PFFT!
A battered figure was sent flying out of the thick haze, hurtling toward Hong Hu.
"Hong Yu?"
A flicker of excitent lit up Hong Hu's eyes.
He realized the person sent flying was none other than Hong Yu…
"Excellent! Hong Qi truly is Grandpa Qi's top Assassin. He took down Hong Yu in a single blow!" Hong Hu laughed smugly. He stepped forward without any guard, casually preparing to land the killing blow on Hong Yu, who had been grievously wounded and sent flying by Hong Qi's Blood Cloud Palm.
"Hong Yu, allow this young master to send you on your way!"
Hong Hu raised a palm, striking lazily at the center of Hong Yu's back.
Though the palm strike seed casual, it was an attack from an Earth Soul Realm expert, carrying a colossal force.
If it landed, Hong Yu would surely die!
However…
Just as Hong Hu's palm was about to strike, the flying figure of Hong Yu suddenly twisted around to face him. To his horror, Hong Hu saw a sinister chill in the slight upward curl of Hong Yu's lips.
'This is bad…'
Hong Hu's heart sank in alarm.
It was too late to dodge. He could only brace himself and try to block Hong Yu.
"Die!"
While still in mid-air, Hong Yu spoke the single word as his Long Spear shot out.
BANG!
Although this strike wasn't as powerful as his full-force Destruction Strike from before, it was still enhanced by Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, possessing imnse destructive power. Coupled with the Long Spear's natural piercing ability, it shattered Hong Hu's palm with a sickening CRUNCH. Before he could even scream, the Long Spear had pierced through half his arm.
Hong Yu landed close by and, in a flash, lifted his leg and kicked out fiercely.
THUD!
The heavy kick slamd into Hong Hu's chest, directly breaking four of his ribs and damaging his internal organs. Hong Hu coughed up a mouthful of blood, "WAH," and was sent flying backward.
Never let a wounded enemy escape!
The mont Hong Yu's feet touched the ground, he pivoted and kicked off again, shooting after Hong Hu.
'Since they already want dead, why should I care about any bonds of kinship?'
"Enchantress, block him for !" Hong Hu shrieked in terror.
"Yes, Master!"
Enchantress sighed softly, but did not refuse. She moved to position herself between Hong Hu and Hong Yu.
"Get out of the way!" Hong Yu roared.
Enchantress defiantly raised her head. Beneath her cloak, a pair of erald eyes shimred with a faint, ghostly light. As her gaze fell upon him, Hong Yu felt a BUZZ ring through his mind. But the sensation lasted only for a mont before a cool stream flowed from the Profound Celestial Tower within him, clearing his head.
"Scram!"
Hong Yu struck out with his palm.
The Little Thunderbolt Palm, carrying a faint Thunderous Fist Montum, landed on Enchantress.
Enchantress cried out in pain. Her body went limp, and she collapsed, severely injured and unable to move from that single palm strike.
Hong Yu was stunned. He had assud that as one of the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies, Enchantress's combat power would be formidable. He never expected her cultivation to only be at the Sixth Layer of the Essence Realm. 'On second thought,' Hong Yu recalled how during the promotion matches, Enchantress's opponents had all lost in inexplicable ways. Connecting that to what he had just experienced, he instantly understood. 'I can't believe she uses Spiritual Attacks.'
He gave the fallen Enchantress a cold glance before turning his attention to Hong Hu, who was struggling back to his feet.
Hong Hu's face was twisted into a terrifying grimace. His left arm was completely pierced through from palm to elbow, dripping with blood. Hong Yu's two consecutive attacks had first crippled his stronger right hand and then severely damaged his internal organs, striking at his very foundation. At this mont, Hong Hu was extrely weak; even trying to circulate his Profound Skill made him feel as if his ridians would burst.
The Primordial Spirit in his Lower Dantian, which had only been condensed for half a month, was now dim and lusterless, reducing his strength by eighty percent.
In his current state, Hong Hu could likely be killed by even an expert at the Seventh Layer of the Essence Realm!
He dragged his weak and exhausted body backward, muttering in disbelief, "How is this possible? How could Hong Qi not have killed you?"
"Hong Qi? He's already dead!" Hong Yu said calmly, his Long Spear in hand.
"What?"
Hong Hu's entire body trembled. He looked past Hong Yu in disbelief.
The thick haze had finally dissipated, revealing a figure standing there. However, there was a bloody hole in his chest that went straight through his front and back, the blood soaking his entire black uniform. He stood perfectly still, clearly having been dead for so ti.
"Impossible! You actually killed Hong Qi?" Hong Hu roared, refusing to believe it.
"Nothing is impossible. Hong Qi is dead, and now, you're all that's left!" Hong Yu stated calmly.
In reality, even now, he couldn't help but break into a cold sweat thinking about what he had just done.
When facing Hong Qi's Blood Cloud Palm, Hong Yu had co up with a plan to kill two birds with one stone. With his newly upgraded Destruction Strike, he was confident he could kill an Early-stage Earth Soul Realm expert. But he knew his own limits—he could only use that move once before it completely depleted his already scarce Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
But just killing Hong Qi wasn't enough. After all, Hong Hu was also an Earth Soul Realm expert. Once Hong Yu lost his greatest trump card, the Destruction Strike, he would be facing certain death.
Because of this, after killing Hong Qi with a single strike, Hong Yu had feigned being seriously injured to launch a sneak attack on Hong Hu.
"You treacherous, despicable coward," Hong Hu spat, pointing an angry finger at Hong Yu now that he understood what had happened.
Hong Yu sneered. "I'm a despicable coward? Then what does that make you, conspiring with an Assassin to kill ? Fucking hell! What I can't stand the most are animals like you who act all high and mighty but are actually the most shaless and despicable scum. You're just like that Hong Luàn and Hong Tiande—all cut from the sa cloth."
As he spoke, Hong Yu walked toward Hong Hu, Long Spear in hand.
Hong Hu trembled, a flash of panic in his eyes.
Hong Yu's ticulous planning and decisive, ruthless thods had left a deep shadow in his heart. He instinctively backed away, his voice fierce but his heart terrified. "D-Don't co any closer."
"How can I kill you if I don't co over?" Hong Yu sneered back.
"Kill ? You can't kill ... I'm the Fifth Elder's grandson! If you kill , you won't be able to escape death either!" Hong Hu said.
"If I kill everyone who saw make a move, then no one will know I killed you, right? As for that old dog Hong Tiande, sending Hong Qi to the Abyssal Mountain Range is a capital offense if outsiders find out. Do you think he'd risk his own neck for you?" Hong Yu retorted dismissively.
Hong Hu's face grew even paler.
How could he not understand what Hong Yu was saying?
Just as no one would investigate Hong Yu's death, if both he and Hong Qi died, Hong Tiande would certainly give up any investigation to cover up the matter with Hong Qi. That way, even if he knew Hong Yu was the killer, he wouldn't dare avenge him!
Moreover, Hong Yu's strength would certainly be enough for him to win first place in the tournant and beco a disciple of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. Who would dare investigate him then?
'Wouldn't I have died for nothing?'
"Hong Yu, if you don't kill , I'm willing to give you benefits, a lot of benefits," Hong Hu said quickly.
Hong Yu shrugged. "If I just kill you, won't everything you have be mine anyway? Besides, weren't you just vowing to kill a mont ago? Do you think I'd let a tiger go back to the mountains?"
"..."
Hong Hu was speechless.
He had been a tyrant for so many years; when had he ever let an enemy go?
Even those who rely provoked him with words—which one of them hadn't ended up with crippled limbs or a shattered cultivation?
He couldn't find a single reason to persuade Hong Yu to spare him.
"Hahahaha, karma! This is karma!"
Knowing he was dood, Hong Hu seed to have a mont of terminal enlightennt, seeing through it all. He threw his head back and laughed, a desolate sound.
Tears of regret stread down his cheeks.
At that mont, this celestial prodigy of the Hong Family, the little tyrant of Shishui City, seed so helpless and weak. He regretted not joining forces with Hong Qi to kill Hong Yu the mont he arrived. He regretted accepting Hong Tiande's request to help ambush Hong Yu. He regretted so, so much…
A dying man's words are true. Hong Hu finally looked at Hong Yu. "Hong Yu, even though I wish I could slice you into a thousand pieces, you are still of the Hong Family's bloodline. Before I die, let give you a piece of advice: don't go to the Cyan Nether Sword Sect."
"Why?" Hong Yu frowned.
"Why?"
Hong Hu gave a wretched laugh and tilted his head slightly, gazing at the boundless sky, a trace of helplessness and dejection in his eyes. "Because of the existence of those four. Do you know why the Third Elder is so keen on promoting you to Ninth Young Master? Because those four are all prodigies from the opposing faction. Ever since they appeared, the Third Elder's side has been completely suppressed, unable to raise their heads. Your appearance gave the Third Elder a glimr of hope, which is why he values you so much."
"However, even if you enter the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, it will be useless. The Third Elder has greatly underestimated those four."
"Hehehe, I've worked tirelessly for over a decade just to catch up to those four. Unfortunately, I failed..." Hong Hu suddenly looked at the severely injured Enchantress on the ground, a hint of apology and tenderness in his eyes. Finally, he looked back at Hong Yu. "Please, spare her!"
Hong Yu stared at him for a long ti, then let out a long breath and nodded.
Although leaving Enchantress alive was a potential risk, he couldn't bring himself to refuse the seemingly repentant Hong Hu.
Hong Hu smiled in relief. A gleaming Long Saber appeared in his hand. "Old friend, let die with dignity by your side!"
With a flick of his wrist, he drew the Long Saber across his neck. Blood gushed out like a fountain. Thus ended the life of Hong Hu, a celestial prodigy of his generation.
The instant he fell, the gravely injured Enchantress sohow moved to his side, hugging Hong Hu's body tightly. There were no tears, no words of parting, no hatred. Her gaze was still calm as she held his corpse, then drew her neck across the cold blade.
A man and a woman fell together.
She had moved so quickly that even Hong Yu couldn't stop her…
Watching the two embrace tightly, Hong Yu's eyes flickered, and the image of Yun ngyao appeared in his mind. 'Power. Without enough power, you can't even protect the one you love.' If he had been the one defeated today, Yun ngyao's fate would surely have been no better than Enchantress's.
Hong Yu took a deep breath and let out a long, quiet sigh. "What is this thing called love, that bids two lovers live and die as one?"
Standing in the forest, which now reeked of blood, Hong Yu didn't move for a long ti.
At this mont, his mind was unprecedentedly clear, his gaze as sharp and firm as a blade. 'I will never allow such a tragedy to happen to and the person I love.' He was once again confronted with his own lack of strength. The thought that Hong Tiande already knew he was the one who killed Hong Luàn settled on his shoulders like a heavy burden, a profound sense of crisis.
And above Hong Tiande, there were those four people who even Hong Hu paled at the ntion of...
'Power. I must increase my power as quickly as possible!'
Hong Yu slowly clenched his fists.
「A mont later...」
After burying the bodies of Hong Hu and Enchantress and dealing with the others, Hong Yu dragged his exhausted body away from the scene.
The series of intense battles had caused a slight loosening in his stagnant Cultivation Realm.
He needed to find a place to digest the insights from this battle and strive for another breakthrough.
Once he broke through to the Earth Soul Realm, he would be able to open the First Layer of the Profound Celestial Tower, which would grant him a qualitative leap in power.
Only then…
Could he face the increasingly difficult challenges that lay ahead!
User Comments
0 comments from readers