xiaotian.

There was no need to explain how terrifying two enraged eighth-level Body Refining experts could be. Their weapons sent rubble flying along the street and gusts of wind in every direction. The bystanders on the roadside scattered, afraid of being caught in the attacks of these two madmen.

Chu Xiaotian's expression turned grave. He darted back and forth, relying on his nimble body to evade the two crazed men's attacks. With his current strength, he had no chance of taking on two eighth-level cultivators. Cheng Yuhu had been caught off guard when Chu Xiaotian's Corpse Poison invaded his body, leaving him unable to fight; that was the only reason Chu Xiaotian had been able to make such a mess of him. If they had fought head-on from the beginning, there was a very good chance Chu Xiaotian would be the one lying on the ground now.

Everything had happened so quickly. From Cheng Yuhu's attempt to play a dirty trick on Chu Xiaotian to his collapse on the ground, only a few breaths had passed. Only now did Xia Xue understand what had happened. She shouted at them, trying to make Chu Xiaotian and Cheng Yuhu's two brothers stop fighting. But their eyes had gone red with rage, and all they wanted was to avenge their brother. They couldn't hear a word she said. Their weapons kept chasing Chu Xiaotian, striking at his vital points.

Chu Xiaotian darted left and right, dodging the two men's frenzied attacks. He knew all too well that if either of these men, crazed with bloodlust, landed a blow, he might not die—but he would lose a layer of skin.

Unable to stop the three men, Xia Xue could only pace anxiously nearby, terrified that Chu Xiaotian would be hurt by the two men who had gone berserk. She wanted to go help, but against two eighth-level experts, she had no chance at all. Fortunately, Chu Xiaotian was nimble, and the two big men couldn't easily land a hit on him. That let her relax a little.

But there were two of them, after all. As the saying went, two fists could hardly fend off four hands. At first, the two men had been so furious that their attacks were nearly without form. After attacking Chu Xiaotian for a long while without success, they calmed down. Rather than chasing after him and striking wildly, they slowly spread out, closing in from both sides and steadily forcing him toward the edge.

Chu Xiaotian's combat experience couldn't compare with that of these two eighth-level fighters. He hadn't spotted their plan in time. Only when he had backed into a corner with nowhere left to go did he realize his predicament.

"Kid, you dared to hurt my brother. You're going to die!" Cheng Erhu, the iron rod in his hands, grinned viciously as he swung it at Chu Xiaotian's head, the weapon tearing through the air with a whistle. Cheng Dahu, holding his greatsword, sneered as he swept it toward Chu Xiaotian's waist.

Chu Xiaotian's face changed drastically. With both men attacking from either side, he had nowhere to retreat, and even dodging had become a problem. If either attack landed, he would be dead. At this critical moment, he could think of nothing else. He turned sideways and lunged forward instead of retreating.

It looked like nothing short of a death wish. Xia Xue, watching nearby, couldn't help but scream. But before her cry had even faded, a sight that filled her with joy appeared before her eyes. Before the greatsword could strike him, Chu Xiaotian's body had dropped low. The blade didn't cut him in half; it only shaved off a patch of his scalp. The black iron rod aimed at his head smashed into the wall behind him, punching a huge hole through it.

The greatsword had missed, and Chu Xiaotian had escaped death. But almost as soon as he hit the ground, it swung back around and came down at him again. The iron rod fell like a pillar from the heavens. Blade and rod formed a cross, sealing off every escape route.

Chu Xiaotian had nowhere to dodge. His face turned ashen, his heart filled with regret. He had finally made it to this place and met a peerless beauty like Xia Xue, only to die here today and lose everything.

"Ah! Stop! You can't kill him, or I won't hold back!" Xia Xue screamed and darted toward Chu Xiaotian. Her long sword sprang from its scabbard with a clang, scattering a cold gleam as she swept it toward the two men. At the moment Chu Xiaotian faced death, she had completely forgotten that Cheng Dahu and Cheng Erhu were at the eighth level of Body Refining.

But she knew perfectly well that even if she forgot the gap in strength between herself and Cheng Dahu's men, there was no way she could reach Chu Xiaotian in time to save him.

Just as Chu Xiaotian and Xia Xue were consumed by despair, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Chu Xiaotian. The figure raised a long saber, knocking Cheng Dahu and Cheng Erhu's weapons into the air.