Chapter 88: Counter-Kill

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Counter-Kill

Beads of cold sweat trickled down Yang Yunhua’s forehead. As a Golden Core Realm cultivator, the fact that he could feel the aura of death from this small purple sword was a testament to the terrifying power of the Purple Punishment Sword in Yi Xiaoyao’s hand.

At the same time, a flicker of doubt crossed Yang Yunhua’s mind. ’Why isn’t Yi Xiaoyao dead after being hit by my arrow?’

At that moment, Yi Xiaoyao met Yang Yunhua’s gaze, which was as cold as a viper’s. His eyes seemed to say, "You’ve fallen for my trap."

This outcome was indeed a plan Yi Xiaoyao had devised in that split second.

Just a moment ago, Yi Xiaoyao had realized that with him on the ground and his enemy in the sky, he wouldn’t be able to touch his foe in the slightest, even with his abilities. He could only be a passive target.

Therefore, if Yi Xiaoyao wanted to turn the tables and counter-attack, he first had to lure his enemy down.

Yang Yunhua’s arrow had indeed hit Yi Xiaoyao, but it had been blocked by the Bloodthirsty Sword.

The Bloodthirsty Sword was no ordinary weapon. Coupled with the Spirit-Devouring Swordsmanship and the extreme reaction speed Yi Xiaoyao possessed from cultivating the Nine Heavens Dragon Soaring Technique, blocking an arrow from a Golden Core Realm expert wasn’t too difficult.

A dull, throbbing pain emanated from Yi Xiaoyao’s wrist—an injury from the impact of blocking that arrow.

But even so, Yi Xiaoyao had achieved his objective.

Because now, with a single thought, the Purple Punishment Sword in his hand could take Yang Yunhua’s life.

Just then, the Yang Brothers also noticed their father, Yang Yunhua, was acting strangely, and expressions of confusion appeared on their faces.

"Father, what’s wrong? Is Yi Xiaoyao not there?"

Yang Da Lang asked as he walked toward Yang Yunhua.

Yang Yunhua quickly raised a hand to stop him. "Da Lang, don’t come any closer!"

After speaking, he gathered dense Spiritual Power in his right palm and thrust it toward Yi Xiaoyao.

"You little bastard! Let’s see what’s faster, your sword or my palm."

Yang Yunhua roared. Faced with this situation, he had to take a gamble.

However, the answer was obviously the former.

Seeing Yang Yunhua’s palm strike coming, the corner of Yi Xiaoyao’s mouth curved up slightly. He said softly, "Of course, my sword is faster!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, he instantly poured Spiritual Power into the Purple Punishment Sword.

In an instant, streaks of ethereal purple Sword Qi, carrying an incredibly terrifying aura, shot out directly from the Purple Punishment Sword.

Yang Yunhua’s palm stopped just half an inch from Yi Xiaoyao, frozen in place, never to move another fraction.

Blasted by the Sword Qi from the Purple Punishment Sword, Yang Yunhua’s body was riddled with holes. A gaping, bucket-sized cavity had been torn through his chest, extinguishing all his vitality in an instant.

Watching Yang Yunhua slowly collapse, Yi Xiaoyao finally let out a sigh of relief.

The Purple Punishment Sword was a one-time-use Spiritual Artifact. Once the Sword Qi injected into it by the Hall Master was depleted, it became no different from ordinary iron. Yi Xiaoyao casually tossed it aside.

Now that the most dangerous threat, Yang Yunhua, had been dealt with, Yi Xiaoyao still had to face the remaining Yang Brothers.

At the same time, the Yang Brothers were utterly stunned by the sight of their father collapsing before their eyes.

’Their father, a Golden Core Realm expert, had died so miserably in a single exchange?’

"Father!!!"

"Who is it?! Get the hell out here!"

The three cried out in grief, but having witnessed their father’s death, none of them dared to rashly approach.

The next moment, Yi Xiaoyao walked out from behind the corpse of the Sword-toothed Silver Tiger, appearing before the Yang Brothers with the Bloodthirsty Sword in hand.

"Working for Cultivator Duan only to lose your own life... that wasn’t worth it."

Yi Xiaoyao narrowed his cold eyes, looking at the three men within a hundred zhang of him as he spoke coolly.

The Yang Brothers were both shocked and enraged. They never would have imagined that the one who killed their father was none other than the not-yet-dead Yi Xiaoyao.

"It’s you!"

Then, the three immediately nocked their bows. Three razor-sharp arrowheads aimed at Yi Xiaoyao, glinting with a cold, sinister light.

Yi Xiaoyao instantly felt as if he were being stared down by cold hawk eyes, his aura completely locked on.

But Yi Xiaoyao didn’t panic. Instead, a cold smirk played on his lips.

"Heh. Attacking from a distance, from the shadows, you might have been a lot of trouble for me. But now..."

Before his voice faded, Yi Xiaoyao’s figure vanished from his spot. A sharp arrow WHIZZED past and embedded itself in the ancient tree where he had just been standing.

"What?!" Yang Da Lang, who had fired the arrow, paled in shock. "That kid is so fast!" he exclaimed.

After dodging that last arrow, Yi Xiaoyao’s figure shot toward the Yang Brothers.

With his Nine Heavens Dragon Soaring Technique having reached the Great Success stage, how could his Body Technique not be fast?

Moreover, he could now see when his opponents were about to fire, giving him ample time to react.

For an ordinary person, arrows like these were far less threatening than the previous sneak attacks. For Yi Xiaoyao, the threat was practically zero.

Pushing his Nine Heavens Dragon Soaring Technique, already at the Great Success stage, to its limit, Yi Xiaoyao crossed more than half the distance between them in an instant. His cold voice rang out once more.

"But now, in close-quarters combat, you are at my mercy!"

His words made the faces of the Yang Brothers tighten.

Just as Yi Xiaoyao had said, archers could display power far exceeding others of the Same Realm at a distance. But in close combat, their strength wasn’t just "greatly diminished"—it was far worse.

"Don’t listen to the kid’s bluffs! Even if we aren’t skilled at close combat, how could we possibly let him get near us so easily?"

Yang Da Lang said to the other two. Then, with perfect coordination, the three of them simultaneously fired three arrows.

These three arrows were fired from cunning angles, sealing off Yi Xiaoyao’s path forward. Even with the Nine Heavens Dragon Soaring Technique, he might not be able to dodge them. If he dared to press closer, he would surely be hit.

However, how could Yi Xiaoyao possibly retreat?

He instantly activated his Spirit-Devouring Swordsmanship. An impenetrable black shroud of Sword Shadows enveloped his entire body, and the speed of his advance didn’t falter in the slightest.

DING! DING! DING!

With three crisp metallic clangs, Yi Xiaoyao easily deflected the three arrows. He was now only ten zhang away from the trio.

The expressions on the Yang Brothers’ faces changed in unison. How could they have expected Yi Xiaoyao to be able to block their arrows?

"Don’t panic! He’s only at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment. The three of us are at the seventh level! Even in close combat, there’s no way he’s a match for us!"

Yang Da Lang once again stabilized the morale of the other two. The three of them unleashed their Spiritual Power and struck out with their palms at the approaching Yi Xiaoyao.

’With my current strength,’ he thought, ’even a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator who specializes in close combat might not be my match, let alone these three who are so weak at it.’

"I don’t even need my sword to kill you in close combat!"

Yi Xiaoyao let out a dry laugh and met the palm strike of the closest brother, Yang Da Lang, with his own.

The two palms met in an instant, and a boom of Spiritual Power erupted.

"Aaargh!"

Yang Da Lang’s face turned purple as he screamed in agony. He felt as if his arm had been shattered by the monstrous strength of a Demon Beast.

...