Chapter 102: The Treachery of Sun Yun, the Spirit Head Technique, and the Prescription

Chapter 102: The Treachery of Sun Yun, the Spirit Head Technique, and the Prescription

Crack.

The thundering forest fell into an eerie silence.

As Su Chen swung his blade, Tao Dingfang’s copper hammer was severed mid-air—the handle and head splitting apart with a sharp clang.

But the dazzling arc of steel didn’t stop there. It surged forward like a dragon piercing through defenses, ruthlessly slicing through Tao Dingfang’s armor.

The sturdy armor, forged with painstaking craftsmanship, crumbled like flimsy burlap under that frosty blade, shattering with a deafening boom.

Having cleaved through the hammer’s handle and pierced the armor, Su Chen’s steel saber could no longer withstand the surge of vital force coursing through it. With a resounding snap, the blade erupted into cracks and shattered into fragments.

The bull-like surge of Tao Dingfang’s vital force roared along the shattered blade, flooding into Su Chen’s body. It rampaged through his meridians like a wildfire, wreaking havoc on his internal organs.

He stared at Tao Dingfang in astonishment. He hadn’t expected the man’s vital force to cling to his weapon and infiltrate his body.

If Su Chen was surprised, Tao Dingfang was even more unnerved.

One slash—just one—had shattered his hammer, pierced his armor, and left a shallow gash on his body.

Had he not been wearing this armor… would he have survived that single, devastating strike?

The thought sent chills down his spine.

Tao Dingfang’s gaze toward Su Chen hardened into unprecedented intensity.

This vital force cultivator before him was as threatening as a Visceral Reformation cultivator.

“Hahahaha! Too bad! You almost had me!”

Though his heart raced, Tao Dingfang stepped back and sneered, his words dripping with mockery.

“Laughing at what, damn it!”

Before Su Chen could speak, Sun Yun, recovering from his shock, charged forward with his long blade raised. The weapon in hand seemed to bolster his confidence tenfold.

“Dare you defy me like this?” Tao Dingfang snapped, his brows furrowing into a scowl.

Su Chen’s strength warranted respect, but Sun Yun—a defeated foe—had no right to stand defiantly before him.

Even unarmed, Tao Dingfang could still crush Sun Yun.

As Sun Yun attacked, Tao Dingfang darted forward like an arrow. Though his hammer was lost, his fists remained as sharp as ever.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Buzz!

With a flurry of punches, Sun Yun struggled to steady his trembling blade. The clash of their combat carved two deep furrows into the ground beneath their feet.

“Together!”

Realizing he couldn’t overpower Tao Dingfang alone, Sun Yun turned to Su Chen, his voice low and urgent.

Su Chen steadied his breath, his body flickering forward. In a single bound, he closed in on Tao Dingfang.

The collision of vital forces was brutal and unyielding. The sound of fists meeting flesh echoed from their duel.

With every exchange, Tao Dingfang’s dread deepened. Su Chen’s vital force was relentless—a river surging forward, each wave fiercer than the last. It overwhelmed his own strength.

He couldn’t fathom how a mere vital force cultivator could wield such immense power.

The clash pressed harder on him, the pressure from Su Chen’s energy level escalating into an unbearable weight.

One layer—completely overpowered. Two layers—barely resisting. Three layers—struggling to match. Four layers—the advantage is mine!

Su Chen silently intensified his vital force.

At one layer, his offense and defense lagged behind Tao Dingfang’s—utterly crushed.

At two layers, he could resist, but still faced domination.

At three, the balance shifted. Their offensive and defensive capacities became equal, though Tao Dingfang’s remained greater in quantity.

At four, Su Chen surpassed Tao Dingfang entirely—both in quantity and strength.

“Cough! Cough!”

After several exchanges, Tao Dingfang staggered backward, coughing violently. His face paled.

The invading vital force writhed within him, wreaking havoc on his insides and agitating his own energy.

Thankfully, his internal organs had been honed through years of cultivation. Even under Su Chen’s assault, they could withstand the damage—for now.

“Tao Dingfang! Your time is up!”

Seeing Tao Dingfang falter, Sun Yun sneered and lunged forward, reigniting the battle.

Nearby, Su Chen joined the fray without hesitation. Tao Dingfang’s defeat was inevitable.

Under their combined assault, Tao Dingfang’s strength waned rapidly. Wounds bloomed across his body like bamboo shoots after rain.

“Hah! Even if I die today, I won’t let you two escape unscathed!”

Knowing retreat was impossible, Tao Dingfang roared and unleashed a final surge of ferocious power. His frenzied, suicidal strikes sent a chill through Sun Yun’s spine.

Indeed, the unease clinging to Sun Yun intensified as Tao Dingfang charged recklessly.

Damn it. This guy was targeting him—determined to take a life with him in death’s grip!

“Stop standing there like a spectator! Help me!” Sun Yun frantically dodged side to side, avoiding direct confrontation.

At this moment, Tao Dingfang was a madman—fighting with no regard for life or death. Being ensnared by his attacks meant certain critical injury, if not death.

Hearing the plea, Su Chen didn’t move. His eyes remained fixed on Tao Dingfang. Though the brute seemed to focus entirely on Sun Yun, Su Chen saw the trap hidden beneath—waiting for him to fall into it.

Su Chen wouldn’t bite. He stood aside, observing Tao Dingfang’s dwindling stamina. After chasing Sun Yun briefly, Tao Dingfang suddenly twisted toward Su Chen, his face contorted in a grotesque grin.

“You won’t fall for it? Why won’t you fall for it?!”

His screech rolled with thunderous fury, but Su Chen remained unmoved. Tao Dingfang charged, his arms like pillars of heaven, crashing toward Su Chen.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fists and kicks collided. Tao Dingfang’s momentum waned. His face twisted with raw, palpable hatred, his eyes burning with a vow to etch Su Chen into his memory forever.

Crack!

Su Chen’s palm struck downward—slamming into Tao Dingfang’s crown. With a sickening snap, the skull shattered. Blood gushed from Tao Dingfang’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth as he collapsed lifeless.

“Finally dead!”

Gasping for breath, Sun Yun stood over Tao Dingfang’s corpse, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

Su Chen said nothing. The battle had taken its toll. He crouched where he stood, regulating his breath.

“Are you alright?” Sun Yun approached, concern in his voice.

Without glancing at him, Su Chen shook his head, offering no reply.

Suddenly,

Sun Yun’s expression, once filled with concern, froze. It morphed into a sharp, venomous glare.

His hand trembled as he gathered vital force, unleashing a blow aimed at Su Chen’s back. But just as it neared, the strike faltered.

The moment before impact, Su Chen—seemingly aware—had sidestepped effortlessly. He now stared at Sun Yun with cold indifference.

Sun Yun scoffed, “Pity. You saw through it. Your vigilance… is truly unparalleled.”

He had planned to strike while Su Chen was off-guard. He hadn’t expected Su Chen to anticipate the betrayal.

“If I’m not mistaken… you’re Yang Guo, right?”

The moment Su Chen evaded, Sun Yun deduced his identity. The realization hit him like a storm. The ally he had worked alongside was, in truth, his other enemy—Yang Guo.

Meeting Su Chen’s silence, Sun Yun asked no more. He studied him once more, then chuckled lightly.

“But what does it matter? Even if you’re ever so alert, you’ve surely exhausted yourself battling Tao Dingfang. Meanwhile, I’ve yet to unleash my true strength.”

As his words fell, Sun Yun’s aura shifted violently. His figure blurred, launching a storm-like assault on Su Chen—every strike aimed to kill.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sun Yun, who had been biding his time, dropped his act entirely. Far from being injured, he now radiated vigor, his earlier lethargy completely gone. His movements turned vicious and swift, each strike laced with lethal intent.

Su Chen had been on the defensive for a long time, dodging and retreating repeatedly. This only solidified Sun Yun’s belief that Su Chen was now exhausted. But instead of charging recklessly, Sun Yun pressed his attack like dripping water eroding stone, methodically wearing down Su Chen’s stamina.

Suddenly, Sun Yun’s expression shifted. Seeing through Su Chen’s ploy, he roared, “Don’t run!”

This was his chance—how could he let Su Chen escape? Seeing Su Chen’s fleeing back, Sun Yun’s face hardened. He strode forward, chasing with full force, quickly closing the distance.

But just then, Su Chen abruptly halted his sprint. Twisting his body, he turned to face Sun Yun with an innocent, harmless smile.

“Bad!”

The moment he saw that grin, Sun Yun’s face paled. A chilling premonition surged from his feet, racing up his spine. His instincts screamed—he’d been tricked.

But he quickly realized the truth. He’d witnessed Su Chen’s earlier battle with Tao Dingfang. After such an intense fight, even he would be drained. Su Chen might be faking strength to unsettle him and buy time to flee.

“Haha! Such a childish trick? Let me send you off!”

Sun Yun sneered inwardly, his hands accelerating. A vast surge of power erupted from his arm as he struck. Seeing Su Chen’s face flash surprise only confirmed his suspicions.

“Die!”

Gritting his teeth, Sun Yun thrust his palm forward.

Bang!

The collision of palms released a muffled explosion, jolting Sun Yun’s heart. From Su Chen’s hand, an overwhelming torrent of Vital Force erupted, pouring into his body. It ravaged his internal organs like a long-dormant volcano erupting—shattering his heart’s lifeline in an instant.

“You…!”

Staring at Su Chen in disbelief, Sun Yun’s face twisted in horror.

“Sorry, I was faking it.” Su Chen replied coolly, guessing Sun Yun’s thoughts.

The fight with Tao Dingfang had indeed drained him, but not enough to cost him a counterattack. Sun Yun’s strength paled in comparison to Tao Dingfang’s—Su Chen could still kill him even weakened.

To avoid exhaustion, Su Chen had feigned collapse, letting Sun Yun overcommit before seizing the moment to strike. A fourfold Vital Force attack had crushed Tao Dingfang—Sun Yun never stood a chance.

Exhaling sharply, Su Chen relaxed his tense body. This battle had been exhausting.

Luckily, his vigilance had paid off. Without his caution, the outcome might have been uncertain.

“First, kill off the Ironclad Legion. Then collect the loot.”

Su Chen turned to the poisoned, unconscious soldiers and guards, swiftly ending their lives. He even double-tapped Tao Dingfang and Sun Yun to be thorough.

After looting their bodies, he found little silver—neither Tao Dingfang, Sun Yun, nor the guards carried much. But there was a find.

“Spirit Head Technique?”

From Sun Yun’s person, Su Chen retrieved a Secret Manual—it had been kept close to his body, clearly valuable. The moment he opened it, gray mist erupted.

“Toxic!”

Su Chen leapt back, avoiding the fumes. Waiting for the mist to clear, he cautiously flipped through pages with a stick, noting the martial art’s traits.

The Spirit Head Technique resembled Iron Head, enhancing skull defense and senses but was perilous and difficult to master.

“Difficult? Not for me with my Progress Panel!”

He chuckled, unfazed. Wrapping the manual in cloth, he stowed it away—he’d check for residual toxins later.

Tao Dingfang’s body yielded nothing: no manuals, no silver. A destitute failure.

With that, Su Chen headed toward White Stone City. Since Tao Dingfang was dead, Tao Wenxuan wouldn’t be spared either.

On the road, Su Chen spotted Tao Wenxuan’s retinue returning. He swiftly eliminated the guards, found Tao Wenxuan unconscious, and mercifully sent him to sleep forever.

Afterward, Su Chen entered the County Courthouse unimpeded. Asking a bailiff led him to the treasury.

Kicking open the door, five chests inside brimmed with silver—ten thousand taels each.

“A pity. Too heavy to carry.”

Hauling such chests out would draw attention. Instead, he turned to two smaller boxes. One held account ledgers, which he ignored. The other? Ten golden fish tokens and ten thousand taels in silver notes.

“Perfect. Enough for many Gold-Fueled Enhancements.”

He pocketed the smaller loot and a few silver taels before leaving.

As he exited, a strange cry echoed. The Deaf-Mute Man and Mute Girl approached. Seeing Su Chen, the man grew overcome with emotion, releasing the girl to kneel before Su Chen, recognizing his savior.

“Ah! Ah!” The man vocalized gratitude in his own way.

Su Chen frowned, deep in thought. Finally, he helped the man up.

“If you wish to thank me… may I have the recipe for Boiling Blood Powder?”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end