Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"Brother Jin, you’re as prophetic as ever. The kid was clearly heading back to the sect, yet he went on about having some business to take care of," Fang Yun said admiringly.

Xu Yang’s words had been so earnest that Fang Yun had actually thought Xu Yang truly had some business to attend to.

Jin Lei said, "He was trying to misdirect me, thinking I’d fall for it. He has no idea I saw through his little scheme from the very beginning."

Just as he spoke, Xu Yang’s figure flashed ahead and disappeared into the mountain woods beside the road.

Fang Yun exclaimed in amazement, "He’s taking a detour! He’s far too cautious. If we had tried to ambush him halfway, we would have never even found him. But this is the perfect place to make our move. It’ll save us the trouble of hiding the body and covering our tracks."

Jin Lei said, "That’s why I chose to start tailing him from the city gate. When you’re dealing with someone this cautious, you must be careful yourself."

With that, the two slipped into the forest as well, keeping a lock on Xu Yang’s distant figure.

"Time to make our move!"

After a few kilometers, they began to accelerate, sprinting through the forest and rapidly closing in on Xu Yang. They made no effort to conceal the sounds of their passage through the air, startling flocks of birds into flight.

’So eager to court death?’

Xu Yang had originally planned to lure the two of them deeper into the woods before striking, but he hadn’t expected them to be in such a hurry.

Still, he didn’t strike just yet. ’If you’re going to put on a show, you have to see it through to the end.’ He immediately feigned a shocked glance over his shoulder and broke into a frantic sprint.

A short while later, just as he reached a clearing, Jin Lei and Fang Yun vaulted over his head, landing in front of him to block his escape.

Jin Lei ripped the Conical Hat from his head, revealing a smile dripping with killing intent. "Junior Brother Xu, is this the burial ground you’ve chosen for yourself?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Fang Yun cut in, "Brother Jin, enough talk. Are you going to do it, or am I?"

In his eyes, Xu Yang was already a dead man. The only difference was whether he or Jin Lei would be the one to deliver the final blow.

Jin Lei said, "Didn’t you say you’ve never killed a Ten Heroes Genius before? Why don’t you do the honors, Brother Fang."

"Fine!"

The aura of Gang Qi Minor Achievement erupted!

The moment the word left his lips, Fang Yun vanished. He unleashed the full power of his Gang Qi Minor Achievement, stirring up fierce gales all around him.

"Xu Yang, my name is Fang Yun! When you go to report to King Yama, make sure you don’t give him the wrong name."

A cruel smile stretched across Fang Yun’s face. With a sharp cry, he punched, blasting a radiant fist through the air.

BOOM!

The air roared. A flash of red light, and the radiant fist shot toward Xu Yang like an arrow loosed from a bow, flying at a terrifying speed.

BANG! BANG...

The Force radiating from the attack plowed a clear furrow in the ground as it flew.

"Brother Fang, look out!"

Just as the blast was about to hit Xu Yang, Fang Yun’s ears were pierced by Jin Lei’s shocked cry.

His pupils contracted. Xu Yang was gone. The radiant fist he had unleashed struck empty air, slamming into the vacant spot where Xu Yang had just been.

BANG!

The ground trembled and sent soil and rock flying as the attack blasted a large crater into the earth.

’Not good!’

A wave of horror washed over Fang Yun. He sensed a razor-sharp aura hurtling toward him at incredible speed. Before it even drew near, the piercing presence felt like needles on his back, raising goosebumps all over his skin.

Without a moment’s hesitation—his experience from countless life-and-death crises kicking in—he decisively crossed his arms to shield his chest. At the same time, he condensed the entirety of his Gang Qi Minor Achievement Cultivation in front of him as a barrier.

SWISH!

But before his Protective Gang Qi could fully form, a fist shimmering with silver-white light appeared in his vision. It was like a silver meteor streaking across the sky, crashing into his defense with an overwhelming force that threatened to pulverize everything in its path.

Xu Yang’s killing intent was glacial, his aura a surging tide.

Only then did Fang Yun see it: Xu Yang’s skin was as white as silver, as if he had been cast from molten metal, and it radiated a cold, metallic light.

Even his Gang Qi wasn’t the usual blood-red color, but a silver-white he had never witnessed before, and its density was simply astonishing.

BANG!

Fang Yun felt as though he’d been struck by lightning. His whole body convulsed as his Protective Gang Qi shattered on impact. Part of the force was driven back into his body, and the shockwave instantly made him bleed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Terrifying cracks, like those on shattered porcelain, spread across his skin.

He couldn’t suppress a muffled groan, his face a mask of terror as he realized just how wrong things had gone.

But he had no time to make another move. With unstoppable momentum, Xu Yang’s silver fist had already smashed into his crossed arms.

CRACK!

CRACK!

Gang Qi burst forth as Force was unleashed. The silver light on Xu Yang’s fist was blinding. Like a great spear, his fist punched clean through Fang Yun’s layered arms, blasting bone and flesh into pulp.

With a spray of blood, two arms, still clenched into fists, were blasted away.

CRACK!

This was a strike at Xu Yang’s absolute peak, as unstoppable as a landslide. Another crack of bone echoed as Fang Yun’s eyes bulged, looking as if they would be squeezed from their sockets, a horrifying web of red veins covering them.

His chest instantly caved in. He flew backward, screaming in agony and spewing mouthfuls of blood.

PTAH!

Great gouts of blood, mixed with chunks of his internal organs, erupted from Fang Yun’s mouth. His severed arms, sent flying, seemed to claw uselessly at the air.

His body shot backward, flying over Jin Lei’s head before slamming into the ground more than ten feet away. He skidded to a halt, carving a long gouge in the earth.

Blood soaked the front of his robes. The cloth over his chest had been obliterated by the terrifying force, revealing a Fist Seal embedded deep in his body.

Blood streamed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth as his body convulsed uncontrollably. His appearance was wretched beyond description, his face a mask of pure terror.

’Too weak!’

Xu Yang withdrew his fist.

With his Cultivation at the Gang Qi Minor Achievement Realm, his Golden Gang Skill also at Minor Achievement, and his Root Bone at one hundred, the level of Perfection, his combat prowess against those of the same rank was simply terrifying.

With every movement, the Force inside him roared like a great river.

"Fang Yun..."