The kill

Rosy Cloud Slope lay on the only route back. The night wind carried grit, whipping through jagged rocks with a mournful howl, like wronged souls weeping.

"Third Uncle, how much longer do we have to wait in this godforsaken place?"

In the shadows, Zheng Ping irritably kicked aside a pebble at his feet. His voice was extremely low, but it could not conceal his resentment at the cold wind that had chilled him to the marrow.

He was barely past twenty, with cultivation at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, already an outstanding talent among the declining Zheng Household's younger generation. Yet this assignment to lie in wait by a dry ravine had left him so stifled he nearly went mad.

Zheng Yuan, one of the Zheng Household's three remaining cultivators at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, sat cross-legged in a sheltered hollow in the rocks, his lean figure like an old pine. At those words, he did not even raise his eyelids, merely lifting a hand to set a soundproofing restriction that shut out the howling wind along with his nephew's agitation.

"Silence. Lu Zhao managed to establish himself in the Zhou Household Market and can even craft flying puppets. How could he be an ordinary rogue cultivator? Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."

"But the Lu Household was wiped out five years ago! Is a cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, a dog without a home, worth traveling ten thousand miles from the Northern Plains?"

"Couldn't the lineage just send any Late Qi Refining elder..." Zheng Ping argued, stiffening his neck, his words full of resentment.

"Shut your mouth!"

Zheng Yuan abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze stabbing into his nephew like Ice Cones. The surrounding air seemed to freeze at once. "Do you think the Zheng Household is still what it was thirty years ago?

"Among the younger generation, apart from your eldest brother Zheng Yun, who has a sliver of hope of reaching Foundation Establishment, the rest can't even muster enough Late Qi Refining cultivators!"

His voice was low, each word striking Zheng Ping's heart like a heavy hammer. "That wretch is a surviving remnant of the Lu Household. If he really grows strong, will our Zheng Household have anything good waiting for it?"

"If your sixth brother hadn't happened to discover him when he came to Changfeng, this man would have slipped past us."

Zheng Ping trembled beneath that gaze, the knuckles of his clenched fists turning white. In the end, he lowered his head.

Zheng Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked toward the ink-black path below the slope, sighing inwardly.

His nephew had decent talent, but he was as reckless as a tiger cub. Had the lineage not been suffering such a shortage between generations, why would he have brought this fledgling who had never weathered a storm?

The patriarch's withered face, his eldest brother Zheng Tai's declining vitality—another cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining—and his nephew Zheng Yun's resolve when entering seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment... image after image weighed on his heart until he could scarcely breathe.

The Zheng Household was like a sinking, battered ship; every scrap of strength was precious. Bringing Zhou Ping along was less about having help than forcing him to mature quickly through blood and fire.

"We'll wait another half day."

Zheng Yuan closed his eyes, his voice weary but brooking no argument. "If there's still no sign of him, we'll use luring incense to force him out. Remember, strike fast and clean. We must leave absolutely no trace."

The cold wind sobbed, stirring a trace of viciousness forcibly suppressed deep in Zheng Ping's eyes.

Dawn glimmered faintly, coating the rocky ground at the entrance to Rosy Cloud Slope in gray-white frost.

A hundred zhang away, on the shaded side of a boulder, Lu Zhao's figure almost merged with the jagged shadows of the rocks. He pushed the Little Spirit Rain Art to its limit, wisps of moisture carrying the scents of stone and vegetation as they reduced his presence to nothing.

Inside his sleeve, dim light flowed through the cores of two Frost Rat Puppets, poised to strike.

Most of his attention, however, was focused high overhead-the Flowing Cloud Sparrow Puppet spread its wind-pattern stone wing bones and circled silently on the morning's rising air currents. Its sharp compound eyes projected every inch of ground and every patch of shadow below into Lu Zhao's sea of consciousness.

Three zhang to the left of the rocky ground, behind a crevice tangled with withered vines, stood two motionless black shadows.

The Flowing Cloud Sparrow's vision clearly caught the outlines that almost blended into their surroundings. One of them had an aura as deep and steady as an abyss, far beyond anything at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining!

Lu Zhao's heart abruptly clenched. There really was an ambush! And an expert, at that!

His body remained utterly still, but the Flowing Cloud Sparrow's reconnaissance abruptly intensified, sweeping that area again and again like an invisible probe.

Once, twice... the sun rose from the east to its zenith, then slowly sank westward. The shadows behind the withered vines remained like stone statues, revealing no opening. Only the Flowing Cloud Sparrow detected a faint restlessness in the slightly shorter figure.

"Third Uncle, is this turtle hiding in its shell descended from a tortoise? We've wasted an entire day." Behind the crevice, veins throbbed at Zheng Ping's temples, and he could not suppress the fury in his voice transmission. "Just charge out and kill him! Crushing a cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining is like crushing an ant."

Zheng Yuan's brow knitted tightly. How could he not be anxious? He had waited an entire day, his nerves drawn taut as a bowstring, yet his opponent was far slipperier than expected.

More troublesome still, the tiger cub Zheng Ping had reached the end of his patience. If he kept restraining him, he might charge out regardless and disrupt the plan!

A ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes. Rather than let this reckless nephew ruin things, I might as well strike like thunder myself! Ninth Layer of Qi Refining against the middle stage, with the superior-grade magical artifact Wind-Splitting Blade—ten breaths will be enough to settle everything!

"Stay here!"

Zheng Yuan barked the order, yet his figure shot from the crevice like a phantom!

No probing, no wasted words. While still airborne, he already held a long, pitch-black blade, its tip flickering with three inches of ghastly white radiance.

Magical power surged wildly. The blade screamed as it tore through the air, turning into a streak of black light almost too fast for the eye to follow and cleaving straight toward the boulder where Lu Zhao hid.

A full-strength blow from a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, combined with the sharpness of a superior-grade magical artifact—wherever the black light passed, rock silently disintegrated like rotten earth.

Vicious and seasoned, intent on killing with a single strike.

Life and death hung by a thread!

Lu Zhao's pupils shrank to pinpoints. The Flowing Cloud Sparrow's warning arrived almost simultaneously with the deadly edge rushing toward him!

I can't block it! The Frost Rat Puppets can't block it! Neither can the Mystic Water Tortoise-Shell Shield!

He did not hesitate! The instinct to survive overrode everything! His right hand darted into his robes like lightning, his fingertips touching that pale-purple talisman, cold enough to pierce the bones-a second-tier low-grade Small Thunderclap Talisman!

"Explode!"

Lu Zhao's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, pouring all his magical power into the talisman without restraint!

"Crackle-BOOM!!!"

Heaven and earth lost their color!

A blinding silver-white pillar of lightning, as thick as a bucket, violently erupted from Lu Zhao's palm! There was no unfolding process, only destruction descending! The destructive power within the lightning pillar's core far exceeded the bounds of Qi Refining!

Zheng Yuan's vicious grin froze on his face, instantly turning into boundless horror and despair! He sensed the deadly aura of the Foundation Establishment Realm!

"No!"

He roared wildly, desperately pulling back to block as his protective spiritual light blazed to its limit!

Too late!

The silver-white lightning dragon smashed into the black light with the force of withered wood being crushed and rotten timber shattered! The Wind-Splitting Blade gave a mournful cry and broke apart inch by inch! The lightning surged onward unabated, dazzling plasma exploding as it blasted his entire body into a charred silhouette.

His protective spiritual light shattered like paper. One arm and half his shoulder vaporized outright, scorched flesh and splintered bones scattering everywhere. He flew backward like a torn sack and slammed heavily into the rock face behind him, embedding himself in it. His whole body was blackened and smoking, his sole remaining eye stretched wide, still holding incredulous terror, his breath as faint as a thread.

Pfft!

Lu Zhao likewise felt as though a heavy hammer had struck him and spat out a large mouthful of blood.

He had been too close. The terrifying recoil of the second-tier talisman and stray lightning arcs swept savagely across his left arm, chest, and abdomen. His clothes were charred and torn, his skin split open, and searing pain pierced his heart. His meridians hurt even more, as though scorched by raging fire.

While you're weakened, I'll take your life!

Enduring the heart-rending pain, Lu Zhao already had three crimson talismans pinched in his left hand-first-tier superior-grade Explosive Flame Talismans!

"Go!"

Three crimson streaks flew from his hand, shooting in a triangular formation toward the lump of charcoal on the rock face! Scorching fireballs instantly swelled, overlapped, and exploded!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The earth shook and the mountains rocked! Raging flames completely engulfed Zhou Zheng's ruined body, tore it apart, and burned it to ash! Even the rock face was blasted into a huge scorched crater! This pillar of the Zhou Household, a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, was destroyed in body and soul before he could even scream!

"Third Uncle!"

Behind the crevice, Zheng Ping's eyes strained as though they would split, and he let out a piercing, inhuman howl. Immense terror and the unbelievable turn of events left his mind blank and his body rigid. He even forgot to deploy his magical artifact!

Lu Zhao did not pause for an instant! Coughing blood, he sprang forward like a hunting leopard, heading straight for Zhou Ping, who stood as dumb as a wooden chicken.

At the same time, a cold gleam flashed inside his sleeve. The two Frost Rat Puppets became icy-blue afterimages, setting off later but arriving first, their sharp icy claws thrusting straight for Zhou Ping's back over his heart and his throat. A lethal chill instantly pierced his marrow.

The cold of death finally jolted Zhou Ping out of his stupor.

"Ah!"

He gave a strange cry and frantically deployed a Small Green Shield in front of him while activating his protective spiritual light.

Clang! Pfft!

A Rat Puppet's sharp claws scraped across the shield with a piercing screech, icy cold spreading.

The other claw savagely tore through his hastily gathered protective spiritual light, leaving three bloody gashes beneath his ribs, deep enough to expose bone!

The agony made Zheng Ping scream, but it also unleashed his ferocity. "I'll kill you!" His eyes were bloodred and he looked possessed. Ignoring his injuries, he drove a Flying Sword toward Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao's eyes were as cold as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, without a ripple. Facing this furious strike, he neither dodged nor evaded, merely flicking a finger!

A first-tier superior-grade talisman-the Golden Sword Talisman!

Golden light flared. A huge sword formed purely of keen metal energy set off later yet arrived first, cleaving savagely onto Zhou Ping's Flying Sword with a sharp ringing that could sever everything!

Clang!

The Flying Sword wailed, its spiritual light dimming as it flew backward. The golden sword lost a little momentum but still slashed down! Terrified out of his wits, Zheng Ping desperately twisted aside.

Rip!

Blood sprayed! An arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder!

"Aaargh!"

Zheng Ping fell to the ground, shrieking. Pain and blood loss broke him completely, leaving nothing in his eyes but boundless terror. Tears and snot streamed down his face. "Don't kill me! Spare me! My Zheng Household..."

Before he could finish, two icy-blue figures pounced like maggots clinging to bone. Bearing the finality of deathly cold, the Frost Rat Puppets' sharp claws precisely pierced his throat and heart.

His pleas cut off abruptly. Frozen in Zhou Ping's wide eyes were infinite terror of death and regret over this "simple mission."

Lu Zhao braced his hands on his knees, panting violently. Every breath tugged at the wounds all over his body, cold sweat mingling with blood as it dripped down. He quickly put away the Flowing Cloud Sparrow and, forcing himself to endure his injuries, deftly retrieved Zheng Yuan's nearly blasted-apart Storage Bag and magical artifact before searching around Zheng Ping's corpse.

His gaze swept over the devastation strewn across the ground. He took out a low-grade Fireball Talisman and activated it. A short while later, everything became part of the dust beneath the night sky.

With all this done, he swallowed a Spring-Rejuvenation Pill, then staggered yet resolutely disappeared into the deeper darkness of Rosy Cloud Slope.