Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

BANG!

With a dull thud, Xu Zheng collapsed, blood pouring from his seven orifices. He was dead before he hit the ground.

He hadn’t held back!

The two had already had a falling out. From the moment Xu Zheng brought Zhang Tong to his home, the last shred of kinship between them was gone.

Besides, for associating with scum like Zhang Tong, this was him cleaning house. Even if he had let Xu Zheng go today, Xu Zheng wouldn’t have escaped the wrath of the Bai Shi Workshop villagers once the Sishui Gang was destroyed.

Still, he had been a bit soft. Worried that his aunt and uncle couldn’t stomach a bloody scene, he had only used True Qi to shatter Xu Zheng’s heart, granting him a clean death and preserving his last shred of dignity.

Otherwise, with his current strength, he could have easily obliterated Xu Zheng with a single Palm.

"Ah Zheng..."

Seeing Xu Zheng fall in a single move, his companions cried out. Their forward charge came to an abrupt halt, their faces filled with horror.

No matter how slow they were, they knew that anyone who could take down Xu Zheng in one move had to be a Qi Gathering Martial Artist at the very least, not some common thief.

A black shadow flickered. Xu Yang took a single stride forward, his fist shooting out like a great spear, narrowly avoiding a cleaver to slam into the first man.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

A series of dull thuds followed. Amidst a blur of fists, the men were sent flying, their sternums caved in as they vomited mouthfuls of blood. A chorus of bloodcurdling screams filled the air.

In a near-instant, Xu Yang had sent them all flying. They hadn’t even seen his fists.

After landing, they twitched a few times and then went still.

"You’re courting death!"

Zhang Tong had already realized he was facing an expert. He shoved the woman in his arms aside and pounced like a swift leopard.

BOOM!

A dark figure flashed. Vigorous Energy surged as Zhang Tong’s large hand shot out, wrapped in immense power. His gaze was ice-cold, seething with intense killing intent.

’He’s learned a Lightweight Skill?’

Xu Yang’s eyebrow twitched. In an instant, Zhang Tong had crossed a distance of ten feet, silent and soundless as a ghost. It wasn’t like his own lunge, where his feet would shatter the ground, making a terrifying racket as if afraid no one would notice him.

His scalp tingled and the hair on his body stood on end. The Force of Primordial Unity lay dormant within his fascia.

A series of sharp cracks echoed from Xu Yang’s body. The great dragon of his spine seemed to come alive, its vertebrae rippling rapidly to marshal the strength of his entire body.

The next moment, his palm also shot out like lightning, slamming viciously into Zhang Tong’s.

BANG!

The two palms collided. The violent sound was deafening, and the blast of energy swept out in all directions like a knife. Centered on the two of them, countless floor tiles instantly shattered.

The two women only had time to let out a scream before they were sent flying back into the room like straw dolls.

Zhang Tong felt a terrifying power transmit from his opponent’s palm, an irresistible deluge.

The strike into which he had poured all his True Qi had been crushed in an instant. He had no idea how many of his meridians had been shattered.

CRACK!

Under the terrifying Force, his arm was instantly shattered into several pieces, the bone bursting out from his shoulder.

"Ahhh..."

Zhang Tong let out an involuntary scream, his face contorting in agony. He knew he was going to die. He had no idea when he had provoked such a terrifying expert, one who could shatter his arm in a single move.

"Senior..."

As he stumbled back, he wanted to beg for mercy. At the very least, he wanted to die knowing why his opponent was trying to kill him.

But Xu Yang had no time for his nonsense. He closed the distance in a single bound, his five fingers clamping down on Zhang Tong’s other hand like a steel claw. He crossed Zhang Tong’s arms and twisted.

With another sharp CRACK, Zhang Tong’s second arm was twisted like a pretzel, jagged white bone-ends piercing through his clothes.

Zhang Tong was about to pass out from the pain, but the searing agony kept him conscious.

"Aargh!"

His features twisted together. His savage nature was aroused. Ignoring his two ruined arms, he swung his thigh at Xu Yang like a battle-ax.

A powerful gust of wind surged, sweeping up some of the broken tiles from the ground. The terrifying Force of the kick created a sonic boom as it tore through the air.

This was the dying counterattack of a Qi Gathering Great Success master—arguably his strongest strike. Even Xu Yang was a little wary.

Although he could have met it head-on with his Mixed Element Strength, there was no need to clash directly with Zhang Tong’s kick.

The great dragon of his spine rippled, instantly tensing like a bow. At the same time, he kicked off the ground. Amidst shattering floor tiles, his figure shot upwards like a great bird, evading the ax-like kick.

His leg swept through empty air. Zhang Tong’s expression changed drastically. He quickly looked up, only to see a large foot rapidly growing larger before his eyes.

He instinctively tried to raise his hands to counter, but both were broken and wouldn’t move. He could only watch helplessly as the foot descended upon his head.

CRACK!

The kick was as unstoppable as Mount Tai crashing down. With a sickening crunch of bone, Zhang Tong’s neck snapped, and his head was stomped directly into his chest cavity. It looked as if he had been beheaded.

THUD!

As Xu Yang landed, Zhang Tong’s corpse slammed heavily onto the ground, as dead as could be.

He rushed into the room. The two women had already fainted.

He didn’t kill them. From what he had overheard earlier, they weren’t Zhang Tong’s women, just two unfortunate souls from the Yihong Courtyard in the city, working hard to earn a living late at night.

Besides, he was masked; the two women wouldn’t be able to identify him.

After a thorough search of the room, Xu Yang didn’t find the Secret Manual he was hoping for. He didn’t even find a single coin, just four packets of Qi-Replenishing Powder.

He quickly stashed them away. Four packets of Qi-Replenishing Powder were still worth twelve taels of silver.

’If there is a Secret Manual, it’s probably with Zhang Sishui.’

Back outside, Xu Yang found and collected all the money pouches from Zhang Tong and his men without checking how much was inside.

Nearby, some members of the Sishui Gang who lived in the area heard the commotion and were rushing over. Seeing this, Xu Yang decided to be thorough. He picked up a blade, charged out, and killed them all. After he had slain more than a dozen of them, the area finally fell silent.

...

The Sishui Gang’s Main Altar was not far from the former Sanhe Gang’s main base. The two gangs had always been at odds, a conflict sparked by their adjacent territories and the constant struggle for control.

However, compared to the Sanhe Gang’s Main Altar, the Sishui Gang’s was much larger and housed far more people.

Most of the minor leaders of the Sishui Gang lived near the Main Altar with their families.

That night, deep in the dark, a figure covered in blood stumbled into the Sishui Gang’s Main Altar.

"Who are you?"

Seeing the figure, the two Sishui Gang members guarding the gate immediately drew their blades, preventing him from getting any closer.

They looked closer, and in the moonlight, they saw a man with disheveled hair, covered in blood. His clothes were slashed in several places, and he looked to be on his last breath. But because his face was caked in blood and it was dark, they didn’t recognize him.

"I’m Xu Zheng, I was with the Young Master! Quickly, take me to the Gang Leader! Something’s happened to the Young Master! Hurry, or it’ll be too late..."

The figure rasped, his voice filled with urgency.

CLANG!

The figure’s words shocked the two guards so badly that their blades fell to the ground. Their scalps prickled with fear. Seeing Xu Zheng’s state, they knew the Young Master was likely dead or in grave danger.

"Fuck, go inform the Gang Leader!" one of them roared. "I’ll help him inside."

With that, ignoring the blade on the ground, he scrambled over to support the blood-soaked "Xu Zheng".

BANG!

The Main Altar’s gates were violently shoved open, and the other guard was already running inside like a madman.

"Gang Leader, it’s bad! The Young Master is in trouble!" he yelled as he ran, his voice instantly echoing throughout the Main Altar.

’Ah Tong is in trouble?’

Zhang Sishui was jolted awake by the sound. His expression changed drastically. He immediately threw back the covers with a large hand, revealing a pale, naked body.

He ignored his screaming concubine, quickly slipped on his shoes, and stepped out in his sleepwear without bothering to dress.

With a BANG, the door to his room exploded into splinters, and he had already charged out.

Immediately after, he tapped his toes on the ground, and his entire body shot ten feet into the air like a great bird, soaring horizontally in the direction of the voice.

"Speak! What happened to the Young Master?"

After a few leaps, Zhang Sishui found the gang member who had been shouting about the "Young Master" and hoisted him up by the collar.

The chilling, icy killing intent made the man’s face turn deathly pale. He stammered, "Xu Zheng, who was with the Young Master, came back covered in blood to report that the Young Master is in trouble. This subordinate doesn’t know the details. I didn’t have time to ask before rushing to inform the Gang Leader."

"Where is he?" Zhang Sishui demanded.

"In the front courtyard. He’s injured. Old Wu is bringing him over."

Before he could finish, Zhang Sishui had already tossed him aside and was sprinting toward the front courtyard.

After a few leaps, he saw Old Wu helping a man covered in blood hurry toward him.

Anxious, Zhang Sishui rushed forward, grabbed the bloody man, and demanded, "What happened? Where is the Young Master?"