Chapter 351: Leave No Way Out

Su Wangchuan stood no more than five meters away from Xiao He.

The moment Xiao He unleashed 《Five Poisons Palm》, he was convinced that Su Wangchuan was already doomed.

But he did not strike at once.

Because the poisonous miasma of 《Five Poisons Palm》 needed time to erode its target.

The longer it lingered, the deeper the poisoning became.

It began by shaving off 1 point of HP per second, but over time it could stack until it was draining 10 HP per second...

Given enough time, the other man would die without question.

To everyone present, Xiao He’s pair of dark purplish-red poison palms looked eerie and wicked, radiating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Lin Jiahe, Wang Yuehui, and the others looked uneasily toward their own boss. They vaguely felt that something was wrong, yet could not quite say what it was.

“Boss!”

“Be careful of the poisonous miasma from the Five Poisons Palm!”

Li Na cried out a warning, her voice clear as a silver bell.

Xiao He glanced at her, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking sneer.

“Too late!”

“When your boss is dead, come work for me instead. I rather like women of your mature, commanding type.”

“...”

Lin Tao, the person in charge of Black River Studio, frowned slightly.

Xiao He...

He was being far too arrogant.

Su Wangchuan silently gazed at Xiao He. Even now, he still seemed not to have realized the danger drawing near. Sword in hand, he stood firm and unmoving, waiting for Xiao He to attack first.

At that moment, even Lin Tao could not quite hold himself back.

“Boss Su, you’ve already been poisoned. Admit defeat now, end this match, and return what you took from the branch helm! You might still be able to keep your life!”

As a representative of the 《spirit realm》 Online Guidance Center, Lin Tao did not want to see the owner of a newly established game studio, a young third-rank martial artist with a bright future ahead of him, perish here in resentment.

“Lin Tao!”

Xiao He shot Lin Tao a cold, vicious glare.

“Which side are you on?!”

“...”

Lin Tao immediately fell silent.

Su Wangchuan looked as though he had only just awakened from a dream. Lowering his head, he pressed a hand to his chest and checked his condition. His brows suddenly drew together, as if he had finally felt the discomfort.

Xiao He caught it.

In the next instant, Xiao He sprang forward.

《Divine Dragon Hundred Transformations》.

This lightness skill, evolved by the Five Poisons Sect from the movement patterns of a centipede, allowed him to circle rapidly around Su Wangchuan as he closed in.

His pair of poison palms struck through the air, throwing out layer upon layer of dark purplish-red palm shadows, some real and some false.

A stronger wave of poisonous miasma rolled forth with a foul, fishy stench, one surging wave after another, making their sleeves whip noisily in the air.

At that moment, Su Wangchuan sensed endless killing intent and savage brutality from Xiao He. The man was striking with utter viciousness, driving him straight toward death, leaving him no chance to survive.

Su Wangchuan moved with his sword.

The longsword cast out one dazzling ring of watery ripples after another, blurring truth and illusion alike as it blocked Xiao He’s advance. At the same time, his feet stamped sharply, and the explosive force of 《Cloud Ladder》 helped him pull back with ease, letting him see Xiao He clearly behind those dark purplish-red palm shadows.

On Xiao He’s shoulder, that gaudy, multicolored Life-Bound Venom Spider had already raised its abdomen into an attack posture, eager to strike, waiting for an opening.

The poison was invading.

The palm technique pressed in hard.

Against an ordinary third-rank martial artist, this was already a situation where death or crippling injury was all but certain.

Yet unexpectedly...

Xiao He was even preparing to send out his Life-Bound Venom Spider as well, to kick a man when he was down and completely seal off his final path to survival.

A layer of icy coldness covered Su Wangchuan’s eyes.

At first...

The two studio bosses had only just met for the first time. There was only a misunderstanding between them, no old grudge.

He had still been hesitating over how best to handle this sudden incident.

But the boss of Black River Studio was vicious, black-hearted, and ruthless to the core.

He was not leaving the slightest margin for retreat or survival...

A person like that...

Even if Su Wangchuan drove him back today, there would likely be endless trouble later.

A faint killing intent began to grow in his heart, then swelled like wildfire.

Relying on the movement technique of 《Cloud Ladder》, Su Wangchuan effortlessly evaded wave after wave of palm shadows.

The sharpened five senses of 《Xuanwu Art》 remained locked firmly on Xiao He’s Life-Bound Venom Spider.

《Water-Moon Sword Art》 calmly cut off the other man’s advance while he carefully studied the paths of Xiao He’s palm technique.

《Five Poisons Palm》 was indeed sinister and tyrannical, but because its true subtlety lay in its poisonous miasma, the actual attack patterns were not complicated. Circling was primary, shock force secondary, and as long as wave after wave of poison was driven outward through the air, the user had already achieved his aim.

But in a true close-quarters exchange, Poison Sand Palm would probably bring the other man down even faster.

Using 《Water-Moon Sword Art》 against bare palms gave him the natural advantage of a weapon. A longer reach was always the stronger reach.

Across the training grounds, one advanced while the other retreated, one pressed while the other yielded. The two fought evenly, blow for blow.

Doubt appeared in Xiao He’s eyes.

Su Wangchuan had been poisoned for a while already, yet he still remained steady, and the poison had not flared up.

Xiao He did not dare rush in recklessly.

Su Wangchuan’s swordsmanship was still highly intimidating.

If Xiao He’s bare palms were even slightly careless, they would be cut open.

So Xiao He remained unhurried. He kept circling, his poison palms churning and striking through the air, continuing to spread poison.

Another dozen or so exchanges passed.

Su Wangchuan’s face turned slightly pale, and his foot suddenly stumbled, leaving his center wide open.

Li Na, Wang Yuehui, and the others all changed expression at once.

Xiao He’s eyes lit up.

The poison was taking effect!

He abruptly accelerated and bullied his way in close, sending more than a dozen foul-smelling palm winds crashing toward Su Wangchuan in one merciless burst.

At the same instant!

That restless venom spider also sprang up at last, flashing to a point directly above Su Wangchuan’s head like lightning.

At this very moment, Xiao He finally launched his killing blow.

A pincer attack!

However!

At that razor-edge instant, a layer of watery sword radiance exploded before their eyes.

From within that burst of shattered sword light, a single edge emerged above all the rest.

That fatal edge silently cut into the mass of dark purplish-red palm winds, then swept outward in one motion, like a suddenly unfurled arc of sword light.

The arc was full and smooth, yet its edge blazed with terrifying sharpness.

Xiao He’s pair of bare hands were sliced off cleanly.

At the same time!

Purple and red blood burst from Xiao He’s chest and throat.

One sword stroke severed his palms!

One sword stroke split his chest!

One sword stroke cut his throat!

Su Wangchuan did not move unless he had to, but the moment he did, he stunned everyone in the training grounds.

Li Na and Lin Tao stared at the scene in utter disbelief.

The smiles on the faces of Black River Studio’s three second-rank martial artists vanished at once, their expressions freezing stiff. They could not believe the battle had reversed in a single instant.

Smack!

The severed hands hit the ground.

Xiao He toppled backward. Blood gushed from his chest and throat, quickly pooling beneath him into a dark red lake of blood.

His eyes remained wide and fixed, filled with despair, pain, unwillingness, and regret as they slowly froze while staring at the ceiling.

“Boss!”

“Boss!”

“Quick! The medical robot!”

“Save him! Hurry!!”

The people from Black River Studio fell into complete chaos.

Lin Tao did not move.

Su Wangchuan’s one-sword triple strike—severing the palms, carving open the heart, and slitting the throat—had been vicious beyond belief. He had never intended to leave Xiao He alive.

No one could save him now.

“The boss won!”

“Haha...”

“I knew it!”

Wang Yuehui, Chen Gang, and Li Xiangyang all let out sighs of relief and broke into smiles, celebrating with one another.

Only Lin Jiahe remained calm from beginning to end.

He could sense that Wangchuan’s breathing and movements had never faltered in the slightest. His gaze had been steady, and he had been in complete control the entire time.

In the end, Lin Jiahe saw one particularly interesting scene:

The gaudy multicolored venom spider had been sliced apart by a single sword strike. Its corpse, saturated with deadly poison, had spilled droplets of venom onto the wound on Xiao He’s chest.

That was the true finishing blow.