Chapter 9: Counterattack

Wang Haichuan's face turned red. "If you want to fight, let's fight. Why waste words?"

The ugly man sneered, "It's not that I look down on you. If we really fight, none of you will escape. Of course, you still have a chance, one, two..."

Liu Tao's smile faded, and he said coldly, "Do you really want to make things difficult for us?"

"Five, six, seven..." The ugly man didn't respond, staring at them as if they were already dead.

Ye Chuan and Liu Tao exchanged a glance, the meaning in their eyes was clear.

"Nine! Kill them." As he spoke, the ugly man drew his large knife and leaped into the air, launching an attack on the group.

Most people would think they would count to ten before attacking, but this was their tactic, which had always worked, easily catching their opponents off guard. The ugly man's name was Ma Wu, a rogue from another city, who had once been a bodyguard for a small Wang family. Later, lusting after the beauty of the Wang family's daughter, he took advantage of the darkness to defile and kill her, his cruel methods shocking everyone.

Liu Tao and Wang Haichuan were taken aback, but Ye Chuan was prepared. This wasn't because he had extensive experience in the martial world; he had none. It was because his soul power was strong, allowing him to detect something amiss from Ma Wu's subtle movements.

His inner qi pushed to the limit, Ye Chuan sidestepped, gripped his sword with both hands, and slashed horizontally, using the eighth form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, 'Flowing Clouds and Running Water.'

Ma Wu was taken aback. He had thought he would catch them off guard, but instead, he was the one caught off guard.

Like a flash of lightning, Ma Wu's blade veered off, scraping past Ye Chuan's steel sword.

"Clang!" "Pfft!"

Sparks flew as Ma Wu's side was cut, a thin line of blood seeping out, a superficial wound.

The others couldn't believe their eyes. A sixth-level Qi Practitioner had actually injured a tenth-level Qi Practitioner with one strike, it was like seeing a ghost.

Unknown to them, Ye Chuan was also secretly regretting. If Ma Wu had reacted a bit slower, that strike would have caused severe injuries. If the opponent's power was slightly weaker, the blade wouldn't have deflected his attack, and the cut would have been an inch deeper. This was the lethal power of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique at its peak, not just because of its high skill level.

"A tenth-level Qi Practitioner is indeed formidable." With the first strike ineffective, Ye Chuan's second strike came, the ninth form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, 'Night Light in Motion.'

In an instant, the dark, water-like sword light spread out, as if the air was no longer air but the deep, unfathomable waters of a midnight pond.

"Damn, how can this kid's sword technique be so advanced?"

Ma Wu's scalp tingled, and his eyes turned fierce. His large knife, carrying the force of the air, slashed lightning-fast toward the center of the water-like sword light, aiming to destroy the opponent's sword momentum. Otherwise, the situation would be dire for him.

Whoosh!

The powerful strike missed, and Ma Wu's face turned pale. He pushed off the ground with both feet and hastily retreated.

Ye Chuan seemed to have anticipated this, dashing forward with a change in his sword technique, a bright arc of the treacherous Thirteen Peaks Sword Technique.

A fierce light flashed in Ma Wu's eyes, and his left hand, filled with inner qi, slapped at the sword tip, shouting, "Damn brat, die!"

Boom!

A tenth-level Qi Practitioner wasn't easy to kill. A powerful gust of qi swept out, easily sending Ye Chuan flying.

Unexpectedly, Ye Chuan seemed to lose weight, lightly touching the ground, and his momentum changed abruptly, like a collapsing mountain, pressing forward again with a bright sword light.

Swoosh!

The sword tip pierced through Ma Wu's neck, emerging from the back of his head, clean and swift.

A martial artist nearly at the True Condensation stage was killed by Ye Chuan with a single strike, as easily as drinking tea or eating a meal. This gave Ye Chuan a preliminary understanding of his combat strength and the lethal power of the Thirteen Peaks Sword Technique.

He pulled out his sword, shaking off the blood, and tried to clear his mind of the杂念 after killing. Looking around, he saw that the others were already engaged in battle. Seven or eight fierce men were attacking Liu Tao and his group, the sound of weapons clashing like a pot of beans, continuous.

"Get lost!" Liu Tao, the most skilled, struck with both palms, instantly repelling several men.

But one man only retreated three steps, his chest torn but unharmed.

Liu Tao's pupils contracted, "Hardened Body Technique!"

The man had a broad face and a wide mouth, standing two meters tall, with a bear-like build. His chest muscles bulged like a small mountain, hard as iron, and faintly blackish-blue, not like human flesh.

"Heh, I practice the Iron Shirt technique, and I rub and soak myself in medicinal wine daily. I have a body of copper and iron. As long as my inner qi doesn't dissipate, you can hit me as many times as you want, come on!"

"Looking for death."

The speaker was Wang Haichuan, who swept his Green Dragon Halberd in a circle, forcing back several attackers. Then, he spun his body and thrust a backstab at the opponent.

The tall man didn't dare to be careless. No matter how much he practiced the Iron Shirt technique, his body couldn't become as hard as steel. He wasn't afraid of blunt weapons, but being pierced by a sharp weapon would still be fatal, especially with Wang Haichuan's fierce and powerful thrust, which could pierce through iron armor.

He clasped his hands together and grabbed the halberd's shaft, preventing it from advancing.

Seizing the opportunity, Liu Tao leaped in front of the man and lightly pressed his palm.

Pfft!

Like a hammer striking leather, the tall man's mouth oozed blood, and a shallow palm print appeared on his chest, turning blue and red.

At this moment, two fierce men took the chance to attack Liu Tao.

Liu Tao cursed inwardly. Although he had injured the tall man with one palm, his arms were numb from the counterforce, and he couldn't gather his strength.

Wang Haichuan was also powerless. The fierce men he had forced back were now attacking more fiercely, making him feel overwhelmed.

However, Yao Qing and the twin brothers were still holding their own, as they were fighting one-on-one.

Seeing Liu Tao about to be killed, a clear and bright sword light suddenly shot out, twisting in the air, and the two fierce men's necks spurted blood, and they fell straight down.

With one successful strike, Ye Chuan didn't stop, using the 'Finding the Gap' technique to pierce another fierce man's heart, reducing the pressure on Wang Haichuan.

"Thanks!" Liu Tao, who had narrowly escaped death, looked pale and said gratefully.

Ye Chuan nodded, "Let's kill them first."

In fact, after killing Ma Wu, their fate was already sealed; it was just a matter of time.

In no time, except for the man practicing the Iron Shirt technique, the others were either dead or injured. On Ye Chuan's side, everyone except him and Liu Tao had some injuries.

"Where are you running?" Wang Haichuan noticed the tall man trying to escape and threw his two-meter-long Green Dragon Halberd, which whistled through the air.

Swoosh!

The tall man, battle-hardened, barely avoided the halberd by a hair's breadth.

However, he couldn't escape the temple if he escaped the monk. Ye Chuan followed the sword, breaking through the man's Iron Shirt technique and piercing his heart.

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