Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

Roto froze for a second, but then his eyes lit up. With a great roar, he threw a merciless punch, smashing it straight down.

Lu Tianyong’s heart sank. A moment of inattention had allowed Xie Yuan to severely injure his knee. Not only did it drastically hinder his movement, but since a Martial Artist’s power rises from the ground, his overall strength was massively impacted.

After wounding his foe in a single strike, Xie Yuan swiftly retreated, concealing himself once more. A flicker of light crossed his eyes as he watched Lu Tianyong instantly fall to a complete disadvantage against Roto, struggling desperately just to defend himself.

’Took my things and think you can run?’

Xie Yuan sneered. Lu the Third had always been watching him with greedy eyes, and now this Lu Xiaosan was coveting his secrets as well. It was enough to stir killing intent in his heart.

Today, he would start by collecting some interest from his old foe, Lu the Third.

’If I can’t deal with a Grandmaster, you think I can’t deal with his son?’

He couldn’t win in a direct confrontation, true, but harassing them at a critical moment? With his skills, that was all too easy for Xie Yuan.

Roto’s heavy fists were relentless, hammering Lu Tianyong again and again, leaving him able to do little more than rely on his Treasure Saber to mount a desperate defense.

But with his unstable stance and waning strength, the ceaseless barrage of heavy fists gradually forced him to bend at the waist, slowly driving him to his knees.

He knew Xie Yuan was lurking nearby, but he had no attention to spare.

Seeing Roto bring another two-fisted hammer blow down from above with the force of a mountain, Lu Tianyong’s eyes narrowed. He raised his long saber with both hands, holding it up as if in offering, and simply waited for Roto to crash into it.

Xie Yuan’s eyes narrowed. ’Now’s the time.’

He took a great stride forward, axe in both hands. Seeing Lu Tianyong’s fully extended arms, he seized the opportunity and slashed across!

Three-Strike Axe!

He channeled three astonishingly powerful axe strikes with his now sublime control, focusing them all on the weak point of Lu Tianyong’s right elbow. The three strikes were as fast as lightning, merging into one. With a sharp CRACK, the attack shattered the protective Blood Qi of the cornered Lu Tianyong and severed his arm at the elbow.

Xie Yuan immediately reached out, grabbing the severed forearm—and the Profound Weapon it still held—and vanished in a flash.

"AHH—"

A bloodcurdling scream rang out, only to be cut short by a muffled THUD.

Roto’s heavy fist hammered down. At the last possible second, Lu Tianyong managed to jerk his head aside, but the blow still crashed onto his right shoulder, nearly driving his entire body into the ground.

Roto hadn’t expected this turn of events. He froze for an instant, then suddenly felt his hand seized in a powerful grip.

Shocked and enraged, he tried to yank his hand back, but this was Lu Tianyong’s last ounce of strength.

He knew he didn’t have long to live. His left hand clamped onto Roto’s right arm like a vise as he squeezed a name through his gritted teeth, his voice filled with a hatred that clawed its way up from the Nine Netherworld:

"Xie Yuan!"

It was impossible to tell if it was a curse or a summons, but Xie Yuan’s eyes flashed. He wasn’t about to waste this opportunity.

Seeing Roto struggling like a tethered animal, Xie Yuan appeared at his side. With a sharp cry, he revealed himself, his Profound Weapon transforming into a giant axe that unleashed a slash of black light.

Roto felt the threat of death, and the hair on his body stood on end. He roared, hastily thrusting out his free left fist to block the terrifying black gleam of the axe.

The force of the fist and the light of the axe collided with a deafening BANG that rattled everyone’s eardrums.

The black axe-light paused for a fraction of a second before piercing through the fist’s power without resistance. It sliced off Roto’s fist and slammed into the muscles of his waist.

Roto let out an earth-shattering roar of fury and unleashed a sudden burst of strength. With his right hand, he flung Lu Tianyong aside like a ragdoll and threw a vicious punch at Xie Yuan.

Xie Yuan had already anticipated this and was pulling back, but Roto’s punch was so ferocious that the mere shockwave sent him flying. His face paled as he coughed up blood, his existing injuries worsening.

Roto clutched his severed wrist. The muscles around his waist rippled and contracted, staunching the flow of blood from the ghastly wound.

He glared at the retreating Xie Yuan, then his gaze swept over to the Great Li contingent and the man at their forefront, Qin Zhenyang, who stood as unshakable as a mountain. His expression hardened. He suddenly turned and bolted, crashing past the other experts from the Western Regions and charging down from the second floor before vanishing from sight.

Qin Zhenyang relaxed his stance slightly. Roto was grievously wounded, but his Vajra Undying Skill granted him immense vitality. If he chose to fight to the death, killing him would come at a great cost. With that, Qin Zhenyang abandoned the idea of pursuit.

Looking at Xie Yuan, who had landed nearby, Qin Zhenyang’s expression was complex. He was momentarily at a loss for words.

It wasn’t just him. Throughout the hall, experts from both Great Li and the Western Regions were utterly silent, watching as Xie Yuan gasped for breath.

In the distance, Lu Tianyong still lay on the ground, his chest barely moving. He was taking his last breaths. Not far from him, a massive black fist lay on the floor, looking disturbingly fresh.

The spectating experts were utterly silent, each trying to process what they had just witnessed.

Xie Yuan, a mere Martial Artist at the Qi Blood First Transformation Realm, had run two experts of the Qi Blood Third Transformation Realm in circles. He had stolen the Profound Weapon from right under their noses, then pitted them against each other, cooperating with each in turn to kill Lu Tianyong and grievously wound Roto!

His escape had been surprising enough, but then he’d actually dared to return. And upon returning, he’d had the audacity to interfere in a battle between two at the Third Transformation Realm. It was simply beyond comprehension!

’Was losing the Profound Weapon just part of his plan all along?’

’Had he planned this whole spectacle from the very beginning?’

What was even more incredible was that Xie Yuan had actually used a feigned retreat to advance his position, achieving such a stunning victory!

He was only at the Qi Blood First Transformation Realm! He was the weakest person here!

Many of the experts wore expressions of shock and disbelief. They knew that they themselves could never pull off such a feat. They even suspected that neither Qin Zhenyang, the most powerful cultivator present, nor Huie Jue, with his superior lineage, could have accomplished what Xie Yuan just had.