"Hong Yu, you should be proud that you've forced to use Fire Dragon's Fury!"
Hong Luàn's voice was cold.
With this Top-Level Martial Skill, he was confident he could look down on any expert below the Earth Soul Realm!
The flaming long dragon soared through the air, closing in on Hong Yu. It was about to completely envelop and annihilate him, turning him into nothing but ash and bone.
At this critical mont, Hong Yu, who had been on the verge of despair, suddenly looked up. The hopelessness in his eyes vanished, replaced by an incomparably firm resolve. 'No, I can't die. I, Hong Yu, have lived two lives. I can't let both end in diocrity. In this life, I must live brilliantly, freely, and without restraint!'
In that instant, Hong Yu's gaze beca crystal clear.
His Primordial Vein, which had been made incredibly resilient under the nourishnt of the Profound Celestial Tower, sent out a vast ripple. His blood and qi surged like a rainbow, boiling with power.
The Rising Dragon Fist, copied through Shadow Martial, flashed through his mind hundreds, even thousands of tis in the blink of an eye. Each movent of the fist beca clearer and more distinct until it was perfectly transparent. In his mind's eye, the dark figure once again executed the Rising Dragon Fist. A long, azure dragon shot straight into the clouds, exuding an ancient and profound aura.
Rising Dragon Fist had advanced again, surpassing the Realm of Perfection!
A glint flashed in Hong Yu's eyes as he launched his counterattack at the last possible mont. "Rising Dragon True Intent, Kanglong Wuhui!"
The Fire Dragon and the Wind Dragon, ford from the montum of his fist, collided in mid-air.
The wind fed the fire, creating a magnificent and devastating spectacle!
Rising Dragon Fist was classified as an Advanced Martial Skill, but in reality, its origins were anything but ordinary. It ca from a fragnted scroll an ancestor of the Hong Family had stumbled upon. Even as a fragnt, it was ranked first among the Hong Family's ten great Advanced Martial Skills. One could only imagine how terrifying it truly was. Now that Hong Yu had grasped the Rising Dragon True Intent, elevating it beyond the Realm of Perfection, his attack was no weaker than Hong Luàn's Fire Dragon's Fury at the Mastery Realm.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The two ferocious, dragon-shaped storms crashed into each other, neither giving an inch.
When the Martial Skills were evenly matched, the contest ca down to the strength of the Martial Artists' Elental Power. Hong Luàn remained calm and composed. As an Earth Soul Realm expert, he was fully confident he would triumph over Hong Yu in a battle of Elental Power. But how could Hong Yu not have other tricks up his sleeve?
He had been powerless to fight back earlier because he couldn't withstand the attack of Fire Dragon's Fury. But now that the Fire Dragon was occupied, he could finally free his hands to use the third trap he had kept hidden.
"Hong Luàn, you're still one step behind!"
Hong Yu let out a long breath and kicked a nearby stone, sending it flying.
Under Hong Luàn's puzzled gaze, the stone landed three or four ters behind him, where a tiny, upright Bone Spike was hidden. The stone tapped lightly against it. With a few clicks and clacks from a hidden chanism, the third trap, originally prepared for the Red Yin Poison Scorpion, was finally activated from beneath the soil.
This was the most powerful of the three traps, and it was Hong Yu's last resort—an Arrow Array!
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
With the sound of arrows slicing through the air, over a hundred sharp projectiles shot out from the ground, swarming toward Hong Luàn.
The barrage of arrows blotted out the sky like a hazy rain, impossible to dodge. One by one, they rcilessly pierced through Hong Luàn's body.
"BOOM!"
With his body injured, Hong Luàn's infusion of Elental Power into his Fire Dragon's Fury faltered, and it was instantly broken apart by the Rising Dragon Fist. Hong Luàn's body trembled violently as he spat out a mouthful of blood, a look of absolute horror crawling across his face. At this mont, Hong Luàn was filled with regret. 'Why? Why did I have to hunt him down and kill him? Even with another genius in the family, I would've just gotten fewer resources. But at least I'd still be alive, with a chance to reach the pinnacle of power. But now…'
Filled with intense unwillingness and regret, Hong Luàn slowly collapsed to the ground, his life force gone.
And with that, the Demon Blood Squad was completely wiped out!
With his formidable enemy defeated, Hong Yu was also completely exhausted. Drenched in sweat, he collapsed heavily onto the ground, gasping for breath.
He scanned the bone-littered Valley of the Dead and looked at the corpses of the Demon Blood Squad, feeling neither self-reproach nor guilt. You may have no intention of harming the tiger, but the tiger fully intends to harm you. This logic didn't just apply to tigers; it was demonstrated to an even greater, more vivid extent among humans.
Hong Yu had tried to keep a low profile and endure, but trouble and oppression had still found their way to his door.
Since he couldn't lie low, his only choice was to be relentlessly assertive!
And on the path of assertiveness, slaughter and death were inevitable.
If you don't kill, you will be killed!
Better you than !
As realistic and cruel as that saying was, wasn't it the golden rule for survival in this ruthless world?
"Hooo!"
Hong Yu let out a long breath, sat cross-legged, and began to regulate his breathing and condition.
His years as a Hunter had instilled many good habits in him. He never relaxed after a big fight, instead seizing the ti to recover to his peak condition. It was precisely this habit that had saved him from the Death God Scythe's summons several tis. This ti, he cultivated for a full five hours.
When Hong Yu opened his eyes again, the sky had already grown dim. The moonlight illuminated his face, revealing a confident smile. 'Early Ninth Layer. If I were to face Hong Luàn and the Red Yin Poison Scorpion now, I could defeat them without relying on any external forces!'
To go from the Peak of the Sixth Layer to the Early Ninth Layer in just over ten days—if word of such speed got out, it would surely make a lot of people's jaws drop!
But Hong Yu was not satisfied.
The image of Hong Tiande appeared in his mind again—that expert who had nearly taken his life with a single indifferent glance. That was the level he should aspire to, or even higher.
'Hong Luàn's death will be discovered sooner or later. Although Tiger Instructor is protecting , I can't rely on him forever. I need to clean this place up first. If I leave any clues for the Hong Family to find, I'll be in for so serious trouble.' With his mind made up, Hong Yu began to clean up the battlefield.
Hong Yu took everything of value from the mbers of the Demon Blood Squad before burying their bodies among the bone piles.
The mbers of the Demon Blood Squad had carried quite a few valuables, especially Hong Luàn, who surprisingly had a gold card worth 500,000 on him. In addition, there were two First-Grade Spirit dicines and so other precious dicinal herbs, which was a pleasant surprise for Hong Yu. When he had the ti, he could refine all these Spirit dicines into finished Spirit Pills, and the profits would be even greater!
"Killing and looting really is the quickest way to get rich overnight," Hong Yu muttered to himself. "But this kind of thing goes against the natural order. It's best to do it as little as possible, unless I have no other choice."
After covering all traces of the three traps, he finally turned and left the Valley of the Dead.
Exiting again through the waterfall, Hong Yu gently patted his chest. Inside were three jade boxes containing the Spirit dicine, Reviving Grass. The corners of his lips curved upward as he murmured, "As soon as I deliver the Reviving Grass to the Underground Alliance, I can ask Master Xue to cure the cold poison in Yaoyao's body!"
With Yun ngyao on his mind, Hong Yu quickened his pace, heading out of the Dead Soul Mountain Range.
Just as Hong Yu was rushing toward Shishui City, a flurry of panicked footsteps echoed outside Seventh Elder Hong Tiande's door in the Hong Mansion.
"Seventh Elder, it's terrible, sothing's happened."
Hong Tiande, who was in the middle of cultivating, frowned at the interruption. He looked with displeasure at the butler who had burst through the door and said in a low voice, "What's all the panic about?"
"It's... it's Young Master Hong Luàn. He... he..."
The butler was out of breath and spoke in broken sentences. "Just now, when I went to the Ancestral Hall to check, I found that Young Master Hong Luàn's Life Scroll has shattered."
"What?"
Hong Tiande shot to his feet, his rage making him resemble a frenzied lion. A powerful whirlwind erupted around his body, overturning the orderly room and leaving it in disarray. The powerful surge of energy even blasted through the roof, sending the thick tiles flying.
Amidst the billowing dust, Hong Tiande's gaze was like two long rainbows, fixed on the terrified butler. "Say that again. Whose Life Scroll shattered?"
"It... it was Young Master Hong Luàn's!" the butler cried out miserably.
"Luàn? H-how is that possible?"
Hong Tiande staggered back several steps before steadying himself, a look of disbelief flashing in his sharp eyes.
Every Direct Lineage disciple of the Hong Family has a Life Scroll left in the Ancestral Hall from birth, recording their life force. A Life Scroll would only shatter under one condition: the Direct Lineage disciple it represented was dead.
Hong Tiande had only one son, but that son was diocre in talent and loved to stir up trouble, and was killed by an enemy in his thirties. Because of this, Hong Tiande doted on his two grandsons, Hong Lin and Hong Luàn, even treating them like his own sons.
But now, his eldest grandson was dead?
To him, this was a bolt from the blue!
But Hong Tiande was an Earth Soul Realm expert, after all. He quickly reined in his fury and regained his composure. In a heavy voice, he commanded, "Imdiately send out the clan's scouts... I want to know all of Luàn's movents over the past few months. I want the most detailed intelligence on who he associated with and what enemies he made."
"Yes, I'll see to it at once!"
The butler, as if granted a pardon, hurriedly backed out of the room.
In the ruined chamber, Hong Tiande stood proudly, his dark eyes glinting with a cold light like a venomous snake. "Luàn, rest easy! No matter who your killer is, whatever their identity, your grandfather will avenge you. I will make the killer wish they were dead, and I will make their entire family and clan be buried with you..."
As Hong Tiande's orders were issued, the entire Hong Mansion sprang into action.
With the Hong Family's power, uncovering this information wouldn't be difficult. The only uncertainty was how much ti it would take.
Of course, Hong Yu was unaware of any of this. At this very mont, he was riding a black steed toward Shishui City.
「Two days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Worried about Yun ngyao's condition, Hong Yu pushed his horse relentlessly, traveling day and night without stopping. He finally arrived back at Shishui City on the morning of the third day. But as soon as he reached the city gates, he was stopped by several City Gate Guards. "Show your City Resident Order!"
"Here is my City Resident Order."
Hong Yu handed it over.
The guard inspected it and, seeing that he was a Hong Family disciple, his stern expression softened slightly. He returned the token to Hong Yu. "No problem, you may enter!"
"Guard, what's going on? You don't usually check for City Resident Orders, do you?" Hong Yu asked, confused.
Shishui City had always been peaceful. He hadn't seen such a strict search in several years.
Seeing that Hong Yu was a Hong Family disciple, the guard wasn't as impatient as he was with others. He lowered his voice and said, "The Seventh Elder of the Hong Family's eldest grandson is dead. The entire city is now being searched for suspicious culprits. I heard more than a dozen suspects have already been captured!"
"What?"
Hong Yu was startled.
The guard didn't notice his strange reaction and continued, "I heard that the Seventh Elder is taking those suspects to the execution grounds today."
"Thank you!"
Hong Yu cupped his fists at the guard, then spurred his horse into the city.
'Dammit, I almost forgot that Direct Lineage disciples have Life Scrolls in the Ancestral Hall. This is bad. I have to investigate this clearly. Otherwise, just waiting around will put at a huge disadvantage.'
Having made up his mind, Hong Yu changed his direction and headed for the execution grounds. He needed to see the identities of the dozen or so suspects Hong Tiande had captured to deduce the scope and thods of his search. Only by knowing himself and his enemy could he devise a counter-strategy...
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