Slaughter Them All

Afternoon.

The warm sun shone brightly.

On the official road leading to the prefectural city, six or seven carriages rumbled along, their heavily laden wheels letting out repeated creaks against the road.

Several flags were planted around the carriages, each bearing a large character: "Huang."

Several figures in fitted martial attire rode tall horses at the front, long blades hanging at their waists as they vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

The leader had a sinister face, his gaze as sharp as knives.

He was Wang Shouren, the Wind Thunder Hall Master of the Three Rivers Gang and Wang Yong's foremost general.

As a Muscle Refining expert, he was rather renowned throughout the Three Rivers Gang.

"Protector Wang, these are merely ordinary goods today. Why trouble you to personally escort them?"

A young man in black looked puzzled.

Who around here would dare refuse the Three Rivers Gang face? By custom, ordinary Skin Refining martial artists at the peak would usually handle escorts.

Muscle Refining experts held quite prominent status within the gang.

The five men nearby also had traces of curiosity in their eyes.

"This protector naturally has important business. There is no need for you to ask."

Wang Shouren's expression remained calm, and he offered no further explanation.

"Whoosh..."

As they spoke, a tall man in black shot out of the forest in the mountains, a long blade in hand and Sha Qi written all over his face.

The newcomer was Lu Changsheng, who had been waiting for a long time.

The moment he saw their convoy, he leaped out without hesitation and forced it to a halt.

"Who are you, sir? How dare you block the Three Rivers Gang's convoy?"

Wang Shouren narrowed his eyes. His right hand gripped the hilt of his blade as his aura erupted, pressing down on Lu Changsheng.

The surrounding Three Rivers Gang members also wore murderous expressions.

"I've been a little short on funds lately, so I came to borrow something from you."

Lu Changsheng shrugged, looking utterly languid.

Today, he had no intention of letting any of these people leave alive.

After several days of investigation, he had gained a rough understanding of some of the Three Rivers Gang's martial experts.

He had also learned about Protector Wang Shouren. The man was merely at the middle stage of Muscle Refining and was no match for him.

After martial artists entered Muscle Refining, they were divided into the early, middle, late, and perfected stages according to the progress of tempering the muscles throughout their bodies.

Having broken through into Muscle Refining with the foundation of perfect skin membranes, Lu Changsheng was already enough to contend with some late-stage Muscle Refining experts. Even some perfected Muscle Refining martial artists would be unable to keep him behind.

"You're courting death."

Wang Shouren's expression turned cold, killing intent boiling in his heart.

He had roamed the martial world for so many years, yet he had never encountered anyone near Changping County who dared rob the Three Rivers Gang.

They had always been the ones robbing others. Now the tables had actually turned—this was simply turning heaven and earth upside down.

"I will twist off your head and feed it to the dogs."

His voice was grim as his icy gaze locked onto Lu Changsheng.

He then swiftly drew his long blade and leaped into the air, viciously slashing down at Lu Changsheng.

He attacked with his full strength. Borrowing force in midair, his offensive was exceptionally fierce.

With this strike, he intended to completely kill this madman before him.

Lu Changsheng's expression remained calm as he casually swung his blade.

The horizontal slash of the Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade looked feather-light in his hands, as though he were merely striking at random.

This was one of the signs of a blade technique reaching perfection: attack power condensed into a single line, without the slightest waste.

His opponent, on the other hand, might have looked imposing, but he was strong on the outside and hollow within. He had not grasped the true essence of blade techniques.

The surrounding Three Rivers Gang members all watched Lu Changsheng with mocking expressions.

It was as though he would lose his life on the spot the very next moment.

"Crack..."

In an instant, their blades collided.

With a soft sound, Wang Shouren's blade was cleaved directly into two, its cut smooth and even.

Then Lu Changsheng's Pig-Slaughtering Blade continued without losing momentum, slashing toward Wang Shouren's head.

"Ah..."

Before Wang Shouren's shocked eyes, a cold flash swept across his neck.

A large head rolled across the ground, while blood spurted out and dyed the surrounding grass red.

With one strike, Wang Shouren was beheaded.

He had not even had time to react.

This outcome was well within Lu Changsheng's expectations.

His strength exceeded fifteen thousand jin, far surpassing his opponent's. Added to that were the sharpness and armor-piercing effect of the Pig-Slaughtering Blade, a Sharp Weapon, along with his perfected blade technique. With all these advantages stacked together, it was a complete and utter crushing victory.

Of course, if the man had cast aside his contempt and defended with all his strength, he might have held out for a few moves. But the outcome would not have been much different.

"Th-this is impossible! Who exactly are you? How could an expert like you suddenly appear in Changping County?"

The gang members were filled with terror, their voices trembling.

"Run!"

A middle-aged man immediately wheeled his horse around and fled backward.

"Crack..."

But before he could move, a flash of cold light passed by. His head rolled straight onto the ground, his eyes wide open in a horrifying stare.

At that terrifying sight, the remaining men seemed scared witless. They dismounted and fell to their knees.

"Spare us, hero! We have eighty-year-old mothers above us and infants crying to be fed below us. We beg you, hero, spare our lives..."

The remaining men repeatedly kowtowed.

It was not that they did not wish to resist, but anyone capable of killing Protector Wang in a single strike was far beyond their ability to withstand.

Even if their numbers doubled, they still could not surround and kill a perfected Muscle Refining expert.

Much less ordinary Skin Refining martial artists like them.

"Spare you?"

Lu Changsheng sneered.

Which of these gang members did not have blood on their hands, using blood-soaked steamed buns to practice martial arts?

They had long collected protection fees and lent money at usurious rates, squeezing the common people until even their bones ran dry. He could still vividly recall the tragic sight of the Chen Family's wife and daughters jumping into a well to their deaths.

These men had been present that day.

Had he not risen to power, his own fate likely would not have been much better.

Repaying resentment with virtue was the act of fools.

Lu Changsheng would use killing to stop killing and sweep away all filth and evil from this world.

"Kill."

Lu Changsheng swung his blade.

A dazzling cold light flashed through the air, like a lamp in the dawn, illuminating the road ahead.

The gang members below were filled with terror, filth pouring uncontrollably from their lower bodies. Under the pressure of death, they completely broke down.

"Ah..."

Amid cries of agony, several heads rolled in every direction, and blood stained a vast stretch of land nearby red.

Lu Changsheng calmly sheathed his blade, then walked toward the carriages behind them.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Reaching the rear of the carriages, Lu Changsheng forcefully pried open the crates aboard them.

Piles of pitch-black ore lay within the wooden crates, glimmering with a faint light.

He then went to the remaining carriages and pried open their wooden crates one by one.

When the final crate was opened, the sight before him brightened his expression.

A large pile of medicinal herbs was stacked inside, their fragrance rich and intoxicating.

Judging by their quality, there were no fine medicines over a hundred years old, but there were quite a few herbs around fifty years old.

This was an unexpected delight.

These things were presumably being sent by the Three Rivers Gang to the prefectural city to grease palms in all directions.

For martial artists, medicinal baths were the most important thing. Without medicinal herbs and meat, it was almost impossible to cultivate into a martial expert.

He stepped before the crates and stored all the medicinal herbs and ores in the system space.

Very soon, only several lonely carriages remained on the road.

After finishing all this, Lu Changsheng walked over to the corpses of Wang Shouren and the others, crouching down to begin his usual corpse-looting.

A moment later, a large stack of banknotes and several martial arts manuals appeared in his hands, along with a strange letter.

For his first move, the harvest was already this great, leaving him extremely satisfied.

With these martial arts manuals and resources, he could raise his blade technique and movement technique by another level.

His own strength could also advance further.

For martial artists, martial cultivation was naturally the foundation, but offensive techniques and movement techniques were also immensely important.

Had he not relied on his perfected blade technique this time, victory would not have come so easily.

With the Attribute Modifier, he naturally had to improve his strength in every aspect. Any weakness could often prove fatal at certain moments.

He did not dare let down his guard in the slightest.