Captain Chen, Have a Safe Journey

A spray of fresh blood slowly dispersed.

After Lu Yuanqing crashed to the ground, his face twisted grotesquely. The arm he had thrown his punch with had warped out of shape, scarlet blood seeping through his clothes.

Seeing this, a flicker of surprise passed through the depths of Lu Yuanshan's eyes, and his expression gradually turned grave.

He had assumed Zhao Zhi was merely an ordinary Greater Xiantian martial artist, with extremely limited strength. Yet from Zhao Zhi's performance just now, he was far more than a simple Greater Xiantian. He had very likely stepped into the Innate Completion Realm.

One had to know that although Lu Yuanqing was only at Innate Minor Achievement, the Savage Bull Force he cultivated, paired with the Three-Five Mountain-Shaking Fist, was an attack even Greater Xiantian martial artists could not withstand.

Zhao Zhi had done it.

And he had even sent the force rebounding back, injuring Lu Yuanqing.

With a turn of his inner energy, Zhao Zhi swiftly dissolved the residual force lingering in his back.

The Xiantian martial art Diamond Force was indeed extraordinary.

Not only was it an incomparably tyrannical body-tempering martial art, it was also a wondrous technique capable of consuming, dissolving, and converting force.

He slowly turned around, glanced at Lu Yuanqing as he got back to his feet, then looked toward Lu Yuanshan. A harmless smile appeared on his heroic face. "Manor Lord, are we still fighting?"

"Hmph."

With a cold snort, Lu Yuanshan soared into the air and pounced straight at Zhao Zhi. His right hand shot forth, a palm strike crashing down with the terrifying momentum of a mountain.

The palm wind howled fiercely, savage beyond measure.

Luo Dashan's face went pale with fright, and he could not help pulling Wang Cuihua back a step.

Lu Yuanshan's reputation was simply too formidable.

As the head of Iron Horse Manor, his ability to control such a vast manor in the South Mountain region did not come from the shelter of his ancestors' blessings, but from Lu Yuanshan's own formidable strength.

Five years ago, a band of mountain bandits had tried to storm Iron Horse Manor and seize it for themselves.

In the end—

That entire band of mountain bandits had been killed by Lu Yuanshan. Even their Greater Xiantian leader had not been spared.

Lu Yuanshan had become famous in a single battle, his might shaking all directions.

That was also why the bandits of Flying Cloud Stronghold would rather settle on the hills north of Qingfeng County than choose Iron Horse Manor, where the environment and resources were both superior.

Zhao Zhi calmly watched Lu Yuanshan's every move. The instant that thunderous palm was about to descend, he raised his left hand. It seemed slow, yet was swift as lightning, meeting the attack with a palm carrying unmatched and terrifying force.

Bang.

The two palms collided.

Lu Yuanshan instantly felt a terrifying power crush down upon him like a towering divine mountain. Its sheer strength and the intensity of its inner energy were far beyond what his body could bear.

Bang.

One of his arms exploded outright. The terrifying force sent his entire body flying, smashing him heavily into one of the hall's pillars. The entire hall trembled.

Zhao Zhi did not stop. His gaze flashed like lightning as it swept over to Yuan Suwang, the chief steward rushing toward Luo Dashan and Wang Cuihua. He swiftly hurled the constable's saber in his hand. Like an arrow loosed from the bowstring, it shot forward and, before Yuan Suwang's horrified eyes, severed one of his outstretched hands.

The next moment—

Zhao Zhi had already arrived at Yuan Suwang's side. He raised his right hand high, spread his five fingers, gathered his force, and ruthlessly brought down a Diamond Table-Slamming Palm on Yuan Suwang's head.

Yuan Suwang's neck shrank. His entire body was driven into the ground, his skull shattered, red and white fluids mingling as they flowed from his seven apertures.

A Greater Xiantian martial artist had died just like that.

"Brother Luo, stay here for now. I'll be back soon."

After saying this to Luo Dashan, Zhao Zhi pulled the constable's saber from the pillar. As his body flickered and shifted, he casually slew Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanqing. Then, with a tap of his foot, he shot outward like a blue bolt of lightning.

[You killed a martial artist steeped in monstrous evil. Merit +75.]

[You corrected a patient with an abnormal appetite. Merit +36.]

Luo Dashan remained where he was, his expression dazed and his eyes blank.

Dead.

Lu Yuanshan, the renowned lord of Iron Horse Manor for over a decade, had died just like that.

Corpses, blood, and a stench of gore.

As Luo Dashan's taut nerves relaxed slightly, he suddenly felt his insides churn like rivers and seas. Unable to hold it in any longer, he bent over to the side and vomited violently.

He was a constable. He had seen dead people and mutilated corpses, but faced with such a horrific scene all at once, he still could not bear it.

Outside Iron Horse Manor.

Chen Qingzhi's face was pale, lingering horror still in his eyes as he fled rapidly down the mountain. With each tap of his foot, he crossed seven or eight meters, distancing himself from Iron Horse Manor at astonishing speed.

He naturally knew Zhao Zhi had come to Iron Horse Manor.

Thus, he had secretly arrived at Iron Horse Manor ahead of time, met Manor Lord Lu Yuanshan, and informed him of Zhao Zhi's situation, hoping Lu Yuanshan would take action and capture Zhao Zhi.

Although Flying Cloud Stronghold already had its plans in motion, if Zhao Zhi could be captured before those plans unfolded, it would save them a great deal of trouble.

They could also gain more benefits in their negotiations with Flying Cloud Stronghold.

In the end—

Iron Horse Manor was no match for Zhao Zhi either.

Famed far and wide, slayer of mountain bandit leaders.

Pah.

He was nothing but trash.

Chen Qingzhi cursed inwardly, yet had no intention of slowing down. He continued racing down the mountain at astonishing speed.

Suddenly—

Chen Qingzhi raised his head and saw someone blocking his path. The constable's saber in that person's hand still dripped beads of blood, one drop after another, faintly exuding a thick, sticky scent of gore.

It was none other than Zhao Zhi.

"Lord Zhao." Chen Qingzhi stopped, his eyes shifting slightly as he smiled. "How did you end up here?"

Zhao Zhi did not answer. He merely smiled faintly, then his body suddenly sprang forward like a leopard hunting its prey. The constable's saber rose swiftly and slashed down with savage force.

"Zhao Zhi, wait!"

Chen Qingzhi raised his blade to block, crying out urgently.

Clang.

The blades collided, sparks flying.

Chen Qingzhi felt a terrifying force crash into him, causing his body to sink sharply and his legs to bend involuntarily. The web between the thumb and forefinger of the hand gripping his saber split open, streams of blood running down through his knuckles.

"Greater Xiantian." Zhao Zhi saw through Chen Qingzhi's strength at a glance and smiled. "Captain Chen, you hid yourself well."

Not as well as you.

The Innate Completion Realm was as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns throughout Qingfeng County.

Chen Qingzhi cursed inwardly, then hurriedly said, "Zhao Zhi, if you let me go, I can tell you who wants to kill you."

Zhao Zhi looked at Chen Qingzhi as though he were an idiot.

It was so obvious. Did he still need Chen Qingzhi to tell him?

"No need. Captain Chen, have a safe journey."

As the words fell—

Zhao Zhi struck out with a palm like rushing thunder, hitting Chen Qingzhi in the chest.

The terrifying force of the Giant Gate Palm erupted in an instant, shattering Chen Qingzhi's breastbone and pulverizing his internal organs. He flew backward like a paper kite with its string cut, and after crashing to the ground, he twitched a few times before falling completely still.

[You ensured that a constable who had taken the wrong road would never again stray from the right path. Merit +28.]

Zhao Zhi glanced indifferently at Chen Qingzhi, searched him briefly, and, seeing nothing important, returned to Iron Horse Manor.