One Punch Kill

"Who?!"

Gu De's expression changed drastically. He whipped around to stare into the depths of the alley, no longer even caring about Qin Yaxin, who stood within arm's reach.

Before making his move, he had clearly sensed that there was no one else nearby.

Then why was someone hiding over there?

From the depths of the alley, a figure emerged at an unhurried pace.

Moonlight fell upon the Cracked Mask, revealing only its right eye while half its face remained hidden in darkness.

The person's steps were not fast, yet every step seemed to land upon Gu De's heart.

"Old... bastard!"

Gu De forced out those three words through clenched teeth, his eyes practically spewing fire.

It was him again.

That masked old bastard again.

During the escort robbery, he had ruined Gu De's plans and made him kneel before the hall master for an entire night.

And now he was here again.

Not far away, Qin Yaxin also spotted that familiar Cracked Mask, and joy rose involuntarily in her heart.

"Old Chen!"

Lu Fan did not look at her.

Behind the mask, his eyes calmly settled on Gu De, yet those tranquil eyes held icy killing intent.

"This time, you won't escape!"

"I should be the one saying that!"

Gu De's face twisted for an instant. His Dark Force cultivation erupted without reservation. The stone slabs beneath his feet shattered into pieces, and he charged at Lu Fan like a raging savage bear.

His right fist carried enough force to shatter rock, accompanied by a sharp whistle as it blasted straight toward Lu Fan's face.

Qin Yaxin's face turned deathly pale.

"Old Chen, be careful! He's Dark—"

Before she could finish, what happened next choked every sound in her throat.

Facing Gu De's fist, powerful enough to split steles and crack stone, Lu Fan did not retreat. He did not even sidestep to evade it.

He merely took one step forward, raised his right hand, and threw a punch.

One punch.

That withered hand extended from his sleeve. There was no piercing whistle, no surging airwave, and it did not even appear to contain much force. It simply met Gu De's fist head-on.

The instant their fist bones collided, the savage grin on Gu De's face froze.

He heard the sound of his own fist bones shattering.

Then came his wrist, forearm, elbow—his flesh was even ground to pulp. That force did not pierce through him; it was pure, brutal crushing.

That overwhelming force was like a mountain collapsing upon him, utterly unreasonable. Before that mountain, his own strength was laughably insignificant.

Bang!

Gu De was blasted backward by that punch and slammed heavily into the alley wall, smashing a sunken crater into it.

Broken stones clattered to the ground.

He slumped in the corner, his right arm dangling at a grotesque angle. From his fist bones to his shoulder, every bone had shattered, and bloody foam spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The force that had surged into his body was Dark Force, and this Dark Force was several times stronger than his own.

Just two days ago, when they had fought, this old bastard had not even known how to use Dark Force.

Yet now, he could use Dark Force.

That meant that in merely two days, this old bastard had broken through and even surpassed him!

Gu De's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the old man walking slowly toward him. His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but only indistinct breaths escaped.

Lu Fan's punch had not merely shattered his bones and organs. It had also shattered all the arrogance and pride he had possessed since entering the Dark Force realm.

He had only barely entered Dark Force with the aid of medicine.

Yet now, an old bastard with one foot in the grave had broken through to Dark Force by his own strength in just two days. That drove him closer to collapse than the pain in his body ever could.

Lu Fan stopped before him and looked down at him from above.

Gu De raised his head and met the eyes beneath the Cracked Mask.

Those eyes still held no emotion whatsoever.

"...Spare..." Gu De forced out a single word. His powerful instinct for survival made him want to beg for mercy.

But before he could, Lu Fan shot out his hand like lightning and struck his neck in one blow.

Crack.

Gu De's head tilted to one side, and the last trace of light in his eyes went out.

The alley was so quiet that only the wind could be heard.

Lu Fan withdrew his hand, turned around, and looked at Qin Yaxin, who still stood frozen in place.

The young woman's mouth hung half-open, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She had personally seen Gu De send Zhang Zhi flying with a single palm strike.

The strength of a Dark Force expert was simply not something a Bright Force Stage martial artist could contend against.

Yet now, the masked elder standing before her had defeated that Dark Force expert with one punch—only one punch.

For no reason, she recalled Old Zhang's introduction.

Late Bright Force?

Even Late Dark Force was probably no more than this!!

Qin Yaxin glanced at Gu De's face, where despair had completely frozen, swallowed slightly, then deeply bowed toward the aged figure slowly approaching her.

"Old Chen... thank you." Her voice trembled, but every word was incomparably solemn. "Without you, both the Qin Household and Blackstone Martial Hall would have fallen into great trouble. Thank you."

Lu Fan's expression did not change. He strode past her, his steps pausing slightly.

"Take her back."

After leaving behind those four words, that hunched, silent back disappeared at the end of the alley.

Only then did Qin Yaxin straighten up. Watching that retreating figure, she suddenly found him somewhat familiar.

That slightly hunched frame, those steady footsteps that deliberately landed softly.

She felt as though she had seen him somewhere before.

However, Zhang Zhi's pained muffled groan quickly pulled her back to reality.

Now was not the time to think about such things. She had to send Zhang Zhi back to Blackstone Martial Hall first, then inform her father about Gu De's attack and arrange for someone to deal with the corpse.

There was still much to do.

Qin Yaxin carried Zhang Zhi on her back and hurried toward Blackstone Martial Hall.

In the shadows, a figure silently watched her disappear around the street corner before turning and walking back into the alley.

That person was Lu Fan, who was supposed to have left.

He crouched down and skillfully began searching Gu De's corpse.

A Dark Force expert ought to have something valuable on him—and what Lu Fan lacked most right now was money.

It had been inconvenient to do this in front of Qin Yaxin earlier. Now that no one was around, it was perfect.

A moment later, he pulled a banknote from Gu De's robes.

Five thousand taels.

Lu Fan looked at the thin slip of paper in his hand, and the corner of his mouth beneath the mask twitched almost imperceptibly.

A massive fortune.

With this money, Qi-Replenishing Pills would no longer be a problem. By then, he might be able to break through to Late Dark Force, perhaps even the Transformation Force Stage.

Sure enough, robbing money from others was the fastest way to get rich.

Lu Fan tucked the banknote close to his body alongside the Tortoise Breath Formula in his robes, rose to his feet, and walked back toward his residence without looking back. Tonight was an excellent night for cultivation.

Elsewhere in Chi City, within a brightly lit house, two figures could be seen pacing back and forth.