Kill a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master

"Alright, I agree!" Xia Daoming made up his mind at once.

"Since that's the case, we'll leave the city overnight and hide in the secret passage. Tomorrow, at the middle of the Tiger Hour, when Wu Yueli enters his cultivation chamber and settles into meditation, you'll suddenly strike and assassinate him.

Wu Yueli is nearly sixty, and he has indulged in women. In recent years, his vitality, strength, and body have all been rapidly declining. With your terrifying power, if you strike without warning, you'll surely be able to kill him without alerting anyone else." Jing Xuanying said, the muscles in his face twisting as blood slowly trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, Xia Daoming frowned slightly. "How are you?"

"I won't die for now. But your Hidden Strength is unimaginably powerful. At least two of my five meridians have ruptured. Even if I can suppress these injuries, for the rest of my life, I'll probably be no more than a second- or third-rank minor martial master," Jing Xuanying replied.

"As long as you won't die for now, that's enough. Don't think about anything else," Xia Daoming said coldly.

"That's true. Dead men won't leak secrets." Jing Xuanying gave a self-mocking laugh.

Wu Family Fortress lay more than twenty miles east of the city, built against the mountainside and easy to defend but hard to attack.

Two hours later.

Xia Daoming and Jing Xuanying stood on the shaded side of a mountain.

On the other side of this mountain stood Wu Family Fortress, built against the slope.

The mountain was not tall, but its shaded side was covered in collapsed rocks and sheer cliffs.

Above the piled rubble rose a steep precipice. As long as someone guarded the top of the cliff, trying to cross over from the rear and attack Wu Family Fortress was nothing but a fool's dream.

"Here?" Xia Daoming looked at the rubble before him, his brows slightly furrowed.

Jing Xuanying did not answer. He merely gritted his teeth and climbed over mound after mound of rocks. At last, he reached a pile of rubble covered in vines, pushed the vines aside, and revealed an opening just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"This secret passage was probably discovered or excavated by the Wu family's ancestors. By now, even Wu Yueli might not know it exists.

When I was young, I once happened to be chasing a spotted boar. I saw it burrow into this pile of rocks and stay inside for a long time without coming out. That was how I found it," Jing Xuanying explained.

"The exit of this passage is concealed by collapsed mountain rocks and vines. Without stumbling upon it by chance, no one would ever discover it." Xia Daoming nodded, then pointed at the entrance. "You go in first."

Jing Xuanying did not object. He bent over and crawled into the opening.

Xia Daoming followed him in.

The secret passage was dark and damp. It began with a stretch of level ground, then soon sloped downward all the way.

Before long, the passage reached its end.

A thick stone slab covered the top of it.

Xia Daoming pressed his ear against it and listened for a while. Hearing no movement, he pushed upward and found that he could lift the slab rather easily with his strength.

Poking his head out, Xia Daoming found the cultivation chamber spacious, its surroundings built of stone. Set into one stone wall was an extremely heavy-looking black iron door, complete with a keyhole.

"Jing Xuanying was right. This cultivation chamber is spacious enough and well insulated. As long as I move quickly, there's a good chance I won't alert anyone else." Xia Daoming swept his gaze across the room, a pleased look appearing on his face. He lowered the stone slab again and tampered with it in advance so it would be easier to shatter later, then waited in silence.

After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, the sound of a heavy stone door shifting and closing rang out.

Then came footsteps.

Xia Daoming pressed his ear to the slab, his keen senses fully unleashed as he judged where the footsteps had stopped.

Very soon, a trace of delight appeared on Xia Daoming's face.

Inside the cultivation chamber, Wu Yueli sat cross-legged on the floor. He slowly closed his eyes and gradually adjusted his state of mind and breathing.

Within the secret passage, Xia Daoming pressed both palms against the stone slab he had partially damaged beforehand. The Hidden Strength within his body suddenly erupted, blasting out through his palms.

Bang!

The stone slab shot upward and exploded violently in midair within the chamber.

The shattered stones shot toward Wu Yueli like a torrential downpour.

Inside his own cultivation chamber, Wu Yueli had completely relaxed. How could he have imagined that he would suddenly face an assassination attempt?

Still less had he expected his attacker to be a terrifying figure whose Hidden Strength was several times greater than his own, shattering the stone slab with Hidden Strength the moment he struck.

Wu Yueli's expression changed drastically. His iron palms rose and swung repeatedly, layering palm shadows over the vital points before him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Wu Yueli truly lived up to his status as a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master. Wherever his iron palms swept, stones flew away one after another. Not a single piece struck a vital point on his upper body.

Yet the terrifying impact carried by the rubble still left his hands in excruciating pain. Even his comparatively weaker arms had their sleeves torn apart while blocking, leaving blood and flesh mangled.

Just as Wu Yueli was caught off guard by the flying stones and had only managed to protect his vital points, a black shadow shot skyward from the secret passage's exit.

In midair, the figure moved like a twisting Flood Dragon.

His leg whipped up a fierce gust of wind, lashing out with a whoosh at Wu Yueli like a Flood Dragon swinging its tail.

"Fifth rank!" Sensing the aura released by his opponent, Wu Yueli was shocked and astonished, yet instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.

He slammed a palm against the ground, launching himself into the air. With a spinning kick, he fiercely lashed back head-on, trying to block Xia Daoming's vicious strike.

Bang! Bang!

Their legs collided twice in rapid succession in midair.

Wu Yueli's face changed dramatically, disbelief shooting from his eyes as he flew backward like a sandbag.

Before he even hit the ground, one hand had already slapped down hard. The floor cracked like a tortoise shell, and he used the force to shoot upward, flipping backward as he retreated rapidly toward the door.

That brief exchange of kicks had made Wu Yueli fully understand that his strength was several times weaker than his opponent's. Caught in a hasty fight, if he did not escape the chamber quickly, he would undoubtedly die.

Wu Yueli made a prompt decision and used the force to retreat, moving with incredible speed. Xia Daoming's body, however, stalled slightly after being checked by Wu Yueli's two kicks. By the time he lunged forward again to kill, Wu Yueli was nearly at the entrance.

Xia Daoming's expression shifted slightly.

Once Wu Yueli crashed into the stone door at the entrance, he would certainly alert those outside.

But at that moment, Wu Yueli felt the blood and strength flowing through his thigh churn and crash about ever more violently. His leg no longer obeyed him. When he landed, it gave way, and he dropped to his knees.

During his desperate retreat just now, Wu Yueli had had no time to suppress the surging Hidden Strength that had entered his body. Now, it had finally reached the limit his thigh could endure.

The instant Wu Yueli stalled and fell to his knees, a cold, fierce gust of force swept wildly toward his head.

Wu Yueli hastily raised his arms to block, shielding his head.

Bang!

The terrifying force swept Wu Yueli sideways to the ground, sending him skidding several yards across the floor.

Before Wu Yueli could react, a Serpent Head Fist appeared in his pupils.

The Serpent Head Fist grew larger and larger, like a venomous snake baring its savage fangs.

Wu Yueli hurriedly dodged.

Bang!

Wu Yueli avoided the vital point of his head, but his chest could not escape.

His entire chest caved in at once, and blood sprayed from his mouth.

Huff! Huff!

Wu Yueli's breathing sounded like a leaking bellows.

"Y-you... who exactly are you? W-why are you killing me?" Wu Yueli's voice was slurred, blood constantly bubbling from his mouth as he spoke.

"Master, I'm the one who wants to kill you! Do you remember Yu Yan? She was my most beloved concubine, and she was carrying my child." A voice came from the cave entrance. At some point, Jing Xuanying had climbed out of the secret passage and was looking at Wu Yueli with a face full of vindictive satisfaction.

"It's you!" At the sight of Jing Xuanying, Wu Yueli's eyes bulged wide, and he nearly failed to draw breath.

"Now you should know who I am, right? Sorry, I didn't know at first that Wu Changlu was your son. But you and your son are both scum among scum. You deserve to die!" Xia Daoming said coldly.

"It's you! How is that possible?" Wu Yueli suddenly understood, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

"Surprised?" Xia Daoming gave a cold smile, raised his fist again, and struck fiercely at Wu Yueli's heart.

Wu Yueli's limbs suddenly stiffened and jerked straight, then went limp as he fell back down.

His eyes bulged like those of a goldfish, staring fixedly at Xia Daoming, as though he refused to believe any of this even in death.

Xia Daoming did not look at Wu Yueli's deathly, unclosing eyes. He reached out and removed the key hanging from his waist, then quickly unlocked the black iron door set into the stone wall.

The iron door was extremely heavy, and the entire treasure vault was deeply embedded in the stone wall. Without the key, it would have been difficult to open by brute force alone.

Even if it could be opened, the prolonged vibrations would surely alert the people outside.

The treasure vault was not large, only about a meter square.

Inside were boxes of various sizes.

Xia Daoming had no time to open the boxes for inspection or counting. He simply took out a bag he had prepared beforehand, swept all the boxes inside at once, then carried the bag back the way he had come.

As for Jing Xuanying, he naturally remained in the cultivation chamber to keep Wu Yueli company.

When the Wu family discovered the master and servant lying dead in the chamber, even if they racked their brains to the heavens, they would never be able to figure out what had happened here.

Author's note: The recommendation slot PK starts today. The main factors are data such as reader acquisition and follow-up reading, so I hope those who like this book can keep reading as much as possible. I would be endlessly grateful if you could also help share and promote it.