Slaying

"Heh, didn't expect it, did you? This precious jade of mine has five abilities. I've been holding one back all along, just waiting for you to walk into the net yourself."

Zhang Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and climbed up from the corner. His legs still trembled somewhat as he walked.

The vivid sense of mortal danger from the instant the precious jade's barrier had shattered still left his heart pounding with lingering fear.

Even though Yang Linghu was now heavily wounded and lying on the ground, Zhang Chen did not dare approach too closely. He stopped three zhang away.

Fearing another unexpected change, Zhang Chen circulated his technique and condensed flames, intending to finish Yang Linghu off.

"Wait!"

Yang Linghu suddenly spoke. "I'll copy down my family's cultivation technique for you. Can you spare my life?"

The Yang Family's cultivation technique!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen's thoughts immediately stirred, and he halted his movements.

"The Yang Family's cultivation technique is a treasure even Zhang Tianqi praised as extraordinary."

He kept his eyes fixed on Yang Linghu, guarding against any movement from him as he calculated inwardly.

Taking back the mines had indeed restored the family's face, but compared to the value of the Yang Family's cultivation technique, it was nothing.

If he could bring the Yang Family's cultivation technique back, it would definitely be a great merit!

"Hmph, when that time comes, who stands higher between Zhang Yao and me will have its own verdict!"

With that thought, he withdrew his technique.

"Fine. If you can hand over the cultivation technique, sparing your life is not impossible."

Zhang Chen figured Yang Linghu could not escape anyway, so he simply took out the message paper and brush he carried with him and tossed them over.

As for reinforcements? Heh. From here to the Yang Family, even a Qi Gathering Mid-stage cultivator would need four hours of running.

Could a tiny Yang Family that had only established itself for two or three years possibly possess some secret treasure capable of learning what was happening a thousand li away?

Watching Yang Linghu laboriously crawl forward, pick up the paper and brush, and begin writing, a trace of mockery flashed through his eyes.

"You really think this young master is so easy to fool? Who knows whether what you write is real or fake? Once you're done, I'll knock you out and take you home to imprison you. If it turns out to be fake, I'll slowly interrogate and deal with you!"

Under Zhang Chen's watchful gaze, Yang Linghu wrote down the contents of the cultivation technique bit by bit.

Of course, he had altered it himself. It was not the true Nether Spirit Path Seeking Scripture at all.

Earlier, he had already had Clan Soldiers bring a handwritten message back home. Once Lingqing saw it, she would surely make arrangements.

For now, he only needed to delay as long as possible. He had also prepared himself to fight to the death. If reinforcements did not arrive in the end, then with his final breath, he would try to trade his life for Zhang Chen's!

Time slowly passed. A quarter-hour later, Yang Linghu finished writing the first half of the cultivation technique and tossed it to Zhang Chen.

"This is the first half. You can look through it first and see if there are any problems."

Zhang Chen took it and began reading. After flipping through a few pages, his eyes heated up as he saw that the technique's quality was indeed exceptional.

"I didn't expect the Yang Family to really have something good. It might even be of Condensed Origin quality!"

Thinking this, he hurriedly urged him on. Rubbing up two balls of flame, he threatened, "If you want to live, write faster. This young master's patience is limited!"

Worried about angering Zhang Chen, Yang Linghu knew he could not drag things out any longer. He nodded and quickened his hand.

Another quarter-hour later, he finished writing the second half as well.

Zhang Chen had long been unable to wait. Before Yang Linghu could toss the technique over, he rushed forward and snatched it away.

"Good, good, good! What an excellent cultivation technique!"

Zhang Chen was overjoyed. At the thought of everyone's astonished looks after he returned home, he grew smug and pleased with himself.

Taking advantage of this chance, Yang Linghu quietly edged forward several inches, bringing Zhang Chen within his striking range.

"Mm, you've done very well. This young master keeps his word, so I'll spare you."

Though he said so, in the very next instant, Zhang Chen struck without warning, slapping toward the back of Yang Linghu's neck.

Yang Linghu had long been prepared. He rolled to his feet, dodging the palm strike while throwing out a full-force punch.

Thud!

Yang Linghu cursed inwardly, What a damned turtle shell, before Zhang Chen sent him flying with a kick.

"Hmph! I knew you brat wouldn't be so obedient. You were only thinking of ambushing this young master."

Zhang Chen sneered. "You didn't expect my precious jade's protection to have recovered, did you? Let me tell you, I can still use it two more times. So? Despairing now? Hahahaha—"

Yang Linghu propped himself up against a stone pillar. This time, he was truly at the end of his rope; even moving a finger took effort.

"You ungrateful bastard, die!"

As he watched the blazing fire swallow him up, Yang Linghu let out a sigh in his heart.

He held no resentment. He only felt that it was somewhat unfortunate, somewhat regrettable.

Whoosh—

Yet at that moment, Yang Linghu suddenly felt a chill by his ear as the sound of wind rushed in.

The taut strings of his nerves completely relaxed at that instant, because he knew he would not die today.

The Gale Wind howled past, directly extinguishing the flames before Yang Linghu.

"What?!"

Zhang Chen's face immediately drained of color, and he hastily raised the precious jade's protective barrier.

Yet in the next instant, he saw blades of air formed from the fierce Gale Wind pierce through the barrier as easily as tearing through window paper.

Slash!

"Ahh!! My hand!!!"

His left arm was severed by the Gale Wind, and Zhang Chen let out a pained howl.

To break through the barrier so easily, the opponent had to be a Qi Gathering Mid-stage cultivator. The thought filled him with terror, and he scrambled to turn and flee.

Unfortunately, the other party had no intention of leaving him a way out. As a chill rose along his back, Zhang Chen felt his vision spin wildly. In the end, he saw a familiar figure descend, and then his life was gone.

After beheading Zhang Chen, Yang Lingrui hurried to Yang Linghu's side. He dripped the newly produced spirit liquid from the Four-leaf Spirit-Nesting Grass into his mouth, then took out a healing pill and had him swallow it.

"Brother Hu, don't speak yet. Quickly refine the spirit liquid and the medicine's power!"

As he spoke, he also transferred his own spiritual power into Yang Linghu.

A short while later, Yang Linghu had recovered somewhat and was already able to stand.

"You acted quickly. I was still hoping you'd leave one alive."

Yang Linghu looked at Zhang Chen's thoroughly dead body and said.

Yang Lingrui glanced at the corpse, then said coldly, "Brother Hu, he injured you like this. Letting him live even one extra breath would have been mercy from me."

"Hahaha, cough cough..."

"Slow down, Brother Hu."

With Yang Lingrui supporting him, Yang Linghu said, "You came just in time. One moment later, and the family might have needed to prepare another coffin."

"That I made it in time was thanks to Immortal Venerable Spirit Stone's warning."

Yang Lingrui said, "The moment I emerged from seclusion, I received the Venerable's Thought Transmission. He said you were in danger here, so I came at once."

"My message didn't make it back?"

"While the Clan Soldiers were returning with the laborers, they seemed to have been attacked by bandits. Many died, and only a small portion ultimately returned."

Yang Linghu could only shake his head helplessly upon hearing that. He had wanted to give those people a way to live, yet they had still met with calamity.

"This time, we truly have Immortal Venerable to thank for saving us."

Yang Linghu sighed inwardly. If Chen Yang had not sent a Thought Transmission to Yang Lingrui, he would not have lived to see reinforcements today and would have died on the spot.

"Brother Hu, how are things at the mines? Are there any pursuers left?"

"There are no pursuers left, but there are still people who need to be dealt with."

After cleaning up Zhang Chen's corpse and waiting for Yang Linghu to sit in meditation for half an hour to digest the spirit liquid, his spiritual power recovered by a little less than half. The two then went together to the place where Yang Linghu had first fought Liao Feng and Zhang Chen.

It was already dawn. The bloodstains left on the ground were extremely obvious, and Liao Feng's corpse had unsurprisingly been taken away.

Following the lingering aura and traces on the ground, the two arrived at a mountain cave.