Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Night fell on Gale Hall.

Candlelight flickered.

"Xu Yang, what right do you have to still be alive!"

Ji Yun had also heard the news of Xu Yang’s return, and his face was so grim it could have frozen water.

His own Direct Disciple, Kong Yu—the top Dragon Ascension Talent from Qingyuan County, a genius with an A-class Root Bone, ranked third among the Purple Sun Sect’s Ten Heroes—had died in the sect. What right did a bumpkin like Xu Yang have to return alive, parading his success and showing off his might?

’This was something only his disciple, Kong Yu, should have been able to do.’

The thought of Kong Yu being dead while Xu Yang lived made him curse the heavens for their injustice.

’Why did an idiot like Xu Yang get to live, while my own brilliant, exceptionally talented disciple, Kong Yu, had to die?’

"Why?"

Ji Yun let out a low growl, like a wounded beast. "Ah Yu always wanted to kill you to avenge Zhu Yang, but he never got the chance. He must have died filled with resentment and regret."

His expression gradually turned sinister, and a murderous intent flared within him.

’I have to kill Xu Yang!’

’I should have killed him long ago.’

He hadn’t acted personally before because he wanted to leave Xu Yang as a whetstone for his disciple, Kong Yu. Now that Kong Yu was dead, he had no choice but to do it himself.

Otherwise, given the enmity between them, Xu Yang would surely come to kill him once his Martial Arts reached Great Success.

Now was the perfect opportunity. If he waited until Xu Yang returned to the Purple Sun Sect, he would truly have to just wait for the day Xu Yang came back to kill him.

"Ah Yu, as your master, I will send him down to join you and your senior brother, Zhu Yang."

With this thought, Ji Yun pulled a box out from under his bed. He opened it to reveal a neatly folded set of Night Clothes.

"Lin Cheng... my most outstanding disciple is gone. You don’t deserve to live either."

He quickly changed into the Night Clothes, blew out the candle, and pushed the door open to step outside.

Just as he was about to use his Lightweight Skill to leap onto the roof, he suddenly spotted a figure standing on the courtyard wall not far away, dressed in the exact same kind of Night Clothes.

The person stood with their hands clasped behind their back, revealing a pair of eyes that seemed to glow in the dark as they looked down on him from the wall.

"Who’s there?" Ji Yun roared.

’For someone to get within forty or fifty feet of me without me noticing... their cultivation must be on par with my own—Great Achievement in Gang Qi Cultivation.’

The dark figure on the wall suddenly turned, leaped off, and vanished.

"Where do you think you’re going!" Forgetting his plan to kill Xu Yang, Ji Yun shot into the air like a great bird and gave chase.

The dark figure sped through the streets and alleys, while Ji Yun bounded across the rooftops, keeping the target firmly in his sights.

After a short pursuit, the dark figure disappeared into a bamboo grove.

Ji Yun didn’t hesitate for a second, leaping in after them.

He saw that the fleeting shadow had stopped and was now waiting for him.

"You’ve led me here. For what purpose?" Ji Yun asked in a low voice.

"To kill you," Xu Yang said.

He hadn’t expected that he and Ji Yun had the exact same idea: to eliminate the other tonight and remove the threat for good.

"Xu Yang?"

The moment Xu Yang spoke, Ji Yun recognized his voice.

"Such audacity! To actually come and try to kill me. You think spending two years at the Purple Sun Sect means you can run wild in Qingyuan?"

Ji Yun was a mixture of shock and fury. He never would have imagined the man in black was Xu Yang. "Didn’t Lin Cheng tell you that most of us Martial Arts Hall Masters are retirees from the Purple Sun Sect?

Who gave you the courage to try and assassinate me in the middle of the night?"

’Even if his disciple Kong Yu were still alive, he would at most be at Gang Qi Great Success by now. Given Xu Yang’s talent, reaching Gang Qi Minor Achievement would already be impressive.’

’And here I was, thinking it would take some effort to find Xu Yang. I can’t believe he came to offer up his own life.’

"Your disciple, Kong Yu!" Xu Yang said with a smile.

Ji Yun’s pupils constricted. He snapped, "What do you mean? You killed Ah Yu?"

Xu Yang nodded. "That’s right. And not just him. I also beat your dear nephew, Ji Jincheng, and your disciple, Li Xu, to death."

’So it was Xu Yang who killed Kong Yu and Ji Jincheng.’

Ji Yun felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart and twisted viciously, the pain so intense he could barely breathe.

It all started because Xu Yang had contradicted him, causing him to lose face and decide to kill the boy. He never imagined it would ultimately lead to the deaths of his most prized disciple and his illegitimate son, Ji Jincheng.

This bloody outcome drove him to the brink of madness, filling him with a regret so profound it was sickening.

He regretted wanting to kill a junior over such a trivial matter. He regretted even more not finishing Xu Yang off himself, which allowed him to enter the Purple Sun Sect and gain the power to kill his disciple and his son.

Ji Yun’s chest heaved as he gasped for breath, murderous intent boiling in his eyes. "I don’t believe you!" he roared. "How could a good-for-nothing like you possibly kill Ah Yu? You’re just trying to mess with my mind! Now die!"

His heart did ache, but he didn’t truly believe Xu Yang had killed Kong Yu. He thought Xu Yang was just reopening his wounds. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

’If Xu Yang could kill Kong Yu, wouldn’t that make his talent the best among the Ten Heroes?’

’He’s just someone with a measly Lower C-class Root Bone. How could he possibly kill a genius with an A-class Root Bone?’

BOOM!

The full force of his Great Achievement in Gang Qi Cultivation erupted like a volcano. A tyrannical aura swept out, causing the bamboo leaves to ripple outward in waves.

Shocking Wind Palm!

When performed by Ji Yun, the might of this Martial Arts technique was absolutely astonishing.

A gale of Gang Qi tore through the bamboo grove with a thunderous roar. Searing killing intent transformed into Palm Force, pouring out madly. It carried a Force like that of a landslide or a tsunami, pulverizing the fallen leaves into dust.

Beneath his anguished expression was a palm strike delivered in a storm of fury.

The Gang Mang flickered, and a red light flared within the bamboo grove.

"If you don’t believe me, you can go ask Kong Yu yourself."

A golden light surged around Xu Yang’s casually raised arm. At that moment, his Cultivation at the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm awakened like a dormant dragon, unleashing a monstrous, heaven-shaking might.

BOOM!

He brought his palm down in a casual chop. The air let out a piercing shriek as the incoming stream of Gang Qi, fast as a shooting star, was struck as if by a heavy hammer and instantly shattered, scattering in all directions.