Chapter 138: My Own Rules

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: My Own Rules

TW: BLOOD/DEATH

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As soon as the voice sounded from behind them, the group of men momentarily paused, their laughter dying down as they turned toward the newcomer. Sui Sui was genuinely surprised to see Yizhou, while the bandits looked far less pleased at having their fun interrupted. Their expressions darkened, and several of them immediately glared at the unexpected intruder.

The leader was particularly displeased. He stepped forward and puffed out his broad chest, deliberately flexing his muscles to intimidate the newcomer. Clearly, he was accustomed to throwing his weight around and having others back down whenever he raised his voice.

"Huh? What are you looking at, brat?" he barked. "If you don’t want to die, you’d better stay out of our business!"

"Oh?" Yizhou replied, raising an eyebrow, He leisurely looked the man up and down, his expression completely unbothered. There was not the slightest trace of fear in his eyes, only a faint hint of amusement, as though the threat were nothing more than a joke.

this action seemed to have angered the rogue man as he said indignantly "Boy I see that is your first time here in Linfeng town, I, Sun Gong, will teach you the rules, dont think that youre some big shot over here, in my eyes you are nothing"

"Oh? A nobody like you actually dares to be so bold?" Yizhou looked down at Sun Gong with an air of utter disdain. Although Sun Gong was considerably taller and had a much larger build, standing before Yizhou, he somehow felt as though he were the one being looked down upon. It was not merely a matter of height. There was something in Yizhou’s cold, indifferent gaze that made Sun Gong feel as though he were nothing more than an insignificant insect.

Sun Gong’s expression immediately darkened. He had spent a few year as a strong man in this area, and so far no one had ever dared to look at him with such contempt, much less a young man who appeared to be younger and smaller than himself.

"What the hell did you just say?" he roared, his temper flaring. "Are you tired of living, brat?"

Before his words had even faded, Sun Gong reached for the sword at his waist and drew it from its scabbard. The blade flashed in the dim light as he pointed it directly at Yizhou, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Since you seem so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish!"

With a furious shout, he raised his sword and swung it down at Yizhou, intending to teach this insolent youngster a lesson he would never forget.

Unfortunately for him, the sword never reached its target.

Yizhou merely lifted his hand and caught the descending blade between two fingers.

The entire motion was so effortless that it almost seemed as though he had casually stopped someone from handing him an object. The sharp blade remained suspended between his fingers, unable to advance even an inch, no matter how much force Sun Gong exerted.

Sun Gong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"What the—?"

Before he could finish speaking, Yizhou’s voice sounded again. This time, the faint mockery that had been present earlier was gone, leaving behind nothing but a chilling coldness.

"Since you seem so fond of making threats, allow me to establish a rule of my own."

Yizhou’s gaze settled on Sun Gong, his expression so cold that it sent an involuntary shiver down the man’s spine.

"In front of me, anyone who dares to lay a finger on my person will pay for it with their life."

The moment Yizhou’s words fell, a flash of crimson suddenly streaked through the air.

Sun Gong barely had time to register the movement before a sharp pain shot through his wrist. In the next instant, the hand gripping his sword was severed cleanly from his arm and sent tumbling to the ground. Blood sprayed across the dirt, splattering the hem of his robes as the sword slipped from his fingers and landed with a metallic clang.

"Ahhh!"

Sun Gong’s scream tore through the air. He staggered backward, clutching his severed wrist as blood poured from the wound. His face twisted in agony, and he stared at Yizhou in disbelief, unable to understand how the other man had attacked him so quickly.

But before he could even process what had happened, another shadow flashed across his vision.

Several black, smoke-like tendrils erupted from around Yizhou’s feet, twisting through the air like living creatures. They moved with terrifying speed, leaving Sun Gong no time to dodge. One of the tendrils shot straight toward his chest and pierced through it in an instant.

A muffled impact rang out.

Sun Gong’s body jerked violently as the demonic tendril tore through his torso, leaving a gaping hole in its wake. His eyes widened, his mouth opening as though he wanted to scream again, but no sound came out. He looked down at the terrible wound in his chest, his expression frozen between shock and disbelief. The strength drained from Sun Gong’s limbs. His knees buckled, and his body crumpled to the ground with a heavy thud. Blood spread beneath him, staining the dirt a dark crimson.

Just moments ago, he had been threatening to kill Yizhou.

Now, he couldn’t even understand how he had died.

For a moment, the entire clearing fell silent.

The surviving bandits stared at Sun Gong’s lifeless body, unable to believe that their leader, the strongest among them, had been killed in the blink of an eye. Only moments ago, they had been laughing and threatening their captive, certain that no one could stand against them. Now, their leader lay dead at the feet of the very man they had dared to provoke.

The first to break the silence was Yizhou.

"So?" He glanced at the remaining bandits, his voice carrying a chilling indifference. "Who’s next?"

His words finally snapped them out of their stupor. Terror flashed across their faces, and several immediately turned to flee. They had no intention of staying to find out whether they would meet the same fate as Sun Gong. Whatever this young man was, he was certainly not someone they could afford to provoke.

Unfortunately, Yizhou had no intention of letting any of them leave.

After all, he couldn’t allow witnesses to survive and spread news of what had happened here.

The moment the first bandit turned his back, several black, smoke-like tendrils burst from the ground around Yizhou’s feet. They twisted through the air like living creatures, their dark forms stretching and splitting as they shot toward the fleeing men.

At the same time, Yizhou moved and his figure blurred.

A flash of cold light cut across the area as he appeared beside one bandit, his sword passing through the man’s defenses before he could even turn around. Without pausing to watch him fall, Yizhou pivoted and swept his blade toward another attacker rushing at him from the side. The man’s weapon barely had time to meet the sword before a sharp impact sent it flying from his grasp.

The black tendrils followed close behind, moving with a life of their own. One wrapped around a fleeing bandit’s ankle and dragged him backward, while another shot through the gap between two trees and struck a man who had nearly escaped into the forest. Every attempt to flee ended the same way. Those who tried to fight back were swiftly cut down, while those who ran were hunted by the relentless tendrils.

Yizhou’s movements were fluid and precise, each step flowing seamlessly into the next. His sword flashed beneath the sunlight, tracing brief arcs of silver through the air, while the black tendrils coiled and unfurled around him like dark ribbons. There was no hesitation in his movements, nor any wasted effort. He seemed to know exactly where every opponent was, dispatching them one after another with terrifying efficiency.

If not for the blood splattering across the ground and the bodies falling one after another, the scene might almost have been beautiful.

Sui Sui stood frozen, watching the spectacle unfold before him.

He had known that Yizhou was powerful, but witnessing him fight in person was an entirely different experience. The bandits who had given him so much trouble had become completely helpless in front of Yizhou. They couldn’t even land a proper attack before being cut down, and those who tried to escape were pursued without mercy.

So this was the protagonist prowess?

Sui Sui was still staring when a sudden force seized him from behind.

"Ah?!"

Before he could react, an arm clamped tightly around his shoulders and yanked him backward. His back slammed against someone else’s chest, and a cold, sharp object immediately pressed against the side of his neck.

A dagger.

Sui Sui’s entire body stiffened as the blade’s icy edge touched his skin. He could feel the slightest movement of the weapon against his throat, a clear warning that even one careless motion could cost him his life.

"Don’t move!" a harsh voice hissed beside Sui Sui’s ear.

Sui Sui immediately recognized the voice. It belonged to the same bandit who had struck him with the metal whip earlier.

Across the clearing, Yizhou slowly turned around. The moment he saw the bandit holding Sui Sui hostage, his gaze turned frighteningly cold.

The bandit had witnessed the entire massacre. He had seen their leader die and his companions fall one after another, and realized that none of them stood a chance against Yizhou.

Desperate to survive, he had seized Sui Sui as a hostage. He had noticed how Yizhou reacted when the bandits threatened Sui Sui earlier and realized that the young cultivator might be someone Yizhou cared about. If he could use Sui Sui to threaten him, perhaps he would have a chance to escape.

"Don’t come any closer!" the bandit shouted, tightening his grip on Sui Sui and pressing the dagger against his neck. "If you take another step, I’ll kill him!"

Yizhou stopped.

He looked at the dagger, then slowly raised his gaze to the bandit’s face. His expression remained calm, but the killing intent in his eyes made the man holding Sui Sui tremble.

"I’ll give you a chance, If you let him go now," Yizhou said coldly, "I’ll leave you with an intact corpse."

The bandit froze. He had expected Yizhou to bargain or show some concern for the hostage in his hands. Instead, Yizhou spoke as though his death had already been decided.

A chill ran down the bandit’s spine and his grip trembled, accidentally, the dagger shifted against Sui Sui’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

Sui Sui instinctively held his breath.

"Don’t come closer!" the bandit shouted again. "I already told you! If you move, I’ll kill him!"

Yizhou’s eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at the man for a moment before speaking again "I already gave you a chance. It’s your own fault for failing to cherish it."

Instantly, a tiny bluish-purple flame shot out from Yizhou’s fingers. It was so small that it was barely visible, but the moment it touched the man’s arm, the skin beneath it erupted in flames. The fire spread with terrifying speed, racing along his arm and engulfing his body before he could even react.

The bandit let go of Sui Sui in a panic and desperately tried to extinguish the flames, slapping at his burning clothes and clawing at his own body. But the more he struggled, the more fiercely the fire spread, its bluish-purple light swallowing him inch by inch until he was completely engulfed.

His frantic cries rang through the clearing as he stumbled around, desperately searching for a way to put out the flames. Yet the fire showed no sign of weakening, continuing to burn until his entire figure was consumed by its eerie light.