"Die!"
The woman's eyes were incredibly grim. In her fair hand, she clutched a short, glittering dagger and thrust it forward.
A sinister light, like that of a potent venom, glinted on the dagger's blade. The ominous gleam made Hong Yu's heart palpitate. He hadn't been on guard against the seemingly frail woman, and the surprise attack left him no ti to dodge. If this blow landed, even if the poison wasn't fatal, his strength would surely be compromised.
'This damn venomous bitch.'
A cold glint flashed in Hong Yu's eyes.
He never would have imagined that such an ordinary, frail-looking woman was actually an assassin!
Even more shockingly, she was repaying his kindness with enmity, trying to kill him!
At that mont, the poisoned dagger was already before his chest. A bone-chilling cold made the pores all over Hong Yu's body stand on end.
Seeing this, a look of smugness and madness flashed in the woman's cold eyes. The strength in her hand erupted once more. This woman, who looked to be in her late twenties, actually had the cultivation of the Early-stage Earth Soul Realm.
"Get lost!"
In the nick of ti, Hong Yu suddenly let out a great, resounding roar. The sound waves rolled out like a thunderclap on a clear day.
The powerful blast of sound made the woman, who was just inches away, freeze, her eardrums bursting on the spot. But she only showed a flicker of pain, her killing intent undiminished. Her dagger paused for a fraction of a second before she stabbed forward again. However, that montary pause was all Hong Yu needed to retreat about ten ters.
Hong Yu's gaze darkened as he stared coldly at the woman. "Who are you? Did Hong Tiande send you?"
He hadn't told anyone he was leaving Shishui City, not even Third Elder Hong Tianduan. Yet, judging by the woman's grim expression and her relentless, cold determination to kill him, Hong Yu deduced she had been sent by soone to set this trap for him.
Thinking back on his enemies, there was only Hong Tiande and the families behind the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies.
Ever since Feng Xue Xin had served as a deterrent, the families of the Ten Great Celestial Prodigies probably wouldn't dare take such a risk. That left only Hong Tiande!
Two streams of blood trickled from the slender-handed woman's ears. The powerful roar had clearly ruptured her eardrums, leaving her deaf. Still as cold as frost, she locked her awe-inspiring killing intent onto Hong Yu. The full power of her Early-stage Earth Soul Realm qi and blood erupted, and she charged at him again, dagger in hand.
"Since you're looking for death, you can't bla for what happens next!"
With a sweep of his cold eyes, Hong Yu executed the Seven-Star Step and t her charge.
An Early-stage Earth Soul Realm cultivator was indeed fast. This woman, in particular, seed to be skilled in assassination and excelled at speed, making her even faster than an average Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm Powerhouse. Unfortunately for her, against Hong Yu, who had mastered the Seven-Star Step, her speed gave her no advantage whatsoever.
"Demon Shadow Seven Kills!"
Her clear, cold voice was devoid of any emotion as she struck.
The dagger in her hand blurred, transforming into a series of glittering blades. It looked like a thousand-ard Guanyin charging forward, a dazzling and disorienting sight. Yet, this was no illusion. Every single dagger was real, posing an imnse threat to Hong Yu.
It was clear that if he was careless and struck by even one of them, he would be severely poisoned.
BUZZ!
Just as Hong Yu was about to use a Martial Skill to capture her, a clear stream of energy suddenly flowed through his mind. The scene before his eyes abruptly changed. The woman's bizarre attack beca exceptionally clear, and her movents even seed to slow down several tis over, allowing him to distinctly perceive the trajectory of her Martial Skill.
'Is… is this Shadow Martial? No, this is fundantally different from Shadow Martial. This must be one of the innate abilities from the Star River Spirit Bone!' Hong Yu was overjoyed.
In a battle between experts, victory and defeat are often decided in a single instant!
That instant is largely determined by a single word: initiative.
When two experts of comparable strength clash, if one can seize the initiative, they have already half-won the battle. For instance, if both attack each other's vitals simultaneously, they might both perish. But if one of them can seize the initiative and make a decision a step ahead, the outco will be overturned in an instant!
'With this ability, I wouldn't be afraid even if I had to face that old dog Hong Tiande!'
Hong Yu smiled proudly.
Previously, Hong Yu had been relying on the Seven-Star Step to evade her attacks, but now, he faced her head-on.
"You're courting death!"
A cold light flashed in the female assassin's eyes as she stabbed ten tis in quick succession.
Each stab was imbued with formidable Power of Primordial Spirit, causing the poison on the dagger to shine with a sinister, cold luster. The powerful blade could easily pierce a city wall.
However, facing the sharp and swift attacks, Hong Yu remained calm. Executing the Seven-Star Step, he ducked and dodged past three of the strikes, then took another step to close the distance between them. Their eyes t. The corner of Hong Yu's mouth twitched, curling upward into a cold, sharp arc. "Goodbye!"
As soon as the word left his mouth, he struck out with his palm.
BANG!
The palm strike landed squarely on the female assassin's heart.
The female assassin's body stiffened, her face a mask of confusion and disbelief as she was sent flying backward like a broken kite.
When her body hit the ground, she never got up again.
A female assassin at the Early-stage Earth Soul Realm had been killed so easily by Hong Yu!
'So this is the power of the Star River Spirit Bone?'
Hong Yu clenched his fists, imrsing his body and mind in the feeling of wielding the power of life and death.
And this was only after just fusing with the Star River Spirit Bone. Not a single one of the ninety thousand stars injected into it had awakened, to say nothing of the most mysterious and powerful Celestial Martial Origin. Hong Yu's blood surged with excitent. At this mont, he couldn't wait to see what would happen once he fully activated all ninety thousand stars and obtained the Celestial Martial Origin!
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Just then, the crisp sound of applause ca from behind him.
It was followed by a voice so familiar that Hong Yu gritted his teeth in hatred just hearing it. "Excellent, excellent. To think my Hong Family could produce a genius like you. Only now do I finally understand how foolish I've been. Heh, the Four Kings? Compared to you, the Four Kings are utterly pathetic. If only I had been able to recruit you back then. What a pity…"
"Hong Tiande?"
Hong Yu's expression darkened. He turned to face the newcor, their eyes locking.
Both stared intently at each other, and a searing fire seed to erupt from their four clear eyes, clashing and burning in the empty air, causing the very atmosphere around them to stagnate.
WHINNY! NEIGH!
The re clash of auras between these two powerhouses was enough to send the fine horse at the side into a panic. It let out an anxious whinny, its hooves shifting, ready to turn and bolt at any mont. Even the rustling trees lining the road slowly ceased their swaying, as if afraid to disturb the two experts locked in a standoff.
"Hong Yu, you should know why I am here!" Hong Tiande said coolly.
Hong Yu nodded.
Hong Tiande crossed his arms, looking at Hong Yu with indifference. His cool voice carried its usual condescending tone. "In that case, make your choice! Will you resist futilely and suffer a painful tornt before I kill you, or will you offer your neck so this old man can give you a quick end?"
'Damn it, that sa domineering attitude again. It's so fucking annoying.'
Hong Yu clenched his fists, muttering to himself.
Hong Tiande's high-and-mighty attitude, as if he controlled everything and everyone, reminded Hong Yu of that day in his own courtyard. With a single glance—just one single glance—Hong Tiande had nearly caused his mind to shatter and his consciousness to collapse.
At that ti, the mighty Hong Tiande, a cultivator at the Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm, had been like an inviolable god in his eyes—soone who could flip his hand to summon clouds and rain, who could crush him as easily as an ant.
It was that experience that made Hong Yu clearly realize his own insignificance and fragility.
The helplessness and confusion of that mont were branded into Hong Yu's soul like a demonic shadow, forever indelible.
Now…
The sa Hong Tiande who had once left him utterly powerless was now standing before him. He still had that sa high-and-mighty look, and he was still at the Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm of cultivation. He, on the other hand, had transford from the ant-like cultivator of the Essence Realm into a prodigy who could now contend with the Earth Soul Realm.
The difference between the two was as clear as night and day.
Yet even now, Hong Tiande's condescending deanor provoked Hong Yu once again.
He slightly raised his sharp, sword-like eyebrows. The corners of his lips lifted into a devilish curve as intoxicating as fine wine. He spoke slowly, "What a helpless choice. It's death either way!"
"A genius like you is destined to beco a dazzling star, a peerless expert. It's a pity you offended soone you shouldn't have, so you are fated to die. Ai, I'm actually reluctant to let a prodigy like you fall, but alas…"
Hong Tiande's gaze suddenly turned grim. The stagnant air was instantly blasted away as his sharp voice, laced with chilling killing intent, rang out, "I cannot be at ease until you are dead!"
BANG!
A powerful current of air erupted from beneath Hong Tiande, kicking up a thick layer of soil as he shot toward Hong Yu.
His speed was astonishingly fast, not in the least bit inferior to Hong Yu using the Seven-Star Step at full throttle.
'So fast!'
Hong Yu's eyes narrowed, his shock replaced by intense battle lust. "Old dog, it's not yet certain who will co out on top today!"
"Insolent brat who doesn't know the imnsity of heaven and earth, take this old man's fist!"
Hong Tiande's voice bood like thunder as he pushed his hands forward. The air before him was instantly compressed and scattered. A dense, fiery aura surged forth, gradually condensing into a ferocious Fla Lion. This Fla Lion was even larger than the one he had summoned outside the Abyssal Mountain Range, standing a full five ters tall.
ROAR!
A Top-Level Martial Skill combined with the Power of Primordial Spirit. The condensed lion let out a savage roar and charged forward on all fours, intent on killing.
Hong Tiande's eyes were cold, filled with the certainty of victory. "This old man has already trained this Top-Level Martial Skill to the level of Perfection. Not even a Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm Powerhouse could withstand this single strike. Hong Yu, you brat, no matter how much of a genius you are, you will still die by this old man's hand!"
Under Hong Tiande's indifferent gaze, the Fla Lion, wreathed in scorching waves of fire, finally pounced on Hong Yu.
"You damn beast, get the hell away from !"
Hong Yu roared, completely unafraid.
At that instant, the five Qi Vortexes in Hong Yu's Lower Dantian began to spin simultaneously. Aided by the Star River Spirit Bone, Hong Yu clearly perceived the nexus point of the condensed Fla Lion. This nexus was the core of the Top-Level Martial Skill—and also its greatest weakness!
"Basic Boxing Technique!"
Hong Yu threw a punch.
POOF!
His fist struck empty air, bypassing the astonishingly destructive Power of Primordial Spirit to hit the nexus point directly. The ferocious Fla Lion, capable of incinerating an Earth Soul Realm expert, suddenly froze. With its nexus destroyed, it dissolved into a burst of fiery light and shattered into pieces.
"Bastard! Let's see how you handle this move from this old man!"
Hong Tiande's gaze froze. He hadn't expected his confident attack to be broken so easily. He struck out again in anger.
In his hand, he now held a Crescent Moon Frenzy saber, its blade gleaming. It was clearly a weapon far more powerful than the Blood Slaughter Great Saber. Hong Tiande raised the Crescent Moon Frenzy high and chopped down hard. The sharp blade manifested a shower of blood-red, star-like glints of light that seed to possess the power to tear space itself as it descended upon Hong Yu's head.
This strike contained all of Hong Tiande's power. Its might was monstrous; if it hit, the outco would undoubtedly be a body cleaved in two.
The blade was sharp and swift. It was already above Hong Yu's head before he had any chance to dodge.
The whistling wind from the blade made Hong Yu's scalp tingle, as if his head was about to be split open.
Just as the blade was about to fall that final fraction and kill Hong Yu, a silver light suddenly shot out from within his body, rushing toward the descending saber…
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