Xu Asi's pupils contracted, shock flooding his heart. He could clearly feel the breath washing over his skin as the other man spoke.
In other words, what he saw was no illusion. His opponent had truly dodged his all-or-nothing strike through movement alone.
At that moment, how could he fail to understand?
The nobody before him was a shameless bastard who had been hiding his strength to prey on the unwary!
And he had played the part to perfection.
Yun Che did not attack again, because Xu Asi had already breathed his last.
Ding! Extraction successful. Congratulations on obtaining a superior martial root. Ding! Throat-Cutter Chief killed. Experience +50,000, Righteousness +1,000, death qi +1,000.
"Nice! Killing bosses really is the way to go!" Yun Che nodded in satisfaction, positively delighted.
If he diligently farmed ordinary enemies for experience, even with Divine Hand's help, it would probably take him a long time to break through again.
After a moment's thought, Yun Che unleashed Thunder Shadow Divine Movement, turning into a streak of lightning as he raced toward the Wuxia Mountains.
He still needed 70,000 experience points to reach the middle stage of the Grandmaster Realm. If he could kill the last two fleeing Kings, he would certainly break through at once.
"Big chunks of experience aren't easy to come by. I'll have to try my luck."
Meanwhile, deprived of their four chiefs, the bandits had begun fleeing one after another. The people of Falling Moon City cheered together, their eyes brimming with unconcealed joy and excitement.
There had been a full fifty thousand bandits, while Falling Moon City could field fewer than forty thousand capable martial artists.
Yet despite that disadvantage, they had won, and their losses were far smaller than expected.
Zhuge Buhuo was beside himself with excitement. He had devised three separate plans for this defense.
Those included delaying tactics to buy time after the city fell, allowing them to wait for Ye Qingshuang's reinforcements.
Yet in the end, not only had the city held, but they had also repelled the bandits at minimal cost.
Such a victory deserved to be reported to the Imperial Royal Family and recorded in the annals of history.
Zhuge Buhuo's eyes flickered. Though he did not want to admit it, the academic instructor named Yun Che had played the decisive role in securing such a victory.
With his supreme swordsmanship and terrifying strength, Yun Che had rallied the entire Falling Moon Army, allowing them to hold out until King Qin seized an opening to kill Chief Red Skull and turn the tide.
He sighed softly, his gaze complicated, and murmured, "Young Master Yun, I have to admit that you truly are outstanding. But I've known Ke Yi since childhood. She's my childhood sweetheart."
"So only I deserve Ke Yi, and only I would never let her down. Whether you like it or not, I'm going to make a cuckold of you. You'll have no choice but to accept it!"
As his words faded, a trace of the aura unique to King Realm experts emanated from Zhuge Buhuo. He quickly concealed it, reverting to the frail strategist who seemed capable of nothing but bluster and armchair tactics.
In the Wuxia Mountains, two figures hurtled through the air.
Fatty Zou glanced behind him and cursed, "Qin Xiao, why the fuck are you chasing me? Go after Big-Bearded Lu!"
Qin Xiao snorted. "Big-Bearded Lu isn't as scheming as you. I'd rather let him off for now and put you to the sword first, before you cause more trouble."
Fatty Zou was momentarily speechless. Was that supposed to be a compliment? But he really had never schemed against anyone! Who the hell had spread those rumors?
Qin Xiao unleashed Drifting Willow-Step again, swiftly closing the distance and engaging him in combat.
By then, both Qin Xiao and Fatty Zou had little spiritual energy left. They stopped flying and landed below to exchange blows.
"Qin Xiao, neither of us will gain anything if we keep fighting like this."
"Why don't we both take a step back and call it a day?"
Qin Xiao chuckled and said, "Sure," but his attacks did not relent in the slightest, infuriating Fatty Zou enough to make him curse Qin Xiao's parents.
Just then, Big-Bearded Lu, who should have fled, suddenly appeared beside Qin Xiao and drove his axe viciously into the back of his waist.
It was a vicious blow. The axe cleaved through most of Qin Xiao's waist and abdomen, severing several sections of his soft intestines and leaving a wound beyond medical help.
Qin Xiao's expression changed in shock. Enraged, he swept his sword back toward Big-Bearded Lu.
Big-Bearded Lu gave a sinister laugh. Already prepared, he abandoned his battle-axe and swiftly retreated, narrowly evading the sword aimed at his throat.
Qin Xiao pulled the battle-axe from his waist. With one hand pressed against his bleeding lower back, where even his kidney seemed about to spill out, he stared darkly at the sneering Big-Bearded Lu.
"A Special-Type Invisibility Treasure. To think you had that trick hidden away!"
Big-Bearded Lu laughed heartily. After being chased and beaten like a dog, he had finally gotten his revenge.
"Heh, no need to glare at me, King Qin. This wasn't my idea. Fatty Zou told me to do it."
Qin Xiao looked at the smiling Fatty Zou, his sword hand trembling slightly. He regretted it. Had he known, he would have killed that fat bastard first.
Seeing that Qin Xiao was about to erupt, Fatty Zou hurriedly put considerable distance between them. All he needed to do now was stall. The longer he stalled, the more blood his opponent would lose, and the easier he would be to kill.
"No need to be so furious, King Qin. You've already killed Hong Futian and Xu Asi. With those two accompanying you to the grave, you're hardly losing out."
"Soon, I'll personally cut off your head and send it to Falling Moon City, so everyone can get a good look at your miserable death in defeat."
"Even though our attack on the city failed, killing a mighty mid-King Realm expert like you means this trip wasn't wasted."
Qin Xiao desperately pressed his left hand against his side. Unfortunately, the wound was too large, and nothing he did could stop the bleeding. The agony of his severed intestines tormented his nerves without pause.
"If you want my head, you'll have to pay for it with your life."
Qin Xiao drew a shallow breath and stopped worrying about his wounded waist. Since he was doomed to die, he would at least make sure these two stayed here with him.
Fatty Zou narrowed his eyes and shouted to Big-Bearded Lu, "Keep your distance! He's going all out! Don't let him get close!"
But against a King who had cast aside all concern for his own life and wanted only to take them down with him, how could he possibly escape so easily?
Qin Xiao snorted and swiftly closed in on the fleeing Big-Bearded Lu. Repaying him in kind, he delivered a lightning-fast sword strike that cut Big-Bearded Lu in half at the waist.
Ignoring Big-Bearded Lu's incessant screams, Qin Xiao endured the excruciating pain and walked toward the terrified Fatty Zou, leaving a bloody footprint with every step.
Just as Fatty Zou was about to flee outright, Qin Xiao seemed unable to hold on any longer. He collapsed stiffly to the ground with a thud, and the blood pouring from his waist soon stained the earth red.
Fatty Zou exhaled through trembling lips. He had never imagined that, even after suffering such a fatal wound, Qin Xiao would still have enough strength to kill Big-Bearded Lu.
But judging by the outcome, he had won in the end.
"Farewell, King Qin."
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