Chapter 69 - 68: To Silence?
"Uncle Zhong, Brother Fan, you two break through and escape. Kill me before you go!"
Liu Feiyan was only at the Blood Movement Realm, but she was still fighting desperately under the siege of the crowd.
Her cheeks were stained with blood, her gaze resolute and decisive, showing not the slightest fear of death.
The expressions of Uncle Zhong and Brother Fan changed instantly. While struggling to fend off the attacks, Uncle Zhong roared, "Feiyan, what nonsense are you spouting? We’ll fight to the death to get you out of here!"
Liu Feiyan shook her head, a bitter smile on her face. "I’m just a burden. Uncle Zhong, you and Brother Fan only have a chance of breaking through without me.
You know the Poison Wolf Thieves’ reputation. If I fall into their hands, I will surely suffer humiliation and a fate worse than death!
So it’s better if you kill me first, spare me the humiliation. Go back, gather reinforcements from my Zhenwu Hall, and avenge me by tearing these bastards to pieces!"
Uncle Zhong tightened his grip on his Long Spear, desperately burning his Qi Blood to fight the enemy.
He had watched Liu Feiyan grow up since she was a child, seeing her as his own daughter. How could he bring himself to do such a cruel thing?
But Liu Feiyan was right. If she fell into the hands of the Poison Wolf Thieves, her fate would truly be worse than death!
"Escape? Don’t worry, none of you are getting away!"
Sikong Tu, leader of the Poison Wolf Thieves and known as the ’One-Eyed Ferocious Wolf,’ gave a savage grin. His twin hooked blades shot out from a bizarre angle. One hook caught the head of Uncle Zhong’s spear, while the other tore a strip of flesh from his arm.
"Don’t blame me for being ruthless. If you must blame someone, blame yourselves for not staying put in the heart of Ning Province. What were you doing in Desolate Heaven Ridge? Since we’ve already come to blows, I have no choice but to wipe you all out!
But you, little lady, you really do understand me. It’s rare to see such a beautiful and spirited young woman.
It doesn’t really matter if you’re dead or alive. Even if you’re dead, you’re not useless to me!"
Sikong Tu laughed maniacally, his attacks growing even more ferocious.
The Poison Wolf Thieves were a band of brigands active around Desolate Heaven Ridge. Though few in number, every one of them was a ruthless and vicious murderer who had killed countless people.
Sikong Tu, in particular, was lecherous by nature, cruel, and tyrannical. He didn’t just kill; he enjoyed torturing his victims to death.
Normally, the Poison Wolf Thieves survived by robbing the Loose Cultivators who traveled through Desolate Heaven Ridge.
They would patrol the area around Desolate Heaven Ridge, and if they discovered someone had found something valuable within the ridge, they would immediately swarm and attack, seizing the treasure and killing the person.
That’s why some said they shouldn’t be called Poison Wolves; hyenas would be more fitting.
This time, Liu Feiyan had only brought one Maid on her outing, with Uncle Zhong and his disciple Li Fan as her guards. Unfortunately, they were targeted by the Poison Wolf Thieves.
A few of the Poison Wolf Thieves, unaware of their identities, saw that Liu Feiyan and her Maid were attractive and decided to abduct them as a gift for their boss.
After the surprise attack, Liu Feiyan’s Maid, being the weakest, was killed. Several Poison Wolf Thieves also died. It was only then that Sikong Tu, hearing the commotion, led the rest of his men to surround them.
Only then did Sikong Tu realize his opponents included the daughter of Liu Suifeng, the Military Advisor of Zhenwu Hall. But by then, it was too late.
They had killed a maid, but he had lost several of his own brothers.
This situation would have terrified most people, but the tyrannical and audacious Sikong Tu was completely unafraid.
In his eyes, he had already killed someone from Zhenwu Hall. Even if he spared them and begged for mercy, Zhenwu Hall would never let him go.
Besides, Zhenwu Hall suppressed the Ning Province Martial World, and bandits like them were often chased all over by the Zhenwu Hall Guards.
In fact, several of his sworn brothers had died at the hands of the Cyan Dragon Hall’s Cyan Dragon Guards. The two sides were already bitter enemies.
Since he had already killed one person from Zhenwu Hall, killing three more made no difference.
At worst, after wiping them out and destroying the evidence, he and his men could just flee to another province.
Desolate Heaven Ridge was vast, spanning several provinces. What could Zhenwu Hall possibly do to them?
Therefore, after learning their identities, Sikong Tu was even less likely to let them go.
By the time Chen Yuan arrived, he saw Liu Feiyan and the other two in a precarious situation.
Just then, the Poison Wolf Thieves also noticed Chen Yuan.
A bare-chested, fierce-looking Poison Wolf Thief holding a Giant Axe spoke in a gruff voice, "Boss, someone’s here. What do we do?"
"What do you think? Silence him, of course! Or should we wait for him to run his mouth to Zhenwu Hall?"
Sikong Tu glanced at Chen Yuan, and after confirming he was only in the Qi Casting Realm, he sneered, "Third Brother, you go take care of him."
Although Sikong Tu had already decided to silence everyone and flee Ning Province, he still wanted to conceal the truth for as long as possible. It would be best if Zhenwu Hall never found out they were the culprits.
So, if anyone discovered them at a time like this, he would definitely kill them to keep them quiet.
Third Brother walked toward Chen Yuan with his Giant Axe, a savage smile on his face. "Kid, too much curiosity isn’t a good thing. Seeing something you shouldn’t can get you killed! Remember that lesson in your next life!"
As his voice fell, Third Brother let out a furious roar. Black True Qi coalesced around the Giant Axe in his hands, and he brought it crashing down on Chen Yuan with the force of Powerful Splitting Huashan!
But what surprised Third Brother was that Chen Yuan didn’t even try to run. He just stood there, stunned.
’Was this guy scared stupid?’
He would have understood if the kid begged for mercy, swore to keep his mouth shut, or turned and ran.
But what was the meaning of this guy just standing here without moving?
Just then, Chen Yuan suddenly moved.
The hum of a blade vibrated through the air, and a dazzling flash of light suddenly appeared before Third Brother.
Overbearing, surging Demonic Qi clung to the gleaming edge of the saber, looking like a slash of black silk.
With speed as swift as a fleeting swan, combined with that unrivaled Demonic Qi, the Demon Blade Slash descended. Like a hot knife through butter, it instantly cleaved Third Brother’s Giant Axe—and the man himself—in two!
Third Brother’s corpse fell to the ground in pieces, his flesh and entrails spilling everywhere.
His strength was no match for Chen Yuan’s to begin with; he was only at the Early Stage of the Qi Casting Realm.
Moreover, he had already expended a great deal of energy fighting Uncle Zhong and the others. Caught off guard, he was slain by Chen Yuan in a single strike.
"Third Brother!"
Sikong Tu’s expression changed drastically. He shrieked, "Second Brother, Fourth Brother! Attack and kill him! Kill him!"
The two remaining Qi Casting Realm Martial Artists immediately changed direction, roaring furiously as they charged at Chen Yuan.
With three Qi Casting Realm opponents suddenly gone, the pressure on Uncle Zhong’s group of three eased immensely, allowing them a moment to catch their breath.
Of these two Poison Wolf Thieves, one wielded a Ghost Head Beheading Saber and the other carried a Coiling Dragon Staff. They attacked Chen Yuan simultaneously from the left and right.
Because Third Brother had been killed in a single blow, these two were extremely cautious, attacking with their full strength.
A flash of light from Chen Yuan’s saber, and the surging Sword Momentum of his Wave-Treading Slash came crashing down, directly sending the Ghost Head Beheading Saber flying.
At the same time, the Poison Wolf Thief on the left brought his staff crashing down. True Qi howled and exploded around it; the blow was heavy, powerful, and immensely formidable.
But Chen Yuan simply reached out with his left hand, the Power of Celestial Demon Myriad Phenomena transforming into pure Demonic Qi and coating it.
His Silk Binding Strength erupted, and the Demonic Qi, like a great net, enveloped the head of the staff, neutralizing the force of the blow.
Then, a brilliant Buddha Light suddenly erupted from Chen Yuan’s body.
Pure Glaze, Vajra Indestructible!
The staff-wielding Poison Wolf Thief was horrified to discover a terrifying Giant Power traveling up the staff. He was then forcefully lifted into the air, staff and all!
By then, it was too late for the Poison Wolf Thief to let go of his Coiling Dragon Staff.
He was swung through the air and brought crashing down toward the other thief, the one with the Ghost Head Beheading Saber!
If it had been anything else, the thief with the Ghost Head Beheading Saber could have simply cut it away.
But this was his own brother. He had no choice but to pull back his saber and erupt with True Qi, trying to catch him.
Who would have known the force would be so immense? The two men collided in an instant, their Inner Viscera shaking from the impact. They were sent flying like rolling gourds.
A flash of blade light, swift as a fleeting swan.
The hair on the staff-wielding Poison Wolf Thief’s body stood on end. A vicious killing intent was already at his neck!
But with no weapon in hand, he couldn’t block. He had no choice but to twist his head to dodge, but he was only half successful.
Chen Yuan’s saber sliced off the top of his skull above his eyes, instantly spilling red and white matter onto the ground.
The Martial Artist with the Ghost Head Beheading Saber panicked. He immediately turned to flee, shouting, "Boss, save me!"
Sikong Tu was currently focused on dealing with Uncle Zhong. He never imagined that his two Qi Casting Realm subordinates would be as fragile as paper, with one killed in an instant.
The moment he turned his head, Chen Yuan had already pushed his Surging Waves and Flowing Clouds Technique to its limit. His Inner Strength erupted, his body shot into the air, and a sky full of Demonic Qi and Sword Auras rained down—a beautiful yet endlessly murderous sight.
The Poison Wolf Thief with the Ghost Head Beheading Saber didn’t even last three moves. He was instantly submerged in the seemingly endless storm of Sword Auras and hacked into a pile of mangled flesh!
Chen Yuan looked up and gave Sikong Tu a sinister smile. "Silence me? I’ll send you all down to reunite first!"
As his voice fell, Chen Yuan moved, charging straight for the remaining Poison Wolf Thieves.
The rest of the Poison Wolf Thieves were mostly at the Blood Movement Realm. Before Chen Yuan, they couldn’t even block a single move.
Blades flashed, blood bloomed, and heads rolled. In the blink of an eye, only two or three were left standing.
Sikong Tu could only watch as the Poison Wolf Thieves he had built from scratch were annihilated before his very eyes. He was so heartbroken he could almost spit blood.
He didn’t regret killing people from Zhenwu Hall; at worst, he could just find another place to make a living.
What he regretted now was provoking this monster before him!
’I’d already decided to leave Ning Province anyway, and I was prepared for Zhenwu Hall to find out.
He saw us, so what? I didn’t actually have to silence him. Why the hell did I have to provoke him?’
Sikong Tu let out a furious roar, spun around, abandoned Uncle Zhong, and charged directly at Chen Yuan.
Uncle Zhong was already heavily injured. He gasped for breath and quickly shouted to Chen Yuan, "Young Hero, be careful! This Sikong Tu is a master of the Sea of Reincarnation Realm! Don’t be rash, this old one is coming to help you!"
Just now, Chen Yuan had slaughtered Qi Casting Realm Martial Artists as if they were chickens and dogs; his power was indeed astonishing.
But the gap between the Qi Casting and Sea of Reincarnation realms was enormous, and Uncle Zhong worried that Chen Yuan wouldn’t be able to handle it.