When the seven powerful saber strikes slamd into Hong Yu, everyone held their breath.
"Did it work?"
"He has to die, that bastard…"
Everyone's heart was in their throat as they prayed silently.
Each of the seven saber strikes had the power to grievously injure soone at the Half-Step Earth Soul Realm. To be hit by seven such attacks in a row, even a true Earth Soul Realm expert would be left half-dead!
And yet, for so reason, with Hong Yu on the receiving end, they felt a sense of unease and uncertainty.
"He should be dead, right?"
Ecstasy flashed in Lin Hai's eyes. He could feel that his attack had truly struck Hong Yu.
However…
An instant later, his expression froze. A look of shock and panic slowly crept across his pale face. Before his very eyes, the figure of the young man—who should have been grievously wounded and on the verge of death from his powerful attack—wavered slightly, then began to blur.
"An af-afterimage? How is that possible…"
Lin Hai cried out in alarm.
Just monts ago, Hong Yu had killed two Ninth-level Essence Elent Powerhouses in succession; his strength should have been exhausted. Furthermore, Lin Hai had seized the most critical mont for his sneak attack. The distance between them was so short—he was one hundred percent certain that Hong Yu couldn't have dodged.
But…
The fading afterimage before him was a cruel testant to the truth: Hong Yu had indeed dodged his sneak attack!
No one had even seen how he managed to evade it.
The shock sent Lin Hai staggering back several steps, barely able to stay on his feet. He muttered, "How is this possible? How could this be…"
"Why would it be impossible?"
A calm voice spoke from behind him, carrying a wisp of warm breath.
"…"
Every pore on Lin Hai's body seed to erupt. His limbs went rigid in an instant.
He instinctively tried to dodge, but his feet seed frozen to the spot, refusing to move.
Lin Hai could only remain rooted to the spot, completely still.
PAT!
A hand landed on Lin Hai's shoulder. Its owner slowly walked around to face him, and the two stood eye to eye.
"H-How did you do that?" Lin Hai asked, his voice hoarse as he stared at the familiar, handso young man before him.
The corner of Hong Yu's mouth lifted into a mocking curve. "Why should I tell you?"
"Let die knowing how."
Lin Hai's head was bowed, his expression hidden.
"Go ask King Yama in hell!"
But Hong Yu just let out a cold snort. The hand on Lin Hai's shoulder shifted, and with a sudden exertion of force—SNAP!—it clamped around his neck. As his fingers tightened, imnse power shot through them, like five sharp daggers piercing Lin Hai's throat. Lin Hai's eyes bulged, a flicker of intense resentnt in them before his life faded away.
CLANG!
As Lin Hai died, a sharp object fell from his sleeve, striking the ground with a crisp sound.
A closer look revealed…
It was a sharp Sleeve Arrow. The fact that it had dropped on its own ant Lin Hai had already triggered the Hidden Weapon's chanism, preparing for another sneak attack. Gazing at the arrow, which glinted with a dark light and was clearly coated in a deadly poison, Hong Yu felt a wave of fear.
'If I hadn't been extra cautious and noticed his subtle movent, I'd be the one lying here dead right now.'
'Kindness is mistaken for weakness. The gentle are always bullied.'
'Hong Yu, oh, Hong Yu, you must never forget that this world follows the law of the jungle. rcy is the surest way to get yourself killed…'
Hong Yu had always acted according to his own principles.
'I won't attack unless I am attacked.'
But this principle was too often mistaken for weakness, inviting relentless persecution and bullying. Why had the Lin Brothers been able to recruit other powerful prodigies to ambush him and try to take his life? It was precisely because he had shown rcy yesterday, foolishly sparing a dangerous foe.
'If I had just pushed my exhausted body to kill them both yesterday, would I be in this ss today?'
Kill when you must!
In that mont, Hong Yu finally understood this principle.
"Now, it's your turn."
Hong Yu leveled his Long Spear, his eyes filled with icy killing intent as he swept his gaze over Lin Tao, Wang ng, and the other young prodigy, a cultivator at the Mid-Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm.
The three of them were frozen in place, as if petrified.
Lin Tao, in particular, had a completely stunned expression. His gaze was fixed on Lin Hai, who lay dead in a pool of blood with his eyes wide open. His entire body trembled, and tears stread from his eyes like a broken dam. "How could this happen? Why? Second Brother… Second Brother is dead?"
Even the most wicked of n have a soft spot.
The Lin Brothers were extrely close. They had spent more than a decade together day and night, never once separated. Now, they were parted forever by death, a fact Lin Tao could not accept.
After the initial shock and disbelief, Lin Tao's entire being was consud by rage and resentnt.
His features twisted into a grotesque mask. He snarled at Hong Yu, his eyes flashing with a cold, bloodthirsty light. "Murderer! You're the murderer! You killed my brother, and I will have my revenge."
"…"
Hong Yu said nothing, feeling nothing but contempt. 'What a joke.'
'From the very beginning, I never provoked any of them!'
'Whether it was humiliating Lin Yun at the Underground Alliance, thwarting the Lin Brothers in the tournant qualifiers, or fighting off their repeated ambushes here in the Abyssal Mountain Range, they were always the ones who started it. They were the ones who tried to kill first. I was only defending myself, yet to hear Lin Tao tell it, I'm sohow the one to bla for everything?'
'The nerve of this guy!' Hong Yu cursed inwardly.
"Lin Tao, this Hong Yu is a tough one. He's not going to be easy to deal with," Wang ng said in a low voice, his eyes narrowed.
At this mont, he no longer held the sa arrogance as before, believing he was superior and could look down on Hong Yu.
Even though he was at the Half-Step Earth Soul Realm, with plenty of tricks up his sleeve and combat power that was even slightly superior to Lin Tao's, he could never dream of killing three Ninth-level Essence Elent Powerhouses as easily as Hong Yu had. It wasn't that Wang ng lacked the strength, but he couldn't have done it so effortlessly.
Wang ng knew to show sufficient respect and caution toward an opponent of equal caliber.
Lin Tao gritted his teeth. "Wang ng, help kill him, and I'll give you everything I have."
"For real?"
Wang ng's expression flickered.
The Lin Family's wealth surpassed even the Hong Family's, making them the undisputed richest clan. As the direct son of the Patriarch, Lin Tao's personal fortune was worth at least ten million. The offer was too tempting to refuse. After a mont's hesitation, Wang ng gritted his teeth. "Alright, I'll help you kill him!"
"With two Half-Step Earth Soul Realm cultivators like us teaming up, killing him will be more than enough!"
Lin Tao nodded.
The last surviving prodigy hesitated, but when the other two looked at him, he could only nod with a wry smile. "I'll give it my all!"
The three spread out into formation and charged once more.
This ti, they had learned their lesson. They no longer fought individually but ford the Array of the Three Talents, complenting each other's strengths and covering their weaknesses. Their attacks ca in relentless waves. Wang ng's twin hamrs whistled through the air, heavy and powerful. Lin Tao's Absolute God Swordsmanship was devious and sharp, its movents unpredictable. The third man launched opportunistic, indefensible sneak attacks.
The combination of the three actually managed to suppress Hong Yu, forcing him to retreat step by step.
"He can't hold on much longer."
"Increase the power of our attacks! Faster! We can't let him escape."
The trio's assault grew even more ferocious.
The Three Talents Array pressed the attack from three sides. As they rotated, they left a trail of destruction in their wake. Damp earth was churned into the air, and trees in their path were toppled, so even ripped out by the roots. Each exchange of blows devastated the surrounding forest.
BOOM! BOOM!
The twin hamrs crashed down in succession. The powerful impact split the webbing of Hong Yu's hands and sent him staggering backward.
Lin Tao followed close behind…
"Godslaying Technique!"
A chillingly devious sword strike descended from above. Hong Yu quickly jamd his Long Spear into the ground and, using it as a pivot, launched his body into a high spin to evade the lethal Sword Skill. Even so, the cold aura from the Sword Edge left a patch of frost on his face. Hong Yu gasped, but at that mont, six Flying Sabers shot through the air toward him.
A sneak attack!
Hong Yu's eyes narrowed. While still airborne, he tapped the top of his right foot with the toe of his left, using the montum to spin and dodge again.
After completing the fluid sequence of moves, Hong Yu's eyes, fixed on the trio, suddenly narrowed. A glint as cold and sharp as a razor's edge flashed in their depths. "Have a taste of my spear!"
He was still in mid-air, upside down, gripping the butt of his Long Spear with his right hand. With a twist of his waist, his body began to spin. A dip of his right shoulder ripped the spear from the ground, sending dirt flying. The Long Spear spun along with his body, stirring the air with a deafening WHOOSH.
BOOM!
This spear strike hit the weakest point of the Three Talents Array—the young prodigy at the Mid-Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm.
"No!"
The young man roared in terror.
But…
It was too late!
PSHHHT!
The Long Spear sliced upward, striking the young man's body. A grueso bloody line ripped from between his legs up to his head as he collapsed heavily to the ground. Wang ng, still moving along the path of the Three Talents Array, couldn't stop in ti. His foot ca down—SQUELCH!—and crushed the young man's head, sending a spray of gore into the air.
"Seven Stars Stepping on Clouds!"
Hong Yu seized the opportunity to execute his Seven-Star Step. It looked as if he were walking on air, but he was actually gliding forward.
In an instant, he was above Lin Tao's head…
"Die!"
Hong Yu flipped upside down, feet pointed to the sky, and thrust his Long Spear straight down.
"Dammit…"
Lin Tao's face drained of color. Sensing death's approach, he tried to retreat. But his path was blocked by Wang ng. He bumped into Wang ng's back and was involuntarily knocked a step forward. That single, fateful step exposed his abdon and groin to the spear descending from the heavens.
"AHHH…"
With a bloodcurdling scream, the Long Spear viciously sheared off everything between Lin Tao's legs!
Bright red blood instantly stained his pants.
Overwhelming pain sent Lin Tao crashing to the ground. He clutched his groin, howling in agony as he thrashed in a spreading pool of his own blood…
"Th-this…"
Catching sight of Lin Tao's… injury… out of the corner of his eye, Wang ng shuddered violently. He scrambled to the side and, without a mont's hesitation, turned and fled for his life.
"He's a fast runner!"
Hong Yu shot a sideways glance at the fleeing Wang ng but didn't give chase. Instead, he turned to Lin Tao, whose face was a mask of pain as he writhed in the bloody mud. "I never wanted to kill any of you, but you forced my hand again and again. You even dared to target my sister. You dug your own grave. I hope you rember that in your next life!"
As he spoke, Hong Yu raised his Long Spear, about to bring it down and end the writhing young man's life.
However…
Just as the fatal blow was about to fall, the sound of crisp applause suddenly echoed from a dense thicket nearby. A light voice, laced with mockery and amusent, followed. The familiar sound made Hong Yu's hand freeze. He slowly turned toward the thicket, and as three figures gradually erged, he sighed inwardly…
'One wave has barely subsided before another rises. It seems keeping a low profile is impossible for !'
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