Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

A vicious wind surged from behind amid rolling waves of dust. A large hand, like an eagle’s claw and wreathed in Gang Qi, shot toward Xu Yang’s shoulder.

He had long been aware of the movement behind him. ’It’s just that my opponent thinks I’m only at the Gang Qi Minor Achievement level and is underestimating me.’

The instant the hand was about to land on him, he moved.

His body spun rapidly, channeling the momentum into his arm as he threw a punch through the air.

A piercing shriek tore through the air as his Golden Gang Qi erupted, striking Wang Lun’s Protective Gang Qi like a bolt of golden lightning.

PFFT!

Like a hot knife through butter, the Protective Gang Qi that Wang Lun had formed with his Great Achievement in Gang Qi Cultivation was effortlessly torn to shreds.

Wang Lun shuddered, and the hand reaching for Xu Yang’s shoulder would never land.

After tearing through his Protective Gang Qi, the impossibly domineering Golden Gang Qi continued with unstoppable force, piercing through his chest and blasting out his back in a torrent of blood, bone fragments, and shredded flesh.

A fist-sized hole had been punched clean through his torso. Through it, one could see the utterly disbelieving face of Li Tieying, who stood several yards behind him.

"Hrk..."

’Did Xu Yang just kill me with a single punch from across the distance?’

Wang Lun’s eyes widened. He looked down through the gaping hole in his chest and saw Li Tieying, whose expression was as incredulous as his own.

’What happened?’

Before he could even begin to understand the question, his body slumped to the ground, life utterly extinguished.

With a single punch, Xu Yang had not only pierced through his body, but the domineering Golden Gang Qi had also instantly annihilated his life force.

If one were to cut open his corpse, one would find that many of his internal organs had been shredded to a pulp by the Golden Gang Qi.

"Wang Lun..."

Li Tieying’s eyes nearly split with fury. He never imagined another of his brothers would die at Xu Yang’s hands.

"Xu Yang, you’re courting death!"

Li Tieying roared, no longer caring about planting a Blood Seed in Xu Yang. All he wanted now was to kill this animal who had murdered two of his brothers.

BOOM!

His aura erupted like a volcano. Gang Qi exploded from the soles of his feet, and in an instant, his body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, vanishing from his original spot.

Li Tieying’s eyes were blood-red, his killing intent overflowing.

He had come seeking revenge today; who could have imagined Xu Yang would be the one to strike first, killing Wang Lun?

He focused his entire Bone Marrow Cleansing Cultivation into his fist and threw a punch through the air. The resulting blast of Gang Qi shot across the sky like a meteor, its stray Force gouging a trench into the ground below.

’A Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist?’ A flicker of eagerness appeared in Xu Yang’s eyes.

’To think my first fight after reaching the Marrow Cleansing realm would be against an expert of this caliber. I honestly can’t remember when I ever offended such a powerful person.’

’But that’s not important. The main thing right now is to kill him. I can worry about the rest later.’

’Then again, if possible, I should leave him barely alive. I’d like to find out just when I offended an expert like this.’

Taking a long stride, he too vanished from his spot like an arrow released from a bow, simultaneously blasting out a wave of Golden Gang Qi.

BOOM!

The two streams of Gang Qi collided in midair. The resulting Force tore the very earth apart as a dragon-like plume of smoke and dust shot skyward. The ground roiled with dust like a tidal wave.

Without a moment’s pause, the two figures shot through the cloud of dust like twin meteors and collided in midair.

CRACK!

Li Tieying shuddered as his Protective Gang Qi cracked and shattered. He felt as if he had just slammed into an indestructible iron mountain. An overwhelming, irresistible power washed over him, feeling as though it would shatter his internal organs, and his body was sent flying backward uncontrollably.

"Marrow Cleansing!"

He spat out the two words, enunciating each syllable. Xu Yang had already reached the Marrow Cleansing realm. Not only that, but he possessed that terrifying Golden Gang Qi, which had completely crushed him in their exchange.

A chill ran down Li Tieying’s spine. ’With this kind of talent, how could he possibly be ranked only fourth on the Ten Heroes List?’

’If someone with this talent was only ranked tenth among the Ten Heroes, the Purple Sun Sect would have conquered the world by now.’

CRACK!

His cloak was shredded by the residual Force, revealing the face of a middle-aged man.

"Li Tieying!"

Xu Yang recognized him instantly.

Although he had never met Li Tieying in person, he had seen his wanted poster in the Purple Sun Sect’s Task Hall. Furthermore, he was the one who had foiled Li Tieying and his men’s attempt to steal the Spirit Medicine, so the man had certainly left an impression on him.

’So he’s also reached the Marrow Cleansing realm. I can’t let him live.’

Xu Yang’s gaze turned to ice. The moment he landed, he tapped the ground with his toes, and with a burst of Gang Qi, he vanished.

Stepping on Gang and Chasing Wind!

His body shattered the air, creating a dull roar and a deep, rumbling echo as Xu Yang streaked across the ground like a low-flying meteor.

PFFT!

Before he even reached Li Tieying, he jabbed a finger through the air, and a condensed beam of Finger Force shot out from its tip.

Great Success Pure Essence Gold-Splitting Finger!

’Such talent! If I plant a Blood Seed in him and raise him into a Blood Slave, I might just be able to break through to the Celestial Essence realm in the future.’

Instead of alarm, Li Tieying felt a surge of delight. Gang Qi flared around him like a raging inferno, sending waves of heat pulsing in all directions.

BOOM!

His palm, now blood-red and radiating a vile aura, shot out to strike the incoming beam of Finger Force.

PFFT!

The palm strike connected, but it felt like slapping a sharpened spike. A bloody hole was punched through his Gang Qi-wreathed hand. A terrifying Force invaded his body, and in an instant, his palm was covered in a web of fractures.

’How can the Pure Essence Gold-Splitting Finger be this terrifying?’

’It’s because of that Golden Gang Qi!’

Li Tieying’s pupils contracted violently as he finally realized just how domineering that Golden Gang Qi truly was.

’Compared to it, my own Gang Qi is as fragile as tofu.’

’Flee!’

Having been utterly crushed by Xu Yang in just two exchanges, Li Tieying knew that killing him was now impossible.

’If I linger any longer, I might not even have a chance to escape.’

His mind raced, and he resolved to retreat.

"Xu Yang, we’ll meet again! I will have my revenge!"

After spitting out the threat, he turned and fled.