Fight to the Death!

"Cunning little brat!"

Ghost was currently locked in a struggle with the Rockback Beast. Sensing killing intent behind him, he decisively withdrew his strength and redirected the force.

Boom!

Because Ghost had pulled back, the Rockback Beast slammed him into the wall behind him, the impact so painful he could barely breathe.

Yet it was precisely because of Ghost's decisiveness that he not only dodged Lin Yun's fully charged Vajra Fist, but also used Lin Yun's attack to send the Rockback Beast flying.

"Roar!"

With nearly ten thousand jin of force crashing down on it, the Rockback Beast let out a pained roar. Its massive body was knocked sideways and slammed heavily into a broken wall beside it, shaking loose rubble that scattered across the floor.

Its hide was thick and tough. That punch had failed to break its defense, but it had thoroughly enraged the beast. It turned its head and roared even more frantically.

In that brief delay, Ghost had already regained his footing.

The short blade in his hand traced a cold arc as he thrust directly at Lin Yun's heart.

Lin Yun hurriedly raised an arm to block. His glove collided with the blade, sending sparks flying.

The terrifying force numbed Lin Yun's arm. The arrow wound in his abdomen was tugged open, and intense pain instantly flooded his nerves, forcing him to stagger back two steps.

Lin Yun considered his combat skills fairly strong, but his abdominal wound was still bleeding continuously. After fighting the Ironclad Turtle and then the Rockback Beast, he had less than a tenth of his stamina left. Faced with Ghost's relentless killing moves, he could only barely defend himself. Every block pulled at his wound, making his punches weaker and weaker.

Ghost had clearly noticed as well. His blade grew increasingly vicious, every strike aimed at a vital point.

The short blade carved streaks of cold light through the dim floor, driving Lin Yun back step by step until his back soon pressed against the icy wall.

"Brat, you've got quite a few tricks," Ghost said in a low voice, laced with killing intent. "Too bad you're still too green!"

The blade tip was already pressed to Lin Yun's throat. Another inch forward, and it would pierce his flesh.

Lin Yun gritted his teeth, the muscles in his arms trembling from the strain. He was on the verge of giving out.

At that moment, the recovered Rockback Beast charged again.

It had gone completely mad. No matter who stood before it, it lowered its head and rammed straight at the two locked in combat.

Its enormous body carried overwhelming force, and even the corridor trembled faintly.

Ghost's expression changed. It was already too late to retreat.

Lin Yun had nowhere to evade either.

Bang!

Amid the thunderous impact, the two were sent flying in opposite directions.

Ghost slammed hard into a support pillar. A metallic taste rose in his throat, and he nearly spat blood. The short blade slipped from his hand and rolled through the gap in the stairwell, clattering all the way down to the second floor.

Lin Yun, meanwhile, was knocked directly into the stairwell. He tumbled down half a flight of stairs before his back struck the landing, bringing him to a stop as his vision darkened.

The Rockback Beast shook its head, then fixed its gaze on the closer Ghost. A threatening growl rumbled from its throat as it advanced step by step.

Ghost pushed himself up against the pillar, his chest aching dully. His knife was gone.

He looked at the Rockback Beast blocking the stairwell, then glanced at the figure that had vanished below the stairs. His teeth itched with rage.

That brat really is hard to kill!

But he could not chase after him now.

The Rockback Beast was blocking the way. Unless he dealt with it, he could forget about going downstairs.

That brat was wounded so badly that he would bleed half to death. There was no way he could escape this building.

He would slaughter this beast first.

Ghost's gaze turned cold as he charged forward empty-handed.

The full force of a peak Martial Apprentice erupted from him. His fists tore through the air as they smashed toward the Rockback Beast's head.

Not even the peak first-rank Black Belly had been his match. Dealing with a late first-rank Rockback Beast barehanded would only take some time.

In the stairwell, Lin Yun propped himself up against the wall, blood staining the corner of his mouth.

At a glance, he spotted the short blade lying on the landing and bent down to pick it up.

The blade was icy cold and sat comfortably in his hand. It was also a top-grade first-rank combat weapon, far sharper than the folding knife he had used before.

Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and ran downstairs.

As he ran, he pulled out the last bottle of healing potion from his pocket and gulped it down. The warm liquid slid down his throat, but it brought little warmth.

This little bit of medicinal power was nowhere near enough.

Not only was it insufficient, but if he wanted to completely heal his injuries, he would need at least a second-rank spiritual medicine.

He had none.

Nor did he have the money to exchange for one.

"I can only rely on myself!"

Lin Yun gritted his teeth and abruptly grabbed the arrow shaft.

The crossbow bolt was lodged between his ribs, its barbs ensuring that any movement would tear the wound wider and kill him faster.

Either way, it was a gamble. Pulling it out would at least let him fight freely.

Lin Yun clenched his teeth and yanked the crossbow bolt from his abdomen, throwing it to the ground.

Blood immediately gushed out. Enduring the excruciating pain, he tore his clothes into strips and wrapped the wound twice.

He did not keep running downstairs.

Once Ghost killed the Rockback Beast, he would definitely come after him. With the other man's speed, Lin Yun would not get far in his heavily wounded, blood-loss state before being caught.

He had to finish him here!

From their exchange just now, Lin Yun had realized that Ghost's close-combat skills were no better than his own. If he had not been seriously wounded, Ghost might not even have been his opponent.

Otherwise, why would a Martial Apprentice with such high cultivation need to use a crossbow to kill him?

Lin Yun swept his gaze over the second-floor corridor.

At the far end stood a half-collapsed fire door, its panel leaning against the wall. Behind it was a cramped storage room.

Lin Yun crouched down, dipped his fingers in the blood flowing from his wound, and deliberately dripped a trail of blood across the floor toward the right side of the corridor, all the way to a pile of rubble at the corner.

After finishing, he slipped behind the fire door and gripped the short blade tightly.

The healing potion's effects were rapidly being consumed within him, but waves of pain still drilled into his mind.

Using the breathing method his brother had taught him, he desperately held on to his awareness and forced the pain to the very edge of his consciousness.

Dizziness, weakness, darkening vision—every symptom reminded him that he had reached his limit, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

Only by enduring the pain could he wait for the chance to turn the tables!

Before long, the commotion on the third floor gradually subsided.

Ghost killed the Rockback Beast barehanded. He walked to the stairwell and looked down, seeing the intermittent blood trail stretching toward the second floor.

Ghost frowned when he discovered that his short blade was gone.

There was no need to think about it. Lin Yun must have picked it up.

"Trying to be clever."

Ghost sneered, picked up the crossbow bolt Lin Yun had pulled from his abdomen, and gripped it as a weapon.

Following the blood trail, he descended step by step to the second floor.

The corridor was dimly lit. Blood streaked across the floor in a long trail toward the right, eventually pooling beside the pile of rubble in the corner.

Ghost moved with extreme lightness, his gaze sharp as an eagle's.

Trying to hide behind the rubble and ambush me?

Too naive.

He suddenly gathered strength and shot toward the right like an arrow, viciously driving the crossbow bolt in his hand behind the rubble pile.

But it struck nothing.

Ghost's heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, I've been tricked!

Just as he turned, a cold gust of wind suddenly swept in from behind.

Lin Yun silently sprang out from behind the fire door and viciously drove the short blade into Ghost's lower back.

The blade tore through cloth, and the sensation of it piercing flesh came through with crystal clarity.

At almost the same instant, Ghost reacted with astonishing speed. He sharply twisted his wrist and viciously thrust the crossbow bolt backward.

Sshk!

The two weapons struck their targets almost simultaneously.

The short blade pierced Ghost's abdomen, while the crossbow bolt plunged into Lin Yun's thigh, sinking in more than an inch.

For an ordinary person, having a thigh pierced by a crossbow bolt would be painful enough to leave them powerless.

But Lin Yun merely panted heavily, his eyes brimming with killing intent. He twisted his wrist, turning the short blade half a circle inside Ghost's abdominal cavity.

"Ugh..."

Ghost let out a muffled groan. His body abruptly stiffened, his face filled with disbelief.

How is this possible?

This kid's willpower...

Before Ghost could make sense of it, Lin Yun had already pulled out the short blade.

Warm blood sprayed out and splattered across the floor.

Without pausing, Lin Yun viciously drove the blade into the man's waist again.

Two strikes, both fatal wounds.

Ghost's body swayed. He wanted to pull out the bolt and stab again, but his insides felt as though they had been shredded, and his strength rapidly drained away.

He lowered his head and stared at the blood pouring from his body, disbelief surfacing in his eyes.

He had been an assassin for over a decade. He had suffered setbacks and sustained grievous injuries, but he had never imagined that he would die at the hands of an eighteen-year-old high school student.

He had not even died to overwhelming cultivation. He had died to schemes, to ruthlessness, to this reckless, life-or-death fighting style.

Lin Yun gave him no more time to think.

Using the last of his strength, he held the short blade across Ghost's throat and violently pulled it sideways.

Blood gushed out, splattering across the cold wall.

Ghost's eyes widened. A wet, rasping sound leaked from his throat as his body slowly crumpled to the floor, utterly silent.