Desperate Counterattack

Run!

Wang Lie's eyes nearly split with rage as he let out a terrified roar.

The blood and qi of his Body Tempering Third Stage erupted without reservation. He shot forward like lightning, charging madly toward the gorge's exit.

Yet before a mountain collapse bearing the might of heaven, the speed he had once been so proud of seemed laughably pathetic and powerless.

The four guards beside him did not even have time to react.

Aah!

One guard was struck head-on by a millstone-sized boulder and instantly turned into a puddle of mangled flesh.

Another guard was swept away by the rolling torrent of earth and stone, vanishing before he could even cry out.

[ Ding! Killed a Body Tempering Second Stage martial artist. Cultivation Points +20! ]

[ Ding! Killed a Body Tempering Second Stage martial artist. Cultivation Points +20! ]

The cold system notifications flooded Chen Chen's mind like a mad barrage.

But he had no time to spare them any attention.

His gaze was like that of a hunting falcon locked onto its prey, fixed firmly on Wang Lie as he fled for his life through the rubble!

That was his primary target!

Wang Lie was indeed a Body Tempering Third Layer martial artist. His strength far surpassed those guards.

He weaved and darted through gaps in the rocks with nimble footwork, narrowly evading several fatal attacks.

But he was human in the end, not a god.

A falling rock the size of a human head grazed his shoulder, sending a spray of blood into the air.

Another falling rock slammed heavily into his lower leg.

Crack!

A crisp sound of breaking bone rang out.

Urgh!

Wang Lie groaned in pain, stumbled, and crashed heavily to the ground.

He struggled to get back up, but the agonizing pain from his left leg made it impossible for him to stand.

By then, the collapse was gradually nearing its end.

The dust slowly settled.

The entire gorge had been transformed beyond recognition.

Broken stones and dirt covered the ground. The six arrogant Wang Family guards had long since been buried, leaving no trace behind.

Only Wang Lie had survived by sheer luck.

But he was covered in blood, his clothes tattered, his left leg twisted at a grotesque angle. He looked utterly wretched.

He raised his head, his eyes filled with venom and fear.

At the entrance to the gorge, a figure slowly walked toward him against the light.

That figure was not tall, even somewhat thin.

But in Wang Lie's eyes at that moment, he was more terrifying than a demon god.

"Chen... Chen..."

Wang Lie squeezed the two words through clenched teeth. No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand how that useless wretch he had regarded as an ant had become so terrifying.

Such meticulous calculations, such ruthless methods—these were not things a youth should possess!

"Wang Lie, it's been a long time."

Chen Chen walked up to him and looked down at him from above, his voice devoid of emotion.

"You never expected us to meet in a place like this, in this way, did you?"

"You bastard! You'll die a miserable death!" Wang Lie cursed fiercely despite his inner weakness. "My father is the Wang Family Patriarch! My elder brother is an Inner Sect Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect! If you dare kill me, the Wang Family and the Azure Cloud Sect will never let you go! They'll tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

"The Azure Cloud Sect?"

Chen Chen's brow lifted slightly.

He had heard that name before.

It was the strongest cultivation sect within a thousand miles.

Wang Lie's elder brother was actually an Inner Sect Disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect?

That was an unexpected piece of news.

Seeing the hesitation on Chen Chen's face, Wang Lie assumed he was afraid. A smug grin immediately appeared on his face. "Scared? Kneel now, kowtow and beg this young master for mercy, then break both your arms. This young master may consider leaving you an intact corpse!"

But what he received was not Chen Chen's fear.

It was a soft... laugh.

"Heh."

Chen Chen laughed, his laughter filled with endless mockery and icy killing intent.

"You think bringing up the Azure Cloud Sect can scare me?"

"You're wrong."

"The more you say that, the more firmly I resolve to kill you!"

Chen Chen's voice was as cold as ice from the depths of the underworld.

"Because I will not only kill you, kill your father, and kill every last person in your Wang Family... One day, I will also trample that damned Azure Cloud Sect flat!"

As his words fell, the Steel Blade in his hand slashed toward Wang Lie's neck without the slightest hesitation, carrying a fierce howl of wind!

You dare!

Wang Lie's eyes nearly split with rage. His instinct to survive forced out the last of his potential.

Ignoring the excruciating pain in his leg, he forcibly rolled across the ground, drew his longsword, and swept it upward in an attempt to block the strike.

Clang!

Blade and sword collided, scattering sparks.

A tremendous force surged through the sword, numbing Wang Lie's arm and nearly knocking the longsword from his grasp.

To his horror, he discovered that Chen Chen's strength was not the slightest bit inferior to his own as a Body Tempering Third Layer martial artist!

How was that possible?!

He was clearly just a useless Body Tempering First Layer!

Chen Chen's strike missed, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes, but his movements did not pause in the slightest.

He pressed his advantage without mercy. The Steel Blade in his hand came down like a raging storm, each slash faster than the last as it struck madly at Wang Lie.

Chopping, hacking, sweeping, thrusting!

He perfectly fused the techniques he had comprehended from the Cloak Axe Technique into his blade work.

Every strike was broad and forceful, brimming with an overbearing, decisive momentum.

Wang Lie was already severely injured and unable to move freely. Under Chen Chen's ferocious offensive, he could only roll and block miserably on the ground, utterly incapable of fighting back.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The dense sounds of metal clashing echoed through the gorge.

After more than a dozen exchanges,

Wang Lie finally revealed an opening.

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Chen's eyes as he seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

The Steel Blade in his hand abruptly changed moves. With a twist of the blade, he smashed the back of it viciously against Wang Lie's sword-wielding wrist!

Crack!

His wrist broke on impact.

Aah!

Wang Lie screamed, and his longsword flew from his hand.

The next moment,

a cold blade was already pressed against his throat.

The battle was over.

Wang Lie gasped heavily. Feeling the icy touch at his throat, genuine fear and despair finally appeared in his eyes.

"Don't... don't kill me..."

He pleaded in a trembling voice, "I was wrong... Chen Chen, no, Brother Chen! I'll serve you like an ox or a horse! Please spare my life! There are countless treasures and cultivation techniques in my family's treasure vault. I can give them all to you!"

"Too late."

Chen Chen's voice was cold and indifferent.

"Go beneath the earth and repent before the three hundred and sixteen members of my Chen Family."

Squelch!

The blade swept past.

A fine head flew into the sky, tracing a bloody arc through the air before rolling into the dust.

Those eyes remained wide open, filled with disbelief and endless regret.

[ Ding! Killed a Body Tempering Third Stage martial artist. Cultivation Points +20! ]

[ Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the side quest: Personally Slay Your Enemy (Wang Lie). ]

[ Quest Reward: Random Martial Skill Treasure Chest ×1! ]

The string of system notifications left Chen Chen slightly stunned.

Then a surge of wild joy flooded his heart!