Chapter 94: Slaughter! Xu Yunfeng's Demise!
Chapter 94: Slaughter! Xu Yunfeng's Demise!
In the woods outside Luoshui County Town, a figure suddenly emerged from behind a large tree, catching Jiang Ning's attention.
"It's you!" Xu Yunfeng exclaimed, startled.
"That's right," Jiang Ning nodded affirmatively.
"You found us earlier?" Xu Yunfeng's expression grew solemn.
Before Jiang Ning could respond, the impatient black-skinned man spoke up, "Why waste time chattering with him?"
"It's getting late! Let's finish this and get back to our wives!" he added with a sinister smile.
Gazing at Jiang Ning, he continued, "You chose the path to hell when you could have walked the road to heaven."
"Blame yourself for provoking those you shouldn't and coming to places you shouldn't," Jiang Ning replied.
His gaze then lowered slightly, focusing on Jiang Ning's right hand.
"Oh? You still want to draw your blade? Do you intend to resist?" he mocked.
Hong Chengtao walked forward, laughing, closing in on Jiang Ning.
"Be careful, Hall Master Hong!" Xu Yunfeng, standing behind, spoke up with a concerned tone.
Hearing Xu Yunfeng's words, the leopard-skin-clad woman beside him couldn't help but interject, "Hall Master Xu, you're being overly cautious! Hall Master Hong's Iron Sand Palm has reached perfection, capable of splitting stones and breaking metals with a single strike. Why be so cautious against this young lad?"
On the other side, Hong Chengtao's face maintained a menacing grin upon hearing Xu Yunfeng's words, intending to intimidate Jiang Ning.
However, his heart didn't reflect the arrogance displayed on his face; instead, he had already channeled his energy, bringing his Iron Sand Palm to its peak, fully prepared.
The moment he struck, he was ready to unleash his full power.
As an experienced veteran of the underworld, he understood the wisdom behind the saying, 'Beware of the ditch in the dark.'
He could disdain his opponent but never dared to underestimate them.
Underestimating his opponents had nearly cost him his life numerous times over the years.
Even though his heart didn't perceive any threat from Jiang Ning, he didn't dare to let his guard down.
After all, in his eyes, there were still many suspicious aspects to this situation.
As Jiang Ning had just said, he had discovered their tailing long ago.
If they had been discovered, why did they leave the city and venture into these remote woods?
Only a fool would make such a self-destructive choice.
For Shen Congyun to pay such attention, this person couldn't be a fool.
There was only one explanation: Jiang Ning must have had something to rely on.
He was confident in dealing with their tailing.
Even at this moment, Hong Chengtao couldn't fathom what Jiang Ning was relying on, but whether he understood or not, it wouldn't hinder his attack.
At that moment, Jiang Ning's fingers tightened around the hilt of his longsword.
Vital energy coursed through his body, and his power surged, ready to be unleashed.
A moment later, Hong Chengtao closed in on Jiang Ning, standing within ten feet of him.
Jiang Ning drew his sword from its sheath, and a cold glint flashed.
"Well done!" Hong Chengtao exclaimed upon seeing Jiang Ning's swift draw.
Without hesitation, he thrust out his right palm, and as he exerted his strength, the already dark palm turned a dark red hue.
Jiang Ning also drew his sword, and the longsword swiftly descended.
A deep hum reverberated as immense power erupted, infusing the sword with energy, causing the blade to tremble.
The longsword then fell with unstoppable momentum.
This strike unleashed all of Jiang Ning's power, amplified by the Ninefold Power and the Limit-Breaking Double Chop Technique.
It was Jiang Ning's peak strike in his regular state.
"Not good!" Hong Chengtao's pupils contracted as he witnessed the speed and force of the descending sword, sensing impending danger.
Before the blade even touched him, he felt a powerful sense of oppression.
"Something's wrong!" he thought to himself, "But I can't retreat, there's no time!"
Hong Chengtao clenched his teeth and channeled all his strength into his Iron Sand Palm.
At the same time, not far away, Xu Yunfeng and the other two deputy hall masters all had their pupils dilate in shock at the sight of the swiftly falling sword.
"Such a fast blade!"
"That sword is too fast!"
The next moment, a metallic clanging sound rang out as the sword edge met Hong Chengtao's palm.
Hong Chengtao's eyes widened in horror.
The longsword had slashed through his palm, and he finally understood the true terror of Jiang Ning's strike.
Even though his Iron Sand Palm could break metals, the force of Jiang Ning's descending sword shattered his entire palm.
The powerful impact twisted and deformed his right arm under the sheer force.
"How can he be so strong?" Hong Chengtao asked himself in disbelief.
"He's only been practicing martial arts for a little over a month, how can he be this powerful?"
"One strike disabled my right arm. If he strikes again, I can only sacrifice my left arm to block it."
"But how can I withstand the third strike?"
"Doesn't that mean he can kill me with three strikes?"
Hong Chengtao's heart was filled with terror as he thought of this.
He had climbed his way up from the bottom, and he hadn't enjoyed his newfound status for long.
He didn't want to die!
"I don't want to die!" Hong Chengtao repeated in his mind.
Such thoughts raced through his mind in the blink of an eye.
In that instant, his resolve solidified, and his gaze became unwavering.
At this moment, Xu Yunfeng's expression turned grave.
With just a glance at Hong Chengtao, he swiftly turned and fled, unleashing his full speed.
"Something's not right!"
"Even Hong Chengtao was severely injured by Jiang Ning's single strike. If I go up, I'll be courting death. I must escape!"
"Hurry, run! The further we get, the better our chances of survival!"
Just then, before Hong Chengtao even landed, he shouted.
"Pavilion Master Xu, Xiao Yuan, and Yu Shi, you three, act fast! This kid has used a forbidden technique, squeezing out his body's potential. After one strike, he'll be exhausted!"
"Yes, Gang Leader!" The leopard-skin woman and the man with a slightly sinister face responded instantly.
The two exchanged glances and turned to flee.
Xu Yunfeng reacted even faster, taking the lead in rushing out of the mountain.
"You!!!" Witnessing this, Hong Chengtao's blood rushed to his heart, and a stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
All this happened in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Ning glanced at the flying Hong Chengtao.
"My strength is indeed far beyond what it used to be!"
He muttered to himself, tightening his grip on the longsword.
Then, he looked at the fleeing duo and turned to see Xu Yunfeng's retreating figure.
"Perfect! I'll test my newly mastered skill on them!"
"At this point, I can't let Xu Yunfeng escape!"
Jiang Ning's heart stirred.
Thump—
His heart began to pound heavily, and a powerful force surged within him.
His skin turned slightly red, his pupils dilated, and his body entered a state of excitement.
In this state, the negative emotions in his mind, such as tension and slight fear, vanished instantly.
"Kill!" Jiang Ning exclaimed softly.
With a swift movement, he drew his sword, his speed reaching its peak. With a single stride, he covered the distance of a zhang.
Like a gust of wind, he rushed towards Hong Chengtao.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.
Moreover, Hong Chengtao was the strongest among them, having already reached the Ninth Stage Martial Dao.
"Don't push me!" Hong Chengtao's eyes flashed with madness as he watched Jiang Ning approaching at an incredible speed.
At this moment, Jiang Ning held his sword, his gaze as cold as ice.
In less than a breath, he reached Hong Chengtao.
"Die!"
Jiang Ning roared, unleashing all his power, and the Ninefold Power chose to unleash one layer of its force.
Hong Chengtao saw this, and his left hand was already at its peak.
This palm strike contained over a decade of his martial arts training.
But even so, desperation flashed in his eyes.
Could he block this strike, and the next one?
Clang—
The sword slashed down on Hong Chengtao's left hand, creating a sound of metal clashing.
Then—
The blade tore through flesh.
Desperation and shock flooded Hong Chengtao's eyes.
Blood splattered and gushed out.
Jiang Ning passed by Hong Chengtao!
At this moment, under Jiang Ning's strike, Hong Chengtao's body was split in two, cut into halves by Jiang Ning.
Normally, after his first kill, Jiang Ning would feel tense, even terrified.
But at this moment, with his body's limitations removed, all negative emotions vanished, and he felt no significant emotional turmoil from this strike.
Beyond Hong Chengtao's corpse, Jiang Ning's gaze locked onto Xu Yunfeng.
Having decided to take action, Xu Yunfeng had already been marked for death in Jiang Ning's mind.
Xu Yunfeng, sensing the commotion behind him, turned to look while running.
Seeing the scene behind him, his heart sank.
"How is this possible!"
"How could Gang Leader Hong die so easily!"
Then, as he watched Jiang Ning rapidly approaching, deep despair filled his eyes.
Hong Chengtao was slain by Jiang Ning in a single exchange.
How could he possibly survive?
At this moment, Xu Yunfeng thought of his blind mother waiting for him at home.
Deep guilt flashed in his eyes.
"Mother, I'm sorry! I couldn't keep my promise and bring honor to our family name!"
The next moment.
Jiang Ning closed in on Xu Yunfeng.
Withdrawing his sword, he struck straight down, unleashing his current regular strength without the added power of the Ninefold Power.
The previous two consecutive uses of the first layer of power had already caused his right arm to throb with pain.
With his body's limitations removed, Xu Yunfeng's strength didn't require the additional force of the Ninefold Power.
Clang—
Xu Yunfeng blocked the strike with his sword, and as the blades clashed, a flash of fire appeared.
Xu Yunfeng's longsword slipped from his grasp and flew away.
"This strength!!!" Xu Yunfeng felt his hand go numb, and his heart was filled with terror.
Having personally faced Jiang Ning, he now understood why Hong Chengtao's Iron Sand Palm was at the perfection stage, and even with his skin transformation at the minor achievement level, making it as hard as stone, he was still slain by Jiang Ning's two strikes.
Jiang Ning's unleashed strength was too powerful, too terrifying.
Even at the Ninth Stage Martial Dao, he had no chance to fight back.
The next moment.
Jiang Ning's sword slashed down, knocking Xu Yunfeng's longsword from his hand, and then he struck again.
Swish—
The sword sliced through the air, and a head flew high into the sky.
(End of Chapter)
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