Chapter 51: Wings of the Great Roc

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Wings of the Great Roc

But now that Chen Yue had closed in, there was no way he would retreat.

As the sword flashed toward his neck, Chen Yue took his second step. The blade grazed past his ear, slicing off a few strands of hair.

The very instant the sword passed him, Chen Yue’s hands shot out, his palms solidified by Gang Qi, and clamped down on the middle of the blade.

Bare-handed blade catch!

CLANK!

With a low, muffled shriek of metal, Yuan Tiansu felt an unimaginable force and a bizarre vibration surge through the blade.

He mustered all his strength and yanked, but the sword remained motionless, trapped between Chen Yue’s palms.

’How is this possible!’

Yuan Tiansu’s expression twisted. ’To catch his sword bare-handed and hold it so firmly he couldn’t pull it free? What terrifying strength and defense was this!’

In this life-or-death moment, Yuan Tiansu proved he was a ruthless man. Without a moment’s hesitation, he abandoned his sword. At the same time, his left hand snaked like a phantom toward his waist, where his other life-saving weapon was coiled: a poison-coated Soft Sword.

But Chen Yue was faster. Almost in the same instant Yuan Tiansu let go of his sword, Chen Yue’s right foot shot out with a dull WHOOSH, kicking viciously at the left wrist that had just reached the Soft Sword.

CRACK!

The explosive sound of bone shattering rang out. Chen Yue’s kick, filled with Gang Qi, had utterly pulverized Yuan Tiansu’s left wrist.

The agony made Yuan Tiansu’s vision go black. But before he could scream, Chen Yue’s kick, its momentum unbroken, slammed squarely into his abdomen—right on his Dantian.

ARGH!

As if struck by lightning, Yuan Tiansu was thrown backward like a limp sack, a thick spray of blood erupting from his mouth.

’Horror and disbelief swirled in his eyes. Just because of that one cautious change of tactics at the start, he had suffered such a crushing defeat in the span of a few breaths?’

’How could this Pill Master be so terrifyingly strong!’

While still in mid-air, survival instinct kicked in. Yuan Tiansu tried to muster his remaining Qi Blood and twist his body, hoping for a sliver of a chance to escape upon landing.

However, Chen Yue gave him no such chance.

WHOOSH!

Chen Yue leaped into the air like a great roc taking flight, appearing above the still-airborne Yuan Tiansu. He raised his right leg high like a battle-axe and brought it crashing down on Yuan Tiansu’s head!

"No!"

Yuan Tiansu’s eyes flew wide, his pupils reflecting Chen Yue’s descending foot. He instinctively crossed his arms to block—his good right arm and his limp, shattered left.

BOOM!!!

Carrying the terrifying force of a landslide, Chen Yue’s right foot first shattered Yuan Tiansu’s desperate block, then continued down unabated to crush his chest.

CRUNCH!

His sternum instantly caved in and shattered. Yuan Tiansu slammed into the ground, smashing a shallow, human-shaped crater into the hard bluestone pavement as dust billowed up.

He lay in the crater, his body twitching violently. Blood, mixed with pinkish foam, poured from his mouth like a spring. His eyes quickly lost focus, and he was down to his last breath.

Chen Yue landed lightly and stood at the edge of the crater, looking down at the dying Yuan Tiansu.

"Now, are you ready to talk? Who are you people? And why are you so determined to capture me?"

Yuan Tiansu’s mind was already a haze. He was drowning in agony and the sensation of his Life Force rapidly draining away.

His unfocused eyes stared at the figure before him. He knew he wouldn’t survive this.

Suddenly, Yuan Tiansu’s blood-stained mouth twisted into a wretched, venomous grin.

"Heh heh... feeling proud of yourself? You killed me, so you’ve offended us. You won’t escape death either. I’ll be waiting for you in hell... ARGH!"

His words dissolved into a piercing scream.

Expressionless, Chen Yue lifted his foot from beside Yuan Tiansu’s right knee.

Yuan Tiansu’s leg bone was completely pulverized, crushed against the bluestone pavement. Blood seeped into the cracks.

"You’ll..."

THUMP!

With a dull thud, Yuan Tiansu’s body went rigid, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

His venomous curse was cut short as Chen Yue’s kick shattered his throat. All words and life ended abruptly with the sound of cracking bone.

His eyes were wide, staring fixedly at Chen Yue, as if trying to burn the face behind the mask into his very soul. But the light in his pupils rapidly faded, leaving behind only an endless silence and frozen hatred.

Thanks to his sharp tongue, Yuan Tiansu did not die a peaceful death.

Chen Yue quickly searched Yuan Tiansu’s body. Besides a few pieces of Broken Silver, he found the same water-wave pattern. There was also a neatly folded piece of silk and brocade.

Chen Yue unfolded the silk and brocade, glancing at it in the dim light.

Drawn on it in some dark red pigment were a series of twisted patterns. They looked like a cross between words and images, with intertwining, coiled lines that gave off an indescribable sense of chaos.

With his current knowledge, Chen Yue had no idea what it was or what it was for.

Chen Yue had no time to examine it further. He tucked away the silk and brocade along with the Broken Silver and silently returned to the black market area.

The alleyway was now empty, leaving only traces of the fight and the faint, lingering scent of blood in the air.

Chen Yue’s gaze swept across the scene, but he didn’t stop. He first returned to the small hut and picked up a short, well-balanced knife from the ground, then carefully examined the jumbled footprints in the alley.

’They must have gone southeast...’

Chen Yue made his judgment instantly. Without hesitation, he pushed his Vertical Cloud Thousand Layer Step to its absolute limit and shot off in the direction the tracks indicated.

A dozen breaths later, after speeding through several alleys, Chen Yue finally heard the faint clang of clashing weapons up ahead.

Two figures were locked in a fierce struggle—or rather, one was desperately holding on while the other attacked with ease.

It was Shen Dujiang and Cheng Ziqian.

At this moment, Shen Dujiang was a spent force. His coarse clothes had been sliced open in several places, and blood was steadily seeping out, dyeing half his body red.

The most severe wound was on his left shoulder, a gash so deep the bone was visible. Blood gushed from it with every movement.

His face was pale as a sheet, and his breathing was ragged. The swings of his short blade had grown wild; he was holding on purely through his vast experience and sheer force of will.

Cheng Ziqian, in contrast, was elusive, his Swordsmanship ruthless. Every strike aimed precisely at Shen Dujiang’s vital points or openings.

’Shen Dujiang was endlessly cursing his luck, kicking himself for his decision.’

’He desperately looked for a chance to escape, to use the Body Technique that had made him famous in his youth. But the strenuous movement aggravated his old injuries, which felt like countless steel needles stabbing him from the inside, leaving him breathless.’

’Moreover, Cheng Ziqian’s Swordsmanship was cunning and masterful, sealing off all his possible escape routes. He could feel his strength rapidly fading, and his vision was starting to blur. If this kept up, he’d be dead in less than ten moves.’

’For a few Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills...’ Bitterness and self-mockery flooded Shen Dujiang’s heart. ’My greed has gotten the better of me. I’m going to lose my old life over this...’

’If I had known, I would have fled without a second thought. To hell with the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pills, to hell with any hope of healing! What could be more important than my own life?’