Killed with a Single Punch

Though Fang Shuwen and his two companions hurried along the way with all their might, they still failed to arrive before the Chen hour. When they reached the mountain gate of Zhujige Pavilion on Jiuning Mountain, the Black Fiend Cult disciples had just swarmed out from every nook and corner, launching their full-scale massacre. These cultists had either mastered the Black Fiend Demon Skill or cultivated the Record of the Azure Corpse. One side wielded Black Fiend true qi that none dared touch, while the other took sword blades against their bodies as if struck by mere breezes. To make matters worse, Zhujige Pavilion's disciples had been caught completely unprepared. The so-called airtight defenses had been deliberately orchestrated by Li Nanchen, leaving them thoroughly infiltrated by the Black Fiend Cult. By the time Fang Shuwen and the others arrived, it was a one-sided slaughter. Fang Shuwen's arrival naturally drew the Black Fiend Cult's attention. Not all of them recognized who Zhou Qingmei was, but that hardly stopped them from killing. Plotting against Zhujige Pavilion was an affair of immense gravity; how could they allow any outsider to learn of it? Thus, the moment they spotted Fang Shuwen, several men charged forward, intending to butcher this unlucky meddler who had blundered in. The outcome, of course, went without saying. Carrying Lu Xiaoqing on his back with Zhou Qingmei following close behind, Fang Shuwen struck with both hands using the Mahakala Palm. Whether the Black Fiend Cultists practiced the Black Fiend Demon Skill or the Record of the Azure Corpse, Fang Shuwen treated them all the same—crushing each to death with a single palm. Wherever he passed, not a single foe could withstand a single blow. All the way from the foot of Jiuning Mountain to this front mountain hall, he carved his path, slaughtering countless Black Fiend Cult members. Just moments ago, that Green-Faced Ghost who cultivated the Record of the Azure Corpse had been kicked straight into the hall by him, while the man behind him had his neck snapped by Fang Shuwen's Plum Blossom Scattered Hands. He hadn't even found time to toss the corpse aside, so he simply carried the body in one hand, held Zhou Qingmei's hand in the other, and walked in with Lu Xiaoqing on his back. Zuo Qingshuang recognized her beloved disciples at a glance, her heart instantly tightening. "Qing'er, Qingmei? What are you..." "Master!" Seeing Zuo Qingshuang's face covered in blood, Lu Xiaoqing and Zhou Qingmei were immediately overcome with worry. Fang Shuwen stepped over to Zuo Qingshuang's side and gently lowered Lu Xiaoqing from his back. Lu Xiaoqing lightly rubbed her chest... Having been carried on his back the whole way while he dashed and leapt, the unavoidable jostling and bumping had left her chest aching faintly. Yet this was no time to care about that. She hurriedly grabbed Zuo Qingshuang's hand. "Master, what happened to you?" Zuo Qingshuang looked toward her leg instead. "Qing'er, your leg?" "Li Nanchen is the Young Cult Master of the Black Fiend Cult. He slaughtered the people of Yunfei Escort Agency and ambushed me... If not for Junior Sister Qingmei and Brother Fang arriving in the nick of time, this disciple fears she would never have seen you again." Lu Xiaoqing briefly explained the situation. A wave of complex emotions welled in Zuo Qingshuang's heart upon hearing this. "You foolish girls... Knowing Zhujige Pavilion was facing catastrophe, why did you come back? "As long as the green mountains remain, there is no fear of lacking firewood. Why throw yourselves into danger?" Having said this, she turned her gaze toward Fang Shuwen. "And this young brother is...?" "He is Fang Shuwen," Zhou Qingmei said softly. "If not for his protection all the way here, your disciple would have been killed by the Black Fiend Cult long ago." Hearing this, Zuo Qingshuang nodded and cupped her hands to Fang Shuwen. "Many thanks for your immense kindness, Little Brother Fang. Since you were able to escort Qingmei all the way here, you are clearly a person of extraordinary skill. "Yet Zhujige Pavilion is now engulfed in disaster, and I can barely look after myself. "Would it be possible to trouble Little Brother Fang to take my two disciples and leave this place?" "Leave this place?" Feng Mantian spoke slowly at this moment. "Zuo Qingshuang, do you take this old man for a dead man?" With that, his gaze also settled onto Fang Shuwen, his eyes narrowing slightly as black rays flickered within them. "Zhou Qingmei was supposed to have died long ago—on the night the Zhou estate was annihilated! "Was it you who saved her life? "And was it you who killed Black Granny and the others?" Fang Shuwen nodded. "That Black Granny you mentioned—she's the one who was digging her own grave in the heavy rain, right? "It was indeed I who killed her... Seeing how impatient she was to dig her own grave, I simply lent a hand and buried her. "Now that you bring this up, could it be you wish to thank me? "There's really no need for such politeness; it was merely a modest effort on my part." "?" The murderous aura enveloping Feng Mantian came to an abrupt halt. Had he meant that at all? Did this brat truly not understand, or was he mocking this old man?! Then he heard Fang Shuwen ask, "Which one is Li Nanchen?" Li Nanchen knit his brows slightly and took a step forward. "I am." Fang Shuwen exhaled a soft breath. "So it was you all along. "Was it you who ordered Zhou Qingmei's death? "And was it also you... who wanted to abduct the young girl of the Fang family?" "And what if it was?!" Li Nanchen sneered coldly. Feng Mantian inwardly nodded in approval. That was right—when facing an interrogation, that was precisely the attitude one ought to have! *I did it all; what can you possibly do about it?!* Yet upon second thought, he felt something was entirely wrong... Li Nanchen was his son, the Young Cult Master of the Black Fiend Cult! Since when did an unknown punk have the right to question him like this in broad daylight before everyone? Rage flared in his chest, and he was just about to speak. Yet Fang Shuwen abruptly took a stride forward, charging straight for Li Nanchen! His speed was astonishing, like a sudden crash of thunder. However, those present today were formidable experts after all. Two figures instantly shot forward, barring his way in front of Li Nanchen. Bearing the brunt of the charge was a frail scholar with a rather pale complexion. Not regarding Fang Shuwen with any special esteem, he simply cleaved with an upturned palm, striking where the enemy was forced to defend. The other was Qingyangzi in blood-red Daoist robes. In his hand was a horsetail whisk. As his inner breath circulated, the whisk twirled, each thread dancing with energy. Though the sight seemed bizarre, he was actually employing sword technique. Every single strand of the whisk concealed sword intent; with a casual sweep, boundless sword qi erupted! Striking after yet arriving first, he reached Fang Shuwen before Ghost Scholar did. Yet in the very next instant, Fang Shuwen turned his palm into a fist and brought it down like a cleaver! The moment the sword qi on the whisk touched his true qi, it collapsed completely on contact. Qingyangzi instantly realized something was terribly wrong, but it was already too late. Fang Shuwen's punch was a stance from the Four Seas Dragon Fist—Calming Heaven and Earth. Sweeping downward from above, it carried immense, staggering power! Coupled with his Great Perfection Yijin Jing and the point-blank distance, virtually nothing could withstand it. The moment the sword qi shattered upon contact, the entire whisk disintegrated under the crushing force. Unobstructed, the fist smashed directly onto Qingyangzi's head. *Puff!!* A bizarre sound echoed through the hall. Everyone saw it clearly... Qingyangzi's head had been punched straight down into his chest cavity by Fang Shuwen's single blow! Having killed Qingyangzi with one punch, Fang Shuwen's movement did not pause in the slightest. Letting his momentum carry him half a turn, his fingers spread as he deployed the Plum Blossom Scattered Hands. With a casual snatch, he trapped the hand that Ghost Scholar had sliced toward him right in his palm. Fang Shuwen looked at him with a puzzled expression. "And who might you be?" Looking down at Qingyangzi, whose head was now enveloped inside his chest cavity and spurting blood with a sizzle, Ghost Scholar: "..."