Chapter 58: The Justification for the Fight (2)

After running through the forest for quite some time, Anchi finally saw the edge of the forest.

'If I can just get past there...!'

That was when it happened.

"Where are you going?"

"Ah!"

Puh!

Flung by a single blow, Anchi crashed into a tree, spitting out blood.

The impact was severe due to his high speed. If the attacker hadn't instantly retracted his inner energy, Anchi's heart would have burst and he would have died on the spot.

"You're better than I thought? You seem to be just a regular member, but your level is quite impressive. Indeed, a prestigious family is a prestigious family, isn't it?"

"Kuh!"

Anchi, coughing up blood, asked in a trembling voice.

"Who, who are you?!"

"Me?"

Gadeok smiled slyly.

"I'm a street cleaner, kid."

He swung his foot.

Crack!

Struck on the temple, Anchi lost consciousness.

Gadeok looked down at Anchi with a cold gaze.

"What you guys do is really interesting. I like to share interesting things. I hope everyone in the Central Plains knows about it."

Swoosh.

Two beggars with clubs appeared and lifted Anchi.

"What should we do, Hukai?"

"What to do? Just tie him up with the others."

"But is that okay?"

"What's not okay?"

"Even though they belong to a prestigious family..."

"So what? Should we just endure it? Should we just say, 'Oh, they're strong, so we have to endure it,' and let them get away with it?"

"...That's not it, but..."

"Stop yapping and take him away."

"Yes."

Hukai was clearly furious. The beggars, fearing that the situation might escalate, quickly took Anchi away.

Gadeok stood there for a while, staring at the trees, then sighed.

"Damn. That fortune-teller is really something. He kept talking about how the times are changing and how I'd be running around with sweat on my feet from this spring, and he hit the nail on the head."

Although he was extremely angry, he wasn't just acting on his emotions. If he were that simple, he wouldn't have become Hukai.

'Time is running out. It's no different from the last time. If we don't hear from the Dark Assassins, the prestigious families will take their own measures.'

He wanted to expose everything right away, but he couldn't.

The Nine Prestigious Families are the top families in the land. If he tried to pin them down with flimsy evidence, he might face a backlash.

If that happened, it would be a headache. The Beggar Sect or the Lian Family might face public condemnation, and the prestigious families would certainly become even more cautious.

He needed more evidence. At least enough to make them unable to touch him.

"Well, I'll have to think about it after Young Master Lian catches the remaining stragglers..."

At that moment.

'...!!'

Gadeok looked to the east.

In the dark forest, a chilling and intense killing aura was flowing with the cool breeze.

It was a familiar killing aura. Even though he wasn't the target, it felt as if a giant predator had its teeth bared at the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine.

"...This guy!"

Boom!

Gadeok's face was filled with urgency as he used the Beggar Sect's secret technique, Ten Thousand Li Autumn Wind.

"I told you to capture him, not to kill him!!"

* * *

Crack! Rumble!

A tree, splitting from the bottom, fell to the ground.

The speed didn't decrease even as the tree was destroyed. A massive axe blade was flying towards his side.

Swish!

Ming Wenzhi, using agile footwork, dodged the axe.

That wasn't all. Immediately after dodging, Ming Wenzhi kicked a thick branch and swung a palm at Lian Huozheng's head.

It wasn't a lethal move. The palm strike was aimed to knock him unconscious with a single blow.

At that moment, Lian Huozheng's iron club underwent an incredible transformation.

It wriggled like a snake and changed direction with elasticity. The axe blade, rising upwards, exuded a terrifying pressure.

Ming Wenzhi's face showed urgency.

The attack came at such a perfect time that he couldn't retract his hand. The power behind the axe blade was too strong to deflect.

Whoosh!

He managed to twist his body and retract his palm, but the sharp axe blade cut through his forearm in one swift motion.

Thud!

Hot blood dripped to the ground.

"Ugh!"

Ming Wenzhi's face turned pale as she landed on the ground.

'I've injured an artery.'

The wound was deep. Blood flowed continuously. Pressing it with her hand wouldn't stop the bleeding.

Whoosh!

Lian Huozheng was calm. He closed the distance in one swift move, attacking as if he didn't care if she died.

Boom!

The axe shattered a small tree.

Boom!

Ming Wenzhi charged again.

She had intended to lure him in and subdue him, but it was no longer feasible.

Lian Huozheng was not someone she could subdue with her current abilities. His strength was formidable, and his stamina was exceptional.

Thud!

She pressed a pressure point to forcibly stop the blood flow.

But it had its limits. As her inner energy continued to deplete, the pressure point would eventually release, and the bleeding would resume.

Time was running out. She couldn't risk her own life while trying to capture him.

Boom!

A chilling explosion echoed behind her.

'Monster!'

Her entire body shivered.

Severe injuries consume more inner energy than minor ones. The weight of the axe was nullified by inner energy, leaving only its destructive power. As time passed, her inner energy consumption increased rapidly.

Not only that, but his stamina was also a problem.

Even the most trained inner energy practitioners have limits to their stamina. Only those with the inner energy of the heads of the Seven Great Families or the leaders of the Nine Sects could compensate for the loss of power due to stamina.

But what about this guy?

It was as if he had infinite stamina. He had felled all the Dark Assassins and was still using such powerful techniques. His axe seemed even more powerful than before.

Boom! Crash!

It was like a bolt of lightning.

Despite her fear, she couldn't help but feel curious. Ming Wenzhi involuntarily turned around.

'...!!'

Two or three trees were collapsing in that spot.

No, "shattered" would be a better description. He charged through the trees, destroying them randomly, like a steel-clad cavalryman.

It was a storm-like charge.

'Insane!'

She broke out in a cold sweat, having fought such a ruthless opponent.

It was the first time she failed to gauge her opponent's strength upon their first meeting. She couldn't even tell what martial arts he had mastered.

'Will I be captured? Maybe I should just use the secret technique...!'

Fear fueled her desire. She wanted to unleash her hidden power and bring him down immediately.

'...No. Not yet. This power must not be revealed.'

Whoosh!

Ming Wenzhi increased her speed.

Lian Huozheng's eyes lit up.

'I've been waiting for this.'

Thud!

He cut down a small tree with a flexible strike and kicked it.

Boom!

It was as if an explosive had gone off. The tree, struck by the immense force, flew straight towards Ming Wenzhi's back.

"Ah!"

The faster she moved, the harder it was to change direction. Ming Wenzhi turned her body to block the flying tree trunk.

Crack! Thud!

"Ugh!"

Ming Wenzhi's body crashed through a tree and fell to the ground.

"Hmm."

Lian Huozheng also stopped his footwork.

He seemed to have infinite stamina, but he was still human. Using the Black Darkness Sect's enlightenment to enhance his inner energy and stamina, he couldn't maintain it indefinitely.

He caught her at the perfect moment. With the beggars Hukai sent surrounding the forest, they would have captured the fleeing Dark Assassins.

Lian Huozheng walked towards Ming Wenzhi.

Capturing Ming Wenzhi would end the situation. It was finally over.

At that moment.

Whoosh!

Lian Huozheng's body was pushed back.

Whoosh!

A tremendous aura surged from the pile of broken trees.

Lian Huozheng's eyes flared with killing intent.

'...This martial art?!'

Swoosh.

Ming Wenzhi's pupils glowed golden as she stood up.

Not only that, but a powerful aura was swirling around her hands.

"I didn't want to go this far, but..."

The swirling aura gradually spread throughout her body. It was a completely different presence from before.

"I have no choice. It's better to kill than to be captured."

Flash!

'Ah?!'

Ming Wenzhi looked up in shock.

A mass of killing intent was flying towards her from above.

Boom!

A beast-like strike hit her forearm.

Surprisingly, she crossed her arms to block the strike. The axe blade penetrated two inches into her arms, but they didn't sever.

This was almost invulnerability. Ming Wenzhi shouted.

"Damn it!"

Lian Huozheng turned his body and kicked her chest.

Boom!

Ming Wenzhi staggered back.

The power was immense. The attack was completely different from before.

Ming Wenzhi couldn't believe it.

'What is this?!'

Not long ago, the Ming Family had obtained a martial art from an investigation.

It was an extraordinary martial art. It not only solved the lifespan issue of the Ming Family's martial arts but also enhanced their overall combat power.

Although it wasn't the right time to use it, she thought it was better to kill him than to be captured. That's why she revealed the secret technique.

But the guy had changed.

More precisely, his aura had changed.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In just three steps, Lian Huozheng closed the distance and swung his iron club.

It was a merciless barrage. The axe strikes were faster and more intense than before, exuding a terrifying killing intent.

'Ah!'

Boom! Bang!

Ming Wenzhi swung her hands to block the iron club.

However, Lian Huozheng's attacks became even more aggressive. They were faster and more ferocious.

Boom! Bang! Thud!

"Ah!"

Her arms, which had blocked the axe, were gradually torn apart.

'How can this be!'

This was a martial art that could perfectly block even the techniques of a public official. Yet, she couldn't block Lian Huozheng's axe strikes.

"Roar!"

Whoosh!

"Aaaah!!"

Finally, a scream erupted from Ming Wenzhi's mouth. The axe blade had severed her right arm from the elbow.

Lian Huozheng didn't stop there.

'Kill him!'

He remembered a martial art used by one of the family's killers.

The martial art that shattered the family's signboard and destroyed the gate. The martial art of the Vajra Warrior who charged through the fierce sword techniques of the Lian Family's warriors with his bare body.

Seeing that martial art, his mind went blank.

Whoosh!

Tripping Ming Wenzhi, Lian Huozheng stood over her, axe in hand.

Boom! Bang! Thud!

"Ugh! Ugh!"

Ming Wenzhi's body was gradually buried in the ground.

It was a brute-force axe strike. In an instant, her entire upper body was drenched in blood. Her arms, chest, and shoulders were covered in axe marks.

Fear filled Ming Wenzhi's face.

A mad killer was trying to kill her with an axe. It was the most intense fear she had ever felt in her life.

"Stop! Stop, you bastard!"

Boom! Bang!

"Kuh! Ugh!"

Boom! Bang!

"Please, spare me..."

"You didn't."

Lian Huozheng raised his axe again.

Looking down at Ming Wenzhi, his face seemed monstrous.

"You didn't."

At that moment, Gadeok ran over from a distance.

"Master Lian! No!!"

He used all his strength to bring the axe down.

Boom!