Chapter 96

Xing Kun burned all his essence, energy, and spirit, transforming them into a powerful force, which he channeled into the imperial treasure sword in his hand.

A blood-red aura enveloped the blade.

The final move of the "Blood Battle Sword Technique," Blood Battle in All Directions.

In an instant, his state reached the peak of his life, and he once again locked onto Gu Yang.

"Die!"

In the next moment, the sword in his hand swung resolutely toward Gu Yang.

He had burned his entire life's cultivation, his life, and his spirit to create this one strike.

...

Before the sword even arrived, Gu Yang could already smell a heavy scent of blood. The terrifying killing intent was almost tangible, pressing down on his head.

A wave of anger rose in his heart.

He didn't know why this person harbored such deep animosity toward him. A First Rank expert was actually willing to use a self-destructive forbidden technique.

It was utterly incomprehensible.

However, it wouldn't be that easy to kill him.

At the critical moment, Gu Yang held nothing back. The true essence in his body reached its peak, and a layer of red flames emerged around him, like a protective aura.

The elemental energy from the surroundings surged into his body, which he then channeled into the sword.

Immediately, the long sword in his hand burst with an extremely bright light.

At this moment, Xing Kun's sword was already above his head.

Gu Yang's long sword met it head-on.

Clang!

Suddenly, the air flashed, and the blinding light almost blinded the onlookers.

The terrifying aftereffects swept in all directions.

The solid city gate was instantly destroyed, and two deep sword marks appeared on the city wall.

The ground trembled.

For a moment, sand and dust flew up, blocking everyone's view.

...

Is he dead?

This earth-shattering clash left the onlookers in awe.

Such a brief and intense battle was rare.

At the First Rank level, generally, when engaging in combat, one would first test the opponent's strength and wouldn't immediately use lethal moves.

Moreover, when First Rank experts fought, even if one was at a disadvantage and wanted to escape, the other would find it extremely difficult to complete the kill.

Unless there was a significant difference in strength.

However, no First Rank expert would be foolish enough to face someone far stronger and still engage in combat.

In the current Great Zhou, it had been several years since a First Rank expert died in combat.

The last time was five years ago, when a First Rank expert from the military was surrounded and killed by several powerful barbarians on the battlefield.

Since the battle eighteen years ago, where so many people died, the various families had become wary. At the First Rank level, disputes were rare.

Today's situation, where Xing Kun, a First Rank expert, was willing to use a self-destructive forbidden technique to kill a Second Rank warrior, was extremely rare and hard to understand.

The most pressing concern for those present was whether Gu Yang was dead.

...

Chen Shilin's face turned pale, and his eyes were still affected by the blinding flash, seeing only a white shadow.

His hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his sword, trembling uncontrollably.

He couldn't have blocked that strike.

If he had faced that strike, he would have died for sure.

Is this what Senior Wu meant by a First Rank expert at the first level?

Xing Kun's strike shattered his pride and confidence after becoming the youngest First Rank expert.

After a moment, his vision recovered, and he finally saw the result of the battle. His breath caught, and he almost couldn't believe what he saw.

...

Beside him, Senior Wu's eyes were tightly closed, with blood flowing from the corners. His expression was one of pain.

Earlier, he had stared directly at the battle, pushing his eye technique to its limit, but saw something he shouldn't have, causing severe damage to his eyes. His decades of training in the eye technique were now wasted.

He muttered, "So that's it..."

As for the result of the battle, he already knew.

...

The Cao family's carriage, parked by the roadside, was completely unaffected.

Cao Yiyi's eyes were wide open, protected by Rugin's aura, she was unharmed.

However, when she saw the blood-stained sword about to strike Gu Yang, a look of horror flashed across her face. Her mouth opened, as if she wanted to say something, but it was too late.

Then, she couldn't see anything.

"No—"

Her face turned pale, and she let out a scream, almost mad, "Why didn't you save him? Why?"

Rugin, sitting there, looked out the window with a deeply shocked and wary expression. She turned to look at Cao Yiyi, seeing her state, her eyes filled with concern.

She said softly, "He's not dead."

"What?" Cao Yiyi was completely stunned.

"Look."

Rugin pointed outside.

Cao Yiyi looked out the window.

At that moment, the dust cleared, and a figure could be seen standing there, moving step by step. It was Gu Yang, still moving.

"Great..."

Cao Yiyi's eyes moistened, and she murmured, "I knew you wouldn't die so easily. Even if you were to die, it would only be by my hand..."

Her voice, gentle yet tinged with madness, sent shivers down Rugin's spine.

Indeed, the Cao family had few normal people.

She asked, "His true essence should be exhausted. Should we capture him?"

"No."

Cao Yiyi unexpectedly refused, speaking softly, "If we capture him now, he won't be convinced. I want to wait until he recovers and defeat him personally, shattering all his pride and confidence..."

Rugin's face changed abruptly, "Yiyi, you..."

Cao Yiyi chuckled, "Father, who is so cold and ruthless, could even kill Mother without hesitation. But he dotes on me so much. Isn't it because he wants me to willingly become the vessel for that thing? If I agree, Father will surely be very happy, right?"

Rugin looked at her, feeling a mix of emotions.

She could guess some of her master's plans, but over the years, she had developed some affection for this young girl.

She knew how dangerous that thing was.

To bear its power, even the slightest mistake could lead to complete destruction.

...

In the tavern, Lin Liang was completely stunned, his eyes tightly closed, with tears streaming down his face.

The power of that strike was beyond his imagination.

Even from a distance, he felt the threat of death.

That strike, even his uncle might not be able to withstand.

His uncle was the first-rate expert of the Lin family in Jiangzhou.

"Is he dead?"

After the shock, Lin Liang thought about the matter at hand.

His vision recovered, and he opened his eyes, seeing the figure moving slowly through the dust. His heart skipped a beat, and his mouth went dry.

He's still alive?

This...

How is that possible?

Lin Liang almost couldn't believe his eyes.

In that strike, he would have died for sure.

Gu Yang, however, had blocked it and survived.

Could it be that this Second Rank expert was actually stronger than he, a First Rank expert?

No, that's impossible.

He must have some kind of life-saving item.

Lin Liang quickly found a reason.

Suddenly, he noticed that Gu Yang's movements were unsteady, and a bold idea formed in his mind.

"After that strike, he must be exhausted. If I act now, he will surely die..."

Lin Liang's heart raced.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

He reached for his sword, but suddenly, he saw Gu Yang pause and seem to look in his direction.

His heart almost stopped.

"No, taking advantage of someone's weakness is not what we do..."

Lin Liang retracted his hand, picked up his wine cup, and drank it in one gulp, his hand trembling uncontrollably.

Then, he turned and left, quickly disappearing from sight.

...

On the other side, Gu Yang retracted his gaze.

He had sensed a familiar killing intent and turned to look.

It seemed to have scared the person away.

He didn't care.

Gu Yang looked extremely battered, covered in blood, and seriously injured.

That strike was too powerful, exceeding the capacity of the Swallow Heaven technique, causing significant internal injuries.

However, his physical body was now extremely strong, and this level of injury wouldn't kill him.

Worse still, his true essence was almost completely depleted, leaving him in a state of exhaustion.

Fortunately, he was prepared.

Knowing he would encounter a First Rank expert in the city, he had conducted a simulation beforehand.

After the battle, he immediately claimed his reward, and his true essence instantly recovered.

However, his injuries remained.

This confirmed that claiming rewards from the system couldn't heal injuries.

Gu Yang's current weakness was all an act, to see if anyone would take advantage of his apparent vulnerability.

He walked to the First Rank expert, who was now decapitated.

The Swallow Heaven technique was a divine realm-level martial art, surpassing ordinary techniques, growing stronger against stronger opponents.

The strike from the other side was absorbed by about thirty percent, combined with his own true essence, and he instantly broke through the other's sword technique, beheading him with one strike.

Only two people in the crowd could clearly see the battle.

One was Senior Wu, and the other was Rugin.

They were the most shocked.

...

Gu Yang looked at the First Rank expert's corpse, shook his head, and said, "What a lunatic!"

He could only interpret this as the deep-seated malice of the world's will.

Just because he stole nearly a million taels of silver from the Four Seas Bank, this First Rank expert went mad and insisted on killing him.

Anyway, this wasn't the first or second time he had encountered such a situation.

Gu Yang turned to look at Lili and Qian Xiyun nearby, saying, "Let's go, I'll take you to the Qian family."

With Lili's protection, Qian Xiyun was unharmed, but she was still in shock from seeing Gu Yang behead a First Rank expert. Hearing his words, she swallowed, her eyes filled with deep reverence.

To be a Second Rank expert and behead a First Rank expert.

What a crazy thing to do?

PS: Four updates, I did my best. About 11,000 words. Tomorrow's updates: one chapter by noon, one by 6 PM, and one by midnight. Finally, please vote for the monthly ticket.