Purple Glint

Boom! Lin Zheyu gave no answer. He knew all too well that villains died from talking too much, and that when killing someone, one must never forget to deliver the finishing blow. The dirt beneath his feet exploded as thick qi and blood surged into his legs, and his silhouette vanished in an instant. "Such speed!" Qiao Quan was startled. The special energy within his body erupted, veins bulging across his flesh. As this peculiar power coursed through him, intricate purple patterns surfaced on his skin, and an eerie purple glint appeared in his eyes. Bang! Gripping his spear, Qiao Quan thrust it out to bar the way in front of Xing Jinglong, blocking Lin Zheyu's incoming whip kick. Yet how terrifying was Lin Zheyu's strength? The dense qi and blood detonated within his leg, unleashing a horrifying force that pressed the spear backward and slammed into Xing Jinglong. Crash! Crack, crack— Xing Jinglong watched the scene in utter horror. Before he could dodge, he screamed as he was sent flying, snapping two tree trunks in succession before finally coming to a halt. On his plump frame, his chest was caved in, his eyes bulged, and blood poured from his mouth. He was not far from death. "You're courting death!" Qiao Quan bellowed, terrifying killing intent bursting forth. He reached into his waist pouch and hurled a cloud of red powder mixed with throwing knives and poisoned needles toward Lin Zheyu. As a close friend of Zhao Wude, he had asked Old Zhao for plenty of potent toxic powders and poisoned darts, which proved useful right at this moment. Poison! Lin Zheyu immediately held his breath and darted aside, evading the knives, needles, and powdered toxin. Yet in the brief window while he dodged the poison, Qiao Quan—who had just looked ready to fight to the death—whirled around and fled. This guy... Lin Zheyu was somewhat speechless. He had thought this man was a loyal retainer who intended to stake his life over Xing Jinglong's death. Turns out he had overthought it. Channeling the Golden Goose Skill, Lin Zheyu pushed his speed to the limit and gave chase. Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Several throwing knives appeared in Lin Zheyu's hand. With a snap of his wrists, he flung them in all directions. Though his technique with hidden weapons was crude, his immense strength paired with his sharp senses was more than enough to handle the Wuding Gang members who had not yet reached the Viscera Tempering Realm. The knives whistled through the air and struck with pinpoint accuracy, piercing the backs of the heads of five fleeing Wuding Gang members and the wind-chasing gray ferret that had tracked his scent just moments ago, killing them in a single blow. Where on earth did this guy come from? When did Songyi City get another Qi and Blood Realm expert?! Qiao Quan was filled with utter terror. Even though he had boosted his strength to the Qi and Blood Realm with the aid of the battle array, external power was still external power. Against a genuine Qi and Blood Realm martial artist, he had zero chance of winning. Unless the battle array consisted of a hundred elite soldiers—with strong enough troops, he would even dare trade blows with a Marrow Tempering Realm expert. But it wasn't. He had only ten soldiers beside him, and they could hardly be called true elites. The special energy these soldiers provided only barely allowed him to touch the threshold of the Qi and Blood Realm. Bullying a peak Viscera Tempering martial artist was fine, but against a true Qi and Blood Realm warrior, it wasn't even close to enough! Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh— Qiao Quan continually hurled poisoned darts, powders, and even venomous insects behind him to hinder Lin Zheyu's pursuit. Though the battle array granted great strength, it offered little in the way of speed. Had he not relied on these toxic diversions to slow him down, Lin Zheyu would have caught him long ago. Still, he was not Zhao Wude after all. He had not prepared many poisons or hidden weapons, and they quickly ran out. It was a shame Zhao Wude had been ambushed and killed. Otherwise, pairing the battle array with Old Zhao's poison arts would have easily allowed them to escape unscathed, even if they couldn't defeat the man before them. "I bear no grudge against you, sir! Now that Young Master Xing is dead, why must you pursue me so relentlessly?" Qiao Quan called out. As he spoke, he flung out another handful of toxic powder. Lin Zheyu frowned and skirted around the crimson dust. This fellow had countless venomous tricks—a relentless barrage of darts, hidden weapons, and poisonous powders. Lin Zheyu had not studied poisons much. To avoid getting poisoned, he dared not close in too recklessly. "Then why are you running? Stop and let's talk," Lin Zheyu replied. "Hah!" Qiao Quan sneered and tossed out another spray of red powder—his very last handful. The surrounding leaves withered to a dull yellow the moment the powder brushed them. This toxin was not merely harmful when inhaled; direct contact would corrode flesh as well. Since he couldn't get too close, Lin Zheyu reached into his pouch, drew several dozen throwing knives, and flung them at the ten soldiers forming the battle array. Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh! The blades whistled through the air toward the ten soldiers. Clang! Clang, clang! Qiao Quan shifted swiftly, his spear blurring into a flurry of silhouettes as he deflected the incoming projectiles one by one. After blocking more than twenty knives in rapid succession, his arms went slightly numb, and the webbing between his thumbs and forefingers split open. What monstrous strength! His arms throbbed. After several consecutive bursts, the peculiar energy in his body was beginning to wane, filling him with an ominous foreboding. Qiao Quan glanced back at the soldiers. Their condition was clearly worsening: their complexions had turned an ashen iron-gray, and their eyes were growing unfocused. They could barely hold on. The battle array consumed the soldiers' essence, qi, and spirit. If sustained for too long, it would overdraw their life force, causing their essence, qi, and spirit to exhaust until they died. This guy won't last much longer, Lin Zheyu thought to himself upon seeing the soldiers' deteriorating state. In his perception, the life force of those ten soldiers was plummeting rapidly; before long, overdrawing their life force would exhaust them to death. "Keep running. Why did you stop?" Lin Zheyu sneered coldly at Qiao Quan, who had come to a halt. He did not rush forward rashly, wary that the man might suddenly throw out more toxic powder. "Hmph!" Qiao Quan's face was dark as thunder, but he was no pushover. If he could not escape, then he would fight to the death. Even if he died, he would make his foe suffer and tear off a piece of his flesh! Hardening his resolve, Qiao Quan's aura surged dramatically. Essence, qi, and spirit were forcefully wrenched from the soldiers. Their faces turned deathly pale as they screamed in agony, foaming at the mouth before collapsing limp to the ground. Every shred of their essence, qi, and spirit had been extracted and funneled into Qiao Quan's body. What a bizarre method. This battle array is truly sinister! Lin Zheyu's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Qiao Quan's aura climb rapidly. It was not because the man was stronger than him, but because the method was so eerie, reeking of an evil path. One soldier after another collapsed, their breaths faint as threads, hovering on the verge of death. Meanwhile, Qiao Quan's aura peaked. The purple patterns spread across his entire body, and a vibrant purple gleam shone in his eyes. His expression twisted into something monstrous. Having drained the soldiers dry of their essence, qi, and spirit without the battle array acting as a stabilizing conduit, and without the men sharing the burden, he had taken in all the killing intent tempered through years of slaughter from ten veteran soldiers at once. That immense slaughterous aura warped his mind, driving him into madness. Watching Qiao Quan—his eyes wild with frenzy, veins bulging across his frame, muscles swelling, skin bruised blue-purple and covered in intricate markings—Lin Zheyu recalled something Master Liang had once said: In this world, at times, humans are hardly any kinder than demons. Though Lin Zheyu had never truly encountered a demon, he felt that the man before him looked awfully like one. "Die!" "I'm going to kill you! Kill you!" "Kill!" Qiao Quan roared with a hideous grin, his surging bloodlust drowning out all reason and driving him thoroughly mad. Gripping his spear with both hands, he thrust it toward Lin Zheyu's brow. The strike was blindingly fast, arriving before Lin Zheyu with a sharp whistle. Terrifying killing intent poured along the spear shaft toward him. This aura combined the lethal malice of ten veterans with Qiao Quan's own, creating an immense, suffocating pressure. Clang! The blade parried the spear, ringing with a crisp sound. An overbearing fist momentum surged from Lin Zheyu, holding the murderous aura at bay. In the clash between killing intent and fist momentum, Lin Zheyu actually held the upper hand, making him value fist momentum all the more. With a twist of his wrist, his blade sheared down the length of the spear toward Qiao Quan's hands. Buzz! Qiao Quan tightened his grip and unleashed a jolt of force through his hands, vibrating the spear shaft to deflect the sliding blade away. But how could Lin Zheyu let him have his way? Power surged through his right hand, and he flung his prized saber forward, sending it whistling straight toward Qiao Quan's chest. At the same time, Lin Zheyu grabbed the spear shaft with both hands, coiled power in his waist, and unleashed a spinning roundhouse kick aimed at Qiao Quan's head. What Lin Zheyu excelled at most and delivered the greatest destructive force with was still his leg techniques. When the power in his legs detonated, its might was devastating. Though Qiao Quan had fallen into madness, his combat instincts remained razor-sharp. He dodged the razor edge of the flying saber, abandoned the spear, and tried to turn and flee. Yet Lin Zheyu would never let him escape. Activating the Golden Goose Skill, he caught up in just a few breaths. Thud! Thud! Thud! A series of dull thuds rang out. Qiao Quan was sent hurtling backward, snapping several thick tree trunks before collapsing, coughing up blood. "Don't... don't kill me..." "No matter what... what you want... I'll..." Having burned through most of the energy in his body, Qiao Quan regained a sliver of clarity and gasped weakly. Lin Zheyu watched him coldly without stepping closer. He picked up his saber from the ground and hurled it at Qiao Quan. Thwack! The blade sank deep into Qiao Quan's chest, piercing his heart and extinguishing the last ember of his life. Qiao Quan's clenched right hand fell open limply, revealing white powder hidden within his palm. Even at the brink of death, he had still been scheming to ambush Lin Zheyu. Poison again. Fortunately, I ambushed and killed one of them first, or one of them might really have managed to get away, Lin Zheyu thought to himself. His knowledge of poisons was limited, so facing experts in toxicology demanded his utmost vigilance. Though his strength had reached the Qi and Blood Realm, that only made him endure poisons somewhat longer than an ordinary person. Against sufficiently potent toxins, even he would fall victim. Once I get back, I need to find someone to systematically learn about poisons from. Even if I don't use them against enemies, I must know how to deal with them, Lin Zheyu thought. This battle had exposed quite a few of his shortcomings. Just earlier, he had changed his clothes and masked his face with cloth, yet a small creature had still seen right through him. "What kind of animal is this?" Lin Zheyu picked up the wind-chasing gray ferret, which had been impaled by a throwing knife and was drawing its last breath. He did not recognize the beast. Judging from the group's actions earlier, it was precisely this creature they had used to track him. Casually tossing aside the now-lifeless creature, he walked toward the fallen soldiers. "Time to send you on your way." Lin Zheyu looked down at the ten soldiers. Their faces were ghastly pale, their eye sockets sunken, their gaze blank, and their breathing faint as silk threads, yet a lingering breath remained; they were not completely dead. Is this the consequence of overusing the battle array? Their essence, qi, and spirit were severely drained beyond what their bodies could endure. Even if I didn't kill them, they couldn't be saved. After examining them closely, he shook his head slightly. A battle array was not omnipotent. Excessive use would deplete one's essence, qi, and spirit until death. Lin Zheyu picked up a saber from the ground and ended each of their lives one by one, sparing them further torment. ... "One, two, three... nineteen in all." "Wait, where's the last one?" Lin Zheyu counted the bodies. When he had hidden earlier, he had deliberately taken count of how many people had arrived to ensure no fish slipped through the net. "Oh, there he is. Still breathing, surprisingly." Lin Zheyu searched the surroundings and spotted a dying man in a patch of tall grass. A throwing knife was embedded in the back of the man's head, piercing roughly four centimeters behind his ear, blood streaming down. Despite sustaining such an injury, the man was not yet dead and had even managed to crawl into the brush to hide. "S-Spare... spare me... I... I have an eighty... eighty-year-old..." Pfft! The burly man's eyes widened as he looked at the blade buried in his chest, then fell utterly still.