Chapter 477 - 474: Slaying Xue Yuanlang

Chapter 477: Chapter 474: Slaying Xue Yuanlang

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

Fang Han and Xue Yuanlang were tangled in a fierce struggle, their palm shadows and sword light interweaving as Qi Force erupted everywhere.

Wounds began to appear on Fang Han’s body from time to time.

A blast of Palm Wind grazed his left shoulder, tearing his cyan robe and leaving behind a bloody gash.

The aftershock of a Palm Seal struck his right leg, sending waves of stinging pain through it.

But his sword left wounds on Xue Yuanlang’s body as well.

Xue Yuanlang’s left arm was sliced by the blade’s edge, leaving a gash half a foot long that seeped blood.

The tip of the sword struck his waist. Despite his Inner Qi Body Protection, it still pierced a bloody hole an inch deep.

"You little bastard! How are you so hard to deal with?!"

Xue Yuanlang’s expression grew increasingly grim.

He never would have imagined that he, a mighty First Grade Martial Artist, would be unable to take down a junior at the Middle Stage of Third Grade.

Even while severely injured, this shouldn’t have been possible. After all, there was a gap of two entire Great Realms between them.

But this was the reality.

"Damn it!"

Xue Yuanlang cursed under his breath, his attacks growing even more ferocious.

"Old bastard, let’s see how long you can last!"

Fang Han responded calmly, his sword light flowing like water, dense and unceasing.

He knew that Xue Yuanlang was severely injured and had lost an arm. He couldn’t possibly sustain this level of high-intensity combat for long.

As long as he could hold on until Xue Yuanlang exhausted his strength, it would be his time to counterattack.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

The two fought a long and bitter battle, their fight moving from the woods to the creekside, and from the creekside to the foot of a rocky cliff.

Fang Han had accumulated more than a dozen new wounds, large and small. His cyan robe was soaked in blood, clinging tightly to his body.

His face was pale, and his aura was much weaker than when the fight had begun.

Xue Yuanlang’s condition was no better.

His body was covered in sword wounds. His left arm, waist, and thigh were all bleeding, staining his deep blue Elder Robe a dark red.

His breathing was ragged and his forehead was beaded with sweat. He was clearly in a terrible state.

"Little bastard... This old man will kill you today!"

Xue Yuanlang panted heavily, his eyes filled with madness.

Fang Han said nothing, merely watching him quietly. He held the Cloud Splitting Sword horizontally before him, its blade shimmering with a ceaseless cyan-gold light.

In the next instant, both of them moved at once.

BOOM!

Xue Yuanlang summoned the last of his strength. A brilliant blue light erupted from his left palm as he thrust it forward.

This palm strike concentrated all the power his grievously wounded body could muster, driven by his absolute will to kill Fang Han.

SWISH!

Fang Han’s eyes narrowed, but he did not retreat.

The Cyan Profound Technique’s Inner Qi surged through his body at an unprecedented speed, all of it pouring into the Cloud Splitting Sword.

He pushed his Wind Sword Intent to its absolute limit, unleashing the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique at the Minor Achievement Realm without holding anything back.

He slashed out with his sword.

This one strike was the culmination of his entire strength.

His Inner Qi at the Middle Stage of Third Grade, his Sword Intent at the Minor Achievement Realm, and his one hundred thousand jin of physical strength—all three were layered together and poured into this single strike.

The sword light condensed into a thin, cyan beam and collided violently with the blue Palm Seal.

BOOM—!!!

An earth-shattering explosion erupted.

The shockwave spread out in all directions like a tsunami, scouring away several feet of the ground’s surface wherever it passed. Rubble shot out, and dust filled the air.

At the center of the Qi Force explosion, two figures were sent flying backward simultaneously.

PFFT—

Fang Han slammed heavily against a large rock, blood surging up his throat.

His right arm, which held the sword, trembled slightly. The web between his thumb and forefinger had split open, and blood dripped down the hilt.

PFFT—

Xue Yuanlang, on the other hand, fell to the ground and tumbled several times before coming to a stop.

He violently spat out a mouthful of blood. His left palm trembled, the web of his hand also split and bleeding.

The two faced each other from a distance of over a hundred feet.

Fang Han took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning qi and blood in his chest, and slowly got to his feet.

His body swayed slightly, but his eyes were still bright and sharp.

Xue Yuanlang also struggled to his feet, but his condition was clearly worse.

The wound on his severed arm had torn open again, and blood gushed out.

The sword wounds on his body were also continuously seeping blood, staining the ground beneath him a dark red.

His face was ashen, and his aura had weakened to a critical point.

"You..."

Xue Yuanlang opened his mouth, trying to say something, but only coughed up more blood.

SWOOSH!

Fang Han gave Xue Yuanlang no chance to catch his breath.

He activated the Wind God Step, his figure transforming into a streak of pale cyan light as he lunged toward Xue Yuanlang.

The Cloud Splitting Sword slashed out again, Sword Intent flaring.

Xue Yuanlang used all his remaining strength to block with his palm.

CLANG!

As palm met sword, Xue Yuanlang was knocked back several steps.

Fang Han shadowed him like a phantom, unleashing a second and then a third strike.

Each slash was imbued with Sword Intent, and each one sent an unbearable, stabbing pain through Xue Yuanlang’s mind.

Xue Yuanlang’s resistance grew weaker and weaker, his Palm Technique becoming increasingly chaotic.

Finally—

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes. He spotted an opening in Xue Yuanlang’s palm stance, and the Cloud Splitting Sword shot straight through.

PFFT—!

The tip of the sword pierced Xue Yuanlang’s chest and emerged from his back.

Xue Yuanlang shuddered. He looked down in disbelief at the bloodied sword tip protruding from his chest.

He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but could only manage a gurgling, rasping sound.

Fang Han withdrew his sword.

Blood sprayed forth.

Xue Yuanlang’s body slumped to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The light in his narrow eyes rapidly faded, finally dimming completely.

Xue Yuanlang, First Grade Martial Artist and Elder of Thunderlight Pavilion, was dead.

Haa, haa—

Fang Han sheathed his sword and stood panting heavily.

Blood seeped from his wounds, his cyan robe was soaked through, his face was ashen, and his aura was faint.

But in the end, he had won.

CLANG—!

Meng Zhao forced Chen Wanjun back with a single sword strike. His crimson longsword carved a scorching arc through the air, the fiery Sword Qi on its blade flaring erratically.

His chest heaved slightly, and several gashes had been torn in his deep red Elder Robe.

A diagonal saber slash cut across his left ribs, the flesh peeled back, and blood dripped down the front of his robe.

There was another wound on his right shoulder. Though not deep, it made the hand holding his sword tremble faintly.

He glanced at Xue Yuanlang, who had fallen to Fang Han’s sword, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Xue Yuanlang was dead.

A First Grade Martial Artist had actually died under the sword of a junior at the Middle Stage of Third Grade.

It was true that Xue Yuanlang had been ambushed and severely wounded first, then had his arm severed, leaving him in a critical state.

But that couldn’t deny one fact.

A First Grade Martial Artist had died at the hands of a junior at the Middle Stage of Third Grade.

’We failed!’

Meng Zhao made a snap decision. His crimson longsword suddenly erupted with a blinding burst of fire, the fiery Sword Qi spreading outwards like a ring of flames.

Chen Wanjun’s eyes narrowed as he brought his Golden Long Saber up to block the attack.

In that exact instant—SWISH!—Meng Zhao’s figure shot backward, heading for Lie Yunting.

Lie Yunting was currently being besieged by the combined forces of Luo Yuntian and Kuang Tu. The sword wound on his chest was still seeping blood, soaking his dark red combat attire.

He was barely holding on, his Sword Momentum in disarray, on the verge of death at any moment.

Meng Zhao grabbed Lie Yunting by the back of his collar and hoisted him up.

"Let’s go!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, his body transformed into a streak of crimson light and shot off toward the depths of the dense forest.

"Trying to run?"

Chen Wanjun snorted coldly. With a flick of his Golden Long Saber, his body became a streak of golden light in hot pursuit.

「Elsewhere.」

Xue Wu, whose left shoulder had been wounded by Fang Han, was now being besieged by Yun Muyao and Su Yuwei.

His face was pale, and his sword movements had lost their initial sharpness. He was hard-pressed and in constant peril.

WHOOSH—

After killing Xue Yuanlang, Fang Han took a brief moment to catch his breath before immediately rushing toward Xue Wu.

"No... don’t kill—"

Seeing Fang Han charge at him, abject terror flashed in Xue Wu’s eyes.

But before he could finish his words, Fang Han’s sword arrived.

The Cloud Splitting Sword swept out. In a flash of light, a thin red line appeared on his neck.

Blood sprayed forth.

He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but could only manage a gurgling, rasping sound.

The next moment, his body slumped to the ground, lifeless.

Fang Han sheathed his sword without even glancing at Xue Wu’s corpse and activated his Wind God Step.

SWOOSH!

His figure transformed into a streak of cyan-gold light, chasing after Meng Zhao and Chen Wanjun in the direction they had disappeared.

The mountain forest blurred past him.

Fang Han pushed his Wind God Step to its limit, unleashing the Grandmaster-level Body Technique at the Entry Realm without reservation. His speed was astounding.

However, the distance between him and the two auras ahead only grew wider.

First Grade Martial Artists.

They were at the peak of the Upper Three Grades, two entire Great Realms above him.

Even though his Wind God Step was at the Entry Realm, and even though he was moving at full power, he couldn’t bridge this enormous gap.

The auras of Meng Zhao and Chen Wanjun grew fainter and more distant.

Soon, they vanished from his perception entirely.

A short while later, just as he was considering whether to give up, he sensed Chen Wanjun’s aura. The other man was now heading back.

He stopped his pursuit and waited for Chen Wanjun to meet him.

Soon, Chen Wanjun’s figure appeared in his line of sight.

"Vice Hall Master Chen, were you able to catch up?"

Fang Han asked, clasping his hands in a fist-and-palm salute.

Chen Wanjun shook his head slightly, his voice low. "Meng Zhao escaped."

Fang Han fell silent.

He wasn’t surprised by this outcome.

Although Meng Zhao was injured, he was still a First Grade Martial Artist whose strength was evenly matched with Chen Wanjun’s.

If he was determined to flee, it would indeed be extremely difficult for Chen Wanjun to stop him.

"The news leaking is now unavoidable."

Chen Wanjun turned, his gaze fixed on the depths of the forest, his voice grave.

"Thunderlight Pavilion has lost a First-Grade Elder. They will never let this go. We must withdraw from Donglu County immediately, or we will surely face retaliation."

Fang Han nodded but said nothing.

Without further delay, the two activated their Body Techniques and sped off in the direction of Luo Yuntian and the others.

By the time Fang Han and Chen Wanjun returned, the battle was over.

All the disciples from Thunderlight Pavilion and the Red Flame Sect had been killed, their bodies lying scattered in pools of blood.

"Vice Hall Master Chen, Senior Brother Fang."

Luo Yuntian and the others were clearing the battlefield.

Seeing Chen Wanjun and Fang Han return, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Chen Wanjun gave a slight nod, his eyes sweeping over the group as he said in a low voice: ℴ

"We can’t stay here long. Treat your wounds immediately. We leave in one incense stick’s time."

"Yes, sir."

The group’s expressions turned serious as they replied in unison.

Fang Han sat down on a green boulder. A great deal of Medicinal Power from the Creation Pill he had taken earlier still remained in his body.

This Medicinal Power now transformed into a warm energy that flowed throughout his body, healing his injuries.

The bleeding from his wounds had already stopped.

He tore several strips of cloth from his clothes and quickly bandaged the deeper wounds on his body.

His movements were fast and steady.

「An incense stick’s time later.」

Everyone finished their preparations. Chen Wanjun’s gaze swept across the group as he said in a low voice, "Let’s move out."

Nine figures simultaneously activated their Body Techniques and sped off toward Qingyang County.

Only the faint sound of their robes whipping in the wind and the rustle of their feet on the decaying leaves echoed through the silent mountain forest.