Chapter 49: Overseas Dragon

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Overseas Dragon

Pressing his advantage, Chen Yue violently tightened his grip on Zhao Lin’s wrist, yanking him forward as he unleashed his waiting right fist.

Before the punch even landed, the vicious killing intent and terrifying pressure nearly scared Zhao Lin to death.

He tried to struggle free and retreat, but with his right hand pinned, he was off-balance. In his haste, he could only manage to raise his uninjured left hand to shield his neck.

"CRACK!"

The immense force behind Chen Yue’s punch instantly pulverized the bones in Zhao Lin’s hand. Losing none of its momentum, the fist slammed squarely into Zhao Lin’s neck.

With another dull, crisp crack of bone, Zhao Lin’s neck bent backward at a grotesque angle. His eyes bulged, filled with utter terror and despair. A gurgling, gasping sound escaped his throat as blood sprayed from his mouth and nose.

Chen Yue tightened his left hand, lifting Zhao Lin’s instinctively convulsing body clean off the ground. He swung the corpse like a heavy club, sweeping it horizontally toward the peak Skin Refining Realm Martial Artist who was slashing at him from the left.

The man never expected Chen Yue to be so fast or so powerful. He had no time to dodge and no way to block.

"BANG!!!"

The dull impact was accompanied by a sickening chorus of cracking bones. Zhao Lin’s corpse slammed squarely into the Martial Artist’s chest, the terrifying force sending the man flying backward into the earthen wall behind him.

The earthen wall trembled slightly, dust trickling down from the impact.

The man’s chest was completely caved in, countless ribs surely broken. He slid limply down the wall to the floor, blood gushing from his mouth. His body convulsed as his gaze went vacant; he was clearly not long for this world.

The entire sequence—from Chen Yue’s counterattack to killing Zhao Lin and using his body to smash the Skin Refining Realm expert—happened in the blink of an eye.

The last attacker, the Refined Flesh Realm Martial Artist who had crashed through the window, stared at the scene before him. A chill shot through him, as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss.

’What kind of monster is this?’

’Is this the Alchemy Master who supposedly knew a little self-defense, according to the intel?’

’Run!’

It was the only thought in his mind. The mission, the Elixirs—none of it mattered in the face of death.

He let out a strangled cry and spun around without hesitation. Pouring all his strength into his legs, he scrambled madly for the window he had just broken, his only desire to escape this tiny shack immediately.

"Trying to leave?"

Chen Yue snorted coldly. With a single step, he closed the distance, appearing behind the Refined Flesh Realm Martial Artist in an instant. His right hand shot out, fingers spread, cutting through the air as he grabbed for the man’s nape.

’I should leave this one alive to find out where they’re from. If something really happened to Shen Dujiang, my supply of medicinal herbs and my sales channels in the black market would be affected.’

The Refined Flesh Realm Martial Artist felt the vicious gust of wind at his back. On the brink of death, his own ferocity was ignited. He gritted his teeth, his forward momentum coming to a screeching halt. Twisting his waist at an unnatural angle, his left hand, which had been hidden by his ribs, shot out like lightning.

"SHING!"

A cold gleam of light flashed from his waist—it was a long, slender Soft Sword concealed in a soft scabbard.

The blade vibrated with a faint hum as he spun and thrust, aiming straight for Chen Yue’s heart.

This Turnaround Sword technique was fast and vicious, clearly a last-ditch Killing Technique meant to save his own life. By forcing Chen Yue to defend himself, he hoped to create an opening to escape.

Chen Yue’s eyelids twitched. Without dodging or flinching, he reached out with his left hand to meet the thrusting blade. In his palm, Protective Gang Qi instantly coalesced, shimmering with a faint metallic luster.

"CLINK!"

With a crisp ring of metal, the tip of the Soft Sword was caught firmly in Chen Yue’s palm. The blade bent and trembled, but it could not advance another inch.

He caught the blade with his bare hand!

And it was a Soft Sword, imbued with the full power of a Refined Flesh Realm Martial Artist!

The Refined Flesh Realm Martial Artist’s eyes went wide. ’My final counterattack... was nullified so easily?’

Meanwhile, Chen Yue’s right hand descended unimpeded, his fingers clamping around the man’s nape like an iron vise.

Just as Chen Yue was about to speak, his ears twitched.

In the distance, he heard the faint sound of someone cutting through the air, rapidly approaching the shack.

’Friend or foe? Are they with this group, or...?’

A sharp glint appeared in Chen Yue’s eyes. He made an instant decision, no longer holding back.

"CRACK!"

His right hand clenched. The terrifying force of his grip instantly crushed the Refined Flesh Realm Martial Artist’s neck bones. The man couldn’t even let out a final scream as the light in his eyes faded and his body went limp.

At almost the exact moment Chen Yue crushed the man’s neck...

"BANG!"

The shack’s already rotting wooden door was kicked open from the outside. Amidst a shower of splinters, a familiar figure rushed in—it was Shen Dujiang.

But the Shen Dujiang of this moment was a far cry from his usual shrewd, business-like self.

His clothes were disheveled, there were bloodstains on his chest, and his face was a little pale.

He burst into the room, his eyes scanning frantically. When he saw the scene inside, he froze in the doorway.

Chen Yue casually tossed the Soft Sword and the corpse of the Refined Flesh Realm Martial Artist to the ground. He turned to the dumbfounded Shen Dujiang, the corners of his mouth beneath his mask seeming to curl into a slight smile.

"He said he was your nephew. Since when did you have such an accomplished nephew?"

Chen Yue’s words snapped Shen Dujiang back to reality. His face instantly flushed red with a mixture of anxiety and anger as he began to curse.

"That’s a load of horseshit! I’m a lonely old bachelor, been single half my life! Nephew my ass! Those bastards dared to impersonate my relative? Good riddance!"

After his tirade, he seemed to remember the urgent situation. The anxious look returned to his face, and he said hurriedly,

"This isn’t the time for that! We have to go, now! A real tough customer is after us—someone from the Bone Forging Realm!

I barely managed to shake him off, but he’s definitely on our tail. Damn it, if I weren’t injured, I’d crush a piece of trash like that with my bare hands!"

’Bone Forging Realm?’

"Didn’t you say you had everything handled here in the black market? How could there be a tough guy who doesn’t play by the rules?"

As he spoke, Chen Yue quickly searched the three corpses. He noticed they all had a water-like tattoo on their arms, somewhat similar to the flame emblem of the Divine Flame Cult he had seen before, but different.

Chen Yue’s eyes narrowed. He found a few pieces of Broken Silver, didn’t forget to grab the two packets of medicinal herbs from the table, and then quickly followed Shen Dujiang out.

Shen Dujiang faltered at the question, a flash of embarrassment and anger crossing his face.

"I did handle it! The local powers in Youlin County all give me some face. But this time it’s an Overseas Dragon, some transient who just drifted in. Damn it, he doesn’t follow the rules at all!"

Chen Yue nodded and looked at Shen Dujiang. "How will we contact each other in the future? The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill—are you still going to sell it?"

"Sell it! Of course I’ll sell it!"

Shen Dujiang nodded without hesitation, his tone resolute. "But Youlin County isn’t safe right now. We can’t stay here. We need to find a safe place first, then we can talk about the details..."

Before he could finish, he stopped moving abruptly. Chen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly as well.

From the depths of the narrow alley, a figure was walking slowly toward them at an unhurried pace.