26: Chapter 26 Hand-to-hand combat! Near death? A blood-stained road stretches out...

"What happened? Why do the people from the Martial Arts Bureau look so tense?"

"Could there be a beast tide happening? But why hasn't there been any notification?"

On the street, Lu Qingyun scratched his head in confusion as he watched one squad after another depart.

Still puzzled, he continued walking toward the Martial Arts Bureau.

However, after only a few steps, his pace faltered slightly.

It seemed like just an unconscious pause, and he returned to normal in the next instant.

Except for a flash of cold light deep within his eyes!

"I'm being watched. Is it revenge from the Xing Family? But that matter was already settled by Jiang Yanqiu, and I have two powerhouses, Principal Mu Mingsheng and Jiang Yanqiu, backing me. Under these circumstances, would the head of the Xing Family really act so quickly?"

"This aura is extremely cold and gloomy, actually bearing a slight resemblance to the demonic arts I practice."

Thanks to his powerful mental strength, Lu Qingyun keenly sensed that someone was targeting him within a range of less than a hundred meters!

As the distance closed, a depleted health bar popped up over an alleyway in the distance.

[LV12 Yin Cheng: An injured cultist, harbors extreme hostility toward you!]

[HP: 845/1754]

[Physical Strength: 23.1]

[Mental Strength: 3.7]

[Skills: Blood Siphon, Poison Needle...]

...

"Injured, Aperture-Opening Realm, and a cultist!"

"Isn't this just free experience delivered right to my face?!"

"And, it seems I can use this guy to make some waves..."

The moment Lu Qingyun saw the general information, his mental strength instantly condensed!

He was ready to deploy it at any moment to keep the cultist from escaping!

In the alley, Yin Cheng watched the youth he so deeply coveted approach step by step. The light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter, like a venomous snake hidden in the dark, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment!

But why did he feel like... something in the surroundings was watching him?

"Just being paranoid."

Yin Cheng looked around, and after finding nothing out of the ordinary, he immediately steadied his mind.

Just as Lu Qingyun was about to draw near, all of his acupuncture points burst open!

An incredibly powerful force surged from within his body, making his move as swift as lightning, so fast that even he found it hard to believe!

Having broken through to the Tongqiao Middle Stage, even though he had done so through evil cultivation, he was still far stronger than before!

"This is power! Something I could never have reached in this lifetime, no matter how hard I cultivated!"

Yin Cheng grabbed Lu Qingyun and dragged him into the alley.

It was as if the darkness in that corner suddenly surged and completely swallowed him up!

"Such abundant vitality at such a tender age. A disciple of an elite family... Die!!"

Yin Cheng's eyes held not only greed, but were also laced with rage!

Coming from the bottom of society, he harbored an extreme hatred for those elite family disciples who were born with vast resources and lived in luxury!

Seeing that Lu Qingyun possessed such a high cultivation level at his age, he naturally assumed he was a disciple nurtured by an elite family as well.

He thrust his hand decisively into the youth's body!

Pfft!

Flesh was torn apart, and scalding blood flowed over his arm, bringing a morbidly ecstatic expression to Yin Cheng's face!

However, after a brief moment of excitement, Yin Cheng suddenly realized something!

From beginning to end, the youth he had grabbed had not made a single sound.

No gasp, no cry for help, nor even... a painful shriek...

He looked down and met a pair of pitch-black, deep eyes.

His own figure was reflected in those eyes, suddenly instilling an unknown dread in him!

Subconsciously, he tried to pull his arm back.

But a powerful hand grabbed him firmly in place!

The relaxed muscles began to tighten, the entire chest turning into a rigid shackle that locked his arm tight!

Under his terrified gaze, Lu Qingyun flashed a highly friendly smile and whispered in his ear, "I didn't make a sound, so next, I hope you won't make one either."

A heavy fist smashed brutally into Yin Cheng's head!

[HP -13]

It hurt, but not as much as he had imagined.

Looking at Lu Qingyun, who was clearly holding back his strength on purpose, Yin Cheng was utterly dazed, having no idea what Lu Qingyun's intentions were.

But the current situation only meant one thing!

Between the two of them, only one could survive to the end!

No matter what this bizarre youth before him was planning, all he could do was exert all his strength to kill him!

Bang—!

Bang—!!

Inside this alleyway less than a hundred meters from the Martial Arts Bureau, an extremely bloody and primal melee was taking place!

The moment Yin Cheng's health dropped below twenty percent, Lu Qingyun's fist came crashing down!

His previously abundant life aura completely dissipated in an instant!

[Killed LV12 Yin Cheng, higher-level kill, Level EXP +412, Max HP +254...]

"Dead already? Not durable at all, trash!"

Lu Qingyun frowned slightly and cursed inwardly.

Then, after actively stopping his state recovery, he looked at his current ghastly condition and abandoned the idea of adding more wounds to himself.

He began to crawl with difficulty out of the alley toward the direction of the Martial Arts Bureau.

Blood flowed continuously, leaving a spectacular bloody trail in his wake as he crawled!

The scene was incredibly tragic!

An alleyway, a cultist martial artist attack, near the Martial Arts Bureau, a bloody battle...

With all these factors combined, Lu Qingyun felt that if he didn't squeeze tens of millions out of this, it would be a massive loss!

...

Toot, toot—

Jiang Yanqiu hung up the phone, a trace of worry appearing on her face.

Those long, fair legs, capable of snapping any man's waist, were propped up on the desk in an unrefined manner.

"It's been three years. A small place like Jiangcheng can't even produce a single student for a top academy. Where am I supposed to find a genius who can rank in the top ten of the Tianjiao Camp?"

"In a while, I'll see how that kid I met before is doing. If there's really no other way, I can only leave through official channels. As for my family's side..."

Jiang Yanqiu seemed to recall something, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

In the end, it only dissolved into a sigh.

Right at that moment, a rapid knocking on the door sounded!

Outside the door, the clerical girl's voice sounded so anxious she was on the verge of tears.

"Director, something happened!"

Bang—!

Jiang Yanqiu opened the door, and the aura of the Innate Realm instantly enveloped the entire area!

That was absolute strength!

In the face of such strength, Jiang Yanqiu believed that nothing in Jiangcheng was of any consequence!

Until she saw the young figure lying in a pool of blood not far away. A wound the size of a bowl pierced through his chest, still bleeding continuously, with other injuries covering the rest of his body.

Clearly, he had gone through what could only be described as a tragic melee!

"What happened?"

Jiang Yanqiu stepped forward quickly, her pupils contracting sharply when she saw the face of the person on the ground.

Because this person lying on the ground, nearly on the verge of death...

...was actually Lu Qingyun, the very person she had just been thinking about, who might be her only hope of leaving Jiangcheng after all these years!

...