Remnants of the Cold Blade Sect

Wang Chuan and Zhang Yuan handed the cart over to the other villagers. As they eyed the man and woman in surprise, they also let out a breath of relief.

As long as they were not from the village.

Just as they were about to question them further, Lu Hong suddenly spoke.

"I never expected it to be you."

"Lord Lu."

The young woman stared at Lu Hong in shock.

In Stone Valley County, who did not know Lu Hong?

The Eagle Soaring Martial Academy's senior disciple, not yet thirty and already having entered Blood Astral. Though he had only entered it recently, that was still extraordinary.

A tiny mountain village.

A terrifying Zhao Yang.

And now even Lu Hong had been drawn here.

The young woman's face grew even paler, her heart filled with unease.

"Since you recognize her, I suppose what you said earlier was true." Zhao Yang glanced at Lu Hong and smiled faintly.

"The Cold Blade Sect master's daughter. The yamen is offering three hundred taels for her." Lu Hong's face remained expressionless. After saying that, he spoke no more.

For now, it was better to let the villagers deal with these two remnants of the Cold Blade Sect first.

Zhao Hong was startled. She was actually the eldest daughter of the Cold Blade Sect.

He had just heard the constables mention her in the county yesterday. Who would have thought she would arrive at their village the very next day?

They were truly cursed with bad luck.

They had dropped to their knees on the spot. It was obvious that these two had come to the village with ill intent.

"Ah Yang, what should we do with them? Hand them over to the yamen?"

"They planned to hurt people the moment they entered the village. Their deaths would be no loss!"

As the words fell, the man and woman both shuddered, their eyes brimming with terror.

"Colluding with mountain bandits and raising demonic creatures—they truly deserve to die. In ordinary days, Miss Wu could certainly be described by the four words 'overbearing and tyrannical.'" Lu Hong added.

"However..."

Zhao Yang did not look at Lu Hong. His tone abruptly shifted as he turned to Zhao Hong. "They're both at mid-stage Inner Force. They're yours. Either beat them to death, or let them beat you to death."

"Mid-stage Inner Force? Ah Yang, this..."

Wang Chuan and Zhang Yuan were the first to change expression.

Zhao Hong was only at mid-stage Blood Refinement.

Then came Lu Hong.

He stared fixedly at Zhao Yang, trying to find even the slightest hint that he was joking, but there was not a trace of jest on his face.

He abruptly turned to Zhao Hong.

Mid-stage Blood Refinement against mid-stage Inner Force?

A towering wave rose within Lu Hong's heart, and his hands clenched tightly.

Could that be possible?

"Uncle Yang, are you serious?"

Zhao Hong stared at Zhao Yang.

"It's an old rule of the sect. Since you learned the Stele-Splitting Hand, you can't escape it. That demon rat last time was too weak. It didn't qualify." Zhao Yang smiled faintly.

Zhao Hong fell into thought.

Rules and all that were just empty words.

Zhao Yang had performed Bone Kneading; his innate talent and bone structure were crystal clear to him.

It was not that Zhao Hong was bragging. Zhao Yang's reaction alone revealed plenty.

Rather than a test, it was more like a trial by battle.

This was far more suitable than training against dead things like rocks and wooden posts.

With that thought flashing through his mind, Zhao Hong walked straight up before the two and gave a cold smile. "You heard Uncle Yang's words too. I'll give you a chance to live."

"Fight me one at a time. If I lose, I definitely won't die. But if you lose, you will surely die!"

Wu Qingyu raised her head, staring at Zhao Hong as she gritted her teeth. "What if you go back on your word?"

Zhao Hong looked toward Zhao Yang.

"A promise once spoken cannot be chased down even by four galloping horses."

"I didn't see you." Lu Hong shrugged.

For some reason, Zhao Hong always felt that after meeting Zhao Yang, Lu Hong kept trying to insert himself into the conversation.

Can't you see my Uncle Yang does not even want to acknowledge you?

"You have no other choice, do you?"

"Fine."

"Miss, let me go first."

Wu Qingyu nodded slightly, rose to her feet, picked up the saber on the ground, and moved to one side.

The man on the ground abruptly straightened up, his face twisting viciously.

Whether he could live even if he won or not, he had no other choice at this point.

If he truly had to die, taking one of them with him would not be a loss.

Blazing, undisguised killing intent surged in his eyes.

Boom!

A wave of force burst from his body, cold air spilling in all directions and making the surrounding villagers shiver.

Zhao Hong felt the temperature in the air plummet.

Cold Blade Sect.

Cold energy.

This was a little troublesome.

The ground trembled as the man shot forward, unleashing a piercing howl of wind. Dense cold energy wrapped around him, and his momentum was astonishing.

The chill rushed at his face, making Zhao Hong's skin go cold.

Without hesitation, he erupted with blood and qi.

Boom!

Blood flames surged skyward, a terrifying sight.

Lu Hong's eyes widened.

"This is mid-stage Blood Refinement?"

"Mid-stage Blood Refinement?"

The man and Wu Qingyu also cried out in unison.

But before their joy could emerge, their hearts gave a violent jolt.

Boom!

In that instant of collision, thunder roared in their ears and furious waves burst in every direction.

With such might, who would dare call it mid-stage Blood Refinement?

The ground cracked in four directions.

Zhao Hong's body shook as he staggered back several steps.

But the man fared no better. He retreated two steps, staring wide-eyed in horror.

"How is this possible?"

Even if Zhao Hong was not at mid-stage Blood Refinement, he was still in the Blood Refinement realm.

Yet he had actually blocked his full-force strike.

"This cold energy really is disgusting."

Zhao Hong shook his arm, scattering the strands of cold energy clinging to it.

After that exchange, he had already roughly gauged both his own strength and the man's.

Setting aside the cold energy's special nature, their strength was not far apart.

The thought flashed through his mind. He bared his teeth at the man and let out a roar toward the sky.

Roar!

Like a fierce tiger bursting from its cage.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ground shook violently.

Eight-Step Exploding Fist!

If the cold energy was disgusting, then he would crush it with brute force.

The man's expression changed. He hurriedly gathered his strength to counterattack, his face crazed and filled with the will to die as he too let out a hoarse roar.

Cold-Blood Palm!

Whoosh!

His palm turned blood-red, as if all the blood in his body had been drained into it. It looked ready to drip with fresh blood, yet it exuded a bone-chilling coldness.

Some people could not help shuddering as they backed away again and again.

Zhao Hong's blood and qi boiled and surged through his body like fire.

Facing the pressing chill, he neither dodged nor retreated, meeting it head-on with a Bursting Fist.

Boom!

Crack!

His body trembled. The flame around his fist was viciously torn apart by the cold energy, which surged into his body.

The chill pierced to the bone, making him want to shiver uncontrollably.

Roar!

Zhao Hong roared again, his sinews and bones surging wildly.

At this moment.

He recalled that feeling of being pressured by Zhao Yang.

As though Dragon-Tiger Divine Strength had descended upon him, the blood and qi battered by the cold energy suddenly surged out in a howling frenzy.

This was the feeling.

Die!

He lunged forward, his fist blazing brilliantly.

Crack!

The crisp sound rang out pleasantly.

The man screamed and stumbled back.

Zhao Hong followed like a shadow. Practicing the Eight-Step Exploding Fist had also increased his speed.

He arrived in an instant, his fist like a hammer as it slammed heavily into the man's wide-open chest.

Wu Qingyu's pretty face turned pale.

Bang!

The man was sent flying before crashing down, blood spraying from his mouth. His chest had caved in into a mangled mess.

Huff, huff...

Zhao Hong withdrew his fist and stood still, panting heavily.

"That was a little dangerous."

"Cold energy—if I encounter this kind of special force in the future, I must be careful."

Only because his innate bone structure was special had he endured it.

Otherwise, just touching it would have greatly slowed his speed and reactions.

"So mid-stage Inner Force was nothing more than this."

The corpse on the ground had revealed his true current strength.

The villagers were already stunned speechless.

So Ah Hong had actually become this strong.

Lu Hong's face turned ashen, and he felt like a clown.

I'm fucking idiot.

He had actually let such a monster spar with the academy's trainees and disciples.

At that age, how had Zhao Hong managed yesterday to remain neither arrogant nor impetuous at the academy, stopping at just the right point?

If it had been Lu Hong at that age, and someone had made things difficult for him, he would have erupted on the spot and kept fighting until either he beat them down or they beat him down.

"So, what do you think of my grandnephew?"

Zhao Yang suddenly turned his head toward him, a teasing smile on his face, as though he had already expected Zhao Hong to be given a hard time.

Well? Embarrassed now, aren't you?

Lu Hong's face darkened, and he said nothing.

He suddenly felt that he should not have come.